Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hello, before we get into the stories I wanted to give you all a brief explanation on how I will be doing things in this story, so you won't be confused.

First off, this will be a series of 18 one shots, each one shot will be focused around Ash being a Type specialist in each different type. These one shots are NOT related, nor tied to the canon world. Each one shot is its own AU.

Ash will be getting new Pokémon per each type. I tried to keep his new teams lined up with Pokemon he has caught, or met on his journeys, but I also included some Pokemon that I personally wish he had caught. This means that Pikachu will not be Ash's Pokemon in most of these stories, I did try to give him Pikachu replacements, IE Pokemon he could carry to be his out of PokeBall, but that didn't work with all types.

Some AUs may take him out of Kanto as his home region, make him the sibling to other characters, turn him into a coordinator, or gym leader, or teacher, or champion/elite four member, or just anything else for the sake of story.

I will try to keep Ash as close to canonly accurate as possible(maybe some slight shift if I feel it's needed), that being said he will be more knowledgeable about Pokemon than in the original first season. Ash is Izuku Midoriya levels obsessed with Pokemon and it makes no sense to me that he knew so little, regardless of if he was ten or not(I personally wish they went with the 'he knows Pokemon in theory, but real-life experience is much different' storyline with him). So, Ash will be more knowledgeable about Pokemon, especially in regard to his type, but just as lovingly oblivious as in canon.

In the instances where Ash keeps some of his Canon Pokemon, those Pokemon will have their canon movesets(no more than 4-5), however for teams where I give him new Pokemon I will be hand picking their movesets. I am limiting it to only what that Pokemon can learn, like if Ash has a Glaceon his Glanceon cannot learn Flash Canon. I'm also limiting to one Egg move, if its needed, and one TM/TR/Move Tutor moves.

Stories will be inspired by the Anime so moves may be different than in the Games. For example, in the Anime Safeguard is basically used like Protect, and Encore doesn't have a three-turn limit. I will be looking at the anime to see how different moves like that are used.

Ash will age. I always thought Ash was aging, if not physically than emotionally until Sun and Moon pushed him back. It was BS, so Ash will be aged up depending on when the AU takes place, meaning he will be acting very very different in Alola and Galar AUs.

Kanto: 1 year (10)
Orange Islands: 6 months(11)
Johto: 1 year(11)
Hoenn: 1 year(12)
Battle Frontier: 6-8 Months(13)
Sinnoh: 1 Year (14)
Unova: 1 Year (15)
Kalos: 1 Year (16)
Alola: 1 Year (17)
Galar: 1 Year (18)

Shipping will be non-existent or very minimal. I'm super on board with AroAce Ash headcannon, and I don't really ship him with anyone for different reasons. So if there is shipping it will be minimal at best. That being said, if there is shipping he could end up with a guy or a girl or anyone inside, outside, and around the gender spectrum, so keep an eye out on each chapter's warnings in case that isn't your cup of tea.

While bashing won't be purposeful, I do have my own opinions on Misty, Iris, and Serena, meaning I don't like them for their own reasons(not shipping or race related don't start that bs with me), so if they pop up but may be shown in a bad light, but it will more than likely not be on purpose, and I will try not to drag them through the mud if I can help it.

You will get the chance to choose the next Type after each chapter. I want to try updating this once a month, so each chapter I will ask what type you want next, and before I write the next chapter, I will count the votes. That being side, I'm going by majority rules, so if I don't write the type you want, it isn't personal, please don't get upset. In the account of a tie, I will put the tied types in one of those wheel picker things so it's still fair. Additionally, if you have any ideas feel free to share them, but I already have stories for some types that I am unwilling to let go of.

Movies will be canon, if mildly altered, so if Ash has a bit of trauma/anxiety/ptsd or physical issues (ie being deaf or having a limp) then that is why. I will do my best to represent such things accurately, and respectfully.

Aura Ash. It may be mild, it may be prominent, again it depends on the AU.

I will try not to make him OP. But I promise nothing.

Due to Ash not being the MC of Paldea(and me not playing scarlet and violet because money is tight rn) he will have no Paldea Pokémon and the region is unlikely to even be mentioned.

As with everything I do I am more than happy to get CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, but being needlessly rude will only get you ignored and waste your own time.

Okay thats pretty much it. Thank you for reading this, and I hope you enjoy the stories!

Chapter Text

Ash was seven when he was uprooted from the quaint town of Pallet, Kanto and moved overseas to the bustling city of Laverre, Kalos. He hadn't been happy about it, his friends were in Pallet, his home was in Pallet, and it was the only place he had ever been. He didn't like Laverre City, where there was a lot of people, loud cars, and minimal forests and wilderness. The one shining light in the sudden change was Valerie.

Valerie had also just arrived in Kalos, hailing originally from Jhoto. She was twelve years old and already had Pokemon of her own, an Eevee, a Mawile, and a Mr. Mime, along with an odd pink Pokemon Egg. She wasn't as bothered with her move, she had been on the road at the time, and with her 'oddities' never really made any friends. 

Ash and Valerie met at the playground, and because neither of them had friends yet, they were drawn to each other. Ash didn't mind that Valerie rather sketch kimonos than battle, nor did he find her mimicking her Pokemon's speech weird, in fact he copied her. To Ash, Valerie was the coolest ever! And Valerie, well she was rather taken with the little boy. He was adorable, and could babble on for hours, making a pleasant white noise! 

When the widowed Ms. Ketchum and divorced Mr. Mache met, it was love at first sight. Mr. Mache, call me Valentine, was something of a romantic, but he was also kind and forthcoming with an open mind, and Ms. Ketchum was an angel of a woman, doting and kind but with a backbone. Valentine adored Ash as much as Valerie did, while he loved his daughter he had also wanted to have a son later on, to play catch with and go to baseball games together,  and Ash liked Valentine too. He actually listened to him, and understood when Ash got too excited or overwhelmed to articulate properly. Ash had always been Delia's world, but her world easily expanded to include Valerie. Delia loved talking fashion with Valerie, and taking her shopping or to the spa. Even though Valerie was a rather quiet child, Delia never pushed her to talk, simply liking spending time with her, even if they just quietly sat together in the living room, Delia reading and Valerie sketching. 

Ash and Valerie adjusted quickly to being siblings. With Ash now her brother, Valerie had nothing holding her back from dressing him up, and Ash truthfully didn't mind being her mannequin, as long as it wasn’t all of the time. He loved it when she would make something for him, it reminded him he was loved, rather it be a pair of pants and a shirt or even a dress, Ash never really complained. And Ash always knew he could babble to Valerie about anything, Ash could talk or complain for hours and she was always there to listen. Not everything was perfect, they were family and fights were bound to happen now and again, but they always pulled through. 

Despite being mostly an 'at home trainer', Valerie was a really good battler. Her battles were beautiful and powerful. She loved her Pokemon and trained them well, with Ash's dutiful support of course. When the Kalos Pokemon League took notice of Valerie's talent, easily promoting her to Gym Leader, nobody was really surprised, especially when she turned her Gym into a boutique. It was a lot of work, juggling the boutique and the gym, but with the help of her friends, fans, and family she pulled through. 

Ash was always paying attention to Vallerie’s battles. As he copied and learned from his sister, his taste in Pokemon turned to take after her as well. He loved his sister's Fairy Types, yes they were pretty and cute, but they were also powerful. Ash's adoration went unnoticed by nobody, nor did it surprise anybody when, on his tenth birthday, Valerie gifted Ash with a very special Pokemon, one Ash helped Valerie hatch and look after; Cleffa. 

Ash loved Cleffa. She was still an egg when Valerie moved to Kalos, and Ash learned a lot by helping his sister look out for her. Even after she hatched, Ash was the one that carried her around, looking over her when she was still too young to battle. Truthfully, Cleffa was practically Ash's the moment she hatched, something Valerie held no ill will over. She loved seeing how happy Cleffa was when she was with Ash, and it only made sense to gift her to him when he was finally old enough to have his own Pokemon. What was a surprise was that Cleffa evolved almost immediately after officially entering Ash's care. Not a day after the transfer did Cleffa glow a brilliant blue before evolving into an adorable Clefairy. 

With Clefairy's evolution, however, came Ash's journey. Despite living in Kalos, Ash had always wanted to start his journey in Kanto, like his birth father before him. So, with tearful eyes from his mother and father, Ash set off to Kanto to start his journey. It was a tearful event, full of promises to call and visit, and lots and lots of hugs. 

Kanto was an experience. Ash had immediately been flooded with nostalgia, and made Pallet Town his first step to visit his father’s grave sight and say hello to Professor Oak. He hadn’t expected to bump into Gary, nor find himself with an armful of brunette the moment their eyes met. Apparently Gary had missed him a lot, a sentiment that Ash shared before both 10 year olds broke out into joyful tears. Once their tears dried, they of course had a Pokemon Battle, Clefairy vs Squirtle. It was a close battle, but Ash won in the end due to his extended time spent with Clefairy. After the battle, the two boys split up, promising to meet each other in the Pokemon League. After his battle in Pewter, he became rather close with Brock, Brock was a natural Big Brother, and Ash was a natural Little Brother, and Ash always had a natural charisma that just caused People, Pokemon, and Danger to flock towards him. The two ended up traveling together, and Brock was a great friend and support for Ash, who was admittedly feeling a little homesick. Through Kanto Ash caught a Jigglypuff, Mr. Mime, a Maril that somehow ended up in Kanto, and a Pikachu, he even found a Togepi egg that he was able to raise up. The Pikachu was a bit of a problem, it hated Ash’s guts, and shocked him whenever it could, making it impossible to get close to it. He had toyed with the idea of releasing it, afterall if it hated him it would probably be happier in the wild. Before he could, however, Professor Oak reached out, wanting to trade him a very special Pokemon that, apparently, could really use some love. So Professor Oak got Pikachu, who he was able to reach an understanding with, and Ash got introduced to Mimikyu, who was standoffish, but a major sweetheart that really did just need affection and understanding. Through Kanto, Ash managed to evolve Clefairy into Clefable, and Jigglypuff into Wigglypuff. With his team, they were able to do very well in the Pokemon League, but they weren’t victorious, being beaten out by a more experienced trainer. It was a hard blow, and admittedly Ash was disheartened for a little while, but after arriving back in Kalos, and getting greeted with warm hugs and assurance, he eventually got over it. Brock had traveled with him, and immediately fell in love with Vallerie. Ash, who was used to both people’s actions, simply watched on as Brock tried to flirt and Vallerie responded with Sylveon chirps. It was hilarious, and Brock eventually gave up. 

Before heading off to Jhoto, Ash decided to leave Mr. Mime and Merrill in Kalos. Merrill really liked Vallerie and tended to follow her everywhere, and it was much the same with Mr. Mim and Ash’s mother, who absolutely adored Mr. Mime, whom she affectionately called Mimey. Ash felt comfortable leaving them at home, and was soon on his way to Johto. Johto was a bit calmer than Kanto, but it still had its ups and downs, and brought the addition of Eevee. After helping the Ecruteak Dance Theater, a place Vallerie talked to him about in length, the women of the Theater gifted him an Eevee. Eevee was a handful, and a troublemaker, but Ash really loved him, as did the rest of their team. Other than Eevee, Ash didn’t catch anyone else, but still did pretty well in Johto, even if he didn’t win.

Hoenn was a bit of a mess. Vallerie was becoming more popular due to her fashion boutique, and as such needed more help at the actual gym, and sometimes models. As a result, he would sometimes be called home to cover for her, or Vallerie would travel to Hoenn for him to act as a model for a few shoots. May, a girl he had met in Hoenn, absolutely loved Vallerie, something Vallerie took full advantage of by asking her to model occasionally alongside Ash, May of course leapt at the opportunity. Other than the travels back and forth, Hoenn, and later the Battle Frontier was, for the most part, fine. 

Sinnoh was much the same as Hoenn, except that Dawn was actually gifted a Kimono from Vallerie to advertise in Sinnoh, and Dawn was not letting up on that deal, she gets a free dress, Vallerie gets free advertising. Ash did actually dabble in contests besides Dawn in Sinnoh, wanting to make a point to Zoey, a Coordinator that Dawn became rivals with, that didn’t think you could get far doing both Contests and Battles. It personally annoyed Ash, so he worked to prove her wrong, it also advertised his sister’s male line, but that's neither here nor there. He didn’t win the Grand Festival, but he did rank pretty high for it being his first time, nor did he win the Sinnoh league, though his loss was highly controversial, but again he got pretty high. Zoey did eventually relent in her thinking, and even planned to try Gym battles when she went to Johto for their Contest season. 

After Sinnoh, Ash was stuck between going to Galar, or Unova. Unable to decide, he flipped a coin, and went to Galar. Galar was different, as trainers needed to be endorsed by a high ranking trainer. It may seem like Nepotism, but he reached out to Vallerie, who easily sent him an endorsement letter so long as he promised to journey through Kalos for his next journey. In Galar, while traveling alone for the first time in a long time, Ash was able to evolve Togepi into Togetic, and Eevee into Sylveon, before adding a rather rambunctious Impadimp onto his team. Placed pretty high in the Galar League, but in the end he lost in the final two. It sucked, because he was so close to winning, but Togetic crumbled just a second before his opponent’s Copperajah. 

Like he promised, Ash stayed in Kalos for his journey, eventually deciding to travel alongside Clemont, a childhood friend, and his sister Bonnie. If Vallerie was bad in Hoenn and Sinnoh, she was worse in Kalos, calling him home whenever she could for him to take her place as temporary Gym Leader. It was so often that he couldn’t do anything, but it was a bit annoying when he was so close to another gym and had to turn around to get back to Laverre City. If he didn’t know better, he would think she was preparing him to actually become the Gym Leader.

======

Ash chuckled as he watched his Pokemon play in his sister’s training room. Impidimp, his newest catch, giggled mischievously as he ran from an angry Mimikyuu, with Wigglytuff trying desperately to calm the raging dual type. Togetic was flying around the raptors of the Gym, dodging the beams with grace while Sylveon jumped beam from beam after her, using his feelers to try and tag the flying Pokemon. Clafable, however, was more than content to sit beside him, watching the chaos her companions were causing while Ash scratched behind her ears.

Their relative peace came to a halt by the door opening, revealing a stressed looking Kali, her black Valari styled dress slightly rumpled, and her face coated in sweat. “Your sister needs you right away sir.” She explained briefly.

Standing quickly, Ash followed the girl down the long hallways, his mind racing with thoughts of what his sister could possibly need him for so urgently. “Valarie are you okay?” He asked upon laying eyes on the taller woman. While most couldn’t often tell his sister’s emotions, due to her being so laid back and floaty, Ash could read his sister easily from years of experience with her odd personality, it had even rubbed off on him a bit over the years. By the slight crease in her brows he could tell that she was stressed.

“Brother,” she greeted politely. “I seem to have made a great mistake. I am needing to be in a meeting but a challenger is booked, would you mind taking over for me?”

Ash sighed. “Again? Your assistant has done this 3 times already.”

“Pretty please, I’ll bring you something delicious on my way home.” She begged, her hands folded in her lap.

Never one to turn down food, he agreed. “Alright, but please talk to Angelica so this doesn't keep happening, I still haven’t battled Wulfric because I keep having to cover for you.”

A small smile fell on the woman’s face. “Thank you Ash, I will return in three hours time.” She promised, happily patting his head like he was her Sylveon, having grown used to the treatment, Ash let her, watching her leave out the door with a final wave a few moments later.

He heaved a heavy sigh. “I swear she does this on purpose.” He grumbled mournfully, seeing as she had called him many times since he had come home to Kalos, regardless if he was wrapped up in another gym battle. He could only hope it wouldn’t happen again until he at least beat Wulfric.

“Here is your uniform sir!” Katherine called as she walked up to him, a folded pink and white suit in her hands.

With a resigned look, he grabbed the bundle of clothes. “Thanks Katherine, when is the challenger going to be here?”

“He is scheduled to arrive in 20 minutes.” The blonde explained.

Ash fished two Pokeball’s from his belt. “Would you please get my Pokemon ready for me? I don’t have enough time to change and get them to Nurse Joy.”

“Of course, leave it to me!” With a big grin Katherine scampered off, leaving Ash to walk to the changing rooms.

Valerie, as a fashion designer, was adamant that he looked the part when he covered for her. Because of that, she had personally designed his outfit: A pink tail coat with white accents and signature long pink sleeves that went over his hands, a pair of comfortable, black skinny pants, and knee length black combat boots with pink laces, and finally two hair clips that looked quite a bit like Clefable ears. Everything was comfortable, so it wasn’t like it bothered him, and he had long since become used to being dressed up like a doll.

After changing Ash walked back to the training room, where he returned his remaining Pokemon, save for Mimikyu, who hated Pokeballs and was more comfortable sitting in Ash’s arms or on his shoulder. Mimikyu nuzzled against his cheek, taking his spot on his shoulder. Chuckling at the little Fairy-Ghost, Ash clipped his other Pokeballs to his hip, hiding them with the tail coat that went down past his knees.

“Here are your Pokemon sir, ready for battle.” Katherine chimed, holding out the red and white balls for him to take.

“Thanks for the help Kathrine.” He thanked, carefully clipping the Pokeballs to each wrist so he’d have an easier time grabbing them with his oversized sleeves. “Ready to play gym leader?” He asked his little buddy.

“Kyu!” Mimikyu purred, nuzzling against Ash’s cheek.

The stand-in Gym leader made his way to the main battlefield of the Laverre Gym, pushing down the bubbling excitement that built in his gut at the thought of battling. Battling was ingrained into his very blood, and no matter how big the battle, be it during a tournament or simply battling someone on the street, he couldn’t help but feel excited. It was a way he could express himself and communicate with people and Pokemon alike. Be that as it may though, he did try to control himself when standing in for his sister, being a trainer, and being a Gym Leader were two different things, and being a Gym Leader required a certain decorum, no matter how outgoing or wild the Gym Leader may be. That didn’t mean he held himself back, every challenger he took on was given the same treatment that Ash would give his rivals. As a Fairy Type trainer in general, he had a point to prove. Fairy Types were not dainty, delicate beauties that only belonged in Showcases, and Contests, they were untapped powerhouses capable of bringing Dragon Types to their knees. Besides, he couldn’t dishonor his sister’s gym, it meant too much to her.

Ash waited outside the battlefield for a few moments, listening to Katherine greet the challenger before he walked in. “Introducing the stand in Gym Leader, Ash.” Katherine called out, motioning to him as he walked out.

“Hello, and welcome to the Laverre Gym!” Ash greeted, grinning at a familiar green haired boy. “My sister had a prior engagement so today I will be your opponent.”

“A-A-A-Ash?!” Sawyer squeaked in surprise.

“Hey Sawyer.” Ash waved at the young trainer he had met at the Pokemon Center just that morning, though his sleeves hid his hands. “Are you ready to win your next badge?”

A wave of emotioned filtered over the boy’s face before settling on determination. “I am!” He nodded fastly.

A wide grin spread on Ash’s face. “Good to hear it!”

“The Gym Battle between Stand In Gym Leader, Ash, and the Challenger, Sawyer is about to begin!” Katherine started. “Each trainer is allowed the use of two Pokemon, and the battle will be over when one side's Pokemon are unable to continue. Only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokemon.”

“I’ll throw out My Pokemon first.” Ash offered, enlarging his Pokeball in his hand. “Togetic I choose you!”

“Toge!” Togetic purred, flapping her tiny wings excitedly.

“Uh in that case I’ll use Bagon!” Sawyer threw out his Pokemon.

“Bay Bagon!” The small blue Dragon Type growled.

“In that case,” Kathrine raised her hand, swishing it down as she yelled “Begin!”

“Bagon start out with Headbutt!” Sawyer ordered.

Bagon roared, taking off towards the small white Fairy Type and jumping towards her.

“Counter it with Steel Wing!”

Togetic’s wings flashed a brilliant silver, and she fell into a nose drive, meeting Headbutt head on with her wings. Both Pokmeon were stationary for a few moments, their moves clashing until gravity took hold of Bagon and he fell to the ground, landing on his feet.

“Now quickly use Encore Togetic!” Togetic started glowing a shimmery white and a ball of power built up between her paws before firing towards Bagon. Baygon tried to dodge but the light overtook him, leaving him glowing a shimmery white.

“Oh no! Encore makes a Pokemon repeat their moves!” Sawyer worried. “Bagon try to use Fire Fang!” Instead of Bagon’s fangs being overtaken with flame, like they were supposed to, Bagon bolted towards Togetic again, trying to headbutt her out of the air.

“Ascend!” Togetic flapped her wings, ascending out of Bagon’s reach. “Now use Fairy Wind!”

“Toge!” With each flap of her wings glittery gusts of air shot forth, wrapping Bagon up and flinging him around.

“Ah Bagon no!” Sawyer gasped when Bagon fell to the floor, eyes in swirls.

“Bagon is no longer able to battle!” Katherine called, holding a flag up towards Ash. “Please send out your next Pokemon.”

“Mi Kyu!” Mimikyu purred from Ash’s shoulder, cheering on his fellow Pokemon.

“Thanks Bagon.” Sawyer thanked as he returned Bagon to his ball. “Treeko its your turn!”

“Treeko Tree!” The green gecko Pokemon crooned, a determined gleam in his eyes.

“Lets get Togetic out of the air with Bullet Seed!”

“Tree!” Treeko nodded sternly, opening his mouth and letting out a stream of seeds.

“Block them with Steel Wing!”

“Toge!” Wings flashing silver again Togetic started batting the seeds away, but the volume of seeds became too much, and hit Togetic head on, sending her falling towards the ground.

“Great now used Razor Leaf.” Leaping into the air the gecko swiftly sent out sharp leaves, hitting Togetic before she could regain her balance and knocking her out.

“Tooooge~” Togetic mewled, eyes swirly as she laid on the ground below.

“Togetic is unable to battle,” Katherine held up a flag in Sawer’s favor. “Please send out your next Pokemon.”

“You were great Togetic.” Ash praised Togetic once she was in her Pokeball and Mimikyu let out a sad chirp. “Clefable, I choose you!”

Out of the Pokeball popped a Clefable, her ears twitching and alert with a prepared gleam in her eyes. “Fable.”

“Treeko use Razor Leaf!” More leaves swirled around the Hoenn starter, shooting towards Clefable.

“Defense Curl Clefable!”

“Clefa ble!” Clefable squeezed her eyes shut and curled in on herself, protecting her vital areas against the sharp leaves.”Clefable!” She grinned proudly and stood up easily as Razor Leaf tapered. Off.

“How?!” Sawyer worried.

“Clefable is no pushover. My buddy can take on way more than that!” Ash matched Clefable’s grin. “Hit him with your Pound Attack!”

Clefable wasted no time jumping into the air and jumping onto Treeko, using her tail to pound the starter into the ground. Treeko growled in pain, the weight of the bigger Pokemon making it difficult to move. Just as Sawyer was about to call out another move the starter started to glow a vibrant blue. Startled, Clefable jumped away, allowing Treeko to evolve in peace. Treeko’s legs became longer, his arms too, while his tail became bushier and three large leaves grew from his arms.

“Grovyle!” The newly evolved Pokemon roared proudly.

“H-He evolved!” Sawyer gasped in awe before scrambling to check his PokeDex.

“Grovyle, the Wood Gecko Pokemon. Grovyle’s strongly developed thigh muscles give it astounding agility and jumping performance. They live in dense jungles. While closing in on its prey, Grovyle leaps from branch to branch.”

“Amazing.” Ash whistled. Mimikyu nodded excitedly from his shoulder.

“Clefable.” His partner agreed.

“Are you ready to continue?” Katherine asked after a few moments of wonder.

“Oh yes! Thank you for waiting.” The green haired trainer startled. “Grovyle use your new Leaf Blade attack!”

“Counter it with Pound!”

Using her tail again, Clafable’s tail collided repeatedly with Grovyle’s Leaf Blade. The two Pokemon traded precise blows, waiting for the other to concede, but neither one was.

“Get above Clefairy and use Bullet Seed!”

“Wait for it Clefable!” Grovyle jumped up, and away from Clefable. “Now use Thunderbolt!”

“Clefa!” Clefable called out, a bright electric flash colliding with Grovyle.

“Vyle!” Grovyle yowled.

“H-How!” A look of bewilderment took up the young trainer’s face.

“Grass types mediate electric attacks by channeling them into the ground, but take Grovyle away from the ground and there is nowhere for that electricity to go!” Ash explained. “Finish it up with Moonblast Clefable!”

“Grovyle get out of there!” Sawyer ordered, but Grovyle was too damaged to move as quick as before.

Clefable started glowing a lovely blue color, a bright pink ball of energy building between her palms. “Fable!” With a cry the ball of energy fired at Grovyle, striking him and sending him flying. Grovyle didn’t get back up.

“Grovyle is unable to Battle! The Stand in Gym Leader is the winner!” Katherine called, waving a flag in Ash’s favor.

“Mimikyu!” Mimikyu cheered, jumping down and running to greet Clefable.

“Return Grovyle.” Sawyer sighed, watching his partner vanish in a beam of red light. Ash approached him, Clefable falling into step as he neared. “Thank you for battling with me Ash.”

Ash held out his hand, carefully pulling up his long sleeves. “Thank you for that amazing battle. You almost had us there for a moment!”

“Cle Clefable!” Clefable agreed.

Blushing due to the praise, Sawyer nodded firmly. “I’ll work even harder, and the next time you see me I’ll have the Fairy Badge!” He promised, grasping the offered hand in a firm shake.

Ash grinned broadly. “I can’t wait to see it!”

Chapter Text

Tiny sobs echoed in the forever lush landscape, startling the Pokemon that frolicked around the Dragon Holy Lands. Pidgy stopped flying, Bellossom stopped dancing, and Furret and Rattata ran to hide. Awoken from his slumber, an old Dragonite exited the Dragon’s Den, wings stretching behind her as she searched for whatever was making such a sound. Sitting on a hill, cushioned by the soft grass was a toddler no older than two, dressed in an Amphoros onesie, with short, wild black hair. Dragonite approached the sobbing toddler slowly, keeping her eyes peeled for anything suspicious. Once close to the tiny human, Dragonite bowed her head to get a better look at the child.

Noticing he was no longer alone, the kid stopped crying. Tiny sniffles still left his little nose, and big brown eyes were still brimmed with tears but he was no longer sobbing. The old Dragonite crooned happily at the lack of crying, and leaned in to get a better look. A big smile broke out on the toddler’s face, followed by giggles. “Pokemon!” He squealed, pushing himself up to stand. With a little grunt, he stood fully and wrapped his arms around Dragonite’s muzzle. “Mama! Pokemon!” He looked around for what could be assumed to be his mother, but not another person could be seen. “Mama? Mama?” Tears started to pool in her eyes again and Dragonite felt a rush of panic.

“Ryu Ryu!” Dragonite cooed, picking the child up in her arms, wings flapping until they were hovering off the ground. The toddler’s tears halted as he realized they were in the air, and he giggled brightly, hugging the Dragon Pokemon. Dragonite sighed in relief and looked around for help from the other Pokemon.

“Free Free?” A Butterfree fluttered forward, purring when the toddler reached out to pet them.

“Ryu.” Dragonite tilted her head towards Blackthorn Gym. “Ryu Ruune.”

“Free Free!” Butterfree nodded before fluttering off towards the City Gym.

—-------

“Remember to bring back some Leppa berries for Charizard’s Pokemon food!” Lance stopped at the Gym doors, listening to his mother call after him.

“Yes Mother!” He called back, shutting the door after him and looking at the Dratini that slithered beside him. He sighed, running a hand over his scales. “Its like she’s forgotten that he is my Pokemon.”

“Tinhihini!” Dratini giggled before his attention shot up. “Tini?”

Confused, Lance followed Dritini’s gaze and saw a Butterfree flying towards them. The Butterfree stopped before Dratini, waving its tiny arms as it spoke. “Free Free Butterfree!”

“Tini? Ni Dratini!” Before Lance could ask what the problem was, both Pokemon took off towards the Dragon’s Den, leaving Lance to run after them.

Lance squinted his eyes as they entered the Dragon Holy Land, his eyes having to adjust from the dark cave of the Dragon’s den. Just ahead he could see Dratini’s tail slither through the grass towards a Dragonite. Lance faltered slightly in his steps. Dragonite only left the Dragon’s Den if something was wrong, the old Pokemon was fiercely protective of the Dragon’s Fang and took protecting it very seriously. And then he heard it, a bright, cheery giggle that didn’t belong to any Pokemon that Lance had ever heard. As he rounded the top of the hill, he zeroed in on the source of the sound. A toddler was sitting in the grass, surrounded by wild Pokemon and giggling as Dratini coiled around him and nuzzled one of his cheeks, while a Furret nuzzled the other, and a Rattata was getting petted in his lap. Lance halted, trying to make sense of the situation. While the wild Pokemon of the Dragon Holy Land, and Dragon’s Den were used to the Blackthorn family and the Secret Society of Dragon Tamers coming and going, they never ran right up to them or let them pet them, they ignored them and ran like they would any other human, but they didn’t seem to fear or mind the toddler at all.

Clearing his throat, Lance grabbed their attention. The wild Pokemon bolted to hide, mindful not to hurt the child leaving Lance alone with him, his Dratini, and the old Dragonite. The toddler looked upset as his new friends ran off, but got distracted by Dratini, who used a very weak Haze to distract him. “Where did he come from?” Lance asked the old Dragonite.

“Ryu Ryu, Ruune.” Dragonite growled, making vague hand gestures to try and explain the situation.

Unable to understand, Lance turned to Dratini. “Dra Tini, Ni Tini Dratini.” He explained, purring as the Toddler scratched behind his fin.

“He just appeared?” Lance questioned, getting nods from both Dragons. “You saw no one else?” Dragonite shook her head. Lance frowned and tossed out two Pokeballs, releasing a large Charizard and a younger Dragonite. The toddler clapped when he noticed the other Pokemon. “Search the Holy Lands, make sure no one else is in the area.” He ordered. Both Pokemon roared and affirmative and flew off to search the area, Meanwhile, Lance crouched before the child.

“Pokemon goodbye?” The toddler tilted his head in question.

The nineteen year old trainer nodded simply. “They went to find your mother.”

“Mama? Mama here?” He asked.

“I-I’m sorry but I don’t know.” Lance explained slowly. “If she is, we’ll find her. Do you know your name?”

Brows scrunched up and lips poked out in what could only be assumed to be a thinking face. “Ashura is this many.” He stretched his pointer and middle finger out like a peace sign.

“I’m Lance.” Lance introduced. “Will you come with me? We should make sure you’re not hurt.”

With a level of skepticism far too intense for a two year old, Ashura looked between Lance and the Dragonite. Dragonite crooned softly, followed by a supportive trill from Dratini. Ashura nodded after a moment and held his arms out for Lance to scoop him up. Lance picked the toddler up easily, jolting when Ashura yawned and relaxed against him.

“Tired?” The red haired trainer asked.

“I’m sleepy.” He agreed easily, rubbing his eyes with his fist.

“Ryu.” Dragonite leaned in, getting one final bet to the nose before she flew back towards the Dragon’s den, her job finished for the time being.

“Try to sleep, we should be at my home soon.” Lance promised, return Dratini and his Dragonite when his Pokemon returned. Ashura shut his eyes and grabbed a fist full of Lance’s shirt. Carefully, Lance pulled himself onto Charizard’s back. “Be fast, but maybe not too fast, we don’t want to hurt him.”

“Grrr.” Charizard huffed, as if offended by Lance’s statement. His massive wings flapped and he was in the air, flying through the Dragon’s Den and towards the Blackthorn Gym.

Neither Pokemon, nor trainer noticed a mischievous little cat Pokemon giggle before vanishing.

—----

Lance stared tiredly at his cousin as she stood on her tippy toes to look into the crib where Ashura was sleeping. The nine year old’s wild blue hair kept falling in her eyes, but she paid no mind. “So he was just sitting out there?” Lance turned away to look at his Aunt, a blue haired woman and Clair’s mother. Her brows were knit with worry as she shared a look with Lance’s own mother.

“From what I understand, yes.” Lance answered.

“This is worrying.” Lance’s grandfather sighed. “Children don’t just appear, and Dragonite should have noticed a disturbance, even if it were non threatening.”

“Charizard and Dragonite found no other people, and nothing out of the ordinary. The wild Pokemon seemed to like him, but that was the only oddity.” The young man informed with a worried crease in his brow.

“Well, what do we do with him now?” Lance’s mother questioned.

“Can we keep him?” Clair asked, leaning back to look at the older Blackthorn’s.

“He isn’t a Growlithe, Clair.” Her mother sighed. “I’ll call Officer Jenny to put out an amber alert, no one loses a two year old without noticing.”

“If his mom doesn’t come, then can we keep him?” Clair asked, reaching into the crib to pull his thumb out of his mouth. Ashura grabbed hold of her finger, his grip amazingingly strong for a baby, and snuggled into her hand. A mesmerized grin spread on her face. “Please! Look, he likes me!”

Lance bit back a chuckle, and his grandfather walked forward. “For whatever reason this child was brought to the Dragon Holy Lands, should no one come forward, we can foster him. But understand Clair, his family may be out there and will likely want him back.”

Clair pouted. “Okay.” She grumbled before leaning down to whisper to the sleeping child. “Don’t worry Ash, You can be my little brother! I’ll get you your first Pokemon, and you can help me run the Blackthorn Gym when we’re bigger!”

The adults shared amused looks, pretending they didn’t hear their nine year old family member.

—----

In the end, no one in Johto, or Kanto came forward to claim the lost child. Clair was overjoyed, not quite understanding the situation due to her young age. The Secret Dragon Society did have some skepticism about the boy just appearing in their Holy Land, but after seeing the baby soothe Clair’s anxiety stricken Dratini without much more than a giggle, and head pat, their worries were laid to rest.

The Blackthorns quite blatantly spoiled him. There were yet to be any other babies in the house after Clair’s birth, and as energetic and wild the toddler could be, he could also be the calmest child anyone had ever dealt with. He seemed to be able to read what was going on around him, like he could tell what anyone was feeling at any particular moment and would react accordingly.

Pokemon too seemed drawn to him, wild Pokemon, and caught alike, be it a stanger’s Houndoom, or Lance’s Grandfather’s particularly snooty Kingdra. Pokemon just loved him, and he loved Pokemon just as much.

The only particularly bad thing was how Ashura, Ash for short, was treated outside the Blackthorn Home. He wasn’t bullied per say, but his family name held a lot of weight, and that made other children avoid, or walk on eggshells around him, limiting his friend group significantly. He was able to befriend Professor Oak’s grandson when the two went to Johto to study the native Pokemon. Gary was pretty stuck up, and Ash hadn’t taken the attitude sitting down. Somehow the two became best friends, no one understood it, no one dared try to understand it, it was just how things were.

And when Ash turned ten, just as Clair promised, Clair was the one to give him his first Pokemon; a Swablu, a small blue and white bird Pokemon from the Hoenn region. With the tiny Normal/Flying Pokemon as his partner, Ashura ‘Ash’ Blackthorn set off on his Journey.

—-----

“Are we going the right way, Altaria?” 15 year old Ash Blackthorn asked his partner as the fluffy white and blue bird flew above them.

“Taria!” Altaria answered simply, fluttering down to land next to him. “Al Altaria, Taria.” He chirped, nuzzling Ash’s cheek.

“Good, I was worried we got lost again.” Ash chuckled, scratching Altaria under his beak. “Hmm?” Ash felt as if something was coming towards them, at a fast rate. “At the ready.” He said to his partner, getting a chirp of affirmation.

Out of the bushes rolled a small green Pokemon with tiny little tusks on each side of it’s mouth. “Axew!” It cheered.

“Awe you beat me again!” A voice whined before a girl stumbled out of the bushes, scooping the tiny Pokemon up. She was short with dark tan skin and had extremely long, poofy black hair.

Ash relaxed slightly, seeing as she was likely not a threat. “Hello there!” He greeted her.

“Woah!” She yelled, jumping as she finally noticed him. “Who are you?! What are you doing here?!” She stammered.

“Axew Ew!” Her Pokemon, Axew, scolded him.

Ash laughed awkwardly, reaching back to scratch the back of his head nervously. “My name is Ash, and this is Altaria, we came from Johto. I was actually on my way to the Village of Dragons for their tournament, you wouldn’t happen to know where that is, would you?”

“Oh you’re going to the Village of Dragons?!” The girl perked up. “I’m Iris, and this is Axew, we’re actually from the Village of Dragons!” Iris seemed to vibrate with excitement. “You’re taking part in the tournament? We are too! Well, me and my Gible are! Do you have any Dragon Types? Technically you don’t need them to participate, but I love-”

Ash stared wide eyed at the 13 year old girl before him, unable to keep up with her gushing. Altaria cooed in amusement, flapping his cloud-like wings towards the girl, the sudden breeze breaking her out of her stupor, and causing her to focus on the magnificent bird before her.

“Ah! You’re so cute!” Iris gushed. “I heard Altaria are Dragon Types, but I’ve never seen one.” She reached her hand out, melting when the bird-like dragon dipped his head for her to pet. “So soft!”

“Uh, not to be rude but I was hoping to talk with the Village Elder before the tournament, I was hoping to stay in the village for a little while to train.” Ash cleared his throat to grab her attention.

“Oh right! Its right this way!” With that, Iris started down a hidden path in the trees.

“She’s pretty wild.” Ash said to his partner before returning him to rest and following after the girl.

Iris gushed and talked about Dragon Type Pokemon the whole walk to the Village of Dragons. Not that Ash minded, Clair was much the same way, actually their whole family was, and it wasn’t often Ash was able to hold such conversations with people outside his family. Even Gary couldn’t keep up some of the conversations since he studied Pokemon in general and not just Dragon Types. Sometime during the walk Axew attached itself to his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of Ash scratching along his scales and helping get rid of a small piece of shed that was stuck under his job and easy to miss.

“Wow, Axew really likes you.” Iris hummed, watching as he expertly removed the stuck shed.

“Well, Axew is pretty young huh?” Ash hummed. “He’s pretty friendly, many baby Dragons are rather skittish, you’ve done well raising him.” He praised, moving his head just in time not to get poked by one of Axew’s tusks.

A proud flush colored Iris’ cheeks and she puffed her chest out a bit. “Of course I am, I’m going to become a Dragon Master!” She said matter of factly. “Axew was actually given to me by the Village Elder.” Axew jumped from Ash’s shoulder to Iris’. “He’s my first Dragon Type actually.” She admitted sheepishly. “I have a Dragonite too, but hes a bit…brash.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Ash snickered. “Dragonite can be very carefree, or extremely brash, it depends on how they were raised and grew up.”

“Wow.” Iris stared at him. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience, do you-”

“Ah Iris, I see you found our wayward guest.” Iris was cut off by an older woman. She was short, dressed in a tan covering dress and an orange hijab.

“Ah Elder!” Iris stuttered momentarily.

“Axew.”

“I haven’t seen you since you were a young boy, Ashura.” The Elder turned to Ash.

“It's nice to see you again Elder.” Ash dipped his head politely. “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner, there was an incident in Kanto, a-and Johoto, and a few in Hoenn and Sinnoh-I kept getting side tracked.”

She waved him off. “No worries child, Lance and Clair have kept me up to date on what's been happening.” She assured him. “Now, let me see them, its been so long since I’ve seen proper Blackthorn Raised Dragons.”

With a wild grin Ashura Pulled out six Pokeballs. “Come on out everybody!”

“Altaria!”

“Mance?”

“Rantrum!”

“Ga!”

“Deino No!”

“N-Noi?”

“Wha- They’re all dragon types!” Iris gasped in awe, literal hearts lighting up her eyes as she looked at them all.

Besides Altaria there was a confused looking Salamence, a Gabite happily biting Ash’s head, a large Tyrantrum sniffing at the ground, a Deino that was repeatedly charging the Salamance, and a very small Noibat that immediately flew into Ash’s arms. The Elder hummed in approval, walking up to each Dragon type with a critical eye.

“This one has just hatched, yes?” She asked, scratching the nervous Noibat under the ear.

Pride swelled in Ash’s chest. “Hatched him with Gabite just a few days ago, isn’t that right ‘big brother’?” Gabite smiled around Ash’s head, grumbling happily while gazing at Noibat. “Deino I caught when I first arrived in Unova, so we’re still working some things out.” As if to prove his point, the tiny dragon headbutted Salamence. Salamence snorted in the smaller dragon’s face, causing it to roll backwards.

Ash and the Elder shared a chuckle. “They are all in fine health, and powerful. I can’t wait to see how you fare in the tournament, only one Pokemon is allowed during the whole tournament mind you, but it always is a treat to see you battle.”

“I’m really looking forward to it, I was thinking about traveling around Unova after the tournament, so this will be great preparation!” Ash pumped his fist into the air.

Elder chuckled warmly at his excitement. “Well make yourself at home and feel free to leave your Pokemon out of their Pokeballs, there's a small inn you can stay in for the time being.”

“Thank you very much.” He said gratefully.

“Iris please show him to the Inn, and then I would like a word.”

“Oh, uh yes Elder.” Iris stammered, snapping out of her stupor and nodding to the older woman as she walked away. As she vanished Iris snapped her attention to Ash, who was rocking his Noibat to sleep. Something brushed against her cheek, and Iris came nose to nose with Tyrantrum, who licked her. Giggling, she hugged the massive Dragon Type. “You have so many Dragon Types!” She said happily, reaching over to pet Salamence as well. “So is what the Elder said true? Are you a Blackthorn?”

Ashura scratched the back of his head nervously, hoisting Deino into his arms while setting Noibat down to play with Axew. His face flushed with a bit of embarrassment. “Yeah, I am.” He cleared his throat. “Uh Lance is my cousin and Clair is my sister, so I’m a Dragon Trainer.”

“Wow, it must be so cool being a part of such a renowned family.” Iris whistled, not noticing the older boy grimace. “Oh, I should show you to the Inn so I can meet with the Elder. We don’t have a lot of visitors, but there should be a few people around because of the tournament!”

“Thanks,” Ash followed her through the village, his Pokemon following. Salamence ended up flying above them, having taken up a lot of the small streets, Tyrantrum wasn’t so lucky, and was struggling not to step on things, so Ash returned him until they reached the Inn where there would hopefully be more room. As they walked Ash looked around, taking in the small village.

Everywhere you looked there was a Dragon Type Pokemon, either following a person, or running around with other Pokemon. Two Axew were playing tag in a far field, and a Fraxure was sleeping under the shade of a tree while two Zweilous spared in someone’s yard. Three children were running down the path with a Gible and a Bagon chasing after them while their mothers followed behind, gleefully chatting. It was peaceful, and warm, and the dark haired male could only sigh in contentment.

“Here we are!” Iris chimed, dragging his attention towards her.

“Awesome, thanks for the help Iris.” Brown eyes flicked to her momentarily before settling on a modest looking Inn. “I hope we get to battle in the tournament!”

“If that happens there is no way you’re going to win!” Iris grinned, picking Axew back up.

Ash’s smile turned playfully sharp. “We’ll see, won’t we.”

After sharing a laugh, Iris ran off to meet with the Elder. Ash walked into the Inn and paid for a few nights before exiting to feed his Pokemon. Tyrantrum was let back out of his Pokeball, and Ash scaled his back to sit while they ate. After eating they fell into comfortable silence and Ash laid fully down over Tyrantrum’s back, allowing himself to relax and his eyes to shut. Tyrantrum, Altraia, and Salamence followed suit, with Noibat flying up to curl up on Ash’s chest to sleep after eating. Gabite and Deino however stayed awake and active, Deino reared up and ran towards Gabite, who made an X over his chest and caused her to collide with his arms before jumping back, and repeating.

Ash breathed in the clean air, not asleep but his eyes still closed. He was mildly aware of some looks he and his Pokemon were getting, nothing malicious, some envy, or interest, a few kids really wanted to run up and asked to play, but their parents held them back as it wasn’t polite. Content to relax with his Pokemon, Ashura didn’t sit back up until a feeling of unrest fell over him. Setting Noibat on the thick fur that sat around Tyrantrum’s neck so he could still sleep, Ash slid off his massive Pokemon and looked around.

“Ryu!” A Dragonite growled and dive bombed the resting group, his claw lighting up in an electric flash.

“Sandstorm Gabite.” Ash ordered.

“Ga.” Gabite growled, claws lighting up before pulverizing the ground, and creating a big cloud of dust and sand that shrouded the Dragonite, confusing it momentarily.

“Slash.” On his trainer’s command Gabite leapt into the Sandstorm, easily maneuvered his way through the sand soundlessly until he appeared behind Dragonite. Using Slash, Gabite hit Dragonite out of the sky, making him land before Ash. Dissipating the Sandstorm, Gabite landed beside his trainer.

Dragonite growled, having been bested by a pre evolution, but before he could fly into a rage gentle hands cupped his face. “Come on now, everything is okay.” A calm voice cooed, gentle thumbs massaging Dragonite’s nose. Dragonite felt a rush of calm, looking up to meet understanding brown eyes. Without much resistance, the Dragonite sat back down.

“Dragonite!” Iris called. “You can’t fly off like that!” She sighed, jumping up to hug him, much to his embarrassment.

“Is this Dragonite yours Iris?” Ash asked.

Iris groaned. “Oh no, did he attack you guys?”

“Its alright, no one was hurt, and I think we’ve calmed down now, don’t you?” Dragonite grumbled but nodded, crossing his arms. “Dragon types are strong, and a way they get stronger is by fighting. Really it's just in their nature, even the mellowest of Dragonite fight every once in a while to prove their strength. There's nothing wrong with it unless they go too far.” Dragonite leaned into Ash’s hand when the ravenette continued petting him.

Iris’ brows furrowed in thought and she looked at her Pokemon, and then the older boy before her. A determined gleam flashed in her eyes and she opened her mouth, but before she could speak a voice spoke out from the speakers.

“All those participating in the Village of Dragon’s Tournament, please assemble at the battle field in the south square. Thank you.”

“Looks like we better go.” Ash pulled out a Pokeball and returned Altaria. “You guys get some rest, Salamence, keep an eye on Deino for me.” The Hoenn dragon crooned, reaching out to grasp Deino by the scruff, much to her distaste.

“Can you stay out of trouble while me and Gible battle?” Iris asked Dragonite, who huffed but nodded. Iris looked at the older boy. “Race ya!” She yelled and took off running.

Ash floundered. “Hey you had a head start!” He yelled and took off after her.

Like the year before, Drayden was at the tournament with his Druddigon, and seeing the man made Iris ghost her fingers over Excadrill’s Pokeball with a sense of loss. The Elder gave a brief speech, and started off the tournament. Sadly, Iris didn’t last long. Gible wasn’t well versed in battling quite yet, and the audience around him made him uncertain, so they lost their third match. In comparison, Ash and Altaria were doing quite well. Altaria was beautiful, fast, graceful, and powerful, while Ash was quick to think on his feet and used the oddest of combinations to win his battles. The Elder had been right when she said watching Ash battle was always interesting, while Lance and Clair were fantastic battlers, as evidenced by their positions as Champion and Gym Leader respectfully, Ash had a real knack for it. He could twist a battle between a Pikachu and a Raichu so that the Pikachu won, or lead a Dragon Type to Victory against an Ice Type. He knew what strengths to bring out in a Pokemon, and how to build them up no matter their circumstances. It was fascinating and beautiful to watch, and before long Ash and Drayden were the last two standing.

“The final battle between Ashura of Blackthorn and Drayden of Opelucid is about to begin, the winner is decided when one Pokemon is no longer able to battle, or a trainer calls forfeit. Ready? Begin!”

“Druddigon use Dragon Tail.” The spiky Pokemon rushed forward with speeds that seemed impossible for the bulky Pokemon, his tail lighting up in a draconic green glow.

“Safeguard.” Altaria crooned, his body becoming encased in a glittery green forcefield that caused Dragon Tail to bounce off. “Use Ice Beam.” Wasting no time the cloud bird fired a cold blue beam from his beak, hitting Druddigon head on, and in close proximity. But Druddigon seemed unaffected. “What?”

“Druddigon may be a Dragon Type, but a simple Ice Beam won’t dissuade him!” Drayden advised. “Now use Dragon Claw.”

“Ascend!” Altaria flared his wings, riding a gust of wind into the air to avoid the other Pokemon’s glowing green claws. “Now Sky Attack.” White wisps caused Altaria to glow, while he descended towards Druddigon.

“Flash Cannon.” A white beam shot from Druddigon’s mouth, colliding with Altaria, but the Sky Attack acted as some sort of shield, absorbing Flash Cannon’s power before Altaria collided with Druddigon and pushed him to the floor.

“Don’t let up, another Ice Beam!” Altaria fired another Ice Beam from behind, the power making Druddigon stumble.

“Take to the sky Druddigon and use Dragon Claw.” Druddigon flapped his wings but couldn’t take flight without falling. “What is this?” Drayden squinted and noticed large chunks of ice sticking to Druddigon’s wings, weighing them down so they couldn’t fly right.

“Alright Altaria, finish this with Dragon Pulse!”

“Altaria~” With a beautiful croon, Altaria fired a multi-colored pulse of energy towards Druddigon that wrapped the Pokemon. Druddigon cried out, encased in Dragon energy. When the flash died down Druddigon was struggling to stand, before falling over, swirls in his eyes.

“Druddigon is unable to battle! The winner is Ashura of Blackthorn!” The referee called out, raising a flag in Ash;s direction.

Altaria sighed tiredly and flew down to stand beside his trainer. “Taria.” He heaved.

“That Flash Cannon did more damage than we thought huh? Take a good rest buddy.” Altaria nuzzled against his trainer before vanishing in a flash of red.

“Amazing, isn’t it.” Elder said to a stunned Iris. “He had come a long way from the excitable child I met a few years ago. He has learned much from his journey, and I’m sure he has much to teach as well.”

Iris inclined her head towards the elder in thought. Her brows furrowed and she looked down at her Pokeballs, gripping them as she thought. A sense of resolve filled her, and she looked back up at the older teen as he received his prize.

—---

Ash pulled on his backpack, securing it. He had stayed at the village for a few days before deciding to take on the Unova League. He stood at the entrance of the village, ready to head out. “Thank you for letting me stay here.”

“Of course.” The Elder nodded. “Come back whenever you’re nearby, I can’t wait to see how Deino and Noibat flourish under your guidance.”

“I promise to come back to visit when I can.” He promised. “Goodbye.” With a polite bow, he turned to head out.

“Waaaait!” Iris screamed, running after him, Axew barely clinging to her hair. She breathed heavily as she came to stand before him. “Please take me with you!” She gasped out. “I want to be a Dragon Master, but as I am I don’t think that will happen. I think traveling with you will teach me alot. Please let me come!”

Ash stared down at the girl, eyes wide with surprise before a small smile broke out on his face. “Sure,” he agreed. “Traveling is always more fun with friends.”

“Really?!” Iris gasped in awe. “Alright! Thank you!”

“Axew Ew!” Axew cheered

The Elder watched the two with a proud gleam in her eyes. Both would become fine Dragon Masters, she could feel it.

Chapter Text

Grass Pokemon, one could say, ran in Mao Blood, and while a Ketchum in name, Ash was no different. Delia Ketchum(Maiden's name Mao), and a foreigner hailing from Alolan after her marriage, had a beautiful garden, one that caused wild Grass Type Pokemon to flock to the Ketchum home. Her flowers were the envy of Pallet town, her vegetables, the largest anyone had ever seen grown, and her berries the tastiest anyone had ever eaten. And while Ash loved all Pokemon, no matter typing, Grass Types seemed to flourish under his caring hands. They had a special place in his heart, from the smallest of Flabebe, to the tallest of Exeggutor, Ash couldn’t help the spark of adoration that lit in his chest whenever he laid eyes on them.

When his time to venture out into the world came, Ash had no question about what his first Pokemon would be. And while he almost missed the chance, Bulbasaur was the first Pokemon to join his team. Admittedly, Bulbasuar hadn’t taken to him immediately, once a wild Bulbasaur that watched over other Wild Pokemon, he had been turned over to Professor Oak, as the young woman that lived in said forest wanted Bulbasaur to experience the world alongside a trainer, and Bulbasaur haven't exactly been a willing participant of the idea. It wasn’t until Spearow attacked them, and Bulbasaur saw Ash throw himself in front of the angry flock, that Bulbasaur warmed up to the hyperactive, and ambitious trainer.

Ash had always wanted to be a Pokemon Master. That was his dream, and the dream he intended to follow. What that meant exactly, even he wasn’t exactly sure, he figured he’d know when he achieved the goal, and he had no plans to change his goal even the slightest. That is, until he challenged the Celadon City Gym.

Celadon was probably the gym he had been looking forward to the most. Erika was a Grass Type Gym leader, and growing up he had watched every one of her expedition matches alongside his cousin, Mallow, even if they had to be on call to watch together most of the time. In a way she had become his Idol, and he wanted to battle her with his Pokemon, and get her opinion on how he was raising Bulbasaur.

But as they say, Never meet your heroes.

A small part of Ash wanted to blame Misty. If she hadn’t insisted on going into the perfume shop, dragging Brock along to flirt with the sales women, then Ash wouldn’t have bad mouthed perfume, and wouldn’t have been banned from the gym(Truth was, growing up with the natural scents of fresh flowers, and greenery, and delicious organic food made Ash turn his nose up to things like Perfume(that included candles, and lotions, other things like them). They were just too strong smelling for him, and oftentimes poor imitations of the real thing that cost a ridiculous amount of money.) But, even Ash could admit that it was poor manners to badmouth a company’s product in the shop in front of the store clerks. But getting banned from the gym simply for disagreeing with a Gym Leader’s views(especially biased views seeing as she was the owner of the perfume company) seemed a bit much to him.

Yes, eventually he had gotten to battle Erika, but that was only after he had crossdressed to get through the front door, and had to lie about liking perfume, and they couldn’t even finish their battle because the building started burning. He was offered a Rainbow badge after saving Erika’s Gloom, but in the end Ash couldn’t bring himself to take it. He felt disillusioned, and the offering felt hollow, so he turned the badge down and got his fourth badge from a smaller official, but not as well known Gym.

Ash was by no means the smartest person out there, Misty could attest to that and Gary would happily regale tales from their school days, but even he knew what Erika had done wasn’t right. It made him wonder how many other trainers were banned for speaking their minds, for simply disagreeing with Gym leader Erika, and disliking her product. And after a bit of research the next morning, he found out that what she did was very much illegal.

Gym Leaders were allowed to test their challengers, to assure that they were ready for the challenge of battling the Gym Leader, it was a practice not really kept up with in the current days, not like it was when Ash’s own father took his first journey through Kanto, but the test had to be unbiased. Simple puzzles that anyone could work through with some Gym Trainers sprinkled through to test the challenger, and while tests or quizzes were allowed, Gym Leader Bais was strictly forbidden. Since he was traveling with a former Gym Leader, and a Honorary Gym Leader, he decided to ask them how to report the gym.

Brock’s face twisted into something serious, like the look he had on his face when Ash had first Challenged the Pewter Gym. “To be honest, there isn’t much you can do.” Ash opened his mouth to protest but Brock cut him off. “You can file a complaint with the Pokemon League, but I’m going to be honest, there isn’t much they can do either.Pokemon Gyms in Kanto are family run for the most part.” Brock pulled out some paper and drew a square at the top, another two below it, and four others below that. “This is the Gym Leader,” He pointed to the uppermost square. “If the Gym Leader no longer wishes to lead, or is injured, or takes a vacation the gym is passed down to a family member that the Pokemon League tests.” He motioned to the boxes under the first one. “If the Gym Leader has no family, but has an apprentice then the apprentice takes over. In the instance where they have no family nor an apprentice the Gym is shuffled down to one of the Gym’s students/Gym Trainers.” Finally he pointed to the very bottom row of squares. “So if the Pokemon League did get rid of Erika, seeing as she has no family in the Position to take over-”

“-The gym would just go to one of her underlings that would probably be the same as her.” Ash sighed, frowning at the paper.

Brock nodded solemnly. “Celadon is also an extremely important city, so it's not like the League could just do away with the Celadon Gym completely either.”

“Well, there is one way to get a new gym leader put in place.” Misty stated, drawing their attention. “If a Pokemon Trainer with a Type Specialist the same as a Gym Leader challenges the Gym Leader to a six on six match, with League officials as the judges, the League can decide to transfer ownership to the other trainer, especially if the Gym has complaints filed against it.”

“Really?” Ask turned to Brock for confirmation, who nodded an affirmative.

“That's how Erika acquired the Gym in the first place.” Misty explained before groaning in frustration. “My sisters wouldn’t stop talking about it for weeks when it happened a couple years ago.”

“It will be hard to find someone to challenge her though.” Brock sighed. “Type Specialist trainers are slowly declining, and those that do exist usually seek tutelage under a Gym Leader.”

Ash furrowed his brows and looked beside him, where Bulbasaur was curled up, leaning against his thigh while listening to his trainer’s conversation. Feeling watched the bulb Pokemon raised its head, crooning when Ash reached out to pet him. A flash of something flickered in Ash’s eyes, and Bulbasuar found himself being hoisted up into the air by Ash. “We’re going to do it!” He declared.

“Bluba?”

“Ash, what are you talking about?” Misty sputtered.

“Bulbasaur, we're going to train really hard, and build our team, and then we’re going to come back and show Erika what a real Grass Type Gym Leader can do!” A confident grin spread on Ash’s face, and Bulbasaur smiled back.

“Bulbasaur!”

“I thought your dream was to be a Pokemon Master?” The red haired girl questioned.

Ash readjusted Bulbasaur in his hold and turned towards her. “It is, and I’m not giving up on that dream, being the new Grass Type Gym leader will simply be a stepping stone! Right Bulbasaur?”

“Bulba, Bulbasaur!”

Brock gave him a proud smile. “Well, I’m in for the long hall! I’ll be there to help you any way I can.”

Misty sighed dramatically. “Alright, I guess I’ll help you out too.”

Warmth blossomed in Ash’s chest. “Thanks guys!”

—--------

Long goal in mind, Ash still intended to participate in the Kanto Pokemon League. Brock hounded him on proper Grass Type care, and food, while Misty guided him through the Politics of Gym Leading, ensuring that he wouldn’t be thrown into an environment he wasn’t ready for. Being a Gym Leader wasn’t just battling kids after all, there was the teaching aspect, protecting the town or city the gym resided in, and of course classes and oftentimes additional or secondary work tied into the gym. Gym Leaders were paid a small sum from the Pokemon League, but the funds weren’t much and often times only used to keep the Gym up to date and functioning, not enough for the Gym Leader to actually survive on, it was why the Cerulean Gym doubled as an Aquarium/Water Show, and why the Celadon Gym Leader had a Perfume company in the first place.

The next three years however, after going to Johto for Professor Oak, were dedicated to traveling the world, building his team, and studying under other Grass Type Gym Leaders. He even visited Hoenn, despite the lack of Grass Type Gym, in search of any Grass Types that would make a good addition to his team. He especially enjoyed his trip to Alola with his mother, where he was able to battle against Mallow, aspiring chef and Trial Captain. Misty did eventually have to leave him to take over her own Gym, and Brock had found his path through Medical School.

And finally after years of training, traveling, and learning along the way, after difficult battles, and losses, and wins of all kinds, Ash Ketchum returned to Celadon City in early Febuary, in the off time before the Gym Season was due to start.

Getting a League Official to foresee the Challenge hadn’t been as Hard as Ash had thought it would be. He hadn’t been the only one unhappy with Erika, apparently, and the League had jumped at the chance, and it actually took some searching to find an unbiased judge to foresee the challenge.

Originally Delia, Mallow, Brock, Misty, Gary(ex-rival and #1 pain in the butt), Cilan(a friend from Unova that he trained under for a few months), and Professor Oak had wanted to sit in on the match, but the League Official, Hayden Lils, had denied them. The match would be broadcasted live, but other than Hayden, Ash, and Erika(and their Pokemon), no one else was allowed entry into the field to minimize any cheating. So the group gathered at the Pokemon Center, hogging one of the televisions to watch the match that Ash had been preparing for for a long time.

“The Battle between Ash from Pallet Town and Erika of Celadon City for the rights of Celadon City Gym Leader is about to start!” Hayden called from where he stood on the referee’s platform, a Hypno beside him to help alert him to any cheating. “This match will be Six on Six, trainers are required to substitute between matches. No cheating, and no held items. If Cheating is discovered the one doing so will immediately be disqualified. Am I Understood?”

“Yes.”

“Yes sir.”

“Alright, Trainers at the ready?” Hayden looked between both trainers, getting nods of affirmation. “Begin!”

“You’re going to regret challenging me for my rights as Gym Leader.” Erika frowned, throwing out her Pokemon at the same time as Ash. “Bellossom let's protect our Gym!”

“Bellossom!” Bellossom chimed sweetly, the small grass type’s petals making a bell like chime as he moved.

“Alright Leavanny, I choose you!”

“Leavanny~” Levanny cooed, prepared for battle.

“As the Challenged, Erika has the first move.” Hayden ordered.

“Lets see how well your Pokemon Battles after a dose of Bellossom’s Sweet Scent!”

“Ssom!” Bellossom sang, a pink glittery dust drifting from the flowers on her head towards the bipedal duo type Pokemon. Levanny’s eyes fluttered slightly, a relaxed look taking over his features as the scent sunk in.

“Now follow that up with Razor Leaf!”

Bellossom acted in an instant, swinging her flow petals while shooting fast, sharpened leaves towards Leavanny.

“Protect yourself with XScissor!” Ash ordered. Levanny crossed his arms in front of him, the sharp leaf-like appendages glowing green with Bug Type Energy, and putting a swift end to Razor Leaf. “Now use String Shot!”

“Leavan~ny!” Levanny tossed his head and fired a powerful Sting Shot that wrapped itself around Bellossom, who wasn’t able to dodge out of the way despite Erika’s warning yell. Bellossom started struggling in the hold, but was unable to get free.

“Pull her towards you and use XScissor!”

“Petal Blizzard, quickly!”

Large globs of pink petals started for form, whipping around while Levanny tried to jerk Bellossom towards him. Levanny let out a cry as Petal Blizzard hit, and staggered back, pulling Bellossom into her own move before Stringshot snapped. Levanny fought to get out the Petal Blizzard, finally able to jump away with mild injury due to his dule typing, but Bellossom wasn’t as luck, having taken some damage from her own attack.

“Are you alright Levanny?” Ash called worriedly.

“Leavanny!” Levanny cooed confidently.

“Thats my buddy!” The trainer grinned proudly.

“Oh my dear Bellossom, are you okay?” Erika fretted.

“Bel-Bellossom.” The Pokemon crooned softly in response.

Erika growled softly. “Alright Bellossom, use Sunny Day and then Solar Beam!”

“Stop her with a String Shot XScissor!”

String Shot from Leavanny’s mouth, but it was not fast enough, as two beams of light shot towards the sun, causing the battlefield to become warm, and the sunlight above to amplify. Seeing as Bellossom was stationary though, String Shot took hold, yanking Bellossom towards Levanny, and the awaiting XScissor. Bellossom cried out before dropping unconscious from the Bug Type move.

“Bellossom is unable to battle!” Hayden called out quickly. “Leavanny is the winner of the first match.”

“Alright!” Ash cheered, chuckling as Levanny ran over to him, tired from the battle but happy by the win. Ash happily praised his Pokemon, patting his head before returning him to his ball. “Get a nice rest Leavanny, you earned it.” Pocketing Leavanny’s Pokeball, Ash threw out his next Pokemon. “Bulbasaur, I choose you!”

“Bulba!” Bulbasaur took the stage with a determined growl.

“You did so well Bellossom, take a good rest.” Erika said softly to her Pokeball before pocketing it, and taking out another. “Alright Vileplume, you’re up!” A sour look passed over the Gym Leader’s face. “You never evolved your Bulbasaur? Are you taking this battle seriously at all?!”

Ash couldn’t resist the scowl that painted itself on his face. “We’re one hundred percent serious about this.”

“Bulba Bulbasaur!” Bulbasaur nodded in affirmative. Bulbasaur had decided long ago that he didn’t want to evolve. He wanted to get stronger as a Bulbasaur, he wanted his and Ash’s goals to be reached as a Bulbasaur, and he would do so. He was just as strong as his teammates, if not more so, despite not evolving, and he would prove so.

“First move goes to the victor.” Hayden announced. “Let the second match Begin!”

“Put Vileplume asleep with Sleep Powder.” Ash ordered. Bulbasaur’s bulb opened just enough for white powder to start flowing through the air towards Vileplume.

“Blow it away with Petal Dance!” A flurry of pink petals shot from Vileplume’s center, dispersing the sleep inducing spores, and spiraling towards Bulbasaur.

“Vine Whip on the rafters!”

“Wha-?!”

Erika’s question was cut off as Bulbasaur’s vines shot towards the rafters above, clutching onto the medal beams and hoisting Bulbasaur upwards, and out of way, and right into a beam of sun.

“Solar Beam!”

“Saur!” Flipping around, Bulbasaur prepared his Solar Beam. Due to the previous Sunny Day used by Bellossom, and being closer to the sun, the move powered up faster, and fired down towards Vileplume.

“Quickly use Moonblast!” Vileplume powered up a large pink orb and aimed towards the yellow beam. The two moves collided, causing shock waves that caused Bulbasaur to fall towards the ground, barely catching himself before he could plummet to the ground. “Now Sludge Bomb!” Swiftly, Vileplume shot a large glob of sludge, hitting Bulbasaur right in the face.

“Saur!” Bulbasaur growled in pain, unable to open his eyes due to the gunk smudged on his face. Panic filled the small bulbasaur as he realized he couldn’t see.

“Bulbasaur calm down!” Ash yelled, halting the panicked Pokemon. “We can do this, just trust me buddy!” Sighing to ground himself, Bulbasaur nodded in understanding, ears perking in alertness.

“Another Moonblast Vileplume!” Erika ordered gleefully.

“Razor Leaf straight ahead and then use Vine Whip on the right!” Sharp leaves spirals ahead, shredding Moonblast to bits before vines shot out, wrapping around Vileplume with little issue. “Give her a throw!”

Vileplume cried out as she was halled upwards, getting thrown into the air where she started flailing until she was hit into the ground. “Plume!”

“Oh no Vileplume!” Erika shrieked. “Can you get up?”

“Vi-Vile-” Vileplume stuttered while trying to stand. Vileplume stood after a few moments, but was heavily damaged.

“You can do it Vileplume!” Erika encouraged. “Use Petal Dance.”

“Razor Leaf.”

The sharp leaves and swirl of petals flew past each other. Vilepulme cried out in pain as the leaves struck her, and Bulbasaur was swept up in the petals. The attack was too much for Vileplume though, as the Grass/Poison Type collapsed.

“Vileplume is unable to battle! Bulbasaur is the winner, meaning Ash is the victor of the second match!” Hayden called out, marking Ash’s second point down.

“Great job buddy, take a good rest!” Ash cheered, returning Bulbasaur so he didn’t stumble with the gunk still on his face. “Sawsbuck its your turn!” A Sawsbuck silently took the field, his hoof stomping determinedly into the battlefield ground. He looked a bit different than what was usually seen, having a thick dark brown pelt, white tufts over his legs, and thick white chest fur while his horns were bare, and a startling white.

“You won’t win that easily, Lets go Parasect!” Erika called out after returning Vileplume, releasing a bug Pokemon with a mushroom-like shell.

“Erika has the first move!” Hayden called out. “Begin!”

“Brick Break Parasect!” Parasect leapt forward, her claws glowing a startling white.

“Double Kick!” Sawsbuck turned his back on the other Pokemon, and bucked his back legs backwards, causing the two moves to clash.

“Spore!” Golden powder fluttered through the air, setting into Sawsbuck as he was so close.

“Ah Sawsbuck, wake up!” Sawsbuck crumbled in on himself, falling asleep on the battlefield as the spores took hold. “Come on Sawsbuck!”

“Brick Break again Parasect!” Erika ordered. “Keep it up!”

“Para!” Parasect skittered forward, hitting the sleeping Pokemon, and causing him to slide against the floor before being hit with another Brick Break.

“Sawsbuck…” Ash worried, watching as the deer was hit again, unable to do anything in his slumber. By some miracle, dark brown eyes shot open, Sawsbuck having been able to shake the spore. Relief colored Ash’s face. “Before she can attack again, Leaf Storm, quickly!”

Sawsbuck let out a short, loud grunt, a twister of glittering green leaves shooting out from his horns, cutting off Parasect’s attempt at another Brick Break. With Parasect being caught up in Leaf Storm, Sawsbuck pulled himself back up, but he was injured from the repeat attack.

“Parasect get close with Fury Cutter!”

“Mega Horn Sawsbuck!”

Sawsbuck’s antlers started shining a bright silver, the antler’s seeming to grow in size as he stormed towards Parasect, meeting the Bug/Grass Type’s furiously slicing claws head on.

Erika smiled with self satisfaction. “Solar Beam!”

“Sawsbuck get out of there!” Ash called, but it was no use, as Sawsbuck took the Solar Beam at close range, resulting in him crumpling to the grown, passed out and unable to battle.

“Sawsbuck is unable to battle, Parasect is the Winner and Erika is the winner of the third match!”

Ash sighed and recalled Sawsbuck. “Good work Sawsbuck, thanks for all your help.” He sighed, feeling a twinge of self depreciation as he fished out his next Pokemon.

“Amazing Parasect!” Erika cheered, recalling Parasect with a self assured aura. She shot Ash a small smile and Pulled out her next Pokeball.

“Let's continue our winning streak, let's go Victreebel!”

“Tree!” Victreebel cried as he took the field.

“Trevenant I chose you!”

A large white tree looking Pokemon with startling orange leaves stood before Victreebell, its singular eye darting around in interest. “Trev..”

“As the victor, Erika gets the first move again.” The Pokemon official voiced, feeling like a broken record, but official challenges were very serious and had a certain decorum. “Begin!”

“Stun Spore Victreebel!” Erika called, starting off the battle.

“Trevenant Will-O-Wisp!” Ash ordered just a tic later.

Large, fiery wisps of blue formed between Trevenant’s hands before firing towards Victreebel, blowing through Stun Spore before hitting Victreebel, burning the Grass/Poison Type and dealing a fair bit of damage.

“No Victreebel!” Erika worried. “Are you okay?”

“Eee!” Victreebell nodded.

With a look of relief, Erika pointed ahead. “Use Leaf Tornado!”

A large burst of Leaves spiraled towards the Trevenant.

“Dodge it with Phantom Force!”

A glowing violet portal appeared under Trevenant, and she vanished into it, dodging Leaf Tornado entirely.

“Be careful Victreebel, we don’t know when they could attack. Get your Sunbeam ready.” Victreebel nodded again, absorbing the sunlight while tensely looking around. Trevenant suddenly materialized behind him, hitting Victreebel as she did so. Victreebel cried out in pain, and fired his Sun Beam attack, blasting Trevenant at close range.

“Quickly use Wood Hammer!” Despite the Sun Beam being fired at her, Trevenant formed a green hammer, and slammed it down on Victreebel.

“No Victreebel!” Erika cried out as Victreebel passed out.

“Victreebel is unable to battle, the winner of the fourth match is Ash and Trevenant.”

“Great Job Trevenant.” Ash praised, recalling the Ghost/Grass Type fondly. “Cacturne, I choose you!” Cacture hopped out of her Pokeball, unlike male Cacturne she had only three front spikes, the middle of which was larger, and sharper than the other two.

“How is this happening?” Erika sighed, returning Victreebel to his Pokeball. She knew she hadn’t been training her Pokemon as well as she should be, running a high end perfume company took a lot of time, so the only real training her Pokemon got was from challengers, and she knew that there had been fewer coming around before the season ended, but still, she thought she would be doing better than a kid who hadn’t even evolved his first Pokemon. Frowning, she fished out her next Pokemon. “Tangrowth lets turn this around!” The large bundle of vines garbled as she took the field.

“Ash gets the first move! Begin!” Hayden called out.

“Start out with Poison Sting!” Cacturne was swift to attack, sharp, purple poisonous barbs shooting from her mouth towards Tangrowth, who was too big to dodge in time.

“Quick Tangrowth, Vine Whip!” Multiple teal vines shot towards Cacturne, wrapping around her before she could jump away. “Now Constrict!”

“Turne!” Cacturne growled in pain as Tangrowth started to squeeze.

“Energy Ball!” Glittery green grass energy formed by Cacturne’s mouth before soaring towards Tangrowth, causing Tangrowth to loosen her grip just slightly.

“Ancient Power!” Tangrowth shimmered a bright white before the power separated and formed into a large, silver ball that soared and hit Cacturne, the Pokemon stationary due to Constrict.

Ash grit his teeth, trying to think of an out, before smiling at an idea that formed. “Use Cotton Spore!”

“Cacturne!” Puffs of cotton spawned around Cacturne, worming between the vines, and loosening the grip.

“I don’t think so!” Erika grinned. “Ancient Power!”

“More Cotton Spore Cacturne!” More cotton surrounded Cacturne, protecting her from most of Ancient Power’s attack while Cacturne tried to wiggle free. “Alright! Now use Sucker Punch!” Still hidden behind a mound of cotton, Erika couldn’t see that Cacturne had been able to actually escape. Running along Tangrowth’s vines, Cacturne stormed towards Tangrowth, punching her with Sucker Punch when she got close enough.

“Grow!” Tangrowth cried out in shock.

“Vine Whip Tangrowth!”

“Dodge and then use Poison Sting!”

Cacturne weaved and dodged Vine Whip, leaping up and away from Tangrowth’s many vines before showering poisonous barbs at Tangrowth whenever she could.

“Ancient Power!”

“Energy Ball!”

Silver and green orbs collided, causing a small explosion that caused both pokemon to go flying, crashing into opposing walls and passing out.

“Both Cacturn and Tangrowth are unable to battle, the fifth match is a tie.” Hayden called out. “Please send out your final Pokemon.”

“You were great Cacturne, good work!” Ash praised, returning Cacturne and pulling out his last Pokemon. He ran his thumb over the red and white ball carefully. “Alright Sceptile, it's up to you!” He murmured, “Sceptile I choose you!”

“Sceptile!” Secpile growled as he took the field, bushy tail swaying and sharp yellow eyes flashing with power.

Erika frowned as she returned Tangrowth, and pulled out her final Pokemon. She hadn’t had him for very long, which was something of a worry, but he was her last hope and she had faith in him. “Leafeon, come on out!”

“Feon!” Leafeon growled as he exited his Pokeball.

“This is the final match for the Celadon Gym rights, after this battle I will compile my thoughts before coming to a conclusion.” Hayden warned, petting Hypno beside him. “Are the trainers ready?” Both dark haired trainers nodded, different levels of determination flaring in their eyes. “In that case, Erika, as the challenged, has the first move. Begin!”

“Razor Leaf Leafeon!” Leafeon tossed his head, razor sharp leaves tearing through the air towards Sceptile.

“Dodge with Agility!” In a flash, Sceptile dodged, whipping around the stage in a blur of green. “Get in close and use Bullet Seed!”

“Swift!”

Sceptile appeared right in front of Leafeon, opening his maw as seeds sailed towards Leafeon, but Leafeon’s Swift was just as fast. Bullet Seed and Swift sailed past each other, smacking both Grass Types with the opposing moves. Sceptile staggered back, using his heavy tail to regain balance, while Leafeon dug his claws into the soft ground below his paws.

“Leaf Blade Leafeon!”

“You use Leaf Blade too Sceptile!”

Leafeon’s head leaf glowed a bright green, while with leaves on Sceptile’s arms glowed similarly. In a flash both Leaf Blades collided, hitting each other with precision. But, Sceptile had more experience with the move, in one swift hit he sent Leafeon sailing through the air, his Leaf Blade being able to sneak by and land a blow.

“Feon!” Leafeon cried out, hitting the ground with a thud.

“Quickly Leafeon, use Synthesis!” With shaky paws, Leafeon pulled himself up, glowing a light green as he sucked in nutrients from the sun to heal.

“Bullet Seed while he's stationary!” Sceptile through his head back, the sharp seeds hailing down on Leafeon, dealing damage that didn’t stick for long due to Synthesis healing.

“Leafeon!” Leafeon growled in victory, putting an end to Synthesis with minimal damage done.

“Magical Leaf Leafeon!” In a flurry, shimmering leaves descended on Sceptile.

“Dodge!” Speedily, Sceptile twisted and turned, maneuvering around Magical Leaf with ease. “Use Slam!” With a final twist, Sceptile used his bushy tail to slam Leafeon into the ground, holding him down with the leafy appendage.

“Leafeon Swift!”

“Hold Strong and use Leaf Blade!”

Sceptile grunted as Swift hit him repeatedly and staggered back, but still powered up Leaf Blade. Leafeon responded in kind at Erika’s call, and the two Leaf Blade’s met again.

“Switch to Solar Blade Sceptile!”

“Scept-TILE!” With a brutal growl, the glowing green arm blade changed, shifting into a brightly glowing, longer blade, pulsing with solar power. With another grunt Sceptile swiped at Leafeon again. Leafeon’s Leaf Blade held it off for a few moments, but wasn’t strong enough, getting hit and knocked back where he laid on the ground, knocked out from the attack.

“Leafeon is unable to battle, making Sceptile and Ash the winner of the match.” Hayden yelled out. “Making the final score: Ash 4, Erika 1, with one tie!” He returned Hypno back into its Pokeball. “I will be back with my final ruling in an hour, Nurse Joy is present to heal and see to your Pokemon.” That said, the official walked into a room off the the side, eyes darting over his clip board as he went.

“We did it!” Ash cheered, dashing out onto the field and pulling Sceptile into a hug. Sceptile’s lips turned up slightly, but the standoffish Pokemon simply sniffed and picked a small branch from his tail to put into his mouth while looking away.

“Leafeon Return.” Erika grit her teeth as she returned Leafeon, resisting the urge to collapse. Tears stung her eyes, and a feeling of foreboding fell her. She knew that the official could still rule in her favor, but she had little faith he would. She wasn’t completely ignorant to the complaints made towards her gym, how she banned those who disagreed with her product, how challengers would see her sleep in the gardens and be turned away because she was ‘too busy’, but she had played dumb to it because she hadn’t thought she would be challenged, and now that was coming to bite her in the rump. Because a challenger did come, and he had utterly destroyed her in an official six v six match. Fighting tears, the Celadon native speed walked her way to Nurse Joy, and turned in her Pokemon for healing.

Ash too had returned Sceptile and turned his Pokemon in to heal. The boy then paced the battlefield, going over each battle in his head, analyzing his failures and wins for a better battle the next time. He did feel bad that Erika looked ready to cry, despite not liking how she ran the gym, and how he was still a bit bitter towards her treatment of him so many years ago, he didn’t want to ruin her life, or make her cry. But he wouldn’t back down either. He and his Pokemon had worked hard to get where they were, many hours of studying, planning, and work backed him up. Hours of blood, sweat, and tears drove them. He really did want to become Celadon’s Gym Leader, even though the idea had originally been out of spite, through the many days of work it had molded itself into an actual dream, a stepping stone to his ultimate goal of becoming a Pokemon master. He could only hope that they had done well enough to win the ruling.

—--------------

After what seemed like hours, but was actually only 60 minutes, Hayden exited the room, coming to stand on the platform. Ash stood from his spot on the floor, Bulbasaur nestled in his arms as the young man had started to feel anxious. Erika had fared no better, calling out her faithful Gloom to offer her comfort until Hayden had come to a decision.

“Erika,” the man started. “The Pokemon League has received many complaints about Celadon over the last few years, while you are a fine Business woman your business has overshadowed your work as Celadon’s Gym Leader, and Trainer participation in challenging Celadon Gym has steadily declined. However, because you have no family to take up the mantle, nor an apprentice of Ace Gym Trainer we have allowed you to stay as Leader of Celadon Gym. Now, Ash Ketchum has challenged, and defeated you for rites to Celadon Gym. While you both battled hard, Ash is the clear winner, and has put in much work over the years to focus on his Pokemon. Because of the dedication put forth, and victory against you it is the Pokemon Leagues ruling that Ash Ketchum be named the new Celadon City Gym Leader.”

Erika blinked away tears, but nodded, gripping Gloom close to her chest.

In comparison, Ash fell to his knees, brown eyes wide as the news set it. His mouth opened and closed like a Magikcarp, unable to properly articulate his thoughts until Bulbasaur slapped him on the forehead with a Vine Whip. Shaking his head, Ash stood back up and bowed his head to Hayden in thanks. “We won’t let the Pokemon League down.”

Hayden nodded simply. “Some more officials will be in touch. There is much more that needs to be done before the next season starts.”

And there was, Ash knew. He would have to make sure Gym maintenance was kept up with, decide if they would be changing the badge design, Erika and her trainers had to move, Ash had to recruit trainers of his own, they had to prepare for Ash’s side business(his mother would be growing food and herbs to make into Pokemon food, and potions, and they would be opening some of the gym up as botanical gardens for children, and trainers to visit and meet Pokemon, something simple but profitable), and much much more. But for the moment, all Ash could do was bask in the warmth of his Pokemon’s victory, as his victory, because he was one more step closer to his ultimate goal.

Chapter Text

Ash’s upbringing wasn’t what one would consider ‘traditional’.

His parents were the gym leaders of Cerulean City Gym, and trained him and his sisters for the mantle from the moment they could release a Pokeball. They were performers in their early years, and crafted the Cerulean Gym to meet their love for water sports. The water was their home, and because of that, it became a children's home as well. They were amazing performers, and amazing Gym Leaders, but that became a drawback when it came to their children.

Daisy, Violet, and Lily were born five years before Ash. They were beautiful and took to the water like Goldeen, and their parents made sure they wished for nothing. They started performing alongside them when they were five, and became an instant hit with the populace, being dubbed the Sensational sisters.

Around the time of his birth is when the Sensational Sisters took off in popularity, and his parents were a bit distracted with their career, leaving him with his aunt for his early years, until he was old enough to swim. He learned to swim before he could walk, and loved the water as much as he loved Pokemon, but unlike the rest of his family he cared little for performing and showed more interest in battling.

This caused something of a divide to form between himself and his sisters. In all honesty the girls were only mildly aware that they had a brother for the first few years, and the only way they knew he was actually related to them was due to his dark blue hair, the same shade at Violet’s, the beauty mark on his cheek that he shared with Daisy, and the face and nose shape he shared with Lily. Being so young themselves, they didn’t really understand how he couldn’t enjoy performing and being showered with praise and attention like they did.

Him being male didn’t exactly help either, as he didn’t want to be dressed up by them, or have tea parties, he wanted to run around outside and play with bug Pokemon, or sneak into the gym to watch his parents battle.

They did love their brother, and he loved them, they were family and sometimes they found common ground. For one Ash loved watching them perform, and helping them prepare the Pokemon for shows, and they actually enjoyed teaching him everything they knew about Pokemon battling. The girls were actually the ones that presented him with his seventh birthday present, his own newly hatched Azurill, and Ash protected his sisters from the girls in their school if they ever got mean, seeing as Ash had no qualms getting in trouble for retaliating. So really, while they didn’t get along 100% of the time, and had many fights and squabbles, they did care, if begrudgingly, for each other.

When Ash was nine his parents went on a trip. They would be traveling the world, performing in shows in every region, and leaving their children the Gym with their manager placed in charge of finances.

While his sisters were upset with their parents leaving, Ash was indifferent. He loved his parents, sure, but the time he had spent with them was minimum due to their work and he didn’t see much of a difference with their leaving. A thought that did not go over well with the girls, as they were extremely close with their parents and missed them a great deal, and drove an even deeper wedge between himself and his older siblings.

Despite all four children being marked at the Gym Leaders of Cerulean Gym, Ash only had a single Pokemon, Marill, so while he had the most drive and enthusiasm about the sport, his sisters took on the Gym Leader roll together. Even when he turned ten and started building his team, the three girls never gave him a chance to conduct gym battles, even as their careers as performers became more demanding.

Animosity and a bit of resentment festered between the siblings, going unchecked as neither side wanted to give in. Until, like most things, someone exploded.

—------

“And why can’t I take on the challenger?” Ash glared, watching as his sisters bustled around their dressing room, fixing their hair, and make-up as they moved swiftly, and easily around each other. Marill was sat on his shoulder, his tail swishing with frustration that bled into him from his trainer. “You guys have a show, are you seriously going to cancel, again.”

“You know why.” Lily huffed, readjusting her eyelashes.

“We know you have no knowledge of performance,” Daisy glared back at him, halting her adjustment of hair to do so, “But unlike a Gym Battle, show business stops for no one.”

“The show must go on!” Violet declared dramatically, draping herself across her seat.

The eleven year old rolled his eyes at their dramatics. “Yeah well, the season just started, and if you keep canceling challengers this early into the season we might as well just hand the gym over.” He grumbled snidely.

Daisy slammed her hands on the table. “As if a pathetic little boy like you could take on challengers!” She snapped. “If you took over we might as well just be giving the badges away!”

Ash grit his teeth and straightened his poster. “Is that what you think?! Well then I’ll just leave! I’ll show you that I’ll be the best Water Pokemon Master the world has ever seen!” He snapped back, and rounded on his heels, storming from the dressing room.

“Do you think he’ll actually leave?” Lily asked hesitantly, glancing at her blonde triplet.

“As if we’d ever be that lucky!” Daisy scoffed, turning back around to fuss with her hair again. Behind her, Lily and Violet shared an uneasy glance.

—-----

Ash stared at the entrance of Cerulean City with growing apathy. When he had stormed out of the gym three months prior on his bike, Pokemon on his hip, and all his belongings jammed into a bag, he hadn’t imagined returning to the gym so soon. A part of him wanted to blame the red haired girl that blew up his bike, but he was mostly to blame as he had been the one to decide to follow her on her journey,(and a small part of himself wanted to check on his sisters).

“You really hate Cerulean City that much?” Brock asked, noticing the grimace on the younger boy’s face. “I thought you would love Cerulean City, especially the gym.”

“Why's that Brock?” Misty broke in, glancing between the bluenette and the city before them.

“Well, Ash’s specialty is water types, and the Cerulean City Gym is a Water Type Gym.” Brock shrugged at his own explanation.

“Marill?” Marill cooed from Ash’s shoulder, nuzzling his cheek in comfort without drawing attention to the action, as the only one who noticed was Misty’s Pikachu, who simply twitched his ear in acknowledgement.

“I don’t hate Cerulean City,” Ash rolled his eyes and started walking further into the city. “I just remembered that there was something I had to do. I’ll meet up with you guys a bit later.” He waved back at them before vanishing into the crowd, leaving his two friends to stare after him worriedly.

—------

Ash stared up at the Gym that was his home. The Circus-like orange and pink dome top glinted due to the sun, and the large cut out Dewgong smiled down at him. A rush of familiarity and melancholy hit Ash in a rush, and Marill rubbed the bulb on his tail against his neck in comfort, getting a chin scratch in appreciation. With a deep breath, he entered the Gym.

All along the walls were large tanks, brimming with various water types that swam in schools, or alone, some sitting at the bottom of the tank, while others swam towards the top. Along with being an official gym, and the stage for the Sensational Sisters, the Cerulean Gym was also used as a water type rehabilitation center/aquarium. They would often take in wounded water types and add them to the aquarium after they healed if they couldn’t be released.

Just looking at the water made Ash’s skin ache. He hadn’t been able to Properly swim in a while, as they only really came upon rivers, and few times if ever did they stop to rest. Grinning, he ran down the familiar hallways until he came upon his room. He set his bag down on his bed, unmade and seemingly untouched since he had last been there, and pulled on his swim trunks, a simple white pair with dark blue lines along the sides, and his white, blue cuffed jacket before putting his Pokeballs into the jacket pockets and making his way towards the pool.

The smell of chlorine greeted him like an old friend, inviting him deeper into the vacant pool area. Grinning wildly, Ash threw his Pokeballs into the air while Marill jumped off his shoulder and into the pool. “Come on out you guys!”

“Marill Mar!”

“Horsea!”

“Wag!”

All three water Pokemon squealed in laughter as they took to the water. Immediately Poliwag, and Horsea dove deep into the water while Marill was floating on his back, near purring as water rippled around him. Tossing his jacket to the side, Ash jumped into the water, dunking his head in before allowing himself to break the surface. Lying on his back, the bluenette floated beside his Pokemon, letting the water hug around him in greeting.

The youngest Waterflower swam undisturbed for a number of minutes, besides Seel having joined them after hearing the commotion, racing his Pokemon from one end to the other while in backstroke, before that devolved into a splash game between himself and them, leading to them eventually just floating leisurely, relishing in the water as much as they could as they didn’t know when they would get to next.

“Hey! This pool is private property!” A familiar voice suddenly called, breaking up the peaceful atmosphere.

“How did you even get in here?” Another voice asked, tone lit with indignation.

Sighing, Ash flipped back onto his stomach and swam over to the pool’s edge where his jacket lay. He easily heaved himself from the pool side and pulled his jacket on, cutting off the cold chill before it could set in. “I do know the rules of my own home.” He grumbled, turning towards his sisters.

Ash watched with a bit of smugness as emotions filtered over his sisters’ faces in a flurry. Shock, relief, anger, worry, joy. It was all rather fascinating, until Violet bolted forward and hugged him.

“You dummy! Where have you been? You didn’t leave a note or anything?!” She scolded gently, gripping his face in her hands and searching for any injuries. Ash blinked slowly, emotions reeling as he was fussed over. Lily was always the softest of the three, she worries the most, while Daisy was more headstrong, and Violet was the middle ground, she cared but usually just followed the lead of one of the other two, however, with Ash she had always been a bit more opinionated and, on occasion, doting, something Ash assumed was because they shared the same hair color, and therefore looked more obviously related.

Lily pouted at him next, hand on her hip and finger pointing at him in a scolding manner. “You haven't even called in three months! Were you trying to give us heart attacks?! I had three grey hairs because of you!”

Ash’s mouth opened and closed a few times and he slowly hugged Violet back. “I-Sorry.” He murmured.

Daisy finally seemed to snap out of her stupor and lightly bonked him on the head. “Idiot, what were you thinking running off like that? No matter how mad you are, leave a note at least.” The blonde grumbled, grinding her knuckles lightly into his head in a noogie with a huff.

Ash responded with a huff of his own and pushed her hand away gently. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

“Obviously!” The three older girls said at once.

Violet finally pulled away from him. “Where have you been all this time?” She asked, pulling him to sit on the bench, which he complied as Daisy and Lily moved to sit with them.

“Yeah, you said you were going to become a Water Pokemon Master, how's that going?” Daisy taunted lightly.

“Did you make any friends?” Lily added hopefully.

“One question at a time!” Ash insisted, feeling a tad bit overwhelmed. “I’ve honestly just been traveling around, fishing when I can,” He pointed at his Poliwag as proof. “Made it past Viridian City before coming back here.”

Lily asked the question all three girls were wondering. “Why did you come back?”

Ash’s face contorted into an apathetic grimace. “Honestly, I didn’t want to.” He admitted, running his hand through his long hair. “A friend I started traveling with came here to get the Cascade badge, I tried to talk her out of it but, you know.” He shrugged.

“Well, I’m glad you came back.” Lily admitted first, soon followed by Violet.

“We really were worried Ash, so I’m glad you came back.” Violet reached up to ruffle his still soaked hair.

Even Daisy nodded. “Never run out like that again you little runt.” She chidded.

Ash opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by the pool doors opening and a familiar red haired girl walking in. Ash watched as green eyes took in the pool before falling onto him. Misty’s eyes widened before dancing between him, and his sisters, pieces falling into place like a jigsaw puzzle.

Daisy stood up to address her. “Sorry but we’re closed at the mom-”

“Ash, are these your sisters?” Misty asked bluntly.

“Pika pi?” Pikachu tilted his head in question.

“You know her?” Daisy turned around to ask.

Ash nodded and stood. “She’s the friend I told you about.” He wandered over to her. “Yeah these are my sisters, Daisy, Lily, and Violet.” He pointed to each older girl in turn before introducing Misty. “This is Misty.”

“Nice to meet you.” Misty greeted with uncertainty, glancing between them and her friend as his subtle beauty then made a lot more sense.

“I’m sorry to say, but if you came for a Gym Battle we can’t have one.” Daisy said bluntly, getting agreeing nods from the other two, older, gym leaders.

Despair descended upon Misty. “What?!”

Ash turned on his sisters. “You’re canceling again?” He sighed bitterly.

Violet shook her head. “Even if we wanted to battle, we couldn’t.” The blue haired sister explained. “All of our Pokemon are at the Pokemon center after some tough battle with three trainers from some nowhere place called Pallet Town.”

Lily chimed in next. “The only Pokemon we have left that aren’t in the aquarium is Seel.” She clapped her hands and the white seal Pokemon slid towards them from the water. “But Seel only knows Water Gun, and Cerulean rules are two against two. Sorry kid.” She turned to Misty, looking genuinely sorry.

“Seriously? Awe.” Misty’s head dipped in disappointment.

“I can battle her.” Ash offered, and Misty’s head shot up.

“What are you talking about?” She asked.

Ash pointed to himself with pride and a self assertive smirk. “You’re looking at the fourth Gym Leader of Cerulean City!”

“There's only three Sensational Sisters, and one runt.” Daisy frowned at him.

“But I am marked down as one of the Gym Leaders. I can battle and give out badges just as much as you can.” Ash huffed, a familiar feeling of frustration building in his chest. “Just this once?”

“He has a point.” Lily lamented. “Plus, she is his friend.”

“Not like we can do anything, might as well let him.” Violet agreed.

“Fine.” Daisy huffed but caved nonetheless.

“Alright!” Misty cheered excitedly.

Ash walked to his side of the gym as his sister added the platforms for non water types into the pool, and took his spot on the other side while Misty took hers. Marill sat off to the side with Pikachu, neither mouse Pokemon, no matter how competitive to each other, wanting to get involved in that particular battle. “I wasn’t going to challenge you until my bike was paid off, but this is as good a time as any!” Ash taunted pulling one of his Pokeballs from his jacket pocket.

“You’re still going on about that?” Misty groaned. “Just send out your Pokemon!”

“I Choose You Poliwag!” The tadpole Pokemon landed on the platform, bouncing happily as he took in his surroundings.

“Misty calls: Rattata!” Misty sent out the purple and cream rat Pokemon, who tilted slightly on the unusual platform that was underpaw.

“You can go first.” Ash offered with a smirk.

“Quick attack Rattata!” In a flash, Rattata was charging Poliwag, moving so fast it looked like it was walking on water as it hit Poliwag, causing him to stagger back.

“Rain Dance Poliwag!”

“Poli!” Poliwag righted himself quickly, and spun around, as if dancing and causing storm clouds to accumulate inside the building, before rain drops started pelting down in them all.

“Ah my hair!” Lily whined, desperately trying to keep it out of the rain from where they stood in the stands.

“You are so dead!” Daisy hissed while Violet tried opening an umbrella to protect them.

“Before he can counter attack, use Bite!” Rattata’s front teeth glowed a bit before it dove toward Poliwag.

“Dodge!” Poliwag swiftly dodged to the side, moving much faster than it should be able to.

“What?” Misty stumbled in shock as Rattata almost slid into the pool after missing Poliwag.

“Poliwag’s hidden ability is Swift Swim!” Ash declared proudly. “Now use Mud Shot!” Mounds of mud materialized beside Poliwag, before firing down on Rattata.

“Defend yourself with Iron Tail!” Rattata’s tail glowed silver, smacking the shots of mud before they could hit, but one snuck by, sending Rattata into the water.

“Ah! Rattata, return!” Misty quickly recalled the rat Pokemon, eyeing her friend with surprise.

“Ash is actually really good.” Lily whistled in surprise, getting stunned nods from her sisters.

Gripping her next Pokeball, Misty forced herself to focus. “Its not over yet, Misty calls: Pidgeotto!”

“Pidgo!” Pidgeotto screeched from her spot in the air.

“Bubble Beam Poliwag!”

“Dodge it with Agility!”

A swirling beam of bubbles shot up towards Pidgeotto, but the bird swiftly dodged to the side, flapping her wings as she did so, and speeding up with Agility.

“Now use Wing Attack!”

“Water Gun!”

Water Gun shot towards Pidgeotto, but the flying type used her Wing Attack to power through, diving down and throwing Poliwag into the water. A few seconds later, Poliwag rose to the surface.

“Return Poliwag!” Ash recalled the tadpole, and threw out his next Pokemon. “I Chose You Horsea!”

“Sea!” Horsea crooned as he took to the water.

“Gust Pidgeotto!”

“Dive!” Pidgeotto flapped her powerful wings, causinging the water to ripple heavily, but Horsea dove deep into the water and out of reach. “Now use Bubble Beam!” From behind, a strong swirling beam of bubbles appeared, slamming into Pidgeotto’s back and disrupting Pidgeotto’s balance.

“You okay Pidgeotto?” Misty asked, worrying over her Pokemon.

“Pigo.”

Sighing in relief, Misty pointed to where she thought she could see Horsea in the water. “Right there, use your Gust again!”

With a hearty flap of her wings, Pidgeotto used Gust, disrupting the water and causing Horsea to swim closer to the surface, before sending him flying in the strong flying attack.

“Quick Horsea use Twister!” Mid-air, Horsea readied Twister, but Pidgeotto was too quick.

“Wing Attack!” In a Flash, Horsea was sent into the side of the pool, knocked out.

“Horsea Return!” Ash quickly recalled the tiny seahorse Pokemon.

“Alright! We did it!” Misty cheered, spinning around with Pikachu in her arms.

Ash walked over from his side of the gym, Seel waiting on the pool side while Misty, Pikachu, and Pidgeotto met them halfway. Ash knelt down and took the water droplet shaped badge from the white seal Pokemon’s mouth. He smiled proudly at his friend and held out the Cascade badge. “For defeating the Cerulean City Gym, I present you with the Cascade Badge!”

Smiling shakily back, Misty grasped the badge, staring down at it proudly while she held it up for her Pokemon to get a better look.

A warm hand rested on Ash’s shoulder, drawing his attention to his sisters. “Good job.” Daisy said softly, and Ash’s eyes widened a bit. Violet and Lily smiled proudly towards him. “You did pretty well, maybe after your journey, after you become the so-called ‘Best Water Type Master the World Has Ever Seen’ you can take over the gym while we take a vacation.”

Blinking away a rush of emotion, Ash turned his head away and smiled. “You’d never get the gym back.” He teased, and she snorted, giving him a playful shove and making him fall into the pool. “Hey!” Reaching out, he grabbed Lily’s ankle, causing her fall into the pool with a scream of her own, as she fell though, she grabbed Violet, who grabbed Dasiy, ending in all four Waterflower siblings submerged in the pool, laughing loudly at each other.

Chapter Text

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.

Chapter Text

If you grow up surrounded by one type of Pokemon, their care, and upbringing drilled into your head, you will likely grow to feel one of two ways towards it. Either you grow up to revere them, mesmerized and drawn to them due to elongated exposure. Or, you grow to resent it, feeling trapped by the coils of expectations that you, like the people around you, will become a trainer of said types. Sadly, for then ten year old Ash Blackthorn, he grew up feeling the second.

Don't get Ash wrong, he respected Dragon Types as much as his family, but he'd be lying if he didn't feel a slight resentment for them. Though adopted, growing up a Blackthorn left its marks. Elders expected him to follow after his older brother and cousin, following their footsteps to become a Dragon Master. Classmates would jeer at him if he showed any interest in a Pokemon that wasn't a Dragon Type or at least Dragon looking. Teachers wouldn't let him use any type other than Dragon in school sanctioned practice matches. Growing up in an environment such as that didn't allow a for a lot of individuality, and while Ash loved his family, and was grateful for the life they gave him, negative emotions fester, and its only so long until it explodes.

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

Ash followed his brother through the cold Sinnoh mountains. With his tenth birthday just around the corner Lance felt it appropriate to bring him with him to Sinnoh to visit a friend, and Sinnoh Champion: Cynthia. Normally they would have met her at the Elite Four office building, but Snowpoint City Gym needed renovations and as Champion it was her duty to make sure everything went smoothly. Lance was bundled up, despite dealing with Lorelei and/or Pryce almost daily, but Ash, while bundled up, had always run warmer, a byproduct of Aura, and was faring much better, though still wrapped up in a heavy coat. As they tracked through the ice and snow Lance was sure to point out traveling tips, and opinions, preparing Ash for his own journey, set to start a few days after they return from Sinnoh.

As much as Ash appreciated his brother, he was getting rather annoyed. Since the day Ash turned nine all the family could talk about was Ash's journey, and while Ash himself was excited, the subject of his would-be starter Pokemon always left a bitter taste in his mouth. The elders would never say what it would be, but it was obvious it would be a Dragon Type, and somehow that felt foreboding on the ten year oldest shoulders.

Ash looked at the taller red haired man. He'd never had issue talking to Lance before, he was his confidant, he was the one Ash told about being picked on, he was the one that always made time for him despite his busy schedule. Nibbling at his lips, Ash cut his brother's tenth lecture on how to properly store clothes. "Lance," Lance halted and turned towards his brother. "I-I don't think I want to be a Dragon Master."

Lance's eyes widened before a tired, amused grin spread of his sharp features. "You don't mean that, you're simply nervous and confused." A sharp sense of betrayal stung Ash's chest. "I was nervous, as was Clair. In time you-"

"I'm not confused!" Ash spit, his hands balling themselves up into fists. Lance jolted back in surprise. "I don't know why I even said anything! All you ever think about is Dragons, Dragons, Dragons!"

Tears made of frustration turned to ice along Ash's cheeks and he shoved past Lance, running deeper into the snowy forest. His brown eyes were frozen shut, and had it not been for early aura training Ash surely would have ran into a tree as he pelted deeper into the snowy forest.

With heaving lungs and tired legs, Ash eventually came to a stop, breathing desperately as he sucked frigid air into his lungs. Sniffling, he sat down at the base of a large pine tree, messily removing frozen tears from his face, and allowing himself to once again see. Shivering, Ash pulled his legs up, burying his face into his folded knees, and curling in on himself.

Logically, he knew he shouldn't have run off. He was in an unfamiliar forest, a forest blown over by snow and ice and he had no clue where he was. But, he couldn't stand there and listen to his brother call him confused, or delusional. He wasn't. He didn't want to be a Dragon Master like his brother or cousin, he wanted to be his own type of trainer, to find his own type, or even have no type at all.

"Snorunt?" A small voice cooed, and Ash raised his head. Standing before him was a small black Pokemon, an odd yellow and orange jacket like a covering coiled around it. It's blue eyes seemed to glimmer with emotion, and Ash could sense a distinct feeling of worry, and intrigued. Seemingly noticing it got his attention, Snowrunt smiled. "Sno Snorunt!" It giggled before running off.

Sniffling, Ash watched Snorunt run away, and pulled his jacket closer. Snorunt skipped back over after a few minutes, something sparkling blue in its hand.

"Snorunt!" Snorunt held out a sparkling blue berry with small green leaves(yacht berry).

A small smile worked its way on Ash's face and he held out his hand, letting Snorunt, who seemed very proud of itself, set the berry on his palm. "Thank you." He murmured, snapping the berry in half, and offering one half to the Pokemon. Snorunt's face lit up with joy and took it, happily munching down on it. Chuckling, Ash copied it, biting onto the cold berry. It had a smooth texture, but was slightly dry, with a sour after taste. "It's good!" Snorunt's face lit up, and it hopped around in glee.

"Sno Sno Sno!" Snorunt chimed, forming a snowball in its hand by blowing a cold wind from it's mouth. Satisfied, Snorunt held up its creation.

"That's so cool! You did that with Icy Wind right?" Ash beamed in awe before a bitter smile slipped onto his face. "I wish I could have a Pokemon like you." Ash sighed, Snorunt tilted it's head in confusion. "There's so much I don't know about other Pokemon, like this." He motioned towards Snorunt's snowball. "I didn't know you could make a snowball with Icy Wind alone. It's so cool, and has so many uses." He sighed. "Not like I'll be able to use it though, not when I'm destined to follow my brother's footsteps."

Snorunt hadn't a clue what most of what the boy said meant. What he did know was that he was sad again. Rearing his tiny hand back, he threw his snowball at the human, hitting him on the side of the head and giggling at the shocked look that replaced the sadness.

Ash stared wide eyed at the small Ice Type, before smirking. "Oh its on!" Grabbing a handful of snow, Ash launched a snowball at Snorunt, who just barely dodged and threw another snowball.

Human and Pokemon playfully threw snowballs back and forth, sometimes landing its but usually missing them. After a couple of hours, Ash finally forfeited, collapsing back flat into the snow with a joyous laugh. Grinning, Snorunt plopped down beside him, and the two stared up at the darkening sky, breathing heavily with childish grins.

Ash sighed and hauled himself back up into a sitting position. "It's getting dark, I should probably try and find my way back. Oh man I'm gonna be in so much trouble." Ash pushed himself up to stand, but as he looked around for what direction to go, Snorunt grabbed his pants leg. “Wanna come with me?” Ash asked hesitantly. Snorunt grinned and hopped around happily, until Ash reached down to pick him up. “Now lets see…” Ash closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, reaching out in search of another person’s aura. While he couldn’t see clear pictures due to the distance, he could sense an abundance of human aura to the north. Peeking his eyes back open, Ash turned north.

Ash made his way through the forest, watching the darkening sky with rising anxiety. The temperature was dropping even colder, nipping at Ash’s skin even through his jacket. Snorunt narrowed his eyes, grunting as he picked up something. Sensing his unease, Ash stopped in his tracks. The sound of a twig snapping has Snorunt leaping out of Ash’s arms, sending a large burst of Icy Wind hurling through the trees.

“Shadow Ball Glaceon!” A black and violet ball formed out of nowhere, canceling out Icy Wind. From the bushes jumped out a pale blue four legged Pokemon with diamond shaped ears.

Snorunt puffed up, and multiple Snorunt scattered themselves across the forest floor. However, Ash recognized the voice who called out a command, and relief speared through him. “Snorunt, it's okay!” Ash called, halting Snorunt as he readied his next attack, Headbutt by the looks of it. Snorunt tilted his head, and Double Team vanished before he jumped back into Ash’s arms, keeping his eyes on the other Ice Type.

“Ash?” Lance called, pushing himself through the snowy bushes, behind him Cynthia revealed herself, returning her Glaceon. Relief colored his face and the red haired man ran forward, pulling Ash to his chest. “You are freezing!” Lance hissed, despite the fact that he too was cold, shivering. “Never run off like that! You could have been taken by a Froslass or or-I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Ash buried his face into his brother’s shoulder, shivering lightly as he soaked in his brother’s warmth. “I’m sorry.” He muffled.

Lance pulled away after a few seconds. “I’m sorry too. I never should have belittled your feelings, or called you confused. If you don’t want to be a Dragon Master, you don’t have to. It's your journey and your team, and I’m sorry I implied you have no say in it.” His face pinched in worry. “I can’t say the Elders will agree, and there's going to be a lot of people out there judging you for being a Blackthorn but not being a Dragon Type Specialist, but I know you’ll make a wonderful Pokemon Trainer, no matter your profession, or type, or if you even have a type.”

Emotion surged through Ash, and relieved tears built up in his eyes. Gripping his brother’s coat tightly, Ash pulled Lance back in for another hug, burying his face back into his shoulder to hide his tears. “You won’t be disappointed?” The raven haired boy asked, tone between hopeful and fear.

“Never.” Lance promised.

Ash pulled away with a sniff, and held up the Snorunt in his arms, who eyed Lance skeptically. “This is my new friend, Snorunt.”

Lance chuckled something between bewilderment and fondness. “Nice to meet you, Snorunt.”

“SnoRUNT!” Snorunt waved at him, before breathing Icy Wing straight into his face, giggling after doing so.

“I guess I deserve that.” Lance shivered, shaking away the ice that took over his face and hair. Reaching into his pocket, Lance pulled out a Pokeball, and handed it to Ash.

“For me?” Ash eyed the red and white ball skeptically.

“You already caught your first Pokemon, all you need to do is officially catch it.”

Looking at the Ice Type in his arms, Ash grabbed the ball. “Do you want to be my first Pokemon Snorunt?”

“Snorunt!” Snorunt shot his hand out, touching the capsule on the Pokeball, and getting sucked in. The ball shook twice in Ash’s hand, before falling still.

“Alright! I caught a Snorunt!”

Lance smiled at him, ruffling Ash’s hair warmly. “Come on, lets get back to the Pokemon center before we get sick.” He pulled Ash closer to him to share body heat as they trekked through the forest. “And I’ll talk to the Elders, but I can’t promise anything.”

===========

As they had assumed, the Elders weren’t thrilled with Ash’s decision, but while they did try to persuade him originally, they eventually relented. So when Ash left for his journey, he and Snorunt were sent away with warm goodbyes, and agreements for his return. His Journey through Johto was pretty typical, resulting in Ash placing in the top 16, but it was after Johto that Ash decided on becoming an Ice Type Specialist. Maybe it was his bond with Glalie(who had evolved part way through Johto), or the fact that Pryce and Lorelei had been overjoyed when Ash showed off his Dewgong, and Glalie to them, but Ash came to love Ice Types. He’d grown somewhat resistant to their attacks, and cold weather, so when it was time to embark on his next journey he decided to change it up. He traveled to every region, meeting with other Ice Type Specialists along the way, and training under them as he met and built his team. And he was very proud of his team.

Glalie was still as playful as the day they met. Dewgong was every bit as mothering to Ash as she had been to the Seel that had been in her pod. Aurorus was the strong, silent type, but he was trustworthy and reliable, whenever Ash needed him, he’d appear. Ninetale was snooty, and a bit stuck up, he had to be the prettiest, and refused to battle otherwise, unless it was an emergency, and then he was right by Ash’s side. And Frosmoth, who had started as just a small little baby Snom, scared of her own shadow, had grown into a capable, and determined Pokemon. Ash adored his team, even if they were a handful. Of course there were other Pokemon, ones who simply joined him for company, or other Ice Types that weren’t part of his main lineup.

Following his return to Johto, Lance had brought up a new circuit that had popped up, the Battle Frontier, in Kanto. As he had just returned from many years of journeying, the 16 year old decided to use the Battle Frontier to get back into the battling scene. It was fascinating to battle, and bond with the different Frontier Brains. Each Brain had their own style, their own rules, unlike the ones you saw in the usual Gym Battle. And even though it took Ash three times to win his last Frontier Symbol, he eventually mastered the Battle Frontier. And with his victory came Scott’s offer to become a Frontier Brain himself. It was only due to the fact that challengers to the Battle Frontier were few and far between that Ash agreed immediately.

His Battle Facility was placed on Mount Silver, a snowy mountain peak perfect for Ash and his Ice type Pokemon. Dubbed the Battle Peak, Ash would be the fifth frontier brain, with Spencer moving up to sixth, Anabelle seventh, and Bradon eighth, and his symbol was dubbed the Determination Symbol, partially for Ash’s determination, but also due to the determination a trainer would need to have to hike all the way to Mount Silver. But facilities weren’t made in a day, so while the Battle Peak was constructed Ash took on the Kanto Pokemon League, and visited his family in Johto to catch them up, and even the most spiteful of Elders had been proud of his achievements.

Once the Battle Peak was complete, Ash settled down on his mountain top, taking care of the injured forest Pokemon up there and training his Pokemon. Occasionally, when business was slow, he’d venture out, always on call for if he needed to return, and at 18, after he had just finished a quick trip to Hoenn, he was called back to meet a very special guest that would be arriving sometime in the next week.

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

“Why are we climbing this blasted mountain?!” A dark haired girl shrieked, shivering heavily despite the multiple layers that covered her body.

The two others with her, an older woman with flowing blue hair, and a girl closer in age with pink hair, stopped their assent to turn towards her. The older woman, dressed equally as warm, chuckled, while the girl rolled her eyes. “You are such a baby Iris.” She scoffed. She was also bundled up against the thick snow, but was fairing far better.

‘Iris’ stuck her tongue out at her. “Shut up Georgia! Its f-f-freezing! Poor Axue is shaking!” Turning to the blue haired woman, she continued. “Clair, do we really have to scale this mountain? Can’t your cousin just come to us?”

‘Clair’ sighed fondly. “We already pulled Ash from his business in Hoenn, the least we can do is go up to his facility. Come on, its just a few more miles.”

Iris groaned. “Couldn’t he have added some kind of transport? This is cruel and unusual punishment!”

“What's cruel and unusual punishment is having to listen to you complain the whole trip!” Georgia snapped.

“Okay enough,” Clair sighed before a fight could break out, and given both girls’ tempers, one would. “Iris Battle Facilities aren’t like Gym Battles. In a way, they’re more refined and they have more rules. Ash’s Symbol is Determination, and this hike is part of testing the challenger’s Determination and Perseverance. There is transportation for non challengers but-”

“But we aren’t challengers.” Iris pointed out.

“You’re right, we aren’t.” Clair agreed. “But you’re working toward becoming a Dragon Master, you need to work on your endurance.”

Heaving a sigh, Iris relented. “Fine.” She grumbled and kept walking.

After a few more hours of hiking through the snowy forest terrain, the three trainers came upon the Battle Peak. Pointed like a mountain top, and painted silver and white, almost blending in with the surroundings. Outside the facility were a number of Pokiemon, such as a few Pikachu, and Rattata that peeked at them from the bushes, and Fearow and Pidgeot glancing at them from their perch in the trees. There was even a partially frozen man made lake with a few Seel and a Dewgong, Spheal, and Lapras swimming and playing. Through the trees you could just make out a Beartic, and three Cubchoo accompanied by an Ursaring, and Teddyursa. There was even an Aurourus and a Mamoswine laying in the snow, watching them as a few smaller Ice, and Normal Types crawled over them, playing. Truly, it looked like a sanctuary for Ice Type Pokemon.

“Gla!” A pair of voices cooed, drawing the group’s attention to a pair of Glaceon. “Gla Glaceon!” The bigger Glaceon barked, tossing its head towards the building.

“Hello Glaceon.” Clair greeted, holding her hand out for Glaceon to rub against.

“Ahh! Ice Type!” Iris squeaked, scrambling away.

Georgia rolled her eyes, reaching down to pet the other. “There are a lot of Ice Types around here, Iris.” She scoffed.

Iris opened her mouth to argue, but Clair cut her off. “Enough.” Clair sighed, standing back up. “Can you take us to Ash?” She asked the two four legged Pokemon.

“Gla!” The smaller Glaceon yipped, pulling away to lead them into the building, soon followed by the bigger one.

“I can’t believe a Blackthorn is an Ice Type Specialist. What a let down.” Iris murmured as she eyed the mountain top with scrutiny.

Clair halted in place and whipped around. “Iris, that is enough. My cousin has every right to follow his own path, he happened to love Ice Types as much as you love Dragon Types. He has worked hard to get to where he is today and our family could not be prouder. I will not let you put down another person because they don’t fit into what you think they should be doing.”

Properly cowed, Iris apologized. “Sorry.”

Sighing, Clair opened the facility doors, sighing in relief that the interior was at least somewhat warm. The temperature was still kept on the lower side, but it was definitely warmer than outside. The trio followed Glaceon further into the facility, passing the snow covered battlefield, that had another partially frozen lake, and into the back. As they walked Georgia and Iris took notice of the different doors. There was a doctor’s station for people and Pokemon(glancing inside they could see a tall dark skinned man tending to an injured Sandslash), another room with a few Pokemon eggs incubating, and even what seemed to be a daycare, where a Bayleef could be seen inside playing with a Phampy, Happiny, Cyndaquil, and Scrafty. Finally they were led into what looked like a house in the very back. There was a number of bedrooms, the walls filled with plaques and accomplishments, and a nice sized kitchen. In the living room slept a large Charizard, curled up on the rug with his tail’s flame carefully placed in the fireplace. Taking a right turn, they entered an office, were a few stacks of paperwork were scattered around a desk. At said desk was an older teen, with wild black hair covered in a cap. Noticeably he had odd markings on his cheeks.

“Glaceon!” “Gla Gla!” The man raised his head as the two Glaceon barked, drawing his attention up. A big grin made itself at home on his face and he stood.

“Thanks Glaceon, and Glaceon.” The man, presumably Ash, said to the Pokemon, swooping down to pet them before they ran out a Pokemon door(like a doggy door) to go back outside to play. “Clair, its so good to see you!”

“Ashy, its been too long!” Clair smiled back, pulling him into a hug. “You need to come back home soon, another baby is due to be born in a few months. We sent you a letter but it takes forever for mail to reach up here, and the phone connection isn’t the best either.”

Ash winced in guilt. “Sorry sorry, I’ve been working with Clemont and Volkner to see if there's a way to fix the connection, they’ll be here in a few days to check it out. I promise to visit before I return to Hoenn.”

“I’m holding you to that.” Clair said firmly. “Speaking of Hoenn, is that May, and Cynthia’s Glaceon.”

“Yeah, when I told May I was coming here she asked me to take Glaceon so he could adjust, and Cynthia asked if Brock could watch over her Glaceon since she's not in rotation at the moment.” He chuckled fondly. “Those two are like two peas in a pod, I just hope I don’t have to be the one that tells them their grandmothers once Glaceon clutches.” He heaved a tired sigh. Clair laughed at her cousin’s misfortune. “Come on, let's sit in the living room and you can tell me what you needed me for, and introduce me to your two carry-ons.”

“That sounds nice.” Clair agreed and Ash lead them back out to the livingroom, welcoming them to sit. In an instant Iris and Axue parked themselves in front of the fireplace, mindful of the sleeping Charizard as they warmed up.

“Tea? Hot Cocoa?” He offered.

“Tea please.” Georgia sat on the loveseat, eyeing the sleeping Pokemon warily. She had nothing against Charizard, they weren’t technically Dragons after all, but she knew better than to wake a sleeping one.

“Me too.” Clair chimed, making herself at home and pulling her travel bag to her lap.

“Hot Cocoa for me please!” “Axue ue!” Iris and Axue called.

Ash vanished into the kitchen, coming back with five cups, two tea, and three hot chocolates(one in a small cup for the baby Dragon), along with two bowls of Pokemon food. As soon as he smelled it, Charizard’s eyes opened, and he raised his head. Ash passed the drinks out, giving the Pokemon their snacks, and sat down beside his cousin. “So what did you need me for.”

“Two things actually.” Clair started. “As I told you, I will be taking Iris under my wing for a little while, as we were talking Iris’ friend, Georgia,” Clair motioned to the pink haired girl, ignoring both their protests about not being friends. “Overheard your name, she would like to train under you for a bit.”

Intrigued, Ash turned to the 12 year old girl. “Really?” He asked.

Georgia’s face heated up. “Well yes. You see I want to be a Dragon buster, I want to battle every Dragon Type there is. While Ice Type, and Fairy Type Gym Leaders know their thing about Ice and Fairy Types, you’re different. You specialize in Ice Types, but you also grew up surrounded by Dragon Types. To beat Dragon Types you need to know about them, not just over power them with stronger type match ups!”

Ash hummed in thought. “I can see where you’re going with this, and I understand completely, however.” Ash hummed in thought. “I’m not here all the time. I’m participating in the Gym Circuit for the Hoenn league right now, and really only came back for the time being because I was called back.” Georgia’s shoulders dropped in disappointment, and Ash sighed. “Listen, after the Hoenn league I’m staying here in Kanto for a little while. Truth be told I’m after Lorelei’s spot in Kanto’s Elite four-”

“I didn’t know that.” Clair gasped in mock offense.

Ash snorted at her. “Nobody knew about it except Brock.” He stuck his tongue out at her and turned back to Georgia. “If you’re still interested in training with me, come back after the Hoenn league wraps up for the year, and then we’ll work something out.”

Georgia smiled in relief, dipping her head in thanks. “Thank you for the opportunity! I’ll be here as soon as the league wraps up!” She promised. “Is it okay if I explore your battle facility? I have Ice Types of my own and I’m sure they’d love it here.”

“Go right ahead, I just ask that you leave the Doctor’s office alone unless you or your Pokemon are hurt. Brock is pretty busy at the moment. And if you look at the Pokemon Eggs make sure you shut the door tight, if it gets too cold in there it endangers the Eggs.” Ash warned.

“I understand, thank you!” With high spirits, the Dragon Buster excused herself to go play outside with her Pokemon.

“Now what was the second reason I was needed?” Ash chuckled.

Clair opened her backpack and pulled out a carrying incubator. “A breeder from Paldea gifted our family this Pokemon Egg a few months ago.” The egg was a cloudy blueish grey, with a lighter spot in the center and a yellow stripe on each side. “According to them, this egg belongs to a Dragon Ice type native to their region.”

Ash’s eyes bulged. “I’ve heard about a Ice Dragon Pokemon popping up but I thought they were talking about Kyurem.” Ash murmured before worry struck him. “Please tell me you haven’t incubated it like a Dragon Type’s egg!”

Clair winced. “We tried to, at first, before Nurse Joy corrected us. Luckily, the egg is still okay.” She admitted and Ash heaved a sigh of relief. Unlike most other Pokemon Eggs, who need warmth, the Pokemon Eggs of Ice Types, even dual Ice Types, need to be kept in Cold environments or else the egg risks dying. “That is why the Elders asked me to bring them to you. Not only are you a Dragon Type expert because of being a Blackthorn, but you’re also the family’s only Ice Type Specialist. The Elder’s want you to take over its care. Please?”

Ash chuckled warmly. The bitterness he once felt towards Dragon Type’s had thawed(pun 100% intended) in the years Ash spent traveling and growing. “Of course I’ll take over their care.” He accepted the egg’s capsule with little fuss. He ran his thumb over the smooth, frigid shell of the Pokemon’s egg. In a weird way, Ash felt connected to the unhatched Pokemon. After all, like himself, it was born and Ice Type in a Dragon Type’s world.

Chapter Text

Ash hadn’t intended to build his life around Electric types.

As a child he hadn’t thought much about types, if it was a Pokemon, he loved them, no ifs ands or buts. Growing up he always envisioned himself with a plethora of different types as he ventured through the regions, battling people and Pokemon as he rose through the ranks.

What changed between then and when he actually became a Pokemon Trainer? A Pikachu. A single Pikachu gifted to him by Professor Oak when all the other Starter Pokemon were spoken for.

Granted, the Pikachu hadn’t liked him initially, fighting with Ash every step of the way, and even physically shocking the boy. Luckily, the fighting didn’t last long, as Trainer and Pokemon were attacked by Spearow and had to fight for their lives. Ash standing to protect Pikachu, and Pikachu turning to protect him in turn was a turning point.

Once Pikachu healed, he warmed right up to Ash, apologetically licking the lichtenberg figures that now decorated his trainer’s skin, and riding diligently on his trainer’s shoulder as they officially started their journey.

Ash hadn’t even realized he developed a preference for electric types until it was pointed out to him. He hadn’t caught any other Pokemon, with Pikachu being his sole Pokemon. He wasn’t sure why; they had seen plenty of interesting Pokemon, but Ash somehow reasoned himself out of catching every single one of them. It hadn’t come back to bite him yet, he defeated Brock with Speed, Misty with type advantage, and Lieutenant Surge with a mixture of speed and power. Sabrina was shaping up to be an issue however, but it that was more due to the deterioration of her mental health than Pokemon types. Still, with Misty and Brock locked up in the woman’s doll house, Ash had little other option but to seek out a ghost type Pokemon to combat her Psychic types. Journeying back to Lavender Town had been easy, but catching a Ghost Type, less so. Four Ghost types lived in Lavender tower, Gastly, Haunter, Gangar, and Rotom. Rotom put up a fight about being captured, and after maneuvering and a hard fought Pokemon battle, Ash finally caught the zippy Electric/Ghost, and ventured back to Saffron City, unknowing about the Haunter that followed him until later. The battle with Sabrina was a bit of a mess, Haunter kept popping up and causing trouble, but Sabrina seemed to take a shine to it, and in the end Misty and Brock were set free, and Ash got his March badge.

It was Brock who made Ash realize his preference, once everything was said and done. “I’m glad you were able to find a Ghost type while still being able to stick to your type preference.” Brock said nonchalantly as he whipped up a new batch of Pokemon food for the uniquely typed Pokemon.

“Type preference?” Ash turned to look at Brock, turning away from where he was watching Rotom and Pikachu play.

Brock nodded. “Well yeah, you’re an Electric Type Specialist right? Like how I’m a Rock Specialist and Misty is a Water Specialist.”

Ash fell silent, looking back over to his Pokemon. He hadn’t thought about it, not really, but hindsight was 20/20. Preferring Electric types made sense the more he thought about it, the excuses he made to himself on why he didn’t catch a Rattata that crossed their path, or the relief he felt when his Pokedex pinged Rotom as a dual type, at which point he zeroed in on the zippy Pokemon.

The revelation changed little, rather it gave Ash a sense of understanding. It did, however, encourage him to research more about Electric types, and to subsequently search Electric Types out. As months passed, he added a Mareep, and Magnemite, both of which would later evolve, to his team.

Sadly, no matter how hard they worked, Ash wasn’t able to participate in the Pokemon league. Not because he lacked skill, no Ash and his Pokemon were pretty well off skill wise, he got all eight badges after all, but due to lack of Pokemon. He needed at least six Pokemon to his name to participate, regardless of if he had enough badges.

It was a heavy blow.

Misty and Brock offered for him to borrow their Pokemon, as he had offered them a few times, but grateful as he was, he turned the opportunity down. He had wanted to participate with his team. The Pokemon League was something they, he and his team, were all working so hard for, and borrowing Pokemon for such a huge event just seemed disrespectful towards his team.

But Ash wasn’t down for long, it just wasn’t his way to stay down. They watched the league in person, which none of them ever had the chance to do before, and had a great time watching, especially when Gary was humiliated so beautifully by another trainer, and later winner of the Pokemon League, Red. It was glorious, and Ash possibly snapped a picture of Gary’s distraught face to hang on his wall(don’t look at him like that, Gary was a thorn in his side and had picked on him for ages. Let Ash be petty.)

After the League was said and done the trio sat down to decide what to do next. Misty would be taking over the Cerulean Gym, as her sisters would be going on tour followed by a long vacation to destress, while Brock was thinking about applying for medical school, Ash was stuck between what region to visit, as Sinnoh’s Gym Circuit and Jhoto’s Gym Circuit would be starting soon. But before he could decide, Ash got a very interesting letter.

======

Ash walked down the stairs and into the dining room, his stomach loudly protesting his lack of food, and his arms already covered by his elbow length black gloves. As usual Pikachu was sitting on his shoulder, still half asleep as he clung to Ash’s shoulder. From the window, the boy could see his Flaffy sitting in the front yard, happily grazing while Magneton soaked in some sunlight. Given the ruckus in the laundry room, the young trainer could only guess that Rotom had possessed the washer again, while Rotom preferred his usual form, possessing the washing machine seemed to be his second favorite, which luckily his mom was fine with as long as he left it alone when she needed to actually do the laundry. Chuckling at his Pokemon and their usual antics, Ash walked into the kitchen, b-lining his way straight to the table, which welcomed him with a plateful of breakfast.

“Good morning, thanks for the food mom.” Ash called, sitting down. Pikachu slipped off his shoulder, and tiredly walked over to his own awaiting bowl of Pokemon food, topped with a little bit of ketchup.

“Morning Ash!” Delilah greeted, poking her head out of the kitchen. “There was a letter for you in the mail. It’s right by your food.”

Sure enough, a pristine white letter sat next to Ash’s plate, his name and address scribbled on the front in black ink. Ash spooned a bite of food in his mouth, before picking up the letter and looking at the return address. Brown eyes widened the size of dinner plates and Ash choked, desperately spitting out his food to regain his breath. After a disparate gulp of milk, and assuring his mother that he was fine, Ash reread the return address, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

Volkner Licht
Sunyshore Gym
1234 Luxray Lane
Sunyshore City, 180015
Sinnoh

With shaky hands, Ash opened the letter, slowly reading each word to make sure he was properly understanding what he was reading.

June 1, XXXX

Mr. Ashura ‘Ash’ Ketchum
Ketchum Cottage
151 Pidgey Creek Road
Pallet Town, Kanto, 01501

Dear Mr. Ketchum,

I hope you are doing well. I am Volkner Licht, Gym Leader of the Sunyshore Gym in the Sinnoh Region, and I have contacted you in hopes of you joining my Gym as a Gym Trainer, and Assistant.

I am sure this has come as a shock, as we have never met. I have been the Gym Leader of Sunyshore Gym for the last three years, and as Sunyshore city is changing and growing I find myself in need of more Gym Trainers, and assistants around the gym. Type Specialists are few and far between, as I am sure you know, and when inquiring about Electric Type Pokemon Trainers to my fellow Gym Leaders across the globe I came across your name. After looking into your previous battles in Kanto’s Gym Circuit I have come to the conclusion that you would make a good addition to the Sunyshore Gym Team.

Should you accept my offer you will be paid 961 Pokedollers an hour, be provided housing, allowance to use Sunyshore’s training facilities, paid yearly vacation, and ability to accompany me and other trainers to other regions to research and catch Pokemon.

I understand that this is an unexpected and big proposition, and thus you need time to think it over, and discuss it with your parents, and or guardian. Please contact me via letter, or call me at (XX)XXXX-XXXX with your response. Sinnoh’s Gym Circuit starts in October, please send your response before then.

Sincerely,
Volkner Licht

Volkner Licht
Sunyshore Gym Leader, Sinnoh

“M-Mom!” Ash stood up quickly, pulling away from the table and bolting towards the kitchen, where he met his mom at the door. He pushed the letter into her hands, where she immediately started reading, her eyes widening as his had. “Can you believe it? A Gym Leader wants me! Me!”

“This is wonderful Ash!” Delilah beamed. Honestly, she was excited for her son. She’d much prefer him work in a gym than travel who knows where, meeting shady people, or getting hurt and lost in the wilderness. Sinnoh was many regions away, which was a worry in itself, but if it was what Ash wanted she had no problem with him taking the offer.

“Isn’t it!” Brown eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. “I was thinking about where to journey next, and this is perfect!”

Delilah creased her brows. “As a Gym Trainer though, you wouldn’t be able to take on the other gyms, during gym season you’d have to stay at the gym to help with challengers.”

The light in his eyes shifted to reconsideration. “Maybe I should think about this more.” He murmured.

The woman nodded in agreement. “Think it over, perhaps call Misty and Brock, they have Gym experience, Professor Oak as well, he would know a lot more.” She kissed his forehead. “No matter what you decide I’ll be right here cheering you on.”

Ash hummed, leaning into her. “I’ll do that, thanks mom.” He offered her a small smile, which she returned, before wandering back over to the table to commence eating his breakfast, his mind swimming.

======

Ash spent nearly a month constantly thinking about his options. Hours were spent in the Pewter and Cerulean Gyms, Ash sitting with either Misty or Brock while the other was on call. Both agreed that it was a fantastic opportunity, but knowing Ash and his free spirit, they also understood his hesitance. His Pokemon were happy regardless, as long as they were with Ash they didn’t seem to care if they traveled or stayed in Palette for the rest of their days. Professor Oak had been overjoyed, (Gary, who was hanging around until Jhoto, less so but Ash didn’t go to him for advice). The older man had helped draw up a list of pros and cons and sat with Ash as they went through everything. Hours of research was also conducted, research on Sinnoh, on Sunyshore City, even Volkner himself had been researched to a great extent.

After that long month of research and thought, Ash made his decision, and sent his response. Within the next two weeks, much of his stuff was packed up, Delilah showered her son with affection and directions on how to take care of himself, and Ash and his team were on their way to Sinnoh.

Ash was housed in an apartment not far from the Gym. It was a single bedroom with a kitchen, bathroom, sitting room, and a small outdoor patio. His team took to it easily, and helped him keep the apartment picked up. Flaffy in particular liked the patio, and Ash set up a square of faux grass for her to lounge on. With the apartment came seven gym uniforms to wear to the gym, nothing restricting, black shorts, a black short sleeved top, and a sleeveless blue vest jacket. Ash had been contacted for his preference between shorts and pants, and had permission to wear his gloves.

======

Ash wasn’t the only Gym Trainer to join the gym, but it was inherently obvious from the first day that he was the odd ball, and it wasn’t just because he was the youngest at the gym. For one, Ash was the only one that chose shorts with his uniform, everyone else had wanted pants, with the addition of his gloves, he looked different than his colleagues. Second, Pikachu rode on his shoulder, or head, not in a Pokeball, something Volkner had no problem with, especially because he had been notified before he had even contacted Ash about Pikachu’s aversion to Pokeballs. Third, Ash was hands on, very hands on, his training sessions were notorious for the way Ash made himself the moving target more often than not, how he would attempt moves alongside his Pokemon despite obviously being incapable. Fourth, Ash was very good to his Pokemon, that wasn’t to say the other trainers weren’t good to their Pokemon, but Ash treated his Pokemon with the same respect he treated the people around him, when calling out moves, he didn’t order it, more he was suggesting it, sand they trusted his judgment enough to listen, he had actual conversations with them, even though they couldn’t respond in kind.

Overall, Ash was an oddball among his colleagues, but no one could find it in themselves to single him out, or really dislike him. He was brash, and honest, energetic and while not overly intelligent, he was inquisitive and wanted to learn. It was because of these traits that Volkner took notice.

Volkner was a bit stern, and quiet, but he liked Ash’s spunk. He had a lot of spirit and perseverance, something that poured over into everything he did. It wasn’t long into Ash working at the gym that Volkner approached him, offering him training advice, training alongside him, and fussing after him when he, once again, got electrocuted by his Pokemon. Within months, Volkner all but officially adopted him, taking Ash under his wing as his personal assistant.They were like brothers, thick as thieves, and best friends. Flint never really complained about the adoptive brothers because he too took a shine to Ash, once jokingly begging him to ditch Electric Types to become a Fire Type Specialist under his, Flint’s, tutelage. Pikachu personally saw to it Flint never asked such a thing again. Ever.

Years passed with, usually peaceful, ease. Ash took yearly vacations home, dragging Volkner with him sometimes to meet his mom, and in the off season he occasionally accompanied Volkner to other regions, slowly building his arsenal of Electric Types, making new friends, and sometimes(okay, often times) saving an entire region from mass chaos and/or destruction.

Things slowly declined though. When Ash turned fourteen Volkner’s personality took a major turn. He didn’t seem to enjoy battling anymore, and he became snappy and bitter, spending more time tending to Sunyshore Tower than at the Gym. His time at the gym slowly tapered away, with Ash taking more and more Gym Battles over on his behalf, so much so that most Gym Challengers didn’t even know who Volkner was.

=====

Message From: Tony
yo ash volkner aint here again 2day mind taking over again we gots a challenger

Ash sighed as he read the message that came in on his Poketch. “This is the second week in a row.” He grumbled, but texted a quick affirmative anyway.

The fourteen year old pulled himself out of bed, careful not to disturb Bolthund, or Pikachu. Magnezone was peacefully sleeping in his bed in the closet, with Rotom asleep in the electric fan beside him, while Amphoros was sleeping outside on her grass square on the patio, a wild Plusle, Minun, and Pachirisu happy snuggled up with her, and Heliolisk was asleep in the living room, under a large heat lamp. Ash couldn’t help but smile at all his peaceful Pokemon as he got ready for the day.

The first part of his day was putting on his gloves. The lichtenberg figures that danced up his arms now branched up over his shoulders, backlash from taking many Thunderbolts in the last four years. They personally didn’t bother Ash, he saw them as proof of how hard his Pokemon have worked over the years, his Pokemon however, didn’t like them. The dark fern-like marks reminded them of the pain they caused their trainer, accidental or otherwise. Whenever Pikachu caught sight of the marks, he would be down the rest of the day, unable to meet Ash’s eye, and many of his other Pokemon responded in kind, so Ash just felt it was better to simply hide them behind his clothing when he could.

After dressing, Ash made a simple breakfast and set out the Pokemon food, which of course woke all the Pokemon up the second he set the bowls down. Bolthund came first, hungrily eating his food like he’d never had a meal in his life, Amphoros was polite as ever, sitting beside Heliolisk as they quietly ate their breakfast, soon joined by Magnezone and Rotom, who un-possessed the fan. Pikachu leaped onto Ash’s shoulder, nuzzling their cheeks together before running to the bowl he shared with Plusle, Minun and Pachirisu. While the three electric rodents weren’t Ash’s Pokemon, they showed up soon after Ash moved in, taking a shine to Ash’s Pokemon and essentially making themselves at home. Ash didn’t mind, Amphoros and Pikachu liked their company and they didn’t cause any more trouble than the others did.

After eating and cleaning up, Ash returned his team and placed Pikachu onto his shoulder, waving goodbye to the other electric rodents before locking the apartment behind him. “We’re on gym duty again Pikachu.” Ash warned, scratching Pikachu’s chin while they made their way to the gym. Pikachu cooed, partially due to the chin scratchies, partially in worry for Volkner. “I know, I’m worried too.” He sighed. “Lets visit him after the Gym closes yeah?”

“Pika!” Pikachu easily agreed.

=======

“Thanks again Ash.” Tony blinked gratefully at the ravenette as they walked to the battlefield, the first battle of the day waiting for them. “I don’t know what we’d do without.”

“Don’t worry about it, glad to help.” Ash clapped the older man on the back.

“Man at this point you may as well be the Gym Leader, ever think about taking over? I don’t think anyone would complain.” The blonde offered, and Ash shifted uncomfortably.

“Volkner is just in a slump, he’ll come back soon. Theres no reason for me to take over.” Ash denied.

Tony frowned. “I heard through the grapevine that Cynthia was thinking about replacing him.” He warned. “My source said that because of how absent he’s been, hardly anyone knew he was the Gym Leader, most people think you are. If he doesn’t snap out of it, well, we’ll be in need of a new Gym Leader.”

Ash said nothing and looked away, moving his hat so he could ruffle his black hair. Tony offered a friendly pat to his shoulder, and pushed through the gym doors to announce the match.

=========

“Hey.” The sun was setting as Ash approached Volkner, still at Sunyshore tower messing with a handful of wires while Raichu slept beside him.

Volkner raised his head, offering a small smile. “Hey, how was your day?”

Ash sat down haphazardly beside him, leaning into his side to stare at the wire’s Volkner was messing with. Pikachu leapt down to play with Raichu. “Good, I gave out a badge today. It was a cool match, you should have seen it.”

Volkner simply hummed. “And how many trainers did you beat?”

“Four, but one was very close, another guy annoyed me though.” Ash sniffed, remembering a certain mauve haired boy who’s training style grinded Ash’s gears. A part of him was glad the guy lost. “But, you’d know that if you stopped by once in a while.” He pointed out. The blonde seemingly ignored him, going back to fiddling with the wires, and Ash sighed. “Hey, do you want to go camping with me tomorrow?”

“Camping?” Volkner looked back up.

Ash beamed at him. “Yeah! There are no challengers for the next two days, we can go out tonight and stay a few days in the forest!” Volkner looked hesitant. “Come on please? I’ve been working really hard lately and could really use a break!”

Guilt colored the mans face and he caved. “Alright fine.” He finished up whatever he was doing with the wires and put them back into the tower wall. “Go pack up, we’ll meet back here.”

“Yes!” Ash cheered, leaping back onto his face. “Come on Pikachu!”

“Pika Pi!” Pikachu cried out in joy, leaping onto Ash’s shoulder before they bolted from the tower.

Volkner and Raichu watched them leave, fondness coloring their eyes before something unreadable frosted over Volkner’s gaze. “Let's go pack.”

“Rai Rai.” Raichu agreed, following after him.

=======

While Sunyshore was a massive, modern city, just outside the city limits was a nice chunk of forest. While it took about an hour to reach city limits, it didn’t take long to find a nice place to camp. With their Pokemon’s help, they were able to set up camp before it got too late, the fire cackling in front of them.

Ash was leaned over, roasting a marshmallow over the fire as Volkner dug around their supplies for a drink. Jolteon and Bolthund were racing, and tackling each other, playfully toiling on the forest floor, Pikachu and Raichu trailing after them. Both Ash’s and Volkner’s Rotoms were happily zipping through the forest, mere cackling yellow light in the dark. Magnezone had gone off somewhere, but Ash wasn’t particularly worried, the dual type was rather reclusive and enjoyed his alone time, and they didn’t get opportunities to just explore the wild often. Heliolisk, Amphoros, Luxray, and Electivire were resting near the campfire, coiled up and resting against each other though they weren’t asleep.

“Man we haven't done this in forever!” Ash bounced excitedly in his seat, reminiscent of an excited child.

“We haven’t. It's nice.” Volkner agreed, taking a seat next to the fire, a pop in his hand.

The adoptive brothers sat in calm silence, Ash eventually pulling his marshmallow from the fire to make a smore while Volkner took a large gulp of his soda pop. Ash slowly pulled off his gloves before digging into his smore, not wanting to get chocolate and marshmallow all over them.

Volkner eyed the figures that ran up Ash’s arms. “Do they hurt?” He asked.

Taken off guard for a moment Ash shrugged. “Not really. Sometimes they feel tender, and random pains will shoot up my arms but its not often.” Despite lichtenberg figures usually being temporary, Ash’s were permanent due to how often he got shocked. The doctor said they would eventually go away if Ash stopped getting shocked, but given Ash’s training methods, that was impossible. “You get them occasionally don’t you?”

Volkner nodded. “Most Electric Type Specialists do one time or another, they’re inevitable in our kind of Pokemon, but given your being permanent I was curious if it felt different.” Ash made a grunting noise around his smore in understanding, causing the older man to laugh.

The two lapsed into another bout of comfortable silence. Bolthund and Jolteon eventually tired eachother out, and collapsed under a tree, fast asleep. Pikachu and Raichu wandered back to their trainers. Raichu curled up next to Volkner’s chair, while Pikachu took his place in Ash’s lap, guiltily rubbing his cheek into Ash’s hand before falling asleep.

“Tony told me Cynthia was thinking about replacing you.” Ash said after a moment, and Volkner stiffened. “I’ve pretty much taken over the gym, and most trainers don’t know you’re the Gym Leader.” Ash sighed when Volkner said nothing, and leaned back in his chair. Brown eyes stared through the tree canopy and into the dark sky, where stars sparkled down at them.

“I’m not happy.” Volkner voiced, and Ash turned to look at him. “I used to love going to the gym every day, but over time, I’m just bored. It’s not fun anymore, I don’t get that rush when I battle. The only one I have any fun battling against is you, and Flint. Being a Gym Leader just feels like a chore these days.”

“Volk-”

“So I’m working towards becoming an Elite Four member.” Ash blinked in surprise, and Volkner continued. “Elite four members battle on another level, you’ve heard how Flint talks about it. Stronger challengers, not kids working towards the league. I’ll have more time to work on bettering Sunyshore too.”

Ash eyed Volkner closely. His sharp features were somehow sharper, blue eyes near glowing with determination that Ash honestly hadn’t seen in him in almost a year. Sharply, Ash grinned. “Thats the spirit!” Volkner looked up in shock. “Thats what you want to work towards right? Good luck! I’ll be rooting for you the whole time!”

Volkner’s surprise melted away, replaced with warm fondness. Reaching across he plucked Ash’s hat off his head and ruffled his hair. “You know that means you’ll really be Sunyshore’s Gym Leader right? Have fun with all that paperwork!”

“Paperwork!” Ash squawked in horror as Volkner just laughed.

Chapter Text

From the time Ash was a little kid, no older than three or four, he had always wanted to fly. There was just something about the sky, the freedom of it all that was alluring. He loved when his mom would hoist him up over her head, or when he would swing himself up over the bars of the swing set, it wasn’t flying, but for a child, it was the closest he could get.

Ash, of course, loved all Pokemon, there wasn’t a bad one in his opinion, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t have a favorite type. It was the typing that set the boy’s heart on obtaining a Charmander as his first Pokemon.

If you assume fire, no one would blame you, as thats what everyone seemed to guess. His name was Ash after all, and his late father did specialize in the type. But no, Ash’s favorite type, the one he revered and wanted to up a Charmander for, was Flying.

Flying is often a type that is overlooked. Flying types are in abundance, throw a stone and you’ll hit three, and counteracting their attacks is simple due to Electric, and Rock types.

Due to his favored typing, Ash faced a bit of backlash from his peers. Most boys his age liked strong types like Dragon, Steel, and Dark after all, while girls his age leaned towards Psychic, Normal, and Fairy types, leaving Ash the odd man out, and so snide, and rude comments were sadly not a rarity. But, Ash was also a resilient, and stubborn child, and fought back.

Now, while Ash loved Flying types, it had never been his intention to practice specifically on said type, it just sort of happened. And it started with an Emolga.

Emolga hadn’t been his first, second, third, or even fourth choice, seeing as they weren’t even native in his home region, but with no other options, and refusing to wait for the next year, Ash accepted his new partner, though rather that partner accepted him back was a thing to be questioned in the beginning. After Emolga, came Caterpie who evolved into Butterfree, and then Pidgeotto, and eventually a Charmander that Ash was able to raise up into a Charizard after his own complications. Truthfully though, after Pidgeotto, Ash purposefully decided to focus his time on Flying types.

Nobody really blinked twice at the change, and dealing with a single type, while definitely having its own disadvantages, let Ash focus on specific battle techniques, and really powered up his team. There was also no shortage of Flying types in the Kanto region, leading Ash to catching a Dodrio, a excitable, but nervous little thing that liked stealing his hat, a Fearow, that Ash caught mostly so he would leave a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto alone, and even hatched a little Togepi into a Togetic, Misty and of course Team Rocket pitched a fit he was raising the tiny Pokemon for battle, but Ash found, and raised the egg so he had every right to, despite Misty’s rude and honestly underhanded tactics to trying to get the Pokemon to imprint on her. And, while they weren’t from Kanto technically, Ash also added Mantyke, caught in the ocean after being swept away from her pod due to the harsh winds, and a Gligar, Ash wasn’t sure how the little Pokemon got all the way to Kanto, but he and the emotional Pokemon were happy to be a part of the same team.

Regardless, Ash adored his team, and built an unshakable bond with each and every one of his Pokemon. Once Pidgeotto evolve into Pidgeot, and Charmander to Charizard, Ash was able to ride on their backs, soaring through the sky and tasting that fresh, free air he had longed for since he was a child. His bonds went so deep that Ash easily fell, or leapt from their backs, when needed to by accident, knowing his Pokemon would grab him, no matter how many Heart attacks Brock, or his mother and Professor Oak got. But his team was well connected, and strong, and they took on Kanto’s Gym Challenge with relative ease(minus repeatedly stopping Team Rocket, getting into general trouble, getting lost, and dealing with Mewtwo that one time, but they don’t remember that so it technically doesn’t count). That wasn’t to say that they went undefeated, early on there were a few losses, and incidents that shook Ash’s confidence, like when he faced Lt. Surge and Emolga was badly ridiculed and injured, or when Sabrina nearly turned them into puppets, and when Erika wouldn’t battle him because he didn’t like Perfume. The worst was having to say goodbye to Butterfree so he could be with his mate, but while Sad, it was a situation the whole team learned and grew from.

When the Indigo League finally came, Ash didn’t have the false expectations that they would sweep the competition. No, they were hopeful and really wanted to do well, wanted to get further than Gary at the very least and match or surpass his mother and father’s placements at best. Every battle was difficult, some of Ash’s Pokemon were knocked out, the older, more experienced trainers were good, confident, experienced. And yet, at the end of the League, sweating heavily from stress and the hot sun, throat raw from calling out moves, and a head pounding from thinking up strategy after strategy Ashton Red Ketchum, just age ten was named the victor of the Indigo League.

At first, he was too shocked to react. It was unbelievable, and Ash was numb where he stood, and then the tears came. Pride, and shock made his chest constrict with emotion as hot tears burned his eyes, and his cheeks ached from smiling. He embraced Emolga tightly, spinning the flying squirrel in his arms while Emolga shocked him with a burst of electricity teeming with love and excitement. Ash walked up to the podium, his eyes still red and raw, and accepted the Indigo League Trophy as the stadium roared with applause.

The days following the league, Ash was in a daze. While he had acknowledged the fact that they won(they actually won!), it was difficult to imagine where to go from there. Oh he knew his journey was far from over, there were so many regions to explore and so many more Pokemon to meet. But being a 10 year old boy, it was all a bit overwhelming.

And then, he met a very well known man, one that Ash admired a great deal. With that man, came a special invitation.

===========

Ash walked silently down the streets of Pallet Town, a grocery list in hand. Emolga sat on his shoulder, as usual, babbling nonsense that only Ash could understand as they walked. Occasionally, someone would stop Ash on the street, swoon over or congratulate him on his win until Ash politely excused himself. It was weird to him. Ash was used to being fawned over by older folk, Ash was the only Ketchum left other than his mother so the older folk tended to dote on him a bit, and he was even used to occasionally being trailed after by younger kids, kids had loved coming to him to talk about Pokemon seeing as Ash could talk about them for hours, but kids his own age, kids he had actually went to school with, were foreign to him. He grew up with them belittling him, so having those same kids swoon after him made his skin crawl, and his stomach ache. It may sound odd, but honestly Ash would prefer if they treated him the same as they always had. It was a little sad that Ash preferred Gary, who still belittled him despite Ash winning the whole League, to the way he was being treated by kids who used to act the same way.

“Emol?” Emolga patted Ash’s cheek with his paw, snapping him out of his own head. Looking around, he realized he was at the market.

“Sorry buddy, I got lost in thought.” Ash chuckled, slowly rubbing the back of his neck before pulling the list up to see what they had to get. “Looks like it's just the basic stuff today, oh and mayo.” Emolga leaned over his shoulder to look at the list, and Ash held it up for him to get a better look.

“Emol Emol!” Emolga pouted, causing Ash to snicker as he walked into the market.

Ash knew Emolga better than he knew the back of his own hand, so while he couldn’t understand him word for word, he could still pick up the general idea of what he said, or wanted. “There's Ketchup at home, at least there should be unless you ate it all. Again.” Emolga whined, nuzzling up against Ash’s neck while shooting him Growlithe eyes. Ash, well versed in ignoring his Pokemon’s Growlithe eyes, simply placed a bag of potatoes in his basket after checking them over.

The rest of the shopping went relatively normal, with Emolga pouting in his shoulder, having eventually given up. As they checked out, Ash slipped a few ketchup packets onto the counter, and handed one over to Emolga after paying. With a happy coo, Emolga ripped open the packet for his treat.

“I spoil you.” Ash sighed, only to laugh when Emolga happily nuzzled against him, and held out his paw for another, which Ash handed over.

The walk home was just as quiet as the walk to the market, if not more so because Emolga was happily snacking away. As they got closer to the Ketchum residents, however, Ash hesitated for just a moment. Parked outside the humble home was an unfamiliar, fancy looking black car with a dragon shaped license plate. Car’s were something of a rarity in Pallet Town, it was so small that most people walked or cycled everywhere. There were a few cars, but they were really only used when someone was going out of town, or when someone was visiting.
“Mom! We’re back!” Ash called as he entered the house, his hand drifting towards Charizard’s Pokeball, on his shoulder, Emolga was just as alert, though they both calmed down when Delia happily rounded the corner form the kitchen.

“Welcome back sweety!” She chimed, taking the grocery bags from him. “Thank you for doing the shopping.”

“No problem.” Ash shrugged and looked around the house. “Who’s car is that outside?” He asked.

Delia’s face lit up, as if just remembering. “Oh, a visitor came to see you today!”

Before he could ask who it was, his mother guided him into the sitting room. On one couch was the familiar form of Professor Oak, who smiled at him calmly, and on the other, a man Ash only recognised from posters and television.

“Lance?!” He squeaked, his voice raising an octave. Professor Oak and Lance shared an amused smile as the boy quickly cleared his throat, cheeks reddening. “Wha-Uh What can I do for you?” He asked, trying to seem more mature, even though internally he was freaking out(Lance, THE Lance, was in his house!).

Lance motioned to the seat across from him, and next to the Professor. Ash took the seat, pulling Emolga to sit in his lap rather than his shoulder, while he carded his fingers through her short fur. Lance gave, what Ash supposed, was a comforting smile, and Professor Oak gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze that helped the wound up 10 year old simmer down.

“I know this seems out of the blue for you,” Lance started off. “Truth is, I’ve been interested in your progress for some time.”

Ash’s eyes widened, and he pointed to himself. “Me? But I haven’t done anything.”

Lance shook his head. “Not because you did anything bad, no, quite the opposite in fact!” The red head assured. “Ash, do you know the job of the Pokemon Champion, and the Elite Four?”

Ash stalled for a moment, tilting his head much like a confused Growlithe. “It’s to be really strong Pokemon Trainers, right?”

Something rueful twisted on the man’s face before it vanished. “That's part of it I suppose, but actually the main goal of the Elite Four and the Champion is to protect, and lead the region of Pokemon Trainers by example. To help our fellow trainers, and pass down our knowledge to the new generations to hopefully craft a peaceful region for both People and Pokemon.” Ash stared in awe, brown eyes lit with a spark of inspiration and respect. Lance rubbed the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed. “Anyway, that’s why when your name was mentioned repeatedly by Gym Leaders, Nurse Joy, and Officer Jenny, I couldn’t not look into you. You’ve been commended quite a lot by them, and other individuals for helping them, against Team Rocket, poachers, and other such people. Given your age, it is quite commendable.”

“Well, Misty and Brock helped too, I wouldn’t really be where I am today without them.” Ash admitted, but sat a little taller after getting praised.

“Funny, they said the same thing about you.” Lance commented, and Ash perked up even more.

“You don’t have long Lance.” Professor Oak reminded, a mirthful gleam in his eye.

Lance cleared his throat. “Right. The reason I came here today, Ash, was to give you a special invitation.” Lance put his hand in his cape and pulled out a pristine white envelope with gold dragon details painted along the sides, and a golden wax seal.

He handed it to Ash, who stared down at it, before carefully opening it. He pulled out the letter and read it aloud. “Dear Ashton Ketchum, The Pokemon League invites you,” Ash gasped audibly as he read a bit ahead, air leaving him as he gaped. Shakily, he continued reading. “In-In-Invite you, this year’s Winner of the Indigo League, to challenge the Elite Four, and Champion Lance Blackthorn. Inside there is a special card, present it and your Gym Badges to the Security Guard on Victory Road to gain entry. Sincerely and Good Luck, Kanto Pokemon League.”

Lance grinned as Ash’s head snapped up to look at him, his mouth moving but no words coming out. “Don’t look so surprised, every League winner gets the chance to challenge the Elite Four. Though, I must admit that there is a reason I delivered the letter personally, besides wanting to meet you myself.” Ash, still reeling but focused on the champion, nodded his head for him to continue. “There is currently only an Elite Three, the person we were going to choose as the next member doesn’t feel his daughter is ready for the role of Gym Leader, and has requested to keep his spot until the day she is ready. We’re in the search for another member, we just haven’t found the right person yet, meaning you won’t battle four trainers and then myself, but rather three.”

Ash nodded in understanding, he was a bit bummed, he loved battling after all, but there was no use kicking up a fuss. “When-uh, When am I needed to be there?” He asked.

Lance hummed in thought. “Anytime between now and the start of the next Kanto Gym Challenge, though most people wait a month after receiving the invite before challenging.”

Ash nodded, and smiled brightly up at the older man. “Thank you for bringing this to me!” He stood up and gave Lance a sharp, determined grin. “You better train up too! We don’t plan on losing!”

“Emol Emol!” Emolga growled in agreement, cheeks sparking with enthusiasm.

Lance offered his own sharp toothed grin. “Love to hear it!”

“Lets go show mom Emolga!” Ash turned to his partner before they both fled the sitting room and ran into the kitchen.

Lance and Professor Oak burst out laughing at the quick attitude change, and Professor Oak leaned back, giving Lance a look. “You didn’t tell him what was really at stake with this challenge.” He said, tone a bit accusing.

Lance nodded. “No need to stress the kid out. Because if he wins this, that boy will be the youngest Elite Four Member to exist in any region.”

—--------

A month had passed since Ash received his invitation. The whole month since he received the invite, Ash and his team had been training rigorously. Brock, Misty, Professor Oak, and even his mother all helped with practice battles, and refining his team, he was even able to get Togetic to evolve into a Togekiss, yes he had to find a Shiny Stone but still. As the Month was rapping up, Ash set out on his way to Victory road. While Professor Oak offered to drive him, along with his mother, Misty, and Brock, Ash declined. He wanted the journey up to Victory Road to be a bonding experience, with only himself and his Pokemon. So, he left first, with plans of them meeting him up there.

And once he was verified with the guard and at the front desk, The real fight began.

---Lorelei—

Ash threw out his last Pokemon just as Lorelei did. Both Pokemon were uninjured, but they were the last Pokemon either trainer had for the match. The referee called for the match to start, and Ash wasted no time, though neither did Lorelei.

“Togekiss, Charm!”

“Confuse Ray Lapras!”

Togekiss chripped lovingly, pink hearts surrounding her, and causing Lapras to melt with affection, and lower her attack. However, Lapras still fired Confuse Ray, charging a purple beam from her mouth before firing it. Togekiss shook her head, trying to dispel the confusion. Lorelei used this opportunity to call out a Body Slam, and Lapras launched herself at the Fairy/Flying type. Ash narrowed his eyes at the situation, and called for a quick Aura Sphere. Togekiss built up a blinding blue ball of energy, and launched it upwards, but as she couldn’t control it, it fell back down hitting her, but also pushing her out of the way of Lapras’ Body Slam. Ash grinned, as the blast also shook Togekiss from her confusion. Lorelei ordered a quick Ice Beam, and Lapras stretched her long neck around to fire the blue beam, but Ash was on top of it, calling for a speedy Safeguard, that repelled the attack, and casted Togekiss in brilliant green force field. Ash then called for another Aurasphere, and Lorelei called for Hydro Pump, keeping the sphere away, just as Ash planned, as the next second Togekiss slammed into Lapras with a Sky Attack, her body shipping around with blinding white energy that sent Lapras sliding against the floor, before passing out.

“Alright!” Ash cheered loudly, and Togekiss followed. The red headed Ice Specialist sighed sadly and kindly returned her Pokemon, smiling as she watched the trainer greet Togekiss with open arms as she dipped down to snuggle up to him.

---Bruno—

Bruno was Ash’s next opponent. Ash had to quickly heal his Pokemon up, but before the battle they were all raring to go. Compared to Lorelei’s cool, calm behavior, Bruno was a tough, no nonsense type that was just as ready to battle as Ash was.

“Machamp, go!”

“I choose you, Gliscor!”

Both Pokemon took the field, with Gliscor teetering uneasily on his tail as he waited for the match to start. As soon as the referee called for the match to star, Bruno pounced, ordering Machamp to use a powerful Brick Break to start off. Ash responded in kind, calling for Gliscor’s strongest Steel Wing. The two moves collided with a clash, and called for a speedy Bulk Up. Ash used the split second of still to call for Fire Fang, and Gliscor’s mouth erupted in flames. He dove towards the fighting type, wrapping around him and biting down, causing Machamp to cry out in pain as he took some burn damage. But Bruno wasn’t going to give up just yet, and ordered a Karate Chop. Gliscor was too close to move, and was thrown across the field due to the close attack. Gliscor tried to get up, but Karate Chop had a boost from the previous Bulk Up, resulting in a powerful hit, that was followed by another powerful Brick Break that Machamp was able to get in since Gliscor was grounded.

Ash recalled Gliscor as soon as the referee called Gliscor unable to battle. He thanked the sand scorpion, and pulled out his next Pokemon, because there was no way the battle was over.

Bruno bit back a smirk, the boy had guts, and Bruno loved people with gut and back bone to support them.

---Agatha—

Ash frowned as he walked onto the field to get Emolga. With Emolga down, Ash was down to his last Pokemon, but so was Agatha. She was a snarky, tough old girl that Ash honestly admired. She ended Emolga before Ash could even call out a move, having used Nigh Shade followed by Dream Eater to end the match quickly. But, Ash had his own tricks up his sleeve.

“Pidgeot, I choose you!” Pidgeot took the field in front of Agatha’s Gangar, flapping her magnificent wings. Just like before, Agatha called for Gangar to use Night Shade, but Pidgeot didn’t so much as flinch, causing Ash to grin at the older woman’s surprise. “Did you forget? Pidgeot is also part Normal Type, Ghost Type Moves have no effect on her!” Ash grinned cheekily.

Agatha smirked, mildly impressed the boy pulled one over on her. “Don’t get so cocky now. Gangar, use Toxic.”

“Blow it away with Hurricane!”

Just as Gangar sent forth a toxic cloud, Pidgeot flapped her wings, sending a powerful gust of wind to rip apart Toxic, dispersing, and diluting it to where it did little to nothing. Ash then called for Aerial Ace, and Pidegot took off, white streaks surrounding her body as she slammed into Gangar. Agatha wasn’t going to take that sitting down however, and called for Confuse Ray. What she didn’t count on was Ash calling for Quick Attack, and Pideot being able to outspeed the ball of energy, leading it right back to Gangar, who took it without being confused. Ash then called for Wing Attack, but Agatha put an end to that with a speedy Substitute. Ash wasn't done though, and after one Wing Attack Pidgeot swiftly turned and hit Gangar with another Aerial Ace, putting an end to the match.

Agatha smirked silently as she returned Gangar, making eye contact with Oake before turning her head back to the boy as he climbed onto Pidgeot’s back to give her a hug.

---Lance—

Ash was panting as he stared at Lance across the field. Ash was down to one Pokemon, while Lance still had three. Ash knew he wasn’t going to win this, but he was okay with that, and he, nor his Pokemon were going to roll over and give Lance an easy win. Ash turned his cap around to give himself a better view, and rounded up his arm.

“Charizard, I choose you!” Charizard took the field with a mighty roar, his tail flame burning brighter than ever before.

Lance stared in awe of the magnificent Flying Type, before calling out the first move of the match. “Thunder Dragonite.” Charizard didn’t move, not even when Thunder struck him. Instead, he easily shook the sparks away, roaring as the attack seemingly did nothing. Lance frowned. “How the…?”

Ash gave him a small grin. “That Thunder was nothing compared to Emolga’s Discharge!” Charizard growled in agreement, and spread his leathery wings. “Flamethrower!”

Charizard took to the sky, and breathed a heavy Flamethrower down onto Dragonite. Dragonite dodged by taking off into the sky, and released a strong Hyper Beam. Charizard flipped and fired another Flamethrower that collided with Hyper Beam, keeping Dragonite at bay while Charizard slowly inched closer. When both attacks tapered off, Ash called for Steel Wing, and Lance urged a Fire Blast. Being a fire type, however, Charizard easily sped through the flame, even sucking up some of its energy with his tail flame before colliding with Dragonite, catching him on his wing. Dragonite growled, and fired off another Thunder, that did enough damage, due to close quarters, to make Charizard break away from him. Lance called for Agility, raising Dragonite’s speed enough that he was able to get away and send a strong Blizzard to the back of Charizard. The frigid blizzard tried to cling to Charizard’s scales, but he was still hot to the touch from Dragonite’s Fire Blast, and melted the clinging snow right off. Lance bit back a curse as Ash ordered a Wing Attack, once again catching Dragonite in his claws, but then Wing Attack turned into Dragon Tail, as Charizard held Dragonite in place, his tail glowing a bright green before he punted Dragonite right out of the sky. Dragonite hit the ground with a crash, and the referee called for the match to end.

Lance hummed as he called his Pokemon back, knowing he made the right choice as he readied to end the entire battle with his Aerodactyl.

—------

Ash sighed as he waited for his Pokemon to come back with Nurse Joy. As he expected, Ash lost to Lance, the Champion having finished Charizard off with a last minute Take Down. Still, Ash felt proud of how far they came. He was proud that they won the Indigo League, and he was proud at how well they did against the Elite Three(temporarily), and Champion Lance. It was a bit overwhelming, but overall, he was happy.

Ash was shaken from his thoughts by strong arms wrapping around his stomach and being hoisted up. Ash squawked and struggled until he realized it was Brock. Brock shot him a proud grin, tears in his eyes as he held him up like a trophy. Ash burst out laughing. “It’s not funny! I’m so proud of you!” He insisted with a proud smile that made Ash want to cry too.

“You guys are such cry babies.” Misty sighed as she walked up as well, only to squawk when Brock pulled her in too. “Alright fine,” Misty whined. “I’m proud of you too.” She huffed, causing both boys to laugh.

Delia and Professor Oak could only watch on, their own proud tears in her eyes. Rather Delia was crying because her son got so far, or because her son had two friends he was closer to siblings with, was anyone’s guess. Professor Oak was so proud the boy he saw as a second Grandson made it so far, so soon. He would admit that he had some doubts about the boy, especially about giving him Emolga, but now, he was so happy he did.

“Oops, I think we’re interrupting.” Lorelei’s voice chimed, pulling everyone’s attention to the Elite trainers that had stumbled upon.

Bruno grunted and rolled his eyes. “You shouldn't have said anything and let them have their moment.” Like the mature adult she was, Lorelei responded by sticking her tongue out at him.

Agatha sighed tiredly. “I’m getting too old to deal with you two.”

Lance chuckled warmly at them and stepped in front of Ash. Brock had since set Ash and Misty down, and both traveling companions were standing behind him. With a sure smile, Lance held out his hand, which Ash accepted with a smile of his own. “Ash, I lied to you when I said I brought you the letter because I needed to explain the lack of a fourth Elite Four member. I really brought it to you because I wanted to see if you were really how others depicted you, and I’m happy to say you are. After much discussion with my other Elite Four members, your mother, and Professor Oak here, myself and Pokemon League have something very important to ask you.”

Ash gulped as he stared up at Lance.

“Ash Ketchum, how would you like to be the newest Elite Four Member?”

Chapter Text

Ash wouldn’t understand until he was much older why he and his mother had to leave Pallet Town when he was four years old. Truthfully, he just remembered coming home from Kindergarten with a note from his teacher about a dina test, whatever that was, followed by Gary’s family coming over. Gary and Ash had been swept into one room to play while their parents talked and yelled for a long time, and then Gary’s mom came into the room, crying heavily, and took Gary’s hand, and left. The next morning Ash didn’t go to Kindergarten, his mama started packing up the house with Mimey, and by the end of the week they were all they way in the Johto Region, in a new town called New Bark Town.

New Bark Town was just as small as Pallet Town, with the biggest difference being that his mother had to restart her garden, and had to take up two new jobs, one as a research assistant with Professor Elm, the other as a waitress in a nearby diner, to make them some money while they waited for the produce to grow. For the first few weeks in the new town, after everything was unpacked in their new home on the outskirts of the town, Ash spent most of his time with Mimey as his babysitter while Ash waited to get accepted into his new Kindergarten.

Things didn’t get much better after he started Kindergarten though. His classmates had grown up with each other, and knew each other well, having been in their own little groups since the days they were born, while Ash was an unknown. Ash was new, and children weren’t known for adjusting to new things very well.

On top of being new, Ash was ‘odd’, he was hyperactive and attentive to Pokemon. Not to say the other kids weren’t, but while the other kids had something else they liked, all Ash wanted to talk about was Pokemon. It didn’t help that Pokemon seemed to love Ash just as much as he loved them, and tended to favor Ash when a volunteer brought a Pokemon in for the class to meet. Be it someones Hoothoot or Gyarados, Pokemon just seemed to favor Ash, which led to a lot of jealousy.

Ash’s oddities on top of being new, different, and jealousy, made making friends impossible, and for the most part Ash was left alone, or in the worst case bullied. Ash found he couldn’t even bring it up to any adults either, as the Teachers had known most of the students since they were babies, it was hard for them to see the others as doing anything as horrible as bullying, and they simply told him that the other kids were still adjusting, and his mother was so busy, working two jobs on top of keeping house and making them food that Ash just simply didn’t want to bother her.

Things eventually settled down when Ash was 8. In four years Ash had adjusted to the change in scenery and his classmates learned to deal with him. Oh they didn’t like him, he was still odd, and they were still jealous, but all they really did was call him names and occasionally trip him in the halls or outside. Delia still had to work two jobs, as her work load left her little time to start her garden back up, even when Ash took up cooking for them and Mimey handled most of the house work, she was too tired by the end of the day to do much more than watch television and share conversation with Ash before it was time for bed. Ash had even been able to pick up a hobby in the form of photography, a skill he had originally fell in love with due to a photography assignment he had to do for class. Delia had fished out her old polaroid camera from her time as a field scientist back in Kanto and gave him the camera and film for the project.

Ash had a lot of fun, scoping out the forest near his home, searching for Pokemon to capture on film. He got quite a few good shots, a Beedrill tending to its Kakuna, a pair of Murkrow playing air tag, a Marill floating lazily down the stream, all three Johto Starters playing tag outside Professor Elm’s lab, he even got a picture of an Eevee evolving into an Jolteon at the Pokemon center! It was probably the first time he had ever gotten a perfect score on a project, and the teacher had called him a natural behind a camera lens! But nothing compared to the friends he acquired during the making of said project.

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

Ash eyed the sky above, watching the sky as it darkened with the sun set. He didn’t want to stay out too long, but he wanted some night time shots for his project. Dinner was already made back home, with a note to his mother explaining he went out to work on his project, so he had no reason to run back.

The eight year old boy pulled his coat closer, and ventured further into the forest near his house, camera up and ready to snap any photos of any interesting Pokemon he saw. At one point, he snapped a photo of a young Stantler playing with its parents, followed soon after by a Hoothoot taking flight for its nightly hunt, but after that there wasn’t much else. Disappointed, Ash sat down on some stones and pulled out his near empty water bottle, taking a large gulp to finish it off.

“Guess I should go home now.” He pouted to himself, looking at the sky which had since darkened completely. Just as he pulled himself up, a loud howl echoed through the air, causing him to jump, and slip off the rock. Wincing, Ash looked up, coming face to face with a snarling black and brown dog pokemon with a skull like pattern on its face, this particular one had a noticeable scar that sat over the Pokemon’s right eye. “Houndour!” Ash gasped in awe, remembering Professor Elm telling him about the small pack that lived in the forest. Sure enough, another five Houndour stalked out of the bushes, growling and snarling at him in warning as they surrounded him.

Ash held his hands up insubmission, keeping them where the pack could see them. The Houndour with the scar, most likely the leader due to its bigger size, started sniffing him, as if searching for something, most likely food, but as Ash hadn’t brought anything other than a water bottle, coat, a few potions, and camera, the Houndour found nothing.

“Sorry I don’t have any food for your buddy.” Ash offered sadly, truly mournful that he had nothing to offer them. The Houndour ignored him however, continuing to search him until he stuffed his nose onto the boy’s hoodie pocket, where Ash had shoved the few health potions he brought with him.

“Dour!” Houndour pulled his nose from the pocket and barked at it until Ash pulled it out.

“This is what you want?” The dog like Pokemon barked expectantly, voice rough and demanding as it turned around, and started walking off.

When Ash hesitated to follow, Houndour growled, and one of the other Houndour bit into Ash’s coat sleeve, pulling on it expectantly. Slightly frazzled, Ash did as was instructed, and pulled himself up to follow after them. The Houndour surrounded him on all sides, as if fearful that he would run off, which admittedly, he probably should have done, but he couldn’t. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that something was wrong, wild Pokemon, especially pack Pokemon, didn’t just walk up to humans unless they were in need of help, and Ash brough the potions specifically in case a Pokemon needed help, and he couldn’t leave an injured Pokemon if he wanted to, it just wasn’t in nature.

The Houndour lead him to a large cave, hidden behind the forest trees, and most likely their den. Sure enough, at the back of the den sat another Houndour, and three much smaller Houndour, most likely newly hatched. While two of the Houndour pups sprung towards the incoming pack, tails wagging and tongues lolling out of their mouths, the other laid still, ears folded and breaths coming out in heavy, gasping wheezes. The, presumed, mother narrowed her eyes at him as he approached, growling lowly until the leader Houndour, which Ash decided to nickname Scar for the sake of simplicity, barked at her. She didn’t look all too happy, but let Ash approach, pulling her other two puppies closer to her.

Ash crouched next to the clearly ill puppy, and reached out. The puppy’s head was hot, hotter than what was good for even a dual Fire type. Hissing, Ash ran his hand down the puppy’s side until he reached it’s hind leg, where it whimpered painfully. Looking closer, and squinting his eyes in the dark, Ash could make out what looked like a bite. If Ash knew his Pokemon, and he did, he would guess that it was Spinarak bite, painful and dangerous for Pokemon so young, and if the color was to mean anything, probably infected.

Pulling out the Potion, Ash sprayed the puppy’s leg, causing him to gently hush the poor Pokemon as it whimpered in pain. Ash then stood, and walked over to a small water pool, ripped off a piece of his shirt, and dipped the cloth into the water. Returning to the Houndour’s side, Ash set the wet cloth onto it’s forehead, hoping to bring it’s temperature down.

Ash glanced at Scar worriedly. “We need to take this little guy to Nurse Joy.” Scar bared his teeth in protest, but Ash met his eye, unflinching as he talked to the pack leader. “The Potion will help a little bit, but it won’t get rid of the infection.” Ash growled back. “If its not seen by Nurse Joy I…” Ash heaved a mournful sigh, and turned back to the suffering puppy, carefully scratching behind its ear, earning the weakest little tail wag. “I don’t think it will make it.” Scar stopped growling, and stared at the puppy with calculating eyes. Grumbling, he nodded.

Ash smiled at the leader, reaching out to pat his head. “I’ll bring it back as soon as I can.” He promised, and carefully hoisted the injured up onto his back. Even if it were the smallest Houndour Ash had ever seen, it was still a Houndour and was a considerable size compared to the eight year old boy(for context: the average Houndour are 2ft tall, that's the size of a Giant Schnauzer). Nodding to the worried pack, Ash took off out of the cave, only just noticing one of the other Houndour following after him when it went ahead of him, helping lead him out of the forest, which had grown dark, much too dark to navigate.

When they reached town Ash headed straight to the Pokemon center, panting heavily, and legs and arms aching. Nurse Joy didn’t so much as ask a question when he stumbled through the door, she simply called for Chansy and carefully took the injured Houndour with a worried frown on her face.

With the pup safely with Nurse Joy, Ash let himself crash onto the ground, and fell against the Houndour that had accompanied him. The Houndour panted at him, russet jaws falling open, pink tongue lolling out before swiping gratefully against his cheek. Smiling warily at the Pokemon, Ash reached out to pet them, scratching their skull carefully.

After about two hours, Nurse Joy called him back. “Ash, the Houndour you brought in is healing right up!” She gushed, pulling a relieved sigh and joyful bark from Ash and the Houndour respectfully. “Luckily you got him here fast enough, the bite wasn’t too deep, and the infection was easy to clean up. He still has a bit of a fever, but a good long rest and a good few meals and he’ll be back to a rambunctious puppy in no time!”

“Thank you nurse joy.” Ash said joyfully. “Can we go see him?”

“Of course, you can take him back home even, I’m sure your mother, and his, is worried sick.” She said kindly, before leading them back behind the counter.

As soon as Ash entered the room he was met with a lap full of puppy, the Dark type having leapt at him and causing him to fall to the ground. The Houndour puppy yapped happily, still limping just a bit, and roughly licking his face, large paws holding him down so all Ash could do was laugh loudly and he shook his head back and forth, trying to dodging the slobbery kisses. Finally, the puppy settled down, and laid fully down in his chest, wanting him with wide black eyes as if he was the greatest thing in the world. With a hearty, joyful sigh, Ash pulled himself up into a sitting position, scratching the puppy’s sides as he regained his bearings.

“Looks like you are feeling better.” Ash grinned at him, getting another lick, from both Houndour, across the face that had him sputtering. “Ready to head back home? Your pack was pretty worried.”

“Dour Dour!” They barked, their nubby tails wagging expectantly.

Gently moving the puppy off of him, Ash stood up, almost tripping over himself before straightening back out and standing fully. A yawn pulled itself from his mouth, and the boy shook his head to dispel the sleepiness. “Alright, lets get you home then. Thank you for everything Nurse Joy!”

The nurse, who had been watching the entire encounter with kind eyes, smiled down at him. “Of course Ash, it’s my job after all! Now you guys get home safely, alright?”

“We will, thank you again!” Waving, Ash followed the older Houndour out of the Pokemon center, and towards the forest.

Due to the puppy’s slight limp, and the lack of urgency, they were able to walk back to the Pack’s den, the older Houndour in the lead while the puppy stuck close to Ash’s side, big black eyes staring up at him occasionally and being met with gentle head scratches. Before long, they were back at the den, and the puppy broke off to run towards his mother, barking wildly as he was met with his siblings and his mother’s joyful whimpers. The entire pack surrounded him, sniffing and barking happily at their healed pack member. With sparkling brown eyes, Ash pulled out his camera, lifted it, and snapped a photo of the reunion.

When the camera was down, he was met with ten pairs of eyes on him, each Houndour wagging happily at him before they all pounced, taking him down and showering him with kisses that made him laugh as he assured them he was happy to help.

Eventually, he was able to pull himself away from the dog pile, yawning loudly into his hand. “I really need to get home, my mom will be worried if I’m not there in the morning.” The mother Houndour, as if understanding what he met, shoved her nose gently against his hand, as if assuring him. “I hope I can come see you all again.” Ash murmured, before waving goodbye and heading out of the den.

Scar followed after him, brushing against his side to alert him, before barking lowly and using his nose to point before leading Ash back through the forest. Ash followed after him, and before long, they were back at his house. Gleefully, he scratched the Houndour leader on the head. “Thanks for leading me back!” He grinned. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

Scar barked in agreement, brushing against his hand once more before vanishing back into the forest. Smiling after the Pack Leader, Ash turned around and quietly entered the house. Mimey, who was sleeping on the pull out couch, peered an eye open to see who had entered, but simply smiled at him when he realized who it was. Ash bowed his head in apology and went on to his room. He set the camera on his desk and collapsed on his Snorlax bean bag chair, almost instantly passing out.

When Ash woke up, it was noon and he was tucked into his bed, with his coat removed. Blinking blearily, he pulled himself from best, wincing as the cold hard wood touched his feet, and wandered from his room.

“Mime Mime!” Mimey greeted.

“G’morning Mimey.” Ash murmured sleepily before walking into the kitchen.

Sitting on the table was a wrapped plate of food, and a note. Sitting in his usual seat, Ash pulled the food and note closer. ’Nurse Joy told me how you took an injured Houndour to the center last night, I don’t mind you staying out late to do your homework, but please be careful honey. You’re my whole world. I called the school and told them you wouldn’t be in, so try to rest. I have tomorrow and Sunday off, and we can talk about how school and your project is coming. Love you and see you when I get home honey!’ Smiling at his mother’s note, he pulled the food closer and started eating.

When he finished eating, Ash washed his dishes, staring out the kitchen window to see four Pidgey flying. Just as he was about to put the plate in the drying rack, a bark caught his attention. Ash stilled before getting back to cleaning, thinking he had imagined the bark, but it sounded again. Pushing up on his tiptoes, Ash peered through the window and looked down. Sitting in his backyard, like he was meant to be there, was a very familiar Houndour puppy, tail wagging and rusty muzzle open wide in a doggy grin. Upon seeing that Ash had noticed him, the puppy stood up, nubby little tail wagging like crazy and he barked again.

Haphazardly, Ash dried his hands on his shirt and ran to the back door. As soon as he opened the back door Houndour clambered up to him, jumping on his hind legs to greet Ash, and making the boy gasp with an ‘oof’ as air was pushed out of his lungs. “What are you doing here, Houndour?” Ash asked wide eyed, though he pet the dog Pokemon regardless.

“Dour!” Houndour yapped, licking at his chin joyfully before falling back onto all four and pushing his way into the house.

Ash watched slack jawed as Houndour sniffed around the house curiously, jumping onto the couch to check out the cushions and somehow finding an old Pokeball colored baseball that Ash had sworn he lost outside, but that Houndour found under the couch. With the ball in his muzzle, Houndour made himself at home, plopping down on the living room carpet and rolling onto his back, like he had lived there for years.

Mimey, for his part, didn’t even glance towards the intruder, continuing to sweep with his usual smile that was, perhaps, a bit wider.

However, Houndour seemed to be bored just laying there, and eventually rolled back over, bringing the ball over to Ash, where he sat it down at his feet expectantly. Watching the puppy, Ash picked the ball up, and rolled it across the floor, giggling when the puppy stumbled after it on clumsy puppy paws. Eventually, he grabbed it, and brought it back.

“I really shouldn’t throw a ball in the house,” Ash advised it, wincing as he thought about how much a broken window must cost to fix. “Let me go get dressed and we can play outside!” Excitedly, and much like a puppy himself, Ash ran towards his room, hurriedly pulling on some shorts and an old Pokemon League shirt, followed by his shoes. Before he left, he grabbed his camera, and ran out the back door with Houndour following behind him.

Ash and Houndour played nearly all day, playing fetch in the back yard until Mimey pulled them inside for drinks. When they got too tired to play anymore, Ash snapped some pictures of the sleepy Pokemon, before inevitably falling asleep beside him in the grass outside. Around dinner time, they went in and Ash started preparing dinner for him and his mother, while pulling out some Pokemon food for Mimey and Houndour. Seeing as Mimey was the only Pokemon they had, they only really had Psychic Pokemon food, which would not sit well in a Dark type Pokemon’s tummy, so while the rice was cooking, Ash ran to the store with his allowance and bought a small bag of Dark type Pokemon food, Houndour of course trailing behind him. The Pokemon ate while Ash cooked, and his mother arrived soon after the last of the meat had finished cooking.

Delia bustled into the house, and set her work things on the couch. To her credit, she only spared the Houndour that slept next to his empty food bowl a single glance before continuing into the kitchen, where she greeted Ash with a kiss on the forehead before pulling down cups to serve the drinks.

“How was work, mom?” Ash asked, setting the food on the table with cutlery.

Delia set the cups down beside each plate and filled them each up with juice before joining him at the table. “It was very quiet today, probably because everyone is preparing for the newest batch of 10 year olds to start the journey soon. How was your day?”

Ash beamed at her, taking a bite of his food. “I mostly played with Houndour today! I even got some awesome shots of him sleeping and playing!”

Delia smiled wistfully at her son as she watched him fawn happily over his day. She was ashamed to say it had been a while since she had seen such enthusiasm from her son. “Will Houndour be staying?” She asked.

Ash’s smile dimmed a bit and he shook his head. “I’ll take him back to his pack after dinner. I’m pretty sure he just came to play.”

Judging by how Houndour was pressed against her son’s leg, Delia highly doubted that, but didn’t say anything about it. “Well, if he decides to stay I don’t mind. Mimey is great,” she smiled at her beloved mime Pokemon. “But he doesn't exactly have the energy to play with energetic eight year olds. Besides, I think Houndour would make a lovely partner when you become a Pokemon trainer.”

Ash put his fork down in thought. ’A Pokemon trainer. He thought numbly. ’When was the last time I thought about becoming a Pokemon Master? Or a Pokemon trainer of any kind?’ The idea of him not thinking of that option should have scared him, but it didn’t. Ash knew, logically, that he would always become a Pokemon trainer, he loved Pokemon too much not to become one, but when he thought about Pokemon Battles in that moment, he didn’t feel the same rush, or desire he had felt once upon a time. ’What do I want to do?’

Like Ash had said, he walked Houndour back to his pack after dinner, the puppy following after him happily. When they reached the cave they were met warmly by the pack, who happily sniffed and rubbed against them in greeting. “Thanks for playing with me today, Houndour.” Ash grinned down at the youngest Pack member, his chest a heavy. A bit sadly, Ash petted the pup’s head a final time before turning away to walk back home.

The puppy stared after the retreating boy sadly, ears dipping as he watched him walk away. Scar walked up behind him, looking between his youngest pack member and the human boy who had helped them the night before. Huffing, the bigger male nudged the puppy forward, startling him. The pup tilted his head in confusion and Scar grumbled in return, jutting his head towards the human boy. The puppy perked up, and turned towards his mother, who stepped forward and nuzzled her cheek against his. Yapping thankfully, the puppy turned after Ash and took off running after him, the joyful howls of his pack following after him.

Hearing running paw steps behind him, Ash turned, just in time to be tackled by Houndour, who again started licking his face in greeting. Gently pushing the puppy off him, Ash sat up. “Houndour?”

“Dour! Dour!” Houndour barked happily, nuzzling into Ash’s arms and wagging up at him, his big black eyes near begging.

Understanding and warmth flooded through Ash’s veins as he stared down at the little Dark Type. “You want to stay with me?” He asked almost hopefully, getting another slobbery kiss in agreement. Joyfully, Ash wrapped his arms around the pup, hugging his close and he laughed.

=====

From that Ash and Houndour were near inseparable. The only time the black and russet hellhound wasn’t at his side was when Ash was in school, and even then Houndour was always waiting by the school gates when School finished up. When they could, they ventured into the forest to run around with the rest of the Pack, Ash even helped Scar evolve into a Houndoom when another Houndoom tried to take it over.

The addition to the Pokemon also caused a slight shift within the way Ash was treated. He wasn’t bullied anymore, not a mean word was said to him, but nobody wanted to be his friend either. Ash didn’t mind too much, it just meant people left him alone, but he was never really sure why they had one day decided to leave him alone.

He didn’t know that the presence of a dark type, and the unintentional outwardly appearance change was what had caused it. See, without really realizing it, Ash’s fashion world had tilted. While Ash was never one to care what he looked like, the idea that Houndour was usually with him made him unconsciously search for outfits that complimented the Pokemon. This resulted in dark, sometimes torn, jeans, dark tennis shoes or boots, and plain, or simple pattern shirts, usually with a dark jean or black leather vest to go with it. Ash’s hair, which was already pitch black, grew long enough to be put in a ponytail, mostly because his mom was so busy he didn’t want to bother her by asking for a haircut. This resulted in him looking like a punk, even if Ash was still the free spirited, and kind person he always had been, and made the other kids wary of him.

However, being treated that way simply because of the Type Pokemon he favored made Ash reevaluate the world. Dark Types were often looked down on for being ‘evil’ and ‘underhanded’, and the very idea of a Pokemon being evil made Ash laugh. It wasn’t the Pokemon type that was evil, it was their trainers who twisted the Pokemon and their abilities. Ash decided then and there that Dark Type would be his type and if people didn’t like it, then he could care less. Houndour just wagged with a dopey little pant as he laid on Ash’s lap.

So, Ash’s life eventually simmered down, not really changing until he was 10, and was therefore allowed to start his journey. Between ages 8 to 10, Ash didn’t really think about what his journey would be about. With Houndour as his only friend, and an interest in Photography, his mind was mostly consumed by them. His Photography skills improved, and while Houndour, Mimey, and wild Pokemon were his main muses, word spread quickly in the small town, and sometimes people would ask him to Photograph weddings, birthdays, events, or take pictures of Pokemon for Professor Elm, earning Ash a nice sized nest egg before he even took off. With some of the earnings Ash even convinced his mother to quit one of her jobs and she finally had time to start her garden back up, which also supplied them with some income once they were ready for sale. Regardless, with all of that happening, Ash didn’t really plan his journey, and it wasn't until his mother and Professor Elm brought it up that he even remembered.

Professor Elm pulled some strings to make Houndour his first Pokemon, and after some discussion, Ash decided to take off. He didn’t have any plans to take on the Pokemon League, but he liked the idea of traveling around and taking pictures and meeting new people and Pokemon. He didn’t even stay just in Johto, Ash traveled everywhere, taking pictures of every new Pokemon he came across, sometimes even selling some of his pictures to excited trainers.

He did battle occasionally, Pokemon Trainers were persistent buggers, and honestly dealt with legendary Pokemon and saving the world more times than Ash was comfortable admitting. Houndour eventually evolved into Houndoom, and Ash even caught more Pokemon, including but not limited to; an exiled Sneasel(later evolved into a Weavile), a shy Larvitar that Ash hatched(later evolving into a Tyranitar), a very persistent Absol(who was so insistent because Ash was a walking disaster), a very unique Sandile with sunglasses(later evolving into a Krookodile), and a playful little Zorua(who hated her Pokeball).

Unova was really the only Region he attempted the Pokemon league, and that was more so because his Pokemon were bored. While he liked battling, he didn’t feel the same spark that Photography gave him. So, at age 14, after getting within the Top 8, Ash decided to venture to Sinnoh to try out Pokemon Contests.

Ash had been surprised about all the different kinds of challenges and contests people could participate in, Gym Challenges, Contests, Showcases, Battle Trials, Mazes, and a bunch of others, and Ash wanted to try them all! Showcases, he deceived, would likely be the hardest as they were seemingly female specific, but he decided to cross that bridge when he came to it. For the time being, Ash was going to tackle being a Coordinator.

=========

May looked at Jubilife City’s contest hall. When her Aunt Johanna asked her to accompany Dawn on her Journey, May had leapt at the chance. She hadn’t performed in Johto as well as she had hoped to, and a fresh start was just what she needed, she even had a new Pokemon to accompany her, a little Poochyena she had caught when she visited home right after she returned from Johto, and who also happened to be sitting in her arms.

“Where do we sign up at?” Dawn asked, buzzing with excitement, Piplup equally as excited on her shoulder.

May giggled, her cousin was so adorable! “We can sign up here at the contest hall or at the Pokemon Center.” The brunette pointed down the street where the Pokemon Center was.

Dawn looked between the line at the Contest Hall, and the Pokemon Center. “The Contest Hall is pretty packed, we should probably just sign up at Pokemon Center.”

“Good idea, we should probably get our Pokemon checked up while we’re at it.” May smiled down at Poochyena, who looked up at her, his underbite making it look like he was pouting. “Isn’t that right Poochyena?” Poochyena tilted his head in confusion. “Gah you are the cutest thing!”

“Piplup!” Piplup huffed in offense, he was the cutest thing, thank you very much!

Dawn giggled and pulled Piplup close to her chest. “Did you find a dress for the contest?” She asked her older cousin. Originally, Dawn was upset her mom made her cousin go with her like a babysitter, but the more time she spent with her cousin, and learning from her, the more Dawn was grateful she was traveling with someone who was so experienced. Yes, they were rivals, but they were also friends and having a rival already made Dawn all the more excited to compete against her. “Mom sent me the dress I forgot at home, she said Nurse Joy should have it!”

May nodded. “Yeah, I brought one with me from Hoenn!” She was excited, after all Hoenn, Kanto, and Johto didn’t dress up, so it would be a first for her. “I’ve never dressed up for a contest before!” She beamed as they stepped foot into the Pokemon Center.

“That's still so weird to me,” Dawn admitted, every contest she had ever seen the trainers were dressed up. Afterall, how can a Pokemon look good if the trainer is dressed in sweatpants and a baggy shirt?

May shrugged, she didn’t want to get into another debate about what region did Contests better, after all both girls were biased and it only led to tension. For now they decided to agree to disagree. Instead of responding, she looked around the Pokemon Center and led the way to the counter. “Woah!” May pulled Dawn to a stop beside her, and pointed to the guy standing at the left side of the counter. “He looks scary.”

Dawn followed May’s finger and gulped. He couldn’t be much older than May, and he was on the shorter side, but he wore ripped black jeans with a spiked belt, black boots, white shirt with a dark grey Houndour skull design on the front, and a messy dark jean vest. His hair was black, long, and pointing up in every which way, like he didn’t know what a hair brush was. Oddly enough, from his neck hung a fancy instant camera. The guy was talking with Nurse Joy as she nodded along, eventually handing him six Pokeballs. Both girls watched as he grabbed the first, and last Pokeballs, and tossed them up, letting out an adorable black fox Pokemon, and a lean black and tan dog Pokemon with curved horns.

“We should probably stay away from a guy like that.” Dawn decided, and May nodded.

“We kind of have to pass him to get to Nurse Joy though.” May Pointed out. “Just don’t make eye contact.”

Both girls started walking, looking everywhere but the guy as they walked forward. “Excuse me,” May cursed her rotten luck and carefully raised her head. Just as she feared, it was The Guy(™).

“Y-Y-Yes.” May stuttered, shakily raising her head to look at him.

“Is that a Poochyena?” May followed his gaze down to her Poochyena, who stared at the guy’s Houndoom in what could only be described as awe.

“Uh yeah. He’s my newest Pokemon.” May offered awkwardly.

The guy’s brown eyes instantly lit up and for some reason May was instantly reminded of an excitable Jolteon. “Can I get a Picture?” He asked hopefully, holding up the digital camera he fished out of his pocket.

Taken off guard, May nodded dumbly and set Poochyena on the nearest bench, watching as the guy leaned down to snap photos of him. The fox Pokemon on his shoulder eventually jumped down beside Poochyena, snickering before jumping up and coming back down as Poochyena. The real Poochyena barked happily and the two started playing. He wasn't phased though, and just took a few more pictures before standing up properly. Seeing as he was done, May picked Poochyena back up, getting a wet kiss to the cheek followed by a click sound. Looking back up, she saw the guy now had his instant camera. He pulled out the picture and handed it to her with a big grin.

“As thanks for letting me take a picture of him.” Nodding, May accepted the photo of her Poochyena and watched as he, followed by his two Pokemon, vanished out the door.

“He actually seemed pretty nice.” Dawn said after a moment, having been silently clinging to May for the entire interaction.

“I guess you really shouldn’t judge people by their appearance.” May agreed, shaking her head to clear it. She looked down at the photo and audibly gasped. The picture was the moment Poochyena licked her, her face was scrunched in surprise with a small smile while Poochyena’s bushy tail was high up in the air. It was an amazing picture, and it made May want to go hunt him down and apologize for the assumptions she and Dawn had made.

“Come on, lets go sign up!” Dawn tugged her cousin’s arm, pulling her towards the counter. May let herself be dragged along, pulling out her Ribbon Case to safely tuck the photo away.

‘I hope I get to see him again, he seemed kinda cool.’ May thought distantly, glancing towards the doors one final time.

====

“May! Look who’s going first!” May jolted as Dawn pulled her towards the monitors, where Coordinators could watch the other contestants. Looking up, May openly gaped.

“Friend of yours?” Zoey, another Coordinator that she and Dawn had met after a wardrobe malfunction, asked but May didn’t listen, instead staring at The Guy(™), who was now on the Performance stage with a Absol.

====

“Coming to us from Johto, we have Ash Ketchum!” Marian called out, hyping up the crowd as Ash ran out on stage with a bright grin. Ash didn’t dress much differently than he usually did, though he wore black leather pants, a pristine white shirt, and a seamless black jacket paired with stainless black combat boots.

“Absol, I choose you!” With a stormy cloud sticker on the ball capsule, Ash threw out Absol. The White furred quadruped took the stage, with black smoke rolling off her in dark waves.

“Sol.” She cooed, standing elegantly in front of her trainer, standing out beautifully against his black attire.

“Double Team.” Absol didn’t so much as blink before five duplicates appeared on stage, perfectly uniform. “Now, Perish Song.” A single Absol raised her head, and howled, the sound was oddly beautiful, though it sounded melancholy, like a song meant to send off those who had passed. Visual red sound waves fluctuated and ripped across the stage, tearing the clones made by Double Team apart, scattering white glittering afterimages everywhere. “Night Slash.”The second Absol lowered her head, the horn on the side of her glowed bright white. Absol took off running, smashing her horn into each sound wave, destroying them and absorbing the excess energy and making the horn glow a soft melancholy red. She destroyed every sound wave until all that was left was Absol standing in the middle of the field, her horn glowing and reflecting off of her miraculous white pelt.

With their performance done, Ash and Absol bowed, and excused themselves, Absol bounding up to Ash happily, and jumping on him while he greeted her with bright praise and soft pets.

====

May blinked away her awe as a new flair of competitive spirit took hold of her. May knew Contest Absol, she was rivals/friends with Drew after all, but she had never seen an Absol’s moves be used like Ash, apparently that was his name,had. It was beautiful, and oddly dark and compelling.

A wild grin pulled at her lips. She couldn’t wait to see him in the battle round!

Chapter Text

Ash’s first experience with Ghost Types was a very positive experience.

He’d been only seven at the time, and his mother had just left on an important, and somewhat dangerous, research assignment that would, no doubt, keep her away for at least a year. Since Ash had no other family, his father was MIA, and both grandparents on either side had passed away before Ash was even born, Professor Samule Oak, Kanto’s leading Professor and Delia’s boss, offered to house Ash until the project was over. Ash didn’t really have a problem with Professor Oak, he had watched him before and Ash had once been best friends with his grandson, Gary, but Ash was no doubt a bit upset with his mother’s absence and was finding it hard to adapt, even though she called him as much as she possibly could.

Ash liked living at the lab well enough, he loved helping the professor look after the Pokemon, mostly feeding and grooming the more docile Pokemon, and the professor was always happy to help Ash understand his homework better, but it wasn’t the same as having his mother around, and as a few weeks passed Ash slowly got a little more homesick. It was honestly heartbreaking seeing a boy that was usually so spirited so down in the dumps, and Professor Oak was finding it harder to think of things to distract the boy, so he came up with a little field trip to visit his old Rival and good friend, Agatha.

========

Ash clutched onto Professor Oak’s, ‘call me Sammy’, sleeve as he followed the older man up Victory Road, and into the Elite Four Building. The building was big, rectangular with a slanted roof and tall gold and brass pillars that marked the long staircase up to the actual building. The Entry room was warm, cozy, with deep red carpet and dark wood walls and flooring. There were a number of tables and couches set up, with a Nurse’s station to the left side and a small receptionist’s desk on the right.

As they entered the Receptionist, an older person with startling green hair and a Slowpoke standing at their side, looked up, and offered a kind smile. “Welcome Professor Oak! Agatha told me to expect you.” They greeted them warmly, motioning to another Staircase that led up to a set of big oak doors, another staircase, or an elevator.

“Harley, it’s good to see you! Thank you for the warm welcome!” Samuel halted next to the desk momentarily. “This is Ash, the boy that has been a huge help at the lab!”

Ash blushed slightly before puffing up with pride and looking at the receptionist, Harley. “Nice to meet you! I’m Ash Ketchum and I’m going to be a Pokemon Master!”

Harley chuckled, but not in a daunting way like they were making fun of him, but like they were refreshed by his antics. “Nice to meet you, I’m Harely, I run the reception area around here, with the help of Slowpoke of course.”

“Ssssloooowww.” Slowpoke yawned loud, and slow, making Ash burst out into giggles, and loosen up.

Harley gave the professor a smug grin. “Agatha already signed you two in, so you can head on up.”

“Thank you, come on Ash, there's someone else I want you to meet.” Samuel pointed up the stairs, encouraging Ash to follow him. With a cheerful wave goodbye, Ash followed after his temporary guardian. Samuel led him up the stairs and to the elevator, where he clicked on the third button up, purple with an odd yellow face.

When the elevator came to a halt, Ash exited it and looked around with hungry eyes. The room was actually decorated in dark colors, mostly violets and other shades of purple with the occasional gold or white accent color. There was some art up on the walls, of night skys and of an odd, spooky looking tower, as well as some Pokemon Ash had never seen before. In the center of the room was a sturdy table with a purple table cloth and four chairs. On the table was a tea set and a small tray of tea cakes. Despite the chill in the air, Ash found the room rather cozy.

As Ash looked around, he noticed the tea set on the table start to shake, and glow blue, like people and Pokemon often did. Ash watched with wide eyes as the tea set started floating around the room, sometimes coming close to hitting him or the professor, causing Samuel to yelp. Ash turned to check on the professor and came face to face with a large purple being with a sharp, wide smile and slanted red eyes.

“Bleh!” The Pokemon screeched, pulling a wild face. Ash jumped in startled surprise before breaking out in giggles. The Pokemon was deterred for only a moment, red eyes widening momentarily before he was spurred on by the peels of laughter. Rubbing his face, the Pokemon stretched his face out, pulling another odd face that made Ash laugh even harder.

At some point, alerted by the loud giggles, a short old woman walked into the room from a side room. She was short, with chin length blonde hair, and dressed in a modest purple and red dress. In her hand was a dark staff with a Pokeball making up the handle. Blue eyes widened momentarily upon seeing Gangaur, her most mischievous Pokemon, pulling faces for a young boy, who had eventually crumbled to the ground, holding his stomach as he laughed. It was a startling experience, seeing as most children, and many adults, were often put off by Gangaur and their harmless pranks. Even when Ghost Pokemon weren’t doing anything, people were often put off by their spooky habits, or appearances. Seeing a child break into peels of laughter at the antics of her beloved type made the old woman’s heart warm.

Despite Samuel trying to get her attention, Agatha walked towards the boy, coming to a stop beside Gangaur. Noticing his trainer, Gangaur hauntingly melted into her shadow, pulling the boy’s attention. He was breathing heavily, trying to get his breath back while watching the Pokemon vanish. “You, boy, what would your name be?”

“A-Ash Ket-Ketchum Ma’am!” Ash shakily raised from the floor and looked up at her.

Agatha hummed slowly. “You were laughing with Gangaur just now, don’t you think he’s scary? He’s a Ghost Pokemon after all?”

An endearing, confused look befell the young boy, his brows scrunching adorably. “He’s not scary, he’s cool! And funny!” Ash started hopping in excitement. “He made the cups float! That's so cool! And he went into your shadow!”

A small, amused smile curved at her lips. She could feel Gangaur’s chilled body heat up with embarrassment and pride from his spot inside her shadow. “That is a very interesting point of view, young man.” She eyed him with something akin to curiosity, mirth, and endearment. “Would you like to join me and Samuel for a cup of tea? I think you will be quite the interesting young lad.”

Ash’s face lit up a bit more. “Yes Please.”

Samuel helped Ash up into the seat, the seven year old was a bit small for his age, and took the seat next to him while Agatha sat across from him. The older man couldn’t help but metaphorically pat himself on the back. Ash had always been an odd child in the best of ways. Dark types didn’t discern the boy, and he found value in all Pokemon the same way Samule himself did, though the boy was a fair bit bolder and braver than Samule ever was, so the Professor wouldn’t say he was surprised the boy was elated by Agatha’s Ghost Types. What did surprise him, however, was Agatha herself.

Agatha wasn’t a rude woman by any means, at least not to children, but the woman was strict, and blunt. She didn’t coddle anyone, not even if they were injured. If the injury was your fault she would scold you and call you an idiot, if the injury wasn’t your fault, she’d tend to your injuries and then berate you over being more mindful of your surroundings. Even towards children Agatha was brutally honest, something Samuel himself had seen once when he had brought Gary over and the boy went off on a bit of a rude tangent, resulting in getting a 20 minute lecture from Agatha over his behavior. Needless to say, Gary hadn’t liked being scolded, he’d never been before after all, and he still refused to return with Samuel whenever he visited his old rival.

However, the way she treated Ash was, dare Samuel say, soft. She was still rather blunt with the boy, as was obvious when she lightly scolded him for almost spilling his tea cup, but there was almost a fond undertone. Samuel couldn’t be sure, but if he were to guess, he would say it was because of how Ash reacted to Gangar, with the same bubbling optimism Ash greeted newly hatched Meowth. It could also be, of course, that Ash’s temperament didn’t damper in the slightest, even when she scolded him or corrected him. Ash himself seemed rather taken with the older woman, rather that was because he missed his mother and was relishing in being in the presence of another mother figure, or simply because he picked up on her being a good person, Samuel hadn’t a clue. Somehow Ash had always been a good judge of character, and it definitely helped that he thought her Pokemon Partner was especially cool. Whatever the reason was for the two to get along, Samuel watched his oldest friend and the boy he saw as a second grandson with a fond expression.

========

Samuel wanted to be surprised that a few days after he and Ash returned to Pallet town Agatha just so happened to drop by for another visit, but he really wasn’t. It had been something of a battle to get Ash to leave the Elite Four’s Headquarters, and that wasn’t just Ash’s fault. Agatha had seen something in the boy, and she wasn’t privy to letting him vanish without her being able to watch his growth.

While she couldn’t just move to Pallet Town, Agatha became a staple in Ash’s life. She helped Ash with his studies, something he had a hard time focusing on, and even worked on his abysmal etiquette, something she knew Samuel was complete pants at given the older man’s own lack of etiquette and decorum. Samuel of course also helped Ash with his studies, but he focused more on Pokemon in general while Agatha focused more on academics.

Delia was more than grateful to the old woman. Ash had her as a mother, and Professor Oak as a surrogate Grandfather/male role model, but she had always been remorseful that Ash never had Grandmother to offer the kind of advice and comfort that only a Grandmother can offer. Delia herself had been very close to her Grandparents, and it broke her heart that Ash had no semblance of his own. Seeing her son’s face light up over the phone as he babbled to her what Agatha had taught him that week or the one before brought Delia the greatest sense of comfort, and when she could finally come home after 17 months of field research, she had happily welcomed the older woman into the family, and happily accepted any advice Agatha had for her.

The only thing Delia wasn’t ecstatic about was how much of a prankster Ash had turned into. Spending so much time with Ghost types, especially Agatha’s mischievous Gengar, had definitely affected him. He never pulled anything dangerous, Mew knows he’d be scolded by not only herself but Agatha as well, no all his pranks were humorful and harmless, like putting googly eyes on all the cereal boxes, and encasing everyone’s spare keys in jello so they had to eat them out. But while she wasn’t ecstatic about it, she conceded that they were harmless and if he did go over the line he was quick to apologize, she didn’t mind too much, and she had far more to be grateful than upset.

For example, Agatha had been the one to help Ash and his abilities. Ash had always been extremely attuned to the world around him, rather it be with Pokemon or people. He was remarkable at picking up on if someone had good intentions or not, or telling if someone or something was coming. He could find any Pokmeon no matter how invisible they made themselves be. Oddly enough, he had a hard time seeing the differences between people and Pokemon. He could look at someone and know they weren’t Pokemon, but when it came to other things it was like the lines blurred to him. He wouldn’t think twice about starting a fight with a Fighting Type, or blink twice before he grabbed a Meowth by their scruff with his own mouth, or mind when Pidgey and Pidgeotto would preen his head. It simply seemed that he was just as much Pokemon as he was Human at times, and while Delia wasn’t bothered, nor was Professor Oak, or Agatha, it was a big hurdle in Ash making friends his own age. Agatha had been the one to notice first, due to surrounding herself with supernatural Pokemon, she had her own inklings about things, to a far lesser extent than Ash, but still. Her Position also granted her resources that even Professor Oak wasn't privy to. So with her help they narrowed down what Ash’s abilities were, and what they came from. Her son was a rare case of a person having the ability to see Aura. While he was too young to train properly, he was only 9 at the time of the discovery and his ‘core’ was still growing and would continue to do so until he was at least 18, knowing what was happening meant they could help him overcome and understand it better, meaning he didn’t get as overwhelmed or think he was ‘wrong’, as he called it.

As he grew into a rambunctious, but mannered, 10 year old, Ash’s reverence for his ‘Granny Aggie’ only grew. He loved the old woman, happily babbling about her whenever he could, and it was obvious she loved him just as much. It came as a surprise to nobody when Ash’s talks of ‘Being a Pokemon Master’ somehow shifted to ‘Being a Ghost Pokemon Master’. Agatha of course swelled with pride, even if she didn’t want to admit it, and given Ash was her favorite Grandchild(besides Allister, but he was but he was only 2 years old and technically her great nephew) that was going to be joining her as a Ghost Specialist, it only made sense that she be the one to gift him his first Pokemon, something she indeed held over Samuel’s head for a number of years. And the perfect Pokemon for him she did find, not only his preferred type, but the particular Pokemon she would be giving him had originally been given to her to help it heal, and if anyone could heal a Pokemon the way that Pokemon needed healing, it was Ash.

========

Delia smiled fondly as Ash’s head flung up from his book to look at the door, a big smile spreading on his face. “She’s here!” He cheered, pushing himself away from the table. Delia didn’t doubt him for a second, as a few moments later a knock sounded at the door. Going back to chopping dinner, Delia giggled when she heard her son cheer “Granny Aggie!” Followed by a gentle ‘oof’.

“Honestly lad, I’m not as young as I used to be, you can’t hug me that tight.” Though her tone was scolding, Delia could hear the usual sliver of fondness that always decorated Agatha’s voice when it came to her son.

“Sorry! But I haven’t seen you in weeks! And I leave on my journey soon so I won’t see you for even longer!” Ash winced apologetically, no doubt taking her coat before leading her into the kitchen.

“I understand that, just be more mindful. Hello Delia.” Delia set a cup of tea before her and kissed her cheek in greeting.

“Hello Agatha, was the journey over okay?” The younger woman asked before grabbing plates of food for each person at the table.

“Somehow I’m still kicking.” Agatha said with a sense of mirth. “This looks delicious, Delia.”

“Thank you. Professor Oak, and Gary won’t be joining us, I'm afraid Gary needed stitches so he had to rush him to Viridian City.” Delia explained and took her seat, giving Ash a stern look when he looked like he was about to say something rude about the other boy. Seeing her look, Ash instead took a big bite of his dinner and wordlessly looked away.

Dinner was spent with the three happily chittering about the past few weeks, sharing updates and asking Ash about his plans once his journey started. After a good dinner, and equally delicious desert, the small family moved into the living room. Agatha took up a nice burgundy recliner that she usually sat in when she was in the Ketchum home, while Delia and Ash sat on the couch. Part way through a conversation about Ash’s final results at school Agatha finally pulled out a Pokeball and called for Ash’s attention.

“I’m sure you were expecting to get a Pokemon from Samuel, but seeing as your goal isn’t exactly the same as other trainers, I instead took the liberty to get you your first Pokemon.” Agatha explained in her usual blunt tone, smiling at the startled look that took up Ash’s face. Enlarging the shrunk Pokeball, Agatha held it out to the boy.

Glancing between the two women, Ash carefully took the ball. The ball wasn’t the usual Pokeball that Ash saw almost everyone use, instead of the tell-tale half red, half white, it was instead mostly black, with green circles on the top, bottom, back, sides, and front with an orange button and lining. Ash could vaguely recognise it as a Dusk ball from his classes with Grandad Sammy. Gulping, Ash pointed the Pokeball towards the coffee table, and gasped in awe as a black and purple cloud bubbled out of the ball, the energy forming a vaguely familiar Pokemon. It was a scraggly pale yellow with scribbled on orange cheeks and crudely drawn Pikachu face, but it’s aura didn’t pulse from the top, only the body. Sliding his eyes down, Ash noticed two tiny black eyes on where the ‘Pikachu’s’ belly would be.

“Hello!” Ash chirped, grinning down at the Pokemon, who looked surprised at the boy actually meeting his eye. Ash held his hand out for the Pokemon. “My name is Ash! You’re gonna be my new partner, if that's okay?”

The Pokemon crooned lowly before a black claw slipped out from under the costume and stretched out, resting in the boy’s hand before gripping it tightly. Ash simply smiled down at him, unbothered by the strong grip. The Pokemon seemed to relax and slowly shuffled onto his hand, watching Ash the whole way, before slowly making his way onto Ash’s shoulder.

“We’re going to be great friends, right?” Ash beamed.

“Mimi…kyu.” The Pokemon blinked before shyly nodding, brushing what looked like ‘Pikachu’s’ hip, but was actually his cheek, against Ash’s.

Agatha watched on, her aged eyes sparking with affection. “That Pokemon is called Mimikyu Ash, he's a Ghost and Fairy Type.”

“Mimikyu huh?” Ash grinned and gently pulled Mimikyu into his hands, holding him up on his palms so he could meet his eye. “Nice to meet you Mimikyu!”

“Kyu!” Mimikyu crooned again, a bit more assertive.

Agatha smiled at the duo, feeling secure in her decision, and the decision there after. “Ash, I have a small favor to ask of you.”

Brown eyes sparkled up at her as Ash turned to look at her. “Of course! What can I do?”

“I know your original plan was to go straight on the path to the Pokemon League, but if you could, would you please visit Lavender Town? The town is more abandoned than anything at this point, but I would like to know if any ghost type Pokemon linger there. I’d go myself, but I can’t move around like I used to, and with the season starting up again I don't have the time.”

Ash met her with his usual blinding smile. “Of course I’ll go there! I’ll send you a full report and everything! Just leave it to me and Mimikyu!”

========

Kanto wasn’t exactly known for it’s Ghost Type Pokemon, but that wasn’t to say Ash tackled the gyms with only Mimikyu. Granny Aggie didn’t have a full team of Ghosts afterall, and Morty, another Ghost Type Specialist he had met through Agatha, had only the Gangar line, so while Mimikyu was his go to in most senses, Ash also managed to catch a Zubat, and even a Butterfree. Through the beginning of his Journey he managed to make two friends, Misty, and Brock, who joined him. Misty managed to touch Ash’s nerves quite a lot, mostly because she tended to give his Pokemon, especially Mimikyu, and Butterfree, a wide berth, trying her best to keep away from them. Brock seemed fascinated by Mimikyu however, and as Brock caught himself a Zubat as well he’d been rather excited to compare his and Ash’s Zubat in terms of health, when they would evolve, and skills, Ash didn’t mind too much, as long as his Pokemon were okay with it.

Just as Ash had promised, he did visit Lavender Town, opting for going straight there rather than the Saffron City Gym. Misty and even Brock had kicked up a small fuss about the ‘spooky’ town, but Ash wasn’t bothered by it. He could see a heavy cloud of miasma, thanks to his ability to see aura, but most Ghost Pokmeon oozed miasma, it was their thing, so Ash didn’t think much of it as he took in the abandoned town, making notes in a notebook as he walked around.

========

As they walked through the ghost town, Misty and Brock huddling behind him while looking around skittishly, they came to a tower towards the back of the town. Closing his eyes, Ash felt the pulse of four Ghost Pokemon in the tower, and ventured in. Neither Misty nor Brock followed after him, and that was fine with Ash.

Mimikyu jumped off his shoulder to walk just ahead of him, leading him through the dark halls. The tower was dark, and dreary, with tapestry torn along the walls and windows shipped or shattered. As they walked up the stairs, a familiar violet face popped out, pulling a strange face that made Ash burst out into giggles. Ash didn’t notice Gengar's pleasantly surprised grin as he was suddenly hoisted up by a Haunter, and then dropped. Ash yelped, but giggled again when the warmth of Psychic wrapped around him and gently lowered him back down. He burst our laughing again when a small Gastly rushed forward, spinning around him before phasing through Ash’s hands when he tried to grab him. Ash shivered as the cold Pokemon flew through him, but that was soon followed by another laugh.

“Where's the fourth Pokemon?” Ash asked, still giggling a bit. Feeling a presence behind him, Ash turned and came face to face with a little floating purple sheet that stuck her tongue out at him. Ash doubled over with laughter, nearly falling back down the stairs if it weren’t for Mimikyu’s strong hold. Breathing deeply, and grinned at the startled Teru Teru Bozu Pokemon. “I know what you are! Ash beamed. “You’re a Shuppet! I’ve seen pictures from Granny Aggie! Wow!”

“Shuppet!” Shuppet chimed gleefully, floating over to nuzzle her cheek against his, much to Mimikyu’s ire.

“So this is where you guys live and play huh? Must be lonely.” Ash’s mood dampened a little bit as he scribbled the new information onto his notebook. He offered them a big smile as he looked up. “How about you all accompany us while we look around? Once I send this to Granny Aggie, I bet she can get a whole bunch of People to come visit!”

“Gengar!”

“~Gasstly~”

“Haunt Haunt Haunt Haunt!”

“Shup Shuppet!”

===

Ash and Mimikyu laughed and played with the four Ghost Types as they conducted their walk through, only stopping to take notes. When it was time to go, Ash promised to come visit them whenever her could. Shuppet handn’t exactly liked that however, as shown by her attacking Mimikyu with a Will-O-Wisp attack.

“Woah! Mimikyu dodge!” Mimikyu jumped easily to the side. “Whats wrong Shuppet?” Ash asked, confused as she didn’t seem angry, but sad, and maybe a bit hopeful. Shuppet ignored him however, launching a speedy Shadow Ball. Mimikyu dodged again. “If its a battle you want, than fine! Mimikyu use Mimic!” Mimikyu chirped before glowing a soft white, when the white vanished Mimikyu fired a Shadow Ball of his own. Shuppet slid out of the way and fired another Will-O-Whisp, which Mimikyu dispelled with a scratch attack before using Astonish making a horrifying face, startling Shuppet. With Shuppet startled, Ash called for the previously Mimicked Shadow ball, landing a hit and causing Shuppet to falter. “Go Pokeball!” Clutching an empty Dusk Ball, Ash threw it at Shuppet, watching as she vanished into the ball with a violet flash. The Pokeball shook a total of two times before falling still. “Alright! We caught Shuppet!” Ash cheered, scooping up the Pokeball.

“Mi Mimikyu!” Mimikyu hopped in place excitedly while the other three Ghost Types cheered as well.

========

Defeating Sabrina had been difficult, especially when she tried to turn everyone into Dolls. Ash really hadn’t liked the Aura signature that coated Sabrina’s doll, it had been odd, angry, yet sad, and made Ash’s skin crawl, which was unusual for him of all people. The battle had been hard, but somehow Ash and his Pokemon pulled through, not that Sabrina’s doll had been happy about it. If it hadn’t been for Haunter, having followed Ash, Mimikyu, and Shuppet, into the city, suddenly appearing and causing a ruckus that made Sabrina break out into real, pure laughter, disrupting whatever curse lingered in the doll, Ash wasn’t certain they would have gotten out of Saffron City alive, much less with the Marsh Badge, and with a new friend in Sabrina.

Later, Ash sent his notes to Agatha, informing her of the state of the town, and the Pokemon that lived there, as well as the news that he caught another Pokemon. While it was slow moving, Agatha talked Lance into funding renovations to the town, turning it into a tourist destinations and historical landmark, Sabrina herself had funded a a fair bit into the restoration, and Gengar and Gastly were more than happy to play small pranks on the tourists, drumming up business and superstition.

The rest of Ash’s journey was typical, well as typical a journey could be with Ash Ketchum, trouble magnet extraordinaire. Butterfree went off to start a family, it was heartbreaking, but Ash understood, and supported his buggy friend. Shuppet eventually evolved into Banette, and Zubat into Golbat, and eventually Crobat, he even caught an Arbok, Koffing/Weezing, and Venomoth to fill out his team. And while he did end up making it to the Pokemon League, but didn’t win, which had devastated the young man as he felt he had shamed his Grandmother for not advancing further than top 16. It had taken Agatha sitting him down over tea and scolding him for him to snap out of his slump.

Before Ash could be sent off to Johto, Agatha had another small task for him. A ghost Pokemon was said to be haunting a small research center in Galar. Ash happily took the task, and after some hijinks, illness, and bonding, Ash welcomed Gangar to his team, and just like Agatha’s Gengar, Ash’s was quite the mischievous troublemaker, which suited Ash just fine. While in Galar Ash even got to meet his adoptive little cousin Allister, the boy was only about 3 years old, but Ash adored the shy little boy.

Venomoth, Weezing, Crobat, and Arbok decided to stay in Kanto. Venomoth and Weezing had never really enjoyed battling in the same sense as Ash, Mimikyu, Banette, and Gengar did, so the two Poison Types stayed with Professor Oak, helping him with some research, meanwhile Crobat took a great liking to Ash’s mother, and could usually be found helping her and Mimey with whatever field work they had to do, so Ash gifted him to her. Finally, Arbok had already been pretty old when Ash caught her, and while she had many years of life left, it just wasn’t sensical to force her to compete, so she made a nest at Professor Oak’s lab, living a happy retirement where Ash could always come to visit her.

After Jhoto came Hoenn, and then Sinnoh, Unova, and finally Kalos is where Ash decided to end his journey. Through the years the 16 year old had amassed quite the number of Ghost Types, Misdreavus, Froslass, Dusklops, even a Spiritomb, to name a few. For the most part, after each journey, Ash let his Pokemon decide where they wanted to go. Most Ghost Type Pokemon were honestly rather docile and kind, so while they enjoyed the occasional battle, and they loved their time with Ash, few wanted to be battling constantly, so Ash let them stay at the Professor’s lab if that was what they preferred. He would still train and battle with them all when he was around, but he was more than happy to let them do as they pleased, which was something his Pokemon loved about him.

While many Pokemon decided to take it easy however, Ash did gather a good, close team of Pokemon that were always ready to battle. Along with Mimikyu, Banette, and Gengar, Ash also caught a shy Sableye in Unova, a cheerful Honedge/Aegislash in Kalos, and a shy but determined Phantump/Trevinant in Kalos(who also happened to be shiny).

Of course, returning from leagues wasn’t completely Ash’s fault, Agatha may have come to him with a bit of an idea once he returned from Kalos. And well, Ash had a hard time not seriously thinking through his grandmother’s ideas.

========

“Kanto is shutting down a couple of its gyms?” Ash stared wide eyed at his adoptive grandmother, his tea cup raised partly to his lips, where his hand had frozen at the news. Leagues did of course demote gyms or switch leaders, and even closed some gyms down, that wasn’t news to Ash, but never had he heard of a region shutting down more than one gym at a time.

Agatha sighed tiredly, for once looking her age. “I’m afraid it's true. A number of gyms have gotten complaints as of late, we all swept through the reports. Refusing challengers because of opposing opinions, putting multiple Pokemon in the Pokemon Center from going too far, freely giving away badges instead of simply asking challengers to comeback at a later date, turning away challengers because they’re busy with appearance upkeep, being secretly run by an evil organization, insulting challengers, children interfering when their sibling is about to lose, turning challengers into dolls if they lose.” She heaved another sigh. “The only reason we have just found out all of this now instead of when it was reported was because the person who runs, and goes through the complaint box on the website, and whose duty it was to inform us, was being paid by said evil team to delete, and ignore any and all complaints.”

“I’m sorry.” Ash bowed his head, he remembered vividly how he had to fight just to challenge Erika, and how rude Lieutenant Surge had been to him. He had sent in complaints to the website, but he supposed he should have told Agatha as well as filed a complaint.

“You followed the correct means of filing a complaint, and I don’t want another word about it young man.” Agatha scolded lightly before taking a bite of her tea cake.

“Yes Ganny Aggie.” Ash chuckled warmly. “Can I ask what gyms are being shut down? Or is that private information?”

Agatha gave him a mirthful smile. “All the gyms have been evaluated, so the complaints on the Pewter, Saffron, and Cerulean city Gyms have been put on hold, though those three Gyms are being watched very closely and are on probation. However, the Celadon, Viridian, and Vermillion City Gyms have been completely shut down. Due to economic reasons, the Viridian, and Celadon Gyms will likely be refurbished for a new Gym Leader, Lance suggested Bug Type, and Flying Type to take their places, but chances are Vermillion will be completely shut down. We of the Elite Four are in search of where to put a new Gym.”

Ash nodded in understanding. “Tell me if there is anything I can do to help.”

Agatha smirked and met his eye, making Ash realize she had been hoping he would say that. “Actually, there is something I would like to ask of you.”

“Kyu?” Mimikyu, who was carefully sat in Ash’s lap, tiled his ‘Pikachu’ head in question. Ash chuckled and reached down to scratch Mimikyu’s chin, getting a small purr of agreement.

“What is it this time?” He asked fondly. He never really minded doing favors for her, she had helped him a lot when he was younger and she never asked him to do anything impossible, or particularly hard.

Agatha’s face turned a bit more serious, and Ash straightened up. “I will be retiring as a member of the Elite Four sometime soon.” Ash felt the air in his lungs vanish, his brown eyes widening in shock. “Don’t look so shocked, I’m not the young woman I used to be. Battling, and my obligations are taking up more and more of my time, and with my old age I’m unable to recover properly.” Ash nodded in understanding, though the 16 year old still seemed lost, unable to properly wrap his head around it. Agatha’s lips twitched up into a small smile and she reached across the table to pat his calloused hands softly. “Don’t look so glum, It’s not as if I’m vanishing. Due to all my years working I have a nice retirement fund, if fact you’ll likely be able to see me more once I retire.”

Ash perked up at that a little bit, and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “It’s just hard to imagine you of all people sitting in a rocking chair crocheting doilies instead of putting over confident trainers in their place.”

Agatha chuckled warmly at that. “Now, onto my actual favor. You don’t have to agree, I am aware that this is one of the bigger favors and If you want to turn the idea down I won’t be upset or disappointed.” Ash nodded in understanding, urging her to continue. “With the loss of the Vermillion Gym, Lance asked what gyms we, as the Elite Four, suggested. I, of course, suggested Ghost Type Gym, set up in Lavender Town. Since we turned it into a tourist destination the town has been bustling, and I believe a Gym in the town will due it some good.”

Ash made a noise of agreement. As he promised, Ash visited Lavender Town at least twice a year, one after returning home, and once before he left on his next adventure. The town was still covered in miasma, but it didn’t feel as suffocating. Ghost Types happily roamed the streets, and not just Kanto Ghost Types but Ghost Types from all over the world popped up. Tourists were gleeful as they were spooked, and the town had a rather ‘Haunted House’ type feel. The old, crumbling Pokemon Tower had been refurbished into a memorial for Pokemon that had passed on, and was almost always full of trainers who were visiting their past partners.

“That's a good idea.” Ash mused. “There is a large hill that overlooks the town, a Gym could probably be built there so as not to disrupt the town during construction.”

Agatha hummed in agreement around a sip of tea. “Thats what I was thinking as well. When Lance asked who would be the Gym Leader, I of course suggested you.”

Ash choked, the tea cake he had been eating entering the wrong pipe due to his surprise. Taking a generous gulp of tea, Ash stared at Agatha in surprise. “Me?!”

“Of course.” Agatha didn’t even blink at the outburst. “You were runner up in both Unova and Kalos, not to mention all the awards for ‘Duty Served’ in different regions you’ve accumulated. I’ve even heard Giratina themself is quite fond of you.”

Ash blushed at the slight dig, his hand moving to brush against the mark that graced his shoulder, a mark given to him by Giratina the last time they had met. To anyone else it looked like a tattoo of the golden parts of Garitina’s head, but Aura users, those with supernatural abilities of their own, and those who specialized in Ghost Types could tell. The mark was oozing with Garitina’s miasma, marking Ash as a friend to the legendary protector of the Distortion World.

“But, am I ready to be a Gym Leader?” Ash asked a bit nervously.

“I think you are, as does Samuel. Lance himself agrees with me.” She smirked, not unlike her Gengar. “Don’t tell him I told you, but Lance is quite the fan.”

Pride swelled in his chest alongside flattery, the idea of the Champion of not one region, but two, was mystifying. “Really?” Mimikyu puffed with pride in Ash’s lap, he knew his trainer was the very best, like no one ever was and it was gratifying that people were finally taking notice.

“It would take a few months to build the Gym, so you will have time to get your affairs in order, and even take a little vacation.”

Ash fell silent as he thought it over. He’d never really thought about what he would do after his journey was over. He was still young and had planned on traveling for as long as it felt right, but what came after the journey? What really classified as a Ghost Pokemon master? “Kyu?” Mimikyu looked up at Ash, who smiled and scratched under his chin again, pulling another purr from the Pokemon. Ash gasped as he felt the Pokeballs on his belt pulse. Pulling the five shrunken Dusk Balls from his belt, he gave them a look, feeling his nerves settle as he gazed down at his Pokemon specific Aura, every ball steeping with affection and encouragement. Ash smiled and raised his head.

“I think I’ll take you up on the offer!” He agreed brightly before his grin slipped into something feral. “But you should warn Lance, once I’m ready, I’m coming for the Elite Four, and then I’ll take the Champion of Kanto title from him!”

Agatha gave her own rather feral smile. “That's the spirit I was hoping for!”

========

Ash was easily accepted as the new Gym Leader for Lavender Town. The Pokemon League had actually almost begged him to take the position before Ash could inform him he had already agreed(apparently Ash was hailed as a hero in quite a few Regions, so whatever Region got their hooks into him got bragging rights. It was a little weird, but apparently Ash taking the offer got Mr. Goodshow a nicely sized bonus that allowed him to get a well bred Ponyta for his daughter, so Ash wasn’t all that bothered by it. Just a bit weirded out.). However, as his Grandmother had said, construction on the gym would take a few months, not to mention the refurbishing of Viridian and Celadon and finding appropriate gym Leaders. After looking over and finalizing the plans, Ash and his Pokemon took a short vacation to Alola before Ash would have to ‘settle down’ into gym life.

Mimikyu loved visiting his home region, and Ash’s Pokemon also enjoyed the sun and change of scenery. He’d even met Acerola, Alola’s Ghost Type Kahuna, and the two built up a good rapport between Alola and Kanto. Ash even got a chance to lecture a few classes in a Pokemon School with Acerola, explaining the difference between the Pokemon Gyms and Battle Trials. He made a few friends, and once his vacation was over, Ash was even more sure of the path he had chosen.

========

Ash stretched, putting down his pen as he finished his last piece of paperwork. He glanced around his office fondly, Mimikyu was sleeping on the Pokemon bed Ash set up on the right corner of his desk, while his other Pokenmon were scattered about. Ash brought all his Pokemon with him to Lavender Town, even his non-ghost types so he could spend time with them. Wild Ghost Pokemon tended to drop by and hand out as well, happily welcomed by Ash and his Pokemon, unless they tried to be particularly troublesome. As it was, Banette was hanging off Ash’s chair, looking over his shoulder. Around her neck was a violet bandanna with Banettite hanging from the tie off, matching perfectly with the Key Stone Ash had embedded into the front of his hat. Sableye was huddled under Ash’s desk, finding comfort in her trainer as Ageslash scolded Gengar, Spiritomb, and three small Gastly about something, and Trevenant tried to calm her down.

Ash was pulled from his musings by a knock. “Come in.” Ash turned in his chair, smiling when a familiar little boy wandered into the room, a Gastly of his own floating after him.

The boy was young, and short, no older than 7 and dressed in the usual black and purple that made up the rest of the gym. Not noticeably was a peculiar mask that covered the boys face, with messy black hair peeking out behind it. “A-Alliser rep-reporting for wor-ork sir!” He squeaked.

Ash greened at his adopted cousin. “I told you you didn’t have to call me that Allister, you’re my family!” Ash wandered over to the younger kid and grinned as he ruffle up his hair, pulling an embarrassed whine.

Allister peeked shyly up at his cousin. He’d admired Ash for a long time, even if they hadn’t met often. Aunt Agatha had always spoke so highly of him, and when looking at his battles Allister saw something to strive for! Both as a Pokemon trainer and as a person. Allister was shy, and he was pretty sure he was going to mess up, but he really wanted to follow after Ash. He just hadn’t expected his mother to reach out and ask for Allister to study under him as a Gym Trainer, nor did he expect Ash to accept. But he was happy, and he was going to try his best.

“Your f-first ch-challenger is he-ere.” Allister finally informed, tugging at his sweater paws anxiously, but relaxing at the smile he received. “H-He said his name was M-Max.”

Ash chuckled. “I knew he’d be the first to challenge me.” He beamed. “Alright everyone, lets go to have our first battle as official Gym Leaders!”

“Mikyu!”

“Nette!”

“Gar Gar Gar!”

“Bleye!”

“Slash.”

“Venent!”

Chapter Text

Delia's big brown eyes were lit with fire as she scowled as she stared down at her six year old son. Oh she wasn’t scowling at Ash, no for all that Ash was a troublemaker, there was nothing short of him committing murder that would result in Deliah scowling at him with that such heat. No, what made anger bubble in her stomach like a Magmar’s maga was the swollen red mark around her son’s eye that was slowly turning purple. Looking down at his arms and legs there was a number of bruises in various stages of healing. Ash was a rambunctious kid, he loved running and climbing and, in Delia’s opinion, honestly acted more Pokemon than human. Children were clumsy, and Ash especially got his fair share of bruises and scraped hands and knees from simply running around and being a kid. But the majority of bruises that littered her son’s body were not from falling out of a tree, or skidding down a hill, or rolling down into a ditch, they were from kicks, and punches from other kids. Delia Ketchum was a sweet, kind, and bright young woman, she would give a struggling stranger the shirt off her own back, but she would not roll over and let someone, anyone, bring harm to her child, her world.

As Delia started formulating a plan, Ash ramboled on in front of her, trying to minimize the situation. “I’m fine mom! Gary and his friends were just being buttfaces!” He insisted, his hands gripping the trim of her blue pencil skirt. Delia frowned at him, and he babbled on. “Really! I even hit them back! So it’s okay! I’m okay!”

Delia frowned deeper and crouched in front of her son, taking his face in her hands. She ran her thumb against the swollen mark around his eye, biting her lip when he flinched away from her finger. “It is never, never okay for anyone to hit you.” She spoke calmly, rubbing small circles on the zigzag marks on his cheeks. She gave him a small, soft smile. “I will be calling the school, and Professor Oak. This is not okay, and it can’t continue.” Ash nodded, his head bowing in shame. “None of that, there is nothing to be ashamed of, everyone faces bullies at some point.” Ash opened his mouth, likely to say they weren’t bullies but Delia didn’t let him interrupt her. “They are bullies Ashy, they hit you and called you names. Friends don’t do that.”

Ash sighed, and leaned into her hand. “Okay.”

Delia gave her son a kiss on the forehead and stood back up. “Go get changed out of your school clothes and I’ll get started on dinner. How does Hamburger Steak sound?”

Brown eyes lit with excitement and Ash perked up. “That sounds awesome! Thanks mom!” Cheerfully, the six year old bolted for his bedroom, undressing as he ran through the house despite Delia calling after him not to do that.

“That boy.” Delia smiled after him, before her smile melted away to a look of determination.

“Mime?” Mimey tilted his head at her, and she smiled at her.

“Don’t worry Mimey, we’ll deal with this.”

“Mime Mime!”

=======

Delia glared down at the phone, wishing she would punch the man on the other side. The teachers refused to anything, the boys’ parents would do anything(if she heard the phrase ‘Boys will be boys!’ one more time she was going to riot.), and the one man she thought she could count on also refused to do anything.

“They’re just fighting at the moment Delia, give it time and they’ll be back to being best friends.” Samuel Oak insisted. “Ash will get over it.”

Delia shook her head. “Thats not going to happen.” She said firmly. “I don’t want Gary anywhere near Ash.”

Shock covered the older man’s face. “Surely you don’t mean that Delia-”

“I do. I want my son to be kind, giving, and forgiving, but anyone who hurts him like this, who covers him in bruises with his gang, yes they are a gang Samuel, is not someone that deserves forgiveness. I had to listen to my son cry himself to sleep tonight! He’s heartbroken, he doesn’t know why Gary suddenly turned on him and now hes his biggest bully! I don’t even know how long this has been going on!” Hot tears dripped down the woman’s face. “Ash and Gary fell out months ago. I don’t know if this has been happening since the fall out, or only this week! You have no clue what the feels like!” Taking a deep breath, Delia schooled her features. “Whatever, I’ll figure this out on my own.” Without giving him a moment to respond, Delia ended the call and sat back.

Wiping her tears away, Delia glanced at the mantle, where a picture of her, Ash, and Ash’s father stood in the center. Gripping her hand’s tightly, Delia started forming a plan. If those boys thought they could get away with hurting her boy and him not retaliating, they had another thing coming.

======

Delia chuckled as she watched Ash awe and marvel at Saffron City. Ash had spent his entire life in Pallet Town, having never seen the city, so she couldn’t exactly blame him. “Come on Ash, we need to hurry so we don’t miss our appointment.”

“Okay mom!” Ash grinned brightly at her, the bruise on his eye now a solid purple with just a touch of yellow coming in as it healed. He ran toward her and grabbed onto her hand, bouncing on the heels of his sneakers excitedly. “Where are we going?” He asked.

Delia smiled at him. “We’re going to the Saffron Dojo.”

“Dojo?” Ash scrunched up his face. “Oh! Thats where Fighting Types are trained!”

Delia giggled, leave it to her son to only know about Pokemon. “People also learn how to fight and train. This Dojo specializes in fighting alongside Pokemon.”

“Really? People can fight beside their Pokemon?!” Ash squealed, imagining him side by side a nameless fighting type throwing punches together.

“Yep! I thought you would like to sign up and join the Dojo.”

Ash nodded excitedly before the look on his face melted away to sorrow. “But we live far away. I won’t be able to come a lot. We’re not moving, are we?”

Delia ran her hand through her son’s spiky black hair. “No sweety, Pallet Town is our home.” She assured me. “I’ve contacted an old friend, do you remember Mr. Hale?”

Ash’s face scrunched up as he thought before lighting up as he remembered. “Um hes the hes the professor who is learning the alphabet! He gave me a book on anc-anceen- old Pokemon for my birthday!”

“Thats right! Well I let him borrow my Pidgeot for his work, and he’s going to give her back to me. We can ride Pidgeot to get here whenever we need to come to the Dojo.” As she expected, Ash’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

The rest of the walk to the Dojo was relatively quiet, other than Ash’s usual 200 questions about every Pokemon he saw. As they neared the Dojo, however, Ash fell quiet, and Delia stopped to look at her son. Ash was staring at a large building with wide, fear filled eyes.

“Ash? Whats wrong?” Delia glanced nervously at the building in front of them.

“There's something…bad in that building.” Ash murmured, latching onto her leg.

While she didn’t feel anything off about the building, Delia didn’t doubt him for a second. While Ash was an ob;ivious child, he seemed to have a sixth sense for people, and things with bad energy. Delia had seen his ‘feelings’ be right enough times to never doubt him.

“Come on, the Dojo is this way, lets get away from here.” Delia wasted no time in scooping her son up into her arms and quickly walking towards the Dojo, sighing in relief when Ash became less tense.

The Dojo was nice sized, not over large but not small either. Like many buildings in Kanto, the building was traditional looking, with shoji doors and a delicately managed stone garden, and was no doubt covered in tatami mats inside. From outside they could hear the yelling of commands and swift movements.

Delia set Ash down and gently opened the door. “Welcome!” A deep, loud voice called out, startling Delia, though Ash was unbothered, simply looking around in awe, soaking in the older people and the Pokemon beside them. “You must be the Ketchums. Follow me into the back and we can sign him up. The rest of you, keep running your drills!”

“Hai!” The sparing people all called out at once.

Tentatively, Delia followed the man to the back of the Dojo, into a separate room, Carefully pulling Ash along. “Thank you for meeting with us today Mr. Koichi.”

The man waved her off and took a seat on the floor. “I was looking forward to it. The younger generation isn’t as interested in martial arts anymore.” Delia followed suit, though far less graceful, while Ash copied the man perfectly. Koichi looked at the young boy, noticing the shiner to his right eye and the other healing bruises on him. “I’m guessing, however, that you’re wanting him in my Dojo for self defense more than anything.”

Delia blushed in embarrassment and nodded. “He's being picked on,” Ash winced and looked away. “I was hoping if he knew some self defense they would leave him alone.”

Koichi nodded, other parents had signed their kids up for the same thing so he was unbothered. “So what are you wanting him to learn? Aikido? Judo? I specialize in Karate, but other forms of martial arts aren’t new to me.”

Ash broke in, grinning brightly. “I want to learn how to fight alongside Pokemon!”

Koichi raised his eyebrow at Delia, who nodded her head in amusement. “I see.” Koichi also sounded rather amused. “Stand up, lets see what you can do.” Koichi pulled himself up and grabbed some hand pads, holding them up. Ash threw a punch into one of the pads, trying to remember what he had briefly seen in the other room, only to have Koichi sweep his legs. Ash landed with an ‘oof’. “To fight alongside Pokemon, you must first learn how to fight by yourself, understand?” Ash pulled himself up and nodded, his brown eyes lit with enthusiasm, just what Koichi liked to see in his students. “Alright then,” Koichi smiled and turned to Delia. “Lets get the paperwork out of the way.”

Delia chuckled and nodded, smiling happily at her son.

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

Ash, Koichi and Delia were quick to discover, determined, and quick to learn. Teaching him the required discipline was a bit hard, Ash was such an energetic and determined child it was hard for him to stay focused and still, but that determination and drive was ultimately what helped him in the long run. Ash soaked up Karate like a sponge, working himself harder than any of Koichi’s students of similar age. When sparing with other children, Ash dominated, it was like he could tell what they were doing, and when a fist or kick was coming his way. It was fascinating, if a little frightening.

Koichi was actually rather amazed, most kid who were signed up by parents usually only did the bare minimum to keep their parents off their backs. Even kids that asked and wanted to join ultimately only did what was asked of them because they hadn’t realized how hard Karate actually was. But Ash put his everything into learning, even practicing at home.

Delia was a bit saddened that instead of playing with friends Ash spent most of his time in the yard practicing, but that just showed where Ash stood with the kids that used to be his friends. Troublingly, despite being in classes and coming so far in such a short time, Ash was still getting beaten up by his bullies. Delia had asked a number of times why Ash didn’t defend himself, and he said he didn’t want to hurt them. It took Koichi teaching him a few Judo and Aikido moves, purely defensive and evasive, for Ash to finally respond to the physical bullying.

Delia had gotten a call from the school saying Ash had gotten into a fight, and Delia immediately asked if he had won. When the other parents tried to talk to her about the fight, Delia responded with a chipper; “Boys will be boys!”. When Samule Oak tried to scold her about Ash’s behavior, Delia told him that; “Gary will get over it.”.

After that incident, Ash was more or less left alone. She suspected they still said rude things to him, but Ash refused to talk about it. A small part of Delia wanted to feel bad about the other kids getting so easily manhandled by her son, but she really didn’t. Ash wasn’t getting hurt, and she was happy that he could defend himself and found something he could be passionate about.

It wasn’t until a few months later, during a routine spar, that Koichi and Delia finally got an understanding of Ash’s instincts and reflexes. With that understanding, came a new addition to the Ketchum household.

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

Koichi pulled his group of younger years into silence. “Ash, Zack, you two are first!” He ordered, pointing to the mat. Both white belts made their way to the mat Zack taking the red side of the mat, and Ash the white, they bowed to each other, and then Koichi before getting into position. “Red side attacking, Start.”

“Kiai!” Both students yelled out.

Zack, a brunette haired 7 year old, wasted no time, a small spiteful smirk playing on his lips as he threw his first punch, but Ash threw up his arm, catching the hit, only to close his eyes as chalk powder was thrown at his face by Zack. Despite his closed eyes however, Ash threw a punch at Zack’s side, stopping just before landing a hit. Zack backed off, his smirk replaced with a scowl as he watched Ash. The scowl soon gave way to shock as Ash threw his next punch, stopping just inches away from Zack’s face, he knew for a fact his chalk powder had gotten into Ash’s eyes, he could plainly see his eyes shut, it made no sense on how Ash could deliver the kyu uninterrupted. Frustrated, Zack aimed a kick up, only for Ash to easily catch it, and shift to the side to aim a fist at Zack’s side, again stopping before it could hit. The brunette felt frustration build up as they reset, and brought his stance in a little tighter. This time when he threw his punch, he was aiming to hit, aiming right at Ash’s chest. Just as he was about to make contact however, Ash defended, blocking the blow, wincing slightly at the heavy hit, and raising his leg to kick, stopping just before contact.

“Thats enough!” Koichi’s stern face was twisted in outrage, black eyes glaring at Zack with disappointment. Ash relaxed his form and bowed to Zack, and Koichi before reaching up and trying to wipe the chalk from his eyes. Koichi, however, was focused on Zack. “What was that last punch?” He demanded. Zack turned his head away, refusing to meet the other man’s eye. “You were aiming to make contact, neither you nor Ash are senior yellow belts! What were you thinking?”

“I was mad.” Zack grumbled. “He had his eyes closed the whole time!”

“What?” Koichi narrowed his eyes at Zack before turning to Ash. Koichi could just make out the dusty, slightly sparkly, signs of chalk powder on the boy’s face, standing out against the boy’s tanned skin as Ash continued to wipe his eyes. Koichi looked down at Zack’s hands and scowled deeper, his right hand was dusted with matching white powder. “You are in big trouble young man.” Zack gulped.

=====

When Delia walked into the Dojo to pick up Ash she was surprised to see Koichi throwing punches and her son evading them. It was quite obvious Koichi wasn’t putting his all into attacks, or even really trying to land a hit, and Delia picked up enough about the sport from her son to know that whatever they were doing was not an official spar, or really Karate at all. Most baffling, however, was the fact that Ash’s eyes were fully closed. As Delia walked further into the Dojo, Ash turned his head towards her while easily ducking under Koichi’s fist.

Koichi stood up normally, a thoughtful expression on his face. “That's enough.” Koichi called, and Ash peeked his eyes open before running to give her a big hug. The older man turned to Delia, his expression easily read as him needing to talk to her. “Do you have a moment to talk?” He asked.

Worried, Delia nodded, mindlessly petting Ash’s head. “Yes, tomorrow is Saturday so Ash doesn’t have school, we can be a little later than normal.” Delia and Ash followed Koichi into his office, taking a seat on the tatami mat floor and facing the Karate Sensei. “Is something wrong?”

Koichi shook his head. “Not necessarily. There was an incident earlier today, during a white belt sparring session Ash’s opponent threw chalk powder in his eyes, the boy has already been dealt with,” He assured when Delia opened her mouth to speak. “It was at the beginning of the match, and yet Ash ran through the entire spar without issue.” At this, Koichi turned towards Ash, who was obviously tired but was trying to sit in a perfect seiza regardless. “When I was throwing punches at you, and your eyes were closed, could you see?”

Delia gave the man a baffled look. His eyes were closed, how was he supposed to see? To her shock however Ash hesitantly nodded before second guessing himself. “Well, not exactly. Not like how when my eyes were open, I can’t see colors or spec-spici- uh”

“Spacific.” Delia offered, and Ash nodded.

“Spa-cif-ic things.” Ash explained carefully. “Everyone is covered in a fuzzy blue outline. Some people have darker blue than others, but everyone has pretty much the same amount of blue around them. Pokemon are a little different, their blue is brighter, and bigger.”

“Ashy, how long have you been able to see this?” Delia asked, wondering if perhaps Ash had some kind of Synesthesia.

Ash gave her a funny look. “Always, I thought, I thought everyone could do it.” He admitted.

“So I was right.” Koichi finally spoke, his eyes bright with wonder.

“Right? About what?” The woman demanded, a bit on edge.

Koichi smiled slightly at her. “It's pretty much a dead ability for people, so I wasn’t sure at first, but Ash, I believe, is one of the few people who can see Aura.”

“Aura?” Delia murmured, looking at Ash when the boy perked up.

“Like Lucario!” He grinned and turned towards Delia. “We learned about Sir Arron and Lucario the other day! He was a knight that stopped a war from destroying the Kingdom of Rota! Are you saying that I’m like that?”

Koichi chuckled. “I am.”

Delia relaxed and sighed in relief. “I’m not too surprised then.” Ash and Koichi looked at her questioningly. “Your father was originally from Rota, since Rota is technically in the Kanto Region he came here to be a Pokemon Trainer.” She explained. “What exactly is Aura?”

The older man hummed in thought. “I’m afraid I, myself, don’t know much about it. Like I said, Aura in humans is extremely rare these days, but it does explain Ash’s sixth sense, how he’s able to tell when someone is coming or if someone or something is dangerous.”

Thinking back, Delia could remember how often Ash, as an infant, would know someone was coming before even she did, be it person or Pokemon, how Ash would perk up minutes before someone would enter the room, and how Ash would immediately avoid certain people and places. She had always just chalked it up to Ash having a sixth sense, or a sense for danger given how rambunctious he was, but if he had an ancestral ability, that also explained some things. “So what do we do now?” She asked.

“Nothing really, except that Ash needs to work on training his Aura ability more. I’ve heard that, in people, their Aura Core isn’t stable until they’re adults, but because Ash is actively practicing martial arts, I think it would be better for him to have a general handle of his abilities sooner rather than later.” Delia nodded in understanding, reaching over to ruffle Ash’s hair affectionately. “One more thing,” Delia turned back towards him. “I think it would be best if he has one of these with him.” Koichi stood up and walked over to a closet, where he pulled out a distinct container that caused mother and son to gasp.

“Thats a Pokemon Egg!” Ash pointed out. Sitting in a pink incubator was a distinct blue egg with a black mask shape on the front and a black oval on each side.

“Right you are, a Riolu egg to be specific.” Koichi sat down and pushed the egg towards Ash, who just barely restrained himself.

“We can’t accept this!” Delia denied.

Koichi simply laughed. “This Riolu egg was laid in a clutch of three in Kalos, however both its clutchmates have long since hatched while this one hasn’t so much as glowed. We, meaning different Dojo’s and Fighting Type Specialists, have been passing it around in hopes of finding a way to hatch them, so far nothing has worked. This past month that Ash has been here, though, the egg has started glowing.” The older man glazed down at the boy, who stared at the egg in awe still. “It might very well be a coincidence,” he admitted. “But, I suspect that Ash’s Aura may be encouraging the egg to hatch.

“Even so,” Delia started. “We can’t accept this, its too much-”

Ash, unable to resist, reached his hand out, pressing it to the glass of the incubator. The moment his hand touched the glass, the egg inside started to pulse, letting out bright white and blue light. The three people stared with various expressions, Ash was in awe, Delia was stumped, and Koichi was admittedly a little smug as he pulled the top of the incubator off. The light soon died away, leaving a short dog like Pokemon in the egg’s place. It stood on two legs with short blue fur and big red eyes.

“Rio?” Riolu yipped, blinking its red eyes open blearily until it could clearly see the person in front of them, a young human boy with brown eyes, crazy black hair, and a bright blue, overflowing aura.

“It hatched!” Ash said in awe. “Its nice to meet you Riolu! I’m Ash!”

“Rio Lu!” Riolu barked back, puffing his chest out proudly.

“So cool!” The boy giggled, reaching his hand out and scratching RIolu behind the ear. RIolu’s fluffy tail wagged behind him, and he leaned into the warm touch.

The tiny jackal Pokemon was a bit enamored with the human boy’s aura, it was so warm and inviting, bleeding out of him like sunbeams. Closing his eyes, Riolu pushed out his own aura, the tufts on each side of his head straightening out. Ash watched Riolu with a quizzical look before copying him and closing his eyes. Riolu was bursting with Aura, the blue waves stretching and weaving towards Ash. Focusing as hard as he could, Ash pushed his own Aura forward. Both person and Pokemon gasped inward slightly as the two Aura signatures touched, mingling together before retreating back to themselves.

Ash slowly opened his eyes in time with Riolu, red peering into brown and vice versa. Riolu’s muzzle turned up into a small smile, one Ash returned before both of them promptly passed out.

Delia gasped, pulling her son towards her. “Ash! Honey?” To her relief, the boy mumbled in his sleep and snuggled into her hand. She sighed in relief. “What happened?”

Koichi chuckled lowly. “I haven’t a clue, but whatever they did sure zapped their energy.” He reached over and picked up Riolu before moving him next to ash, where his paws immediately latched onto the boy’s Gi. “Ash has been on his feet all day, and Riolu just hatched, they’re just tired. Let Ash take a break from the Dojo this weekend, it’ll give him time to bond with Riolu.”

“About that, are you sure its okay that we just take him? What about the people that clutched him?” Delia carefully laid Ash on his back, smiling as he curled up closer to Riolu.

Koichi shook his head. “Gurkinn will just be relieved that he hatched at all, technically speaking, his family only needed one egg, for his granddaughter, he sent the second Riolu to one of Korrina’s friends in Sinnoh I believe. With this one, he just wanted it to hatch and go to whoever could hatch it.”

Delia rolled the thought around in her head. “Very well.” She caved. “I don’t think we could separate the two if we tried.” She said softly, causing Koivchi to laugh.

“Let me get the paperwork.” Koichi then stood and vanished behind a shoji door. When he came back he had a short stack of paperwork.

“What's this for?” She asked, accepting the paperwork regardless.

“While in Kanto kids are only allowed to be Pokemon trainers when they’re ten, thats not necessarily the case. There are a few loopholes on how younger kids can become Pokemon trainers early, of course there are specific rules for those situations, such as the kids still needing to stay home and only being allowed one Pokemon. Different situations call for different rules.” He explained. “In this case, Ash will be allowed one Pokemon, Riolu, as his Dojo partner. I was going to offer this opportunity to Ash when he was a yellow belt regardless, he’s progressing well and I was going to talk to you about moving him to the Pokemon class, but given today's happeningings, its best we do it now. He won’t be moved to the Pokemon class until he’s a yellow belt, but that will be in just a few months, it gives him plenty of time to bond with and teach Riolu the basics.”

Delia nodded along as she read the paper work, signing and marking only after she read everything, even the tiny print at the bottom of each paper. Finally she signed the bottom, and turned to Ash, who was still asleep. Gently, she shook his shoulder, whispering softly until his eyes peeked open and he yawned. “Ashy I need you to write your name on this line, can you do that?”

“Okay.” Ash yawned, rubbing his eyes as he took the pen. “My long name or short name?” He asked, voice heavy with sleep.

“Long name sweety.” Delia encouraged.

Nodding, Ash carefully scrawled ‘Ashura Satoshi Ketchum’. Delia nodded proudly, taking the paperwork back so he could slump beside her. As she looked over the paperwork one more time she zeroed in on her son’s name, only to snort. Her husband was a dork, she decided before quietly wondering if he had suspected their son would possess Aura. Ashura was a rather rare name, but Delia hadn’t thought anything of it at the time, chalking it up as the man simply wanting their son to have a fire related name like he himself had, but given the man was from Rota, she now had her doubts.

“Here you go.” She handed the paperwork back to Koichi who looked it over briefly before nodding and pulling out a shrunken Pokeball. “Ash, one more thing and then we can go home so you can sleep.”

The six year old grunted and pushed himself back up. Ash rubbed his eyes, only fully waking up when Koichi offered him the Pokeball, now enlarged. “Really?!” He looked between the adults hopefully.

“Riolu is going to be your partner, it only makes sense that you be the one to catch him.” Delia nodded.

“Awesome!” Ash cheered, waking Riolu up from his own slumber. Noticing the jackal sitting up, Ash smiled at him. “Riolu, do you want to come with me and be my partner?” Riolu perked up as Ash talked. “Lets get stronger together, what do you say?”

“Rio!” Riolu yipped pushing himself onto his paws.

Ash grinned. “Go Pokeball!” With precision, Ash launched the pokeball at Riolu, who jumped up and hit the button, vanishing in a flash of red light. Ash delicately caught the wiggling red and white ball, smiling when it stopped wiggling and blinked. “Alright! I just caught Riolu!” He cheered, grinning at his mother, who was clapping for him.

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

Life with Riolu didn’t change much, if anything Ash was jazzed to have a friend again. Riolu took well to Ash’s training, and Ash improved even faster with Riolu by his side. The two were quite literally glued at the hip.

In Pallet Town, things got slightly worse on the Gary stormfront. While the other boys had learned their lesson, especially now that Ash had a Pokemon by his side, they assumed Riolu was a Pokemon his mother caught for him and hadn’t a clue Ash had caught Riolu himself as that law was pretty well hidden, Gary seemed to get worse. He was jealous that Ash had a Pokemon, even if it was technically, to his knowledge, his mothers, even more so after he complained to his parents and grandfather and didn’t get the same treatment. He would no longer physically attack Ash, his gang wouldn’t gang up on Ash anymore and Gary was too afraid to attack alone, but verbally, he was harsher than ever. And as the years went on he just seemed to get angrier and angrier, especially when he stopped getting a rise out of Ash.

Karate had side effects to Ash’s personality, he was still a wild and rambunctious boy no doubt, but Martial Arts, and his Aura abilities, demanded discipline and emotion control. It was important for Ash to keep his head cool in spars, and when practicing his Aura. If he got too angry, his aura would flare and become too much for him to handle, and it would be hard to properly think about his next move. Gary was actually a great help in that regard, nobody got Ash angrier than Gary, and while Ash wished the boy would just stop, he made a great practice dummy for keeping calm. Gary taunting him aside, Ash and Riolu also picked up Meditation, centering their energies and helping them improve in body, mind, and focus.

But as Ash grew older and the day of his tenth birthday got closer and closer, more and more kids in his class started talking about their Pokemon journeys. It made him stall, as he realized he hadn’t really thought about a Pokemon journey in maybe three years, all his energy and focus having gone into the Dojo.

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

“Thats enough for today.” Koichi called out, pulling practice to a halt. “Good work today, be careful on your way home.”

“Good work Sensei!” The class responded in kind, their partner Pokemon crying out as well.

Ash sighed and wiped sweat from his face with his towel as he fished out his and Riolu’s water bottles. Handing the water bottle to his partner, the 9, almost 10, year old allowed himself to rest against the shoji walls. Riolu gulped feverishly at the water bottle before handing it back to a chuckling Ash, who wiped the nozzle before gulping the liquid down. “Lets stop by Pokemart before we go home and get something with more electrolytes.” While not often, Delia had started allowing Ash and Riolu to go to practice alone on the occasion that she needed or wanted to stay home.

“Rio!” Riolu agreed.

“Ash, Riolu, you two are hanging around today?” Koichi asked, making Ash realize that everyone else had already left.

“Sorry Sensei,” Ash straightened his posture. “Just taking a break.”

Koichi didn’t say anything for a moment. “You’ve been distracted today, is everything okay?”

Ash smiled at the worry in the man’s eyes. “I can’t hide anything from you.” He mused, scratching Riolu behind the ears. “I’ll be turning 10 soon, meaning the League season will be starting soon, and with it, me and my classmates will be old enough to start our journeys.”

“Aren’t you excited?” Koichi questioned.

Ash hesitated. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “When I was younger I wanted nothing more than to be a Pokemon Master, but honestly I haven’t thought about that for years.”

The older man fell silent. “A Journey doesn’t have to be about achieving some grand goal, look at the journey you took in this class, your simple goal was to fight alongside your Pokemon and get stronger together, you have done that. A Pokemon journey doesn’t have to be about becoming number one in the Indigo League, it can be as simple as wanting to learn more about the world outside of your small town, or wanting to make more friends, meet and catch more Pokemon. Instead of setting some big goal for yourself, think about what you really want to do right now. You’re only ten, you have the rest of your life to change your mind.”

Ash stared down at Riolu with a thoughtful expression. “I understand, thank you Sensei.”

Koichi nodded with a feral grin, and ruffled Ash’s unruly black hair. “Of course! I’m your Sensei after all!”

=====

“What do we want to do right now?” Ash asked Riolu as they left Pokemart. Riolu tilted his head in question. “Our goal is to get stronger together. As it stands, we’re the best in our class.” While it sounded arrogant, it was simply true, Ash and Riolu were the top of their class at the Dojo. “But, what about other Dojos? And other Pokemon with different fighting styles?” Ash came to a sudden stop, Riolu stopping right before him. “Hey, Riolu, how would you like to visit the different facilities around the regions?”

“Lu?”

“Yeah, I bet the different Fighting Type gyms have loads to teach, not to mention all the Pokemon. So, how does that sound?”

“Rio!” Riolu grinned, red eyes sparking with enthusiasm as he leapt into Ash’s arms.

Ash laughed heartily while hugging his partner to his chest. “Alright! Lets get home and tell mom!” Ash pulled out his mother’s Pidgeot’s Pokeball, throwing it into the air for the massive bird to pop out, and waited for him to land before he and Riolu climbed onto his back before they took off into the sky.

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

On his tenth birthday, Ash set out on his journey. His last practice before his journey was a difficult one, the practice wasn’t any harder than the others but emotionally, it was draining. Ash and Riolu were dedicated to the Dojo, they had made many friends and rivals and both were very fond of Koichi-Sensei. Leaving that night had been full of tearful goodbyes, even if everyone knew they would be coming back, possibly in a few months as they passed through Saffron on their journey, it was still hard knowing they wouldn’t see eachother every week for months to years on end. But the Dojo sent them away with honor, and though both Ash and Riolu had tears in their eyes, they walked away promising to visit as soon as they could.

Receiving his Pokedex was a bit awkward. Delia had never forgiven Professor Oak for doing nothing, and while they were on neutral terms on the best of days, Ash had almost no relationship with the man, especially because Ash didn’t need to get a starter Pokemon from him. Ash did run into Gary, but Ash had long since ignored the other boy, and simply walked into the lab. While awkward as all get out, Ash and Riolu walked out of the lab one Pokedex and five Pokeballs heavier.

Saying goodbye to his mother was heartfelt and odd. Delia was admittedly something of a Mama Ursaring, but she had always known Ash would set out on a journey eventually. So while she desperately wanted to hang onto him and never let him go, she simply sent him off with a smile, making him promise to call her at the earliest convenience.

Since Ash had no real interest in challenging any Gyms, Ash and Riolu were never in any rush. They camped out, and ran their drills daily before practicing and training Riolu’s actual moves. It was while practicing Force Palm that Ash met Misty, a spit fire of a young woman, as Force Palm accidentally smashed Misty’s bike. They didn’t get on initially, Misty was rather loud and opinionated and Ash was disciplined and opinionated, leading to Misty usually losing her temper and losing the argument, which made her more upset, but after a heated Pokemon battle, they seemed to come to an understanding, and Misty decided to join them on their journey. Through one of Misty’s fishing trips Ash battled a shy, but determined Poliwag that evolved mid-battle into Poliwhirl. The battle ended with Ash catching her, and Poliwhirl joining the small band of travelers. Pewter City was where Ash met Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader. They met during Ash’s morning drills, when he was taking his gaggle of siblings to the park, the kids were mesmerized by what Ash and his Pokemon were doing, and were intrigued by Riolu, who they were unfamiliar with. Even Brock was rather intrigued by the jackal, and it was after Ash’s drills, when he stopped to take a drink, that Brock asked if his siblings could play with his Pokemon. Since Poliwhirl and Riolu had no problem with it, Ash agreed and while the children played, Ash and Brock got to talking. It was during said talk that Ash learned about Brock’s dreams, and while Ash couldn’t do much for the older boy, he offered some advice his sensei had shared with him. Ash had walked away from the park with a new friend, one who would later join him once his deadbeat father realized he was doing nothing by hiding.

After that, traveling through Kanto was rather painless, if you didn’t count the two teenagers and their talking cat that tried to take Riolu every other week, and after months of traveling, they soon wound up in Saffron city. Immediately, Ash and Riolu made their way to the Dojo, waiting for the class at the time, all 6 to 7 year olds, to finish before announcing themselves and walking in. Misty and Brock were in awe of the Dojo, and rather excited to meet Ash’s Sensei, seeing as Ash spoke so highly of the man. Koichi greeted Ash with a contemplative look before challenging him, not to a Karate Spar, but to an actual Pokemon Battle, Hitmonchan vs Riolu. The battle was rough, Koichi used to be the Saffron City Gym Leader after all and his talents had not at all wavered in slightest, Koichi was relentless, but so was Ash, and he, nor Riolu were going to just roll over. This determination was what pushed Riolu, and in the second half or the battle caused him to evolve. Ash could feel the rush of Aura burst from the newly evolved Lucario, he was nearly blinded by the intensity of it. With Lucario’s post evolution strength, they were finally able to push through, and in the end, though panting and worse for wear, they were victorious. Koichi didn’t look at all disappointed at the lost, if anything he beamed with pride as he caught Ash and Lucario in an affectionate choke hold. When they had to leave to go to the next town, Koichi presented Ash with a present, he couldn’t give Ash a Gym Badge, but he could gift his student something, and that something happened to be a young Tyrogue, bred from his own Ace Hitmonchan. Ash of course tried to deny the gift, but Koichi was a stubborn man, and in the end, Ash left with a new Pokemon to add onto his team.

Other than catching an energetic and rather playful Primeape soon after, life for the band of travelers went on as usual. Ash and his Pokemon trained daily, and they traveled, experiencing the world together as they strived to get stronger. Team Rocket was a nuisance, and there were a few run ins with Legendary Pokemon, and possibly almost dying, things that the entire group agreed not to tell their families about, but otherwise little happened. Tyrogue eventually evolved into Hitmonlee and for Ash’s 11th birthday Misty gifted him a Water Stone for when and if Poliwhirl wanted to evolve. Ash even met Bruno, one of Kanto’s Elite Four members and Fighting Type Specialist. Ash of course challenged the man to a battle, one he only agreed to due to Ash being a fellow martial artist, and one that Ash horribly lost, not that Ash was bothered much by the defeat.

Soon after they left Kanto and traveled to Johto, where Ash added Heracross onto his team, much to Misty’s dismay, and eventually challenged Chuck, Cianwood City’s Gym Leader and Fighting Type Specialist. Using Primeape against Primeape was something of a disaster, simply because neither Primeape wanted to throw in the towel, but overall Ash’s Primeape came out on top before being taken out by Machoke. Machoke was then taken down by Ash’s Heracross, earning them the Storm Badge. While Ash wasn’t aiming for badges, he decided to accept the badge as proof of his win, and a reminder of how far he came. After traveling Jhoto, and again meeting Legendary Pokemon and nearly dying and not telling their families, the group of trainers had to split up. Misty would be taking over the Cerulean City Gym for her sisters, and Brock had some family stuff to work out, so for the first time in two years, Ash was alone on his journey back to Pallet and to Hoenn.

In Hoenn Ash didn’t stay alone for long, meeting, and accidentally destroying her bike, May, who was just setting out to get her first Pokemon. Meeting Norman, May’s father and Hoenn’s Normal Type Gym Leader, Ash asked for a battle. He knew Normal Types were weak to fighting, but he wasn’t dumb enough to think that alone would secure him a win, if anything it made Ash more wary of the man’s Pokemon, because Type Specialists, such as Ash and Norman, had to make sure they had contingency plans for when they did battle Pokemon and Types that were effective against their own. Their battle was brutal, neither Ash nor Norman were giving in, and in the end the battle ended in a tie and Norman asking if Max and May could travel with him. Ash, happy to have people with him again, agreed and soon the trio were also joined by Brock. It took May and Max to adjust to Ash’s schedule, and it took Max even longer to understand that Ash wasn’t aiming for the Hoenn League. The only thing that made Hoenn any different to Kanto and Jhoto was that May eventually fell in love with contests, and thus Ash had to adjust to staying in towns and cities longer, not that he minded too much but it made him a bit anxious. Battling Brawly, Fighting Specialist and Dewford Town’s Gym Leader, was admittedly easier than Ash imagined. Not that Brawly was a bad Gym leader, but his tricks in using the environment to his advantage meant little to Ash or his Pokemon due to Ash’s Aura ability. While the rest of his Pokemon couldn’t see or use Aura like Lucario or Ash, they had full trust in their tainer, so when Ash called out something that sounded crazy to anyone else, they listened without a shred of doubt, it was simply how deep their bond and trust went. The battle still had its ups and downs, such as Makuhita suddenly evolving into Hariyama during their battle, but Ash was undeterred and in the end Poliwhirl’s speed won them the battle, and added the Knuckle Badge to their collection. After the battle, Poliwhirl finally decided she wanted to evolve, and thus Ash gave her the Water Stone, and happily greeted Poliwrath.

May’s loss in the Hoenn Grand Festival meant the group scoping out new horizons, leading to Ash partaking in the Battle Frontier while May took on Kanto Contests. Admittedly, Ash only challenged the Battle Frontier to get to Greta, the Frontier Brain of the Battle Arena, but Ash stuck to the challenge, meeting each Battle Facility with matching Gusto. Early in their run of the Battle Frontier was when Brock, Max, and May learned of Ash’s Aura abilities, when they traveled to Rota for a tournament and Ash freed another Lucario from a staff, leading to a heartbreaking experience that left Lucario and Ash glued to each others sides more than usual. Ash hadn’t told them about his abilities for the simple reason of, he forgot, Aura was such a natural thing to him that it was hard for him to remember that most people didn’t share his abilities. After learning about Aura, nothing else really changed, they were still Ash’s friends and other than thinking it was cool, they didn’t think anything different about their friend. Greta and Ash were actually very much alike, disciplined but determined and quick to think. Using his speedy attacks didn’t work against her team, leading Ash to go for his heavy hitters, Primeape and Hitmonlee, to eventually win, adding the Guts Symbol his fighting Trophies. Before they said their goodbyes however, Ash and Greta agreed to an official Karate match. Max and May were amazed seeing their friend in action, they saw him practice daily but they didn’t often meet people that were the same level as Ash, and had thus never seen him actually fight. Their match ended with a draw for the time being until they met again. Out of all the Frontier Brains, even Brandon, Annabel gave Ash the most trouble. She specialized in Psychic Type Pokemon and could understand and talk to them in her own way. Ash had been excited upon meeting her, thinking that, like him, she used Aura, but after checking, he saw that she had the same amount of Aura as most people, but her Aura was a brighter blue with a tad bit of white, something Ash noticed in people who were spiritually gifted, which explained her abilities. Ash’s battle against Annabelle was fascinating, both trainers able to direct their Pokemon on levels that most people could only dream of, the bonds they shared with their Pokemon on full display as they battled, like a dance across the arena. In the end, Ash won, his ability to create combo moves trumping Annabelle’s defense. Both trainers left the battle with a greater understanding of each other, their abilities, and their Pokemon, and with a very strong friendship, one built from having abilities others didn’t have, even if they were different from each other. After winning the Battle Frontier and turning down the offer of becoming a Frontier Brain, Ash said goodbye to May and Max, Max was returning to Hoenn to train under his father before becoming a Pokemon Trainer in a few years and May was following Drew, Harley, and Solodad to Johto for the Johto Grand Festival. Brock would be visiting home and Ash made his way to Sinnoh after visiting his mother.

Sinnoh was initially much the same as Hoenn, with the addition of Dawn, a coordinator extraordinaire that they met after Ash and Lucario, once again, destroyed her property, at this point it just seemed like a curse. Dawn was excitable, and determined, she loved all things Contest and her optimism was refreshing, Ash couldn’t help but baby her a little bit, seeing her as a little sister. The biggest change in Sinnoh, besides getting semi adopted by Pokemon Satan, was that Ash got a rival, if you could even call it that, of his own. Paul was everything Ash disliked in a person, he was arrogant, rude, and power hungry. He didn’t respect his Pokemon and his Aura, while not the darkest he’d ever seen, was pretty dark on the scale. Paul was probably the first person Ash could say he actually hated, not counting the multiple adults that tried to take over the world every other month. Ash didn’t partake in the Sinnoh Gym Challenge, the only reason Paul paid any attention at all to Ash was because he and Lucario were obviously strong, and he found out Ash conquered the Battle Frontier and had defeated Brandon. Ash, begrudgingly, would admit that Paul was strong, but he still didn’t agree with his training style, he had almost no relationship with his Pokemon besides ‘Owner’ and ‘Tool’ and it made Ash seethe with anger for the first time in years. Everything came to a head when the arrogant boy released his Chimchar for being ‘too weak’. Ash’s Aura bled off him so harshly that Lucario had to turn his head and even Brock and Dawn could see it despite not having an opulence of Aura ability. Eyes that were normally a warm brown glowed with cold blue as he glared at Paul before approaching Chimchar, and asking the poor Pokemon to join his team. Even if Chimchar wouldn’t eventually evolve into a duel Fighting Type, Ash would have offered Chimchar a place on his team. Raising Chimchar was difficult, not because he was unruly or refused to listen, but because he was so timid and traumatized, it took months of friendship and therapy for Ash to get Chimchar to understand that he wouldn’t be punished. Some nights, after returning Chimchar to his Pokeball to sleep Ash and Lucario would vanish into the nearby forest and Brock and Dawn would see bright blue light peeking through the trees, only for Ash to come back with red eyes, as if he had been crying for hours. Eventually though, with love, care, and hardwork, Chimchar adjusted to Ash’s team and mannerisms, and he blossomed into an energetic and kind Pokemon, there were still bad days, but they tackled them together, and eventually Chimchar evolved into Monferno, embracing his new Fighting Typing with determination, before even later evolving into Infernape. Of course, Ash didn’t forget his original goal, and did schedule a battle with Maylene, the Veilstone City Gym Leader and the trainer of one of Lucario’s clutchmates. The battle was intense, Maylene was skilled and determined, she kept a clear head and knew just what to do and when, she had a strong bond with her Pokemon, and though Ash won at the end, adding the Cobble Badge to his collection, he knew the battle had been a close one, Ash’s Hitmonlee being able to stay standing a meer 30 seconds longer than Maylene’s Lucario, getting him the victory. While his battle was Ash’s goal, he couldn’t deny that his final Battle against Paul before Ash headed home was his favorite battle, as Infernape thrashed Paul’s team like they were a handful of cocky White Belts challenging a Black Belt even though it was their first class. It was satisfying in a way, especially when Infernape simply turned back to Ash with a big grin, completely ignoring his former trainer. Soon after that battle though, Ash returned to Kanto, having to say goodbye to Dawn and Brock as they stayed in Sinnoh. It was a sad goodbye, Dawn and Piplup had cried and even refused to let go of his jacket for a while, and Brock wasn’t much better, blubbering and crying as he reminded Ash to take care of stuff, because he would be staying to go to Medical School and be away from Ash for the first time in nearly four years. By no means was it easy for Ash either, if it hadn’t been for his meditation and practice in emotion control, he would have cried just as hard as he was wrapped up in their arms.

Kalos was the biggest change. Ash no longer had Brock by his side and admittedly, it was a bit hard to adjust, even after Bonnie and Clemont asked to join him. Ash felt more like their big brother, like he did with Dawn, and while they by no means replaced her, as if his little sister could be replaced, they brought a feeling of comfort. One new thing that caught Ash’s attention in Kalos was Mega Evolution. Having seen a Mega Blaziken on his first night in Kalos, Ash could firmly say, he was amazed. Mega Pokemon, at least judging by the Blaziken, did not just have their own aura, but it seemed as if they had their Trainer’s Aura as well, the two Auras blending perfectly, lending Pokemon their trainer’s strength and life force so they were stronger, even if it was just for a moment. Ash was even more intrigued when he found out that family that ran the Shalour City Gym specialized in Mega Evolution, with the former Gym Leader, Gurkinn, being known as the Mega Evolution Guru. With that knowledge, Ash upped his, and his team's training, and started studying Mega Evolution whenever they took a break. Bonnie found Ash’s Karate rather cool, and would often join him for his morning workouts, even if she was still wobbly and new, she was hard working and Ash couldn’t stop himself from actually teaching her, even if he had no confidence in his teaching abilities, he could Train Pokemon but Training People was an entirely different thing. The only wrench in Ash’s plans at all was a girl named Serena that Ash vaguely remembered from when he was a kid and still allowed at Professor Oak’s Lab, but honestly memories from back then were hazy at best. It made him feel a bit bad, since she remembered him so vividly and had ‘fallen in love’ with him because of it. Ash wasn’t so dense as to not realize her feelings, they were pretty obvious and he didn’t even need to look at her Aura to know, but he didn’t feel the same way. He could admit that she was conventionally attractive, but romantic interest eluded him, and he wasn’t fond of how she acted around him, trying to seem perfect and unbothered while internally freaking out about it, he’d prefer she acted like herself instead of trying to seem like the perfect girl, especially because he knew he’d never return her feelings. And because Ash didn’t want to hurt her feelings, he did what he did when Misty and May had crushes on him, he pretended he didn’t notice. Misty and May had eventually caught on and moved on, Ash just hoped that Serena would do the same, that she would realize her own dream and grow as the journey progressed. He was glad that she eventually fell into Showcases, he actually sighed in relief, as her attention was slit to focus on her performances. When Ash finally met Korrina he was taken aback and mildly amazed. She was upbeat and energetic and didn’t seem to have much self discipline, with was a major shock considering nearly every other Fighting Type Specialist Ash had come across, even Brawly, had the build in discipline that was needed for martial arts. It was interesting to see how different their Lucario were as well, considering they were also clutchmates. Korrina’s Lucario was mellow but also attentive and tactile, meanwhile Maylene’s was reserved, and stoic, watchful of her surroundings and very protective, Ash’s Lucario was more brash, and determined, watchful but also a tad bit prideful and extremely protective over Ash. It was fascinating how different the three Pokemon were despite being siblings, even if they grew up and trained in completely different matters. Learning about her quest to find Lucarionite, Ash and Lucario jumped at the chance. Ash was interested in Mega Evolution, regardless if he and Lucario would ever achieve it, they wanted to help as much as they could, even if helping was simply offering support. Once they had the Lucarionite, Ash and Lucario happily offered to help them try it out. Admittedly, the battle didn’t go as planned. Mega Lucario was too overwhelmed by Aura, he wasn’t able to process so much of it at once, it was painful and it was scary. It was all Ash and Lucario could do to try and ignore the overwhelming Aura and try to calm Lucario down, because Korrina was too overwhelmed with the fact that he wouldn’t listen to her. Once Mega Lucario was taken out, with the help of Gurkinn, Ash and Lucario passed out as well, exhausted from the battle against Mega Lucario, and also overwhelmed by the thick Aura that had buzzed in the air. Despite the setback, Ash and Co joined Korrina as she set out to find Gurkinn’s friend, learning themselves along the way, no one was happier for Korrina and Lucario than Ash and Lucario when they got Mega Evolution down, and with a promise to battle soon in the future. Little did Ash know that encounter fuelled something greater between him and his own partner. And he wouldn’t find out until a few weeks later.

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Ash’s eyes slowly opened as his night time meditation came to an end. He could faintly hear the soft breaths of Bonnie, and Serena in once tent, and Clemont’s in another, coupled with the soft rustling of leaves from the night air. Beside him, Lucario’s eyes blinked open, glowing a low red in the dark. “How about we go on a quick walk before turning in for the night?”

“Car.” Lucario nodded, pushing himself up to stand while Ash did the same.

They walked towards a babbling stream that was nearby, following it into the forest. They walked in comfortable silence, not needing to say a word to each other as they ventured further into the forest. Ash’s head eventually craned upwards as he stared into the beautiful night sky. “Tis pretty.” He murmured, smiling softly when Lucario looked up with him, nodding in silent agreement.

Ash closed his eyes, breathing softly as he took in the surrounding world. He felt Lucario’s Aura reach out to him, brushing against his own until Ash opened his eyes and glanced at his partner in question. Lucario blinked at him, something smug in his gaze before he was enveloped in Aura, vanishing behind the glow. When the glow subsided, Ash gasped. Mega Lucario, or at least what looked like Mega Lucario stood in place. The only difference between the Lucario before him and Korrina’s Mega Lucario was the Aura sensing tufts beside his head, instead of sleek black and red fur, Lucario’s was spiked and wild, like Ash’s own hair.

“You…you Mega Evolved but…but we don’t have any stones!” Ash murmured in awe.

“Luc!” Lucario barked smugly, before glowing again, and returning to normal. All smugness melted away however when Lucario doubled over, exhausted.

“Take it easy!” Ash scolded lightly, leaning over to help steady Lucario, and holding him up carefully. “You’re amazing Lucario, but next time let me help you instead of just surprising me.”

“Rio.” Lucario agreed, a bit sulky, before licking Ash’s cheek, pulling a laugh from his trainer.

“Come on, lets get you to bed. Tomorrow we’re in for some serious training!” Red eyes met brown with unwavering determination, followed by an agreeing bark.

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After that discovery Ash and his Pokemon worked even harder, with Ash and Lucario putting in extra effort to get their evolution under control. There were times when Ash put too much Aura in, and Lucario was overwhelmed and vise versa, but they never gave up, even going to Professor Sycamore for help. The professor was amazed by such a thing being possible, and dubbed the ability ‘Bond Evolution’ opposed to ‘Mega Evolution’, but promised to keep the ability a secret from anyone not in his own very small scientific community, the last thing Ash needed was more world ending adventures, and scientists coming after him and Lucario. The Professor even had a special fake Key Stone and Mega Stone crafted so nobody would question Lucario ‘Mega Evolving’, Mega Lucario and AshLucario looked pretty similar after all, with the differences being miniscule, so hopefully nobody looked too closely. Battling against Korrina was something else. Because they were both stubborn and excited they had a full six on six battle, and it was brutal. Neither side wanted to give up, and the battle between Mega Lucario and AshLucario was the closest thing to war anyone had seen in a long time. The battle left not only the Lucario exhausted, but Ash and Korrina as well. It was a true miracle that Ash and Lucario won and it didn’t end up in a draw. The next day, since post battle Ash and Korrina were pretty much dead on their feet, Korrina presented Ash with the Rumble Badge, adding to his collection of FIghting Type Victories.

I wish everything went on normal, but then the Kalos Incident occurred. Destruction and Chaos reigned, and Ash was, of course, in the middle of it all. By some miracle, he made it out alive, as did all his friends and partners, but not without some scars, and a lot of thinking to do.

Clemont decided to take up his position of the Lumiose City Gym Leader again, with Bonnie going along to prepare for her own Journey in the coming years, while Serena was hopping on a plane to go to Hoenn, and Ash was returning home. He desperately wanted to see his mother, and possibly take a year long vacation. While Ash wished they all left on good terms, it was a bit more awkward than he would have liked.

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

Ash moved the moment he saw Serena lean in, stepping back and dodging her kiss with wide eyes. Blue eyes filled with hurt, and resigned understanding. “I’m sorry.” She said softly. “I thought maybe, after all this time traveling, you would finally like me but I guess not.”

Ash clenched his fists. “I’m sorry.” He apologized. “I’ve known for a while now; how you felt about me, but I don’t feel the same way.”

Serena’s face pinched with grief before she nodded. “I understand. I hope we can still be friends though.” She offered a timid smile, one Ash returned.

“We’ll always be friends, Serena.” He promised, waving goodbye as she stepped onto the escalator, waving back at him before vanishing into the crowd. Sighing, Ash ran a hand down his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. Lucario barked softly, resting his paw(hand?) on Ash’s shoulder, offering understanding. “Thanks Lucario.” Ash leaned into the touch just slightly before his phone buzzed in his pocket.

Without looking at the caller, Ash answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Ash, what are you doing right now?”

“Koichi-Sensei? I’m getting ready to go to the gate to board the plane back to Kanto. Why?” Ash’s brows furrowed in confusion.

”The Pokemon League relieved Sabrina from her position as Saffron City’s Gym Leader. Guess who they asked to take over?

“Thats awesome sensei! You have your Gym back!”

Koichi laughed heartily on the other side of the phone. ”The problem is, I’m too old now to run this gym on my own. I was wondering if you would be interested in being one of my Gym Trainers. I know its a lot to ask, you’re 15 and probably already planning your next adventure-”

Ash cut him off. “No, actually I was thinking about stay at home for a while.” He swallowed thickly. “I’d love to work in your gym with you Sensei! I think it’s just what we need right now. Right Lucario?”

“Cario!” Lucario barked in agreement.

“Besides, some of the best journeys happen at home right?”

Chapter Text

Ash never really had what most people would call a ‘healthy respect for danger’ or ‘self preservation’. It wasn’t that he had bad thoughts or anything of the like, he simply acted before he could properly think about what was happening to him. Rather it was sledding down a too steep hill, or rushing in to protect an Oddish from an angry Beedrill, Ash simply acted. Broken skin and bloodied knees were laughed off and then ignored. It would be concerning if the people around him weren’t used to it.

While he didn’t seem to care much for his own well being, Ash had a strong sense of justice and care for other people, and especially Pokemon. Which was how he, at 8 years old, found himself in such a dangerous, and eye opening predicament.

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Air rushed through Ash’s hair as he ran through the abandoned junkyard near Pallet Town, a panel of broken, bent aluminum awning in his hands. Not many people came to the old place unless they had to discard something they couldn't recycle, making the junkyard the perfect place to run around or find materials to make cool things; such as the awesome clubhouse Ash was in the middle of constructing. As it stood, the Clubhouse was a mess of discarded items crammed under a large tarp secured to a telephone pole and three nearby trees. Two large discarded wire spools were made into a ‘table’ and a ‘desk’, and a once torn sofa that Ash sewed up was situated in the far back, with a number of mismatched once broken chairs hastily fixed situated around the ‘table’ and ‘desk’, there were also quite a few milk crates scattered around under the tarp, overfilled with scraps of material that Ash could use at a later time if he needed them, and even an old Pokemon bed next to the couch that he stitched back up. He was planning on using the aluminum awning and two sawhorses to make a ‘kitchen counter’. He even had an ice chest filled with snacks and water he smuggled from home! All in all, while still looking like a pile of junk, Ash adored his clubhouse! Especially because nobody knew about it.

Gary and his friends were too chicken to go to the junkyard, afraid of the Poison Type Pokemon rumored to mull around, and as far as his mother knew, Ash was playing in the forest somewhere. He knew if anyone found out where he really was, they’d ban him, so while he never lied to them, he simply didn’t tell him where he was. He knew he probably should have been worried about the Poison Type Pokemon, but he simply wasn’t. They never bothered him, and he tried not to bother them. He made sure not to take anything from their piles, and they didn’t wreck his clubhouse. There were even a few Nedoran, Nedorino, Weezing, and Ekans that would sometimes visit him, sleeping on his sofa and Pokemon bed. Ash would babble at them and they would listen, sometimes following him around as he searched for more stuff. He even brought them Pokemon food to snack on.

“Koff Koffing!” Ash halted as the deep wheezing cry of Koffing came barreling towards him. The muted purple Pokemon was sweating with worry, tears in his slanted eyes and mouth twisted in a sad frown rather than his usual smile.

“Whats wrong Koffing?” Ash dropped the aluminum and turned fully to the Poison Gas Pokemon.

“Koff Koffing Koff Koffing!” Koffing demanded, nudging Ash’s shoulder in the direction he had come from. Ash easily obliged, running after Koffing as he led him deeper into the junkyard.

Eventually they came upon a gathering of different Pokemon, mostly Poison Types. In the center of it all was a young Ekans, coiled up on herself. Even from far away Ash could see the shivers that raked the little snake, and the pale hue to Eckans’ purple scales.

“Is she sick?” Ash asked as he walked closer, the Poison Type Pokemon parting for him to get closer. He reached out, intending to feel her head, when suddenly she struck. Ash flinched in surprise, wincing at the sharp, painful sting in his hand. A low rattling sound came from Ekans, warning him, and Ash cradled his hand, now marked with two precise tooth holes and dripping blood. The other Pokemon squaked in surprise, scolding the young snake Pokemon. “Stop that, shes sick.” Ash told them, cradling his hand in the other hand. Ekans peeked open her sharp yellow eyes, tongue flicking out to taste the air. “It’s just me, remember buddy?” Her forked tongue flicked at him again, and mournfully she stretched out her head, asking for forgiveness. “It’s alright.” He brushed off her concern, ignoring the way his hand started to swell a bit. “Come on, lets get you to Professor Oak’s lab.”

He reached out his hand again, and this time she let him touch her. She was ice cold in his arms, and he bundled her against him. It was not easy carrying her all the way back to town, and to the lab despite her being so young. She was still a six foot tall snake, and Ash was a tiny eight year old, but giving up wasn’t in Ash’s nature, especially when it came to Pokemon. When Ash arrived at the Laboratory, Professor Oak didn’t ask a single question, and instead motioned Ekans and him inside, rushing her to his equipment, where Ash set her down. Immediately, Professor Oak turned on the heat.

As Professor Oak fussed over Ekans, Ash sat down. He was tired, and his whole hand and wrist was hurting. Looking down, he saw his hand, bubbling up and swollen, and hot to the touch. He winced as he moved his arm, and that small movement caught Professor Oak’s attention. Worry colored the old man’s face and he scooped Ash up into his arms.

“Ash, were you bit?” He asked desperately.

“Yeah.” Ash admitted. “It’s just a tiny bite.”

“Come here, sit down, we need to get you some antvenom immediately!” Ash simply nodded, wincing when Professor Oak threw all his important papers to the floor so he could set Ash down on the desk before he scrambled to a nearby cabinet.

“Don’t you need those?” Ash asked, eyeing the fallen documents warily.

“I could care less about my research at the moment my boy, you are far more important!” Ash smiled at the thought, kicking his feet shyly. Professor Oak brightened as he came across a vile. “Luckily, that Ekans isn’t very old, so her venom isn’t as dangerous as it could be.” He poked a needle into the vile, before extracting it, and motioning for Ash’s arm. Ash easily handed him his arm, wincing at the poke, and the feeling of the ‘antivenom’ being pushed in. “Well done my boy.” The Professor praised, ruffling Ash’s hair fondly.

“What's ‘Antvenom’?” Ash asked, picking up the discarded vile, and reading ‘Ekans Antivenom’ on the label.

“It's something like an antidote.” Professor Oak explained, tending to Ekans now that Ash was seen to. “You see, special farmers milk Poison Type Pokemon, and with their venom or poison they can then make an antidote, or antivenom. The same can be said for plants, while on their own, some plants are poisonous, they can also be used to make medicines.”

“That's so cool!” Ash said in awe, brown eyes sparkling in a way that was usually reserved for Pokemon. “Science is so amazing!” Ash beamed.

Ash was by no means a genius in the typical sense, he struggled in school to even get average grades, and his teachers would even call him challenged, but he loved learning. He loved learning new things, and science was especially interesting to him. His strengths came in reading the people and Pokemon around him, while many thought he was oblivious or dense, he really wasn’t. He was good with emotions, not social cues per se, but he was good with picking up others' feelings and pulling the best out of them.

Professor Oak smiled over his shoulder at him, and grabbed an ice pack. On his way over to Ash, he also grabbed three books. “Here, these books can explain it better than I can.” He handed the books over, and pressed the ice pack into Ash’s hand.

“Can I really read these? Thanks Professor!” Ash beamed up at the man, happily taking the books. Because Ash was known as ‘challenged’ it wasn’t often that people would offer him books, especially books that were big, and heavy, since they thought he wouldn’t read them, or get anything useful from them, but Ash actually really loved reading, when he could sit still long enough to do so.

“Of course my boy, bring them back when you’re finished with them! I’ll go call your mother. Once Ekans is all better I’ll call you so you can take her back home.” Giving the boy a knowing wink, Professor Oak walked over to his telephone, and Ash immediately started reading, deciding not to think about how much he owed Professor Oak for not telling his mom where he hung out.

========

Delia was, admittedly, not the happiest with Ash's new interest. Oh she'd much rather her son read than swim down the river with the Poliwrath that lived nearby, but his reading content left much to be desired. She didn't like that he showed so much interest in poison. He was an eight year old boy, at best his interest in dangerous substances was odd, at worst it was downright terrifying, especially when one took notice of the Ekans that had started following him around, and the part of the garden he took over to grow Ivy, Autumn Crocus, Foxglove, and Nightshade. She wasn't the only one concerned either. Ash's classmates' parents, and teachers were concerned, and called Delia a handful of times, even setting him up with the school counselor. The counselor found nothing concerning about Ash's interests, but Delia couldn't help but worry.

If anyone had bothered to actually talk to Ash, or look at his reading material, they would realize Ash wasn't just interested in poison and venom, but medicine as a whole. Yes he read field guides on poisons, but he also read medical textbooks, and first aid handbooks. He was eight, so he didn't understand all of it, but it was interesting.

Ash wasn't ignorant about how the adults in his life felt about him however. And neither were the other kids. Kids weren't as stupid as adults seemed to think, they picked up on the shift of behavior, and because they were children, they emulated the behavior, becoming wary of Ash and his interests.

Professor Oak was probably the only one unbothered by Ash's interest. He did think his sudden interest was a little weird, but Ash was happy, and intrigued. He loved when Ash would ask him questions about what he read, and asked for new material. He loved when Ash had an idea of how to fix this or that, how he'd perk up with determination and drive. Honestly, Ash was pretty smart when he was interested in something, and the Professor liked to think that he learned just as much from Ash as Ash learned from him.

Ash didn't understand what the big deal was, but it didn't bother him too much either. He was more annoyed by the sudden shift than anything, maybe a little hurt by his mother's reaction, but otherwise remained unbothered. He simply stopped bringing his reading material home.

More than ever Ash was grateful for his clubhouse. It gave him a quiet place to read, and work without judgment. The Poison Pokemon were happy to give Ash examples of their abilities, and before long Ash was happily bonded with all the Pokemon in the junkyard. However, he had a special bond with Ekans. After he helped her Ekans had taken quite the shine to Ash, following him around as much as she could outside his school hours. Ash loved laying on his clubhouse sofa, Ekans stretched out on top of him as he read. Ash had always ran a little warmer than on average, and Ekans soaked the external heat up as much as she could. Ash even set up a fantastic basking area inside the clubhouse, made up of an old abandoned heating lamp and generator that Professor Oak helped him fix up.

Reading didn’t suddenly become his only personality trait though. Ash was still a ball of running energy. He still expanded his clubhouse, swam with Poliwrath, and raced Ponyta in the fields. He was a spit fire with way too much energy and his new love and interest in medicine and poison wouldn’t change that. He still adored Pokemon, and watched battles on the tv at night, he even started training Ekans, and the other Junkyard Pokemon. Ekans was young, so working with her was different than working with Nidoran and Nidorino or even Koffing, but that extra work made them even closer.

=======

Ash ran into the house, throwing his backpack into his room after removing a white plastic box before running back to the door, intent on going to his clubhouse to pick up Ekans. Everyone in class had gotten a mini first aid kit from their guest speaker, brought in as their class was ready to set off on their journeys in the coming months, and he was excited to poke through it with Ekans. Before he could leave though, his mother called him to a halt.

“Ash, come here for a moment.” Ash set the first aid kit down by the door and padded his way into the kitchen, where his mother sat at the table with a box in front of her. She smiled upon seeing him, almost giddy as she motioned to the seat across from her. “I have a gift for you that I want you to open before you go out to play.”

Ash blinked warily at the box, wrapped in cute Pikachu wrapping. Carefully he pulled apart the wrapping, revealing a nicely green and orange backpack. “Woah!” Ash said in awe, rubbing his thumb over the smoothe material.

“I got it for your journey! You can’t travel without a nice backpack!” Delia beamed at her son, missing the uncomfortable look that settled on his face.

“I’m-I’m not going on a journey mom.” Ash said after a moment, clearing his throat.

Delia stared at him like had suddenly evolved into a Doduo. “What do you mean?”

“Do you know Dr. Sucliff? They’re that medical doctor that travels to different regions and helps wherever they’re needed? Well I messaged them through Professor Oak about a theory of mine, they think its possible! They’re coming here to meet me! They said if I’m right we could help a lot of people!” Ash perked up the more he thought. “They offered me a place as their assistant! Assistant! Me! Can you believe that? Its not just my theory about Autumn Crocus being used for joint pain either! They think I’m onto something with my work with nightshade, that I’m right about it being used to help asthma-”

“When are you going to stop?” Delia asked in a sour tone. “Why are you suddenly so interested in this stuff? When are you going to go back to normal!”

Ash clenched his hands, ignoring how hurt his mothers words made him feel. “I am normal.” He grumbled. “I thought you would be proud of me! Don’t parents want their kids to be doctors and scientists and stuff?”

“Not when its so out of character for them! What about Pokemon? You always said you were going to be a Pokemon trainer!”

“I can still be a Pokemon Trainer! I specialize in Poisons and medicine! Poison Type Pokemon are perfect for my research!”

“Stop talking about research and Poison!” Delia huffed angrily and ran her hands over her face. “I just…I can’t understand you anymore.”

Ash bit his lip and stood up. “You can’t understand, because you don’t want to listen to me.” He muttered bitterly before turning around and leaving the house without another word, slamming the door as he went.

===

“Ekenssss?” Ekans looked up as Ash stormed into the clubhouse and collapsed on his sofa. She tilted her head in question, slithering out of her basking spot to check on him. Ash shifted onto his back, letting Ekans rest her head on his chest, tongue flickering in question. Ash didn’t say anything, mindlessly tracing her scale pattern as he thought.

===

Delia took the cup of tea from Samuel gratefully, taking a careful sip of the warm liquid. It had a nice bitter, hay-like flavor. The professor sat down across from her, taking his own sip of tea while he waited for her to start. Delia sighed, running her hands down her face. “I don’t know what to do anymore. I thought he would have grown out of this obsession when he stopped bringing those books home.” Samuel stayed quiet, and she continued. “He use to be so energetic, and wild, I would have done anything if he would have just slowed down for a moment, but now its like all he does is hide out who knows where reading who knows what.”

“Have you ever actually talked to the boy about what he's reading,” he continued before Delia could speak again. “Besides asking him to stop. I mean, sat down and try to understand what he was reading.”

“No.” Delia admitted, visibly wilting.

“Do you know what you’re drinking right now?” Delia shook her head, she knew it wasn’t the usual green tea, but that was all she knew of it. “It’s Autumn Crocus tea.” Startled, Delia stared down at the hot tea cup, sputtering for understanding. “Ash made it with some help from my Venusaur. Did you know if you ground it up a certain way it makes a lovely tea that can help with arthritis?”

“No.” The woman shook her head, warily running her hand over the cup.

Samuel clenched and unclenched his hands. “Neither did I.” He smiled wistfully. “I haven’t felt this young in a long time. Ash is the one who thought of it.” Delia blinked up at the older man in shock. “That boy is something, he's not a natural ‘genius’ like Gary, nor myself. He has to work ten times harder, but look what that work has pulled off! That boy is ten, and already a leading doctor is interested in him.” Samuel took her hands in his, giving her hand a firm squeeze. “You’re wrong about him, Ash might be more interested in medicine than he previously was, but he's just as rambunctious. Do you know where he is right now?” She shook her head. “He’s at the landfill, he has a clubhouse up there, and its pretty amazing. He has a table, and a couch, he made all that stuff by himself.” Samuel took a deep breath. “All I’m saying is to have more faith in the boy. It’s his life, and rather he goes on to be a medical scientist, or a Pokemon Master is up to him. He is capable, and I believe he can do it, but if you fight him on something that he really wants to do, you’re going to lose him.”

======

Ash didn’t return that night, having slept in the junkyard, cuddled under the Poison Type Pokemon on the sofa. When he returned home the next morning, he found the backpack sitting on the table still, with a wrapped up plate of food, a hot thermos, and a simple note. ‘Try your best out there sweety. -Mom’. In that moment, the hurt subsided, at least partially. He was still a little upset that she didn’t believe in him in the first place, but he felt more assured that he did get her support, and it wouldn’t go to waste.

On the day of Ash’s tenth birthday, he went to Professor Oak’s lab, and registered as a Pokemon trainer. While he wasn’t going to capture the gym circuit just yet, he loved battling in his off time, and he would need Pokemon for his research. The Professor pulled some strings, and somehow convinced Ekans to let him catch her to surprise him as Ash’s first Pokemon.

Not going on a ‘real journey’ did have some drawbacks however, like Ash having to stay in school. Despite him being trained by Dr. Sucliff, he still had to attend normal classes. It was annoying at best, as most teachers and students were still wary of him, even knowing he wanted to go into the medical field. He still added Pokemon to his though, of course.

On top of catching Weezing, Nidorina and Nidorino, and Zubat, some of Ash’s best friends growing up, he also added Muk, a sweet, lovable Pokemon that loved hugs and snuggles, as well as a Gloom, a rather shy but buff Pokemon that bonded with rather quickly, resulting in his smell no longer bothering him. All his Pokemon were crucial to his work. Ekans especially, as he learned how to milk her for venom, giving him lots of help in his work in making faster acting antvenom.

When Ash was 12, a bit of a problem surfaced. The Mayor of Pallet Town wanted to get rid of the landfill. Since Ash did most of his work there, and he knew so many Pokemon lived and dwelled in the area, he of course protested against it. With the back up of Professor Oak, and Dr. Sculiff, he was able to convince the Mayor that the area was crucial for medical research and Pokemon sustainability. It took a lot of meetings, petition, and paperwork, but eventually the Mayor caved, so long as Ash constructed a proper fence around the property so no children wandered in and got hurt. Ash decided not to comment on that. Instead, he did as told, building a sturdy fence around the area that only Pokmeon could come and go into while keeping people out. Ash even became friends with a wild Pikachu that happily helped run security so long as Ash fed him.

On his 14th birthday, Ash was surprised with his very own lab being built next to the landfill. Ash still preferred hanging out in his clubhouse, but having an actual lab for all his work and theories helped a lot, and the Pokemon liked going inside when it was too cold out, especially Ekans, who fully moved into the lab, getting her own large basking area, big enough for her to bask in even when she evolved into an Arbok, which happened very soon after they officially moved in.

Speaking of, Ash’s life wasn’t void of battle either. Plenty of trainers came across his lab, asking for a battle, and Ash was happy to indulge them, leveling up his Pokemon and making quite the name for himself.

By the time Ash was 15, he was considered one of the leaders of Poison Research, and built a name for himself in that regard. He was short in stature, and slightly pale with all his time serpent researching, despite how much he really spent outdoors, and his hair was long, spikey and black as always but cascading down his back in a way that made Ash have to tie it up. It was concerning, not only to his mother, but Professor Oak as well. The line was drawn when the Professor came to family dinner one week and saw the deep black circles under Ash’s eyes. At that moment, he asked Ash to do a favor for him. He asked Ash to go out and catch more Poison Type Pokemon for research, to make friends and go on a journey, at least short enough for him to get his health back up. Because Ash owed the Professor so much, he agreed.

Ash only took Arbok, Muk, and Gloom with him, and started his journey with Gary, which shocked most people. Ash and Gary’s friendship had slowly mended over the years, as Gary faced his first losses, and wins, and grew into a respectable young trainer. He didn’t understand why Ash was so amazed by medicine, and research, but he liked listening to Ash talk about it, and Ash himself liked listening to Gary’s stories of his adventures.

Before they took off to Unova, where Gary was going to start another journey, they took a quick trip around Kanto so Ash could meet Misty, Brock, May, and Dawn. He had met them a few times before, but they were short minute or two long conversations before they had to say goodbye. Misty was the Cerulean Gym Leader, she was a fiery redhead according to Gary, but all Ash saw was a polite teenage girl that had a crush on Gary, much to Ash’s enjoyment. Ash got along with Brock the most, he was actually planning to go to medical school in Sinnoh, but had come home to see his family before the semester started. He and Ash shared a lot of common interests, despite Ash liking Poison and Medicine and Brock liking the general Health and Care of Pokemon. May and Dawn were a lot, they were excitable and easily amazed, though May was more mature, if food driven, and Dawn was simply awestruck and reminded Ash of an excited little sister. Ash liked Gary's friends, and was admittedly a bit flustered after they told him they were his friends as well.

After meeting with Gary;s friends, the two boys were off to Unova. Ash was a bit frazzled from culture shock, but language had always been the one thing that came relatively easy to Ash, outside of general emotion in other people. In Unova, they Met Cilan, a very energetic Pokemon Connoisseur, and Iris, a young girl with big dreams and a lot of snark in her little body. Clilan, Ash could deal with, he was excited about a lot of things and was seemingly sheltered a lot of his life, in Ash’s opinion, as long as Cilan could gabber his heart away whenever something caught his interest, he was tolerable. Iris, on the other hand, didn’t seem to know when she went too far, she picked fights for no reason and was constantly getting on Gary’s and Ash’s nerves, calling them kids when she was, in fact, younger than them. Ash couldn’t help but feel like she was looked over a lot, and acting out was how she got attention, so he tried to give her as much of his attention as he could, which actually seemed to calm her down a lot. Unova wasn’t just filled with Gym Battles and watching over his travel mates though, Ash caught a fair bit of Pokemon. While they weren’t permanent to his team, Ash caught a Venipede(later evolved to a Whirlpede, and Scolipede) to send back to the lab, their venom was very potent, and Ash was immediately in love. He did, however, add a cute little Trubbish to his team, that was sweet, and caring, and loved cuddles just as much as Muk did. Eventually, Ash was able to evolve her into Garboder, who was then big enough to pick Ash up all on her own, much to his enjoyment.

After going home to Kanto, Gary almost immediately wanted to go to Kalos. Ash barely had time to unpack and repack before his brunette friend was kicking his lab door down and all but abducting him onto a plane to Kalos. Kalos was different from Unova, some in a good way, some in a bad way. Bonnie, and Clemont were, in one word, adorable, in Ash’s opinion. He was only a year or two older, but Clemont’s blind enthusiasm for science and his inventions was refreshing, and in some ways grounding, because Ash was the exact same way. They could bond over the scientific field, even if their interests and practices were different. Bonnie was an absolute angel, she could get a little annoying at times, but she was so playful and brimming with enthusiasm for all things Pokemon that Ash really didn’t mind. Gary was a bit amused that Ash had apparently ‘adopted them’, but Gary was just as fond of the two siblings so Ash ignored him, while very maturely sticking his tongue out at him. Serena was something of an annoyance, at least at first. Ash could barely remember her from one of the many summer camps he had attended, and somehow him helping her out once when they were four or five, resulted in her ‘falling in love’ with him. Ash was 100% aware that she was in love with the idea of him, the ideal she built up in her head about a chivalrous guy that would always protect her, and to some extent, sure, Ash would willingly protect all of his friends, but he wasn’t what Sereana had imagined, and it became very clear very quickly. Her crush on him lasted maybe two months while they traveled before turning to dust. Ash much preferred this, she didn’t have to stress herself out while being around him, and when her interest in Showcases came forward she was able to fully focus on that. Outside of social drama, the journey was more or less cut and dry. Gary had become enamored with the idea of Mega Evolution, especially when he found out Blastoise could mega evolve. The group of five spent an entire day searching for Blastoisinite for them, but it was ultimately Blastoise that found it in Lumiose’s Stone Emporium. Getting a Keystone was a bit more of a hassle, but eventually he was able to acquire one, turning it into a necklace, while getting the Mega Stone turned into a bracelet band for Blastoise’s hand(paw?). Not just Gary and Blastoise, but Serena, Braixien, and Pancham and even Clemont and Bonnie, worked hard, practicing and working until the sun started to set. It was inspiring, especially for someone like Ash who was a hard worker by nature. Ash wasn’t aiming for the Kalos league like Gary, or planning to star in Showcases like Sereana, or even become a better Gym Leader like Clemont, but Ash wanted to help. He helped them with critique, or as a battle partner, mixing up medicine for their fatigue, and cooking up well balanced, healthy meals. Ash even added a very special Pokemon to his team, Dragalge. Dragalge was more versatile than his other Pokemon, she was a bit grumpy, and standoffish, but Ash adored her, and not just because her specific brand of Poison and Venom was so unique. It took Ash a while to really gain her trust, and she spit poison at him more times than he could count, but eventually she came to adore him as well, and even the rest of the team, though she’d never admit it. Ash even added a Foongus onto his team, the tiny mushroom being full of potential, especially once he eventually evolved into Amoonguss, giving him a full team for the first time in a while. The full team was definitely needed due to the Kalos Incident, of which neither Ash nor Gary liked thinking about for too long. Saying goodbye to their Kalos friends was difficult, they faced so many challenges together in their year of travel, and they became so close after everything they had been through together. In the end, Serena went to Hoenn, Clemont and Bonnie went back to Lumiose Gym, and Ash and Gary were headed back to Kanto.

Luckily, the next adventure Ash was forced encouraged to go on, didn’t happen as suddenly. Gary was taking a bit of a break in Pallet for two months to decompress and rest after all the craziness. Ash took this time to analyze and introduce Dragalge and Amoonguss to the rest of the lab and junkyard Pokemon. Amoonguss loved it all, Dragalge not so much. Ash ended up making plans to add a special pool for Dragalge, and any other water bound Poison Types he acquired over time. But the construction would take 12-16 weeks, much to Dragalge’s eerie. To hold Dragalge over until the pool was finished, Ash planned, what was supposed to be, a short vacation to Alola, something his mother, Professor Oak, who had to go there regardless, and Gary all jumped at.

In Alola Ash met one of his many Soul Pokemon: Alolan Muk. Ash was in scientific heaven after catching the multicolored Muk, nicknamed Alo for convenience. Alo was just as kind as Muk, but less touchy feely, and more quiet, and he absolutely adored his Kantonian brother, a sentiment that Muk shared. Alo was also kind of in love with Garboder, something he was momentarily concerned about before deciding it was probably okay, so long as Alo didn’t try to eat her. Ash compared the different poison makeup between Muk and Alo almost immediately, so engrossed in his research that he almost forgot that he was supposed to be on vacation. Luckily, Delia, Professor Oak, and Gary were there to confiscate his travel science kit and order him to have fun. Alola was fun of course, Ash loved riding on Dragalge’s back through the warm waves, and sunbathing on the beach with Arbok and Gloom, and of course catching every native Poison Type he could find, and spending as much time as he could with them. Also, actually getting more than a few hours of sleep since he was forbidden from research.

By the time it was time to go home however, Gary decided to stay. He had made friends with a group of students in the nearby school and wanted to stick around to attend school with them. Gary even dragged Ash along, forcing him to stay with him in Alola so he wasn’t completely alone. Ash begrudgingly agreed as long as he could have his travel science kit back, and didn’t have to attend classes, since technically he had already graduated. The local Professor was kind enough to house the two 17 year olds, and while Gary was at school, Ash conducted his research, starting with the difference between Muk and Alo’s genetic and poisonous makeup. He even stayed with a group of wild Muk and Grimer for a week, seeing how they reacted to his Kantonian Muk, and getting adopted into their little pod. Like with most people, the people of Alola thought Ash was weird. Traveling around for a few years gave Ash a bit more color to his skin, but he was still thin and short, and his wild hair and the bruises under his eyes were worse than ever, and it wasn’t every day that they saw a 17 year old boy lazily resting against a giant Arbok as two Muk lounge easily against him as if they were Meowth and not giant globs of Poison. Gary’s friends were also kind of wary, since Ash was working on a research paper he couldn’t really hang out with the kids as much as Gary had wanted him to, making something of a barrier between them. Mallow loved his Gloom, and Lana really like his Dragalge, though the feelings weren’t shared, but Kaiwe didn’t understand what Ash was doing, Sopheclies was a snot nosed brat that didn’t like Ash because Ash liked a different brand of science than he did, and Lily was afraid of Pokemon, and since Ash usually had at least Arbok out, she was scared to get too close. Ash wasn’t completely alone of course, Principle Oak had become rather fond of Ash, mostly because Ash always laughed at his puns, and Professor Kukui was rather interested in Ash’s work, Ash even made friends with someone around his age, Gladion. Gladion was prickly, a bit of a mix between arrogant and self-deprecating, it annoyed him that he couldn’t get a rise out of Ash, and somehow that turned into a tentative friendship. Since Ash was so busy with his work, he wasn’t aware that Gary had signed him up for the new Alola Pokemon League until he was called down for his first match. Gary had grinned cheekily at him and Ash started planning his revenge. Because it was so new in the region, pretty much anyone could sign up until they had the gym/island situation figured out. Ash had no idea how he managed to become Alola’s first ever Champion, he was tried from multiple allnighters and was honestly half asleep for every single one of his matches, but somehow he was called the victor at the end of the league. Gary was just as flabbergasted, as he had honestly just wanted to mess with his friend, and had assumed Ash would have lost to Kiawe or Gladion along the way, he didn’t expect to be beaten by a half asleep Ash and his Arbok. Gary wasn’t mad at Ash, that would be stupid, he was just very surprised and a bit starstruck, and also a bit terrified by the glare Ash sent his way. Ash, however, was very pissed, because not only did he have an entire lab to run, but now he was a champion to a region thousands of miles away that he had to do the paperwork for. Kukui came to his rescue, promising Ash he didn’t have to worry about doing too much for at least a year, since the league was still new and there was a lot of things the Kahuna’s had to sort through.

Returning to Kanto was a breath of fresh air. Gary was a bit on edge around Ash, waiting for retaliation, and that was just what Ash wanted. He was going to leave Gary worried for when Ash would get his revenge, and once Gary let his guard down, bam! But that would be at a later time, because Ash had to revise his research paper and send it in for review before it was posted, meaning he locked himself in his lab for approximately four days without leaving.

After Alola though Ash decided he was done traveling, at least for a few years unless he had a conference, had something he absolutely had to go to, or had to go to Alola to deal with whatever was happening over there. His research on the different makeup between Alolan and Kantonian Muk was well received, and seemingly overnight Ash Ketchum became a household name, at least in scientific households. After only a few months Ash was visited by Professor Oak, who had a little surprise for him.

=========

bang bang bang

Ash jolted slightly. He hadn’t been sleeping, obvious by the deep bags that bruised under his eyes, but he had been immersed in the latest data he had acquired and the harsh knocking snapped him out of it. Squinting at his clock, Ash blearily made out the red 2:38pm and yawned.

“I missed lunch.” He grumbled with a yawn, stretching back in his chair. “Muk can you-” Before he could finish the sentence, the blobby Pokemon had already opened the lab door, letting a slightly ruffled Professor Oak into the lab.

“Ash my boy!” Professor Oak beamed as soon as he laid eyes on the younger man. “Have you had lunch yet?”

Ash stood up and pet Muk thankfully before turning to the older man. “Not yet, why?”

“Come join me for a late lunch!” Ash could only stumble as the Professor grabbed his arm, pulling him out the door with haste.

“Gah! Wait a minute! I’m still in my lab coa-you are 58 how are you so strong!” Ash yelped and struggled, not hurt but frantic. “Arbok!”

“Charbok!” A harsh hiss halted Professor Oak in his tracks, making him look up. Brown eyes met the sharp yellow and orange patterns on her hood, causing him to freeze in fear, as if he were paralyzed.

Ash sighed in relief, swiftly changing out of his labwear and putting on a more casual black vest that contrasted well against his plain white button up. “Alright, now we can go.” Ash walked past them, tapping Arbok once on the head. She lowered her head, butting it against his chin and freeing the Professor from his daze.

Professor Oak shook his head. “No matter how many times I see that, it's still terrifying.” He sighed good naturedly. “I’m sorry about that lad, I was very excited.”

“For some lunch?” Ash asked dryly, leaning into Arbok as she rested her head on his.

“Very funny!” Professor Oak huffed airily, leading him closer to town. “What are you in the mood for?”

Ash tilted his head in thought. “I’m not picky today.” He shrugged, only for his stomach to growl loudly.

Professor Oak narrowed his eyes at the younger man. “When was the last time you ate?”

Ash innocently looked away, hesitating as he thought. “Yesterday, at Lunch?” Arbok hissed in disagreement. “Yesterday at breakfast?” She grumbled in agreement

The Professor sighed. “You need to start remembering to eat my boy. You can’t do anything if you pass out from hunger.” He scolded as they arrived at the restaurant, more of a diner really, ushering to Ash to sit down quickly as he alerted the waiter. Arbok dutifully coiled herself up next to Ash, laying her head on his lap. “Order as much as you want, whatever you don’t eat, take home for later.” He ordered.

“Sir yesh shir!” Ash fake saluted, fighting back a yawn that still forced itself out.

“Let me guess, you haven’t slept either?” The Professor sighed. “Honestly, what am I going to do with you? Do I have to borrow a Hypno for you to get a healthy sleep schedule?”

“What's a sleep schedule?” Ash joked, only to get another scolding look.

Deciding not to press his luck, Ash ordered three different meals and a large black coffee, and a bowl of Pokemon food for Arbok. All the Pokemon in the lab were fed by a dispenser Ash made, set on a timer to feed them at specific times. Pokemon didn’t eat the same as humans, some only needed to eat weekly, like Arbok, but others needed to eat hourly, or daily, or every other day, it depended on the Pokemon species, and their activity and health level really.

Once their food arrived, and Ash started eating under the Professor’s critical eye, the Professor finally brought up the reason he had needed to talk to Ash. “Well my boy, the reason I came today was to give you this.” Professor Oak pulled out a pristine white letter with a golden wax seal and gold lettering.

Wiping his hands on a napkin, Ash took the letter, freezing. “Is-Is this what I think it is?” He stammered, swallowing his mouthful with haste.

“You have officially been invited to this year's Scientific Gala!” Professor Oak beamed, his old eyes shining with pride. “The committee has been interested in your papers for a while now if I’m honest, and this latest paper has really gotten their attention. Steven Stone and especially Professor Rowan are excited to meet you, if you come of course. I understand if you’re too busy.”

“I could never be too busy for this!” Ash denied. The Scientific Gala was a Gala held once at the end of each year, where only the best scientists in all the regions got together. It was a great place to network, and get grants or even partnerships with other scientists, to connect with your community and make friends and allies with peers. Ash knew his papers and medical research was well received, but he never guessed he’d ever be invited to such a place. Eyes shining like brown zircon crystals, the young man gazed at the invitation in his hands, his chest warm with achievement. Looking down, he ran his hand over Arbok’s head with great care and love, who would have guessed that getting bit by an Ekans when he was eight would lead to such a thing!

Samuel smiled warmly at the young man across from him as he beamed and celebrated. To him, Ash was his second Grandson, and perhaps his successor. Years ago if you had asked him who would become the regional Professor after himself, he would have answered Gary. But no the boys pulled one over on him, Gary was a renowned Pokrmon Trainer, and Ash was a top Medical and Poison Researcher. In a way, he worried about Ash taking over the responsibility from him, afterall the boy had trouble remembering to eat and even sleep, and he was the Champion of Alola, rather or not he wants to be so, but Samuel wasn’t so old that he would be retiring soon, and Ash was still just a young man, Samuel, hopefully, had many years of life left, and he was certain that by the time he does retire, that Ash will be ready for the position.

Chapter Text

The day Ashura ‘Ash’ Avenir* was born, Olympia was full of emotion. Oh most mothers are; overcome with love for the child they brought into the world, and fear that somehow they would mess up and lead to the fall of their own child. It was an onslaught of emotion, until she finally got to hold him. He was so small, his skin a lovely olive color, and tiny wisps of hair as black as the void, blending right in with the galaxy patterned baby blanket he was wrapped in.

Gently, Olympia rubbed her thumb over her son’s cheek, right over the lightning bolt pattern that he had inherited from his father. Before she could move her hand away, Olympia’s body seized. Her mind was suddenly flooded by visions, of a child fighting alongside mew against an odd Pokemon, of the same child running across the ice while the Kanto Elemental Birds fought over head, of the same child running from an Entei, of the same child playing with a Celebi, and the visions continued, one after the other, of a child fighting a legendary Pokemon, or fighting alongside one. In the final vision, Kalos was alight with crisis, and the boy turned towards her, on his cheeks were very familiar lighting shaped marks.

The woman gasped as she came out of her visions, wide violet eyes turning to stare at her child. Fear coursed through her, and Olympia pulled the infant closer. The attendant that stood nearby watched her, her eyes clouded with worry, because she knew what Olympia having a vision looked like.

“Are you alright Ma’am?” She asked gently, eyeing the baby with newfound skepticism.

Olympia ran a hand over her face, and grabbed a glass of water that was offered to her. “Yes.” She said before staring back down at her son. Her son was going to be something great, that wasn’t something she ever doubted, but she hoped his life wouldn’t be clouded with too much pain.

SixYears Later

Olympia watched her son as he played quietly outside the Anistar Gym, his Pichu sitting eloquently on his head while her Meowstic followed after him, along with a wild Fennekin that had one day just appeared. She frowned as she watched Fennekin trip and fall, but the frown melted away as Ash immediately ran to it, picking it up and checking it for injury. Her son was the kindest, brightest child she had ever met, it was a shame nobody else saw him like she did.

The assistant that had been with her the night of Ash’s birth had spread that Olympia had an Omenic Vision as soon as she held her son. Olympia, obviously, immediately denied such a notion, and the assistant was promptly punished, but rumor had already begun to circulate. No matter how many times Olympia tried to deny that her son was an Omen, it didn’t change the close minded opinions of the other people in the gym.

The gym trainers were not abusive, or rude to Ashura, Arceus knew Olympia would never allow such a thing, but they whispered behind his back, and shot looks at him. Even outside the Anistar Gym word had spread. Again, nobody hurt or belittled Ash, but that was more because they respected Olympia, they still whispered behind his back. And children noticed. If their parents didn’t warn them against being Ash’s friend, the kids more or less decided to keep their distance anyway due to how everyone else reacted.

It was heartbreaking, seeing her young son wilt when he couldn’t make friends. And slowly, he even stopped talking. He talked to her, Valerie, Laverre City’s Gym Leader, and Alain, Professor Sycamore’s Assistant, if nobody else was around, and she knew he talked to the Pokemon, but whenever anyone else was around, he would fold in on himself and fall silent.

He knew KASL(Kalosian Sign Language), well, actually he knew almost every region’s version of Sign Language. Despite only being six, he was oddly good at languages. He just absorbed language up like a sponge, be it the spoken, written, or signed word. Regardless, communication other than verbal wasn’t a problem, but Olympia hated that her son didn’t feel safe enough to talk around other people. As a mother, it was devastating, because she didn’t know what to do.

She had tried to send him to Professor Oak’s Camp in Kanto, but while he went without fight, Professor Oak told her that Ash hadn’t made any friends, apparently his grandson, Gary, had tried for a while, but had gotten angry when Ash wouldn’t respond, and there was one girl that he had helped back to camp after she fell, but it hadn’t gone farther than that. He did befriend a wild Pichu that he had begged her to keep, but that was as far as it went.

Olympia rested her head against the window’s glass, sighing at the cool feeling against her skin. She watched Ash direct Fennekin’s Ember and Pichu’s Thunder Shock, smiling slightly at the bright smile on his face. After Pichu used Thunder Shock without injuring himself, he jumped joyously into Ash’s arms, who spun Pichu around with a bright giggle. His giggle gave way to a startled gasp as Pichu’s body started to glow. Olympia stared in awe as Pichu evolved into Pikachu, her mind flooding with memories of her son’s future, always with a Pikachu on his shoulder.

A sudden idea sprung into the woman’s head. She couldn’t change her son’s future, but she could make sure that he was prepared for what was to come. To do that, he needed a team, and training. She would not let her son wander through his treacherous future without the support and strength he needed.

Turning on heel, Olympia headed down the stairs and outside. As soon as she stepped foot outside, her son’s head flung up. He had a huge grin splintering across his face, with Pikachu hugged to his chest, and Fennekin clinging to his head. He ran up to her, and proudly presented Pikachu to her. “Look! Look! Pichu evolved into Pikachu!” He squeaked, his voice weak with disuse.

“I know, I was watching.” She leaned down and picked Ash up, resting him on her hip. “Ashura,” her son tilted his head, much like a Fennekin. “You want to be a Pokemon trainer, don’t you?”

Ash nodded firmly. “Wanna be a Psychic master like mom.” He admitted shyly, and Olympia rested her forehead against his.

“How about we get an early start then?” Ash’s face twisted in confusion. “Should nothing else happen, I plan to pass the Anistar gym to you when you’re older, therefore, you are allowed to become a Pokemon Trainer to prepare for it. You can’t go on a journey until you’re of age, but you can start building your team and do at home training.” Immediately, Ash’s face lit up. “You will have to go to school, you will have to be prepared for paperwork after all, but I do think getting a head start on your team will do you some good.”

Ash bobbed his head up and down excitedly, opening his mouth to say something, until he glanced over her shoulder. His form went stiff, his face turned sorrowful, and his head bowed. Pikachu shifted in his arms, as if blocking Ash from something, and Fennekin growled lowly. Turning her head, Olympia glared at the two Gym Trainers that stood nearby, watching Ash with thinly veiled disgust. When they saw Olympia glaring at them, their faces colored red and they got back to work. Olympia rubbed circles onto Ash’s back, and raised her cape to shield her son while heading back inside the gym.

“Sorry.” He said in a heartbreaking whisper.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Olympia said firmly, kissing his forehead.

“Ma’am!” A voice yelled as they entered the gym, with one of the Gym trainers, Carrie, running up, completely ignoring Ash as she addressed her. “I was worried when I couldn’t find you! You have a challenger.”

Olympia nodded dismissively. “I want you to watch my match closely, okay?” Ash perked up and nodded.

“Uh but Ma’am-” Carrie started to protest, but Olympia’s stern look caused her to fall silent.

======

Within the week, Olympia had the paperwork for Ash to carry Pokemon filled out. Pikachu was of course transferred over, and Fennekin was caught soon thereafter. For the most part, aside from his school classes, Ash mostly shadowed his mother, soaking up everything he could as he watched her diplomacy and elegance in everything she did.

Because he was shadowing her, Ash was required to have ‘official clothes’, essentially just a nicer outfit used for appearances and Pokemon battles. His outfit was designed by Vallerie, who dressed Ashura in a black short suit with a white button up, and black leggings underneath, and black heel-less boots(a/n think Ceil Phantomhive). The outfit had a few silver accent ribbons, and a bowtie, with a silver capelet that fell over the shoulder, and galaxy pattern internal lining. Because it was Ash, Vallerie included a nice pair of fingerless gloves, ones that hugged Ash’s hands with a pleasant weight that helped ebb away the boy’s anxiety.

Along with just basic shadowing, Olympia made sure Ash knew all the ins and out of Psychic Pokemon. Preferred food, snacks, general health, what kind of mind puzzles and exercises they needed. As well as what every Psychic Move, and Ability was and what it did. They covered strengths, weaknesses, and neutrals, and even skimmed through the Pokedex so Ash could familiarize himself with every Psychic Type they knew about, inside, and outside Kalos.

One of the obvious worries about Ash being a Pokemon trainer in general was his inability to speak in unfamiliar situations, and around unfamiliar people. As a Gym Leader, or even on his Journey, he would come in contact with so many unfamiliar people and places, so how would he call out moves and strategy? Olympia was relieved that Ash wanted to work with Psychic Types. Truth be told, any trainer could communicate non verbally with any Pokemon, it just took work, patience, and an unshakable bond, but with Psychic Type Pokemon, it was slightly easier because of Telepathy.

When most people think of Telepathy, they think People and Pokemon could speak deliberately, and while that was possible depending on the Pokemon and their own ability, that wasn’t always the case. A lot of the time Telepathy between Psychic Type and Trainer was sent in image, pushing Images back and forth between their minds, while the Trainer could give full commands, most Pokemon responded by sending a picture of their point of view.

Ash himself was already a special case. He was very intune with the natural world and Pokemon in particular. Pokemon in general were drawn to him, even wild Pokemon would come out of the woodwork to spend time with Ash. Ash specialized in connecting with the Pokemon around him, sometimes in dangerous and unconventional means.

Due to these factors, while not easy by any means, it was possible for Ash to direct his Pokemon without speaking a word to them. It was especially spectacular because Ash’s Pokemon were not Psychic Types, at least not as they currently were. Pikachu was a pure Electric Type, and Fennekin was a pure Fire Type, yet Ashura could battle with them after only a few months of work.

Ash’s first Psychic Type was Espurr, who he caught when he was seven. Fennekin had since evolved into Braixen, and Olyimpia had taken Ash with her in search of more Pokemon for his team. Espurr had been left behind in an old abandoned house after her clan of Meowstic and Espurr moved territory. Espurr has been left behind because she was a bit smaller than she should have been. Small as she was though, she was very powerful, and after a battle with Braxien, Espurr was added to Ash’s roster.

Olympia didn’t take Ash out Pokemon searching too often, she still wanted him to meet Pokemon on his journey after all, but sometimes things happened. Such as, the trip to Galar that Olympia had to go on, and thus she brought Ash along. She hadn’t expected her son to just wander off in the Glimwood Tangle, and clairvoyant as she was, even she got turned around in the dark, bioluminescent forest. When she finally found Ash, he was riding on the back of a young Ponyta through the dark forest, joyously oblivious of the panic he put his mother through.

===

Ash looked around in awe as he ventured deeper into the Glimwood Tangle. He could hear the giggles of Impadimp in the foliage, and the faint rustling of leaves. Pikachu, who sat dutifully on his head, chirped in awe, black tipped ears twitching around.

A particularly loud rustle in the bushes broke Ash out of his trance, causing him to turn around, but his mother was nowhere to be seen. Maybe Ash should have been scared, being alone in an unfamiliar barely lit forest despite it being day, but some inkling in the back of his mind told him he was safe. So, Ash ventured forward, specifically towards the rustling foliage.

Ash he pushed away the grass, a long white face popped out from the grass. From the look in the Pokemon’s violet eyes, they were just as surprised to see Ash as Ash was to see them. Ash blinked slowly at them, and the unfamiliar Pokemon tilted their head in return. For some reason, as the Pokemon’s eyes met his, Ash felt like his soul was being peered into, like they could see every part of his being. It made Ash slightly uncomfortable, the word ‘omen’ bubbling in his head the longer he was scrutinized by the Pokemon. Finally, the Pokemon broke eye contact, seemingly satisfied with whatever they found out, and reached forward, touching Ash’s nose with their own. A giggle built up in Ash’s throat and he reached out, petting them gently on their jaw before stepping away.

With little trouble, the Pokemon exited the tall grass, and Ash was finally able to see them properly. They were a small horse Pokemon, with beautiful snow white fur and fluffy lavender and blue mane and tail. From their head sprouted a small purple horn, making Ash realize that they were a Ponyta.

“Pika Pikachu!” Pikachu waved his paw at the new Pokemon excitedly, getting a joyous whinny in return.

“Nice to meet you Ponyta.” Ash mumbled shyly, gulping down the knot that formed in his throat everytime he even thought of speaking.

“Neey!” Ponyta neighed enthusiastically, tail flicking high, and ears forward.

Pikachu let out a happy cry and jumped off Ash’s head to run around with Ponyta. Ash watched them run around together for a few minutes until Pikachu ran up, patted his leg, and took off running, Ponyta trotting close behind. Spluttering slightly, Ash took off after them. “No fair! I didn’t know we were playing tag!” He pouted.

Ash chased after the Pokemon, but just as he was about to catch Ponyta, he tripped on a long twisting branch, resulting in him falling face first into the ground. “Pika Pi?” Pikachu chirped worriedly, as Ponyta trotted forward.

Ash slowly pushed himself up, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “I’m okay.” He promised, but not a moment later a small stream of blood trickled from his nose.

Ponyta reached out, sniffing at Ash’s injury before closing their eyes. Ash and Pikachu stared dumbfounded as the horn on Ponyta’s head started to glow a soft yellow, and it’s mane developed matching yellow stripes. Ponyta bowed their head, and touched the tip of its horn to Ash’s nose. In seconds, the pain in his nose melted away, and the blood stopped flowing. Ponyta pulled away, and the yellow light faded.

“Wow…” Ash murmured in awe, wiping the bloody residue away. “You’re amazing Ponyta!” Ash chirped, and flung his arms around Ponyta’s neck in a hug.

“Nyta!” Ponyta stomped a hoof proudly, because yes, yes he is amazing! When Ash pulled away, Ponyta turned his side to Ash and Pikachu, jerking his head towards them.

Ash could only furrow his brows, but Pikachu leapt onto Ponyta’s back with a cheerful tail wave. Before Ash could question what Ponyta wanted, a vision flashed in his head, of him riding on Ponyta’s back through the Tangle. Ash shivered as the feeling went away, still not quite used to the feeling of getting images from his Pokemon, as Espurr was really the only one that could do so at the moment. Still, with excitement festering in his chest, Ash pulled himself up onto Ponyta’s back, carefully grabbing onto their Mane while Pikachu lept up onto his shoulder, nuzzling their cheeks together. Ponyta glazed back at them before rearing up and taking off.

Ash’s giggles and barks of laughter echoed through the Glimwood Tangle, accompanied by Pikachu’s. Ponyta easily leapt over branches and streams, wildly galloping through the brush. Nearby Impidimp, and Morgrem watched and cackled as they rode by while Indeedee watched on with tilted heads.

“Ashura!” Ash looked up as he heard his name, gently patting Ponyta’s neck for them to come to a stop. Looking around, Ash grinned as he saw his mother. Before he could say anything though, he was in his mother’s arms as she hugged him and cupped his face. “You should not wander off like that.” She said sternly, and Ash cringed.

“Sorry.” He murmured softly. He really hadn’t meant to worry her, he had just felt the need to venture further into the Tangle.

His mother sighed, and gave him a small smile. “Just be careful, I do not want to lose you.” Ash nodded his head, anxiously looking behind her where their accompanying Gym Trainers stood. Charlene was the only one that looked just as worried as his mother.

Ash turned away, running his hands through Ponyta’s thick cotton candy like mane. Ponyta looked at the Gym Trainers warily before turning their head away from them.

“We have to get to Ballonlea soon.” Charelene said to Olympia, looking at her watch.

The older woman nodded. “Come on Ash, we have an appointment.”

Ash wordlessly nodded his head. It felt like his throat was closed, like something was blocking his vocal cords so he couldn’t speak. The eyes of the Gym Trainers felt heavy, like they were judging every part of him. The stares felt hot, and Ash couldn’t help but wonder what they were saying about him. Ash’s chest felt tight, his air limited, and he just wanted to hide behind his mother.

As Ash shakily dismounted Ponyta, he ran his hand down their side in a silent ‘Goodbye’. Pikachu frowned, glaring vehemently at the trainers while jumping onto Ash’s shoulder, applying a gentle pressure while also blocking them from seeing Ash’s face. However, when Ashura turned to follow after his mother, he was held back. Ponyta bit onto Ash’s capelet, stopping him from going forward. Ash glanced at them, confused as his mind was flooded with images of Ash on Ponyta’s back again. Ash could only shake his head, squeezing his hands in a rhythmic way as he tried to explain that he couldn’t play any more, but the words just wouldn’t come out.

A gentle hand on Ash;s head broke him of his panic. Looking up, Ash saw his mother, who offered a small smile. “I think Ponyta wants to come with you,” she then turned to Ponyta. “Isn’t that right?”

“Nyta!” Ponyta neighed strongly, stamping their hooves as they finally let go of the capelet. As if to prove their point, Ponyta tossed their head, firing a Psybeam at the ground just in front of Ash before snorting.

Glancing warily at his mother, Ash stepped forward, and pulled out a Pokeball. Wordlessly, he tossed out Braxien. The bi-legged fire fox cried out, and pulled the stick from his tail, spinning it expertly. Braixen started off with a Fire Spin, with flames spinning and swirling like rosettes towards Ponyta, who swiftly dodged and used Fairy Wind. Braxien blocked Fairy Wind by spinning his stick around, and building up another Fire Spin. This Fire Spin hit, and while Ponyta was distracted, Braixen used Psybeam. Ponyta cried out, and in that moment, Ash threw an empty Pokeball.

one……
….two…..
…..three…
….clink.

Ash broke out into a smile and he darted out, scooping up Ponyta’s ball with a grin. He pressed his forehead to the ball before showing Braxien and Pikachu, who were loudly cheering. Olympia watched her son with pride.

======

Ash’s life wasn’t all shadowing, training, and work though. He was a child and deserved a childhood, so Olympia made sure he had the free time to do things he enjoyed. It was actually during his down time that Ash discovered another passion of his.

Showcases.

He just thought they were interesting, especially with how close and bonded a trainer needed to be with their Pokemon to even do half the things that were required in performances. He loved watching the official Showcases on the television, but he also loved watching Pokevison videos. He was pretty bummed when he found out that boys couldn’t participate in showcases, when he had asked why, his mother didn’t seem like she really wanted to tell him, so Ash stopped asking.

At age 9, after watching a bunch of Pokevision videos about dancing and singing, and performing for years, and learning some basic editing, Ash made his own account. Admittedly, he hadn’t been sure what to name his channel, and had gone with something pretty random; STAR✩DUST. Ash never showed his face on camera, he really didn’t want anyone to know it was him, the idea of a bunch of people knowing him was terrifying. He dressed completely opposite to how he normally looked, with puffy white and red shorts, a flowy white tailcoat jacket with red underside, with an oversized red bow in the front, and red and white ankle boots and gloves(a/n: think Yumoto Hakone in hero form). To top it off, he wore a completely white mask that covered the upper part of his face completely, only showing his mouth. He didn’t speak on camera, he wasn’t ready for that even if it was just himself and his Pokemon, but he hoped Maybe he would be comfortable enough to do so.

Ash’s first video was a simple introduction of STAR✩DUST, Espurr, and Braixen. Pikachu wasn’t comfortable on camera, and Galarian Ponyta weren’t exactly common in Kalos, the moment someone saw Ponyta they would be clued in on Ash. Ash had edited little stars to float around the edges of the video, with whatever he wanted to say being signed and then edited on little speech bubbles on top of his head.

At first, nobody really paid attention to his channel, after all there were others very similar to Ash’s, and all he really did his first few videos was grooming routines for Braxien and Espurr, and DIY’s for how Ash made Espurr’s bows. Espurr really liked attention, so soon after catching her Ash started making bows to put behind her ears, they made her really happy and feel really pretty. Braixen, due to his typing and fur length, needed a special grooming routine, so Ash uploaded the entire process. He even made a Pokevison video about their food, and appropriate snacks. He got a few views, and Ash had been really happy about them, but after his first Performance video, his channel really blew up.

He had snuck out after dark and set up in the forest next to the park. Ponyta stood off to the side, using Heal Pulse to light up the area, while Pikachu hit the camera button. Espurr was on one side, STAR✩DUST was in the middle, and Braixen was on the other. The Music, Blue Bird by Ikimono Gakari, started and thus the routine did. The dance was pretty subdued and was mostly hand movements at first, but once they hit the chorus the dance picked up. Braixan flooded the area in brilliant red flames, and while Espurr took control of said flames, with Psychic. As Psychic and Fire merged, the flames turned blue, and Ponyta stopped using Heal Pulse, meaning the only light came from the flames, which lit the entire area blue. STAR✩DUST and his Pokemon danced in sync as the music went on, with Espurr using Psybeam, and Braixen using Ember. As the song came to an end, STAR✩DUST and his Pokemon moved back into formation, with blue flames licking around them beautifully, with Espurr making the flames dance up behind STAR✩DUST, making it look like he had blue wings made of flame while red embers and multi-colored sparkles showered them all beautifully. Pikachu then ended the video. After putting out the flames, and making sure none of the embers strayed, they returned home.

Ash was very tired the next day, but still edited the video and the audio together before posting it. He hadn’t expected much to come from it. He was a nine year old boy, and he wasn’t exactly confident of his own work. Sure, Blue Bird was a popular song, but only due to it being the opening of a show that a lot of people loved, so Ash expected his few followers to like and comment, maybe a few other people since it was a performance and those seemed to garner more attention, but in the end he didn’t expect much. But oh how very wrong he was.

Within the day STAR✩DUST’s video performance was shared, liked, and commented over a million times! Sure there were people who were rude, commenting very mean things, but Ash ignored those because there were a lot more nice things being said. It had garnered so much that a very popular Performance Analyst on Pokevision saw and reviewed it, getting it more attention. It even ended up on the news for some reason.

The reason it got so much attention was mostly because STAR✩DUST was a boy. Due to Showcases, and there for Performances, being strictly feminine, male oriented people didn’t often try to break the mold. Even though there were a fair bit of men and boys that wanted to perform, they didn’t really do it because Showcases were Female Dominated, so most men and boys turned to Contests rather than try and fight the system. On some aspects, STAR✩DUST was commended for breaking the mold, from men, women, and in between alike, on other aspects people were angry, seeing it as a boy once again trying to take something empowering away from women. It opened a discussion on if Showcases should be more inclusive, or maybe making a separate division specifically for Male oriented individuals.

Under all the political stuff however, STAR✩DUST also got a lot of attention because of the mystery of him. Not only did he not talk, only signing and editing his words over head, but half his face was covered. It brought a lot of intrigue on why he was hiding, would he ever show his face, was he deaf? Mute? Simply unable to talk? There was a lot of mystery and that drew people in.

But while nobody else knew it was Ash behind the mask, Olympia did. She was his mother after all, she could recognize her son if he had worn a pink wing and spoke in a horribly done Galarian accent. She pulled him aside in private, and told him she knew. She didn’t make him shut the channel down, if Pokevison was something he enjoyed doing, than by all means she was happy to let him do so, but it was the internet and she had some concerns. He was not to show his face or share any of his personal information online until he was 18, she wanted to go over any chat logs just to make sure he wasn’t being preyed on by creeps, Pokevision came after his homework, and his Gym chores, and he was not to sneak out of the house again, no meeting with any other online creators unless she was there with him, if he wanted to film a video outside the house or Gym she would go with him and sit out of frame, and half of any money he made from Pokevison was put into his trust fund. Ashura readily agreed, and later that day sat down to make a response video, thanking the people that liked his video and answering a few non personal questions.

The year until his tenth birthday was mostly him tending to his duties and training, and making videos. Not every video was a performance, he still did Pokemon health videos, and DIY Pokemon clothing videos, as well as a few non-personal Q&A videos, but in the year he uploaded about five more Performance Style videos. He still got hate here and there, but as anxious as some of the things said to or about him made him feel, he couldn’t help but feel a bit empowered about the good things said about the videos he made either. He made friends with other creators of similar age, and had a lot of fun making videos.

He decided to start his journey in Kanto. He wasn’t sure why, but something in the back of his head told him he had to start there. To his surprise, His mother allowed him to go, and thus Ash started planning his final video, at least for a while.

A week prior the the final video, STAR✩DUST made a short video explaining that he was going to start his journey, and his uploads wouldn’t be as often any more. He would still try to post when he could, but he wasn’t really sure when he would be able to upload. STAR✩DUST’s fans were sad, but most of them were understanding.

His final video, for a while at least, was another performance, this time to a song he ‘wrote’ himself. He didn’t sing on camera, but rather recorded the song and edited it over his performance for more clarity. The song, The Light Known as You(from Magic Kyun Renaissance, Ichijouji’s song)was sung in Kantonian, as a homage to his father, and also a fun little clue to where he was going, as the comment section was speculation on what region he would start out in. The song was about the loneliness and darkness Ash felt because he was seen as an omen, how alone he was besides his mother and the very few other people that didn’t treat him badly, and how his had seen his journey as the only solution to his problems for a long time before he met his Pokemon and started training and Pokevison.

Unlike his other Performances, that had a lot of hyped up and enthusiastic dancing, this Performance was more downplayed. The steps were slow, telling the story STAR✩DUST wanted to convey. Likewise, the moves of his Pokemon were more slow, with Will-O-Whisp and Psybeam combining to make slow falling red, pink, and blue embers that cascaded around them.

While not the most glamorous, and extravagant performance, the song touched the hearts of a lot of people. Quite a few people had felt the same way or similar in a lot of ways, and they connected with the lyrics. Even the performance, while minimal, was considered art because it helped tell the story and was perfect for the song itself.

After the Video, and one more temporary goodbye video, the STAR✩DUST Pokevision quiet.

=

When Ash went to Kanto, he hadn’t expected to make one friend, he hadn’t expected other people would want to be friends with, and bond with him. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t speak to them, the anxiety of them coming to hate him, weighed heavily on his mind. But they didn’t mind. Misty didn’t know any sign language, but she had asked Brock to teach her, just so she could speak more easily with Ash, and Brock already know KSL(Kantonian Sign Language) because one of his brothers were deaf. Ash really liked Brock and Misty, while he and Misty had their issues, she never taunted him about his selective mutism, and was even comforting when he was too anxious. Brock was a big brother by design, and seemed to dote on not only Ash, but Misty as well. Traveling through Kanto felt more like a friend's vacation than a journey. By no means was it easy, honestly it was a bit of a trainwreck at times, what with Team Rocket causing a ruckus, and some fuzzy memories revolving around a place called new Island, but it wasn’t a bad journey. There were parts than made him want to pull out his hair, like the Charmander Brock adopted, and Ashura admittedly had a few anxiety attacks. By the time they were moving onto Johto after the Orange Islands, Ash was able to actually speak with Misty and Brock comfortably. In Kanto he caught not only a Slowpoke, a very sleepy Slowpoke, but also a Starmie. Misty was a lot of help when it came to training them, as she specialized in Water Types. Along with the two additions, Braixen evolved into Delphox, and boy did he love his new power, being able to finally Telepathically link with Ash. They stuck together, with Misty and Brock even deciding to come with Ash home to Kalos for a short visit, up until Hoenn. Misty was needed at the Cerulean Gym, and Brock wanted to spend some time with his family, so the trio split up. It was by no means easy, Ash really loved them, seeing them as his siblings in a lot of ways. But he understood both the Duty to the Family, and the Duty to the Gym.

Once Slowpoke and Starmie saw the ocean that the Anistar Gym was situated by, forget it. They refused to leave. Ash was perfectly fine with the arrangement, Slowpoke didn’t really like battling in the first place, and Starmie had spent their entire life at sea, and the travel was probably very stressful, so he left them there, promising to visit once he returned from Hoenn.

Once in Hoenn, Ash met May, and Max. Neither sibling knew a thing about HSL(Hoennian Sign Language), but like Misty, they were determined to learn so they could understand Ash. Ash tried to inform them that he didn’t mind writing on a tablet, but they wouldn’t hear a thing of it. They even got to meet up with Brock, who had decided to go to Hoenn after spending some time with his family. With Brock around, it was easier to adjust to May and Max, and he was able to speak with them a little better. Along with heading towards the Hoenn League, Ash decided to participate in Hoenn Contests alongside May. It was fun to travel with a Rival, and it brought them closer together as friends. With Hoenn brought Medicham, well originally Ash had tried to catch him as a Meditite, but in the battle between Meditite and Espurr, both Pokemon evolved at the same time, meaning Ash got a Meowstic and a Medicham. After Meowstic’s evolution, Ash decided to make another Pokevision video. While Brock, May, and Max slept he changed and quickly wandered off to a nearby river, and filmed a quick video, introducing the newly evolved Delphox, and Meowstic to the STAR✩DUST channel. The Comment section went crazy with his return, and STAR✩DUST promised to try and upload more. It was hard to edit the video at night, and Ash was super tired the next day, but it was worth it. Along with Medicham, Ash also obtained a Solrock and Lunatone, though they were admittedly more for his mother than himself. She always loved the galaxy, and had always wanted a Solrock and Lunatone, but she just had never come across one, so Ash surprised her with Solrock, and promised her Lunatone after the Hoenn Legue. In Hoenn also came the Evolution of Ponyta, who evolved in Ash’s contest battle against Drew in the Grand Festival. Drew still won in the end, but Ash was happy regardless, he was even proud of his Top 4 placement in the Hoenn League. After Hoenn came the Battle Frontier, Ash had originally gone to Kanto to visit Misty with Brock when he had learned of the Battle Frontier. Other than an another amazing journey through Kanto, and meeting another Trainer who directed her Pokemon Telepathically, Ash also met his first Pokemon Egg, besides Misty’s Togepi. After helping a Pokemon Egg Hatchery, the owners gifted both Ash and May twin Pokemon Eggs, both a pretty dusty brown with a cream band. Ash had sent Lunatone home before he started the Battle Fronteir because he really missed Solrock, and Solrock was also really missing Lunatone, so he could carry the egg not problem.With the Egg, Ash decided to make a Egg caring guide for his Pokevision account. He didn’t use the real egg, because they were so delicate, but he bought a styrofoam egg for his demonstration on how to care and tend for eggs, it was actually a pretty big hit since not may people knew how to care for eggs properly and tended to have to lean on Nurse Joy when they get one. From those eggs hatched two little Eevee. May’s Eevee was a bouncing brown and cream with a spiky tail tip pattern, while Ash’s was a mellower brown and cream Eevee with a flower patterned tail tip. The entire team was fascinated by the little Eevee, since for a lot of Ash’s team, they had never cared for a Pokemon Egg before. Meowstic was especially joyful, and tended to dote on Eevee as much as Ash did.

After Hoenn Ash stayed in Kalos for a little while, trading Lunatone and Solrock officially to his mother and releasing another performance video, with another song he wrote while traveling through Hoenn. The song would be sang in Hoennian, because that was where it was written. Titled Shiny Ray(a/n: again from Magic Kyun Renaissance), the song was about his friendships he made along his journey, how he hopes that friendship continues to prosper and live on. Opposed to his last performance, the dancing and visuals were bright and enthusiastic, with Magic Room, Mystical Fire, Psybeam, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, and Swift making a fabulous display of fluttering bright lights. It was filmed in his mother’s Gym , and marked Eevee’s, and Medicham’s debut onto the from STAR✩DUST channel. This performance was also well received, with people sending it to their friends, and it once again ended up on the news, and opened the discussion back up on male focused performances. Unlike the last time however, there was less outcry, as more and more male identifying individuals started posting their own performance videos.

Ash had kind of cracked up when Misty sent the STAR✩DUST performance to their group chat, while telling them that she missed them and the song made her think of them all, though he for sure felt the same way.

After his stay in Kalos however, came Sinnoh. Dawn was like may but with 50% more energy. She was slower at learning SSL(Sinnohian Sign Language) and struggled quite a bit, but worked very hard to try and learn. Ash decided not to participate in the Sinnoh Contests. He managed the two fine in Hoenn, but contests didn’t give him the same rush as Performance or Battling, even the flashier performances of Sinnoh, so he took a step back and just helped Dawn where he could. Besides, the more distance between Ash and STAR✩DUST, the better. He was hiding in plain sight, but he still rather nobody knew, and tried not to leave any clues where he could. Sinnoh wasn’t all good though, for one Ash met someone he was sure he actually hated. Through all Ash went through as a kid, he had never hated anyone, not even the people who looked at him like he was scum, but Ash was certain he hated Paul. He treated his Pokemon and everyone around him horribly, why? Because his brother decided that being a trainer wasn’t for him. It irked Ash to no end, he abused his Pokemon because he didn’t want to, what, lose? Find a different calling? It was stupid, and for the first time in Ash’s life, outside of actual danger, Ash yelled at him. Paul of course demanded a battle soon after, especially after Seeing Ash’s team, and Ash, nor his Pokemon, held back. The only Pokemon Ash didn’t use against Paul was Rapidash, and that was because Rapidash was so disturbed by the darkness in Paul’s heart he refused to leave his Pokeball. Ash was silent the entire battle, his Pokemon conducting themselves perfectly as they battled Paul’s team. When the battle ended, and the dust settled with 4-2 in Ash’s favor. Despite his throat being raw from yelling, Ash stared Paul directly in the eye, and without mincing his words, told Paul that he would never beat Brandon with the attitude and belief system he had, and then walked away, feeling like he would puke if he stayed much longer. It took days for Ash to flush the negativity from his system. He still saw Paul periodically through his Sinnoh Journey, but Ash could never bring himself to look at him, much less talk to him. Even when they battled in the Sinnoh League, Ash’s eyes were always on his Pokemon, never Paul. STAR✩DUST Posted quite a few smaller videos at the time, like more grooming videos because he needed something to distract himself. He shared that he was writing two other songs and making another routine for one of them, but wasn’t sure when he would get to performing it.

From Sinnoh, Ash went straight to Unova. His mother was busy, and Ash needed some alone time. Brock had stayed in Sinnoh to become a Pokemon Doctor, while Dawn was trying her hand at becoming a Pokemon Stylist. Ash was happy for both of them, but he really wasn’t sure how he felt about traveling alone, other than his Pokemon. At the beginning of his journey, Ash tried to travel with a rambunctious girl named Iris, who was trying to become a Dragon Master, and Cilan, a Gym Leader and Pokemon Connoisseur, but it didn’t work out. Because Ash wasn’t deaf, or had damaged vocal cords, Iris didn’t think he needed to use sign language, and therefore wouldn’t listen to Ash unless he spoke to her, which Ash couldn’t bring himself to do. She purposefully poked and teased him to try and get him to talk, but it wasn’t that easy, not for Ash. Her picking just made his anxiety worse, and he couldn’t bring himself to talk to her. Cilan was the opposite, he tried to baby Ash, set up his tent, feed him, like Ash couldn’t care for himself. It was frustrating, and when Ash tried to explain it to them, via writing on his tablet, they both got offended. Ash didn’t want to put up with it. He had friends, friends who were good to him, learning sign language for him, and letting him get used to them. Those were the friends he wanted, and the friends he deserved. He deserved better. So, he cut his losses, packed his stuff from the camp area they were in, and rode off on Rapidash’s back. Adjusting to traveling alone was hard, but also empowering. It proved to Ash that he could take care of himself, and if he ever needed to talk to someone he could message the friends that actually made an effort, such as Brock. Traveling alone also allowed him to film and make videos without sneaking around. One of the videos he uploaded in Unova was a song he had written after setting off on his own called Brave Song(a/n: Aoi Tada), which he sang in Unovian. It was more or less about the trifles of being alone but having to continue forward. There was no performance for this song, instead it showed STAR✩DUST sitting lazily against a tree, Eevee and Meowstic were sleeping in his lap, with Medicham leaning against the tree next to STAR✩DUST, and Delphox laying in the grass next to them as Rapidash used a soft Fairy Wind behind the camera to give the scene a slight sparkle. STAR✩DUST simply sat there, singing Brave Song while the camera rolled, no dancing or bizarre effects. At the end of the video STAR✩DUST included a message about doing thing for yourself and your own mental health. It was also pretty well received, a few fans were worried about him, but he assured them that he was fine. Besides making more videos, and traveling alone, Unova was pretty normal. And, since nobody else was around to distract him from training, or hold up the walking group, Ash was able to get to places quicker, and into the Top 4 at the Unova League*.

After the mess that was Unova, Ash decided to stay in Kalos. With as much camera work, and mental health practices as he had gotten done in Unova, Ash felt more secure in himself. The idea of being around a lot of people still made his chest tighten and his skin crawl, but he was comfortable enough to stay in Kalos for the season. He doubted he would be able to make friends, since Ashura Avenir was well known for being the ‘Omen of Anistar’.

What Ash didn’t know was that Ash, as himself, was actually pretty popular. He had participated in a lot of leagues, and quite a few contests, and always placed pretty high, especially given his age. He was in the top 16 at age 10, that really wasn’t an easy feat, and since he hailed from Kalos, the region got a fair few brownie points with the other regions, making tourist ventures go up, and more trainers visit Kalos over all. While there were a few people, mostly in Anistar City itself, that still thought of him as an Omen, more people were simply amazed by his feats of a trainer. The fact that rumors spread of his ventures to save a fair few cities around other regions didn’t harm his reputation either. Ash, of course, didn’t know any of this. He knew he was stared at a lot, but he was used to stares, so he ignored them. In his viewpoint, they stared at him in malice and hate. He was so used to expecting the worst of people when it came to himself, that he couldn’t see that many people actually liked him.

Regardless of all that drama however, Olympia was thrilled with her son’s decision. She was especially looking forward to when he would come to battle her, and promised not to go easy on him, and Ash of course agreed likewise. Before he set out though, Ash, or rather STAR✩DUST had something to do. As far as anyone knew STAR✩DUST only had Eevee, Meowstic, Delphox, and Medicham, that was well and good but Ash was also known to have said Pokemon, with only Rapidash and Pikachu being the outliers. While other regions may chalk it up to Ash simply looking up to a Kalos Idol, Kalos wouldn’t do that. So, before Ash set off across Kalos he made a video showcasing STAR✩DUST’s Croagunk(courtesy of Brock, because he was an angel and didn’t ask questions), and Spritzee(courtesy of Valerie, who had known almost instantly after STAR✩DUST started his journey and called him to scold him for not letting her made his outfits). He explained in the video that they didn’t really like being on camera, so they wouldn’t be shown in any videos, but he wanted to show them, the viewers, his full team. Croagunk was weirdly popular with his fans, but for the most part they understood, and respected that STAR✩DUST was not forcing his Pokemon to be on camera.

With that video posted, Ash set off to conquer Kalos. He had never expected to make two new friends his first day in Lumiose City, but Bonnie and Clemont were little balls of sunshine, and they already knew KASL, due to their Grandmother having gone deaf in her old age, so communication was easier between them. Ash also hadn’t expected to jump off a building his first day of his adventure, but he did so, getting a very heated call from his mother soon thereafter. Ash had complicated feelings about Serena, she seemed like a nice girl, and he could vaguely remember her, but at times it felt like she was holding herself back, and it just made Ash more anxious. Ash had been truly shocked when he found out that Kalos, after much debate, had decided to try opening a sibling Showcase Event for men and male presenting individuals. It was a trial period, and there were no promises that it would happen the next year, but there was a lot of hype around it, especially with famous Pokemon Top Coordinators Wallace and Fantasia endorsing it. Instead of being Princesses, there were Princes, and instead of Kalso Queen, there was Kalos King. They were pretty much the same thing just split up by gender, and already there were quite a few people signed up. Ash had been tempted to try, but just watching the expedition Showcase, and seeing how many people were there, it had immediately squashed the thought. He knew he wouldn’t be able to perform in front of so many people. Besides, videos were different than a live performance, if Ash messed up on camera, which he hardly ever did, he could just re-shoot, but if he did so in person there was no redo. Still, Ash happily supported Serena’s decision to become a Performer, and had a lot of fun watching her Showcases. Still, between Pokemon battles and being around Performance’s near constantly, an itch to perform festered, and he started writing another song. The song was finally done by the time they reached Courmine City, and Ash couldn’t think of a better place to film. After the Pledging Tree gift giving was over, but the tree was still lit and everyone was asleep, STAR✩DUST snuck out, and set up. He didn’t set up under the tree, but the tree glistened in the background. The song, My World, Your World(a/n: Magic Kyun Renaissance, Aoi Suminomiya) was sung in Kalosian, it was a slightly softer song, and a song Ash wrote for his Pokemon, basically about how grateful he was towards them for all the joy he brought into his life. The dance was simple, but fast paced, with Eevee using swift and Meowstic using Psybeam to scatter the stars while turning them a pastel rainbow as they fell upon the dancing trainer and Pokemon. Delphox made a particularly large Shadow Ball, which Medicham used Thunder Punch to destroy, while this was used to make a beautiful violet and yellow spray, it was also a metaphor for the darkness Ash had been in before he met him Pokemon, with the Thunder Punch, bright and cracking with electricity destroyed said darkness, making something beautiful out of it. By the time the video ended, tears, ones made of joy, and a bit of bitterness dripped from Ash’s face. Instead of the video cutting off after the dance, it continued for a few more seconds, showing teary-eyed Pokemon pouncing on their trainer lovingly. Ash didn’t post the video the next morning like he usually did, but actually waited a week, just to throw some people off on where he was, since Coumarine City was pretty well recognizable compared to random spots in a forest. The video was very well received, and the comments were flooded with emotion and how the song meant a lot to them and their Pokemon, or family, bestfriends, lovers, ect. It was probably STAR✩DUST most popular song. With said popularity, however, came a tiny drawback. Since the Male Showcases were so new, there was no ‘Kalos King’, meaning they were holding elections on who was to hold the title of Kalos King until the Master Class , and because STAR✩DUST was so popular, and pretty much started the discussion about male Showcases, pretty much everyone voted for him to be Kalos King, at least until Master Class. His mother thought it was hilarious, Valerie immediately started working on his outfit for the Master Class, and Ash, p a n i c k e d. Even though he was a temporary holder, and thus didn’t have to gain three keys, he still had to at least do one performance against the finalist. He didn’t have to worry about singing, because most of the music is pre-recorded so the performers can call out moves to their Pokemon, but still, all those eyes on him.

===

Panic Attack: Start

Ash stared down at the email with wide, panicked eyes. He had run to the forest as soon as he saw the email, and found a secluded spot to read it, with only Pikachu and Eevee had followed after him. His breaths were coming out in short, fast gasps, no matter how much air he tried to suck in it just never felt like enough. Ash couldn’t focus on his surroundings, maybe distantly he could hear Pikachu and Eevee cry out to him but he could seem to focus on them. His heart beat pounded loudly in his ears, and he could feel the heat of a thousand stares on his skin. His clothes felt too heavy, he was too hot, and moisture dripped down his cheeks. He wasn’t safe. Wasn’t safe wasn’t safe wasn’t safe wasn’t-

Something soft pressed into Ash’s hands. Ash flinched at first, until it nuzzled into his palms. Ash tried to gulp down air, focussing on the fuzzy thing in his hands. Slowly, his thumbs started rubbing circles into the soft thing, probably fur, and Ash desperately tried to focus on it. His breath was still quick, but he was slowly becoming more aware, he could now focus on the sound gently rustling leaves, taste the salt of his tears, smell the scent of home from Pikachu’s fur, feel the softness of Eevee’s fur, and his vision, despite the tears, could finally focus on the worried fuzzy face of Eevee and Pikachu.

“Pika Pika.” Pikachu chirped calmly, patting his hand in a 4-7-8 rhythm. As Ash slowly came too, he started forcing his breathing to follow Pikachu’s taps. At one point he started to spiral again, but Eevee quickly regained his attently, rubbing against his palms.

Ash sighed softly, and touched his forehead to Pikachu’s. His whole body felt tired, his muscles seized. He couldn’t even utter a thank you to his Pokemon as he glanced around warily. Pikachu used their tail to swat Ash’s Pokedex away, and sat on the 16 year old’s shoulder, pressing his weight down to keep his trainer grounded. Eevee, for her part, kept nuzzling into Ash’s hands, nipping playfully at his fingers when he stopped petting her. At some point, Clemont came to check on Ash, as he had been gone for a while, but seeing the glazed look in his eyes, and the tear streaks down his face, left him be, only leaving behind his breakfast in case he was hungry.

Panic Attack: End

By the time noon came around, Ash was finally able to move. He was still on high alert, and likely wouldn’t fully come back into himself for days to follow, but he wasn’t in a daze any longer. After he stood, he picked Eevee up, and pressed his forehead to hers with a tiny smile. Eevee immediately lit up, and nuzzled into his cheek until suddenly, she started glowing. Right in Ash’s arms, Eevee started to evolve. Thick dusty brown fur shortened and turned lavender, what was once a flower tipped fluffy tail, lengthened and split into two at the tip, while large pointed ears and thick cheek tufts sprouted from her head on face. Brown eyes turned violet, and neck fluff vanished while a single red gem appeared on her forehead.

“Espeon!” The newly evolved Espeon cooed, and Ash had had to readjust his hold to accommodate the large Pokemon.

Ash gasped softly as his mind was flooded of snapshots of Espeon’s thoughts, mostly of Ash and Eevee together, either battling or performing, in all of them both Ash and Eevee had big grins. Ash felt tears spring in his eyes and smiled a bit brighter, carefully reaching up to scratch her ear.

“Pika Pi?” Pikachu questioned worriedly, and Ash reached up to scratch under his chin. “Cha~”

===

Once the after effects of the panic attack tapered off, Ash finally sat down to think about what he was going to do about being ‘Kalos King’. Though it was a shallow title until a real king could be chosen, Ash felt bad if he ducked out. People voted for him for a reason and he didn’t want to disappoint anyone, but what could he really do? Could he even duck out if he wanted too? The Email basically said; ‘You’re Kalos King now, be here on this date at this time.’ He ended up calling his mother, maybe it seemed odd but he needed advice. Olympia was very understanding, and pointed out that he battled in front of people, but when Ash explained the difference between battling and performance in front of people, Olympia understood better. There was a lot of back and forth, of thinking of solutions and strategies. Looking further into it, Ash couldn’t drop the title even if he wanted to, and Olympa had tried, but it was no use. It was decided that Ash would focus solely on his Pokemon the entire performance, imagining that it was just him, and his Pokemon on stage, and nobody else. This took a lot of practice, mostly because Ash tended to overthink. He had dabbled with the idea of telling Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena, but back tracked quickly. Serena, and Bonnie were huge fans of Aria and STAR✩DUST, and even ‘shipped them’, apparently they were called StarSongshipping and there was a huge fanbase evolving around them, even though they had never met and- fandom was weird, Ash tried not to think about it too hard, and he refused to know what a ‘fanfiction’ was. Instead of telling them the whole truth, he signed to them that he actually really liked singing and wanted to get over his stage fright. Hiding in plain sight was actually very easily, and since Ash didn’t sing any STAR✩DUST songs, they never realized. Instead they happily acted as an audience while Ash practiced singing in front of them. It was not easy. They were friends, which made it a little easier, but their eyes watching him so expectantly made him run off their made shift stage more than once. It was a long struggle, one that only took a break when they were in public, or Ash had a gym battle. The battle between Ash and Olympia was brutal, Meowstic and Meowstic vs Pikachu and Rapidash. Both Mother and Son were dressed professionally, their faces hard with concentration. Serena was originally very confused, she had always known of Ash but she focused mainly on him and not his family, she was very surprised when Clemont told her Olympia was Ash’s mother. Not a word was spoken from either trainer, showing their skill and precision in battle without a word spoken, nobody would ever be able to say Ash won because of Nepotism. When Ashura won the battle, his mother looked on proudly before presenting him with the Psychic Badge. Out of all the badges Ash gained from battling fellow Psychic Type Experts, the Psychic Badge ultimately meant the most to him. He still had years until his mother retired, but it made him feel more ready in his capabilities that he beat her fair and square. Once Ash could comfortably sing in front of Clemont, Serena, and Bonnie, they invited Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno. While only a few more eyes, Ash still fled a fair few times before he could even hum in front of them, but eventually he could sing. After the first time Ash could properly sing, Shana gave Ash a strange look, one that slowly melted into shock, before finally turning into understanding. She grinned slyly at him, but he must have had a frightened look on his face because the grin dropped and she had later apologized, promising not to share his secret with anyone. It felt nice to have someone outside his family know his secret, and with Shauna’s encouragement, Ash eventually told Brock. Brock, while surprised, simply laughed it off, and even promised to watch his performance online, and while he wouldn’t tell the others his secret, he said he’d tell them to watch too. Somehow, knowing his friends would be watching, made Ash feel a lot better, he wouldn’t be performing in front of an audience, he would be performing in front of his friends. He was still apprehensive, but he had a little more courage. The problem with having a double life, was that Ash sometimes had to choose one life over the other when they intercepted, for example, Ash had to pretend he had gotten sick so ‘Ash’ didn’t have to go to the Master Class Ball. The Ball would be bigger this year due to the two different Showcases, and the Ball was a way to get the two different Showcases to interact and become more acquainted. STAR✩DUST was required to go to the Ball, therefore Ash couldn’t go. Ash hated lying to his friends, he really did, but he wasn’t ready to tell them the truth. The Ball went off without a hitch, a lot of people wanted to talk to STAR✩DUST, so they didn’t really interact with Serena or Clemont. He was especially jumpy that evening, but he was at least able to sign pretty easily to everyone he did meet. He even had a nice back and forth signing conversation with Aria, though he had a feeling she didn’t like him very much*. Soon after was the actual Master Class. Unlike previous years, the first few rounds of the the Female Master Class would happen Day 1, the first few rounds of the Male Master Class would happen Day 2, and then the 3rd day would be both the Female and Male Semi Finals and Finals, so the First day, Ash could relax and watch Serena compete, but the second and third days he was ‘sick’, though he promised to watch her on the television. Surprisingly, the Master Class went off without a hit, and soon it was the third day. The day STAR✩DUST would perform live and in person. STAR✩DUST wouldn’t be singing live, but he would be performing to his own song, a new one he started writing with his Pokemon after he realized there was no getting out of it. He called it Dear My Special(a/n: again from Magic Kyun Renaissance, leave me alone I really like the songs), and like My World, Your World, it was sung in Kalosian, and about his Pokemon, and the support and love he felt for them. His Pokemon actually helped a lot when writing it, sharing their own memories and feelings with him. When it was finally STAR✩DUST’s turn, he took the stage, Espeon and Meowstic on one side, and Delpox and Medicham on the other, and his eyes focused solely on Pikachu, who sat on Clemont’s lap. The music and dancing were upbeat and lively, evry move calculated, from Mystical Fire and Thunder/Fire Punch, to Morning Sun and Psybeam. The different colors melded together in a ray of light and finesse. The smile on STAR✩DUST’s face, though nobody could see his eyes, was large and genuine, filling the audience with a feeling of acceptance and love. From Clemont’s lap, Pikachu’s eyes filled with emotion, he could feel every meaningful word of the song touch him, conveying the love and care felt for him, and it took all Pikachu’s self control not to jump on stage and hug him. The performance ended with white shards of Lightscreen shimmering down on the stage and audience like flower petals before they burst into smaller sparkles and vanished. Immediately the audience was in a roar of cheers, startling STAR✩DUST so much he jumped, and would have fallen if not for Espeon using Psychic to keep him up right. When the votes were called, to the surprise of noone, Aria kept the title of Kalos Queen, and to the surprise of many, the title of Kalos King went to Marius, a trainer who performed alongside a Psyduck, and Rotom. What surprised Ash, was that Marius only one by three points, meaning he had been very close to winning. STAR✩DUST was glad he hadn’t won though, he didn’t think he could standing Performing as much as Aria did. Proudly, STAR✩DUST handed the crown over to Marius, who blushed upon STAR✩DUST praising him, through KASL of course. And though STAR✩DUST posted a video thanking everyone for voting, Ash was more than happy to put the Master Class behind him and focus on the Kalos League, especially because the Male Showcases were confirmed to happen the following year. Battling with Alain after so long of not meeting each other was a lot, Alain had changed a lot, but Ash was happy to battle now that they were both older, and Ash had no problem losing to Alain in the finals. He had been in the Top Four quite a few times, so it felt nice getting into the Top Two for once. The disaster following the Kalos league, however, Ash after forget. He was surprised, and grateful they prevailed in the end, but Ash and STAR✩DUST were both due for a vacation.

Instead of planning his next adventure, Ash decided to take a vacation to Alola. Olympia quickly agreed, knowing her son needed a break after the year he had just had. STAR✩DUST, on his end, posted a video about taking another break. After the masterclass and traveling for seven odd years, he needed a vacation and wouldn’t be uploading any videos in a while. And with that mess out of the way, Ash and his Pokemon boarded the plane to Alola.

===

Ash stretched as he exited the Airport, basking in the warm tropical sun and air. “Snice, right Pikachu?” Ash whispered to his yellow partner, who nodded with a coo.

“Kachu!” Pikachachu agreed, climbing onto Ash’s head to get closer to the sun.

Chuckling silently, Ash pulled out a piece of paper that had an address scribbled on it. It was the address to the Avenir Beach House, apparently Ashura’s great grandmother was Alolan and they still owned a bit of property. Looking around desperately, Ash ventured further into the island and towards what looked like a shopping district, trying to get his barings about the area as he searched for what street he needed. Ash scrunched his eyebrows, looking at the paper and not watching where he was going until a smaller body plowed right into him. Looking down, Ash saw that a boy, no older than 14, had run right into, a dark brown Raichu floating on its tail beside him. Startled, Ash bent down to help the boy up.

Pikachu stared hard at the Raichu before him. Pikachu had never thought much about evolving, he knew Ash always carried around a Thunder Stone in case he ever wanted to, but that was the long and short of it. There had been a few times Pikachu had considered it, and Ash had offered it, but Pikachu never took the offer. He had beaten Raichu as a Pikachu a pawful of times, heck, he had beaten far stronger Pokemon a pawful of times. Truth was, when Pikachu looked at Raichu, it just gave him a feeling of ‘not right’. Not that he really had anything against Raichu in general, just the jerks of the species, its just when Pikachu thought about becoming one, it made him feel not right. He wasn’t sure how to explain it, but him becoming Raichu just wasn’t what he wanted.

He knew Ash could care less about him evolving. Pikachu and Ash had a tough, unbreakable bond. Pikachu knew he was special to Ash, Pikachu was his first Pokemon, and the first Pokemon he ever helped evolve. Pikachu couldn’t read Ash’s mind like the others, but that never really bothered Pikachu, because they could battle together regardless.

But, looking at the Raichu before him, Pikachu had a sense of ‘right’. The Raichu was different from most other Raichu, like how Rapidash was different from the fire horses of Kanto. Instead of orange fur with brown ears and sharp points, the Raichu before him was round, with a pale brown pelt and yellow, round ears, and they floated on their tail. Pikachu could feel the Psychic energy radiating off them, you don’t live around multiple Psychic Types without learning how to pick up on their energy. And the harder Pikachu stared, the more it felt right.

Pikachu was broken from their staring by Ash reaching up and scratching under his chin, just where he liked it. “Cha~” He purred, and Ash started walking, following Raichu's trainer.

===

Ash glanced at Pikachu worriedly. Since they arrived in Alola Pikachu had seemed distracted. Even when they were surfing, or relaxing in the sand, or battling leisurely, or when he was eating his beloved ketchup. Pikachu would sometimes fall into silent thought. Ash tried taking him to Nurse Joy, he she assured him that Pikachu was fine. The rest of the team also seemed worried about Pikachu, but they couldn’t think of anything either. Ash was content to let Pikachu come to him when he was ready, but he couldn’t help worrying and overthinking on what could be wrong.

It wasn’t until a few days later that Ash got an answer to his question. They were in the Beach House preparing stuff to go swimming when Pikachu suddenly wandered over to Ash’s travel backpack,which he took everywhere and used to carry his important things. Ash watched silently as Pikachu opened the bag and pulled out a tightly sealed black box, the one that Ash always carried the Thunder Stone in.

Pikachu looked at Ash silently, and Ash took a seat on the bed. “Is this what has been on your mind all week?” He asked, cupping Pikachu’s cheeks in his hands and rubbing circles into the electric pouches.

“Ka Chu.” Pikachu nodded seriously, twitching his tail in thought.

Ash smiled slightly. “It’s your choice, I’ve always promised you that.” Ash picked up the black box and opened it, revealing the green stone that looked as if electricity were stored inside it, and presenting it to his yellow buddy.

Pikachu’s brown eyes softened, and with a determined look, and a firm hand reached out, pressing his little yellow paw onto the stone. Pikachu glowed, his ears growing bigger, and rounding out, while his yellow fur darkened and belly fur lightened to a bright white. His tail lengthened at the base, while the once spiky tail bubbled out and flattened, and brown eyes changed into a brilliant sky blue. The bright light of evolution faded, and now standing where Pikachu once stood was Raichu.

“Raichu Rai!” Raichu crooned joyously, and Ash’s mind was surged with flashes of Pikachu’s memories.

Ash held out his hand to his buddy. “Welcome to the team Raichu!” He grinned, only to immediately get an arm full of Electric Mouse. Ash grunted, Raichu was a lot bigger and heavier than Pikachu, but regardless he pulled Raichu up into his arms, and scratched under his chin, right where Raichu liked it.

Chapter Text

Ash was eight when his father left the gym to Brock, his older brother. Their mother had just gone into hospital, severely ill with a sickness Ash didn’t really understand, leaving the care of Ash and his nine other siblings solely on Brock’s shoulders, on top of being Gym leader so they still had money to feed themselves. Ash was young at the time, but he wasn’t stupid, he had always been good at picking up the emotions of people near him. No matter how much Brock smiled, or assured them he was okay, Ash could tell he was overwhelmed. Brock did everything for them, cooked, cleaned, read them all stories before bed. Ash loved and admired his brother, and he promised to help him as much as he could.

Even though Ash was but a child himself, he pushed himself to help Brock as much as he could. On days Brock had to be at the Gym, it was Ash that watched over their siblings, even though he couldn’t cook well, he tried his hardest, cleaning and feeding his siblings when Brock couldn’t, no matter how often Brock assured him it wasn’t his responsibility. And Brock was right, it wasn’t Ash’s responsibility to look after nine children, but it wasn’t Brock’s either, it was their father’s job. He was the adult, it was his responsibility to look after them, to run the gym and make sure they did well in school, to encourage Brock to become a breeder like he had always wanted. Ash held no ill will towards his mother, she was hospitalized, and always cared for them when they went to visit her, but Flint, Ash was uncertain he would ever forgive his father.

Ash was nine the first time he saw Brock cry. It was late at night and the rest of the kids were fast asleep, Ash had gotten up to ask Brock if they could go to the library the next day so he could pick out some new books on fossils. As Ash was about to open the door to his brother’s room, he heard a sob. Peaking through the door, he could see Brock hunched over his desk, hands covering his eyes as he sobbed, a pile of books on Pokemon breeding pushed to the side. Ash had quietly closed the door, and walked quietly back to his room, his own eyes misted over, and chest heavy with headache. Standing alone in his room, Ash pushed aside his fossil books, and made a vow that would later shape the rest of his life. He would win the Pokemon League, become Pewter City’s Gym Leader, and finally give Brock the ability to follow his own path. It sounded fantastical, something a child would think up but not be able to actually pull off, but Ash was a special brand of stubborn.

After making that vow, Ash poured over every book on Rock Type Pokemon he could get his hands on, drilling strategy and battle mechanics into his brain until he had them memorized. He would practice with the Gym’s Pokemon when he had the time, practicing until battling strategy became second nature to him. Truthfully, he never cared much for battling itself, he liked watching Brock battle, but Ash had always seen his own path go in a different direction, one paved with Pokemon long thought extinct and covered in mineral dust. The idea that there were ancient Pokemon Ash would never get to meet had offended him when he was a young child, and thus he had become enamored with their fossils and archeology as a whole. But some things were more important, Brock set aside his own aspirations to care for them, and Ash was determined to do the same. It wasn’t like Ash would never be able to study archeology, Rock Types and fossils went hand in hand, and Forrest had always loved battling, much more than Ash or Brock ever did, so there was a likelihood that the third Harrison son would eventually want to take the position as Gym Leader, it was just a matter of waiting.

Soon, a year of studying passed, and Ash’s tenth birthday was upon him, the birthday that would mark the start of Ash’s journey, and the official start of his vow.

======

Ash grumbled as something warm and wet lapped against his face. Whining, he turned and buried his head onto the book he had fallen asleep on, but the offender didn’t stop. Finally, Ash peeked his right eye open, his vision blurry for a few moments until it cleared, allowing him to see a bright pink nose, round brown muzzle, and sky blue eyes. Confused, Ash raised his head, and the Pokemon continued to lick his face until he pulled himself up into a full sitting position. Sitting on his bed was a brown puppy looking Pokemon, with a rocky collar and fluffy white tail. Wrapped gently around the Pokemon’s neck was a red bow, and a tag. In an instant, Ash was fully awake, squawking in surprise before tumbling out of bed.

Giggling by his door drew Ash’s attention to his ten siblings, who stood in his doorway, Forrest and Yolanda* holding up a simple white frosted cake while Brock held the twins, Billy* and Tilly*, who each held a single balloon. “Happy Birthday Ash!” They all said loudly while Salvadore*, Timmy*, Cindy*, Tommy*, and Suzie* pulled out confetti poppers.

“Ruff!” The dog Pokemon yapped loudly in agreement.

Ash smiled up at his family, and pushed himself up to stand. “Thank you.” He rubbed the back of his head shyly, and picked up the Pokemon, who greeted him with more face licks.

“This is Rockruff, he was sent over as a Birthday gift from one of mom’s relatives in Alola.” Brock explained.

“I love him!” Ash grinned widely at his brother, and snuggled into the puppy’s fur, careful to avoid the rocks jutting off from around his neck.

The family soon departed from Ash’s room, heading to the kitchen for some breakfast before eating any cake. As they ate, Ash glanced at all his siblings. Admittedly, Ash didn’t really look like any of his siblings. Flint’s genes were really prominent, with the only signs of their mother coming from their hair, eyes, or skin color, except for Ash. Ash largely took after his mother, save for his tan skin, his hair was somewhat spikey, but mostly smoothe, and he had his mother’s larger eyes, smaller nose, and more heart shaped face, though he did haveFlint’s dark hair, if a few shades darker making the brown locks almost look black, unless he was in the sun. As he looked around the table, Ash was hit with a sense of loss, he knew for a fact he was going to miss everyone while he was gone, but he had to beat the Indigo League, and he had to become Gym leader.

======

Saying goodbye to his family was difficult, there wasn’t a single dry eye by the time Ash finally departed. He couldn’t battle Brock, having only a single Pokemon, but he had plans to travel to Mount Moon to train for a while before he started actually trying for Gym Badges. Rockruff was a good Pokemon, and already seemed pretty loyal, but the truth of the matter was that they weren’t very close, yet. Training at Mount Moon, on top of trying to catch Pokemon for their team, was also a good way for him and Rockruff to bond, outside of the fact that Ash simply kept Rockruff out of his Pokeball.

Camping in Mount Moon wasn’t exactly easy, on top of trying not to scare the wild Clefairy, Cleffa, and Clefable, there was also quite a few territorial Rock Types that they had to deal with, meaning Rockruff got quite the workout battling against the onslaught of attackers. With the mountain, however, came the first addition to their team, an Alolan Golem.

To be fair, Ash actually caught a Kanto Graveler, Graveler was difficult to deal with to say the least. Graveler was rather lazy, and didn’t enjoy battle training, nor Ash and Rockruff in general. As hard as it was, Ash was thinking of releasing Graveler, if they didn’t like Ash, then it was better for them to be released back into the wild to live happily, rather than Ash forcing them to conform to what he wanted. It was during a trip to the Pokemon Center at the bottom of the mountain that Ash met an old man, and his energetic Graveler.

The man’s Graveler looked different from Ash’s, they had the same rocky skin, but he also had chunks of gold, and metal wires. The man was having trouble getting down the mountain, so Ash offered to help him down, and they started talking, leading to Ash learning that the man was actually from Alola and had traveled to Kanto for vacation. In comparison to the Ash’s Graveler, his was the complete opposite, he loved battle, and the man had trouble making sure he was exercised enough. By the time they made it to the Pokemon Center they had agreed to trade, Graveler really liked the old man. During trading, the two Graveler ended up evolving into Golem, but Golem was just as excited to battle as he had been as a Graveler, and the old man was pleased with the docile Golem he got in return.

After saying goodbye they were back up the mountain to continue training. It was harder to train a fully evolved Pokemon, on top of trying to build a bond with them, but through many nights of camping, fishing, and battling, they became a nice little group. Once Ash thought they were ready, they headed back down to Pewter City, determined to win his first badge by beating his brother.

===

Ash took a deep breath as he stood outside his Brother’s Gym. After glancing at Rockruff, who sat primly by his side, for some courage, Ash flung the gym doors open. “I challenge you to a battle!” He said strongly, grinning as the Gym lights flickered on to reveal Brock, standing on his perch. Ash glanced up to the observation deck, biting back a giggle as he saw the spikey hair of his younger siblings, and turned back to his big brother.

“I was wondering when you would come. I accept your challenge!” Brock spoke strongly, his voice barely shaking with pride. “Geodude, come out!” He flung out his Pokeball, revealing a Rock Pokemon with two arms.”As you know, the rules of Pewter City Gym is two on two, no substitutions.”

“Rockruff, I choose you!” Ash snapped his fingers. Gone was the joyful, wagging wolf pup, as Rcokruff took his place on the field his eyes glared and muzzle pulled back into a nasty snarl. “Since I’m the challenger, it's your right to make the first move!”

Brock smirked, “In that chase, Geodude, start off with Tackle!” Geodude nodded, balling up his arms and hurling itself at the rock puppy.

Ash nor Rockruff seemed deterred, “Catch it and use Rock Throw!” Rockruff rose onto his back paws, bringing them down sharply to catch Geodude, holding on strongly as the rocks around his collar glowed a brilliant white. With a great heave, Rockruff picked Geodude up, throwing him up into the air while he was hit by an onslaught of sharp white stones controlled by Rockruff.

Brock gasped in shock. “No! Geodude!” Brock cried out as Geodude fell to the ground, breathing a sigh of relief when he picked himself up, scuffed up but still going strong. ‘I guess I should have known better than to underestimate him. He’s come pretty far in such a short time.’ Brock mused proudly, before shaking his reminiscent thoughts away. “Alright Defence Curl, and then move into your own Rock Throw!”

“Don’t let him move, move in with Bite!” Rockruff snapped his jaws, the sharp puppy teeth oozing with dark type energy as he sprung forward. The sudden movement, coupled with the sharp sting of Rockruff’s jaws, caused Geodude to flinch, making him skip Defense Curl, but Geodude still tried for Rock Throw, hurling sharp, close range rocks at the puppy. Rockruff, despite taking damage, refused to let go, biting down harder. “Fight back with a Rock Throw of your own!” Growling, Rockruff dropped Geodude, and leapt back a bit before firing his own Rock Throw attack. As the rocks soared overhead, distracting both Brock and Geodude, Ash smirked. “Tackle!” Rockruff jumped onto the sailing rocks, leaping between stones with practiced ease until he smacked right into Geodude, using his head to tackle the rock to the ground. Geodude tried to push back, but after Rock Throw, Tackle, and Bite, just didn’t have the HP, and collapsed onto the rocky terrain.

“Geodude is unable to battle!” Forrest, who had scrambled down to act as Referee, called out, signaling the end of the first match.

“Alright! Good job Rockruff!” Rockruff, panting heavily, let out a joyous howl, but Ash wasn’t a fool. Rockruff didn’t have much energy left, and Ash knew exactly what his brother’s second Pokemon was. Still, he couldn’t forfeit for Rockruff, he would never forgive him.

Brock sighed, “Return Geodude. You were great, Ash just knows all our tricks by now.” He chuckled warmly, and set Geodude’s Pokeball into his pocket while pulling out his second Pokeball. “Alright Onix, your turn!” From his second Pokeball, came out a massive rock snake, who roared as it came onto the field. Onix almost faltered at the sight of Ash, but seeing the determination in his and Rockruff’s eyes stopped him. They were trying hard, so he would have to as well. “You have the first turn this time Ash!”

“Rush in with a Bite Attack Rockruff!” Rockruff growled, and rushed forward, leaping onto Onix’s tail and running up his body, but Brock was one step ahead.

“Screech Onix, and knock it off you!” Onix opened his mouth, and released a loud, piercing wail towards the wolf pup. Rockruff howled in pain, stopping in his tracks and covering his ears with his paws.Taking the opportunity, Onix shuffled his rocky body, dispelling Rockruff from his back, and using his tail to bat him away. Rockruff tried to push himself up onto his paws, but he was too tired from the previous battle and collapsed.

“Rockruff is unable to battle! The Winner is Onix!” Forrest called out.

“Nice go Rockruff, we just have to work a bit harder.” Ash smiled gently as he returned Rockruff, placing his Pokeball gently onto his belt before pulling out Golem’s Pokeball. Ash took another calming breath, and turned his hat around so he could see better. “Alright Golem, I choose you!” The Rock-Electric Type took the field, sparking and ready to battle, much to the confusion of Brock, and Onix, who had never seen an Alolan Golem.

They were not deterred for long though, as Brock sent out his first order. “Screech!”

“Defence Curl!” Golem curled in on himself, rising his defense as Onix screeched. “Now use Charge, and Heavy Slam!”

“Use Bide Onix!” Onix flashed a pale white while Golem shone silver, and slammed into him. Onix grunted, taking a bit of damage and storing the rest of the attack energy.

Ash frowned in thought, before his eyes looked up. He eyed the sprinkler system and smirked. “Use Spark!”

“What?” Brock blurted out in confusion, because Onix was part ground type, Spark, an electric type Move, would do nothing.

But Golem didn’t hesitate, releasing a strong spark attack at the rock snake. Ash grinned as his plan played out, the electricity traveling through Onix up to the sprinkler system above, attracted to the steel beams in the ceiling. The sprinkler system above snapped, exploding water all over the gym, causing both Onix and Golem to flinch, though Golem less so.

“Alright, let's end this Golem! Thunderbolt!” Golem growled in agreement, and released a large discharge of electricity.

“Onix use Bide!” Onix glowed a soft white once more, but it did little due to the continuous spray of water that weakened Onix’s defense. When Thunderbolt struck, Onix cried out in pain, and soon collapsed, no longer able to battle.

Forrest, torn between cheering and being disappointed, called out the end of the battle. “Onix is unable to battle, the winner is Ash!”

Brock sighed heartily, and returned Onix. When he looked back up he couldn't help but smile, watching as Ash celebrated with Golem. He could only feel unbridled pride as he watched him. Brock knew it was just the start of his brother’s journey, but there was no doubt in his mind that he would take the Pokemon world by storm. Stepping off his platform, he approached Ash, Boulder Badge clutched in his hand.

“Ash, it is my pride, and honor to present you, as proof of your victory here at Pewter Gym, the Boulder Badge.”

Ash gently took the badge, admiring the simple silver eight sided polygon. Though he had seen, held, and polished the same badge multiple times, the one in his hand was different, because it was his, proof of the start of his journey. “Thank you!” Ash beamed up at his older brother, chuckling when the older teen ruffled his head affectionately.

======

Ash stayed in Pewter for a few more days, resting, washing his clothes, and restocking his supplies before he once again set off, heading for Cerulean City, and his next Gym Battle. On his way he met Misty, a Water Type Specialist, and while they mixed as well as Water and Rocks at the beginning, it didn’t take long to discover that they were actually kind of similar, both wanting to become Gym Leaders of their respective Gyms, though their reasonings were quite different, with Misty wanting to prove her worth, and Ash wanting to give his brother a break. By the end of the exchange, they actually managed to become pretty good friends, and Misty decided to join him on his journey to Cerulean City. With Cerulean’s official Gym Pokemon out of commission, Misty was Ash’s opponent. Starting off, Ash was at a type disadvantage, even with Golem’s secondary typing being electric, and Misty was really good, if a bit unpolished, but in the end, Ash pulled out a sneaky move, leading to his overall victory, and his second badge. Ash and Misty parted ways in Cerulean, the ginger girl deciding to stay in Cerulean City to train her Pokemon up to snuff so she could become the official Gym Leader in her sisters’ absence, while Ash traveled onwards. Through his travels he managed to catch a few more Pokemon, including a very special Onix to send home to Forrest, and a Zubat for Brock, as well as a few other Pokemon for his younger siblings, such as a very stubborn Pikachu. Ash didn’t win every battle, he lost a few times, but he was still unwavering in his determination, challenging the Gym’s again until he could beat them.

A lot of Ash’s work outside of battle resulted in training and exploring, taking every opportunity to explore a few small caves or gulches. When he heard of Grampa Canyon allowing trainers to search for Pokemon Fossils, Ash was on an air taxi, and flying to the canyon before Rockruff could so much as yip. Ash was in heaven as he and Rockruff searched the canyon for fossils, rejoicing when they came upon a simple grey fossil that looked as if a sail was carved into the thick stone, and an odd white, red, and blue Pokemon egg. After taking copious amounts of pictures to later study, Ash placed the fossil, and egg into his backpack and headed back up. When he came up, he was immediately scooped up by an Aerodactyl, an ancient Pokemon that had been woken up by the drilling caused by the many trainers in search of fossil Pokemon. Rockruff was just barely able to bite into Ash’s jeans to try and save him, but the pup weighed nothing to Aerodactyl, nor could he battle when it was all Rockruff could do to keep his jaws clamped on Ash’s jeans so he wouldn’t fall, so getting down was up to Ash.

First, Ash had to ground the Aerodactyl, so he had Golem use Thunderbolt, crying out as the electricity struck not just the partial Flying Type, but also Ash, who only just caught Rockruff before he could fall. After crash landing, Ash had Rockruff use Rock Throw, pelting the grounded Aerodactyl. The Aerodactyl wasn’t giving up however, fighting back ferociously, and Ash didn’t think it would give up unless it was caught, or heavily injured, so after having Rockruff deliver a nasty Bite, Ash threw a Pokeball, watching anxiously as they ball fluttered back and forth until eventually stopping, meaning Ash caught Aerodactyl.

The organizers of the event, who were meant to keep all the trainers safe, felt guilty that Ash had gotten scooped up by Aerodactyl, and even though that encounter led to him catching the Pokemon because of it, they offered to hook Ash up with a scientist on Cinnabar Island who could reanimate his Fossil for him, not one to look a gift Ponyta in the mouth, Ash accepted, and traveled to the nearby Cinnabar Island, meeting and welcoming to the team Amaura, the Tundra Pokemon. As for the egg, Ash sent it home to Brock. Training Amaua up and dealing with Aerodactyl's issues, and searching for more Pokemon, on top of Rockruff becoming increasingly more brutal during battle for some reason, took up a lot of Ash's time, and he couldn't take care of an egg.

The Indigo League was coming closer and closer it seemed, and Ash still needed three badges, and a full team, so he dedicated his time searching for more Pokemon when he wasn't training or sleeping. Amaura was doing well, though getting used to warm weather was a bit of a pain for her, Ash took to carrying ice packs around for her until she could regulate her own body temperature. Aerodactyl was slowly calming down, and after a few days of gentleness he snapped out of his rage and adjusted easily to Ash, he also made traveling a lot easier, Rockruff was a bit more of a concern. He was listening during battle, but he was considerably more brutal, refusing to back down when Ash tried to recall him. Outside battle he was fine, but inside battle, not so much.

Rockruff’s sudden aggression made a lot more sense about a month later. They were traveling through a cave, they were searching for new members for their team, until the sun hung low in the sky. They were headed back out of the cave when they came across a Shieldon growling at the mouth of the cave. It was a bit of a surprise, Shieldon were known for being in Sinnoh, but Rock Pokemon more or less popped up everywhere so long as the environment had the appropriate materials for them to feed on, so it wasn't that surprising. Rockruff attacked before Ash could give a proper order, attacking almost ferally until Ash threw a Pokeball, more to save Shieldon than to really catch it. Rockruff snuffled at him, a bit disgruntled until his dusty brown pelt started to glow. The sudden aggression made a little more sense, too much energy in Pokemon could make them act out, especially evolution energy. Distantly, Ash wondered what evolution he would get, Midday or Midnight, given the sun was neither up nor down Ash really wasn’t certain. However, instead of getting a grey furred quadruped, or crimson pelted biped, the Lycanroc before him sprouted wild ginger orange fur, standing easily on four legs as his bushy white tail wagged, reflecting the dusk light as he raised his head and let out a mighty howl. Ash greeted his evolved partner with blind enthusiasm, tackling the wolf and rolling around with him in the dirt with shared excitement. Later, after getting all his Pokemon seen too, Ash welcomed Shieldon onto their team, smoothing over any animosity between Sheildon and Lycanroc while he helped the four legged shield dinosaur polish the steel on his face.

The final addition to Ash’s team before the indigo league came in the form of a small muted green egg Ash found while journeying through the Safari Zone. He hadn’t intended on keeping Larvitar, having recognised them as a protected Pokemon, but after trying to return them to the reserve, Larvitar wouldn’t let go of Ash’s pants leg. The reserve ended up having to give Ash a pass, allowing him to take Larvitar, because once a Pokemon has made a decision on who they want their trainer to be, forget it.

With a full team, Ash made quick work of his last few gym battles, working hard to get his last needed badges. Admittedly, getting the Earth Badge was more of a headache than a challenge, Team Rocket, even with the help of Gym Leader Pokemon, were pretty easy to defeat, and the back and forth was more annoying than it was witty, but Ash won in the end so he couldn’t really complain.(No, he was definitely going to complain. How does the Pokemon League not realize they are funding an illegal organization that borders on terrorisim? Team Rocket is not that sneaky, in fact they’re quite blatant!)

Anyway, annoyances aside, with his final badge in place, Ash headed back to Mount Silver to train until the Indigo League. Mount Silver seemed like an odd choice, given the ice and snow, but since Rock Types were weak to Ice, Ash felt it was a good way to work on endurance, as well as make it easier to train Amaura, so they didn’t have to worry about keeping her temperature. It was too dangerous to train at the top of the mountain, but there was a nice snowy clearing about a fourth of the way down, still a bit far from the Pokemon Center, but close enough that they wouldn’t be in serious danger if there was an accident. He knew he probably should have gone home to visit, but Ash needed as much time to train as he could get leading up to the League. Looking at his team of Pokemon, Ash had a nice range of Pokemon, even if they were dual typed with rock, Ash also had Electric, Ice, Steel, Flying, and eventually Dark once Larvitar fully evolved. Ash doubted he could raise Larvitar, who was still more or less a baby, into a Peupitar, much less a full Tyranitar in only two months, but Amaura could easily be trained up into an Aurorus, the evolution would allow her to control her own body temperature, which was definitely needed at the league, and Aurorus gave them a much needed boost, Sheildon was also about ready to evolve into Bastiodon with a little more work and time, though Ash wasn’t sure if two months was enough for him either, maybe three or four, but they would figure it out eventually.

Two months went by a lot faster than Ash had anticipated, and like he had guessed Auorus was able to evolve, but Sheildon, while close, just wasn’t quite ready to evolve yet. Regardless, Ash headed to Indigo Plateau, Lycanroc matching each step as they were both ready to face their greatest challenge yet.

The Indigo League was nothing to sneeze at. Leagues in general were at a different level, as each trainer participating beat all eight required gyms, proving their worth, and they all wanted to win. Looking around, Ash noticed that there weren’t many people around his age actually competing. That wasn’t a huge surprise, while 10 year olds could compete, and often did, they were beginning trainers, and a lot of the time they didn’t make it far, with only about 5-8 beginning trainers actually being good enough to compete. There were a lot more older trainers, some older adults, a lot more teenagers(ranging 13-19), and about 6 children(ranging 10-12). On average, beginning trainers didn’t often make it past the first few rounds, a lot of the time they just didn’t have the experience nor the maturity to make it far, sometimes you’d have the odd upstart that made it into the Top 20 or so, but those were rare and far between. And Ash, well Ash was planning to go for the top. Technically he didn’t have to win to prove he was ready to take of the gym, he really just had to make it into the Top 15, but Ash wasn’t one to not try his very best, if he was competing, he was aiming for the top spot.

Ash had been elated when he saw his siblings in the crowd, all holding up signs with his name drawn on. To his joyous surprise, his mother also sat beside them. She was still very pale, her hair had a few more strands of white than he remembered her having, and she was thin, still looking a bit sickly, but she had a bit more color in her cheeks, looked fuller, and overall looked a lot healthier than the last time he had seen her. Sitting with them was Misty, who yelled that he had better win or she’d never forgive him. Seeing his friend and family rooting for him, made warmth spread through Ash’s body, fueling the determination he felt in his gut like a roaring inferno. He was going to win the whole league, for himself, but also for them.

As expected, the battles were rough, a constant back and forth, with some easy wins, some harder wins. Ash never lost focus of his goal, fighting tooth and nail as he thought up strategy after strategy, counter after counter. At some point, Sheildon evolved into Bastiodon, just in time to up his defenses against a rambunctious trainer’s Pikachu. Auorus battled beautifully, freezing one trainer’s Blastoise in place with a powerful Freeze Dry before finishing it off with a Thunder Wave. Aerodactyl shined his best in the air, outflying one trainer’s vicious Charizard, while also felting him with Stone Edge. Battling with Larvitar was a bit different due to their age, Ash had to rely on stealth when battling with the young Pokemon, masking them with Sandstorm against a Marowak, and defending with Rock Slide and Crunch. Golem was especially fun to battle with, since Golem was native to Kanto, Ash’s Golem tended to lead many trainers into a false sense of security, only to be completely thrown off guard when they hit them with a Spark or Thunderbolt. And Lycanroc really shined during Ash’s toughest battle.

The battle wasn’t tough because the trainer was really good, or because they had especially strong Pokemon, but because of the emotions that the trainer welled up in Ash. All in all, Ash had never wanted to see his ‘father’ again, but across the platform stood Flint. The man looked just as surprised as Ash did, before he bowed his head in shame. Rage, an emotion Ash truthfully did try not to feel, welled up in him, and the battle was brutal because of it. Lycanroc and Ash were close, Lycanroc was Ash’s first Pokemon, they had been through their entire journey together, Lycanroc in general were loyal and intune with their trainers, but with a trainer like Ash, who was also especially intune with his Pokemon, it bled into something more. Lycanroc fought with near feral ferocity, slashing and clawing his opponent Pokemon, acting on every whisper Ash ordered without so much as a second thought. It was a spectacle to see, as its not something many trainers can accomplish, at least not at such a young age. To be fair, Flint had something of his own to prove, and while he was ashamed by his own actions, and insanely proud of his son, he wasn’t going to cower away, and met his son’s attacks with his own. But, no matter how much he fought back, Ash always had a follow up, rather that be an Accelerock to Onix’s face, or a particularly harsh Counter attack that disoriented Flint’s Rhydon. In the end, Ash won the match, and despite the amount of Pride Flint felt for his son, he couldn’t help also feeling self deprecating, because he gave up his family to pursue his own journey, and in the end his own son defeated him. Flint hoped it wasn’t too late, and that maybe he could reach out to them.

After defeating his father, Ash battled with a lot less ferocity. He and his Pokemon still fought their hardest, but it was like a weight had been lifted off of them, like something that not even they had realized had been holding them back, but it was now gone. There were still multiple close calls, when Ash almost lost a match, but in the end he somehow always won in the end, and he somehow made it into the finals.

The crowd was going crazy. Never had such a young trainer made it to the finals, maybe once a trainer had made it into the quarterfinals, but never the actual finals. The crowd was divided, between thinking the older man was going to win, or the young upstart that had taken the league by storm. Goodshow was particularly happy, as the crowd was more wound up than usual, he secretly hoped Ash would win, if for nothing more than to encourage more Pokemon trainers to try the Kanto Gym Challenge.

The final battle was harsh. Neither side wanted to waver, and the entire battle seemed to go back and forth like a tennis match until each trainer only had one Pokemon left. Ash’s throat was sore from yelling, sweat dripped off his brows, and his chest heaved, the other trainer, an older man with spiky black hair, dressed head to toe in red, was no better. On one side, Aerodactyl flapped his leather wings tiredly, a bit worse for wear, while on the other, a Charizard breathed heavily, posture stiff as he waited for a command. Both Pokemon, oddly, started flickering, looking different for a reason neither trainer understood. Charizard’s skin had darkened significantly, like it was seconds away from turning a charred black, while Aerodactyl seemed bigger, with what looked like stoney spikes trying to burst from his skin. Neither trainer really understood what was happening to their Pokemon, but they also felt closer to them for some reason. Ash took a deep breath, and his opponent straightened his shoulders. These would be the last moves, the final moves that decided the victor of the Indigo league, and the audience held their breaths.

“Aerodactyl-” “Charizard-” “Hyper Beam!” “Dragon Rage!”

BOOM
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====== Four Years Later :3 ======

Ash lazily pet Lycanroc as he looked over some documents, the now 15 year old needing to revamp the budget to add some safety features. After taking over the gym at 11, and forcing his brother to do something for himself for once, Ash had fallen fitfully into the Gym Leader Position.

Adjusting to being back home was difficult, but with his mother newly out of the hospital, Brock had stayed around to help look after the kids, at least until their mother felt well enough to take over. Once she was well, she too forced Brock out of the house and onto a journey of his own, and the man had been on a journey ever since, coming home every six months or so to update them. A major change was that Flint also came back, Ash wanted him nowhere near the gym, but for the sake of his siblings Ash and his mother allowed the man to visit and spend time with the kids. Ash seemed like the only one against Flint coming back, even Brock caved, but Ash couldn’t. He wasn’t rude to the man, nor did he talk badly about him around his siblings, but Flint understood where he stood with Ash, and didn’t push him further than simply asking how he was. As it was, even after four years Ash and his father’s relationship is more like that of coworkers than that of father and son, but it works for them, somehow. Forrest took off on his own journey at 10, traveling around Kanto and competing in the Indigo League, reaching into the top 16, much to everyone’s pride and joy, after Kanto he went to Johto, and now at age 13, Hoenn.

All in all, Ash liked being Gym Leader well enough, he’d much rather be out and about adventuring in caves and what not, but he was comfortable as Gym Leader, and didn’t mind settling for the position. Whenever he got pictures of Brock at medical school, he couldn’t help but feel more certain in his decision. Speaking of:

“Brock’s coming to visit soon Buddy.” Ash mused, getting a wet lick to the face from the massive wolf. Like with most things, Ash took after his mother in the height department, so it was easy for the wolf Pokemon to jump up and lick him like he did when he was a Rockruff. Coughing, Ash affectionately shoved the Pokemon away. He reread the letter Brock sent, informing him of his visit.

“You know I sent that letter two weeks ago, right?” Ash jumped at his brother’s voice, and whipped around, a wide smile growing on his face when he did, indeed, see Brock standing in the doorway, a Togekiss by his side.

“Brock!” Ash grinned wildly and ran to his brother, jumping into his arms. Brock laughed heartily, spinning Ash around in his arms like he did when they were younger. The hug was sturdy on both ends, showing how much bigger and stronger both boys had gotten since they last saw each other. “How long are you staying this time?” Ash asked hurriedly, not wanting to let go just yet.

Brock laughed and heaved the teenager up with great effort, short as he was Ash had a lot of muscle from working with Rock Types and he was heavy. “Actually~” Brock sing songed, pulling Ash over to the chairs he had at his desk, “I’ll be moving back to Pewter for quite a while.”

“Really?” Ash finally let go so he could plop down into his seat behind the desk, Lycanroc coming over to rest his head in his lap.

Brock shot Ash a smug look. “Guess who’s doing their residency in Pewter City Pokemon Center?”

“No way!” Ash screeched joyously, falling into a small babbling fit. “Thats awesome! We all miss you so much, have you told mom yet? She’s going to be so happy!”

The older man sighed fondly. “Yes she knows, I told her when I stopped by the house. You would know that if you checked your mail more often.” He scolded lightly, and Ash whistled innocently. “In other news, I brought you a little something.” Brock pulled out a flier, and easily passed it to Ash.

“A paper, cool.” Ash said cheekily, before unfolding the flier. Ash felt his mouth go dry. The flier was for trainers to go to Sinnoh and work under the Pyramid King, Brandon, as he went on an archeology expedition. The date was set to six months in the future, and the expedition would last for eight months to a year and a half depending on what they found. With the paper came an application form.

Ash glanced anxiously up at his brother, and Brock smiled sadly at him. “I’m not stupid Ash, the whole family knows you love fossils, and archaeology, and that you hate it here.”

“I don’t hate it here!” Ash protested.

“Maybe not, but you’re not happy.” Brock relented gently. “I’m going to be here for my residency, mom is out of the hospital, and dad’s sticking around, you don’t have to do everything on your own anymore.” Brock sighed sadly and ruffled Ash’s hair before cupping his face so Ash would look at him. “I’m sorry I never realized what you were doing sooner, you deserve to be just as happy as the rest of us.”

Warm tears bubbled up in Ash’s eyes. “I tried really hard.” He murmured as Brock brought him back in for another bone crushing hug.

“I know, but you don’t have to anymore.” Brock said softly while Ash cried years of repressed stress and anxiety into his shoulder.

After he was done crying, Brock would help him fill out the application, and in six months time Ash would be pursuing his own dreams, but for the time being he sat in his brother’s arms, letting himself be comforted for the first time in a long time.

Chapter Text

The Kingdom of Rota, a small kingdom in Northern Kanto. Tucked away and secure, its land scarred by a war that raged years ago. History haunted the streets, of a legend that saved their kingdom, of a great sacrifice that was made oh so long ago. Blue crystals were scattered across the kingdom, respected and admired by civilians and tourists alike, and home to an untouched rocky structure known as the Tree of Beginning. But while they had once been known to produce magnificent people known as Guardians of Aura, the ability has since been seemingly lost, Sir Aaron’s bloodline diluted and the ability so unheard of only the people of Rota truly know of it, and even they started to believe it was nothing but a fairy tale, at least, until the night the Prince was born.

The evening of May 22 was seemingly normal, the day had been perfectly average, and the sun was just starting to set over the mountains. The capital’s hospital was bustling but quiet as the staff helped the Queen give birth to her second child. Through tired eyes, the woman watched as her son took his first breath of air before he started crying. In that moment, as the first sob echoed through the air, something odd occurred. Every Lucario in the city raised their heads, giving a mighty howl that startled the citizens, while the glorious blue gems that dotted the landscape started to glow.

In the waiting room, the ten year old Princess, and Heir to Rota, stared in awe out the window, mesmerized by the familiar crystals until her eyes were drawn to the Tree of Beginning. The ‘tree’s’ branches, despite being a block of hard stone, seemed to echo and shift, as if reaching for the kingdom.

The King, who had followed his daughter to the window, his eyes a swirl of different emotion, compilation, and worry at the forefront. A foreboding feeling in his gut told him that his son, the first Prince of Rota, was going to be someone of great importance to their kingdom, more than he already would be as a Prince.

======6 years later======

Ilene smiled softly as she heard the castle staff, once again, in a tizzy. Her brother, for all that he was a Prince, was a wild spirit. He liked fencing well enough, and didn’t even put up a fight when it came to his normal schooling once they got him something to fidget with, but he fought every etiquette class he had to attend. He added a certain brightness to the castle, able to enrapture anyone, Pokemon or Person, and turn them friendshaped in moments. He took to his diplomatic class like a Goldeen to water, but ask the boy to sit properly and walk straight and suddenly it was like pulling teeth. It was actually rather amusing in Ilene’s opinion, but their Mother and Father were exasperated by their only son.

Just then, the six year old burst into the Library, waving at her with a blinding smile, his black locks wild and frayed, unlike how they had been, neatly slicked back, at breakfast that morning, and green eyes lit with a mischievous spark. On his shoulder was a semi familiar Pichu, and just a step behind was Lucario.

Lucario was a stoic Pokemon, his past plagued with memories of war as he had been sealed inside a staff by Sir Aaron himself. Ash had been the one to inevitably free the Pokemon, though he was but two years old at the time and didn’t remember it. Their parents easily found Lucario a place to stay in the Palace, giving him the responsibility of protecting Ash and teaching him the Power of Aura when he was old enough. Lucario had been prickly at first, but one smile from the precious toddler and he was a Ditto in the boy's hands. Irene was pretty sure that her parents had hoped Lucario would help keep the boy in check, but while Lucario respected and listened to the Queen and King, it was obvious he listened to Ash first and foremost, putting his wants and needs before everyone else unless he thought the boy would be injured.

“Going to the Tree of Beginning?” She asked as he walked closer to her.

“Yup! We noticed a strange person sneaking around there lately.” Ash wrapped his arms around her in a quick hug before trotting over to the window and throwing it open.

“Try to be back before dinner.” Ilene gave him a significant book, watching softly as Pichu jumped off Ash’s shoulder, and out the window. Where most Pichu would have fallen, this Pichu flashed a subtle white, and transformed into a Fearow, fluttering by the window while Ash climbed into its back, followed closely by Lucario. Ash gave a noncommittal hum, waving goodbye before Fearow took off towards the rocky tree.

Ilene could only sigh fondly before going back to her book. Adding to Ash’s reign of chaos, was Mew. There had always been legends and rumors about a Mew living at the Tree of Beginning, but the royal family had never been sure, until Ash’s birth. Ash was only a few months old when Mew first appeared to him. Mother had just set him down in his crib and was about to sit and look over some documents when Mew had appeared out of nowhere, hovering over the crib while chirping. Ash, of course, giggled brightly, reaching for the legendary Pokemon, who in turn, touched his hand, and teleported away. The whole castle had been in an uproar, frantically preparing the knights to rush to the Tree and get Ash back, but before they could leave the castle, Ash and Mew were back in the crib, curled up and fast asleep. Since then Mew had been a staple in the castle, usually transformed into a nondescript Pokemon, Pichu being one of its favorite forms to take, and always at Ash’s side. At least once a week Mew would take Ash to the Tree of Beginning to play, sometimes only staying for an hour, sometimes for a few days, but never longer than three days at a time.

A few times, their parents broached the idea of checking out the Tree of Beginning to make sure it was safe for him, but Ash would get upset. Ash was a happy kid, he had a hot temper at times but cooled off rather fast, but the absolute anger that lingered on him for days after the proposals was enough to dissuade their parents from going through with it. Once he had calmed down, they finally asked him why he got so upset, leading to the explanation that the Tree of Beginning was a very fragile ecosystem, that the slightest upset could lead to the tree crumbling and all the Pokemon being injured. The only reason he could galavant around as he pleased was because Mew had told the Tree he was okay, and he had been introduced to the tree when he was young. Obviously, he was a kid and hadn’t used such adult wording, but he was so serious and explained it as best he could, that they understood, and to help soothe Ash further, it was forbidden for anyone to attempt to enter the Tree of Beginning, as they marked the Tree as a National, and Sacred Landmark in the Kingdom of Rota.

Yes, the first Prince of Rota was quite the chaos bringer. Ilene loved her brother and the chaos he brought to the otherwise peaceful castle.

===

Ash giggled as the wind caused his hair to tickle his face. He barely blinked when Mew fell into a sharp dive, simply laughing when Lucario grabbed onto him to make sure he wouldn’t fall. Mew landed near the mouth of the Tree, turning into a Bastiodon once Ash and Lucario slid off their back.

Lucario stiffened, shutting his eyes and the tufts under his ears straightening out as he paw hovered over his chest. Taking a deep breath, Ash copied Lucario, shutting his eyes and letting his hand hover over his chest. Blue flooded his vision as Ash took in the warm Aura each living thing released. About 10 meters to the left, Ash picked up a distinctly human signature, and frowned, opening his eyes. He felt a rush of exhaustion hit him, and his eyes stung when he opened them. Lucario put his paw on his shoulder, muzzle quirked up into a soft smile that filled Ash with pride before he frowned again.

The entire Tree of Beginning was surrounded by signs, and fences, warning away anyone that would try to enter the tree, not to mention the Regi’s that lived in the Tree to scare away any trespassers. It irritated him that people would try to get past a Royal Decree, one that was put in place to protect them in the first place. Ash didn’t really like using his title of Prince for his own agenda, Rota was largely a matriarchy, meaning Ash had no call to the throne unless something happened to his sister, even if he had a hat to throw into the ring, Ash didn’t want to be King, being a Prince was annoying enough and he’d rather be a Pokemon trainer than anything else anyway, so for the most part he didn’t even have an agenda to start with, but he needed to protect the Tree from People, and People from the Tree.

Pouting Frowning, Ash headed towards the human Aura signature, Lucario walking just a step in front of him. Swiftly, Ash used his hands to smooth out his hair, and stood taller and straighter. As they ventured further, Ash was able to get a good look at the person that had been hanging around for a few days. He hadn’t tried to enter the tree, which was why Ash hadn’t done anything yet, but he was getting closer every day and it was stressing Mew out. The person was a boy, he looked like an older teen, about the same age as Ash’s sister, with silvery blue hair and matching eyes. He was dressed smartly, with noticeable silver rings and an Aron by his side. Aron turned towards Ash, and cried out a warning to his trainer. Lucario growled warningly at the tiny Steel type, and Mew, disguised as Bastiodon, tossed their Steel head as if to make a point.

The trainer, at this Point, had already taken notice of Ash and the two Pokemon, his face contorting in confusion. “What is a child like you doing out here?” He questioned, a tad confused and his Hoenn accent thick.

Ash ignored him. “The Tree of Beginning is off limits. No one is allowed to go inside, and its dangerous to even be this close to it!” He warned.

The teenager had the decency to look embarrassed. “I just wanted a few stone samples, surely I wouldn’t get in trouble for doing that?”

Ash’s temper flared, which was actually quite humorous and adorable since he was a six year old. “Yes you will! Taking anything from this area means you’ll be heavily fined, and you’ll spend some time in jail for defacing a National and Sacred Landmark!”

Ash actually wasn’t making that up, trespassing was an immediate 6 months to a year in prison depending on the specific case because the Tree of Beginning was considered ‘Government Property’, but actually taking something, or harming the Tree in any way could lead up to a full 10 years, again depending on the case and how bad the damage was. Ash had studied the decree in detail since he was the reason it was made in the first place. The only way someone could enter without being punished was if they personally got permission from the Queen, King, and Crown Princess, who would always turn the request down. Luckily the Tree of Beginning was so far out that most people couldn’t be bothered, it was scientists and poachers that were the biggest issue, but even they had a healthy sense of self preservation.

The teen looked gobsmacked at Ash, pale brows furrowing. “You shouldn’t say stuff like that kid. Who are you exactly?”

Annoyance caused Ash’s eyebrow to twitch. Lucario, mildly amused, finally spoke up. ~My Master is Ashura Riola, First Prince of the Rota Kingdom.~ Ash hated when Lucario called him Master, and similarly hated when people close to him used his full name, but even Ash recognised that, in serious matters, he needed as much help as he could get.

The teenager looked back and forth between Ash and Lucario, as if not sure what to be more gobsmacked by; that he had actually met the Kingdom’s Prince, or that a Lucario just talked. After a few minutes, he seemingly rebooted. “I’m sorry for being so rude.” He blushed in embarrassment. “My name is Steven Stone, I work with my father at the Devon Corporation, and study Rocks in my spare time, thats why I was hoping to gather some samples. There is no other rock that I’ve seen like the Tree of Beginning.”

Ash wasn’t moved in the slightest, he knew who and what the Devon Corporation was, and even recognised the name Steven Stone, but his family turned down the likes of Professor Samule Oak, and they wouldn’t cave to the Devon Corporation either. “If you want a special pass you’ll have to talk to my parents and older sister.”

Steven sighed and seemingly deflated. “Alright, I’ll go to the castle tomorrow.”

Ash puffed his chest proudly. “I’ll lead you back to the capital then, I know this area like the back of my hand!”

===

Ash glanced out the window as Steven Stone walked out of the castle, his shoulders slumped in disappointment. A month had passed since Ash had caught the Stone heir. He paid his fine for trespassing and trying to take samples without protest despite the significant amount he had to pay. Everyday like clockwork the teenager came to the castle, filled out the request form, met with his parents and sister, was rejected, and went back to the home his family owned in the capital, only to come back the following day. It was kind of admirable, in its own way, but his parents were getting a tad bit annoyed with his repeated requests, they had more important things to do.

“Mew mew mew!” Mew chirped playfully, popping into his bedroom, and distracting Ash from his thoughts of the teen.

Ash grinned at his friend, catching them when they stopped floating. “Hey Mew!” He nuzzled his cheek against Mew’s, getting a loud purr in response.

“Mew mew?” Mew pointed to the stack of books and papers on his desk, chirping questioningly.

“All finished! We can play for the whole weekend!” Ash assured proudly. He wasn’t super intelligent, he actually struggled quite a bit in multiple subjects, and had a hard time focusing, but the teacher his parents hired specialized in teaching children like him, and wouldn’t move onto the next unit until Ash understood the material thoroughly; so Ash was usually able to finish all his actual school work in time.

Mew gave a loud, pleased chirp, and quickly flashed white as they transformed into Pichu. Lucario, who was laying down on Ash’s bed, eyes closed but ears perked, slowly sat up, staring at the door expectedly.

“Your Highness, your new instructor is here!” Jenny, Ilene and Ash’s governess, knocked on his door, and Ash groaned.

“Come on!” Ash flung his window open and hurriedly jumped into the tree that grew next to his window, Mew clinging to his shoulder and Lucario jumping after him. From there he easily swung down the branches, only stopping when he heard a group of knights walk by. Once they passed, Ash finished jumping all the way down and snuck out of the castle grounds through his secret entrance. From there, he headed straight for the tree, proud that he once again escaped.

Ash knew the forest surrounding the Tree like the back of his hand, and while yes it was a long walk, he really only walked until it got too dark, or got tired, and Mew would teleport or fly them the rest of the way, since realistically it was a two day drive from the castle to the Tree. In the meantime, Ash, Mew, and Lucario played tag as they ran through the forest.

After a few hours, the feeling of being followed struck Ash, and he turned sharply on his heel to see who was following him. His parents wouldn’t send any knights after him, maybe his mother’s Pidgy if he was needed back at the castle, but never a person.

Lucario grunted in annoyance. ~In the air.~ Ash followed his line of sight, and sure enough. Soaring above them on a blade winged Pokemon was a familiar head of silvery blue hair, and Ash pouted. Seeing how the teen was scanning the forest below, his brows creased in worry, it was obvious he was looking for Ash rather than trying to sneak back to the tree.

“Mew?” Ash glanced at the Pichu on his shoulder, who nodded, and leapt off his shoulder, transforming into a Pikachu mid-jump.

“Pika-CHU!” A bolt of lighting sprung into the air, lighting up the area momentarily, and catching Steven’s attention.

Finally noticing Ash, Steven directed his silver bird, and they headed towards them. Steven jumped off his Pokemon, and returned Skarmory to their Pokeball. “Why are you following me?” Ash asked, not so much upset but more curious.

“I noticed you heading this way and got worried. Prince or not, you’re still a kid.” Steven explained gently but not patronizingly.

“I have Lucario and M-Pikachu!” As if to prove his point Mew jumped onto Ash’s shoulder, and Lucario took a tentative step forward.

~We are more than capable of keeping the Master safe.~ Lucario gruffed, and Ash set him a withering look at being called ‘Master’.

“I don’t doubt that.” Steven nodded firmly. “Are you headed to the Tree of Beginning?”

Ash eyed him warily, green eyes narrowing with suspicion. “I am, why?”

“I’m just curious, honest.” Steven held his hands up placatingly. Ash glanced at Lucario, who scrutinized Steven before nodding.

“We go to the Tree of Beginning all the time to play with the Pokemon there.” Ash explained simply, scratching Mew under their chin.

“Is that why people aren’t allowed there? Because of the Pokemon?” Steven asked. “I heard there was a rumor that a Mew lived there.”

Ash shrugged noncommittally. “The Tree of Beginning is really special, if unfamiliar humans go there it messes up the echo-echonomy? No aco-system? Ecosystem! It messes up the ecosystem. I’m only allowed because the Pokemon know me and I never bring anything in or out.”

Steven nods in understanding. “I understand, I won’t try to get samples again.”

Ash perked up, a large, slightly wary, grin spreading on his face. “Really!?”

Steven chuckled. “I promise. If the ecosystem is that delicate, I don’t want to do anything to harm or disrupt it.”

“Pinky Promise?” Ash held up his pinky, and while a bit stunned, Steven did the same.

“Pinky Promise.” He solidified, pulling his hand back after the promise was solidified.

======4 Years Later======

The 10 year old First Prince stood firmly in place, his chest heaving and sword in hand as he stood over one of the apprentice knights, the tip pointing down at her. Ash’s hair, dark as night and tied back in a short ponytail, was ruffled and slightly out of place while his tanned skin was doused in sweat from exercise. The apprentice knight was no better, breathing in labored breaths, her short hair clumped and tousled while she was covered in dust and dirt. She shakily held up her hand. “I forfeit!” She called. Ash’s body relaxed, and he held his hand out, helping her up. She was only about a year older than him, but Ash had been training since he was 8, where she had only just started training the year prior, so they were pretty equally matched. “Thanks for the match Your Highness.”

Ash gave her a big grin. “You too! I hope we can duel against each other again some time!” Lucario, who was diligently standing nearby, walked over with a towel and a water bottle, both of which Ash took thankfully. He wiped his sweat away and nearly inhaled the entire water bottle down while moving to the side to sit down.

“Ash!” Said boy looked up, grinning widely as he saw Steven standing to the side, waving at him.

“Steven! You’re back!” Ash leapt from his seat, and ran up to the older man. He hadn’t seen Steven in a long while, the man having gone off to find and study new rocks, and materials, not to mention becoming dule Hoenn champion. Ash had really missed him.

“I had business in Kanto already, and since I couldn’t be here for your actual birthday, I decided to take the chance to stop by and give you your present. How are you Lucario?” Steven explained, ruffling Ash’s hair, only to scrunch his nose in disgust when he felt the sweat. Ash wordlessly handed him his towel.

~I have been well, thank you for asking.~ Lucario informed, gruff as ever.

“How long will you be in Rota?” Ash asked hopefully.

Steven grimaced regretfully. “Sadly not long, I have a meeting with Lance in Saffron so I’ll only be able to be in Rota for about a week.”

Ash wilted slightly, but perked back up almost immediately. “We can still hang out though, right?”

Steven smiled affectionately at the boy that he saw as a younger brother. “Of course, as long as all your work is done.”

“Your Highness,” Ash looked up to see the Head Knight approach. “We’re done for today if you want to head off.”

“Thanks for your hard work today.” Ash said respectfully, waving goodbye while leading Steven into the castle. “I finished my school work already, and I even went to my etiquette lessons.”

“Good job.” Steven said proudly as they walked by the throne room, it was muffled but he could hear talking from the inside. “Oh I should probably say hello while I’m here..” Steven trailed off as he noticed Ash’s troubled look. “Whats wrong?”

“I got in a fight with mom and dad last week.” Ash explained.

“About what?” Steven said in surprise, the Riola was rather tight knit and while disagreements happened they didn’t fight, at least not often. When Ash didn’t answer, Steven turned to Lucario.

~Ash wanted to go on a journey, and Her Highness, and His Highness said ‘no’.~ Lucario said simply.

“I’m not in line for the throne, I don’t even want to be, I do see why I can’t go on a journey when everyone else my age at least gets that option.” Ash grumbled. “They said I could train and have a team, but I’m not allowed to leave Rota.”

Steven nodded in understanding. His father had been hesitant with the idea of Steven going on his journey, but had still allowed him to. Still, Steven could see both sides of the argument. Ash had always wanted to be normal, he bristled at being call ‘Your Highness’ and even disliked being called his full name because of the weight attached to it, he craved freedom, and had always adored Pokemon, it made perfect sense that Ash wanted to be a Pokemon trainer, and Steven even thought that with enough work he could probably be a top trainer in the future. On the other side of the argument, Ash was the First Prince, while war was unlikely, there were still people that could try to take him for ransom, or worse, his Aura abilities; said abilities were kept tightly under wraps, but it was pretty easy to see that there was something special about the boy. Even if it wasn’t kidnapping, there were plenty of things that could go wrong on a journey, and putting aside the fact that his family loved him so much, Ash was valuable to the Rota Kingdom for his diplomatic talents at the very least, not to mention the fact that Ilene would be ascending to the throne within the next year or so, meaning a short power struggle was sure to happen while the kingdom adjusted to the new queen.

Since Steven could see both sides, he decided not to chime in. Instead, he let Ash guide them to the library, where a maid brought them some tea as soon as they sat down at one of the tables. Deciding to lighten the mood, Steven pulled out a square package, and pushed it towards Ash. “Here's your gift.”

“What is it?” Ash asked curiously, pulling it closer to him. From the way Lucario twitched his nose, Ash was pretty sure he already knew what it was.

“Why don’t you open it and find out.” Steven said mirthfully.

Shrugging, Ash opened the box, a large grin breaking on his face when he recognised what was inside. Excitedly, he pulled out a Pokeball, unlike the usual red, the Pokeball had a grey top with four blue bulbs, two smaller ones in the front, and two larger on either side. “A Heavy Ball!”

Steven chuckled warmly. “There’s something inside, Ash.”

Blushing in embarrassment, Ash held his arm out. “Pokemon, I choose you!” Out of the Pokeball came a small tan Pokemon with a large black mouth coming from the back of her head like a ponytail.

“Wile!”

“A Mawile!” Ash said in awe, crouching down in front of her, and offering her his hand. “Hi Mawile! It’s nice to meet you! I hope we’ll be great friends!”

Mawile smiled gently, and placed her hand in his. “Maw-wile!”

Behind them, Lucario and Steven shared a fond smile.

===

Noone was really sure what had happened. Steven had left Rota two days prior, and for the most part Ash had reconciled with his parents, but the next morning Ash and Lucario were nowhere to be seen, having only left a note explaining that they went to the Tree of Beginning. This didn’t cause any panic, Ash left for the Tree of Beginning all the time and it was more or less a schedule at this point. It wasn’t until Ash returned that anyone knew something was wrong.

The weather, which was usually warm and sunny in the summer months was instead gloomy, raining off and on as if it were grieving. Ash approached the castle around noon, still dressed in his pajamas, but instead of rushing into the castle with his usual mischievous grin, Lucario fondly following behind him, Ash approached the gates with a tear stained face, clutching a Riolu firmly to his chest like he was afraid it would vanish while a Tangrowth held a guilty looking woman in its vines. When the knights approached cautiously, Ash simply told them to take the woman to a cell and call his parents to talk to her before he vanished, Tangrowth in tow, into the castle and up to his room.

Ash didn’t leave his room for weeks, he wouldn’t even unlock the door for the maids to bring him food, not even his sister could convince him to let her in. It was only after interrogating the woman, Kidd Summers, that they got answers for what had caused the Prince’s distress. Kidd admitted that she snuck into the Tree of Beginning, wanting to gather data on the ecosystem and even get proof of Mew living there. In messing around with the Tree, and dodging the three Regis that protected the stoney tree, she caused stress to the environment. Mew had brought Ash to the Tree to help them get Kidd out of the environment safely, and when Mew tried to communicate with it, they both ended up ill due to the stress. Ash and Lucario gave Mew enough Aura to heal both itself and the Tree, but Lucario shoved Ash away and instead gave up his life to heal Mew and the Tree. Apparently, the Riolu Ash was seen carrying had been an egg that had hatched when the aura from Lucario and Ash flared, and Riolu had tried to comfort Ash after Lucario crystallized. Kidd expressed regret, and pleaded guilty to Trespassing on Government Property, and causing damage to a Historical and Spiritual Landmark.

With all the information, Ilene once again approached her brother’s room. Instead of going for the door, since she knew he wouldn’t open it, Ilene tried for his window, having Mime Jr. use Psychic to lift them up to the window. Luckily, it was unlocked, but the curtains were drawn shut. She opened the window and stepped inside.

Ash was laying on his bed, his face was buried in Riolu’s fur while an undisguised Mew was wrapped around Ash’s arm. Both Ash and Mew had teary eyes with marks staining their cheeks. Mew blinked a bleary eye open to see who had entered, but shut it when they recognised her.

Ilene felt her heart break as she saw the prone form of her brother. Gently, she sat on the bed, causing Ash to finally look up. Upon seeing her, green eyes filled with tears anew, and Ash reached out to her. Tearfully, she brought him into his lap, holding him in her arms as he sobbed loudly. Eventually, Ash cried himself asleep, and not once did he let go of the Riolu in his arms.

It took Ash months to seemingly go back to some semblance of normal. Some days were easier than others, sometimes he would stare off into space, and it was hard for him to adjust to not having Lucario by his side. It broke, not only his family’s hearts, but the castle staff’s too when Ash would happily turn around to ask Lucario’s opinion on something, only for him to remember he was no longer there and for his happiness to crumple. A big problem was that there were a lot of Lucario in Rota, and for a while Ash couldn’t see one without crying. Riolu, Mew, and Mawile were a huge help during this period. Mew was usually camouflaged into a Pikachu, but when Mew wasn’t at the Tree keeping the balance, it usually sat on Ash’s shoulder as the Prince went about his business.

The Citizens of Rota weren’t told the full story, nobody could find out about Mew lest the Tree become swarmed by Poachers, but they were told a slightly altered story, about Lucario, like Sir Aaron before him, making a great sacrifice to protect the Tree, and in turn their Kingdom. A memorial statue was built alongside Sir Aaron’s, and everyday a new offering was left for the Pokemon.

With patience, and guidance, Ash started to have more good days than bad, but he would never forget Lucario. Lucario had taught him so much, had protected him and been by his side for so long, and nothing would make Ash forget him. And while Riolu, affectionately nicknamed Rio, became a permanent fixture in Ash’s life, neither Ash nor Rio felt he was a ‘replacement’ for Lucario. Afterall, there was no ‘replacing’ such a noble Pokemon.

======4 years later(again)======

May looked around the small Kingdom of Rota in awe. It was small, but so incredibly peaceful, and beautiful. All around her the citizens and tourists alike were chatting joyously dressed in gorgeous medieval outfits, from Princess gowns, to Knight’s Armor, to Jester Costumes, everyone was dressed to the nines, even May herself had bought a beautiful Beautifly inspired gown in a little boutique next to the castle.

Being so wrapped up in the beauty and splendor of the Kingdom’s capital, May didn’t notice when her traveling companions, her brother Max, a Pokemon Breeder known as Brock, and Water Type Master in the making Misty, all walked off, not noticing she had stopped to admire the Town Square, more importantly the large statues that were erected in the center of said square. In the center stood two statues, they were both well taken care of, though one looked significantly older; it was of an oddly dressed man wielding a peculiar staff, beside him and newer looking, was of a Lucario, standing diligently by the man’s side. The slab that hoisted the two statues up was covered in offerings, some food, other flowers, or knick knacks.

“Hey Max, look at…what?! Where did they go?!” May shrieked, turning around to address her brother only to notice he and their two companions were gone. “Now what am I going to do?” She whined. She knew Misty was joining the tournament, which was being held in the Knights’ Public Training Grounds which also happened to be a stadium, so she would probably just meet them there, but she didn’t know what streets to take to get there.

After a few minutes of frantically looking around, May decided to just try and follow the crowd. She turned towards where a large group of people were heading, but ended up stumbling and falling back to back with another person. Panicking, May stuttered out an awkward apology.

“Don’t worry about it, you’re not hurt are you?” The person she bumped into waved off her apology, and May breathed a sigh of relief. He looked about her age, with short red hair and startling green eyes, like everyone else he was dressed up in a simple white Prince costume. On his right stood a two legged canine Pokemon, the same one as the statue, a Lucario, while on his left shoulder sat a little yellow mouse Pokemon, it was either a Pichu or Pikachu, but May wasn’t quite sure since she’d never seen either in person before.

“I’m okay.” She assured him. “Just a bit, well, lost.” May finally admitted, her cheeks going red with embarrassment.

“You’re a tourist then?” The stranger asked, tone of voice lacking judgment. “Don’t worry about it, the capital can get a bit confusing if you don’t know where you’re going. If you tell me where you want to go I can give you directions.”

“Really?! Oh wow that is so awesome! Thank you!” May breathed a heavy sigh of relief. “I lost my friends, I’m pretty sure they’re at the stadium for the Aura Guardian Tournament.”

“Oh, I was actually just about to head there myself. Right Rio?” The boy angled his head towards Lucario, who barked in agreement, blue tail wagging. “Just give me a minute I can walk over with you.”

May breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much! My name is May!”

“My name’s Steven, this is Rio and Pichu, nice to meet you!” He shook her hand while Pichu waved their paw and Rio nodded a greeting, before all three turned to the statues, specifically the one of Lucario. Pichu jumped down, rubbing its cheek against the metal, while Rio bowed his head, and Steven simply stared. There was something tender and painful about the way the boy stared at the statues, and for some reason May felt like she was interrupting something. After a few minutes, Steven removed a chocolate bar from his pocket and set it beside Lucario’s feet amongst the other offerings. After a little bit more silence, the boy pulled away, Pichu reclaiming their place on his shoulder, and Rio coming up to stand beside him.

Steven smiled at her, somehow looked both lighter and heavier at the same time. May was curious but knew it wasn’t her place to ask, instead she smiled brightly back at him and they started walking. “I’ve never seen a Pichu in person before.” May commented, reaching her hand out, but Pichu dodged the hand, scurrying over to his other shoulder.

Steven smiled guiltily. “Pichu is really shy, they don’t really like anyone but me touching them.”

“Oh, sorry Pichu.” Pichu gave her an easy little smile, showing there were no hard feelings. “Have you competed in the tournament before?”

Steven nodded his head. “Yeah, I competed last year, but we lost to this really amazing Ninetails and her trainer.” He admitted enthusiastically, not looking all that put out by his loss. “I’ve watched the tournament every single year though. What about you? Have you been traveling long?” He asked.

May shook her head. “I’ve only been traveling for about a little more than a year, I got my first Pokemon later than most people since, honestly, I wasn’t really interested in Pokemon.” Quick to explain herself, May continued. “That's changed now that I actually have my own, I really love Pokemon!”

Steven nodded in understanding. “Still, a whole year of traveling, that sounds super fun!” He sighed and scratched his cheek. May looked at him oddly. “I’ve never gone on a journey.” He explained. “I really want to, but my parents are a bit over protective.”

“So you’ve never left Rota before?” May said in surprise, feeling a bit bad for him. He obviously loved Pokemon, and really wanted to go on a journey. May was a different case entirely, she hadn’t really cared much for Pokemon as a kid despite her father’s position, her parents actually had to convince her to go on a journey, and looking back, May was grateful to them for pushing her, she made so many amazing friends and rivals thanks to her journey, and she couldn't even begin to imagine how it would feel to want something so bad and be denied from even trying.

Steven shook his head. “No I’ve left Rota before, its just usually with my parents or sister on their business trips. I get to search and catch some Pokemon, but there's not usually enough time to do much else before we have to come back home. Do you do gym challenges?”

May easily went with the change of topic, realizing he probably didn’t want to think too hard about his own situation. “I’m a coordinator, I even made it to the Grand Festival in Hoenn a few months ago!” She proclaimed proudly.

“That's amazing!” He said in awe. “Are you participating in Kanto Contests at the moment?”

“Yep! It’s a lot of fun so far.” She said excitedly. “Its kinda uncomfortable sleeping in a tent and stuff, but I think I’ve gotten use to it by now. What wasn’t so fun was this time we had to stay the night in an abandoned mining town! I was so scared for like half the night and Max didn’t help at all!” Steven laughed loudly as she went on.

The rest of the walk to the stadium was filled with mostly May regaling Steven with stories of her travels so far, and swapping stories about their Pokemon. Steven was enamored by all kinds of Pokemon despite tending to stray towards Steel Types, and obviously loved battling, it was very clear he was passionate about the sport, as was Rio, who perked up excitedly at the mere mention. All in all Steven seemed like a good guy, if a bit weird and excitable. Eventually, they arrived at the stadium and May saw Max and Brock off in the distance.

“After the tournament I’ll introduce you to everyone.” May offered, waving at Max, who had stopped by the stairs to wait for her.

“That would be great! See ya after the tournament then May!” Steven grinned one last time before running off towards the other contestants with a waver.

“Good luck!” She called after him before heading towards Max.

===

A lot had happened in the four years since Lucario’s crystallization. Ash and his Pokemon trained almost daily, and Ash started taking his classes and training a bit more seriously. He never wanted to be in that position again, unable to do anything. When he was 12 his family started taking him with them to Diplomatic meetings to get him adjusted to the atmosphere, and during his time between meetings Ash was able to gather a five Pokemon team, six if you count Mew but Mew was still a wild Pokemon and Ash had no plans to catch them. Ever. Ash often bothered his parents about setting off on his own, but even though they had stepped down as King and Queen for Ilene to ascend to the throne, they still denied him, and while Ilene was the Queen she couldn’t, and didn’t want to, overrule her parents decision, even if she thought Ash would make a fantastic Pokemon Trainer. Ash was a bit annoyed by the situation, but he wasn’t the type to mope, and simply went on with his life. He never stopped asking, and was hoping to one day wear them down. Manipulative? Kinda, and he felt bad but he also really wanted to go on a journey. In the meantime, he trained at home, specifically for the Aura Guardian Festival. He hoped if he won the festival it would convince his family he was ready to go on a journey like other kids his age.

Ash felt insanely bad about lying to May about his name, but at the same time he really didn’t want to be recognised. For the most part, Rota civilians left Ash alone, they were used to his antics and the fact that he visited the capital’s statues nearly everyday, so while they respected him as royalty, they also knew him by now and knew that when he was out of the castle and not ‘First Prince Ashura’ he was to be treated like any normal person. Tourists, however, were a different case. Most tourists didn’t come into contact with royalty and fell into four major categories; Don’t Care, Awestruck, Fans, and People that want something. Don’t Care was Ash’ s favorite to deal with, but had the fewest people in it, they would more or less treat Ash as a normal person, if just a bit politer out of courtesy, and the group was mainly composed of fellow royalty and other people in ‘higher social standing’. Ash could deal with Awestruck people, they usually just stared awkwardly at him and stammered over themselves when he talked to them but not much else. People who wanted something from him were also pretty simple to deal with, usually wanting some sort of favor, resulting in them sucking up to him and wanting to be his friend, again annoying but Ash knew how to handle people like that. All in all it was the Fan category that Ash hated dealing with the most, they usually came in droves, vying for his attention and just a speck of his acknowledgement, they would fight with each other about or over him and were overall just loud, and when he didn’t acknowledge them they turned against him, it was a slippery slope and Ash really didn’t like dealing with them.

May was a nice girl, and if Ash could guess, he would say she would probably fall into the Awestruck category, before eventually falling into the Don’t Care category. From the sounds of her travels she’s met quite a few people, which wasn’t surprising since she was the daughter of a Gym Leader and traveled with two former Gym Leaders. All in all, he could see them being friends, if she could forgive him for lying to her.

“Car.” Rio’s gruff voice pulled Ash from his thoughts. The Pokemon motioned towards the entrance leading out to the stadium, and soon thereafter his fake name was called.

“Thanks Rio.” Ash grinned and secured the red wig on his head before returning Rio to his Pokeball and running out onto the field. Mew quickly turned invisible before anyone could notice them, and flew up to the watching section, where they turned into an Aipom and sat beside Mime Jr.

The matches went off without a hitch. Ash was in column A, and while there were definitely some hard hitting battles, Ash and Rio were still winning. Ilene definitely knew it was him despite his red hair, in fact he would wager that most Rota civilians recognised him, green eyes were very rare in Rota, and the green eyes that ran in the Riola family were especially rare, and a dead give away to his heritage. Luckily, they were used to his antics and didn’t out him, and before long, it was just Ash and one other trainer.

“This battle will mark the winner of the Aura Guardian Festival and give us this year's Guardian of Aura!” The referee announced joyously, and the onlookers started cheering. “Ready?” Ash and his opponent, a short ginger haired girl in a long blue Princess costume, nodded to the referee, who waved down a white flag to start the battle. “Begin!”

“Lets finish this Rio!” Ash called out, tossing Rio’s Pokeball into the air. His partner easily jumped out, and landed in front of him.

“Finish what you started Psyduck!” The girl called out, releasing a yellow duck Pokemon who was clutching tightly onto his head. If Ash remembered right, she had been about to call a different Pokemon, but Psyduck popped out of his Pokeball on his own, rules stated only one Pokemon for the whole tournament so she had to use him. “Start off with Water Gun Psyduck!”

“Bullet Punch!” Psyduck released a blast of freezing water from his bill, but Rio was prepared. His fists glowed a pale silver before he shot them outwards, punching the oncoming attack and causing the Water Gun to be dispersed all over the dusty field. “Move in with Force Palm, aim for Psyduck’s body, do not hit his head.” Ash had watched the other battles closely, she only used Psyduck’s psychic moves after a blow to the head.

“Grr go in with Fury Swipes Psyduck!” She called out in retaliation. Psyduck ran forward, but was met halfway by Rio, who took a sturdy stance and pressed his paw to Psyduck’s body. Before Psyduck could respond, green energy shot out, sending Psyduck skitting backwards.

Ash watched Psyduck, waiting to see if he would stand up. Despite Psyduck’s ability to psychic moves, they are still only water types, so Rio’s moves would react in kind. If Psyduck had free access to his psychic moves without having to worsen his headache, this could be a very different battle, but the trainer hasn’t figured out how to harness that yet, no shame to her Psyduck in general were a bit difficult to get to that level.

“Come on Psyduck, use Fury Swipes once more!” Miraculously, Psyduck pushed himself up to stand again, and started running towards Rio with his claws flashing with Fury Swipes again. Rio ducked and dodged the onslaught of swipes, only being hit once or twice, though it wasn’t very effective.

“Aura Sphere.” Rio growled, and held his paws out in front of him, building up a shimmering blue ball of aura. Ash shivered slightly as he felt the aura shift and build around him. With a grunt, Rio fired the Aura Sphere. The ball of energy hit Psyduck head on, sending him lying back once more.

The air was tense as they gathered crowd waited for something to happen. Finally, Psyduck rose to his feet, eyes glowing a bright white as he clutched his head in pain. “Alright!” Psyduck’s trainer grinned. “Now Psyduck, use Psychic!”

“Psy!” Blue psychic energy surrounded Rio, and lifted him up into the air before slamming him into the ground.

“Hang tight Rio.” Ash called, watching tensely as Rio took damage, unable to escape the powerful Psychic attack. As soon as he saw Psyduck falter, and release Rio, Ash barked an order. “Now, use Reversal!” Orange light bled from Rio, cloaking him as he pulled himself to his feet. Swiftly, Rio ran towards Psyduck, dodging a Confusion powered Water Gun that Psyduck had shot towards him. Once he was close enough, Rio channeled his energy into his paws, and punched Psyduck. Rio had taken a fair bit of damage, meaning Reversal had a bigger kick behind it. Psyduck quacked in pain, before passing out.

“And with that, Psyduck is unable to battle! This year's Guardian of Aura is Rota’s very own First Prince: Ashura Riola!” The Referee announced proudly, having forgotten Ash was in disguise due to his excitement. The crowd of tourists murmured in confusion while those that live in Rota snickered and giggled to each other. Ash silently cursed in his head, removing the red wig from his head with flair, as he waved at the crowd with a cheeky little grin. Rio, obviously, thought it was hilarious because he snickered as he approached his trainer, who shot him a withering look, not that it dissuaded the Pokemon. Sighing, Ash returned Rio to his Pokeball so he could rest before the ball.

===

Up in the stands, May was freaking out. She had spoken so casually with a real life Prince! She was going to die from the humiliation! Still, she was super surprised. Steven, er Ashura she supposed, had seemed so down to earth and normal, she never would have guessed he was royalty. Though, that was probably the point.

May blinked in surprise when she met the Prince’s eyes. He smiled guiltily at her, and mouthed a quick ‘Sorry.’. May smiled in what she hoped was reassuring, and mouthed back to him. ‘Don’t worry about it!’ He looked relieved before he turned back to the referee, pulled out a Pokeball and released a Skarmory. He waved to the onlookers as he pulled himself onto the steel bird’s back, and flew off towards the castle, probably before he could be swarmed by the masses.

“Wow, Misty battled a real Prince!” Max said in awe, and May looked at him.

“She’s not going to be happy about this.” Brock sighed, running a hand through his spiky brown hair. “Psyduck really chooses the worst times to come out of his Pokeball.”

May simply giggled. “She’ll get over it. She and Psyduck did really well, she made it to the semi-finals after all!”

“That's true, considering she and Psyduck haven’t unlocked his Psychic abilities completely yet.” Max conceded. “So, whos this person you wanted us to meet?”

May faltered, now that he was out of costume she didn’t know if he would still want to meet them. “Oh well, he already left the building.” She pointed in the direction she had seen him fly off towards.

Brock and Max followed where she was pointing, only to quickly whip their head back towards her, eyes blown wide. “What?!”

May promised to explain later, but first they had to meet back up with Misty. As they had expected, Misty was embarrassed and angry. She didn’t care so much that she battled the Prince, she was more angry that they performed so poorly. Since Rota was a Kantonian Kingdom, and Misty was the to-be Gym Leader of a Kantonian Gym her battle against the Prince meant a lot more Politically than most people realized. If she had won, or even just performed well then news would spread, bringing good publicity to the Cerulean Gym, which the Gym desperately needed due to her sister’s poor business practices. Since she lost and performed badly there was bound to be little talk about the match, but what little was said would probably reflect poorly on the Gym. Misty loved her Psyduck, but she really wished he would learn to stay in his Pokeball.

May rested her hand on Misty’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze in support. “You still did really well.” She offered, getting a tight smile from the ginger haired teen. “Come on, who else do you know who could make it to the semifinals with a Psyduck? You guys were great!”

“Thanks May.” Misty finally sighed, running her hand through her short hair.

“You know what you need?” Brock asked. “Some cotton candy! Lets go look at some of the food stalls.”

As if on cue, Max’s stomach growled, resulting in the group laughing before they departed to head back out into the festival. Before they could leave the stadium however, a woman dressed in armor, except for her head, approached them.

“Excuse me, are you May?” She asked.

May nodded nervously. “May, what did you do?!” Max whisper-yelled.

“Nothing!” May whispered back harshly, yelping when the knight cleared her throat. “Eep Yes!”

“I was asked to escort you, and your friends, to the castle on the Prince’s request, he said the two of you had a meeting.” She explained, and May relaxed slightly. “If you’ll follow me.”

“Okay.” May nodded her head and followed after the older woman.

Misty leaned over and whispered harshly. “What is she talking about? Meeting?”

“I met the Prince when he was in disguise!” May whispered back. “I didn’t know it was him until he took off his wig. We agreed to meet after the tournament so I could introduce him to everyone.” Brock, Max, and Misty all gave her disbelieving looks. “I'm being honest!”

“So we’re just going to casually have coffee with the Prince?” Max asked in disbelief.

“Actually,” The knight suddenly spoke, sounding highly amused and making the group of kids jump. “His Highness doesn't like coffee, more than likely he’ll offer tea or hot chocolate.” She turned towards them, and motioned to a large open gate in front of them. “Also, we’re here.”

“We just…walk right in?” May asked nervously, eyeing the other knights that stood guard in front of the gate.

The guard that led them smiled a little. “Because it's the Aura Guardian Festival the castle grounds are open to everyone, you’ll meet him in his library, since that specific library is off limits.”

Nervously, the group of teens, and preteen, walked into the castle grounds. Like the knight had said, the grounds were open, and they could already see a few groups of people touring around, which made them feel less awkward as they were led to the main entryway of the castle. They passed by a few tour groups, as they went, noticing that a few doors were blocked by knights, likely guarding rooms that were off limits, like personal bedrooms and studies and such. After traveling down a few long hallways, they finally came to a stop before a set of doors that had a metal nameplate inscribed with the letters ‘Library C’. The Knight knocked, and soon the door opened.

The library was about the size of a small apartment, with dark wooden shelves teaming with books. Next to one window, looking out, was a desk piled high with paperwork and books, and next to another window was a simple table with six chairs. Scattered around the floor were numerous bean bag chairs and Pokemon beds. On the table were five cups, two teapots, and a small platter of sweets and sandwiches.

“Welcome!” Movement from the desk drew the group’s attention. The Prince was standing next to his desk, Pichu perched on his head, playing with his short ponytail like a Skitty playing with a cat toy. “Have a seat, thanks for bringing them here!” He turned to address the knight.

The Knight bowed slightly. “Of course your highness, call if you need anything.” With that, she excused herself and left the room.

“Uh thanks for meeting with us, uh Your Highness?” Brock said awkwardly, bowing at the waist, soon followed by his younger companions.

Ashura looked torn between uncomfortable, and amused. “Just Ash is fine. You don’t have to be so stiff around me.” He mumbled, scratching his neck nervously, motioning for them to sit down at the table as he approached. “I didn’t know what you guys liked so I just asked for a bit of everything.”

“Thanks Ash.” May smiled gratefully at him and was the first to sit down. Max soon followed his sister, and sat beside her before helping himself to one of the sandwiches.Brock and Misty followed soon thereafter, and finally Ash sat down.

“Sorry our meeting didn’t go as planned, I hadn’t planned on that.” He said, sounding regretful as he poured himself a cup of hot chocolate.

“Don’t worry about it, I don’t think anyone could have planned for that.” May laughed. “I was really surprised though, you don’t really act like how I thought a Prince would.” Her eyes widened. “Oh my goodness, was that rude? I feel like that sounded rude?”

Ash laughed loudly, as did Pichu, who jumped down onto the table and stole one of the daifuku off the platter. “I’m not really the fairytale type of royalty. My sister is probably closer to what you’re expecting.”

“Thats right, your sister is Queen Ilene isn’t she?” Brock suddenly asked. “She really is deserving of such a title, so beautiful.”

Deciding to ignore the dazed look in Brock’s eyes, Ash nodded. “Yes, she was made Queen two years ago.”

“Wouldn’t that now make you a Duke instead of a Prince though?” Misty asked curiously.

“Grand Duke technically, but my sister doesn’t have any children so I’m being kept on as the Prince until she has kids, and then I’ll get the Grand Dukedom.” Ash explained. “But you didn’t come here to talk politics, I really wanted to meet May’s friends. She talked a lot about you guys and your travels.” His eyes seemed to sparkle with excitable curiosity.

May smiled. “This is Misty, Brock, and my Little brother Max.” She pointed to each person in turn.

From there, they fell into easy conversation. It didn’t take long for the quartet to realize that Ash was a very normal person. He didn’t care about his position, at least not when he wasn’t working, and he had a real love for Pokemon and battle. The five of them sat in the library for a long time, chatting about anything and everything, from the different regions that Misty and Brock had traveled to, to the difference between Hoenn and Kanto contests, to the difference between the rumored Poketch and the Pokenav.

It wasn’t until dusk that they were pulled from their conversation, and escorted to the ballroom. Ash, as the years Guardian of Aura, had to sit all night, Rio standing dutifully beside him now that he was healed up, but the others danced and enjoyed the rest of the facilities until it was time for the fireworks. Ash was able to stand with them to watch the fireworks, and even invited them to stay in the castle guest rooms for the night, with his sister’s permission. The following morning, they had a nice breakfast with not only the Reigning Queen, but their parents as well. It was surprising that, despite their royal blood, the whole family was pretty down to earth, if properly mannered.. It was a bit frazzling eating with them, but Brock and the former King got on surprisingly well, as did Misty and the former Queen, even Max got on well with Queen Ilene. May however couldn’t really focus on that, she wanted to ask them something, and thus had to push her frazzled nerves aside.

“Excuse me.” May sat up straight, having finished her meal already she pushed her plate to the side. The former Queen looked surprised but motioned for her to continue. “I wanted to ask, would it be okay if Ash came on a journey with us?”

Ash whipped his head in May’s direction, his conversation with his sister dropped in order to stare at his friend in awe, and surprise. The other conversations around the table also tapered off to pay attention to what was being said. For his part, Ash looked hopefully between May and his parents.

“I’m sure you mean well young lady but its not so simple.” The former King said after a few moments. “Journeys are rather dangerous.” The former Queen nodded in agreement and Ash visibly wilted.

“Actually,” Ilene spoke clearly with a gentle smile. “I think that is a fantastic idea.”

The former Queen turned to her daughter in surprise. “You’ve never said as much before.”

Ilene nodded. “Ash is my brother, not my son so I try to stay out of your parenting of him, but if I’m to be honest mother, I think a journey would do him some good. Hes an amazing diplomat, but he also needs friends that aren’t after him politically. Journeys can be dangerous, but as Ash has proved, he and Rio are a strong duo, not to mention his other Pokemon. And, if he’s accompanied by a group, he’ll be even safer.” She took a drink of water and winked conspiratorially at her brother, who smiled back. “That's just my opinion though.”

Brock nodded in agreement. “We can look after him and make sure he doesn't get in trouble.”

“Yeah, traveling with more people is always more fun.” Misty chimed in.

The former Queen and King shared a look, seemingly having a silent conversation before turning to look at Ash. “There will be some conditions.” His mother warned, and Ash grinned. “You will be wearing a disguise, I want weekly check ins young man, and it can only be for a year. I know that doesn't seem like a long time, but you do have responsibilities here.”

“A year is more than enough time!” Ash stood up with haste, grinning brightly at May, who returned the gesture. “Thank you thank you thank you!”

Surprising to noone, Ash already had a pre-packed bag ready to go hidden in his room, prepared on the off chance that his parents would eventually let him go on a journey. He couldn’t use his usual disguise since it had already been seen by so many people, so instead he put in a pair of brown colored contacts, and got a dark blue wig that was just a touch lighter than his usual hair color. It was surprising how easy it was to hide in plain sight. Regardless, the quartet now turned quintet set off the next day, ready to brave the rest of their journey. The only thing Ash hated about leaving for his journey, other than missing his parents, was saying goodbye to Mew temporarily. They were super close, so it was hard to say goodbye, even for just a little bit. Mew could teleport, but it was too much of a risk, so for the time being they had to say goodbye, but Ash promised he’d be home soon.

Misty was on a quest to complete the Battle Frontier, and Ash was enamored with the idea. Officially, he had no battle experience so he couldn’t take the challenge with her, instead the group took little detours when they were close to other cities so he could battle the gyms there. Ash had no hope for competing in the league, it was too far into the season for him to even attempt to get enough badges, but the battles were fun, and a great way to keep track of their strength and improvement. Ash still had an open spot on his team, so oftentimes he was keeping an eye out for a new addition, sadly there weren't a lot of Steel Type Pokemon in Kanto, the soil just wasn’t right to produce the natural iron and minerals most Steel Types needed. Which kinda made the Pokemon Ash did find, not only a rare find on principal, but a massive surprise all around. Ash got separated from the group while they were walking through a cave system, something his parents would not be finding out about, and it was only because of Ash and Rio’s aura abilities that they were able to track everyone else down. Before they could find the others Ash and Rio came across a Registeel. The moment he saw the Pokemon Ash was hit with a feeling of Homesickness, after all there was a Registeel living at the Tree of Beginning and Ash often played with it back home. But this Registeel was different, not as full of life and even a little sickly. It wasn’t hard to realize it was because of the lack of Iron in the area it lived. Ash and Rio both felt a little bad about catching Registeel, since it was so weak with sickness, but at the same time they needed to get them out of there so they could work on getting them healthy again. With Brock, a Pokemon Breeder in the making, traveling with them, it was easier, as Brock knew quite a bit about Rock, Steel, and Ground types, so with his help Registeel was able to eventually heal and regain their strength. The only Brain of the Battle Frontier Ash got to battle was Brandon, and that was mostly because he wanted his Registeel to go toe to toe with another. It was an admittedly difficult battle, Brandon was no light weight, but neither was Ash. The battle was intense, with Ash beating Brandon out by just a second as his Pokemon passed out just before Ash’s.

All good things had to come to an end though. After Misty’s win of the Battle Frontier, and the wrap up of the Grand Festival it was time to head home. Misty and Brock would be heading home to Cerulean City and Pewter City respectively, while May was going to take Max home to train with their father before she headed to Jhoto, and Ash had to head back to Rota before his 15th birthday. It was an admittedly touching goodbye, as Ash felt he owed quite a lot to these people. Of course, they all told him he owed them nothing, they were friends and they looked out for each other.

======2 years later======

It was amazing how much, and how little changed in just two years. After his return to Rota Ash buckled down. It seemed the journey had opened his eyes to a whole bunch of different things, and while he was still mayhem incarnate, he also started taking his position more seriously; and as a result he got a bit more freedom.

By the time he was 17 his sister was sending him to diplomatic meetings alone, not only did she let him visit Unova by himself, but also Kalos to talk about trade deals. Visiting Kalos had its own issues, the CEO of a major company/Leader of Team Flare trying to take over and purge Kalos into oblivion resulting in Ash and many other people having to fight against him and his team. It was not good, and truthfully, Ash was pretty sure if Rio hadn’t Mega Evolved, a very pleasant surprise, in that split second things could have and would have gone a lot worse. But Ash really didn’t like thinking about Kalos, and as it stood, because of the incident Rota and Kalos were on shaky ground, since their prince was almost hurt. Ash tried to talk his sister down, but as it stood she still wanted nothing to do with the Region, so Ash let it go for the time being.

Besides, he had another trip he had to plan for in the following months on top of: therapy sessions, Pokemon training, classes, playing with Mew, patrolling the Tree, and working with Rio’s Mega Evolution. Luckily, his trip to Alola was simply a routine visit, the island region had been thinking about creating a league and since Alola and Rota had such strong trade agreements Ash was tasked to check in and help where he could while also planning out some new triads with the Kahunas’. The only foreseeable issue was that Mew was refusing to leave Ash’s side as he tried to load the plane.

===

Ash sighed, looking at the ‘Pikachu’ on his shoulder. ‘Pikachu’ looked mighty pleased with itself. Tiny claws dug into Ash’s shoulder and unmoving no matter what Ash offered them and Rio, the traitor, was doing nothing to help. Looking at his watch, Ash caved. “Alright, you can come with me,” he lamented before whispering. “But you have to stay disguised as a Pikachu the whole time alright?”

“Pi Pikachu!” Mew giggled, having won, and nuzzled up against Ash’s cheek.

“Car!” Rio barked happily.

Ash smiled fondly at them. He couldn’t really blame Mew he supposed. Ash had been running around a lot more and they hadn’t gotten the chance to play together much because of his duty. He just hoped the Tree would be okay while they were both gone. Then again, they would only be gone for a month at most. What was the worst that could happen? Whipping out his phone, Ash shot his sister a message:

Ash: hey Pikachu will be traveling with me this time, can you keep an eye on the bonsai tree while we’re gone?

Ilene: :)

Blinking at the emoji Ash felt a shiver go down his spine. “I’m scared.” He murmured, getting loud laughs from Mew and Rio.

Pocketing his phone, Ash finally entered the plane, followed closely by Rio. One of the perks of being royalty was having a private plane, and while Ash wouldn’t mind dressing in a disguise and taking the normal airline, he was running behind because of Mew’s antics and the airport was a nightmare to deal with most of the time. The flight to Alola was relatively peaceful. As promised, Mew stayed disguised the entire flight, while Rio sat in the seat next to Ash, eyes closed and the tufts on either side of his face alert as he looked for any sinister Aura. When they were only 20 minutes from touching down, Ash quickly combed his hair, brushing the black locks straight and tying it into a clean ponytail, and changed into his more appropriate clothes. Ash had been to the region before with his father and had worn his usual Princely formal wear since his father said to pack it, but almost the entire trip he was sweating up a storm due to the tropical heat. They ended up having to buy him some more appropriate clothes so he wouldn’t get heat stroke. Ash was pretty sure the whole thing was a lesson from his father, about researching the climate of where you’re going to make sure you’re properly prepared, and Ash took that lesson to heart. The resulting outfit was a short sleeve white button up that was loose and breathable and dark grey capris that cut off at the knee and had blue hemming, coupled with black and white sneakers. It was actually a pretty comfortable fit, and while Ash usually wore whatever he wanted in Rota unless it was a special event, he kind of wished he could wear the Alola attire to all his diplomatic meetings.

“Rio Car.” Rio barked lowly, catching Ash’s attention to the kight above the captain’s pit, where a seatbelt light flashed.

Hurriedly, Ash made his way back to his seat and buckled Rio and himself into the plane seats, situating Mew safely in his lap while his arm’s acted as Mew’s seatbelt. The drop in altitude made Ash’s ear pop, and he shook his head to get rid of the feeling. Once the plane came to a full stop, a voice echoed from the speakers. “We’ve touched down Your Highness.”

Unbuckling, Ash pulled himself back up to his feet, before leaning over to unbuckle Rio. After smoothing out his clothes, and making sure Rio’s fur was free of any debris, Ash and his partner exited the plane, Mew sitting comfortably in Rio’s arms. Once on solid ground, Ash took a deep breath, breathing in the warm, salty air with a pleased sigh. Ash was pleased to notice that there weren’t many people around to greet him, just four adults, three Kahuna’s that Ash remembered, and a scientist Ash vaguely recognised, but also a small gaggle of teenagers.

“Alola Your Highness!” The first to greet him was a plump man with tanned skin. He had distinct white hair and an accompanying mustache. Ash remembered the man fondly from his visit when he was younger.

“Alola Kahuna Hala.” Ash greeted back warmly, approaching the group of adults. “Thank you for meeting me! I hope I can help with whatever you need.”

Hala laughed warmly. “You remember Nanu, and of course Olivia.” He motioned to the two other Kahua that stood beside him. Olivia was a tall beautiful woman with dark skin and short black hair, she offered him a kind smile. Like the exact opposite of the woman, Nanu was a thin, pale man dressed in black and greys with dull grey hair, he was pretty tall, but he slumped his shoulders making him look shorter as he simply nodded to Ash.

“I do, it's so nice to meet you once again!” Ash smiled up at them. “I’m not sure if you remember me though, I’m Ashura Riola, thank you for welcoming me back to Alola.”

Olivia chuckled. “My we don’t see those kinds of manners around here often.”

Ash resisted the urge to rub his neck in embarrassment. Luckily, Hala saved him from his embarrassment. “This man here is Professor Kukui, he’s one of our local professors and works as a teacher at the nearby school. He thought it would be good for the students to get a peek at another culture.” He motioned to the Professor.

The man in question thrust his hand towards Ash, a warm grin on his face despite the fact that Rio growled warningly at him. Ash glanced at his partner, assuring him he was fine before accepting the man’s hand. “Nice to meet you young man!” Professor Kukui was very tall with tanned skin and dark hair, his lab coat was just barely covering his bare chest and sweatpants hung loosely on his hips, overall he seemed warm, and very easy going. He was nothing like the other professors Ash had met previously, who were usually well dressed and a tad bit tight shouldered. Ash liked him.

“Nice to meet you too Perfessor.” Ash pulled his hand back, and Rio stopped growling. “Are these your students?” He inclined his head towards the gathering of teens, who shifted uneasily at being addressed.

“Yes!” The Professor jumped at the opportunity. “Left to right these are; Lana,” ”Hi!” “Mallow,” “Hello.” “Lily is hiding behind them,” ”N-Nice to meet you.”, “Kiawe,” ”Hmph.” “and finally; Sophocles.” “Hi or whatever.”. As a whole, the group looked to be about 15, maybe 16. “I was hoping, if you have the time, if you could come to my class to talk a bit about Kanto. I know it's a lot to ask, so only if you have the time to spare.”

“I’ll see what I can do, at the very least I can maybe extend my time here a day longer to talk to them on my last day, though I’d have to talk to my sister about it.” The idea actually sounded pretty fun, most of his meetings focused around trades, and deals, it would be a nice change to be able to talk about his home region outside of just ‘we can trade this for this’ followed by some business man trying to shove their daughter into his face.

“That would be great, thank you.” Professor Kukui sighed in relief.

Hala finally stepped in, regaining Ash’s attention. “Would you like to be taken to where you are staying and rest for the rest of the day? We can always talk tomorrow, I’m sure the plane ride was a long journey.”

“Thank you for the offer, but we’re okay. I’d actually like to get a basic explanation done today so we can get right to work tomorrow if thats okay.” Ash explained.

“Then should we start with a tour of our islands as we talk?” Olivia offered, taking a step forward only to fall.

Ash tried to hold back a good natured laugh, but when the other Kahuna’s and the Professor started laughing, he couldn’t hold it back any more and laughed along with them. Once they all calmed down, Ash reached his hand out to help her up. “That sounds like a good idea. When I visited last time I only got to see Melemele Island.”

Since they were already on the island, the tour started with Melemele Island, before moving to Akala, Ula’ula, and lastly Poni Island. Olivia proudly showed off her Island, dragging them around to see all the Island had to offer as quickly as she could in between them talking business. In comparison, Nanu was blase about his tour, not to say he was rude or hated his Island, Ash was just sure the man had other things he rather be doing than showing Ash around. The final Island they were checking out was Poni Island. The fourth Kahuna had yet to be chosen, so it was up to the other three Kahuna’s to show Ash around, though admittedly they didn’t know the area as well as they knew their own Islands.

“You don’t have to tell me, but is there a reason a fourth Kahuna hasn’t been chosen yet? I was pretty sure there was a fourth Kahuna when I was last here, wasn’t there?” Ash inclined his head towards the older people as they walked down the thick path towards, what Kahuna’s had called, the Ruins of Hope.

Kahuna Hala hummed thoughtfully. “We don’t choose the Kahuna after us.” The robust man explained. “Yes we can raise those after us in hopes of them being chosen, but truthfully, the decision is left up to the Tapus, Tapu Fini in particular is the one that chooses the Kahuna for Poni Island.”

“The Tapus are similar to Mew in the Kanto Region, or Arceus in the Sinnoh Region, kid.” Nanu explained boredly. “There are four of them, Tapu Koko who watches over Melemele Island, Tapu Lele who watches over Akala Island, Tapu Bulu watches over Ula’ula Island, and Tapu Fini takes care of Poni Island. As the guardians of the Islands, they choose the Kahunas, even if you don’t really wanna be involved.” Nanu ended his sentence with a slightly bitter sounding grumble.

Subconsciously, Ash raised his hand to scratch under Mew’s chin, causing the disguised Pokemon to chirp happily.

Olivia spoke up next. “Honestly, there is someone we thought for sure Tapu Fini would choose, and to be honest, it seemed they almost wanted to choose her, but….” Olivia trailed off.

“It almost seems like they’re waiting for something.” Hala finished, eyes sparking in a way that made Ash feel like the man knew more than he was letting on. “Though, to be honest, not even we really know what they’re waiting for. We can’t really finish the Pokemon League plans without the fourth Kahuna’s input, but we figured we may as well start the project and catch the fourth Kahuna up once they’re chosen.”

Ash made a vague sound of understanding before his mind drifted. Due to them talking, nobody realized a fog had started to roll in the closer they got to the Ruins of Hope, and Ash blink wildly in surprise. He turned around to address the Kahuna’s again, but the fog was so thick he couldn’t see them. “Rio.”

“Cario!” Rio barked, stepping closer to Ash.

“Mew.” As soon as Ash said its name, Mew transformed from a Pikachu, into a Joltic, and buried itself safely into the front pocket of Ash’s shirt. Glancing at his partner, they shared a nod before both shut their eyes.

Ash inhaled as hazy blue took over his vision, becoming clouded with the aura that leaked from every living thing. Now that they could see, Ash and Rio pressed forward, heading towards the ruins that laid just ahead. Distantly, Ash could pick up the aura of the Kahuna, but they too were headed for the ruins, if at a much slower pace.

Upon reaching the ruins, the fog stopped. It still surrounded the outside of the ruins like a protective cloud, but it no longer lingered around Ash and Rio to the point that they couldn’t see a hand even if it were in front of their faces. Ash and Rio scanned the surrounding ruins, watching for any threats before they both opened their eyes. Ash winced, the onslaught of light irritating to his eyes before they adjusted properly again. When he could finally see again, his eyes focused on the Pokemon that floated just before him.

The Pokemon was unlike anything Ash had seen before. They looked almost like a mermaid cast in swordfish armor, with clear, curious blue eyes. ‘Tapu Fini,’ his mind supplied. It stared at Ash oddly, clicking and tilting its head curiously before raising their arms and shooting a thick stream of water towards Ash. Rio snarled, jumping in front of Ash and using Aura Sphere to block the blast of water, resulting in Ash only getting barely sprayed. Rio readied himself to jump at Tapu Fini, but Ash stopped him, shaking away the water droplets from his hair.

“Hold on Rio, look where we are.” Rio halted immediately, glancing around at the delicate stone structures, relics of the past that just barely remained as a reminder of a civilization long since gone. Rio grunted in disagreement, but in the end caved and jumped back as Ash pulled out a different Pokeball. Rio knew Ash better than anyone, except maybe Mew, he knew the last thing Ash would ever want was to cause harm to something so ancient and spiritual, in a way it would be like spitting on the Tree of Beginning, and that was the last thing Ash would ever let happen. “Mawile, I choose you!”

“Wile!” Mawile jumped breezily out of her Pokeball, staring at Tapu Fini in mild awe. But that awe melted as soon as she saw the water droplets clinging to her trainer’s face. “Ma!” Mawile growled, eyes narrowing at who she now realized was an opponent.

“Play Rough!”

Mawile launched herself at Tapu Fini, who easily jumped and dodged out of the way, only for Mawile to swing her mouth-horn, and grab hold of them. In retaliation, Tapu Fini used Whirlpool creating a vortex of spinning water around her. While Tapu Fini sat leisurely in the water, Mawile was dealt damage after damaged front he spinning waves.

Ash bit his lip as he thought quickly. “Use the Whirlpool to strengthen your Fairy Wind!” Mawile’s jaws released and Mawile let herself be picked up by the water, using the spinning to boost herself as pink glittering winds wrapped around her, propelling her out of the water and simultaneously destroying the Whirlpool.

Tapu Fini didn’t rest though, and shot a strong Hydro Pump at Mawile, who was just barely able to dodge as Tapu Fini kept firing one Hydro Pump after the other. Mawile was exhausted, the repeated damage of the Whirlpool had exhausted her, as had continuously dodging Hydro Pumps, which seemed to fire faster and faster.

“Fairy Wind, kick up the dust.”

Mawile nodded at Ash, recognising the code for what it was. Mawile spun on her heal and Fairy Wind lashed out, tearing towards Taou Fini like quick lashes that the Tapu had no trouble avoiding. However, the Fairy Wind was also running against the ground, picking up dust and dirt and clouding the area while Tapu Fini was too distracted to notice. Mawile’s head and horns then flashed, turning hard as iron before she launched herself at Tapu Fini, hiding amongst the thick kicked up dust and dirt. Her head slammed into Tapu Fini, causing them to cry out in shock at getting hit. Tapu Fini quickly turned, hitting Mawile away with another strong Hydro Pump. Mawile cried out, falling to the ground and skitting towards Ash. She laid their for a minute before fighting to pull herself back up to her feet.

“Are you alright Mawile?” Ash asked, crouching down to her level.

“Ma-wile!” Mawile panted harshly, but nodded. Across from them, Tapu Fini raised her arms, and Mawile prepared for another attack. However, instead of another blast, a vibrant pink pulse of energy shot forward, and Mawile purred at the pleasant feeling as her injuries were washed away. “Wile~”

“They healed you.” Ash said in surprise, awe ebbing at the edge of his voice. Smiling, Ash looked up at the hovering Tapu. “Thank you Tapu Fini.”

Tapu Fini crooned in response before suddenly retreating into their shell. The Shell seemed to move and bang around before Tapu Fini emerged once again, and floated over. Mawile, Rio, and even Mew, tensed up, but Ash didn’t. Unwavering, he met Tapu Fini’s eyes without fear, and they seemed thrilled as they held something out towards him. Wordlessly, Ash accepted whatever they offered, cupping it gently in his hands as he observed it. It was a white bracelet-like band of some sort, white in color with sharp, jagged edges and an odd grey crystal in the center. Vaguely, Ash could remember seeing the same band on the Kahuna’s, Professor, and even the students in the Professor’s class, and thought back to his study material.

“This is a…Z-Ring, right?” He asked tentatively, and Tapu Fini trilled in agreement. Before Ash could ask anything else, a loud set of claps grabbed his attention. Standing off to the side of the ruins were the three Kahuna’s, Hala was clapping with a large grin in pride while Olivia waved happily at him and Nanu slumped against a tree.

“I see Tapu Fini has finally chosen Poni Island’s Kahuna.” Hala said, sounding rather pleased with himself.

It took Ash’s brain a minute to understand what he heard, but once he fully comprehended it, his green went wide and he stared back and forth between the, far too pleased with itself, Tapu, and the also rather smug Kahuna.

‘Well,’ Ash thought dryly, ‘My life just got a whole lot more complicated.’

Chapter Text

Giovanni Agosti was not a good man, he was not a kind man. He was a man that wanted the world to bow to him, and would thus do anything to make it do so. He wanted power. He wanted money. And for the most part, he didn’t care who, or what he hurt in the process of securing that future.

However, there was one thing the man really cared at all for; his family.

Yes, for all that Giovanni was a heartless businessman, there were two people in the world that the man could never even think of harming; his wife and young son. Delia, his wife, was a bright and kind woman, while yes she was womanly and enjoyed housework and cooking, she also had the backbone of a Sandslash and was as stubborn as a Toros. Their son, Ash, reminded Giovanni a lot of himself when he was a kid, brimming with enthusiasm for the world around him, he was as stubborn as his mother, but also twice as kind.

He had never expected to fall in love and start a family, at the time he hadn’t even known he could fall in love. Meeting Delia had been pure coincidence, a beautiful, world altering coincidence that happened soon after Team Rocket was fully functional. They married a few years after, and a year after that Ash was brought into the world. Giovanni had been surprised he could even love Delia, he never expected that he would love his son just as much.

But even a man like Giovanni knew, should they ever find out about his operation he would lose them both. A wiser man would have disbanded his company and started anew, but in an act of greed, and possibly even foolishness, Giovanni did no such thing. He could only hope he wouldn’t lose them.

======

Ash watched the battle before him with bright, calculating eyes. The newly 10 year old’s father was on one side with Nidoqueen, while on the other side was his mother and her Vileplume.

It wasn’t often Ash got to watch his father battle, much less his mother. The man was usually on business trips or in Viridian City and Ash and his mother lived in Pallet Town. His parents decided early on that they didn’t want Ash to grow up in the city. Even as a toddler the boy was nature-esc and wild, and his mother herself was a small town kind of woman, so his father bought a small house in the neighboring Pallet Town for them to live in, and visited whenever he wasn’t working, either at his company or at the gym.

Other than his job as a Gym Leader, Ash wasn’t sure what his father did for work. He knew he was a CEO for some sort of company, but he didn’t like talking about it. He told Ash once, after he had asked one too many times, that he didn’t like thinking about work when he was with the family; that his work was boring and something he knew Ash would never want to be a part of. Ash had left it at that, he trusted his father and if his father said it was boring and uninteresting, Ash was inclined to believe him. Besides, the boy was far more interested about the Gym that he would one day, hopefully, inherit.

Ash loved Pokemon, he lived and breathed Pokemon. His room was piled high with Pokemon merchandise, from his sheets, to his wall clock, and while his other grades were nothing to write home about, his grade in his Pokemon care class was the highest in the entire class. He had been waiting with baited breath since the day he could fully understand what a journey was for the day he would be allowed to set off on his own.

Like his father before him, Ash had plans to become a Ground Type Expert, and to specialize in Ground Types so that he could take over the Gym when his father retired. Kanto was very traditional when it came to their Gyms, opposed to Kalos who reached out to notable people to place in their circuit, Kanto Gyms were passed down via a bloodline/heir system, so long as the Gym Leaders weren’t doing anything underhanded or were issued an official challenge. That meant, so long as everything went well, Ash would be inheriting the Viridian Gym.

Which led him to the battle happening before him. Ash was lucky enough that he was the only child of a lucrative business man, and Gym Leader. His father’s two well paying jobs, coupled with his mother’s produce profits, made it to where Ash never wanted for anything. If he wanted something, and it was reasonable and he hadn’t been badly behaved, it was usually got for him. Not that he really asked for much, sure there was his merch filled room, but that was mostly from birthdays and christmas’, maybe a few treats for a well done test or getting all his chores done, but Ash was a pretty simple kid, set him up with a Pokemon and the boy was pacified. Which was why, for his tenth birthday, instead of asking for anything, excluding asking for his first Pokemon, all he wanted was to watch his parents have a Pokemon battle.

To most it sounded like an unfair battle, his father was considered the 8th Gym Leader for a reason, and his mother was a housewife, but Delia was nothing to sneeze at, something both Ash and his father knew very well. Delia had never won some big title or anything, but when she was around Ash’s age she made it into the top twenty in the Pokemon League. It wasn’t something she bragged about, but it was something both Ash and Geovanni gleefully told anyone who would listen.

The battle was a simple two on two, and both trainers were on their last Pokemon. On the surface it looked like his mother had the upper hand, Vileplume was a Grass and Poison Type, making Nidoqueen’s Poison Attacks almost useless, and her Ground Attacks not very effective, but Vileplume was tired, having just taken out his father’s Rhyhorn, while Nidoqueen was freshly out of her Pokeball, so it really was anyone’s battle.

Ash was transfixed on the battle, and if it weren’t for his father’s Kangaskhan standing beside him, and holding onto the back of his shirt, he probably would have fallen over the railing due to how closely he was watching. His father’s moves were sharp and precise, obviously well practiced, while his mother’s were graceful and swift. Vileplume, panting tiredly, used a quick Sleep Powder, but Nidoqueen was able to use Earthquake just in time to shake Vileplume off his feet, causing Sleep Powder to shoot away from Nidoqueen opposed to towards. Vileplume then tried to use Petal Dance, but Nidoqueen got in close and finished the battle with a devastating Crunch attack, calling the battle to an end. Ash cheered from the stands, once again almost tripping over the railing, had it not been for Kangaskhan’s firm grip on his shirt.

“We were so close Plumey, take a nice long rest.” Delia praised, returning Vileplume to his Pokeball.

“Return Nidoqueen, well done.” Giovanni recalled Nidoqueen, smiling slightly at his wife before looking towards his son, who was already on his way down the stairs to meet with them.

Giovanni and Delia met in the center of the battle field, and Delia took her husband’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. In his other hand Giovanni pulled out a Pokeball, opposed to the usual red and white, this one was a mild green on the top with a yellow circle gem in the center and two upside down teardrop shaped red gems on either side of the yellow gem.

“That was awesome!” Ash said as soon as he was close enough to them. His brown eyes glittered in amazement, as he started yammering about the battle. “Mom, your Vileplume is so strong! I think if you used Absorb instead of Sleep Powder you would have won! But Nidoqueen was also really cool! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Nidoqueen move so fast and-”

Delia giggled, cutting their son off before he could hyperventilate from excitement by throwing her arms around him in a hug. “I’m glad you enjoyed watching Ash, it was part of your birthday present after all.”

“It was amazing! Thank you!” Ash grinned cheekily, grumbling slightly when his father ruffled his hair affectionately.

“Now, for your second gift.” The man said, far calmer than either his wife or son. “You’ve been asking for this since you were four, so I hope this was worth the wait.”

Somehow, Ash grinned even wider, eyeing the Friend Ball excitedly as it was held out to him. Far gentler than he had even picked up anything else before, Ash took the ball from his father’s hand. He glanced at his parents, who nodded encouragingly to him, and gently tossed it. From the Pokeball came a small bipedal Pokemon with a distinctive skull mask, and watery eyes.

“Cubone?” Cubone looked around wearily, tightly gripping onto his bone club before bursting out crying.

Delia’s lips turned down in a worried frown, and Giovanni’s eyes narrowed just slightly at the Pokemon, but Ash just crouched down before him, and gently patted Cubone on the head. Ash wasn’t sure if Cubone could feel the patting through his skull mask, but given the small Pokemon slowly started to calm down, he could only assume he could feel at least something. Cubone’s cries slowly tapered off, turning into small sniffles while he reached under the mask to wipe away his tears. Ash gently lifted Cubone up under his arms, grinning brightly at him as he stood back up, and eventually brought Cubone closer to his chest. Cubone relaxed in the boys arms, and slowly maneuvered himself to sit on Ash's shoulder. Ash, unbothered by the dull edges of Cubone’s mask now pointed into his neck, reached up to scratch Cubone under the chin, smiling when he leaned into his touch further.

Without letting up on scratching Cubone’s chin, Ash turned towards his parents. His mother’s eyes shone with pride, as did his father’s, though it was harder to tell with him. “Thank you!” Ash beamed at his parents. “Does this mean I get to finally go on my journey?” He asked hopefully.

Giovanni chuckled fondly, while Delia giggled, having known that would be what he would ask after finally getting his first Pokemon. “You are ten now, so long as you call regularly and try to stay out of trouble, I don’t see why not.”

Delia nodded in agreement before stalling momentarily. “We do have to put in a request for a Pokedex, and make sure you have everything for your journey though, so you probably won’t be able to head out until then.”

Everything Delia said seemed to have gone into one ear and out the other though as Ash jumped around in excitement, before barreling into his parents to wrap them up in a hug, all while chanting “Thank you, thank you, thank you thank you!” like it was a mantra. Over his head, his parents shared a pair of fond smiles, both well used to their son’s antics.

===

By the end of the week, Ash and Cubone set off, five Pokeballs, a travel pack, and a PokeDex heavier. They started their journey in Viridian City, both his parents wanting to send him off, and Viridian City wasn't that far from Pallet Town anyway, so it saved them an unneeded walk that had little to no Pokemon between the two residences.

The first place Ash wanted to go, after a few days training in Viridian Forest, was Diglett Cave. According to his father the cave was teaming with Digglet and Dugtrio, the perfect first Pokemon for Ash to catch and add to his team before he challenged Pewter City’s Gym.

Unbeknownst to Ash however, Giovanni wasn’t about to let his only son Journey unsupervised. He loved and trusted his son, but as much faith as he had in the boy, he also knew he was a trouble magnet, so he arranged some babysitters, so to speak. Jessie and James were rising in the organization, and with Meowth’s help, they should be capable of keeping tabs on Ash, informing Giovanni if anything bad were to happen, and place carefully selected Pokemon for Ash to capture when Giovanni felt the time was right. Maybe it was dishonest, and underhanded, but Ash was his son, and no way in Distortion was Giovanni going to leave the boy’s journey up to chance.

Besides the occasional drop in of Team Rocket, Ash’s journey was relatively normal. Training with Cubone was going well, and Ash was able to catch a Digglett, Sandshrew, and oddly enough a Sandile within the first few months.

Ash was able to catch Digglet in Digglett’s cave before battling Brock in Pewter City, both Diglett and Cubone were pretty evenly matched with Brock’s Rock Types, but Ash won out with speed, and a very quickly executed Dig on Digglett’s part.

Sandshrew was caught in Mount Moon, Ash and Brock,decided to tag along, stopped by the large cave system to train and possibly catch some Pokemon, during the venture through the mountain Ash spotted the shrew Pokemon and was quick to try and catch her, she was a speedy little thing, but eventually Cubone was able to weaken her enough for Ash to catch her. She was a huge help in the Cerulean City Gym, even if they had to challenge Misty* twice to get the win. Thanks to Sandshrew’s Poison Sting, Rollout, and Fury Cutter they were able to chip away at Misty’s Pokemon, resulting in their win. Turtwig on the other hand, Ash had no clue where the Sinnoh starter Pokemon came from.

Ash and Brock found Sandile when they doubled back to Diglett’s cave to head to Vermillion City, Sandile was stuck in a losing battle between some Dugtrio who had ganged up on him, not really a surprise since Diglett’s cave was home to a pack of Diglett and Dugtrio who really didn’t like strange Pokemon encroaching on their territory. Making a rather hasty decision, Ash threw a Pokeball to catch Sandile before he could be further injured, and he and Brock ran the rest of the way to Vermillion City. Nurse Joy was just as confused as Ash and Brock were, Sadile weren’t exactly rare in Unova, Ash’s own father caught one himself before Ash was born when he went on a trip to Unova, but Unova was such a shut off Region that the likelihood a bask* of Sandile, Krokorok, or Kookabile in Kanto was low, very very low. Best Nurse Joy could infer was that a trainer released their Sandile in Kanto and the Pokemon wandered into the cave since he didn’t realize it was Diglett territory, but she assured them that Sandile was otherwise fine, his confidence was shaken a bit, but once he got some rest and a few good meals he would be much better physically. Mentally, however, Sandile wasn’t doing as well, it was obvious that losing to the group of Dugtrio really hurt his confidence, and Ash wasn’t sure if his new buddy would feel comfortable battling after that.

Luckily, Sandile wasn’t required for Ash’s battle with Lieutenant Surge. Ash had heard both his father and Brock complain about the man enough that Ash knew he could defeat the Electric Specialist with ease. He did mostly have Ground Types, obviously, but that wasn’t the sole reason. The Lieutenant relied heavily on raw power, his Pokemon, despite being Electric Types, weren’t trained in speed, agility, or defense, and because Ash’s Pokemon were Ground Types, coupled with Ash relying a fair bit on speed, it made he battle against Lieutenant Surge child’s play.

Cubone ended up evolving into Marowak not long after, and after an excited conversation with his father, Ash decided to take his father’s advice and make a detour to the Safari Zone. His next battle was against Sabrina, who used Psychic Type Pokemon, and his father suggested building Sandile’s confidence back up was the best way to go to prepare for his battle with Sabrina, while also giving Marowak time to come into, and adjust to his new form. Brock, of course, was all for it, excited to see the Safari since he had never seen it before.

The Safari Zone was wonderful, they got to see tons of Pokemon neither of them had seen in person before, and Marowak was adjusting well to his new ability and power. Sandile took a while to get adjusted. Once he was physically healthy again, he was still too nervous to battle properly. Personally, Ash didn’t mind if Sandile couldn’t battle, but it was obvious the Pokemon missed it. Ash’s first course of action was to send Diglett home for a while, Sandile was constantly on edge around Diglett, which made training and adjusting harder, and Diglett, while battling when Ash asked, didn’t seem to care one way or the other, about the sport so Ash sent him home to his mother, who wasted no time at all in coddling the mole Pokemon, much to Diglett's delight. With the adsense of Diglett, Ash was able to work more with Sandile, it wasn’t easy, the poor Pokemon’s confidence was crushed, but slowly they made progress. After Sandile’s first full battle Ash got him a little encouragement, a pair of sunglasses that a nearby kiosk was selling. They were simple red frames with black lenses, but Sandile adored them, and they seemed to be just what he needed. With the sunglasses on, Sandile was like a whole new Pokemon, beaming with determination and confidence. The only problem was that that confidence only persisted when the sunglasses were on, if they were taken off, Sandile would again withdraw. It was something that Ash would have to work on going further, but for the time being they were taking baby steps, and that was really all they could do.

Before they left the Safari Zone Ash wanted Sandile to battle at least one wild Pokemon, even if they had to end up running, that would be fine, Ash just wanted him to battle someone who wasn’t his or Brock’s team. Ash hadn’t been planning to catch another Pokemon, but that idea went out the window when he saw a Rhyhorn. Ash had always wanted a Rhyhorn, he adored his dad’s Rhydon and knew since he was a kid that he wanted to catch a Rhyhorn of his own to befriend. Sandile seemed to pick up on this determination, because he was laser focused on the rhinoceros, determined to weaken Rhyhorn enough for Ash to catch. It was a long and intense battle, but Ash was finally able to catch Rhyhorn, and the victory made Sandile’s confidence soar like never before. They were ready to face Sabrina!

Okay so Sabrina almost turned them all into dolls, but Ash was fine! Brock was fine! The Pokemon were fine! Sandile, and Marowak did amazing against Sabrina’s Psychic Pokemon, and Sabrina was able to snap out of whatever loneliness she felt thanks to the Haunter that accompanied Ash and Brock because they thought they were interesting enough to follow. They were able to leave the Saffron Gym with the Marsh Badge, another notch in Ash’s badge case that marked how great a trainer he was becoming. He just hoped the Pokemon League pokemon into the Saffron Gym soon after Ash’s battle didn’t have anything to do with him.

Following Saffron City, Ash and Brock headed to Celadon City. Sandslash had evolved on their way there and Ash was anxious to get to the city for Nurse Joy to check her over. A part of him also just wanted to get in and out of the city as soon as possible. The whole city smelled like a flower garden, which didn’t sound bad on paper, but Ash wasn’t good with strong smells. Maybe it was because he was always in rough and tumble forests with little to no flowers, and his mother really only grew produce, but Ash couldn’t stand strong, sweet, flowery smells, and Celadon City was steaming with the thick scents. Strong, sweet smells made Ash’s head pound, and his nose clog up. He could still breathe but it was a miserable experience. But Ash knew to keep his mouth shut about stuff like that in Celadon City. It was no secret that the Celadon City Gym was known for kicking out challengers if they badmouthed perfume, Kanto’s online message board was filled to the brim with warnings and complaints from past challengers. Some trainers out right boycotted the gym entirely due to those rumors, but Ash wanted to challenge the Gyms his mom had challenged when she was a trainer and sadly Celadon was one of them, so he grinned and bared the flowery stench, while simultaneously trying not to show his discomfort as his head started to pound.

His pain wasn’t unnoticed though, Ash and his Pokemon shared such a bond that they could tell he wasn’t feeling well as soon as they stepped foot/paw on the battlefield. The newly evolved Sandslash was quick in her dealings with Erika’s Tangela and Bellsprout, cutting down the Pokemons vines and leaves with a precise Fury Cutter, coupled with Roll Out. Sandslash was taken out by Gloom, but Ash had the perfect counter for Gloom’s stench. Marowak’s entire head was covered in a mask of thick bone, and while Marowak could smell a little bit, he wasn’t able to be hit fully by the rotten smell Gloom gave off, so Marowak was able to defeat Gloom with a heavy stream of close Bonemerang and Headbutts. While Ash was happy to get the Rainbow Badge, he was even happier to finally leave the city, even if he had to get Ryhorn to help him drag Brock away from the pretty flower ladies.

From Celadon, the pair were planning on going straight to Fuchsia City, but before they could do so they got a call from Ash’s parents. Geovanni was going to Sinnoh for a few days to check on one of his warehouses, and since the trip would only take a few days at most, he offered both Ash and Brock to accompany him and Delia, promising to drop them off in Fuchsia City after the trip. After thinking it over and doing the math, Ash and Brock agreed. It was the perfect opportunity to get some Pokemon not native to Kanto to expand their teams, and Ash wanted to try and find a Gibble or maybe a Gastrodon. Ash and Brock were picked up in Saffron City by Geovanni, and led to his company’s private jet. Delia adored Brock, and was amazed that he could take care of all of his siblings all on his own, by the time the jet landed in Sinnoh Delia had all but formally adopted the teenager, telling him to call her if he or his family ever needed anything. On Ash’s side, he was just happy to spend time with his friend and family, especially since his parents seemed to really like Brock, and he got to meet his father’s new Pokemon, Persian.

In Sinnoh they split up for a bit. Geovanni had to do his actual job, while Delia went to the hotel to unpack and drop off their bags. Ash offered to help her, but she shooed him and Brock away, telling them to go search for Pokemon before the jet lag got to them, so Ash and Brock set off.

In a nearby forest Ash found Turtwig, while Turtwig wasn’t caught by anyone, he did live with an elderly woman that took care of him. After a nice chat with her she asked Ash to take Turtwig with him, and when Turtwig seemed interested Ash agreed. Turtwig wouldn’t go without a fight though, so Ash sent out Rhyhorn for their battle. Ash was at a disadvantage when it came to typing, but Rhyhorn was a sturdy Pokemon, and wasn’t giving up either, so once Turtwig was weakened enough, Ash quickly threw his Pokeball, capturing his newest partner.

As well as Turtwig, Ash also added a Gible to his team, though Gible’s capture story was far less impressive. While on his way to meet back up with Brock Ash heard a shout from above, when he looked up he staw Team Rocket’s balloon, in said balloon Team rocket was struggling to hold onto a Gible as the small Dragon Type bit fiercely on Jame’s head. Gible ended up freeing himself and leapt out of the balloon, heading straight towards Ash. Hastily, Ash took a step back, and ended up dropping a Pokeball while Gible landed on his head. When Gible jumped off Ash, he landed on Ash’s Pokeball, and in a flash vanished inside. The Pokeball blinked and wiggled for a few minutes before falling still. On one hand, Ash got a Gible, and Team Rocket lost a potential Pokemon, on the other, Ash doubted anyone would ever believe his story if he told them. What the distortion even was Ash’s life?

Regardless, Ash wasn’t the only one to Add a Pokemon to his team, as Brock managed to befriend a Croagunk. Croagunk was rather stone faced, and hard to read but it was obvious he really liked Brock, and he was really strong.

Other than catching Pokemon, and training, Ash took the time to update his parents on his journey so far, and spend some time with them. Ash also used the time to adjust to his new Pokemon, and think up strategies. He decided to use Sandile, Rhyhorn, Turtwig, and Gible against Koga, who specialized in Poison Type Pokemon, Turtwig was a bit of a risk due to Koga’s Venomoth and Venonat, but his long range attack and defense would go a long away against the Poison Types. Blaine was a bit harder to plan for, since it was rumored he used a few Ground Types as well, so Ash planned to use Gible, Marowak, Sandslash, and Rhyhorn or Turtwig, if Turtwig was absolutely needed.

Like Geovanni had promised, he dropped Ash and Brock off in Fuchsia City once they made it back to Kanto. Both boys were a bit exhausted from the shift in time, so rather than go straight for the gym, they went to an inn and rested the rest of the day, but went to Koga’s Gym first thing in the morning.

Ash wasn’t ashamed to admit that he had to challenge Koga twice. The man and his Pokemon were strong, and shifty, not surprising as he and his family were known for practicing Ninja arts. Even though Poison Types were at a disadvantage, you never could have guessed waiting the first battle. Ash and his Pokemon learned from that first battle however, and though it was by the skin of their teeth, they eventually managed to win and get the Soul Badge.

Getting to Cinnabar Island was a bit of a pain. Neither Ash nor Brock had any water types, so they couldn’t surf their way to the island like many other trainers could. Kanto tended to be old fashioned, so while there were boats, most people tended to use their Pokemon, like back in the old day, so finding a boat took a little bit of time. But, the two boys were able to get to the island in the end, and Ash wasted no time in challenging the Cinnabar Gym. He was admittedly being a little hasty, but that was because he was excited to battle his dad, who he would be battling against after getting his Volcano Badge.

Like his battle against Koga, Ash’s battle with Blaine was no walk in the park, even though he had a type advantage. Ash only had to challenge the man once, but Blaine, for all that he was eccentric and maybe a bit goofy, was no pushover, his Pokemon were powerhouses not meant to be trifled with. Ash was pretty sure that had it not been for Turtwig’s sudden evolution into Grotle, giving them a much needed defense buff against Blaine’s Rhydon, they would have lost. Regardless, Ash walked away from Cinnabar Island with the Volcano Badge in hand.

Ash and Brock decided to take the long way back to Viridian City, however, as they passed through Pewter City Brock decided to stay behind to catch up with his family while Ash battled his dad, promising to meet back up with him before he headed to Pallet Town to train before they had to head to the Indigo Plateau. Saying a temporary goodbye, Ash wished Brock luck and went on his way. He hadn’t told his dad that he was so close to Viridian City yet, planning to surprise him when he showed up for a battle.

===

Ash smiled giddily as he walked up the steps to Viridian Gym. Marowak was plastered to his side, as usual, his claw gently clasped onto Ash’s jeans. Ash hadn’t told his father he was coming just yet, and hoped his father would be pleasantly surprised by his appearance. As he threw open the doors to the gym, however, an odd looking Pokemon stood on the Gym’s battlefield, before suddenly surging forward, and breaking through the roof of the building. Ash could only stare helplessly as Jessie, James, and Meowth ran after it, cursing wildly at each other when they realized that it was no use, that whatever Pokemon they had been using had gotten away.

“Boss is going to lose his mind!” James whined, sliding down to his knees while rubbing his face anxiously. “We lost track of the boss’s twerp of a son and now we lost his favorite weapon!”

“Not to mention the damage done to the boss’ Gym.” Jessy lamented in agreement, running her hand through her long hair. “We’ll be lucky if we’re fed to the Sharpedo.”

“What are wes ’posed to do now?” Meowth questioned, his tail curling almost anxiously. “I can already hear da lecture now.”

Slowly, Ash’s brain finally catches up to what he was hearing, and his face hardened. Marowak, mostly healed from his past trauma caused by Team Rocket, took a protective stance in front of Ash. Ash, who barely raised his voice lest it be in excitement, surprise, or pure unadulterated anger, growled, his eyes narrowed on the three trouble makers. The sound caught the attention of Team Rocket, and upon seeing him, they flinched.

“Wha-WHat are you doing here twerp?!” Jessie stammered with false bravo.

“Don’t you know it's rude to eavesdrop?!” James followed Jessie's lead, hastily pulling himself back onto his feet.

Ash, however, was in no mood to humor the terrible trio. “Where is my father?” Ash demanded, unknowingly looking almost exactly like Geovanni now that his lips were pulled into an angry frown and his brows furrowed in discontent. The look alone caused the three to once again flinch.

“Da-Da boss- I mean Geovanni is- I means ta say…” Meowth stumbled over his words, wringing his paws as he tried to think of some sort of excuse.

Hearing a member of Team Rocket refer to his father as Boss stirred something in Ash. He refused to believe his father was the Boss of Team Rocket, they had to just be messing with him. His father was probably just tied up somewhere and Team Rocket tried to take over his Gym. There was no way Ash’s supportive, kind father was the evil force behind a group of Pokemon Stealing criminals. Unclasping a Pokeball from his belt, Ash threw out Sandslash, who swiped her claws at the trio warningly. “Where. Is. My. Father?” Ash demanded, his voice oddly steady.

“W-We’ll call him!” James promised, shakily reaching into his pocket to grab his communicator. A part of him wanted to make a grab for Koffing’s Pokeball, but even if Koffing wasn’t still weak from trying to combat the Boss’ weapon, Sandslash was watching him very closely, and he doubted he would be able to pull the Pokeball out without immediately being hit with a Poison Sting or something. With shaking hands, James finally pulled out the communicator and quickly hit ‘call’. After a few minutes, Geovanni’s face appeared on screen, his face pinched in annoyance.

“What did you three bozos do now?”

Ash’s hands clasped into fists, and for a minute Ash stopped breathing. That was his father’s voice, there was no way it couldn’t be. Yes it was far harsher than Ash had ever heard, but Ash could recognise his father’s voice everywhere.

“S-Sir there-uh there's a problem at-at the Gym that needs your as-assistance. Per-Preferably now.” Jessie leaned slightly over Jame’s shoulder, her voice higher pitch, and simpering.

”What could you three have done that requires my presence? Let me guess, you caused damage to the Gym? Or better yet, you idiots lost my weapon?”

“Uh boff actually, but dats not why we’re callin boss.” Meowth murmured from below. “Your uh son is here for ya.”

What?” Though Ash couldn’t see it, the color in Geovanni’s face completely drained. While he was pissed about them losing his weapon, and damaging part of his Gym, he was far more concerned about the fact that his son was there, likely listening in on the conversation. To prove they weren’t lying, James hurriedly turned the camera, allowing Geovanni to see his irate son as he stood in the Gym. Ash stared at his father’s face on the screen, his own face perfectly blank, which was somehow scarier than if the boy had been yelling, and screaming in rage. Clearing his throat, Geovanni turned away. ”I’ll be there soon.” Then the screen went black.

Ash and Team Rocket stood in tense silence for a number of minutes. Marowak rubbed his face against Ash’s hands, worried at how tightly his fist were balled. Ash suddenly took a deep, steadying breath, causing the three criminals to straighten up where they stood. Silently, Ash started petting the smooth skull faced Pokemon, ignoring the sting in his palms caused by his nails.

“Hey.” Ash suddenly spoke, startling Team Rocket. “Clean up the battlefield. Now.”

“Yes Sir! Right Away Sir!” They shouted in tandem.

Ash walked across the field, taking a seat in the chair his father often sat in while he waited for challengers. It was still hard for him to wrap his head around the situation. His father had always been so kind, and loving; he was supportive of everything Ash did, comforting Ash when he was upset about a bad test score, or being picked on, he forced his mother take a break when she was doing too much, he always made time for them no matter what he had to do for work. Was it just an act? Were Ash and his mother just there to help mask the evil deeds his father did behind the scenes? Did he care about them at all?

“Lash!”Sandslash carefully nuzzled Ash's hands, which had once again formed into a fist without him noticing, causing Ash to loosen his grip once again and start petting down her spines. Marowak pulled himself up into Ash’s lap, he was almost as big as Ash was, but neither cared, Ash was well used to cuddling his starter, and Marowak knew how to carefully maneuver his way onto his trainer.

Ash and his Pokemon sat in dead silence, passively watching as Team Rocket moved debris and wreckage off the field and to the side. They would need to get professionals into the Gym to officially fix the Gym and take away the bigger rubble, but for the time being the field itself would be fine to use, which is all Ash needed.

After about half an hour, Geovanni arrived, hurriedly rushing into the Gym to meet his son. Brown eyes searched frantically, coming to rest on the black hair of his son, who sat in his care with a mask of perfect indifference as two of his Pokemon stood beside him, and Geovanni’s goons kneeled in the corner, perfectly cowed. If it were any other situation Geovanni would have felt pride in the fact that his son was able to take control of the situation so easily, but it wasn’t in any other situation. It was a situation in which Geovanni knew he could lose his son.

“Ash-” Geovanni said desperately, but Ash simply stood and approached the battlefield, returning Sandslash and Marowak silently as he did so.

“The Battle between the Viridian City Gym Leader-” Ash’s voice was cold, spitting out Giovanni’s gym leader title out like it was bile on his tongue.

“Please listen to me for a moment-” Giovanni tried to plead, but it was obvious that Ash wasn’t going to listen.

“-and the challenger Ash is about to begin.” The fact that Ash didn’t say his last name, as he usually would, wasn’t lost on the man. “This will be a four on four battle, only the challenger can make substitutions. Begin.”

Gritting his teeth, Giovanni pulled out a Pokeball. “Rhyhorn.”

“Sandile, I choose you.”

A Rhyhorn and Sandile took the field. At first, Rhyhorn perked up upon seeing Ash, but that quickly melted when they noticed the frown on the boy’s face. It didn’t take Sandile long to realize his trainer’s mood either, and the small crocodile realized that the battle before them was going to be so much more important than any other leading up to it.

“Take Down.” Giovanni ordered.

“Dig.” Ash called out, his voice void of its usual gusto.

Rhyhorn ran forward, but Sandile swiftly dug down, dodging the attack. Giovanni then called for a Thunderbolt, it wouldn’t harm Sandile, a Ground Type, but the power behind the move was able to break up the ground, dealing some damage to Sandile. Ash called out a Crunch, and suddenly Sandile leapt from under the ground, biting into Rhyhorn’s thick, rocky skin with glowing white teeth. Rhyhorn grunted in mild pain, trying to shake Sandile off, but Sandile wasn’t budging, and instead powered up a Stone Edge. White orbs broke away from Sandile’s body, becoming hard grey stones before pelting down on Rhyhorn, dealing damage as Rhyhorn cried out. Giovanni ordered another Take Down, and Rhyhorn immediately took off running. The Boosted speed, and Ash’s call for another Dig, finally shook Sandile off, and the crocodile Pokemon immediately burrowed into the ground, vanishing. Giovanni ordered his Pokemon to keep moving, and prepare a Horn Drill. The horn on Rhyhorn’s nose started spinning in preparation, and Rhyhorn kept running, but Rhyhorn was quickly becoming tired. Take Down cost a lot of energy, and they had already used two, on top of taking damage from Crunch, and Stone Edge, running itself wasn’t necessarily a problem, but Rhyhorn’s body made it difficult to turn. Thanks to Giovanni’s training it could of course turn much easier in comparison to wild or lesser trained Rhyhorn, but it was still immensely difficult. Given that Ash had grown up with Rhyhorn, and even had one of his own, he knew all this, and he was definitely using the knowledge to his advantage. As soon as Rhyhorn made a turn Sandile shot up from behind it, once again hurling Stone Edge towards the rhinoceros, more specifically their feet. Rhyhorn grunted, and stumbled to the ground, panting heavily. Giovanni called for them to rise, but several sharp stones pelting against its legs made it difficult to stand, and Giovanni had to recall them to their Pokeball. Ash also called back Sandile, who was panting mildly.

Despite the frustration of loss in his chest, Giovanni couldn’t fight back the excitement that went up his spine. When was the last time he felt that feeling? Not only from battling, but in general? He had no idea, but he wanted to chase the feeling. Quickly, he sent out Nidoqueen who, much like Rhyhorn, lit up when she saw their opponent before faltering slightly.

Ash also wasted no time sending out Gible. Gible was less intune to the seriousness of the battle, but even he could sense the tense shift in the air, which was why he didn’t hesitate to listen when Ash so much as uttered a move’s name.

Giovanni started off with having Nidoqueen use Body Slam. Nidoqueen ran forward, leaping into the air and slamming down towards the Dragon type, but Gible dug into the ground quickly, dodging underground, only to bust back out with a mighty Rock Smash that sent Nidoqueen skitting backwards before she ran in with a Double Kick. Gible grunted in pain as the powerhouse kicked him twice, sending him hurling into the ground, but he didn’t stay down for long, as Ash called for Draco Meteor. Gible stood at a stand still as the draconic energy built up in his chest, leaving a perfect opportunity for Nidoqueen to use Surf. Nidoqueen pulled her fist back into a punching motion as a bubble of water formed before it, Nidoqueen punched the bubble, causing it to pop and for a large wave to rush towards Gible. By then, Gible had built up enough energy, and shot a beam up into the sky, however, instead of multiple meteors descending like with most Draco Meteor, Gible’s Draco Meteor only produced a single meteor. Ash had expected as much, while he had hoped the move would work properly, he had a plan in place in case it hadn’t. The meteor soared through the air, smashing into Surf and sending the water everywhere, including back to Nidoqueen, so while Gible did take some damage, so had Nidoqueen. It wasn’t enough to take her out however, as Giovanni wasted no time ordering another Body Slam. Gible tried to dig again, but the wet terrain resulted in him being covered in mud and unable to dig properly, causing him to take the Body Slam, which in turn knocked him out.

Wordlessly, Ash recalled Gible. His face was downcast, and Giovanni couldn’t properly make it out, but before he could even try to meet his son’s eye, his vision was blocked by Ash sending out his Grotel. The man hadn’t been aware Turtwig had evolved, but he was proud at how fast his son was advancing.

Ash started off the battle with a swift Razor Leaf, pelting Nidoqueen with razor sharp leaves that dealt a fair bit of damage. To shoo away the attack, Giovanni called for Nidoqueen to use Poison Sting, causing the sharp violet barbs to shoot out and collide with Razor Leaf, protecting Nidoqueen for the time being. Ash, however, used the attack as a distraction, calling for Grotel to use Rock Climb. Grottle’s claws turned white, and sharpened considerably before he reared back onto his hind legs and slammed down. The ground rumbled, and a large rock jutted outward, picking Nidoqueen up off the flat ground. Grotel took off, easily climbing and jumping up the slope before slamming into Nidoqueen with a great amount of force that cause her to topple off the mound and roll down, taking some damage as she went. Before Nidoqueen could recover, Ash called for an Energy ball, and Grotle charged up a glistening green ball of energy before he sent it hurling toward Nidoqueen. Nidoqueen turned onto her back, and used a Double Kick, sending Energy Ball flying back and hitting Grotel before she righted herself back up. Geovanni called out for Body Slam, and Nidoqueen leapt upwards, but that left her stomach open, and Grotel sent another two Energy Balls. Despite being in the air, Nidoqueen was able to twist in the air, dodging bothe Energy Ball attacks before slamming down into Grotle to deal a good bit of damage. Grotel wasn’t going to falter though, and with whatever strength he could muster, he picked up Nidoqueen, and tossed her off him. Both Pokemon were panting harshly, Nidoqueen pushed herself up to stand, staring at Grotel in anticipation, Grotle stared right back, unwavering as the dust settled, and then, Ash called out another move: Synthesis. The leaves on Grotel’s back shone a bright white before the Pokemon became encased in yellow light. The scratches and injuries that marred Grotel’s body slowly melted away. When all the visible marks vanished, the glowing stopped and Grotel let out a happy cry. Ash called for another Razor Leaf, and Nidoqueen cried out as she was once again pelted by leaves, however this time it was enough to knock her out.

Giovanni couldn’t wipe the grin off his face as they battled, even as he was down another Pokemon. He wanted the battle to go on forever. With that thought, he sent out Rhydon, who took one look at their opponent’s trainer and faltered. But Giovanni didn’t notice his Pokemon’s hesitancy, and immediately called for an Earthquake.

Rhydon seemed to sigh before slamming their feet onto the ground, causing the ground to erupt, but Ash and Grotel was one step ahead, using Rock Climb to jump and weave around the splitting Earth before sending a harsh stream of razor sharp leaves spiraling towards Rydon. Rhydon fought Razor Leaf away with Fury Attack, the horn on its nose easily spinning and protecting Rhydon as it lept towards Grotel. When Rhydon was close Grotel fired off another two Energy Balls, the first was shattered by Horn Drill, but the second was protected by the first, meaning it was able to hit Rhydon in the chest, causing Rhydon to go off kilter and crash to the side. Rhydon didn’t stay down for long though, and jumped up, hitting Grotel with a powerful Mega Punch, followed closely by a second that resulted in Grotel going flying before quickly regaining his footing. Once he regained his footing, Grotel used Rock Climb again, hoisting Rhydon up, but Rhydon used Earthquake again, destroying the stone they were hoisted up on. Regardless, Grotel still ran forward, colliding into Rhydon with all his strength, and while Rhydon was damaged, Giovanni used the close proximity to their advantage, calling for a Fury Attack. Grotel cried out in pain, and quickly used Razor Leaf. Both Pokemon quickly distanced themselves, and Ash had Grotel use Synthesis again. Synthesis healed a fair bit of Grotel’s injuries, but he was still damaged, luckily so was Rhydon. Grotel fired three Energy Balls towards Rhydon, who used Mega Punch to punch them away before charging Grotel. Once Rhydon was close enough, Grotel used Rock Climb again, colliding with Rhydon, and while Grotel did end up getting knocked out by Mega Punch hitting, he was also able to get one last hit that dealt a bit of damage.

Ash wasted absolutely no time calling Sandile back out. Sandile had healed a little bit while in his Pokeball, but was still mildly damaged. Rhydon started strong with another Earthquake, while Sandile had dug down. Unknown to Rhydon or Giovanni though, Sandile had only dug enough to pop up from behind a large stone, so he wasn’t underground when the Earthquake was ordered, instead he was carefully clinging to a large stone. As soon as the ground stopped shaking, Sandile moved in with Sand Tomb, catching Rhydon in a powerful vortex of sand, dust, and dirt. Rhydon struggled in the sandy confines, trying desperately to break out of the vortex as it slowly chipped away some of their health. While Rhydon was trapped, Sandile used Stone Edge, firing the sharp stones on top of the continual damage. Rhydon fired up another Mega Punch, using the power in their arms to struggle more, finally breaking away from the hold of Sand Tomb, and Moving in to punch Sandile. Sandile cried out and skidded across the rocky ground, only to start glowing a bright blue. The once small quadruped slowly grew, moving to stand on his hinds legs while growing, his tail lengthened, teeth sharpened, and spikes started protruding from the spine. And then, the light dispelled, revealing in Sandile’s place, a towering Krokorok. Krokorok let out a ferocious, and determined growl. While mildly amazed, Giovanni took advantage of the sudden evolution, ordering a Fury Attack. Krokorok was a bit bigger, but he was no easier to hit, especially as he jumped stone to stone to dodge before preparing another Stone Edge. This time, before the stones could shoot out, Ash told Krockorok to grab two of them, while the Pokemon hadn’t a clue what his trainer wanted him to do that for, he listened without a second thought, nabbing two sharp stones before sending the rest flying. When Rhyhorn got close enough Krokorok was able to use the two stones in his claws to defend against Fury Attack, as if they were two stone swords slashing back and forth at each other. Korkorok led Rhydon to the flat ground, and before Pokemon or trainer could realize the trap, he once again used Sand Tomb, once again getting trapped in the swirling sand. Krokorok was panting heavily, while yes he had just evolved, evolving took a lot of energy, and Krokorok wasn’t well adjusted to his new form just yet, he was exhausted, and they needed to finish the battle quickly. Ash called for another Stone Edge, this time close quarters as Rhydon, exhausted from going two battles and sustaining injuries, had trouble breaking the Sand Tomb again. Rhydon cried out as sharp stones hit them once again, trying their hardest to use whatever strength they had to break free. With nothing else to do, Giovanni called for one last Earthquake, while yes it would indeed knock Krokorok out, there was also a strong chance Rhydon would also be caught up in the attack, but it was the only way Geovanni could see them finishing the battle with even a sliver of victory. So, Rhydon, with what energy they could muster, used Earthquake, shaking Krokorok off his feet, and causing him to pass out, but Rhydon was only conscious for a few more seconds at most before also falling unconscious beside him.

It was time. Father and Son were both down to their final Pokemon. Simultaneously, they drew their arms back and threw out their Pokemon; Persian, and Marowak.

Giovanni felt his blood pumping, he could hear his heartbeat in his ears. Outside of spending time with his family, Giovanni finally felt alive again! It was exhilarating! The smile on his face was nothing less than bliss as he readied to call out Persian’s first attack, but before so much as a syllable could leave his lips a choked sob rang in his ears, and Giovanni’s head snapped up.

Ash stood across the battlefield from him, his hat sat crooked on his head, his tanned skin pale, and brown eyes glassy, and it was then that Giovanni was reminded that, despite his son being a Pokemon Trainer, he was still just a child. Ash didn’t cry easily, not even as a toddler, he was the type of boy who preferred to laugh over a scraped knee than cry about it, but here, while battling his father after finding out the mans dark secret, the same boy who laughed after breaking his arm, stood with tears flowing down his face. They weren’t tears of frustration, or of loss, he wasn’t throwing a tantrum over not winning, he was crying over something far deeper. His cheeks and eyes were stained red, and Giovanni wondered when his son had started crying? Had he been crying the whole battle and Givanni had been too caught up in himself to have not noticed? The look on Ash’s face when Giovanni had walked in wasn’t anger, or at least not all anger, it was a mask, a mask made to hide how hurt he was.

Giovanni, despite knowing that in doing so he would be forfeiting, bolted onto the field, running desperately to scoop his son into his arms. Ash buried his face into his dad’s chest, while simultaneously punching him weakly in the gut.

“How could you be the leader of Team Rocket?” Ash hissed out between sobs. “They’re evil! They hurt Pokemon! They have hurt me! I don’t understand!”

The man helplessly rubbed circles on his son’s back, trying to help him calm down. Maybe Giovanni should have apologized, apologize for all the schemes and Pokemon his business hurt over the years, but he didn’t want to lie to his son anymore. In those times, Giovanni hadn’t been sorry, he hadn’t regretted a single thing he had done, if he were to apologize now, it would be empty, because the only thing Giovanni felt bad for was that his actions caused pain to his son.

“I’ve been operating Team Rocket since before I met your mother.” Giovanni admitted. “I didn’t shut it down because I was making too much money, and I had too much power.”

“Me and mom are more important than money and power.” Ash pulled himself away from his father’s chest. “You should have stopped sooner! Do you care about us at all? Ar-Are we just a cover up?”

“No.” He shook his head. “You and your mother mean everything to me, even then, when I met her, Delia met the world to me, and then you came along- I love you both so much.”

“Then you should have disbanded Team Rocket, before I ever became old enough to have to deal with them!” Ash hissed angrily.

“I-I know.” Giovanni admitted, his voice thick. “I’m greedy, and selfish, and nothing I do or say will ever be able to fix it.”

Father and son sat in tense silence for a number of minutes before Ash pushed away from his father. Marowak had since moved to stand beside Ash, nudging his hand to offer comfort. “I’m going home.” He murmured.

“Let me get you your Earth Badge before you-” Ash shook his head before Giovanni could even finish his sentence.

“I will never accept a badge from the leader of Team Rocket.” The organization's name was spit from his mouth like the foalist of poisons.

Giovanni took a shaky breath, and looked towards Jessie, James, and Meowth, who stood awkwardly in the corner, obviously uncomfortable by what they had just witnessed. “Inform the rest of the organization; from now on Team Rocket is officially disbanded.”

“A-Are you sure Boss?” Jessie stuttered, unsure as she pulled out her communicator to call headquarters.

“Yes.” Giovanni hissed at her, and with shaking hands Jessie quickly sent the message out, lifting the device up to show she sent the message, with operatives already in an uproar, responding with questions and demands to know why, and if he was serious. Giovanni only nodded, and turned back to his son, who had watched the exchange with distrustful eyes. Sighing, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out the vaguely leaf shaped badge before presenting it to his son.

Ash stared at the badge in his father’s hand coldly for a number of seconds before carefully taking it. “This doesn’t fix anything.” He said quietly.

“I know.” Giovanni sighed. “But maybe it can be the start of fixing things.”

Ash was silent for a few minutes before taking a shaky breath. “After this year’s Pokemon League, I think it would be best if the Viridian Gym were under a new Gym Leader.”

“I agree.” Giovanni answered after his own few minutes of silence. “You’ll be 11 by the time next years circuit begins, that's old enough to inherit a gym in Kanto, are you up for it.”

“I will be.” Ash nodded, not looking at his father since the start of the conversation.

“Then I will inform Lance after the League is over.” He promised. Ash didn’t say another word more, and simply walked out of the Gym.

Chapter Text

When Delia came home from the Diner one afternoon and saw her son sitting quietly in the living room, nose buried in a book, and brown eyes lit with glee she was only mildly surprised. Ash loved learning, and he tried very hard to get good marks, he was just something of a wild child. He learnt best through doing opposed to having something told to him, but from time to time he did like reading.

Quietly, she tilted her head to get a look at the title of said book, and was rather flabbergasted. How had her son gotten a law book, and what was so interesting to him that he could actually force himself to sit still? Okay, the first question was easy to answer, Professor Oak tended to dote on her son and let him borrow books all the time, but it was the fact that a Law Book interested Ash at all was what was interesting.

Delia cleared her throat, smiling softly when Ash’s head snapped up to look at her. A blinding smile pulled on his lips, and after carefully setting the book down, he flung himself at her, gleefully hugging her legs as he greeted her.

“What are you reading?” Delia asked, running her hand through his unruly hair before kissing his forehead.

Though it seemed impossible, Ash seemed to brighten even more, and quickly rushed back to his book, picking it up, and presenting it to her. Careful not to lose his bookmark, Delia picked the book up and flipped through a few pages while Ash explained. “Professor Oak let me borrow it!” He explained. “It's a book on all the Pokemon laws, there was a new one passed last week so Professor Oak got a new book with the new law in it. He let me borrow it, it's really interesting!”

Bemused, Delia nodded. “Are you going to become a Lawyer then?” She teased.

Ash tilted his head, face scrunching in mild confusion. “What's a Lawyer?”

“Depending on what kind of Lawyer, a Lawyer is someone that prosecutes a law breaker, or defends someone accused of committing a crime, or someone representing other people who have legal issues.” Ash nodded hesitantly, the way he did when he kinda understood but not completely before he shook his head.

“I’m going to be a Pokemon trainer, and I found a way that I can get my first Pokemon early.” He said proudly, motioning to the book, which Delia returned to him. He flipped through the pages for a few seconds before finding the page he was looking for, marked with a green sticky note. “Right here! ‘A Child under the age of ten may not carry Pokemon.*’ This star means that there is more info,” He pointed to the asterisk, and moved further down the page. “‘*A child under the age of ten can carry Pokemon if: -The child in question is heir to an Recognised Gym, -Part of a profession or extracurricular activity that requires a Pokemon(Example: Martial Artist, Pokemon Nurse) -The Pokemon belongs a Parent or Guardian, -The Child needs a Pokemon Bodyguard, or -The child’s Pokemon is no stronger than a Bug Type.’ See?”

Delia was genuinely surprised there were so many loopholes around children’s first Pokemon. She knew about the Gym Leader rule, after all they usually had to start training early to prepare for when they would eventually take over their family’s gym, the extracurricular activities/ profession one also made some sort of sense, Pokemon Nurses did work best with Chansey in case of emergency and its best if Nurse and Pokemon bond as much as they can, and Delia does see children borrow Pokemon from their parents from time to time, she can also concede to the bodyguard rule if children are wealthy and need a bit more protection, but the last one seems a bit odd to her. She had seen children run around the forest with Caterpie or Weedle, maybe even a Beedrill from time to time, but she had always assumed they were borrowed from their parents. Bug Types weren’t weak, sure they weren’t Dragon or Fire Types, who were extremely touchy and required a particular hand when being raised, but Delia knew that with the right Trainer Bug Type Pokemon could be a real problem, even something as small and cute as a Caterpie. Seemed like a pretty close minded rule in her opinion.

“I see.” Delia said mildly, sounding a tad uncertain.

Ash’s face fell slightly. “I can’t?”

Delia sighed. “How about you give me a week to think about it? This will still be a Pokemon so I want to be certain you can take care of them.” She knew Ash in particular could handle taking care of a Bug Type, much like herself Ash saw the strength in every Pokemon, and she truthfully wasn’t that scared for her son’s safety, she has seen the boy run right up to a snarling Growlithe and turn the Pokemon into a wagging puddle of goop in a matter of seconds after all, but taking care of any Pokemon was a big responsibility. Ash tended to be a one track mind kind of person, and she would hate for him to exhaust himself out too soon because he was too preoccupied with his Pokemon to take care of himself. Luckily Ash nodded in understanding, if still a bit disheartened. “Can I borrow this book so I can look over it myself?”

“Okay.” Ash nodded. “But I promised to return the book by Saturday because the Professor wants to read it too!”

“I promise to get it back to you sooner than Saturday. Now, how about I make us some dinner and you can tell me more about your day.” Delia tucked the book under her arm and led them to the kitchen, happy to listen to her son babble as she went about cooking.

===One Week Later===

Delia followed closely behind her son as he ventured into the Viridian Forest. Despite her initial worries, Delia had decided to allow her son to get a single Bug Type Pokemon. Ash was too persuasive for his own good, while Delia had been joking about her son being a Lawyer she thinks he actually could accomplish such a profession due to how well he could argue and persuade someone if he had the patience. Professor Oak had helped her fill out the paperwork for Ash to legally become a Bug Catcher, and even offered to let Ash borrow one of the lab’s Pidgey to catch his Pokemon, so here they were.

A small part of Delia was worried about what Pokemon she would be letting into her house, would Ash catch a sweet little Pokemon like Venonat or a particularly irate Pincer? Bug Types were a rather versatile type, and since trouble seemed to haunt her son like a Gastly, Delia could only imagine what her son would manage to find, especially because he didn’t particularly have a preference.

“Aha!” Ash’s joyful cry caused Delia to look up. Standing just before them was a familiar green caterpillar Pokemon with a large red Y shaped antenna. The Caterpie lifted its head at the sound, and stood stiffly as it stared Ash in the eye. Before Delia could advise her son to send out the borrowed Pidgey, the boy was already moving, reeling his hand back with the empty Pokeball and throwing it at the little caterpillar. Caterpie seemed to blink in confusion when the ball hit their head, and squeaked as it was absorbed by the device. Ash was tense as he watched the red and white ball wiggle on the ground, and his usually relaxed face was twisted in a serious grimace, if Delia wasn’t holding her own breath she would have giggled at how serious her son was being.

tink

The ball stopped wiggling, and in that second her son’s face brightened. He sprung forward and scooped the simple red and white Pokeball up, holding it up to where a small stream of sunlight struck the red shell so he could get a good look at it. “I did it! I caught Caterpie!” He started jumping around happily, eyes never leaving the ball before he pulled it to his chest in a hug. Delia smiled softly as she watched her son celebrate, secretly grateful that he caught a Caterpie opposed to something bigger, and sharper; like a Pinsir or Beedrill. He turned on his heel and happily ran up to her, basically vibrating where he stood as he held the Pokeball for her to see. “Can I let them out? Please please please?!” He begged.

“Go ahead.” The woman bit her lip to fight back a laugh.

“Alright!” Ash cheered and threw the ball up. “Come out Caterpie!”

“Pree?” Caterpie’s big yellow eyes blinked open as the red energy dissipated.

Much gentler than Delia had ever seen, Ash crouched down and held his hand out slowly, making sure not to touch Caterpie just yet. “Hi Caterpie! My name’s Ash, and you’re going to be my partner from now on! If you want to, I mean.”

Caterpie seemed to think his words over before swiftly climbing up his arm, and onto his shoulder. “Pree Pree!” Caterpie crooned happily, and nuzzled against Ash’s cheek.

“We’re gonna be great friends!” Ash grinned at his new Pokemon before turning to his mother. “Isn’t Caterpie cute Mom?”

“He is.” Delia agreed easily, they were both absolutely adorable and Delia was going to boast to all her friends. She leaned down slightly to get a better look at the caterpillar Pokemon. “Hello Caterpie, welcome to the family.”

Caterpie’s eyes misted over before he chirped happily. “Pree!”

===The Next Day===

Delia hummed as she cleaned a table, waving goodbye to the customers on their way out. She took a moment to glance at the clock, realizing that Ash would be coming into the Diner at any moment. Staring at the clock intensely from his Pokemon bed near the window was Caterpie, no doubt waiting for his trainer to come pick him up. “Caterpie, Ash will be here soon.” Delia assured.

Delia knew her son well, if she had allowed him to take Caterpie to school with him he would be distracted all day, so she set up a little area for Caterpie in the window so he could stay with her until Ash came to pick him up after school. Most of the Diner’s patrons were older people, seasoned and desensitized to the little Pokemon, so there were no complaints so long as Caterpie was nowhere near the food. Caterpie was a very well behaved Pokemon, mostly looking out the window in search of spiky black hair, or at the clock. Honestly, Ash and Caterpie had only known each other for about 24 hours, if even, and already they were glued at the hip. It was cute, she loved her babies.

Just as Delia was preparing a snack for her son, the bell that signified someone entering dinged, followed by a delighted, warbled chirp. Ash had just arrived. “How was your day sweetie?” Delia asked, exiting the back room with a plate of apple and berry slices. Her delightful demeanor wavered when she saw her son. His lips were downturned, and his warm brown eyes were dark and slightly watery, his backpack sat limply on his shoulders and he was hugging a very worried Caterpie closely to his chest. Setting the plate down, Delia rushed to her son, and crouched down, taking his face in her hands. “Ash, sweetie, what's wrong?”

“Gary is a butt face.” Ash growled, though the effect was lost by the obvious effort it was taking him not to cry.

“Why would you call Gary a butt face?” She asked worriedly, brushing her thumbs gently over the inherited lightning bolt marks on his cheeks.

The boys had been friends since they were in diapers, they were thick as thieves. Gary was, admittedly, a bit stuck up due to his grandfather’s importance and his own intelligence, and since Ash could care less about such things they had always gotten all well, Ash wasn’t easy to impress and it kept Gary humbled for the most part, while Ash had someone who could match his enthusiasm. They had fought before, all children did, but Ash wasn’t an easy crier, especially when it came to Gary’s smart mouth.

Ash sucked in a labored breath. “I told him about Caterpie.” He started to explain. “But he called me a liar, and said Caterpie was your Pokemon, and I couldn’t have cat-caught him all by myself.”

“Okay.” Delia said patiently, obviously, that wasn’t all as Ash easily brushed stuff like that off.

“I told-I told him I did, and that the Professor even helped and he got mad!” The boy desperately scrubbed his eyes with his free hand, frustrated. “He said Caterpie was stupid! Caterpie isn’t stupid Mom! He’s not!”

Delia frowned, carefully rubbing circles on Ash’s back. “I know Ashy, Caterpie is a fantastic Pokemon.” She soothed.

“He then sai-said that Bug Pokemon were weak, and that I wouldn’t be a good Pokemon Trainer.” Confusion lit her son’s eyes, coupled with anger and frustration. “I like bug Pokemon, Caterpie is strong. I don’t-i don’t understand.”

“Capree?” Caterpie chittered worriedly, bumping Ash’s clenched fists with his nose(?), and nuzzled against his palm once his fist unclenched.

“I’ll call Professor Oak and see if he can talk to Gary, okay?” Delia offered gently. “You know Bug Pokemon can be strong, and you will be a fantastic Pokemon Trainer. I think Gary was just a little jealous. Once he calms down I’m sure he’ll apologize, okay?”

After a few calming breaths, Ash nodded. “Okay.” He murmured, continuing to pet Caterpie.

“Come on, I made you a snack to eat before you head home.” Delia directed him towards the table closest to Caterpie’s window, picking the plate of fruit and berries back up and setting it down in front of him once he removed his backpack and sat down.

Once both her son and Caterpie started eating, still subdued though the tears were gone, Delia went back to work, thinking heavily about the call she would be making that night. She had no doubt that Professor Oak would have a talk with Gary, he loved Pokemon almost as much as Ash did and didn’t tolerate such behavior. The real question was if Gary would listen to his grandfather at all, or even apologize. Ash was a very forgiving person, almost too forgiving, but only when someone apologized and meant it, Gary on the other hand hated admitting he was wrong. Delia could only hope their friendship wasn’t ended because of the spat.

===Two Years Later===

Ash peeked around the corner of a tree, keeping his eyes peeled as the nine year old searched for Metapod. “Metapod!” the Pokemon chirped as he fell from the tree, landing right in Ash’s outstretched hands.

“There you are buddy! You’ve gotten really good at Hide and Seek since you evolved!” Ash grinned, hugging the cocoon loosely. “Ready to head home? Mom said she had to talk to us, and I’m kinda hungry!” Although all Metapod only blinked, Ash knew he was happily agreeing, so he hauled Metapod onto his shoulder and headed toward their house.

It had taken Metapod a bit longer to evolve than what was usual for trainers, but that was mostly because his mother wasn’t comfortable with the two standing around waiting for older trainers to pop up to battle. She did start allowing them to go so long as they didn’t go too far into the forest since Ash had turned nine, and one of those battles was what triggered the cocoon Pokemon’s metamorphosis. Metapod wasn’t as fast now, but he had a super tough shell, which made up for the drop in speed. Professor Oak even said it was only a matter of time before he had a Butterfree on his hands, something Metapod seemed really excited about. Other than Metapod’s evolution, and Ash’s continued battle practice, nothing else really changed though. Ash and Gary’s relationship had never mended, Gary was too stubborn to apologize, so the two never reconciled. For a while Ash’s classmates had made snide remarks about Caterpie/Metapod, but Ash had never been close to any of them, so other than being increasingly annoyed, and frustrated, he let their taunts roll right off his back. His buddy was amazing and they were stupid. After a while of Ash not reacting, they got bored and stopped, even if they still thought Bug Type Pokemon were weak, and didn’t see what Ash saw in them.

Ash rounded the corner of his road and slowly walked towards his home, smiling when he saw the bright yellow and black of his mother’s newly caught Beedrill. Apprentently Beedrill were great at pollinating, and Beedrill also helped keep away the scavenger Pokemon who could steal the vegetables in the garden, and other Beedrill who posed a threat to the Ketchum family. His mother found her as a Kakuna, after a Fearow had dropped her near the Diner, and Delia helped treat her wounds and kept her safe until she could evolve. Beedrill didn’t want to leave after that, and Ash and Metapod were happy for the extra company.

“Hi Beedrill!” Beedrill’s antenna twitched, and she turned towards them, buzzing lowly in greeting. “Here you go!” Ash pulled out a wild berry from his pocket, presenting it to her. Beedrill buzzed more joyously, and happily took the offering. Ash and Metapod watched her nibble on the berry for a few moments before heading into the house.

Delia was in the living room, a pile of papers in front of her and a pinch in her brow. She looked up when she heard Ash enter, and smiled tensely at him. “Hey Ashy.”

Ash plopped down in the seat across from her. “What did you want to talk about?” Ash asked, looking at the pile of papers scattered around his mother. She had been surrounded by paperwork a lot in the past few months, but he wasn’t exactly sure why. As he looked around he noticed what looked like two plane tickets sitting on the top of the pile with his and his mom’s passports. Ash’s brows creased and he looked at his mother expectantly.

Delia sighed and sat up straight. “The diner is doing really well.” She started to explain. “A few months ago some tourists from the Unova region popped into the Diner and loved the food. They apparently run a lot of restaurants in Unova and have been searching for authentic Kantonian food to add to their string of restaurants, and they offered me the position as head chef.” Ash listened carefully, though his hand was twitching uncontrollably. “I talked it over with our accountant, and Professor Oak and they think its a good idea. We would still own the Diner here, but I would be leaving the management to someone else, and we would be moving to Unova.”

“You want us to leave Pallet Town?” Ash’s voice was horace at the thought. “Not just Pallet Town, but Kanto entirely?”

“I know its a lot to think about Ashy, but it will be good for us. You know Unovian almost as well as you know Kantonian, and think of all the new Pokemon, and friends you can meet over there! Unova is a pretty closed off Region, so there are Pokemon you’ve never even seen before, and we can still visit Kanto.” Delia said with a light voice as she tried to assure him, but Ash didn’t look at all reassured.

“Where would we live?” Ash asked.

“Well, the restaurant is in Opelucid City, so probably there.” Ash’s face paled at the word ‘City’, and Delia was quick to continue. “The city is surrounded by a nice thick forest, I’m sure it's teaming with Pokemon that you can play with.”

“I don’t want to move.” Ash murmured, and pulled Metapod closer to him. Ash was surprisingly good at foreign languages, he just soaked communication up like a sponge, the language he had the hardest time learning was Kalosian, and even then he could still speak and understand it with little issue, so Ash knew there wouldn’t be much of a language barrier, but he loved Pallet Town, and he loved the Kanto Region, he didn’t want to move to a whole knew Region.

“I’m sorry Honey.” Delia sighed, standing up so she could hug her son. Ash didn’t return the gesture, but he didn’t push her away either, he kinda just sat there in her arms.

“When are we moving?” He murmured after a few tense minutes.

“In a few months.” She admitted, and Ash slowly pulled away from her hold.

“I’m gonna go to my room.” Ash said, and slowly headed towards his room, Metapod sat dutifully on his shoulder.

===

It took a while for Ash to get his head around the idea of moving to a completely new Region. A small part of him hoped the deal would fall through and they could stay in Pallet Town, but in the end they ended up moving to Unova. Opelucid City was a lot to adjust to. On top of having to deal with jet lag, and learning to use Unovian as his default language, and culture shock, and the fact that they now lived in a very noisy city, Ash also had to deal with the cold. Kanto was a fairly warm region, in comparison Unova was down right frigid, and since Ash ran rather hot on the regular it was a huge adjustment.

Ash wasn’t the only one that had a hard time adjusting though. Beedrill seemed to struggle a bit at first. Luckily, they no longer had an outside garden, but rather a greenhouse with regulated heating so Beedrill didn’t get too cold while pollinating the produce. Metapod was rather lucky in that regard. Being in his cocooned form meant he couldn’t get as cold, and bought Metapod enough time to adjust to the cooler climate so that by the time he evolved into Butterfree he was perfectly fine with the temp change.

Despite living in the city though, Ash’s mother had managed to find them a house on the outskirts of the city close to the forest. Ash tended to get sick in large cities if he was in them too long, he was a wild spirit at heart, and while most people preferred being closer to the city for an easier commute to work or school, Delia didn’t mind having to drive longer if it meant Ash was near a forest. They happened to move soon after school let out, allowing Ash to have time to adjust to the region without the added stress of having to deal with a whole new school system.

Since Ash played in the forest opposed to the local playground, he didn’t make any immediate friends, which he was honestly fine with, he much rather run around the forest with Butterfree, practicing batting, and preparing for his journey than playing house with the other kids his age. It was in the forest where he met the single most annoying person in the entire world. Iris.

Iris was a 5 year old girl that lived in the neighboring Village of Dragons. She was excitable, and wild, and obsessed with Dragon Type Pokemon, and Ash was pretty sure that every other word out her mouth was ‘dragon’. If that were all, Ash wouldn’t have cared much, after all he much the same, but she had a smart mouth for a five year old. She was always calling him a kid even though she was younger than him, and she insisted on following him around, clinging to his side and constantly trying to start start fights, not only with Ash but even with some of the city kids on the rare occasion Delia would force them to go to the actual playground, leading to Ash having to get involved so she wouldn’t get hurt. Delia had taken a shine to Iris, all but officially adopting the girl. Iris was free to stay with them whenever she wanted, and Delia had a blast buying cute outfits and accessories for her. Iris was what most called a ‘tom-boy’ but Ash could tell she really liked the attention, if they way she smiled whenever, she thought Ash and Delia weren’t looking was any indication.

Iris was annoying, but all things considered Ash didn’t hate her. She could run around for almost as long as he could, she understood his attachment to the forest, and Pokemon, and she understood his love for Pokemon, even if her love was mostly reserved for Dragon’s and his was with Bugs. While they argued, the two only ever had a single serious fight, one that resulted in Ash ignoring her for an entire two weeks. She had been jealous of Ash being busy with Butterfree, and had bad-mouthed the butterfly Pokemon, it was the first time she had ever seen him so angry, but she hadn’t expected him to completely ignore her for two weeks. The fight ended with a lot of tears on Iris’ end, as she clung to his leg and sobbed apologies until Ash and Butterfree forgave her. After the fight Iris seemed to have settled down, she was still a right pain in the butt that pushed Ash’s button’s every chance she got, but then, Ash supposed that was what it was like having a sibling.

For all that Iris was always welcome in the Ketchum home, Iris was still very much a child from the Village of Dragons. The Village Elder, though glad that Iris was able to find a place with the Ketchums, couldn’t let Delia officially adopt her, or let Iris stay there full time. Yes Iris was an orphan technically, but the Village was something like a hive, every child born of the village was raised by the village. Iris also had no plans of leaving the Village unless she went to trainer school, or started her journey, even if she really really liked Ash and Delia. Delia perfectly understood, she adored Iris but the Village was important to the girl, and Ash didn’t mind, Iris was his friend and really annoying sibling, her not living with them wouldn’t change that. Even when the time came for Ash to set out of his journey wouldn’t change that.

===Months Later===

Ash woke up with a grunt of pain as a very excited six year old girl slammed into his stomach. “You have to wake up Ash!” Iris insisted, shaking him roughly.

Ash bolted out of bed, clutching his stomach. “That hurt!”

“Sorry.” Iris grinned, not looking one bit apologetic. “Now come on! We have to Eat so we can go to Professor Juniper’s lab!” With that, she turned on her heels and ran giggling from the hotel room, most likely to meet up with his mother.

With the pain ebbed away, Iris’ words sunk in, and Ash flung himself from his bed, a big grin stretching onto his face. Clumsily, he tugged on his clothes, nearly tripping over his backpack when he tried to put his socks on while standing. Fully dressed, Ash excitedly headed out of the hotel room, Butterfree’s Pokeball carefully attached to his hip.

They left Opelucid City two days prior so they could get to Professor Juniper’s Lab in Nuvema town on the right day, even by plane the City and Town were on opposite sides of the Region, and Ash didn’t want to be late getting to the Professor’s lab. Meeting with Professor Juniper was more of a formality than anything, as all she was doing was giving him his starting Pokeballs and the Unova Pokedex, but Ash was excited regardless. So was Iris, even though she was only allowed to come and watch Ash set off on his journey before she would inevitably be returning home to the Village of Dragons with Delia. She had begged to go with him, but that was obviously shut down by the Village Elder.

Ash arrived at the hotel breakfast lounge and looked around for his mother and Iris. When he caught sight of them, he grabbed himself some breakfast, pancakes and a small bowl of fruit, and made his way to their table. His mom was lightly scolding Iris while simultaneously using a napkin to wipe syrup from her chin when Ash sat down. Ash’s legs bounced under the table as he ate his breakfast in large bites, it was only after he choked that he slowed down and refocused on his mother.

“Nervous?” Delia asked, smiling kindly at her son.

Ash shook his head. “Excited!” He exclaimed, reaching across the table and snatching the syrup bottle from Iris before she could pour the whole thing on her pancakes, she whined slightly but let him take it.

“I wish I could come with you.” Iris pouted around a mouthful of syrup covered berries. “Even if its just to travel.”

“Sorry, but you know your village’s rules.” Ash apologized sincerely. Iris wouldn’t have any Pokemon of her own, but he wouldn’t have minded her coming along to keep him company, but Village Rules and Village Rules.

“I know.” She pouted before perking back up. “Promise to catch a really cool Pokemon for me to play with okay?”

“No problem.” He promised, wondering what kind of Pokemon was considered ‘cool’ to a Dragon obsessed six year old that he could reasonably find for her. Either way, she seemed pacified for the time being.

After Breakfast, Ash ran back up to the room to grab his backpack, and then the trio was off to Professor Juniper’s lab. The first thing Ash noticed in Professor Juniper’s lab was that it was a lot tidier than Professor Oak’s lab ever was. In the Oak laboratory there were papers and books spewn almost everywhere, with Pokemon coming in and out as they pleased. Juniper laboratory was better put together, papers stacked neatly and any lab Pokemon safely in their designated areas. It was a nice laboratory, but if Ash were to be honest, he liked Professor Oak’s organized chaos a lot better. She was a little more proficient than the Kanto Professor however. Besides Ash, she had three more trainers on their way to her lab, so she couldn’t stand and chat with them for long, and swiftly updated his Pokedex, and handed him his Pokeballs. Overall, he liked her. Iris wasn’t so impressed though.

“That's it? I was hoping we could have seen some Pokemon!” She whined as they walked out of the lab.

“You heard her, Iris, she's busy. Besides, it's not safe to play around in a Professor’s laboratory.” Delia soothed, ignoring the look she got from Ash, since they both knew that Professor Oak had allowed all the children in town to rummage through his laboratory as much as they wanted. “How about me and you get some ice cream before we get on the plane?”

“Really?” Iris perked up immediately and grabbed Ash’s arm. “Did you hear that Ash? Ice cream!”

Ash shifted awkwardly on his feet. “Um, I’m going to be on my way to Striaton City by the time you have ice cream.” He reminded her gently, wincing when her face fell once again.

“Oh Yeah, well, more ice cream for me then!” Iris tried to cover her disappointment with a hasty smile, but she was six so it wasn’t very convincing.

Ash racked his brain for something else to cheer her up, and looked at his mother. “What time is your flight?”

“12:30, why?” Delia stared at her son with mild suspicion, but Ash just grinned cheekily at her.

“Alright Iris, we have three hours to complete this mission.” He told her.

“What mission?” Iris tilted her head in bewilderment.

“You’re going to help me catch my first Pokemon as an official Unovian Pokemon Trainer!” Almost immediately Iris’ face lit back up. “There's a forest along route one, we can search for a Pokemon there.”

“Alright! Can we Delia?” Iris cheered and hugged Ash’s arm tighter.

Delia smiled at her children. “Oh alright, but as soon as I say its time to go we have to leave.”

“Deal!” With more strength than any six year old had the right to possess, Iris pulled Ash towards route one, eyes darting around as she searched for any Pokemon she could find.

It took the duo almost an hour to finally find a Bug Type Pokemon. Ash had never really thought about it, but having and defending Butterfree for so long had definitely given him a preference for Bug Types. He didn’t mind it so much, having a single type preference meant he would almost always know what to expect, besides Bug Types were cute and strong, what else could anyone ever want? The Pokemon they ended up settling on was tiny, with fluffy yellow fur, a Joltik.

“Butterfree, I choose you!”

“Free Free!” Butterfree cried as the energy cast by the Pokeball dissipated.

Joltik started off with String Shot, but Butterfree easily dodged it, and used Whirlwind, causing Joltik to lose their footing. Butterfree then went in with a tackle, slamming into Joltik, and leaving the perfect opportunity for Ash to throw a Pokeball. The ball only shook once before falling still.

“Alright!” Ash cheered, running forward to scoop up his new Pokemon. The sensation brought back memories of when Ash caught and met Caterpie for the first time. Reaching up, Ash gently pet Butterfree on the side of his head. “You were great Butterfree.”

“Free!” Butterfree crooned, leaning into the pets happily.

===Unova===

Soon after, Ash had to wave them off as they loaded onto the plane to head back home while he set off on his journey to compete in the Unova League.

Ash took to journeying alone rather well. Ash could cook basic meals for himself, his mother was a chef and she was determined he at least be able to cook for himself, and when he couldn’t cook Ash had no problem searching out some berries to munch on. Ash also had no qualms about sleeping out in the open, or in a cave if he had to, he was a wild spirit at heart so what most people may find unpleasant he didn’t really mind. Ash, while something of a people magnet, wasn’t so much of an extrovert where he couldn’t function without other people. For the longest time Butterfree, in his pre-evolution forms, was Ash’s only friend, so while Ash missed his mother and Iris a great deal, he wasn’t all that bothered about traveling alone, Besides, he had his Pokemon, Joltik in particular hated her Pokeball, and had taken up residency on Ash’s shoulder or hidden in his hair more often than not.

Traveling alone also had some other advantages, like that Ash could keep up with his studies. It wasn’t uncommon for Pokemon Trainers to leave house at ten and later decide that they wanted a career besides as a Pokemon Trainer, so there were plenty of programs, and options to help Pokemon Trainers with their academics. As well as having school work sent during travels and turning said homework in through Pokedex or online, there were other options, such as classes set up between leagues and contest circuits designed to catch trainers up, or even full on classes at different levels in cases where a trainer didn’t study at all until they decided to retire as a trainer, and that's not even counting the numerous trainer schools available for essentially all ages. Since Ash was traveling alone, he was able to keep up with all his schoolwork while on the road.

Besides school work and training, Ash was also able to catch quite a few Pokemon. By the time he reached Striaton City he was up to three Pokemon, Butterfree, Joltik, and Sewaddle. Sewaddle reminded Ash a lot of Butterfree when he was still a Caterpie, and Butterfree was a bit doting on the Bug Type. In Straton, Ash was able to meet the three trainers who would be taking over the Gym when they were older, Chilli, Cress, and Cilan. They were two years older than him, and despite being triplets they were vastly different, but also pretty interesting. The Gym Leader of the Striaton Gym was actually the triplett's grandfather, and he used all three elemental monkey Pokemon, and allowed Ash to pick which one he wanted to battle. Because he was Ash, he wanted to battle all three. Butterfree was able to easily defeat Pansear, Joltik struggled a bit against Panpour before losing, and Sewaddle was barely able to defeat Pansage. Since they won two of three matches, Ash was able to get the Trio Badge, before continuing on his way to Nacrene City.

His journey from there on was pretty usual, Ash caught a Venipede and Sewaddle had managed to evolve into Swadloon. Meeting the Castelia City Gym Leader, Burgh, was probably one of the bigger highlights however. Burgh met Ash’s enthusiasm about Bug Types, if not more so. He was very different than Ash, having a creative drive that Ash didn’t really have outside of battle, but he was also really intelligent and obviously adored bug Pokemon. Ash had been a little embarrassed when he was praised for how well kept his Pokemon were. The Castelia Gym was like a forest of its own, with air as fresh as you could get in the city and Pokemon frollicking amongst the leaves. Their battle was intense, as neither trainer wanted to lose, in a way it was like an intense rivalry, they specialized in the same type and while respectful, they also wanted to prove they were better, but in the end Joltik was just a touch too slick and evasive for Burgh’s Levanny, getting Ash the win.

Between gyms Ash would contact home. There were times when he forgot but he did try to keep a schedule for his mother’s sake. They had only been living in Unova for less than a year, so she was a bit more on edge, so he called when he could, including when his Pokemon evolved, or when he caught new Pokemon such as Durant, and Scatterbug. Scatterbug were rare in Unova, but not unheard of, and Ash was admittedly curious on what wing pattern they would have when they evolved, his mother guessed the ‘Elegant’ pattern, while Iris hoped for the ‘Monsoon’ pattern since she thought they were the prettiest. Iris was usually with his mom when he called, impatiently waiting for her turn to babble his ear off for a few minutes. One thing she couldn’t wait to tell him was about her befriending and battling with a Drilbur, and showing said Drilbur off to him, apparently his mother caught him for her because she was weak to the Lillipup eyes almost as much as he was. The only time Ash deliberately missed calling them was when he only needed one more badge, the one that resided in his ‘homecity’: The Legend Badge.

Ash was admittedly a bit nervous about said battle. Dragon Types were ridiculously strong, and difficult to raise and deal with. He poured every minute of free time into training his Pokemon, and even managed to evolve Whirleped into Scolipede, and Scatterbug into Pewpa, and later into Vivillon. His Vivillion had stunning blue wings with white scales that looked like a blizzarding polar night, Ash got the feeling that Butterfree was a tad bit jealous of Vivillon’s wings. The only one of his Pokemon who had yet to evolve was Joltik, who seemed perfectly content staying the way she was, which was fine with Ash.

However nervous he was had nothing to do with why he hadn't told his mother he was headed to Opelucid City; however, the long and short of it was that he wanted to surprise them by showing up at the house. Would he be scolded because she couldn’t prepare a meal for him ahead of time? Yes. Was it worth it? He thought so, especially when he could see first hand how his mother lit up upon seeing him, followed by sweeping him into her arms in a tight hug, soon followed by Iris coming around the corner, seeing him, and screaming before she barreled right into his legs. The following day, after a good meal, and a nice shower in his own bathroom, followed by a detailed retelling of his entire journey and a good night's sleep, Ash was on his way to the Opelucid Gym. Iris, ever his shadow, stuck close to him, having gotten permission to watch the match so long as she sat in the stands and stayed quiet. She was pretty sure he was going to lose, which; rude, but that just made Ash want to win even more.

Drayden, the Gym Leader, was a no nonsense type of guy. His words were blunt, and dry, and it was obvious that small talk wasn’t his strong suit, but he was honest and didn’t mince his words, in a way Ash admired that, especially since he also had the tendency to speak his mind, just less flatley. The battle was two on two, with Dreyden starting off with Haxorus, and Ash starting with Durant. Durant’s thick, steel exoskeleton was the perfect defense against Haxorus' attacks, and Haxorus had few, if any, attacks that could deal massive damage, but Drayden and his Pokemon were strong. Despite not having any super effective moves, Haxorus was still able to deal some damage to Durant, enough to tire him out. In the end though, Durant was able to take down Haxorus. Druddigon, however, was another story. Durant was already tired, so it only took one Superpower to take Durant out. Thinking over his choices carefully, Ash sent out Vivillon. Druddigon could fly, despite the bulky figure insinuating otherwise, but Vivillon was faster, smaller, and more agile. Druddigon held nothing back, like their trainer all their moves were too the point, one after the other, even when they were airborne, but Ash nor Vivillon were goin down easy. Eventually, after flying above Druddigon, Vivillon was able to use Sleep Powder, causing Druddigon to fall from the air, and land on the field out cold, where Vivillon was then able to use Draining Kiss, sucking up Druddigon’s energy and healing his own exhaustion, followed by Psybeam the moment Druddigon started to stand up. It was a tense silence for a few minutes before Druddigon fell again, this time knocked out, since Draining Kiss seemed to do more damage than Ash or Drayden had expected. With that, Ash got the Legend Badge, and his entry into the Unova League. And yes, Ash did rub the fact that he won in Iris’ face for the entire week, yes she was pouting the whole week, no Ash doesn’t regret it.

Following obtaining his final badge, Ash decided to stay home to train and prepare for the league. Most of the time he was in the forest near their house, training against Wild Pokemon as Iris and Drilbur watched from nearby, or trained themselves. Ash also set out to battle as many other trainers as he could, standing near routes and asking any trainers nearby if they wanted to battle, it was mutually beneficial, as usually those trainers were also preparing for the Unova League.

By the time trainers were supposed to gather at the League’s Stadium Ash felt prepared, ready to battle his peers and prove how far he had come. He was just a bit put off by the number of people; traveling alone for nearly a year did have some drawbacks it seemed, as Ash found himself really uncomfortable in the middle of the large crowd of his peers. Other than mild social anxiety though, the League went off without a hitch, and though Ash didn’t win, he did manage to be in the top 16, which was pretty remarkable given his young age.

Following the Unova League though was Ash’s final exams. He had somehow managed to keep up with school work on his journey, but he did have to take exams to see where he would need to start his classes the following year. He didn’t do too bad, about average, but Ash had pretty much expected as much, and was just grateful he hadn’t failed.

===Kanto===

Ash knew what region he would be traveling to after Unova. The region he was born in, Kanto. He hadn’t been back to Kanto in nearly two years, and Ash, and Butterfree, longed for their hometown, where there was hardly a city light to be seen and every star was visible in the night time, where the air was fresh and crisp. Delia had been a tad uncomfortable with the Idea of Ash being so far away, but she also knew keeping him away from traveling was virtually impossible. Delia and Iris saw Ash off at the airport, waving his plane goodbye and marking him promise to call them immediately, no matter the time difference.

Accompanying Ash to Kanto was his entire Unova team, minus Durant. Durant had taken a shine to his mother’s greenhouse, and it was virtually impossible to get the steel ant out of it without using brute force, so Ash decided to leave him with her, besides Beedrill and Durant seemed to have become fast friends and Delia and Iris seemed more comfortable with Ash leaving knowing that one of his Pokemon was with them. Butterfree was obviously the most excited to be going to Kanto, but Leavanny and Vivillon seemed just as jazzed. Scolipede was rather aloof at the best of times, so he didn’t seem to care much, and Joltik, while interested, also didn’t seem to care as much, simply burrowing into Ash’s jacket pocket for the entire plane ride.

Ash’s first stop in his home region was Professor Oak’s lab. He hadn’t seen the old man in what seemed like forever, and he wanted to take a walk through town before he headed off to Pewter City. Butterfree had been let out of his Pokeball almost immediately once they were off the plane. Getting to the Professor’s lab was a lot harder than Ash had expected, the people of Pallet Town had recognised Ash almost immediately and he had been stopped a number of times to update him on how he had been, and how his mother was, promising to tell her that the townspeople wanted her to visit soon. The town was just how they left it, warm, with rolling fields and this general sense of peace that made every tense muscle in Ash’s body release. They even stopped by their childhood home, the house was still his mothers, but she had rented it out to a small starting off family before they moved, so he couldn’t just walk in to check it out, but just seeing the building flooded his mind with memories.

Ash quietly walked up the steps to Professor Oak’s lab, and just as he was about to knock on the door, the door opened on its own. Brown eyes met blue, and the person standing across from Ash seemed just as surprised. “Gary.” Ash breathed tensely. The last time they had seen eachother was two years prior, and they hadn’t exactly been on speaking terms.

Gary seemed to snap out of his surprise, and a lazy, almost begging smirk played at his lips. “How ya doing Ashy Boy?”

Ash snorted. “Still?”

“Always~” Gary smirked, shoulders falling with relief. “I saw your battle at the Unova League, not bad.”

“Thanks, I saw your battles too, your Blastoise is looking really good.” Ash grinned back cheekily.

“Butterfree did really well too.” Gary glanced at Ash’s head, where Butterfree sat, pale wings fluttering slightly. FInally, he cleared his throat. “I’m headed to Johto to deliver something for gramps but it was nice seeing you, Ashy Boy.”

Ash shoved Gary’s shoulder with his own. “You too. I’ll reach out before I leave Kanto, maybe we can talk.”

“I’d like that.” Gary grinned back, before heading out the door.

Ash watched him go, feeling lighter. It felt like a weight Ash hadn’t known was there had vanished. Reaching up to pet Butterfree, Ash ducked into the lab.

Professor Oak had been overjoyed to see Ash, wasting no time in ushering the boy in and shoving piles of snacks into his hands. The two sat talking for longer than Ash had intended, and soon it was too late for him to set out, so Professor Oak offered him the spare bedroom for the night. The following morning, after breakfast, Ash set out, heading straight for Viridian Forest. Mindlessly. Ash and Butterfree wandered the trails, reminiscing about the days they had spent in the forest, pestering older trainers to battle them. Joltik quietly listened to them talk, moving from his pocket to his head to see what they were talking about. But eventually, Viridian Forest came to an end, opening up into Viridian City and Ash was on his way past it to Pewter City.

Meeting and talking to Brock was something else. The battle was pretty easy with Levanny and Scolipede, but it was the conversation with Brock afterwards that struck a chord with Ash. Ash was in no way in a similar situation as Brock was, but listening to Brock talk about his siblings made Ash think of Iris. He had long since realized that they were like adoptive siblings, but he had never given it much thought until he heard Brock talk about his siblings. Neither Ash nor Brock had expected his father to come back, apparently he had been hiding out near Pewter City for almost a year, but had been too much of a coward to reveal himself. With the man now back home, Brock finally had the chance to pursue his own interests, and though Ash had never traveled with anyone before, he had asked Brock to join him.

Adjusting to traveling with another person wasn’t as hard as Ash had thought. It was likely because Brock had so many siblings, but they never tripped over each other like Ash had feared. They took turns cooking, even though Brock was much better than Ash was, and Ash learned how to make Pokemon Food. Ash had fun telling Brock everything there was to know about his Bug Pokemon, and when Ash struggled with his school work, Brock was happy to help. It didn’t take long for them to get into a steady schedule.

The only upset to the schedule was when a loud mouthed redhead decided she was going to join them. It was partially Ash’s fault, he was practicing with Joltik and her Discharge and accidentally hit her bike. She hadn’t seemed that bad initially, until they stopped for lunch and she freaked out over Ash’s team. Ash got a lot of practice reining in his temper due to dealing with Iris, so that was the only reason he resisted tearing her apart, but he refused to acknowledge her. He refused to acknowledge anyone who thought his Pokemon, his precious Bug Types, were worthless and disgusting. Brock had also seemed rather cross with her, though not on the personal level that Ash did, he tended to ignore her when it wasn’t about something important. It wasn’t just about her badmouthing Ash’s Pokemon though, though that was a big part of it, Misty didn’t join in on the cooking rotation other than setting the table, she didn’t understand that Ash wanted nothing to do with her and continued to pester him, usually asking him to change his type preference, there was also a lot of little things that Ash would normally ignore, but since he was angry tended to stand out and annoy him a lot. The moment they reached the next Pokemon Center, Ash withdrew enough money from his account, made up of money from winning battles, his allowance, and the monthly stipend he got monthly from the inheritance left by his father, and gave her the money to pay off her bike so she would leave him alone. That seemed to finally make her realize that he was actually angry and not just being stubborn.

His journey forward wasn’t so bad, Joltik wiped the floor in Cerulean City, and Levanny really showed her stuff against Lieutenant Surge. Things seemed perfect for a while, until they came across the Butterfree migration. Ash was happy that Butterfree fell in love, even though Ash didn’t really get it, and he was so proud that he found someone that loved him, and was able to protect her, but Ash also had a hard time wrapping his head around the idea that his first Pokemon, his best friend, had to leave.

Tears fell freely down Ash’s face as he stared at Butterfree, the orange neckerchief still wrapped securely, but loosely around his neck. Fluttering just behind him was another Butterfree, her body was pink, and her white wings had a noticeable black splotch on them, a tell tale sign of her gender, she looked rather torn by the situation.

Ash’s words had a warbled inflection as he tried to force himself to smile. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

“Free free.” Butterfree nodded, trying hard not to let the tears in his eyes fall.

“You too, take care of him.” The pink Butterfree nodded with resolve, and Ash smiled, though his lips trembled. Ash reached up and pressed his forehead against his Butterfree’s. “I’ll miss you. Thank you for being my best friend.”

“Free!” Butterfree trilled, rushing into his arms for a final hug. Ash didn’t want to let go, but he knew this was what Butterfree wanted, needed to do, and it was Ash’s responsibility to encourage and support his Pokemon, even if he could no longer stand beside him. With great effort, and a shaky smile, Ash pulled away, and both Butterfree started flying, heading towards the rest of the flutter. Butterfree had to stop himself from turning back, but the cry of Joltik made him halt.

“Jol! Jol!” Joltik jumped off of Ash’s shoulder, running to the edge of the cliff they were standing on. Tears pooled in the yellow Pokemon’s eyes as she desperately waved goodbye. Suddenly, in the golden light of the setting sun, Joltik started to glow. Her body grew, accompanied with longer fangs, more legs, and a large build. “Vantula!” Where the tiny Jiltik once stood, now stood a Galvantula, who was waving goodbye with four legs instead of just one.

Butterfree felt pride in his friend as he flew backwards, watching her and Ash until long after he could no longer see them. This was a start of a new adventure for all of them, one they would not concur together, but Butterfree knew they would meet again, and that thought helped him move forward.

The following days were difficult on Ash to say the least. He was happy that Galvantual decided she wanted to evolve, even if that meant that now she couldn’t ride on his shoulder or in his pocket, she still insisted on being out of her Pokeball, which at the very least kept strangers away from Ash while he was working through his emotions, but adjusting to Butterfree not being there was difficult. For a long time Butterfree had been Ash’s only friend, he was simultaneously Ash’s first Pokemon and the first Pokemon he caught, they had been together since Ash was seven years old. But everyone had to change and continue onwards, even if it hurt, even if they wished things could stay the same.

The first Gym Ash came across after Butterfree went on to start a family was Sabrina. Ash could feel Butterfree’s absence, and it was a tad bit distracting. Vivillon really pulled through for Ash in his battle against Sabrina, his strength and Bug typing mixed with his speed in the air helped level the playing field against Sabrina’s Psychic types. The gym after that wasn’t much better. For one, Erika’s Gym reeked of perfume, the smell so strong Galvanytula actually wanted to go into her Pokeball, for second, Erika’s trainers just had to make a smart remark about Ash’s Bug Type Pokemon, so by the time Ash broke, um found a way, into the Gym, he had a migraine, he was upset, and his was beyond irritated. Ash almost felt bad about the way Scolipede, Levanny, and Galvantula utterly humiliated Erika’s team. Almost.

Luckily, those were the only big problems, and after a while Ash started to feel more like himself. He even managed to catch a Heracross while feeding his Pokemon some honey, and much later a Syther. Syther was something of a problem child, he didn’t exactly like that Ash was able to catch him and for a while, fought Ash every step of the way.

Ash stayed with Brock to prepare for the Indigo League, training and preparing his Pokemon. Most of his Pokemon knew the drill already, as they had competed in the Unova League, but Heracross and Scyther were unfamiliar with the process. Like in Unova, Ash only ranked in the Top 16, however, that was mostly due to Scyther’s attitude, as the Pokemon refused to battle, and instead had decided to take a nap on the field. Ash wasn’t the only one upset by the ordeal, so was the rest of the team. They had worked so hard to prepare for the Pokemon League, and likely would have ranked much higher if not for Scyther’s attitude. It was disheartening to Ash in particular, he didn’t want to hold Scyther hostage if he really didn’t want to be with Ash, but at the same time it felt like there was something wrong with the Pokemon, like he wanted to reach out and be accepted but just couldn’t bring himself to reach out.

With the league out of the way, Ash headed back to Unova while Brock headed home to Pewter City, the two making plans to meet up once again in Hoenn, where Ash was planning on heading after his exams. Unlike the previous year, Ash wasn’t excited to get his exam results back. His focus on his studies had wavered for a few weeks due to Butterfree leaving, and if it weren’t for Brock’s help Ash was pretty sure he would be very behind on all his school work, not to mention the issues with Scyther preventing him from studying as much as he would have liked. Surprisingly, Ash’s scores were on par with his scores from the previous year, just slightly above average, and Ash couldn’t be more relieved.

===Hoenn==

Hoenn was a tad bit different than his travel through Kanto for the sole reason that Brock wasn’t his only companion. Joining Ash across the Hoenn region in addition to Brock was May, and Max Maple.

May was the same age as Ash, twelve years old give or take a few months, but she was only just starting her journey because she wasn’t very fond of Pokemon, a sentiment Ash couldn’t understand no matter how long he thought about it. Eventually she lost the fight due to her father’s insistence and got her first Pokemon, though she was far more interested in traveling than battling. They had met because Galvantula’s Electro Ball misfired and destroyed her bike, and Ash offered(read:was guilt tripped) into traveling with her back to Petalburg City. While she was obviously uncomfortable around Ash’s Pokemon, she hadn’t said anything rude about them, and it seemed like she was more uncomfortable around Pokemon in general, even her own Torchic, so she was alright in Ash’s book, especially because she seemed to adjust to Pokemon rather quickly.

Max was the complete opposite of his sister, and was a bit of a butthead, reminding Ash a lot of his own butthead of a sister back home. He was opinionated, and very knowledgeable about Pokemon, even if his first hand experience with the Pokemon themselves were rather limited, proven by how he had gotten shocked by Galvantula when he hugged her too suddenly. He wasn’t a bad kid though, a bit of a know-it all that liked to push the buttons of the people around him, but he had a genuine love for Pokemon, and a thirst to know everything about them. He especially looked up to his father,and seemed to hand on the man’s every word. Max was especially excited about being able to travel with them across Hoenn.

Something Ash wasn’t expecting was how much May and Max tended to look to him for advice. May was a new trainer, and knew nothing about Pokemon when starting out, and even though she eventually decided on pursuing becoming a coordinator, with a Beautifly no lest(yes they geeked out over their respective butterfly Pokemon, and yes Beautifly and Vivillon were BFFs, don’t judge them.), she still went to Ash for advice and help in battling and taking care of Beautifly. Max tried to help his sister at first, but being only eight years old, he often wasn’t very clear with instructions, leading to miscommunication and mishaps that usually resulted in somebody getting unintentionally Embered. It was a bit odd being relied on so much, but it also felt good in a way. Ash was happy when May accomplished something after he gave her advice, it was weirdly fulfilling knowing that someone was able to learn something from him, that someone was one step closer to their goals because he had given them a stepping stone. When they succeeded, it felt like he succeeded too. It was the same feeling he got when he helped Iris study for her own exams, or when he told Brock a new bug fact he learned.

Those endeavors aside however, battling the Hoenn Gyms went relatively smoothly, battling against Flannery was a huge gamble, and Norman in particular was no pushover, Normal Types were nothing to sneeze at, but the biggest challenge was against Winona and her Flying Types. Galvantula was part Electric Type, yes, but that meant nothing if she couldn’t land her hits. Winona’s Pokemon were swift, and fierce, and they knew how to evade and deflect electric attacks with ease. It took Ash two times, but he eventually defeated her.

aside from Syther’s issues. After an incident in which Max almost got hit by Wing Attack, Ash decided to send Scyther to Burgh, not forever, but Burgh had a knack for understanding Bug Types, if anyone could help him understand Scyther, it was him. He got a message the following day. Burgh couldn’t understand Pokemon word for word, similar to Ash he simply paid attention to how the Pokemon behaved and what they did, but where Ash was limited to his own Pokemon, and only if his Pokemon were open with him, Burgh could seemingly read any Bug Type. Burgh could only really guess what was wrong with Scyther, and that was a mix of pent up energy turning into aggression, and a previous betrayal that was stopping him from properly bonding with Ash as Trainer and Pokemon.

It didn’t take long for Ash to think up a plan on how to help him and Scyther bond, and thus requested his Pokemon back. He was a bit surprised that, when he released the Pokemon, instead of Scyther, he had a Scizor*. Apparently Burgh sent something along with Syther that would help him evolve later, but he hadn’t expected for Syther to evolve during the transfer over. Ash only hoped that evolving would help with the excess energy problem, before he set his plan into motion.

While the group stayed in a town for a while, waiting for May’s next contest, Ash set out with Scizor alone. Admittedly, his friends were a bit worried, he was leaving the rest of his Pokemon with them while he was gone so he could have one on one time with a particularly versatile Pokemon, if Scizor lashed out Ash wouldn’t have his other Pokemon to defend himself. But that was part of the plan. Ash didn’t know what, for sure, happened in Scizor’s past that made him unable to trust another trainer, and he likely would never find out, but it was obvious Scizor had some major trust issues. For the following few days it would just be the two of them in the wild, Ash would have no real defense if Scizor lashed out, all Ash could do was trust his Pokemon not too. It was risky, reckless, and dangerous, but that was how Ash was.

The following days Ash and Scizor only had each other, they slept under the open sky, trained, found wild berries for food, and simply coexisted. Scizor was on edge most of the time, bewildered, and waiting for the other shoe to drop. At one point, he did lash out, using Metal Claw to destroy some of the surrounding trees, only to turn to Ash when Ash tried to get him to settle down. They had an intense stare down, but Ash didn’t back down, not even when one of the Metal Claws were directed at him, not even when Scizor shot his claw out in his direction, just barely missing Ash’s face but a mere few inches, because Ash knew. Scizor wasn’t going to hurt him, in all his rampages Scizor had never intentionally tried to hurt someone, that proved that Scizor wasn’t lashing out to hurt, he just didn’t know how else to release his frustration.

When they returned to the rest of the group a few days later Scizor was different. He wasn’t ‘fixed’, not all of his and Ash’s issues were solved, but it was a start. They were starting to have an understanding of each other, and though it would likely take months or even years to get to the route of the actual issue, it was a start on the path to proper understanding and hopefully, healing.

The Hoenn League was something else. Hoenn had more outreach in terms of fans, so it was Ash’s first exposure to his fans. He didn’t have an overabundant amount of people routing for him, but there were a few people it was flattering, knowing people besides his family and friends were excited for his battles. All of Ash’s Pokemon were raring to go, Scizor in particular was surprisingly focused, and though Scizor would glare at him if he were to say it out loud, Ash was pretty sure the extra effort was due to guild from the previous year. The effort definitely paid off, as they ranked in the Top Eight the entire Hoenn League, it might not sound like a lot to some people but even that little bit of growth meant a lot to Ash.

Following the Hoenn League, May made plans to travel to Kanto, while Max was going to go back to Petalburg with their parents so he could focus on preparing for his own journey the following year, and Brock would be going with back to Kanto so he could check in and visit his family before deciding what he did next. Saying goodbye for the time being was bittersweet, sealed with a promise to battle Max when they met again, since by then, Max would be on his own journey. After a tearful goodbye, they all went their separate ways.

Back in Unova, and riding the feeling of placing within the Top Eight, Ash prepared himself for his final exams. He doubted he could ever place in the top eight academically, but he was still determined to try his best. As he expected, Asxh wasn’t even in the top 10 academically, but his scores were definitely better than the year prior, filling Ash with a sense of pride.

===Sinnoh===

Before Ash could head off to Sinnoh, he stayed in Unova for a few days longer to help Iris with her own schoolwork. While Ash was in Hoenn Iris tried her hand at going to a trainer school with Excadrill*, to prepare for her journey that would happen relatively soon but trouble started as Iris found it near impossible to focus while in the city, unable to relax in the stuffy uniform and polluted air. Being unable to relax, and being bullied by a couple of her classmates(Yes Ash almost went to start beef with a couple of nine year olds. No he is not sorry.) resulted in Iris getting behind on her work, so Ash stayed a bit longer to help her prepare for her own make-up exams. She was able to get passing marks on her make-up exams, though she had a lower grade than she hoped she’d get, especially after Ash postponed his own trip just to help her study. To help cheer her up, and encourage her for the coming year, Ash told her that if she got even better marks in the upcoming year he would take her with him to whatever region he was going to the following year, which definitely worked on getting her fired up.

Ash’s Sinnoh journey was perfectly ordinary, including the fact that he and Galvantula zapped another trainer’s bike, again, something that just solidified the curse joke that Brock thought of after they met May. Speaking of, Ash had been pleasantly surprised to see Brock in Sinnoh, happy to travel with his friend once again, and of course Dawn, the girl who had her bike zapped.

Dawn was a very green trainer, having just started her journey to be a coordinator. She was a bit air headed, but hard working, and driven with a sorta ‘never give up attitude’. She wanted to be Top Coordinator like her mother before, and despite the fact that she actually knew very little about Pokemon, she was determined to accomplish her goals. She had a very optimistic outlook on life, and it was actually pretty inspiring, if tad a bit hopeful.

Dawn was also very interested in learning. She didn’t want Ash or Brock to just tell her what to do so she could succeed right that second, she wanted them to explain and teach it to her, to give her a deeper understanding so that she knew what to do if they weren’t there, not only about Pokemon, but cooking as well. Her mother had taught her how to make poffins, and she could make heat up means, but she couldn’t actually cook things from scratch. Brock could make pretty much anything taste delicious, and while basic, Ash knew how to keep them fed and nourished. Dawn seemed to default to Ash as her teacher. Brock was a good teacher for most people, but a lot of what he said tended to go over Dawn’s head, and his teaching style simply frustrated Dawn because he tended to skip over the basics, which she didn’t know. Maybe it was because Ash had his own issues growing up, but Ash always made things clear and concise, he used simple worlds and simple explanations, and didn’t care how often Dawn asked for him to explain it again. When there were things that Ash didn’t know, he and Dawn would default to Brock. It was an admittedly odd system, but it worked well for the three of them.

Sinnoh was a relatively cold Region, even more so than Unova, something that didn’t go over well with most of Ash’s Pokemon. They adjusted in time, but it was also obvious they weren’t really happy. Vivillon, and Galvantucla were probably the only ones that didn’t seem bothered, Vivillon because his breed of Vivillon were made for cooler climates, and Galvantchula due to her thicker fur. Scoliopede hated it however, and if he wasn’t battling or indoors he was in his Pokeball, at least until he was able to adjust to Sinnoh’s temperatures. Luckily, most gyms, besides maybe Fire Type and Ice Type Gyms, heated and cooled appropriately, were heated to a neutral temperature to keep things fair to the challenger’s Pokemon, so they were able to battle without issue.

Traveling through Sinnoh was relatively normal, ignoring that Ash finally had something of a rival. Paul was rude, and knew exactly what to say to trigger Ash’s fight response. On top of Paul thinking most Pokemon were weak, he especially thought Ash was weak because he surrounded himself with Bug Types. Even after Ash defeated him in battle, even after knowing Ash’s Pokemon were well seasoned, Paul didn’t change his mind. He was a stubborn, heartless fool, and that didn’t change until the actual Sinnoh League.

Dawn’s mother was kind enough to offer Ash and Brock their house to stay while Ash prepared for the Sinnoh League. The Sinnoh Grand Festival had already happened, and Dawn had been wrapped up in deciding her next step while Ash and his Pokemon trained. The Sinnoh League in of itself was a rollercoaster, one trainer, Tobias, was sweeping the field with his Darkrai, and causing quite a stir from the crowd. Ash was a bit nervous, but was ready with a contingency plan. Heracross was a Bug and Fighting Type, both pretty effective against Dark types, and Ash’s Heracross was able to use Sleep Talk, the perfect counter for Darkrai’s Dark Voice, a move Ash noticed the man leaned heavily on. Ash’s first battle with the trainer went just as Ash suspected, and Heracross was able to get the upper hand, but it was Tobias’ second Pokemon that threw him for a loop. Latios. Tobias had a freaking Latios. Latios was able to take out both Heracross, and Leavanny, but using Vivillon’s Safeguard, coupled with a Quiver Dance boosted Hurricane, Ash was able to stall Latios for a little bit before taking them out with another Quiver Dance boosted Bug Buzz. After Latios however, Tobia’s Pokemon were perfectly normal Dark Types, they were well trained and power houses in their own right, and Ash knew better than to rely on his type advantage, but in the end Ash won his match against Tobias, and by the time the final match wrapped up, Ash was standing as the lone victor of the Sinnoh League*.

Ash’s conquering of the Sinnoh League meant he had to stay in Sinnoh a bit longer. Every winner of any League got the exclusive chance to challenge the Elite Four, and if they defeated the Elite Four, they could challenge the Region’s Champion, if they beat the Champion, well they became the next Champion. Ash was excited for the challenge, especially against the first Elite Four Member, Aaron. Aaron, like Ash, specialized in Bug Types, and both trainers were positively jazzed to battle against another bug enthusiast, Bug Type trainers, aside from Bug Catchers, were few and far between and battling against a Type Specialist of your matching type was always a treat. Aaron was no pushover, and for the most part, they were evenly matched, but Ash’s team simply had more type coverage, and a bit more drive. Battling Bertha was a challenge, he had coverage for almost all of his Pokemon, with Vivillon and Scizor being the reason they were able to win by the skin of their teeth. The same couldn’t be said about their battle against Flint, and thus the end of the Elite Four Challenge. Heracross, Scoliopede, and Galvantula performed the best against Flint’s Fire Types, and they were even able to take out his Ninetales, Houndoom, and Rapidash, but the man’s Infernape and Magmorter were something else entirely, and they just weren’t strong enough, yet.

Following the challenge, it was time for Ash to return to Unova. Dawn had decided to pursue being a PokeStylist, while she was still going to pursue the life of a Coordinator, she was also interested in the industry, and how she could improve it, and use what she learned to her advantage. Similarly, Brock decided to stay in Sinnoh and attend school to become a Pokemon Doctor, traveling with Ash, he had been able to experience more than he ever thought he would be able to before, and as he was 18, he decided he wanted to do more. Ash was supportive, and was certain they’d be the best in both their professions. Saying goodbye, at least for the time being, was difficult. They had grown and relied so much on each other the past year, but they all had different paths to follow.

But, with Dawn and Brock pursuing something new, it made Ash wonder what his own long term goals were. He wanted to be a Pokemon Master when he was younger, and that had slowly morphed into wanting to become a Bug Type Master, but what else? What did being either of those mean to him? Especially now, when he had a League Title under his belt, what was he going to do going forward?

Once Ash was back in Unova, Ash had to take his exams. Iris had already taken hers, but had refused to tell him what she got until his own were taken, as he had to crack down and study. He had stayed in Sinnoh longer than intended, and while he did study while on the plane, he still didn’t have as much time as he would have liked to prepare. Regardless, he scored around the same as he did the year prior, maybe a single spot down. In comparison, Iris really cracked down on her studies while he was gone, scoring above average in almost every subject so that she could go with Ash on his next journey. The fact that Ash was going to let her come with him even if she bombed all her tests was left unsaid.

===Kalos===

Iris’ ceremony, where she turned ten and received Axew, went off without a hitch. Axew was very much newly hatched, and was ripe for rearing. It took all of Iris’s energy not to shake with glee upon meeting Axew. Following her ceremony, the ten year old girl joined her brother in all but blood on the plane to the far away region of Kalos. Seeing Iris’ enthusiasm about the experience was encouraging to Ash who, while brimming with excitement himself, had been rather quiet since his return home from Sinnoh, seemingly lost in thought.

For the first time since his own first journey, Ash was the oldest and most experienced among his group of traveling companions. Upon stepping off the plane in Kalos, it didn’t take long for Iris and Ash to get into trouble, leading to them being shot out of Lumiose’s Electric Type Gym. The endeavor led to them making two new friends, so it wasn’t all bad but it was certainly surprising. Like Ash, Clemont was 14, unlike Ash he was remarkably awkward, and slightly withdrawn, but he was really smart, and a fantastic inventor. It was obvious he didn’t spend much time, if any, with people his own age, as he seemingly didn’t know how to talk to Ash or Iris at first. His younger sister, Bonnie, was only eight years old and very different from her brother; she was outgoing and a pocket of sunshine that loved taking care of Pokemon, she was also a little gremlin. She and Iris only knew each other for .0 seconds before they were planning something. Was Ash expecting that something to be Bonnie asking him to marry her brother? No, no he was not. Was he equal parts amused and confused? Yes, yes he was. Especially when Iris turned around and asked Clemont the same thing. Evil gremlins, the both of them.

Proposals and the denial of said proposals aside, they were a fun pair of siblings, and since they had no real plans for themselves, Ash and Iris happily invited them to join them around Kalos. Before long it felt more like they were on a family vacation opposed to being on a journey.

While Iris’ end goal was to be a Dragon Master, she decided to try out battling Gyms beside Ash, to build up confidence in battle and properly prepare Axew. Axew was a baby Dragon, so he couldn’t do much, but she still trained him every chance she could , and Ash was happy to help her when he didn’t have his own training to do.

Bonnie was more or less just trying to learn as much as she could to prepare for her own journey in a few years, but Clemont was working on equal parts building confidence in himself, and trying to be a better trainer for his Gym.

Ash, for his part, seemed more focused on his studies than ever. Iris had never been on a journey with him, so she didn’t know what his study habits were before, but it she knew it was more than he did at home, and some of the material didn’t even look like it was for his school work. She didn’t want to pry too much, Ash spent a lot of time training, and helping the rest of the group with their own work/training on top of helping Clemont cook already, and she while being a pain in her brother’s butt was one of her favorite things to do, she didn’t want to distract him from whatever was so important to him.

Throughout the journey Iris was able to add more Pokemon to her arsonal, such as a Goomy she raised into a Sliggoo, and even a little Noibat, with Axew and Excadrill, they were a good start to her Dragon Master dreams. Clemont was slowly becoming more sure of himself,being able to stand up for himself and do more of the things he was afraid of before as his inventions blew up less and less. Bonnie matured slowly, she was still a child after all, but while the gremlin energy never dissipated, she was more sure of what she was doing while caring for Pokemon.

Watching his friends grow filled Ash with the same sense of accomplishment he got from May, Max, and Dawn. It was a warm feeling, seeing them take on the world and succeed. Maybe it was stupid, but helping them prosper just filled him with a sense of ‘right’. The same kind of ‘right’ he felt whenever he and his Pokemon accomplished something. It was awe-inspiring, and helped solidify the thoughts that had plagued his mind since he returned from Sinnoh.

The Kalos League was a little different then the leagues Ash participated in prior. For one, his mom was able to come watch him and Iris compete, for two the other participants were seemingly wary of him. He couldn’t necessarily blame them, he already had one League victory under his belt, which alerted the other trainer’s battling him that he was a real threat, but it also filled his fellow competitors with drive, because if they defeated him it meant they defeated a League Victor. Iris didn’t last long in the League, but Ash had never seen her happier, though that was less about the loss and more about the fact that Axew evolved into Fraxure during their last battle, he didn’t stay up much longer after evolving, but the fact that Axew evolved into Fraxure was proof of her growth as a Dragon Master. Ash managed to make it all the way into the finals, much to the surprise of noone, but he was the runner up, the Victory of the Kalos League going to his opponent: Diantha, a popular movie star who, after her Elite Four challenge, became the Champion of Kalos.

Ash might not have won the Kalos League, but he returned to Unova with his head high, and a new resolve fluttering in his chest.

===

Ketchum Residence, Opelucid City, Unova

Iris peeked over the fence wall and into the Ketchum yard. Nestled up next to Galvantula was Ash, the 15 year old boy nose deep in yet another book. His back was pressed against Glavantula’s large, long furred legs, while the rest of his Pokemon were scattered around the yard, some in the greenhouse, but others simply laying in the grass. With ease, the eleven year old girl hoisted herself up and over the fence wall, landing in the grass without so much as a breath. She made herself walk loud enough that she wouldn’t startle Ash, nor his Pokemon, and plopped her down in front of him. After Ash, presumably, finished the line he was reading, he raised his head to look at her, blinking rapidly as he slowly came out of his reading induced haze.

“What's up?” Placing his bookmark, Ash placed his book aside to give her his full attention.

Iris smiled a bit, as much as she loved annoying her brother, and as much as he loved annoying her, she liked that he gave her his full attention when she talked or wanted something. That was something she never once thought she would be able to experience from anyone other than the Village Elder when she was young. The people in the village were great, but Iris was the only orphan, and the village people had their own kids to tend to, so they couldn't often give Iris their undivided attention, but with the Ketchums, it was immediate. Delia had Ash, but she still had the time to dote on Iris if she needed something. Ash didn’t have the same immediate reaction, but he still paid attention to her, and played with her even when she was being purposefully annoying. They meant a lot to her, and she was so grateful for all the things they did for her over the years. She was a scrappy, rude childed that popped up one day, and they welcomed her with open arms.

“You’ve been reading forever!” Iris exaggerated with a whine, getting a fond eye roll from the other boy. “I thought you’d be all the way in another region by now!”

“Well what about you, Dragon Master? Didn’t you say you planned on going to Kanto on your own?” He huffed at her, reaching up to ruffle her head, turning the long black strands into a slightly messy nest.

Iris didn’t miss the way he ignored her prodding, but decided to ignore it. She smacked his hand away and tried to fix her hair for a few seconds before giving up. “Well yeah, but I’m waiting for mom, she's taking some time off so she can take a vacation in Kanto and check on the diner, I’m going with her since I’ve never been on a plane alone before. We told you this last night!”

“Oh,” Ash blinked as if just remembering the conversation from the night prior. “Right.”

Pouting, Iris threw herself across his legs like she did when they were smaller and Ash was trying to escape. “You’ve been distracted lately. Well, actually for a while now, since Sinnoh. Did something happen?”

“Not really, I’ve just been,” he tilted his head in thought, “thinking, I guess.”

“Don’t hurt yourself.” She snorted, only to grunt when he flicked her forehead. “What about?”

Ash was silent for a number of minutes, his face carefully blank in a way that Iris had never seen. Her brother was usually so expressive, he had a horrible Poker Face despite being able to act really well, and it was usually so easy to tell how he felt just by looking at him, but in that moment, Iris couldn’t tell at all. Finally, after the silence stretched for minutes on end, Ash spoke up. “The future, what I’m going to do going forward?”

“What do you mean? You’re going to be a Bug Master!” Iris tightened her grip on his arm, like she was afraid he would vanish if she didn’t.

Ash reached up to pet her head, stroking her hair like she was a Purrloin while offering a small smile. “Of course I will be.” He said with conviction. “But I,” he hesitated, “being a Bug Master isn’t the only thing I want to do.”

Scrunching her face, Iris pushed herself back and turned so she was facing her brother. “Explain.”

“Okay, Burgh, he's a Bug Expert right?” Iris nodded. “But he's also an artist. Viola, on top of being a Gym Leader, is a photographer. Vallerie is a fashion designer, even Drayden is an instructor, Diantha is an Actress. I just, I guess I just have a dream alongside wanting to be a Bug Master.”

Iris hesitated. She was eleven, and sure Ash wasn’t that much older than she was, but she didn’t really understand what her meant, and whatever it was seemed really important to him. “I don’t think I understand.” She admitted sheepishly, relaxing when Ash didn’t seem at all upset.

“Yeah, I guess I’m not explaining it right.” Ash sighed, removing his cap to run his hand through his hair before speaking again. “I want to be a Bug Master,” Iris nodded. “But I also, I think I also want to be a teacher.”

That wasn’t what Iris had expected. She blinked rapidly as she digested the new information. Thinking back, she thought it fit her brother pretty well. He had a simple way of explaining things, and people, kids especially, seemed drawn to him, it was why she approached him in the first place when they were kids, he just radiates a feeling of warmth, understanding, and acceptance. Reshiram only knows how often Ash helped her with her school work, how much he taught, not only her, about Pokemon and care over the years. It was a good fit, she could admit to herself.

“So, you’re still going to be a trainer, but you also want to be a teacher?” She asked slowly.

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Iris nodded.

“‘Okay?’ That's it? You’re not disappointed or mad?” Ash narrowed his eyes at her, not glaring but scrutinizing, like he was waiting for her to retaliate.

Iris shook her head. “No, its what you want to do, and you seem really excited. Just promise I can still challenge you whenever I want, even when you’re a fancy professor that works in a big, fancy school or something, got it?”

A wide, somewhat cheeky, grin spread on Ash’s face, and he nodded. “You got it, but that means you better try even harder on your studies from now on, or I won’t battle you at all.”

Iris squawked, her cheeks heating with humiliation. Despite Ash’s help, and nagging her their entire journey through Kalos, Iris hadn’t scored very well on her yearly exams, and had to retake three separate tests after they returned to Unova.. She had been too excited on the journey to care much about her studies, and even though Ash had made them all sit down and do their homework together, she hadn’t tried very hard, or even paid attention resulting in aforementioned bad grades. Ash didn’t make fun of her for her bad grades, he was too empathetic, and understanding to do that, but he did lord ‘I told you so’s’ over her head every chance he got, something he only got away with because he helped her study for the retakes.

“You’re stupid!” She yelled, and jumped to her feet with a somewhat feral grin. “Just you wait, while you become a Teacher I’m going to become a Dragon Master, so you better watch out!”

Ash pulled himself to his feet, and stared down at her with a similar feral grin. “Well I’m going to become a Bug Master first, so it's you who should watch out!”

Ash was on the shorter side, while Iris was on the taller side for their age ranges, so while Iris would probably one day surpass him in height, for the time being Ash was a few inches taller than her, something he intended to milk for as long as he possibly could. they held fierce eye contact for a number of seconds before giggles slowly bubbled in their throats and they burst out laughing. After calming down, Ash ruffled her hair again and nudged her towards the house.

“So what are you going to do while becoming a teacher? Don’t you have to stay in one place to go to school to become a teacher?” Iris asked lightly as she followed him inside the house, their mom still at work preparing the rest of the staff for her leave.

“Yeah. I have to finish my normal courses first, and then go to a specialized school to get a teaching degree, and teaching license.” Ash nodded, and grabbed two bags of snacks from the top shelf, throwing one to Iris before washing his hands. “I reached out to Burgh, I asked if he needed any Gym Trainers. I intend to still train my Pokemon while also going to school, and I figured being a Gym Trainer would be a good way to accomplish that, not to mention it would give me a paycheck to help pay for school.”

Iris jumped onto the counter to sit, her bag of snacks open and partially eaten. “That's cool though, working at a Gym.”

“Yeah, but it's not set in stone yet, I’m waiting for him to get back at me, and then I have to actually apply and get accepted for the job. If I can’t then I’m going to reach out to Viola, maybe crash with Clemont and Bonnie while I wait for confirmation.”

“Still cool. What if you can’t work with Viola either?” She asked.

Ash looked her dead in the eye. “Rely on nepotism and beg mom for a job at the restaurant.”

Iris giggled. “You know, The Village Elder might hire you as a language tutor. Its hard getting specialized teachers like that to go to the village since its so out of the way, and everyone knows you already.”

Ash thought about it before nodding. “That could be fun, I do know a lot of languages. I plan on sitting down with mom and discussing my options with her before you guys go to Kanto, hopefully I hear back from Burgh by then.”

Iris smiled and kicked her legs joyfully. Her world was changing, Iris realized. She was about to set off on a journey all on her own, and her brother was about to embark on a different kind of journey of his own. It was different, and new, but not bad.

===4 Years later===

Pokemon School; Melemele Island, Alola

A smiling green haired girl no older than 15 stood beside two girls of similar age, one with a short blue bob cut, and the other a long haired blonde girl that sat slightly hunched over her desk despite smiling and talking quietly with the other two girls. Just to the left of them, hunched over some kind of blue print was a short, plump boy of similar age; his brows were scrunched, and eyes lit with glee as he read over whatever was set out in front of him. In the far left, in one of the front desks was a boy who was either slightly older or the same age as the rest of the class, he was definitely taller than the rest of the class with spiky black and red hair and a grimace on his face, his arms were crossed and coal black eyes cast to look out the window. All chatter came to a halt as the door opened with a ‘swish’, and in walked their teacher, a towering man with tanned skin highlighted by his stark white lab coat, but strangely no shirt. Just a step behind him stood another teen, he was on the shorter side with spiky black hair and a sun kissed complexion, but while he looked youthful, it was also obvious that he was older than the class, most interesting was that he had a large Galvantula skittering behind him.

With the teacher now in the classroom, the two girls who had been standing scrambled to their seats, noticeably glancing at the unfamiliar face that stood beside their teacher. Their teacher, known as Professor Kukui, cleared his throat, nabbing the attention of the two boys, and dragging their attention to him. “Alola everyone.” Professor Kukui waited for the class to greet him back before continuing. He motioned to the young man beside him. “This is Ash Ketchum, starting today he is going to be my TA while he works on getting his Teaching License. Please treat him with the same respect you show your other teachers.” With a nod of his head, he motioned for Ash to step forward.

The young man, no older than 18 stood before the class of students. He had an energetic, yet kind smile on his face, showing off a pair of peculiar thunderbolt shaped marks that resided on his cheeks. “Alola everyone!” He greeted them, his voice commanding attention though he didn’t so much as raise his voice at them. His words were clear, with not a single stutter or mispronounced word, but there was a slight accent to his voice, an odd mix of Kantonian, and Unovian that the class of Alolan students had never heard before. “I hope we get along well while I’m helping Professor Kukui, if you need anything from me, feel free to ask!”

Though the class didn’t know the older teen before them, an odd feeling of comraderance struck them. This next year was going to be interesting.

Chapter Text

Ash never had the chance to meet his parents. According to Nanny Daria, he had been left with a Nurse Joy in the Hollywood Pokemon Center when he was only a few months old, wrapped securely in a pink blanket with a couple of fresh nappies, and formula, as well as a pin that had his first name, Ashton. Nurse Joy delivered him to the Bright Oaks Orphanage the next day, and as a result, Ash grew up to his tender age of five in the orphanage. Since he was only five years old, he didn’t properly understand the situation, and he didn’t really have feelings on the matter. As he lived in an Orphanage with kids who had similar, or worse backstories than himself, and none of them had parents either, so the fact that his mother gave him up was never talked about unless he asked one of nannies, or in house counselors. Sure one day he would have thoughts and feelings about the situation, maybe he would try and find her and ask for an explanation, or maybe he would be adopted and only rarely think of the matter, but for the time being, he was too young to really think about it.

Ash was an excitable child. It wasn’t so much that he was a troublemaker that misbehaved and caused problems, it was more that he had an abundance of energy and a matching level of curiosity that led him getting into situations he couldn’t get himself out of. Like the time he was playing hide and seek with the other children and somehow hid behind the refrigerator, or the time a passing trainer visited and let the kid play with her Arcanine only for Ash to fall asleep in Arcanine’s mane and scare the nannies since they couldn’t find him, not to mention the Fearow incident, in which nobody liked to think about. The biggest ‘issue’ they had with the boy was that he hated the city, everything was too loud, and/or too bright, the orphanage had many a children with overstimulation over the years, so they had the supplies to help Ash cope, but it was pretty obvious that he was not meant for city life, and would likely leave for his journey in the forest at the earliest convenience. Ash was one of the few independent children, not to say he acted like an adult, but while he had fun playing with the other kids he was also happy to play by himself, and could also get dressed by himself, and even brush his teeth and put on his shoes all on his own, so the nannies were happy to leave him be. That wasn’t to say they left him to fend for himself, Ash was treated with the same care as the other kids, it was simply that the nannies let him do simple tasks for himself, and let him play alone when it was appropriate.

In one instance, they allowed Ash to go outside in the courtyard by himself after he finished eating lunch, the other children were soon to follow, so they allowed him to go out a little early. The courtyard was a good size despite them being in the city, about the length of an Unovian Football field, part was grass, part was turf. They didn’t have a very big playground, but the equipment they did have was at least in good shape, with basketball hoops, two slides, four swings, two sea saws, and a set of Mankey Bars, with two large trees in the grassy area and a small flowering hedge growing in front of the fence. The whole yard was enclosed by a six foot tall chain link fence that had green tubing woven into the chains so no creeps could look into the yard. Ash had grown a sudden attachment to rocks, nobody really understood it, but children went through weird phases all the time so it wasn’t a concern, and spent his early recess scoping out the hedges to find any cool rocks. In the far back corner, hidden by the hedge, Ash found a break in the fence. Some of the wire was broken and sticking out, and the tubing was cracked and mildly burned, likely broken by a wild Pokemon who snuck into the yard at night for a safe place to sleep. Curious, Ash got on his hands and knees, and slipped out of the hole, his shirt only momentarily being snagged on one of the broken wires.

Ash dusted the gravel and dirt off his hands and looked around. He was in the alley that separated the orphanage from an apartment building. Ash followed the light out of the alley and looked around. The place smelled heavily of exhaust, making his stomach churn, and as per usual the city was bustling, with cabs honking, people yelling over each other on telephones, despite being in public, and a few teenagers skateboarding by, and flipping some flyers out of a nicely dressed woman’s hand, causing her to let out a delightful string of words that Ash filed away for later, since he didn’t know them he would ask the older kids and nannies later. Everything was loud, and the sun bouncing off the many cars made his eyes sting. Frustrated, Ash rubbed his eyes and ears, taking measured breaths to calm himself. In the end, he couldn’t stand all the hustle and bustle, and quickly turned back into the alley way, venturing all the way down on the other side, which led into another alley. After a short time exploring the alley, Ash turned to head back to the orphanage, he was tired, everything was too loud, and he wanted a nap. His venture back to the orphanage took a slight pause when Ash heard the sound of a Pokeball opening. Curious, Ash looked around the corner.

Standing just outside a fancy black car that was towered high with luggage was a large woman, dressed in an extravagant hot pink dress decorated in white fur, she had high standing blonde hair that leveled on the side of yellow with bejeweled fixtures woven between her strands of hair, her lips, which reminded Ash of a Jinx, were formed into a frown. Sitting in front of the woman was a Meowth, whose tail was curled in joy.

“I hate to do this, but my money has nearly run out!” The woman said, sounding only slightly sorrowful as the Pokemon blinked in confusion. The woman turned around and headed for her car. “I wish I could keep you Meowzie, but I’m sure you can fend for yourself, like I have to. Good luck darling.” With no other word, the woman drove off, leaving the Meowth, Meowzie apparently, to stare after the car, her tail now flat on the alley street and ears flat against her head.

Ash was unbelievably flabbergasted by what he had witnessed. ‘Why would anyone not want a Pokemon anymore?’ He watched sadly as Meowzie’s eyes welled up with tears, and came out of hiding. Meowzie had noticed him, her short whiskers twitching in acknowledgement, but she didn’t run away or even get closer, she just sat, defeated. Without an inch of hesitance, Ash wrapped his arms around the cat Pokemon, petting down her back to help calm her down. After a few moments of crying, Meowzie melted into the boy’s arms, and Ash stood up, struggling only slightly as he headed back to the Orphanage. He couldn’t crawl back through the hole since he had a Meowth in his arms, so he walked the streets back around to the front door.

When he entered the Orphanage, he was shocked to see Officer Jenny, and frazzled nannies. “Whats wrong?” He asked, utterly confused.

“Ash!” Nanny Daria ran forward and crouched in front of him, taking her face in her hands. “Where were you? Are you hurt?”

Ash blinked slowly. “Went outside, m not hurt.” He said casually.

Nanny Daria sighed, a mix of exasperation, fondness, and relief. “Ash, dear, where were outside?” Tilting his head, Ash pointed towards the door. He didn’t understand what the big deal was. “Did anyone talk to you, or anything?”

“No.” Ash shook his head and shifted his hold so he could show Daria Meowzie. “I Found Meow-zee.”

Daria eyed the Meowth worriedly. Meowth weren’t rare in the area, there was a small colony nearby lead by a Persian, so seeing them skulk around was pretty usual, but they never let anyone touch them, maybe a select few would take food from someone’s hand, and maybe let them pet their head, but never carry them around, much less bring them inside. Leave it to Ash to be the first one to do so. One problem at a time. “Ash, can you show me how you got outside?”

Ash nodded, that he could do. Keeping his hold on Meowzie, who was now much more aware, and watching everything closely through slitted, worried eyes, Ash led the nannies and Officer Jenny outside, and to the hedge. “There's a Hole.” He explained simply.

After crouching down and seeing that there was, in fact, a hole, Daria turned to the boy, crouching to look him in the eye. “Thank you for telling us the truth. You can’t wander off like that though, we were all very worried.”

“Why?” Ash asked, as he wasn’t hurt so he didn’t understand why they were worried.

“Because we couldn’t find you, the city is very dangerous, that's why there is a fence. You have to stay inside the fence, okay?” Ash thought for a few moments before nodding. “Thank you, do you know if there are any other holes?”

“Only found that one.” Daria looked relieved. “Thank you. Can you go inside with Nanny Ashley and get changed before nap time?”

“Meow-zee too?” Ash asked hopefully.

Daria hesitated for a moment before giving in. They would deal with the Pokemon after they checked the fence for any more holes, and fixed up said hole(s). “Yes, Meowth can go with you.”

“Not Meowth. Meow-zee.” Ash explained calmly, and Meowzie gave a small mew in agreement.

’Oh Mew, he named her. We are never getting rid of her now.’ Daria lamented to herself, but didn’t let it show on her face. “Oh, I’m sorry. Yes, Meowzie can go with you.”

“Thank you.” Ash smiled brightly, and followed Nanny Ashley, who was trying her ding dang hardest not to laugh at the entire situation and failing terribly, as she led him back inside.

===4 months later===

Meowzie sat quietly in the shade of one of the orphanage’s trees, watching Ash play with the other children carefully. When she first let the child take him with her, it was only for survival. She was born from a long line of pure lineage Meowth, her old owner had paperwork that tracked her lineage to the Persian who were once owned by the Queen of Rota, she had been born in a lavish mansion, and was accustomed to such a life, she didn’t know how to fend for herself, she had never so much as unsheathed her claws for crying out loud., so when that boy took her with him, she let it happen because she needed some way to survive. But, while initially she was only looking out for herself, her thoughts on the matter swiftly changed.

She thought she understood what love and devotion was. She thought that, when her past owner showered her with luxuries, and paraded her around like a ring upon her finger, while never making her lift a claw, was love. She thought that being presented with large meals made by a five star chef everyday was love. She thought being adjourned with gems and crystals and dressed in silk was love. Meowzie knew differently now. She didn’t doubt that her old owner had at least liked her, she kept her around at least, but Meowzie doubted if that was love. What Ash gave her was love. He couldn’t give her luxurious toys, but he always hand made her toys from feathers and string at craft time, and spent hours playing with her, and training with her, encouraging her even when she missed an attack and fell on her face. He couldn’t give her hand made, fancy meals, he could only give her what the orphanage had on supply, but he slipped her little treats when he could, even if it was his favorite food. Ash couldn’t dress her in the finests jewels and silks, but when he noticed that she was uncomfortable not having anything around her neck, he asked one of the older humans to sew his baby blanket into a neck bow for her. He didn’t call her name as if he were trying to show off, but rather his voice was always warm, and lit with affection for her. Every time he passed her, even when he was half asleep, he would pet her affectionately, and every morning he would light up upon seeing her, like she was the greatest thing he had ever seen.

Meowzie loved that child, more than she had ever loved anything before. She lamented the fact that it took her so long to understand what love really was, but now that she knew, she was going to express it every chance she got. Everytime he lost, she was going to be the one to comfort him, every victory he had, she was going to be there to congratulate him, everytime he was scared she was going to chase those fears away. Ash was her person now, dare she say, her trainer, and she was going to try her hardest to be by Ash’s side, no matter what the future had in store for them.

“Meowzie!” Ash waved excitedly at her, a big grin on his face before he was tackled by another child.

Meowzie mewed worriedly, and quickly got to her paws, dashing over to the two children. She arrived just as Ash and the other child were sitting up, both laughing in embarrassment. Meowzie sniffed Ash over carefully, sighing in relief when he smelled uninjured, before leaning up to carefully groom his head fur from his face. Ash simply laughed, and let her.

===8 months later===

Ash sat quietly on the branch of one of the orphanage’s trees, his back pressed against the bark. Meowzie sat leisurely in his lap, purring up a storm as his hands traced the golden slab upon her forehead. Despite living in the orphanage for nearly a year, Meowzie was still technically a wild Pokemon. She refused to let any of the nannies catch her, and it wasn’t hard to guess why, everyone knew that she was Ash’s Pokemon, even if he couldn’t catch her just yet. The recently turned six year old hadn't changed much since Meowzie came into his life, other than he just genuinely seemed more relaxed and taken care of. He seemed to take genuine joy out of caring for Meowzie, and Meowzie also took care of Ash, she was a big help when his senses were overloaded, and always knew where the boy was when he hid and ultimately ended up getting stuck. In a way, she was a huge help to the nannies, but only when it came to Ash. The only drawback is that Ash slowly adapted some of Meowzie’s more cat like traits, like climbing trees, and falling asleep in said trees.

“Ash? Mewozie? Are you two up there?” Ash yawned and tilted his head down to see Nanny Daria at the base of the tree. Meowzie rose from his lap and stretched, her claws dragging across the wood as she did so, before jumping onto Ash’s shoulder. Slowly, Ash started descending from the tree, climbing was one of Ash’s talents, seemingly becoming a Mankey whenever he wanted to climb something, even if that thing shouldn’t be climbed. “Be careful.” Daria said worriedly, watching as he slowly descended, his speed more for her sake than his own.

“Sorry, I was dozing off.” Ash smiled at her, not looking the least bit sorry.

Daria sighed, long since used to the boy’s antics. “We have a family coming today, you need to get ready.”

“Oh, Okay.” Ash nodded simply, seemingly unbothered. He’d met a few families before, but they had never really clicked. A lot of them lived in the city, and while they were good people, it was obvious that Ash’s needs and theirs were too severely different, especially since many people didn’t want the addition of Meowzie, and Meowzie was non-negotiable. “What are they like?” He asked, following the woman back into the building, where all the children were in a bustle to get ready.

“Well, they’re actually from the Hoenn Region, and already have two children, their little girl is about your age actually, and they have a one year old son.” Daria explained, getting a thoughtful hum from the lad before he went up to his dorm, Meowzie padding after him as usual. Daria watched him go with a thoughtful look, she really hoped this would be the right family for Ash. The father was a Gym Leader who specialized in normal types, and the mother seemed to be a very kind, easy going woman, perfect for Ash’s free spirit and love for Pokemon. They did live in a city, but Petalburg City was known to be a ‘City where people mingled with Nature’, and situated right next to a large forest, the perfect environment for someone like Ash. Daria had been involved with the Orphanage and Foster Care system since she was a young lady, and she had a gut feeling that the Maples would be perfect for Ash. They would be meeting with many children of course, but she couldn’t shake her gut feeling. Taking a breath, the woman wandered off to help clean up the meeting room, there was much to do.

===

Ash mindlessly kicked his legs as he sat in the meeting room. Meowzie was curled up on the back of the couch, sleeping as they waited for the family to come. There was a soft knock on the door, followed by the door opening slowly before the family walked in. Ash’s attention was swiftly dragged by the little girl that was tucked against her dad’s leg, she was shorter than him and dressed in a white and pink flower print sundress that she was clutching the hem of tightly, and had short brown hair and dark blue eyes that threatened to spill over.

Picking up one of the stuffed toys, a Bulbasaur, from the box beside the couch, Ash approached her, holding it out to her. The girl sniffled, and glanced at her father, who gently patted her head in affirmation. WIth shaky arms, she reached out and took the stuffy, hugging it closely. Ash smiled widely, and held out his hand to her. “My name is Ash, its nice to meet you!”

She hesitated for a second before taking his hand. “My name is May.” ‘May’ admitted, it was a little difficult to know what she said due to her thick Hoenn accent and the fact that her voice wavered a bit.

“Why were you crying?” Ash asked rather bluntly, though his voice was filled with childhood bewilderment opposed to malice.

“The last girl we met was mean.” May huffed, slowly unfolding on herself.

“Oh, do you want to play with Meowzie? She makes me feel better.” Ash offered. At the sound of her name, Meowzie leapt off the couch and walked over to them, rubbing against Ash’s leg before sitting down.

May looked down at the tan and brown Pokemon. She looked the same as any other Meowth that May had ever seen, except that her whiskers were shorter, and she had a soft looking pink bow fastened around her neck. “We match!” May chirped in surprise, and sure enough, Meowzie’s bow was the same color as the flower’s on May’s dress.

“You do!” Ash said in awe, like it was one of the coolest discoveries ever.

“But..” May hesitated. “I don’t really like Pokemon, they’re scary.”

“Meowzie’s not scary, she’s sweet.” As if to prove his point, the Pokemon rolled over on her back, and Ash leaned down to pet her tummy. “And she’s really soft!”

May stared for a few moments, but childhood curiosity won out and she leaned down, and hesitantly pet Meowzie’s belly. “She is soft.” She said in awe.

“She’s really smart, and she likes playing dress up, and eating snacks.” Ash explained.

“Hey, I like those things too!” May gasped in delight. “I didn’t know Pokemon liked things like that, I thought they only liked fighting.”

“Meowzie can battle too, but that's not all she does.” The boy giggled.

“Um, do you think I could play dress up with her sometime?” May asked hopefully, and Meowzie perked up at the idea.

“Sure! I don’t have a lot of stuff, but maybe we can make some more bows.” Ash offered, just as excited. “Oh, and flower crowns! Nanny Ashley taught me how to make flower crowns last week.”

Blue eyes stared at Ash in awe. “That's so cool! Can you teach me too?”

“Of course!” Ash agreed easily.

The sound of baby babble reminded the two six year olds that there were more people in the room, causing them to turn and look at the two adults. The man was tall, with dark hair a few shades lighter than Ash’s own. While he stood tall, his shoulders were slumped and nonthreatening. On his hip was a little one year old boy with matching dark hair, dressed in a Slakoth onesie, he was reaching towards May, Ash, and Meowzie, babbling nonsense that sounded vaguely frustrated. Standing beside them was a kind looking woman, she looked a lot like may but with wavy hair and lighter blue eyes that watched them with fondness.

“Hello.” Ash greeted them, only mildly embarrassed for ignoring them.

May tugged lightly on Ash’s shirt and leaned in to whisper loudly in his ear. “That baby is Max, he's my brother but he doesn't do a lot. He's one.”

“Its cool that you have a baby brother.” Ash whispered back just as loud. May stood proudly at his praise, because yes, it was cool that she had a baby brother.

“Hello Ash, my name is Norman.” The man readjusted Max in his arms, and bent slightly to be at eye level while also extending his hand.

“Hello Norman, my name is Ash.” Ash parroted back, shaking the man’s hand. Before he could take his hand back, Max grabbed his still outstretched hand, holding onto it with a surprising amount of baby strength. “Hi Max.” he greeted the toddler, who immediately giggled and babbled something nonsensical back before trying to put Ash’s hand in his mouth. Luckily, Norman gently forced Max to let his hand go.

The woman stepped forward next, mimicking her husband as she got into eye level with the boy. “My name is Caroline, its very nice to meet you Ash, thank you for being so nice to May.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Ash smiled up at her. “And I like May, shes nice.”

Caroline smiled gently while May positively lit up. “Do you know why we’re here today?” Caroline asked.

“To see if you want to adopt someone, right?” Ash answered back.

“That's right. You are very bright.” Caroline praised. “Would you like to sit down and tell us about yourself?”

Ash thought for a moment. “Okay, can Meowzie sit with us too?”

Caroline glanced at the Meowth and nodded. “Of course she can.”

===

Eventually the Mapels had to be on their way, they were meeting a few other children before talking to the director. May didn’t really want to go, clinging to Ash and Meowzie and complaining that they weren’t able to play since they were talking. May’s upset caused Max to cry, he didn’t exactly know what was happening but his big sister was unhappy so he was too. It was only after promising to visit and play the next day that May calmed down enough to meet the next child. When the Maple family left, Ash headed to his dorm with Meowzie. He really liked the family so far, Max was cute, even if he kept trying to eat Ash’s hand, and May was fun to talk to, and Norman and Caroline were nice, they talked to him like he was a person and not a doll. Norman was also a Gym Leader, which was the coolest thing ever in Ash’s opinion. He hoped, at the very least, he could still be friends with May, even if he wasn’t adopted.

The following weeks were filled with visits from the Maple Family. Sometimes they would be in the meeting room, other times they would play outside and Ash was able to teach May how to make flower crowns. Norman talked to the nannies a lot and the nannies seemed really excited during those visits. After four weeks of visits, Ash met back up with the Maple parents in the meeting room along with Nanny Daria and a woman Ash had seen in the orphanage occasionally but had never talked too personally. May and Max weren’t there, which was a bit of a bummer, but Ash was happy to talk to Norman and Caroline too, so he took his seat at the table.

“Hello Ash, I’m Angelica, and I’m the social worker for the orphanage. My job is to look after kids when they go to their new homes.” Angelica explained calmly, and Ash nodded in understanding.

Norman caught his attention and offered him a sincere smile. “Ash, how would you feel about becoming part of our family?”

Ash froze where he sat and thought about it. He liked the Maple family, they were kind and fun, and if he was adopted he would be May and Max’s big brother, and he also really liked Norman and Caroline. Nervously, he played with the hem of his shirt. “Um, can Meowzie come too?” He asked nervously. As much as he loved the family, he loved Meowzie too, she was his best friend and partner in crime, and he wasn’t going to leave her behind.

Caroline gently reached out and cupped his hand in her, causing him to loosen the hold he had on his shirt. “Of course Meowzie can come with us. We will have to put her in a Pokeball on the plane ride, but we have plenty of room at the Petalburg Gym.”

“Then, I would really like to be a part of your family.” He admitted.

The adoption process was long, made a bit longer due to it being an overseas adoption. Angelica had to work with a company in Hoenn for the home checks, and Norman had to go back to Hoenn with May and Max so he could be there to work the adoption out on that side. Caroline stayed with Ash in Kanto until they got his passport, and got the ‘OK’ to take him to Hoenn. In the time that it was just the two of them Caroline started teaching Ash Hoennian, and let him borrow one of her Pokeballs, and he officially caught Meowzie. After a few weeks, they were on their way to Hoenn. It would still take six months until the adoption was finalized, but Ash was happy to be with the family until that time came.

Adjusting to Hoenn was a bit difficult. It was a bit colder, and Ash wasn’t used to having his own bedroom, but he loved how clean the air was, and how quiet Petalburg City was compared to Hollywood. A must for Norman and Caroline was making sure Ash went to therapy every other week, the boy was well rounded, but he was moving oceans away from his home region and having to adjust to an entirely new culture, and living situation, plus the therapist could help them understand Ash’s overstimulation a bit better. It was going to be a rocky few months, possibly a few years, but they were determined to push onwards.

===1 year later===(Ash 7, May 7, Max 2)

Caroline stood in the entryway of their living room, looking down at her children playing. Her mouth was quirked in a highly amused grin, though she was a tad bit worried. May was dressed in a pale blue and white Princess costume, her hair in a messy braid, and her face stained in play makeup. Max had a yellow piece of construction paper that was vaguely shaped like a crown taped to his forehead head, and he was holding a large stick with a paper star at the end. Lastly, Ash stood next to Max, making sure he didn’t drop the stick, he was wearing one of May’s princess dresses, this one a pale pink in color, over his own clothes and had glitter and makeup smeared all over his face. “What are you doing?” She asked, causing all three of them to look up.

“We’re the Princess, and Max is the king and our dad, we’re going to fight to see who gets to be king of the Kingdom when Max gets put down for his nap.” May explained as if it were obvious.

“I see.” Caroline said slowly.

“Meowzie is queen.” Ash pointed, and sure enough, Meowzi was perched proudly on a couch cushion, a paper made crown on her head, and a smirk on her whiskered face.

She giggled softly. “Well, your real dad, who isn’t a king, is going to be at the gym late tonight. Would you guys like to go out to eat before we take him some dinner?”

“Yeah!” May cheered loudly, her eyes going wide with joy.

“Babababa.” Max babbled, putting the stick down and using Ash to hoist himself up onto his feet.

“What are we having?” Ash asked, wordlessly helping Max stand, and walk into Caroline’s open arms.

“Well, you chose last time so how about we let May pick?” Caroline offered, giggling when Ash nodded in agreement and May squealed. “Go get dressed while you think about it.” Not needing to be told twice, the six year old bolted towards her bedroom. “That girl.” She sighed, carefully taking the paper from Max’s head.

“It kept falling.” Ash explained, pulling the pink dress over his head with a small ‘umph’ sound when it caught on his head.

“You know sweety, if you don’t want to dress up you don’t have to. You can say ‘no’ if you want to.” The boy looked thoughtful. Ash was usually very good when expressing his boundaries, he had a surprisingly sharp tongue and if his boundaries were crossed he wouldn’t hold back his opinion, but with his siblings the situation became a bit muddled. May had figured out early that she could ask Ash to do pretty much anything, and he’d usually comply. Recently May had gotten into playing dress up, especially now that she got a child safe makeup kit for her birthday from Norman’s mother, and as a result Ash had been dressed as a princess with her a couple times a week.

“I don’t really like the dress part.” Ash said after a moment. “I don’t like my legs bare, so I wear clothes under, but I like the colors.” He admitted, not looking at her. “And the bows and sparkles are kinda pretty.” Now that Caroline thought about it, Ash had borrowed a few of May’s clothes, heck the shirt he was wearing was hers, never any dresses or skirts but he would borrow her shirts from time to time, not that May cared since she stole Ash’s vests.

Caroline bent down, setting Max on the floor, and took Ash’s hands in hers. Ash looked up at her and she smiled softly. “You’re getting a bit too big for the clothes you’re wearing right now, next time Norman has a day off would you like to go shopping for some new clothes?” Caroline didn’t believe in gendering clothes, colors, or accessories, if her son wanted to wear pink, and have hair bows then she would happily buy him so.

“Is that really okay?” Ash asked hopefully, smiling a bit. “Aren’t things like that for girls?”

“Ash, honey, they’re clothes. As long as you’re covered, you can wear whatever you want.” She explained, wiping some of the glitter from his cheeks that stayed too close to his eye.

“Thanks…..mom.” Ash squeezed her hand lightly, his face pinking a little bit. He had only recently started calling her and Norman ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’, and was still hesitant in the delivery, but it was a big stepping stone.

“Of course honey.” She kissed his forehead gently before standing back up. “Now, lets go see what your sister chose for dinner.”

Ash snorted, and picked Max up. “Probably noodles like always.” He said, moving Max’s hand from his face.

=

As promised, the next time Norman had a day off, he took over care of May and Max while Caroline took Ash to a few stores. They didn’t go overboard, Ash was six and growth spurts tended to start around that age, but they got a few outfits and accessories. As usual, Meowzie was glued to Ash’s side. Top wise, Ash got a pink shirt with a Beautifly pattern, a pastel purple shirt with an embroidered flower on the pocket, a pastel blue shirt with a Mudkip on it, a very soft pastel yellow sweater that was a few sizes too big that had a Pikachu on it, and two vests of colored a darkish pastel blue. As for bottoms, they got a few pairs of washed out jean shorts that went to the knees, and a purple pair of shorts that had clouds dyed into the fabric. It was a bit hard to find pajamas that Ash liked and could tolerate the texture of, but eventually they found a tan set that had a sleeping Meowth on the top, and a blue set that had Beautifly on the pant legs. They also got a package of bow shaped hair clips, some gem hair clips, a pink and purple ball cap, and a few pairs of fun socks, Ash’s favorite being a pink pair that had various cat Pokemon. However, Ash’s favorite thing he got all day was a pair of pastel blue fingerless gloves that clung to his hand with the perfect amount of pressure.

When they got home Ash felt really good about himself. He still kept his other clothes just in case, but it felt good knowing he could wear what he liked without having to borrow from his sister. After washing and putting away his new clothes, Ash got to work picking out bow clips, using a pink one to keep his bangs out of his face before turning and clipping two bows of the same color to Meowzie’s whiskers.

“We match!” He grinned, Meowzie leaned up and butted her head against Ash’s chin, purring loudly.

===4 Years Later===

“May come on! We have to get going!” Ash could be heard yelling across the house from the dining room. His parents and younger brother shared amused glances as they quietly ate their breakfast.

“I can’t find my hairbrush! Can I use yours?” May yelled back.

“Fine! But make sure to take your hair out of it when you're done, you didn’t do that last time!” Ash called back as he hopped down the stairs.

“Yeah Yeah!” May yelled back.

Ash huffed fondly as he sat down at the table. Meowzie, who had been sitting in the corner of the kitchen eating her breakfast, walked up to Ash, rubbing against his ankles until he reached down to pet her. He poured himself some cereal and took a bite. “I say we buy her a watch.” He suggested.

Norman chuckled. “So she’ll know she’s late? Thats what you’re for.” He reached across the table, ruffling his son’s hair. Ash made a noise of protest, but didn’t stop his father.

“Are you excited?” Max asked, barely able to contain his own excitement.

“You know it.” Ash grinned. “It’ll be great to visit Kanto again, I’m really excited to look around and catch Pokemon there.” It had taken a lot of begging for Ash to get permission to start his journey in Kanto. He adored Hoenn of course, but he also wanted to know more about his birth region. It was only thanks to May, who would be tagging along, and his counselor, who thought it would be good for him, that he got the okay to go. He and May would register with Professor Birch, before heading to the pier where they would get on a boat and head to Kanto.

“I wish I could go too.” Max pouted, only to get a soft pat on the head from their mother.

“When Ash and May return to Hoenn, you can travel with them, but you are not going all the way to Kanto with two rookie trainers.” Caroline said firmly, but not unkindly.

“Sorry.” Ash apologized, and Max sighed, nodding in understanding. Just then, May stumbled down the steps.

“Ready!” She chimed, quickly taking her seat, and taking a bit of cereal.

“About time.” Ash snickered.

“Hush.” May hissed back playfully.

After breakfast, the ‘twins’ grabbed their bags. Before they could actually leave however, Caroline wanted a picture. Ash and May were very different visually. Ash was dressed in light washed jeans, with comfortable pastel and white sneakers, a soft blue shirt with clouds that only peeked out from under an oversized, soft yellow sweater that went over Ash’s hands slightly, but that didn’t cover his favorite pair of pastel purple fingerless gloves, his bangs were held out of his face by a faux crystal hair clip accompanied by a pale yellow and lilac baseball cap. May, on the other hand, dressed in bolder colors, with dark blue fitting shorts, black and white sneakers, a long white tank top with a bright red and dark blue shirt that zipped up over it, paired well with her red and white bandanna, and white and blue gloves. It wasn’t just clothes wise either, Ash had dark black hair with soulful brown eyes, and May had dusty brown hair with big dark blue eyes, they were the same age, and height, maybe Ash was a little taller, but they looked nothing alike. Their personalities however, were cut from the same cloth. They were spirited, and determined, May was a tad bit more food driven, and Ash was more of a wild child, but they were definitely similar. Even though they weren’t technically twins, they sure acted like it. They had differing interests, and fought like all siblings, but at the end of the day they were glued to each other's sides. It soothed Norman and Caroline’s nerves to know that they would have each other on their first journeys, they could only hope it went off without a hitch.

The trip to Professor Birch’s lab was uneventful. They would have ridden their bikes, but since they were going to get on a boat soon after they decided it would just be a waste of effort. Ash was a bit on edge, and in a bit of a hurry. On paper, because Ash used her Pokeball, Meowzie was his mother’s Pokemon, so after Ash was registered and had his own Pokeball, he and his mother were going to long distance trade, she would get a free ball, and Ash would get his precious Meowzie. Still, he wasn’t used to her not being by his side, most places allowed Pokemon as long as they weren't too big or had an open flame, so Meowzie, quite literally, went with him everywhere except for school. Arriving at the lab was like reaching the ocean after walking through the desert, Ash because he would be getting his partner, and May because finally Ash would stop power walking like their nonna. Getting May’s first Pokemon took a bit, because the professor was in the field, so while Ash was trading for Meowzie, May went out to search for the wayward professor, having to help him escape a pack of snarling Poochyena. In the end, May picked Torchic to be her first Pokemon, Mudkip wouldn’t listen to her, and Treeko made her uncomfortable, Torchic on the other hand swiftly warmed right up to May. With their Pokemon, they soon set out, May even managed to catch a Wormple on the way to the port! Okay, so technically the Wormple startled her and Torchic, Torchic fired off an Ember attack, and then May clumsily dropped her Pokeball, but the story she was going with was that she ‘meant to do that, shut up Ash, yes I did.’.

==Kanto==

When the Duo arrived in Kanto, the first thing Ash did was let Meowzie out of her Pokeball. She was a Kanto native and was really looking forward to seeing her birth region, but even if she wasn’t, she liked being out of her Pokeball and walking beside Ash, sitting on his shoulder, or better yet, hugged to his chest. Their first stop was the Pokemon center to regenerate their Pokemon, and call their parents, but after that they officially set off. They got off the boat in Cinnabar Island, so they would have to walk quite a ways to get to Pewter City, or they would have had too if they hadn’t seen the flight taxi service. Pokemon were amazing. Thanks to the taxi, courtesy of a rather majestic set of Pidgeot, they were able to fly all the way Pewter in no time.

After some research, Ash discovered that to battle at the Pewter Gym he needed two Pokemon. Norman had similar rules, so it wasn’t really a shock, it just meant that Ash had to go into the forest beside Pewter City and catch another Pokemon. After seeing how amazing the Pidgeot from the night before were, Ash decided to try and catch a Pidgey or Pidgeotto. The Normal/Flying Pokemon were very common, so it didn’t take them long to find a lone Pidgeotto pecking at the ground. Finding Pidgeotto was easy, but catching them; not so much. Pidgeotto was fast, and had the advantage of flight, but Meowzie wasn’t a push over, she and Ash trained a lot under the guidance of Norman. Pidgeotto started with a harsh Gust, but Meowzie dug her claws in, using taunt to aggravate them, causing Pidgeotto to swoop in with a Wing Attack, but Meowzie was ready, and used Fury Swipes, slashing at Pidgeotto and clinging to their back as they tried to shake them off. Now, it was time for their secret move, the one that Norman helped teach Meowzie just in case they needed it. With a sharp cry, the fur along Meowzie’s spine and up her tail sparked, and suddenly a bright yellow shock extended outwards, engulfing Pidgeotto and causing them to free fall. Meowzie, still energized by Thunderbolt, detached from the falling Pokemon, and Ash threw his Pokeball, watching as it blinked and shook before falling silent. They caught their first Pokemon! Of course, they couldn’t battle right away, Pidgeotto and Meowzie needed some rest after the tough battle, but while they rested, May persuaded Ash to go shopping in the Pewter City shopping district.

=

Ash stared down at the Boulder Badge, now carefully clipped inside his Badge Case, as he exited the Pokemon Center. A sliver of guilt ebbed at him, despite knowing he had won the battle fair and square. Pidgeotto was part Flying type, and and had been able to fly circles around Brock’s Pokemon, and Meowzie was small and fast, so she was able to dodge a lot of Onix’s attacks, and Ash was proud of their accomplishment, it was their first battle, and they did really well. Still, the disappointment in Brock’s sibling’s faces hurt his heart. A hand on his shoulder forced Ash to look up, and May gave him a smile.

“Ash, Brock is a Gym Leader, you’re not the first person to ever beat him in battle and you won’t be the last.” She playfully clocked his shoulder with her own. “His siblings understand that, but everyone is disappointed when the one you’re rooting for loses, I know Max will be disappointed when he finds out how many badges Dad has to give out. Besides, its okay to win and feel happy that you won at something, its not like this defeat is the end of the world or anything.”

Ash gave her a crooked smile, and his chest lightened. “So, what are you gonna tell Dad about not battling Brock yourself?” He asked.

May gulped and laughed weakly. “Uh, you beat Brock so hard his Pokemon couldn’t battle and we wanted to continue on to Cerulean?” May had warmed up to Pokemon over the years, at least tamed Pokemon, wild Pokemon still made her a bit uncomfortable, but that in no way meant that she was interested in battling. She battled to practice, but Gym Battles really weren’t that interesting to her, maybe if there was something with less intense battles, or something, she would be interested. Obviously, Ash knew she mostly just wanted to travel, and he was happy to cover for her until she discovered what she wanted to do.

“Then let's start heading to Cerulean City.” Ash smirked as his sister immediately deflated, and opened Meowzie’s Pokeball for her to join them. He bent down and scooped her up, holding her to his chest like a stuffed toy, and she purred.

Just as May and Ash were about to exit onto the trail out of Pewter and towards Cerulean, a figure blocked their path. A boy about their age blocked their way, wearing a dark purple shirt, and baggy blue jeans with an odd looking necklace around his neck. Ash’s first thought was that ‘That shirt is not his color., his second was, ’Who is this guy?’. The boy gave them a haughty smirk, and tossed a Pokeball lazily in his hands, while a group of cheerleaders(?) surrounded him.

“They say that if two trainer’s eyes meet, they have to battle!” He caught his Pokeball a final time and looked down his nose at them. He looked Ash up and down, taking in the frilly, pale clothing, and the dainty cat Pokemon in his arms, and smirking with self importance. 'Piece of cake! This kid looks like he barely even knows how to throw a Pokeball.’

“I didn’t meet your eye before you jumped out at me.” Ash snarked back with a smile. “But if it's a battle you want, sure.” May wordlessly moved to the side, and ended up standing next to the cheerleaders, who glared at her before starting to cheer for, well Gary, if their cheer was any indication to his name. “Meowzie, I choose you.” Meowzie purred and leapt easily from his arms.

“Come out Squirtle!” From Gary’s Pokeball, a small blue turtle Pokemon with a tough brown shell popped out.

“Do you guys need a referee?” A deep, familiar voice caught Ash’s attention. Walking up to them was Brock, the Pewter Gym Leader, and on his back was a thick hiking back pack.

“That would be nice, thanks!” Ash grinned at the older boy, and he took his palace between them.

“Two on two sounds alright?” When both boys nodded, Brock called for the match to start.

Since Ash was the one that was challenged, he started off the battle. Meowzie used Taunt, yowling loudly and frustrating Squirtle and making them unable to use any status changing moves, which bugged Gary, who usually started with Withdraw to raise his defense. Since that was out of the window, he instead ordered a quick Rapid Spin, and Squirtle vanished into their shell before spinning rapidly, heading straight toward Meowzie. Ash ordered Meowzie to dodge, Squirrel was moving too fast for Mewozie’s Thunderbolt or Hypnosis to hit, and Fury Swipes would do little against the tough shell, so they could only dodge for the time being. Gary eventually got bored of all the dodging, and decided to use Water Gun, as soon as Squirtle popped out of their shell, Meowzie leapt forward with Fury Swipes, sending Squirtle flying, only to flip onto the back of his shell, where he flailed. With Squirtle stuck in place, Ash ordered a Thunderbolt, striking the Water type down for the day. Meowzie shook the remaining buzz from her fur before proudly padding over to Ash, who happily scratched under her chin, slyly, Meowzie looked back at them. She saw the look the other trainer had given Ash, like he was a weakling, well she wouldn’t stand for it.

“Squirtle is Unable to Battle, Meowzie and Ash win the first match.” Brock called as the cheerleaders booed and May cheered.

Gary growled. There was no way he was losing to a guy dressed like that. “Come out Nidoran!” Out of Gary’s ball came a small guinea pig like Pokemon with pale blue quills running up and down her back.

“Take a break Meowzie, Pidgeotto I choose you!” Ash threw out his next ball, and Pidgeotto popped out, her dusty brown wings flapping harshly. Gary cured internally at the type disadvantage he now had.

“Okay, begin!” Brock yelled out.

Since Gary previously lost, he was starting off the battle, and he started off with a Poison Sting. The spines on Nidoran lit up before firing towards Pidgeotto, but on Ash’s order Pidgeotto used Gust, disrupting the airflow around the flying needles and causing them to fall. Pidgeotto then moved into a steep dive to use her Wing Attack, but before she could land a hit Nidoran jumped and used Double Kick, kickling Pidgeotto away and causing her to miss. Ash wasn’t deterred though, and had Pidgeotto use Whirlwind, with a mighty flap of her wings, Pidgeotto kicked a large flurry of wind, hitting Nidorian repeatedly, and making it difficult to see. Gary tried to shoot Pidgeotto down with Toxic, but the Whirlwind just blew it right back. While Gary was distracted trying to think of a strategy, Pidgeotto turned into a dive, and landed a hit with Wing Attack. The hit did some major damage, but Gary’s Nidoran had Poison Point as an ability, poisoning Pidgeotto since she landed a direct hit with her body. Pidgeotto shivered mid air as the poison rushed through her. Seeing his opportunity, Gary called for another Poison Sting, and this time it hit. Pidgeotto wasn’t going to just roll over however, as she mustered up enough power to deliver a devastating Gust attack that sent Nidoran flying right into Gary before she passed out.

Brock waited a few moments, but Nidoran was out cold. “Nidoran is unable to battle, so Ash and Pidgeotto are the winners.”

Ash grinned and ran up to his Pokemon. She was panting heavily and still shivered due to the poison, so he wasn’t going to keep her out for long. “You were awesome Pidgeotto!” He praised, getting a soft nip to his ear from the large bird. “Take a good rest now, okay.” Pidgeotto crooned, and Ash returned her to her Pokeball.

With Pidgeotto safely tucked away, Ash turned to Gary and extended his hand to help him up, but Gary smacked his hand away, and got to his feet, returning Nidoran in the same movement. “You only won because of a fluke! Next time I’ll beat you for sure!” He growled before storming away, his cheerleaders clambering after him.

“What was his Problem?” Ash asked, utterly bewildered.

“Meow.” Meowzie mewed, just as confused, but still proud of herself.

Deciding that Gary was future Ash’s problem to deal with, he turned his attention towards Brock. “Thanks for being our referee.”

“I was passing by and heard the commotion.” Brock admitted.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing all the way out here? Shouldn't you be back in Pewter Gym?” May asked curiously, leaning against Ash’s shoulder.

“I’m setting out on my own Journey. My uh dad came back and he and the kids insisted I set out on my own journey.” Brock admitted bashfully. “Thing is, I really want to be a Pokemon Breeder.” He explained. “Though, I don’t really know where to start my Journey if I’m being honest.”

Ash and May made eye contact before grinning. “Would you like to join us on our journey?” Ash asked hopefully. “I don’t know much about Pokemon breeding, and May is really only traveling for fun, but we would really liked it if you joined us.” Ash held out his hand, and Brock accepted it, shaking his hand with a brotherly smile.

“I’d love to join you guys!” Brock beamed.

=

The journey through Kanto was something. Besides Brock, the siblings also joined up with another traveler named Misty; okay so Ash and Meowzie accidentally burnt her bike to Thunderbolt powered crisp and they somehow became friends after that, but shh. Misty was very opinionated, and more often than not clashed with Ash, nothing too serious, just bickering, similar to how Ash and May bickered, but with insults. The only real trouble they had was in Celadon City, where Ash complained about the smell of perfume, and was banned from battling in the sister gym. May of course would have nothing of the sort, and yelled at the Gym leader for her reasoning, resulting in May being banned too. May was vindictive, however, her brother was getting that badge. The end result was Ash and May having to both dress in drag and put their acting skills to work, only to be found before Ash’s Gym Battle out thanks to Team Rocket crashing in. That was a whole other mess since apparently Team Rocket’s Meowth knew Meowzie and became determined to capture her. Like a creep. It was a whole thing, but in the end Ash was able to get his Rainbow Badge, and was even later able to catch a Snorlax, who was blocking the way to the next town. They did have to loop back at some point, and Professor Birch was having some trouble contacting Professor Oak and called them to check in on him. Professor Oak was fine, but a Pikachu had chewed his wires and that was why he couldn’t get through. Surprisingly, it was May and her newly evolved Beautifly that were able to catch Pikachu, adding the rambunctious rodent to her team. He wasn’t the only Pokemon she caught though, as one of Professor Oak’s Pokemon, a very shy Squirtle, had become very attached and wouldn’t leave her side. All was well. Not everything was good, as Team Rocket was an annoying nightmare, especially when they found out about May’s Pikachu, who was unnaturally strong, and thus they became even more annoying. Other than Snorlax, Ash also caught a Spearow, Ratata, and later a small herd of Tauros in the Safari Zone. 30. He caught 30 of them, and 29 of them were sent home. Max and Professor Birch were thrilled when they arrived in Hoenn, Caroline, not so much, and Norman was going to wisely stay out of that debate. Ash wasn’t the only one though, as through the Journey May obtained a Pokemon egg that later hatched into an Eevee, and an oddish. For some reason, Ash managed to get himself in a lot of battles with other trainers, Misty insisted it was because, for all that his clothing was cute and really suited him, to other trainers he looked like a pushover, what with his frilly pastel clothing and adorable glamourize kitty always at his heels or in his arms. Neith Ash nor May really understood it, it was clothing, who cared what color Ash wore, they were his clothes, not theirs so it shouldn’t matter to them. Brock assured him that it wasn’t a bad thing, he rationalized that, sure people might look down at Ash for the way he dressed, but that also meant they underestimated him, which worked in Ash’s favor since his battle style was, well, rather ruthless. May chimed in that she actually loved seeing his opponents faces when he would send out Snorlax instead of whatever Pokemon they thought Ash would send out, and Ash had to agree, it was kinda funny. It wasn’t until Ash was preparing for the Indigo League that May finally decided what it was she wanted to do, contests. Contests weren’t really popular in Kanto, and while they were popular in Hoenn the Maples were a Gym Family, so they didn’t really think much about Contests, the only reason May became interested in them was because they happened to be in the same town as the Grand Festival and she was able to see the festival for herself, falling in love with the sport. It was obviously too late for her to compete, but she knew what she wanted to do next season. On Ash’s front, he finished the Indigo League in the Top 16, something that shocked pretty much the entire stadium.

==Johto==

Originally, Ash and May were going to head back to Hoenn, but Professor Oak actually had a small favor to ask them, so after discussing with their parents, Ash and May were allowed to go to Jhoto, meaning Ash would be working his way up to the Silver Conference. Jhoto was working towards instilling Contests, but they likely wouldn’t be up and running for at least another year, so May spent her time following Ash through Johto and training for her first contest, whenever that would be. Johto was pretty similar to Kanto, if you exclude the fact that they, Ash, Brock, May, and Misty, had to save the world, say, three times. That aside, it was a normal journey, Pidgeotto evolved into Pidgeot, Ratata into Raticate, and Spearow into Fearow, and even May’s Oddish, and Torchic evolved into Gloom and Combusken respectively. Ash once again placed in the Top 16 in the Silver Conference, which he was pretty proud about. It was sad saying goodbye to Misty, who couldn’t join them in Hoenn due to taking over the Cerulean Gym for her sisters, but Brock had plans of meeting them in Petalburg Forest after checking in on his family.

==Hoenn==

Returning to Hoenn was a breath of fresh air. Caroline wrapped her two children in her arms and wouldn’t let them leave the dinner table until they told them absolutely everything about their trip. Caroline positively loved May’s Beautifly, and Norman was mighty impressed by his son’s various Normal Type. Max, and Slacking for that matter, especially loved Snorlax, who was more than happy to let Max jump and play on his belly so long as he got lots of treats. Max somehow Sneaseled his way into joining their journey through Hoenn, not that May or Ash really minded since they expected it. Before anyone could set off however, Caroline insisted they get new clothes. Ash’s and May’s clothes didn’t fit right, the kids having grown quite a bit in the two years they were gone, and some of them even had rips, tears, and stains from their galavanting through the forests. May was never one to turn down shopping, and Ash was a bit interested in getting some new shirts. By the end of the trip, they had new clothes for the year or so ahead, and Ash loved the new, slightly frilly, white blouses he was able to find, they were a perfect neural tone to go alone with the few pastel vests he bought. Meowzie even got some new bows, ones made with special material that resisted Pokemon attacks so they wouldn’t tear as easily.

After the shopping trip, all three Mapel children went on their way. They met up with Brock as planned, and May and Ash got registered for their respective sports at the first Pokemon Center they came across. Throughout the Journey May worked very hard to prepare for her contests, and even added more Pokemon to her team, Bulbasaur, Munchlax, and Skitty. Skitty more or less became obsessed with Meowzie, not in a romantic way, but rather in a ‘Omg we’re besties now!’ sort of way. Sometimes Meowzie liked playing with her fellow cat Pokemon, other times Skitty was just too much to deal with. Similarly, Munchlax was rather attached to Snorlax, most likely because they were from the same line, but if May or Max were having issues with Munchlax, then Snorlax could usually get him to chill out. Ash also caught a new Pokemon, though technically it wasn’t on Hoenn soil. When May was preparing for her final Contest Ribbon, she decided it was time to evolve Eevee, and Eevee seemed rather excited by the idea. After pouring over all of Eevee’s possible evolutions, May and Eevee decided that Glaceon was the way to go, and they took a small detour, plane trip, all the way to Sinnoh to evolve him. While May and Eevee went into the cave where the Ice Rock was held, Brock went to the Pokemon center, and Ash, and Max looked around for some Pokemon. While looking around Ash found a Buneary, but instead of the usual brown fur with fluffy cream puffs, this Buneary was a paler brown with pink puffs. Ash didn’t usually care what Pokemon looked like, he knew what ‘shiny’ Pokemon were, but he never sought them out on purpose, but he had always been interested in Buneary, and he wasn’t about to look a gift Ponyta in the mouth. The battle wasn’t easy, Buneary was a tough one, and it somehow knew Fire Punch, but Pidegot was no Meowzie was a seasoned Pokemon, and also wouldn’t just roll over and let Buneary get away. In the end, it was thanks to Meowzie quickly grabbing onto Buneary with her tail and pulling them close before her final Fury Swipes that they were able to catch Buneary. Buneary was not happy about being caught, but then most Buneary were stubborn and not very friendly at first, they needed high friendship to evolve into Lopunny, and Ash had no problem showering the little guy in friendship. In order to add Buneary to his team, Ash sent Raticate home, Raticate really loved his father’s garden, and Ash had to fight tooth and nail to get the rat Pokemon to join him for their journey through Hoenn. After their short detour, May returned to Hoenn with her Glaceon, and Ash returned to Hoenn with his Buneary, and it was time for them to prepare for their next Badge, and Ribbon respectively. May did really well at the Grand Festival, considering it was her first one, and Ash made it into the Top 8 of the Hoenn League, a real improvement from the two years prior. When they returned to Petalburg City, Ash was surprised to have gotten a letter from the Kanto Battle Frontier, inviting him to participate in their challenge, May pretty much agreed for him, as she wanted to take the opportunity to try the Kanto Contests, since she couldn’t when they tried before. With some begging of the parents, Max was even able to accompany them, as preparation for the following year, where he would be setting off on his own journey. Revisiting Kanto was fun, and Ash left Kanto as a Champion of the Battle Frontier, and May also did very well in the Kanto circuit, landing in the Top Four and beating out Harley, and even Drew. As well as she placed, going up against Solidad was seemingly an eye opener for May, leading her to rethink her journey going forward.

==Sinnoh==

The Mapel Household was once again bustling, with all three children gathering their things in a hurry. Caroline and Norman watched with highly amused, if slightly worried, smiles. Despite May and Ash having been traveling for four years, this would be the first time the two were not going together, and Max was also setting out on his own. It wasn’t that the three had a fight or anything, actually the siblings were closer than ever, but May had expressed interest in striking out on her own.

It wasn’t Ash’s fault, but May subconsciously molded her style after his, and she while his style was good for normal battles, the last Grand Festival helped her realize that she wanted to make her own style, without relying too much on her brother, so May would be going back to Johto, the Johto Contest Circuit was finally up and running, and she was excited to try it out.

Max had just turned 10 years old, and after spending the last two or so years following his siblings around he wanted to go on his own. It wasn’t because he thought they would coddle, rather he learned a lot from them in those two years, and he wanted to show them what he could accomplish, besides, he was excited to see Ralts again. Unlike his siblings, Max would be staying in Hoenn after getting his first Pokemon from Professor Birch.

Ash was heading straight to Sinnoh. The glimpse he got of the Region when he went with May to evolve Glaceon, and caught Buneary really peaked his interest in the Region. Admittedly, a Part of Ash was sad his siblings wouldn’t be joining him, but he also understood their reason’s perfectly. He too thought it was about time he set off on his own, at least for a while; he loved his siblings but maybe some separation would be good for all three of them. May would define her own style, Max didn’t have to worry about being overshadowed by his siblings, and Ash would be able to focus on his own training.

Of course, the kids also had their Pokedex’s linked, and would likely be messaging each other with updates, and goofy pictures throughout their journeys, and Norman had no doubt that they would also be watching each other's matches/contests whenever they could. It was a big step, and really all their parents could do was encourage them.

“May, have you seen my backpack?!” May yelled across the house.

“I’m kinda busy dealing with an exploding backpack of my own here Max!” May yelled back, frustrated. “Ash how did you carry all our clothes without your backpack exploding?!”

“Did you try folding them or are they just rolled into a massive wad?” Ash asked, only to trip over Max, who ran by after finally finding his backpack. “Be careful Max!”

“Meow!” Meowzie hissed in warning, and leapt up onto Ash’s shoulder so she wouldn’t be stepped on in the scramble.

“Sorry!” Max yelled back.

“Gah! May did you use my hairbrush again?” Ash yelled.

“Yeah, I already packed mine!” May called back.

“Clean it when you're done! And stop using my stuff! Mom bought you your own!” He cried out in frustration.

“You can talk when you give me back my Hello Skitty hoodie!” May yelled in retaliation.

“You don’t love her the way I do!” Ash hissed.

“Okay who took my Pokenav?” Max yelled over the both of them.

“Its on the table!” May and Ash yelled simultaneously, sounding exasperated before getting back to their quarreling.

Yeah, their kids would be fine on their own. Right? Right?

When everyone finally calmed down, they all loaded up into the car. Since they all needed to go to different places, Max to Professor Birch, May to the Pier, and Ash to the AirPort, Norman and Caroline decided to drive them so they could see them all off, and hopefully reassure themselves that their disaster children would be fine. Their first stop was Professor Birch’s lab, and to the surprise of nobody, Max’s first Pokemon was Treecko, a rather docile one at that. Max let Treecko stay out of his Pokeball for the entire car ride, simply staring in awe at his first Pokemon, until May teased him about making Treecko uncomfortable, which led to more bickering, at least until they arrived at the pier, and all bickering stopped. Before May could get on the ship, and after she hugged their parents, Ash and Max grabbed her in a tight hug, muttering wishes of a safe journey, and promised to message them. When they let go, May boarded the ship, and waved goodbye off the deck until she could no longer see them. Dropping Ash off went much the same way, Max almost didn’t let Ash go, making him promise to battle him when he got back and Max was more than just a rookie, Ash of course caved easily, ruffling Max’s hair before hugging their parents and getting on the plane. It was a quiet ride back home, and as soon as they pulled into the driveway, and they said their goodbyes, Max was off, determined to make his siblings proud. Later, when May arrived in Kanto, Ash touched down in Sinnoh, and Max made it to Rustboro City, all three siblings took a picture, and sent it off to their joined chat, updating their siblings on where they were before they started on their solo journeys.

Sinnoh was pretty run of the mill for Ash, if he ignored his bouts of loneliness. Brock was also in Sinnoh, so the two traveled together, and even picked up a rookie coordinator who, for all her spirit and determination, didn’t really know what she was doing. She was a bit odd, but reminded Ash of May in some ways, especially in the way that she convinced him to try a contest despite his reservations. Of course, meeting Zoey, a very serious coordinator that didn’t like Contests and Gym Challenges merging, lit a fire under Ash, which really just encouraged him. For all that Ash was a battle head, his Pokemon also have very good control over their abilities, yes Ash tended to rely on power, but he had been guided by the bet Normal Type Gym Leader in the world, and so he trained his Pokemon to have near perfect control, not to mention, Ash had an eyes for pretty things. It wasn’t his whole personality or anything, but you don’t dress like he does and not generate an eye for beauty, his costume for said Contest was proof of that. Ash didn’t want to be overly flashy, so he adorned his pastel pink skinny jeans, paired with his lacey, long sleeve, white blouse, and pastel purple boots, and the pink, white, and purple bow clips in his hair to keep his bangs out of his face, tied the whole outfit together. The appeals round was simple, Buneary was Ash’s Pokemon of choice, using Bounce and Fire Punch to exhibit Buneary;s speed, power, and cuteness as he bounced all over the stage, making licks of flame with his little paws that jabbed the air until he ended with spin, landing right beside Ash. Ash’s points weren’t very high, likely because other people were more flash, but he did make it into the next round, and that was where the real fun began. Meowzie was Ash’s second Pokemon, her bows changed to match Ash’s pastel purple boots, but she wasn’t just a cutie. Meowzie was used to battling, and contest battles were just as brutal, but with an added flare of beauty, something that Meowzie, in all her purebred glory, excelled out. Ash felt a little bad about Dawn dropping out early on against Zoey, but Zoey’s Glameow was something else. Ash and Zoey’s battle was intense, neither cat Pokemon wanted to fold, and both were equally graceful and powerful, it seemed like a neck and neck match until the end, where Zoey managed to win by just a few points. Contests were interesting, Ash would easily admit, but it wasn’t his thing, so he ended his Contest Career, at least his official one, truthfully if there were unofficial Contests, or something he would probably join for the fun of it, but for the time being he threw in the towel, he had a badge to win. While Zoey was unpleasant, nobody annoyed Ash more than Paul. Paul was another trainer who took mild interest in Ash’s Buneary due to his Fire Punch move, but it was after Paul learned that Ash defeated Pyramid King Brandon that he became a git. Paul had a horrible attitude, and the way he treated his Pokemon disgusted Ash so much he wanted to puke on him. To say the two didn’t get along was an understatement, and Ash was determined to beat him any chance he got. Unpleasantries aside, Sinnoh was otherwise normal, Ash challenged gyms, helped people when he came across them, trained, texted memes to siblings, helped Dawn when she needed it, saved the world a few times, got challenged by jerks who made fun of how he dressed only for them to be sent packing to the Pokemon center because Ash and his Pokemon did not take that kind of disrespect, you know, the usual. Ash finished off the Sinnoh League in the Top Four, and said goodbye to Brock for the last time, at least for a while as he would be staying in Sinnoh to pursue his medical degree. Dawn had been really sad that Ash was leaving, having come to see him like a brother, but she also had her own new path to venture down, as a Pokestylist.

==Unova==

While Ash returned to Hoenn alone, it was exciting to swap stories with his siblings. Usually they didn’t need to swap stories because they were traveling together, but since they didn’t travel together, they actually had different experiences to share. Sure, May and Ash met up during the Wallace Cup, but they hadn’t really caught up since she was preparing for the Wallace Cup, and helping Dawn. Obviously, the siblings had watched each other compete in their respective Leagues/Festival but hearing the stories first hand was a way different experience. Max couldn’t wait to tell everyone how he did on his journey, having placed in the Top 20 of the Hoenn League, admittedly he was a bit embarrassed, since Ash had placed Top 16 in his first league, but Ash and Norman were quick to assure him that Top 30 was actually very good for a rookie trainer, since most rookies barely made it in the Top 100. It was fun swapping stories and their plans for the next year. As it stood, Ash would be going to Unova, as the far off region had been reaching out to the other regions more, and he was excited to challenge the Normal Type Gym Leader in Unova, Lenora. After much thought, May was going to Sinnoh to compete in their contests, she had really enjoyed the Wallace Cup and while she preferred the Hoenn/Kanto/Johto style of contest more, she was looking forward to the change of pace. As for Max, he would be joining May in Sinnoh, mostly because their parents were hesitant to allow Max to go to a region by himself just yet. Ash had to set off before his siblings, as the Unova Circuit started about four weeks earlier than Sinnoh’s. The good thing about it was that his siblings could see him off properly.

Sinnoh was a very cold region, but Unova was almost more so, leading Ash to add a soft pink sweater to his usual outfit of light wash jeans and pastel multicolor sneakers. Meowzie tended to draw a lot of attention in Unova, since the region was so far and rather secluded, they pretty much only had their native Pokemon, so Meowzie, who was always out of her Pokeball tended to draw stares, if people weren’t already starting at him for his foreign clothing. Luckily, while he did get some strange looks, most people left him be, of course, that could have been because of the companion he picked up. Iris was a…opinionated girl just starting out on her own, and while Ash, 15, was far older than her, she seemed to have fun calling him a kid, that is she did until she realized it didn’t bother him. Ash had two younger siblings, and as siblings the trio picked at each other all the time, it was just what they did, and May had called him far worse things than a ‘kid’ before, so her insults didn’t really bother him. Once she realized annoying him wouldn’t get her attention, she settled down some and actually became a pretty good travel companion. Cilan, a gym leader who also decided to join them, was a lot different. He was, if Ash had to choose a word, propper. In some ways, he was like Brock, but not as mature with also being something of a stickler, if Ash had to guess, he was the middle child in his batch of triplets. The three got on okay, and while a few questions were asked about the way he dressed, for the most part they didn’t care, Iris didn’t get the appeal or wearing bright, pastel colors, and Cilan just liked that he could drag Ash shopping with him and he wouldn’t complain. Battling Lenora was everything Ash had hoped for! While it didn’t bother him anymore, Ash had grown use to everyone, even Gym Leaders, looking down on him when they first met due to his unevolved Meowth, and the soft way he looked, rarely did Ash meet another trainer that took him seriously right off the bat, even Cilan had at first cooed at him, but Lenora did no such thing. Ash was pretty sure her reaction was how it was due to her being a Normal Type Specialist, Normal Types were normal, so many people didn’t think much of them since they often times didn’t have a special ‘umph’ to them, it led many people looking down at Normal Types, but Normal Type Experts and Specialists knew better. They knew the real power locked in Normal Type, such as their ability to learn moves from every other type, and their resistance to Ghost Types. Things like looking past perceived weakness, and pulling the best out of seemingly average Pokemon, that was what Normal Type trainers were best at. Lenora showed no mercy against Ash, just the way he and his Pokemon liked it. Buneary was not backing down against her Lilipup, even though it looked like he was at a disadvantage at first, Buneary were naturally prey instinct driven, and while that seemed like a disadvantage, in this instance it actually did a lot against the puppy, as Buneary was a lot more focused, alert, and driven. Of course, Ash hadn’t expected that focus to lead into Buneary evolving into Lopunny, but Ash also wasn’t someone who questioned good fortune. With Lopunny’s fresh evolution power up, they were able to knock out Lillipup, Watchog, however, was not as easy. Watchog started off with Mean Look, meaning Ash couldn’t switch out for Snorlax even if he wanted to, and Lopunny was pretty damaged from Lilipup. The good thing about the situation was that Lopunny was faster than Watchog, and that Lopunny knew Mirror Coat, which was a good defense against Watcog’s Thunderbolt, but the biggest worry was Watchog’s Confuse Ray. For a while there, it was like Watchog and Lopuunny were playing chase, as Watchog would try to hit Lopunny with a Low Kick, only for him to leap away and fire back with a Bounce-High Jump Kick fusion attack, but Lopunny, who was damaged from his previous battle couldn’t keep it up for long, and eventually got trapped in Watchog’s Confuse Ray, leaving him wide open for their powerful Low Kick that took Lopunny out of the battle. But, Ash still had one Pokemon left to use in the two on two battle, and quickly sent out Snorlax. Ash had full confidence in Snorlax, the Pokemon had gone toe to toe with Gretta’s Medicham and still won, so he was highly defensive, ‘a good defense is the best offense’ as they say. Watchog was very tired, Lopunny was no push over, their High Jump Kick having done some good damage, not to mention all the running around that tired them out. Snorlax didn’t look very fast on his paws, hopefully they wouldn’t be running around anymore. When the match started Watchog led with a Low Kick, not expecting the deceptively fast, and powerful Headbutt that sent them reeling backwards. While Snorlax looked slow, and actually rather was in comparison to Lopunny and Pidgeot, he was actually pretty speedy for a Snorlax. Ash liked speed attacks, and since Snorlax was a battle ready Pokemon, he was prepared for quick moves, and was surprisingly agile despite his perceived body type. Not wanting to be taken off guard again, they used Confuse Ray, confusing Snorlax enough that they were able to get in two Low Kicks and a Thunderbolt. In order to shake Snorlax from his confusion, Ash yelled out a promise for Snorlax to get an extra yummy dinner if they won, and while for a moment everyone thought Ash was crazy, it worked like a charm, and Snorlax snapped out of his confusion just in time to use Hyper Beam to propel himself upwards, only to turn that downwards momentum into a mighty Body Slam that took Watchog out of the battle. As promised, later that night Snorlax got an extra special dinner, a mix of Pokemon food, human food, and wild fruits and berries, not to mention all the hugs and cuddles he could hope for from Ash, who was proud of both his Pokemon, even though Lopunny was too embarrassed to be coddled and doted on. Admittedly, Ash wasn’t very happy with his showing in the Unova League, Top 15* wasn’t bad per say, but since Ash had gotten Top 4 in Sinnoh he just expected a bit more from himself, but he had to keep moving. He was planning on going to Sinnoh to watch the May in the Grand Festival before sticking around to watch Max in the Sinnoh League before they all headed home together. As for Iris and Cilan, well, Cilan was returning to the Gym, since Chilli set out on his own Journey Cress had been running it alone, and Iris was going to be training under Clair to become a better Dragon Master and, hopefully, learn how to chill out her Dragonite.

==Kalos==

What Ash had informed his family of his plans to go to Kalos, he hadn’t expected May to say she was going with him, not that he minded, it was just unexpected. Apparently there was a sport in Kalos known as a Showcase, and it was somewhat similar to Contests but also very different, and she wanted to try it out. Max was going to go to Kanto after finally talking their parents into letting him go across seas on his own, but he was put on a very strict call schedule, something Ash and May laughed at, until they got scolded and put on the same schedule.

Kalos was so much warmer that Unova, or Sinnoh, something Ash and May took full advantage of considering they had been bundled up for the past year, two years for Ash. While May stuck to the bright red, and dark bluish black, she now wore white shorts with black leggings that went to her knees, paired with a white tank top, and a red and white hair bow opposed to her bandanna. Since she would have to dress up in each Showcase, she also brought along a two piece pink, purple, and white dress, it had a frilly, almost tutu like skirt made up of stripes that were lighter in the center, and changed darker at the end of the fabric, her shirt was mostly white, with frilly sleeves that went from her shoulders to her elbows, and a patch of fabric that matched the skirt and was kind of bow shaped. On Ash’s advice, May picked out a cute pair of pink pumps to go with the outfit that had ribbons that tied around the legs; the shoes didn’t have too much of a heel and minimized her risk of a broken ankle should she fall.

As usual, Ash went in a completely different direction. Opposed to his usual light wash jeans, Ash instead wore a loose pair of capri pants that cinched at the knee, and a slightly oversized hoodie vest that lacked arms, it was pastel blue up top and faded to a pale white color at the bottom, while the hood had a cute pair of Azumaril ears. Ash also decided to forgo a baseball cap, his hair had grown enough to be placed in a very short Ponyta tail, and he decorated the dark locks with blue boy clips. Meowzie, in all her glory, of course matched, with a blue neck bow and bow clips on her whiskers along with a special collar that had an everstone placed on the name tag. Meowzie knew she didn’t want to evolve, how would Ash carry her around if she were a Persian?, and since Ash didn’t really care if his Pokemon evolved or not, he had a jewelry shop make the collar, it wasn’t flashy or expensive, but Meowzie adored it.

The only Pokemon Ash wasn’t taking with him to Kalos was Fearow. While Fearow had only evolved a few years prior, he was a pretty old Pokemon, and Ash battles were taking a bit of a toll on his old bones, so Ash let Fearow stay in the garden with Raticate, making him promise to get some rest.

Arriving in Kalos, Ash and May knew they loved the place. For the most part, Pokemon were usually kept in their Pokeballs, with only a few exceptions, but in Kalos it seemed like everyone had their beloved Pokemon out and about. Of course, since Ash was the walking trouble magnet™, they got tossed out of the Lumiose Gym, only not getting too hurt thanks to two passing people, Clemont and Bonnie. Ash liked the siblings, they were very different to each other, and Ash related to Bonnie’s love for Pokemon, however Meowzie felt differently. See, while Meowzie was fine with Ash, May, and sometimes Max brushing her, even Caroline, she pretty much hated anyone else trying to groom her, they just didn’t know how to do it right, and Bonnie was too touchy. She was a child, so the urge to touch and experience was normal, but Meowzie would not be her plaything. May’s Pikachu on the other hand loved the little girl’s attention. After some drama orchestrated by Team Rocket that led to Ash falling from a skyscraper, and May crying her eyes out, they were finally officially on their way through Kalos. The addition of Serena was a bit unexpected, and uncomfortable for a while. Ash vaguely recognized her as a girl that got lost in Hollywood one day with her mother, but he didn’t remember her besides that, while she seemed to like him. A lot. It made him mildly uncomfortable. Ash had had crushes before, he had a crush on Misty for like three weeks, and a crush on Gary for almost a month, after he stopped being a jerk of course, not to mention Ash had to watch the trainwreck that was whatever May and Drew had going on for roughly two years, so he knew what a crush looked like, but, he met Serena for like five minutes when they were five, and then never saw her again so her feelings were a mystery to him. Not to mention, she was disappointed when she released the clothes Ash wore were his actual style, and not just a bad dare, and seemed really jealous of how close he and May were up until she learned they were siblings, and then she loosened up. It was just uncomfortable all around, luckily Meowzie seemed just as uncomfortable around Serena, and made it her job to growl and get between them whenever Ash got too tense, and since Meowzie doesn’t usually act like that, it clued May in, so May was also running interference. By some grace of Arceus, it only took Serena a few months to realize that the Ash she had idealized since she was a kid and the real Ash that was right in front of her were too completely different people, she was bummed for a while after, but eventually perked back up and the two were able to be actual friends, with was a huge relief. Drama aside, Kalos was a wonderful region and Ash was pretty sure he met, and caught one of his Soul-Pokemon; a Furfrou. Ash had seen a few Furfrou in passing, and had adored them the moment he saw them, adding it to his bucket list that he absolutely had to catch one. At first, Meowzie wasn’t sure how she felt about accepting a dog onto their team, but the Furfrou Ash ended up catching eventually became her best friend. The Furfrou in question had been abandoned, their trainer deciding that it was too much work to keep up with the grooming she needed and letting her go, Ash had found her on the outskirts of a town, and after a fierce beetle with Tauros, Furfrou was added to their team. As he expected, Ash loved every minute of learning how to groom her fur, it took a lot of work, a gentle hand, and a lot of Pokevison tutorials, but eventually Ash go the hang of it, cutting Furfrou’s fur into the heart cut, the only thing he changed was dyeing the hearts blue opposed to the usual pink, that way she matched him and Meowzie. Meowzie and Furfrou bonded over their matching abandonment, and Meowzie was the first one, other than Ash, to help her start healing. Furfrou was amazing in battle, and really shone in their battle against Valerie. Did Ash expect to have to crossdress and be one of Valerie’s model’s after said battle because he's too nice for his own good? No, but he had to crossdress at least once every year because of some reason or another so he just went with it, they were just clothes after all.

On the flip side, May was adoring her time in Kalos. It was a lot of fun helping and guiding Serena, even if they technically had their eyes on the same goal. Showcases weren’t easier than contests per se, but it was definitely a different experience. Having to quiz herself and learn how to cook, and design, it was a lot, those were things Ash could do so naturally, so May had never really learned though skills since she could always rely on him, the two years she traveled on her own taught her a lot, and Kalos was teaching her that she had even more to learn, but the performances were so much fun! She loved the dancing, and music, and the stronger bond she built up with her Pokemon. It was a new, wonderful experience, and she was savoring every moment of it until the Master Class.

Neither sibling had expected to win their respective sport. Sure, May was super confident in her abilities, but getting those few points above Aria, it felt like her soul had left her body for a moment. She and her Pokemon had worked so hard, and it all payed off with that final performance. Ash was just as surprised with his victory, learning how to Mega Evolve with Pidgeot had been a lot of work, confidence, sweat, and tears, the whole experience was amazing, but even he knew they only won by a small margin, Alain’s Charizard was a beast, and if that last Roost hadn’t worked, they would be looking at a whole different turn out. But they did it, they won the Kalos League!

==Home==

Ash stared blankly at the ceiling of his dad’s garden. He was laying flat on Snorlax’s stomach, his mind blissfully fuzzy as the teenager danced between consciousness, Meowzie was on his chest, purring softly, which didn’t help his drowsiness. He felt Snorlax’s tummy jiggle, and barely craned his head to see his father climbing up to sit next to him.

“Whatchya thinking about kid?” Norman asked casually.

“Where to go next.” Ash murmured, forcing himself up to sit, smiling when all his partner did was slide down his chest into his lap. “Since I won in Kalos, I don’t know where to do next yaknow? There's Alola, but they don’t have a league, only trials that aren’t open for tourists, maybe Galar? Or Paldea?” Ash grumbled. “I don’t know.”

“Well, you can stay home until you figure it out. In fact I could use the help in the Gym.” Norman offered.

“I don’t know if that's a good idea, I don’t want people thinking I’ll take it over when you retire.” Ash sighed, stretching out his tired limbs until his back popped.

“Oh, you don’t want to take the Gym over?” Norman scratched his neck awkwardly.

“Well, I always assumed Max would.” Ash explained. He knew May had no interest, besides she was in Kalos doing her Kalos Queen duties, and while Ash would actually love to take after his father, Max was always excited about the Gym, so Ash figured he’d work at the Gym after Max became Gym Leader.

Norman laughed softly. “Do you know Max’s team right now?” He asked.

Ash hummed. “Sceptile, Gardevior, Banette, Mightyena, Vigoroth, and Breloom, right?”

Norman nodded. “There is only one Normal type in his team, can’t really be a Normal Type Gym without Normal Types.”

Ash’s face heated up. “I guess.” He murmured. “But he can always catch more.”

“Truth is,” the older man sighed. “I already asked him. He’s happy traveling around at the moment, and he said he thought you were a better fit anyway. So, what do you say? Help your dad run his Gym till you figure out what you want to do next.”

Ash smiled up at his father, and slumped against the man’s shoulder. “Sure, I’ll help you out old man.”

“Old man?!” Norman screeched in mock offense. “Now you’re asking for it you little brat.” He affectionately got Ash in a headlock, and gave him a Noogie, causing his son to laugh and try and get out of his hold.

Chapter Text

Ash’s childhood wasn’t necessarily ‘normal’, even in terms of the Pokemon world, where childhoods tended to differ greatly. His parents, Delia and Cole Ketchum, were researchers, dedicating their lives to researching Pokemon Evolution, and not the usual type of evolution, but the more unique types, like trading, friendship, and stone type of evolution. They, and subsequently Ash, resided in a very tucked away, self-sustaining, laboratory in the Kanto Mountains, where the nearest city was hours away. It wasn’t only the Ketchems at the lab, but also a few lab assistants, maintenance personnel, and their children, making the lab a very small homestead in its own way.

On paper, the kids were homeschooled. Not everyone was the same age, some a few years older and others younger than Ash, but in order to give the kids a ‘classroom feel’ the adults made sure they all did their homework in the same room, and even held some lessons, such as art, as one big group, outside of class time the kids were also encouraged to play together. For the most part, the kids got along fine, they fought every now and then, but it wasn’t anything groundbreaking. The only one who didn’t really play with the others regularly was Ash, yeah he sometimes joined them to play after classes, but he preferred playing with Pokemon more.

The lab was surrounded by forest, and subsequently, wild Pokemon. While most children had the sense to not bother the wild life, Ash wasn’t most children. He was smart in his own right, picking up different languages like it the easiest thing in the world, and he was the only one in the group that seemed interested in the research their parents were conducting, but common sense was a completely different manner. His parents tried to warn him away from the wild Pokemon, but the boy hardly listened. Rather, the wild Pokemon actually didn’t seem to mind. They would never let him touch them, but the Stantler didn’t mind running through the forest with him, and the Pidgey didn’t attack him whenever he climbed the berry trees, Mew, even the Ursaring allowed him to play ball with their Teddiursa, so long as Ash didn’t touch the Pokemon, they didn’t seem to care, but Ash was the only one who got the courtesy, as the Pokemon Ran should anyone else get close. It was actually rather phenomenal, but then Ash had always had a special bond with Pokemon that nobody could really understand.

For the most part, Ash kept to a schedule. He was a late sleeper, but would force himself to wake for classes, attend those classes and homework sessions, and then play in the forest or with the other kids, with meals in between before going home for dinner and family time before bed. It was, admittedly, a bit scrambled depending on the day and the adult’s own schedules, but for the most part Ash stuck to it. Meaning, everyone noticed when Ash suddenly made a change. It wasn’t a huge change, for the most part Ash stuck to the same schedule, at least until it came to after homework hours. Where normally he would play with the other children or head off into the forest, Ash started going to the laboratory's library. Ash occasionally liked to read, but they were the usual children’s books for his age group, but instead of light novels, he started looking over population graphs, maps, and textbooks, and even asked Delia for a binder, and paper. What was he doing? Well, nobody knew. He was tight-lipped about the whole thing, and got rather touchy when people pried too much, going so far as to put a sloppily drawn ‘do not enter’ sign on his door. Delia and Cole let it slide, so long as he kept his room clean they didn’t see a reason to disturb their son’s privacy, he would come to them if he needed help or when he wanted to tell them.

Of course, when he did come to them, they hadn’t expected what, exactly, he would ask them for.

=

“Dad.” Ash’s voice suddenly sounded behind the black haired man, startling him from his half asleep state.

“Ash! Kiddo don’t sneak up on me like that!” Cole sighed, trying to calm his heart while turning to look at his son.

“I’ve been calling for you for 5 whole minutes.” Ash squawked, and Cole looked to Olly, one of his assistants, for confirmation. Olly nodded, looking borderline amused.

“Oh, sorry. What did you need?” Cole crouched a bit to be on his son’s level.

“I know what I want for my tenth birthday.” Ash said matter of factly, looking rather pleased with himself.

As the only child to Delia and Cole Ketchum, researchers who both made pretty penny outside of research grants, you would assume Ash would be on the spoilt side, but he actually didn’t ask for much. Sure he wanted Pokemon merch from time to time, and wanted a bunch of postcards so he could win a special Pokemon League hat that one time, but he never really asked for anything outlandish, seemingly pacified with playing with Pokemon all day, which was why Cole was rather surprised. Birthdays and Christmas were always difficult shopping for Ash because he didn’t really want anything besides good food and to play with Pokemon, sure that meant he didn’t cry or throw a tantrum if they didn’t get him exactly what he wanted, but that also meant neither parent ever knew what their son exactly wanted. The boy really loved Pokemon, so anything Pokemon related was usually a win, but that didn’t exactly narrow the choices down. Trust him, sometimes it was easier to shop for a picky person, because at least picky people made it known what they did and didn’t want. Regardless of Cole’s inner lament, if Ash was actually asking for something, it would be nice to know what his boy wanted for once, even if his birthday was still months away.

“Really?” Cole smiled a bit. “Okay, tell me and I’ll see what I can do.”

Ash’s face broke out into a big smile, and he tugged on Cole’s lab coat to pull him closer. Cole leaned in, biting back a chuckle as his son whispered. “I want an Eevee.” Cole’s eyes widened.

To say Cole was surprised was an understatement. His son loved all Pokemon, he had seen the boy fearlessly conduct a climbing contest with a Mankey before and he was pretty sure his son had no fear, but for all that his son adored all Pokemon, he had also been certain his son would have picked a Charmander. Ash adored Flying Type Pokemon, he adored Delia’s Pidgeot and would ride on said Pokemon’s back forever if they let him, he also, if Cole said so himself, had the stubbornness required to rear Fire Types, not to mention the Kanto Starters poster in his room that his son adored so much. Delia and Cole had been walking about making arrangements with Professor Oak to secure a starter for Ash, but if he actually had a preference…

“An Eevee?” Cole asked, wanting to make sure he heard right.

“Yes.” Ash nodded seriously, well as serious as a nine year old could.

“Brown, fluffy, about this big?” He made a measurement with his hands, and Ash nodded again, unperturbed by his father’s confusion. “Well, Eevee are a bit rare here in Kanto, but I’ll talk to your mother and see what we can do, okay?”

A blinding smile spread on his son’s face before he flung himself into Cole’s arms. “Thank you!” He said excitedly.

“So, does this have anything to do with your research?” He asked, ruffling Ash’s hair, making him giggle.

“Maybe.” Ash answered cryptically. “But I can’t tell you yet.”

Cole groaned loudly, much like Ash did when told he had to wait a little longer for dinner, pulling another laugh from his son. “Fiiine, I’ll wait patiently.” With a final hair ruffle, Cole let go of his son and looked at the time as he stood back up. “I gotta get back to work, see you at dinner.”

“Okay, I have to get to the classroom anyway.” Ash easily agreed, giving Cole one last hug before leaving.

=

Ash didn’t ask about the Eevee again, even though he really wanted to know if he would get one. Instead, he focused all his free time on his research, and studying for his journey. On top of what he needed to know for his research in general, Ash looked over travel guides, and routes to each Kanto gym, he didn’t look too deeply into the Gyms, not wanting to be spoiled by online forums, but he wanted to know what routes were the best to take, where the best places to camp were, and similar things. He also started looking into food recipes, simple ones for himself, but also ones for Pokemon, like what each type preferred, and what kind of food to give them before and after evolution. There were also first aid guides to go over, and wild plant guides. The whole thing zapped up a lot of his time, so while he was excited for his first Pokemon, he was also too busy to angst over it, and before he knew it, a few months passed until it was finally the week of his tenth birthday.

=

Delia beamed at the man on the other side of the door. “Professor Oak!” She gushed, stepping away from the door to allow her old boss into the house.

“Delia Dear, it really has been too long!” Samuel smiled back at the woman, meeting her in a brief hug after she shut the door. He took a quick look around the room. “Where are Cole and Ash?”

“Cole is helping clean up the lab, he should be down at any moment.” Delia explained, leading her old boss into the sitting room, where a kettle of tea and a plate of sandwiches was already waiting. As she prepared his tea, two sugars, no cream, she huffed with amusment. “Ash is still in his room, overlooking an updated population graph.”

Samuel accepted the tea cup with a mildly impressed stare. “A population graph? What on earth is he using it for?” Population graphs were, as it implies, graphs that marked the population of any given Pokemon depending on what area was looked at. They were actually something of a hidden item, and not something people from the public could obtain easily in order to keep them out of the hands of poachers. Though, given that Ash was the only child of two pristine researchers, he could hazard a guess on how he obtained it.

Delia let out an exasperated, yet fond sigh. “Your guess is as good as mine.” She took a sip of her own tea, plain with just a bit of lemon. “He’s being rather tight-lipped about the whole thing, planning a little research project of his own while he is on his journey. It’s driving Cole positively mad.”

Samuel chuckled alongside her. “Well, researchers are rather protective of their work until it's complete.” He mused. “I do hope he tells me when he’s ready, knowing Ash, it’ll be something extraordinary.” He’d met the boy a handful of times over the years, he was an eccentric boy that reminded Samuel a lot of himself when he was a boy. Delia was like a daughter to him, so naturally he started seeing Ash as another grandson, he and Delia had even tried to urge a friendship between him and his grandson, Gary, though that hadn’t worked out. Gary was a bit too egocentric and boastful, something he developed as a result of his teachers sucking up to him, and Ash had no patience for things like that, something he picked up from Cole after listening to the man complain about Chairman Rose enough times. All in all it didn't work out, but Samuel still held out hope the two would be great friends in the future once they mature.

“I’m sure he will, you know how much Ash looks up to you.” Delia assured. “Especially if you brought you know what.”

Samuel laughed slightly. “Of course I did. I could never turn down a request from my favorite researcher.”

“You guys talking about me?” Cole chirped from behind as he walked into the dining room, removing his lab coat and tossing it into the laundry basket next to the laundry room. Before he joined them at the table, he leaned down to peck his wife on the cheek, and helped himself to one of the sandwiches that was laid out.

“We were talking about your son.” Delia giggled, watching with adoration when Cole’s eyes lit up.

“Did she tell you what hes been doing?” Cole asked the professor, but didn’t wait for an answer before he started boasting. “The amount of books, and preparation he’s putting into his journey is astounding! He started asking Delia to teach him how to cook, and even make Pokemon food! I tell you, when I was his age I hadn’t prepared at all, I had to learn the hard way, but Ash is a lot smarter than I was at his age.”

Samuel shared an amused look with Delia. Cole was usually a rather calm man, but get the man talking about his son and he couldn’t shut up. With how doting both parents were, it was kind of surprising that Ash hadn’t turned out a spoiled brat, but then Samuel wasn’t someone who looked a gift Rapidash in the mouth, so he wisely didn’t say anything and let the man ramble on about his son until the conversation changed to Cole and Delia’s own research. Through some luck they were able to acquire a Buneary, and were making plans to bring it to Kanto so they could study, what researchers had decided to call, Friendship Evolution.

The three adults were disrupted from the conversation by the sound of someone stumbling on the stairs. They immediately stood and darted for the staircase, where it turned out Ash had tripped on the lip of the bottom most stair, his head having been buried in his research binder. He smiled up at them sheepishly, but accepted his mother’s hand when she offered to pull him up. While the parents looked their son over, Samuel picked up the research binder. It was a perfectly normal binder for a child, mostly black with orange and red flames coming up from the bottom and a number of different Pokemon heads just barely being able to be seen when exposed to the light a certain way, but it was filled with paper, lined, and others print outs. A part of him wanted to peek inside and see what it was Ash was working on, but Samuel was also a scientist, and respected Ash;s boundaries, so he simply handed the binder back, getting a blinding smile in return.

“I didn’t know you were here Professor!” Ash greeted him warmly, offering a quick hug to the man before pulling his binder safely to his chest.

“Maybe you would have if you weren’t buried in books my boy.” Samuel said lightly with a teasing tone, smiling when the boy pouted up at him.

“Like you’re one to talk! You literally got buried in paperwork before!” He huffed in embarrassed retaliation.

“Okay, you got me there.” Samuel conceded. “Truth is I came here to wish you a happy birthday, even though its still a week off, this is the only time I’ll be able to get away from my lab.”

“Oh, thank you for coming!” Ash chirped excitedly. “How long are you staying?”

“Well, its a long drive back, so I’ll probably leave in the morning.” He explained, watching as Ash deflated a bit, looking a bit disappointed it wasn’t longer.

His disappointment didn’t last long though. “Can I visit you when I set off on my journey?” He asked hopefully.

Samuel softened, and reached out to ruffle Ash’s hair. “Of course, come visit any time.” It was then he realized how long Ash’s hair was. It wasn’t ridiculously long, but it was almost to his shoulders, and the more he looked at the boy, the more he realized he had gotten taller as well. Well, he was almost ten, so it made sense the boy was growing, but it made Samuel reminisce about when the boy was still just a baby, and suddenly Samuel felt like he was growing up too fast. Glancing at Delia and Cole, it seemed they thought similar, as the smiles on their faces were torn with bittersweet pride.

“Ash I was just about to start dinner with Marcy, and Luka, would you like to help?” Delia piped up, getting a hurried nod from her son. “Go put your binder away and wash your hands then.”

“What are we having?” Ash asked curiously.

“I think its Chicken Katsu tonight.” Ash cheered and ran up the stairs, almost slipping on the second to last step before straightening out and calling out a quick ‘I’m okay!’ and running the rest of the way to his room. “That boy.” Deila sighed loudly with a little head shake.

Dinner went on without a hitch, the whole homestead sitting around the table and eating together before going their separate ways for the night. The Ketchums and Professor Oak took one of the sitting rooms, the adults discussing this and that while Ash sat quietly on the floor, using his father’s Houndoom as a pillow while looking over yet another travel guide. The mundane chatter was inputted by Cole clearing his throat, catching Houndoom’s attention though Ash stayed oblivious, at least until a warm nose poked him in the cheek. Sitting up, Ash turned his attention to the adults, slipping a bookmark into his guide.

“Whats up?” He asked, moving to sit on his knees.

Delia elbowed her husband, who cleared his throat. “I know its a bit early, but Professor Oak wanted to be here when we gave it to you.” Cole explained, smiling when Ash’s eyes brimmed with hope. Cale carefully extracted a minimized Pokeball from his pocket before enlarging it. It didn’t look like the usual red and white Pokeball, it was pink with a noticeable darker pink spot on top and a purple wave pattern on the bottom, since Ash had a mild obsession with the different types of Pokeballs, he easily recognised it as a dream ball.

Cole extended his hand to Ash, and Ash carefully gripped the Pokeball. After a glance to his parents to make sure it was okay, Ash threw the ball, watching with excitement as his first pokemon took shape. Sharp, pointed dusty brown eyes perked curiously, as a fluffy brown tail with a cream tip wagged with curious excitement. As the energy from the Pokeball dissipated, Ash got a full look at his partner, Eevee. Ash couldn’t fight off the large grin even if he wanted to as he crouched before the little normal type. “Hi Eevee! My name’s Ash, and we’re going to be partners from now on!” Eevee perked up, letting out an excited bark of ‘Eebwee!’ before jumping into his arms, and nuzzling into the crook of his neck. Ash giggled delightfully, snuggling them back until he took notice of their tail tip. The cream tip that marked their tail was uniformly curved, making a slight flower shape if you looked at it at the right angle, a tell-tale sign of a female Eevee. Ash hoisted Eevee up so he could meet her eye, grinning brightly. “Lets become Pokemon Masters, okay Eevee?”

“Eebwee!” Eevee barked in agreement, her floofy tail wagging with vigor.

===Kanto===

A week after receiving his first Pokemon saw Ash and Eevee setting off on their journey. Ash still hadn’t revealed his research aspirations to his Parents, but he didn’t want to share anything yet until he had at least some data collected, so he continued to stay tight lipped. After months of research Ash knew it was best to start off with the Pewter Gym in Pewter City, but Ash didn’t want to face the Gym leader with only one Pokemon, so he postponed his first badge in order to head to route 17, nestled between Celadon City and Fuchsia City. What Pokemon waited for Ash on route 17? Well, it was another Eevee.

The population graphs Ash had poured over for weeks were for Eevee. There were no other Pokemon in the word that evolved the way Eevee did, sure there were split evolutions, and even alternate evolutions depending on region, but no other Pokemon had the flexibility that Eevee did. It was fascinating, and awoke a drive in Ash. As it stood, there were a total of eight different possibilities for Eevee to evolve into, but if there were eight, could there be more? Were their other evolutions out in the wide world? One for every type perhaps? That was Ash’s dream. Yes, he wanted to be a Pokemon Master, and rise in the world as a great trainer and batteler, but he also hoped to one day discover a new Eevee evolution. To accomplish that, he needed to understand Eevee, and all their existing evolutions. Maybe it was foolish, and he was biting off more than he could chew, but he wouldn’t know unless he tried. Eevee, the one given to him by his parents and Professor Oak, was the first piece of the puzzle, he just needed to find the other pieces.

The second piece of the puzzle was indeed found on route 17, in the form of a dusty brown Eevee a bit bigger than the one Ash already had. In comparison to her, this Eevee’s tail tip had less tan, and what tan they did have zig zagged up and down in sharp points, marking them as a male. The battle hadn’t been easy, Ash and Eevee had been training for the week they had been together, but in comparison with a wild Eevee who was hardened by survival, it was something of a struggle, but somehow, by some grace of Mew, and with the help of a Love Ball, Eevee eventually vanished into the pink, heart stamped Pokeball, and fell still after a couple of shakes.

Ash wasn’t really good at thinking of names, but he knew there was a possibility of other people getting confused between his, eventual, gaggle of Eevee. To prepare for such a possibility, Ash bought a large package of handkerchiefs, they were made specifically for Pokemon, and made with a special material to resist getting burnt, or cut. After getting both Pokemon checked by Nurse Joy, Ash suited each Eevee with their own handkerchief tied securely around their necks; a pretty rose red for Eevee(f), and a nice sky blue for Eevee(m).

Given Ash’s plans, one would think he would stick around route 17 to catch more Eevee, but no, Ash started heading straight for Pewter City. While, yes, he would need more Eevee, Ash didn’t want to catch the entire population. Eevee were already rare, especially in Kanto, and the only reason Ash found Eevee at all was thanks to the population graphs he got from his parents. There were other places, so for the time being he went on his way.

Ash hadn’t expected to travel with other people. His only friends at the lab were the other kids, and they were all mostly friends because they had to, but Ash could admit that he actually really enjoyed traveling with Brock, and even Misty, even though you could never get him to admit his fondness for the ginger girl out loud. Brock was the former Gym Leader to Pewter City, after their battle, of which Ash only won due to his better speed and Eevee’s(blue) Dig, he had taken an interest in Ash’s Eevees’ and, as a breeder, asked about them. They hadn’t expected his father’s return, but Ash was happy to invite the man along. Misty was an aspiring Water Type specialist who had set out to reach her own goals, apparently she was the younger sister to the Cerulean Gym leaders. They hadn’t met in the best way, Ash and Eevee(red) having accidentally destroying her bike with a misjudged Swift, as a result she was following him around ‘until he paid her back’; truthfully, while their friendship was usually filled with good natured, back and forth barbs, Ash was pretty sure she enjoyed his company as much as he enjoyed hers, versatile as it may be. Misty took her sister’s spot as Gym Leader, since she technically had rights to the gym, and was the only one who still had available Pokemon; despite Misty having an advantage due to the pool, Ash and his beloved partners managed to score a win, using the platforms to surf the pool to dodge and launch hidden attacks.

Sadly, his quest for their third badge wasn't as easy. Sabrina had an odd energy around her, seeping with anger, and her Pokemon were nothing to sneeze at either. Ash was almost certain that if it weren’t for Eevee having a good special defense, they would have lost. As they were leaving the Saffron Gym, Ash had a cold chill run down his spine, and for some reason, he felt that, had he lost, it would not have turned out well for them.

Moving on from Saffron, they triad headed for Celadon City. Having done his research, Ash knew he would never be able to stand the heavy smell of perfume and city fumes that were said to fill the city. It looked odd, but before entering the city Ash made sure to stuff tissue into his nose to block the smell. Before they could even reach the gym Misty and Brock got distracted by a perfume shop, since Ash wasn’t interested he left them to browse while he grabbed a snack. He, with his dual Eevee in tow, went to the park to eat in piece, and while Ash hadn’t intended to catch any Pokemon while in Celadon, he refused to look a gift Rapadash in the mouth when, while eating, two stray Eevee popped out of the bushes, attracted by the food Ash bought. They were both ridiculously skinny, and their dusty brown pelts were dull, with their tan bits so dirty they didn’t even look tan, but rather dark brown, so while yes, Ash wanted to catch them for his team, he also really wanted to get them back to being healthy. Ash had never had a double battle before, it was different, and definitely something Ash would have to prepare for in the future, but it was also fun, leading two Pokemon in harmony, especially against the two twin Eevee who were obviously well versed in double battle. But, Eevee(red) and Eevee(blue) were stronger, and healthier, leading to victory and two more Eevee to Ash’s team. After giving the twins a good bath, and revealing those beautiful tan bits, Ash was able to see their matching tan tail tips, both marked with long sharp spikes; despite also being males, they had more tan than Eevee(blue), which was an interesting discovery. After getting cleaned up, Ash prepared them a large meal, and pulled out their own handkerchiefs, the bigger twin got a stark white handkerchief wrapped around their neck, while their twin got a matching yellow.

Due to all of the excitement, Ash didn’t get to battle Erica until the following day, after the twins got a checkup from Nurse Joy. Erica hadn't taken nicely to the fact that Ash kept his nose plugged, but since she had already agreed to battle him, she couldn’t turn him away, and if she did she had to have a good reason with a promise to battle later, so she more or less had to deal with him. The resulting battle was brutal, with Erica seemingly trying to teach him a lesson or something, but Ash was stubborn by nature, and while Gloom’s stink was an inconvenience, Ash and his Pokemon were nothing if not persistence, and with a well timed Quick Attack, courtesy of Eevee(red), the battle was finished. Ash whooped loudly and Eevee(red) yapped with just as much enthusiasm, whipping around to run and leap into Ash’s open arms. Ash spun with Eevee in his arms, laughing as she licked his face, her fluffy tail wagging back and forth with vigor. Ash peeked his eyes open, offering her a blinding smile, but that blinding smile morphed into amazement as the tiny Eevee started to glow a glorious sunlight yellow. Right in Ash’s arms, Eevee started to evolve, sharp ears fanned out and widened, one fluffy tail lengthened and slimmed out before splitting at the tip, smooth cheeks fluffed outwards into tufts, warm brown eyes narrowed into violet, and dusty brown fur lightened until it was a beautiful lavender. Eevee, now an Espeon, crooned joyously, still nestled into Ash’s arms despite being much larger. Awe morphed into enthusiasm and Ash cuddled Espeon even closer, laughing and wooping with more excitement than he had ever shown when winning a battle.

Despite Espeon evolving, the Pokemon league waited for noone, and they had to set off again, heading to Fuchsia city. Ash took the time to train with his Pokemon, helping Eevee adjust to her new form, and updating his research. Espeon was a huge help against Koga, on top of having a slight type advantage, Espeon in particular had an easy time sensing the air to weave and dodge through the ninja’s sneaky attacks. They twins also shined in this kind of environment, having grown up dodging and weaving through the city, trying to stay out of sight. Even Eevee(blue) had his moments to shine, hiding underground and striking at just the right moments. Koga was, of course, phenomenal, he was sneaky and precise, and his Pokemon were elegant yet swift, Ash just had a slight advantage thanks to Espeon.

Before the made their way to Cinnabar Island, Brock suggested they head to the Safari Zone, to take a break from traveling and enjoy the wild area. Ash took the time to update any information he needed to, and even let his Pokemon flip through his research. Espeon was more than content with her Evolution, but her evolving, and the joy they both felt in that moment, made Ash realize that, despite wanting a full Eevee evolution team, he didn’t want to force his Pokemon to evolve into what he wanted. He wanted them to feel that same comfort and joy, and if they didn’t want to Evolve, then, that just meant he would have cute little Eevees forever. Not a bad problem to have. As it stood, Eevee(blue) didn’t seem to have a preference, looking rather indifferent at all the possibilities, Eevee(yellow) looked mildly intrigued between Jolteon, Vaporeon, and Sylveon, but also didn’t seem too bothered, Eevee(white), however, had taken one look of the printout Ash had on Flareon and seemed to zero in on the fluffy evolution. Seeing his little buddy’s reaction, Ash made a mental note to find a Fire stone for whenever Eevee(white) wanted to evolve.

Just as the small group was preparing to leave the Safari Zone, they were stopped. A small Eevee, obviously very young, and with a noticeable flower tipped tail leapt out to stop them. Despite her tiny size, she was determined to battle them, and from her fierce little snarl, Ash knew it wouldn’t be easy. Ash sent out Eevee(yellow) to battle her, and the small Pokemon’s naivety became rather apparent. Oh she had spunk, and refused to back down, even as the sun threatened to set on them, just she didn’t have the size or stamina to battle on par with Eevee(yellow) just yet. With the battle almost done, Ash sent out a Dusk Ball to catch the new Eevee, and thankfully it worked, though it did shake quite a few times before falling still. This Eevee, Ash prepared a simple purple handkerchief, sighing in relief when she didn’t seem to mind it. What she did mind was Espeon, who was so excited to have another girl on the team, that she unintentionally started babying her.

The first time Ash met Blaine, he hadn’t known the man was Blaine at all. He had been peeking around the stores, looking for Eevee’s(white) Fire Stone, while Misty and Brock went down and enjoyed the beach, but his stone search was coming up empty. Evolution stones were rare to some degree, but Ash had figured there would at least be some in stores due to the island’s warm climate. As he continued his search, he bumped into an older man, and after apologizing, they got to talking. The man helped him look, but in the end, they were still empty handed. It wasn’t until the following day, when Ash went to the Cinnabar Gym, that he realized he had been speaking to the Cinnabar Island Gym Leader. Blaine’s battle style was wild, but calculated, like a controlled fire, it was hard to counter with the type of speedy defense Ash tended to use in battle, but eventually Ash figured out a strategy. Blaine’s attacks were big, meaning when his Pokemon attacked, they left themselves wide open. With patience, and an insane amount of luck, Ash and his Pokemon were able to dodge and attack in quick succession, and while extremely close, they were just barely able to pull out a win. But Ash didn’t just win his Volcano badge, but rather, Blaine also gifted him with a Fire Stone, as congratulations for a well fought battle. Eevee(white), covered in a few scratches, and specks of ash and cinder, wasted absolutely no time, easily clawing and scaling his way up Ash’s legs and onto his shoulder, brown eyes narrowed in on stone that seemed to have a live flame twisting around inside it. Chuckling, Ash held the stone closer to the Eevee, giving him and encouraging smile. Not having to be told twice, Eevee(white) stuck his paw out, and let his toe beans make contact with the warm stone. Before their very eyes brown fur brightened to reddish orange, pointed ears became even sharper, neck fluff got even thicker, and an extra tuft formed on his head, while his smooth brown tail fluffed up, turning into a thick yellow puff. Flareon blinked their new dark green eyes before letting out a joyful yap, his fluffy yellow tail wagging behind him. Flareon, also gained a mighty few pounds, making Ash have to shift a bit to support their weight on his shoulder as he pet and cuddled the significantly warmer Pokemon. Flareon melted into his hold, happy and content in his new form, a sentiment that made Ash’s chest somehow feel lighter.

Eevee(yellow) had taken to their twin’s evolution pretty well, finding solace in the fact that he was now significantly warmer, and therefore the best cuddler. Eevee(purple) seemed completely baffled by the sudden change, so Ash showed her all her evolution possibilities. She didn’t seem to have a preference, but it definitely lit some sort of spark in her, Ash could only hope that spark didn’t get her into too much mischief.

Did Ash expect that he would have to battle Team Rocket, a notorious evil organization, for his final badge? No, but he had to do what he had to do. Despite the trio in front of him being complete wack jobs, their Pokemon were well trained and powerful, and also, Ash suspected, not theirs. Eevee’s(blue) Dig came in handy until someone used Earthquake, knocking him out, and Flareon was at a type disadvantage, even with the boost in special defense and attack. Eevee(purple), and Eevee(yellow) did surprisingly well, Eevee(purple) was so fast and so small she wasn’t easy to hit, leading to her tiring out the other Pokemon, while Eevee(yellow) was slow and sly, being able to dodge and side within the thick dust with ease while striking from hidden areas. Espeon landed the final blows to the battle though, with her extrasensory abilities she was able to pick up the movements underground, and prepare for attacks before Team Rocket even called them out. With the Earth Badge marking the end of their badge collecting, Ash started making plans on where he should stay so he could prepare for the Indigo League.

In the end, Ash decided to stay in Mount Moon while they trained for the Indigo League, it was teeming with decently strong wild Pokemon, and learning to maneuver in the dark could be good for them, plus he had heard that a small colony of Eevee lived at the base of the mountain. However, as they were on their way to Mount Moon, Ash had to take care of a little problem that arose from their battle at Viridian Gym. It wasn’t hard to see that Eevee(blue) was taking his knock out at the Viridian Gym hard, and Ash needed to put a stop to it. While everyone else walked on ahead, Ash let him out of his Pokeball, and picked him up. With Eevee nestled in his arms, Ash assured him that his loss wasn’t his fault, that Ash had made the wrong call and losing wasn’t the end of the world. Eevee had always been a bit stoic, so Ash was a bit taken off guard when he started crying, and butting his head against Ash’s chin. Gently, Ash ran his hands down Eevee’s back, comforting him as they walked. After Eevee stopped crying, and Ash whispered a few more encouragements, Eevee started to glow. Ash was baffled, having not expected the sudden evolution, and, as the sun was still high in the sky, Ash wondered if he was getting a Sylveon, or another Espeon. Sharp ears became round and downy soft, as brown limbs lightened and lengthened, and his bushy tail slimmed down to a slightly curled slightly while turning pink, brown eyes lightened to a eerie blue, and ribbons materialized from his neck and head, fluttering in the soft breeze around them. As the evolution light faded, Ash found himself with an armful of Sylveon. Sylveon cooed softly, wrapping his tendrils around Ash’s arm, while Ash smiled brightly, hugging his newly evolved Pokemon tightly to his chest before letting Sylveon jump back onto the ground, his ribbons still wrapped tightly against his forearm. Ash let Sylveon stay out of his Pokeball for a while longer, both taking comfort and Sylveon happily adjusting to his new form.

Misty and Brock made the decision to stay in Pewter city while Ash trained, giving him and his Pokemon some time to focus fully on training. After setting up camp, Ash and co set out to find the final Eevee for the time being, at least so they would have a full team. With Espeon’s abilities, they were indeed able to find the colony of Eevee. There weren’t many of them, maybe 10, all being led by an Umbreon, who happened to have blue spots opposed to the usual yellow. While the alternate colored Umbreon was beautiful, and yes Ash snapped a quick picture of it, he didn’t want to take the Pokemon who obviously led and took care of the Eevee, so he left them be, and instead focused on one of the larger Eevee in the colony. While Ash battled the Eevee, he sent out Sylveon to keep Umbreon and the other Eevee occupied, not to hurt them but to distract him while he battled the other Eevee. Flareon and Eevee clashed with great force, Eevee not wanting to back down, but Flareon had more power and weight, leading to their quick victory, and the new Eevee soon being scooped up in the single Friend Ball Ash had. After catching the Eevee, Ash made a quick retreat with his Pokemon, wanting to give the colony plenty of space so they could calm back down once the dust was settled.

When back at camp, Ash healed the new Eevee up, and grabbed a pink handkerchief for them. They had the same flower shaped tail tip marking, signaling them as another female Eevee. It took a few days for Eevee(pink) to adjust, but once she did she fit right in, and they were able to start training. The training regime Ash cooked up was no laughing matter. As it stood, his team didn’t have much diversity, he had three Eevee, an Espeon, Flareon, and Sylveon. It wasn't bad coverage, considering how versatile Normal Types were, accompanied with the edge Fairy Types had, but it was a bit of a problem should they go against a Dark, or Fighting Type. This in mind, Ash and his Pokemon trained day and night, against wild Pokemon and any other trainers they happened to come across. And after months of training, it was time for the Indigo League.

Admittedly, Ash was a bit upset with their showing in the league. He had made it within the Top 20, which was nothing to sneeze at in terms of rookie trainers, and he even knocked Gary down a peg, but it sucked not to get further. He wasn’t the only one a bit upset, so were his Pokemon. They knew winning wasn’t everything, but they were just disappointed that they didn’t perform better. But, staying down trodden wasn’t Ash’s way, so with some encouragement, and determination to perform better in their next league, Ash headed on home, it was finally time to tell his parents what exactly he was researching.

Ash ran his hand through his hair as he went over his data one more time. His hair had gotten longer since he started journey and he mentally told himself to ask his mother to cut it before heading off to Johto. Secure in the data he had, Ash stood, collected all his work, and headed into the living room. To say his parents were confused by his team of three Eevee, and three Eevee Evolutions would be an understatement, but they had long ago figured out not to question Ash and his methods, even if they didn’t make sense to most other people. Ash assured them that he had a reason, and promised to reveal to them what he was researching, at it was finally time to fulfill the promise.

Ash saw his parents sitting on the sofa. Espeon and Sylveon were happily snoozing in his room, content, while Flareon and Eevee(yellow) prowled the house in interest, Eevee(pink) followed at Ash’s heels, and Eevee(purple) was likely following his Father’s Houndoom somewhere outside, as she had really taken an interest in him for some reason. Clearing his throat, Ash allerted his parents to his presence, and proudly presented his binder of research to them. Admittedly, Ash’s work wasn’t as polished and professional as his parents’ were, but that was to be expected from a child. Still, as they looked over the bit of data and findings Ash acquired they couldn’t help feeling a bit impressed by their son. It was messy, unpolished, and a bit all over the place, but it showed passion, and the idea in of itself was rather fascinating.

“This is very interesting.” Cole said with a spark of interest. “What is your end goal while doing this research?” He asked curiously.

Ash puffed out his chest proudly, and leant down to pick up Eevee(pink). With the Eevee now in his arms, Ash happily declared, “I’m going to discover a new Evolution path for Eevee.”

Cole let out an intrigued hum, before what his son said fully registered and he whipped his head around. “Huh?!”

===Johto/Orange Islands===

Soon after dropping the bombshell that was Ash’s research plans on his parents, Ash, Brock, and Misty departed for Johto. Cole was admittedly skeptical of other Eevee evolutions being possible, but nonetheless supported his son’s endeavors, and in fact directed him to check out the Kimono Girls in Ecruteak City. The family of dancers had been rearing Eevee and their evolved forms for generations and they would make a good source of information. Following his father’s advice, that was exactly what Ash did when reaching Ecruteak City. Learning about the history of the family, and the connection they had to the Eevee line was interesting, though Ash was a bit disappointed that even they didn’t know of any evolutions other than the ones in the Pokedex, though they supported his endeavors. To show their support they even gifted him another Eevee, this one an enthusiastic little boy that Ash gave the green handkerchief too. Of course, Ash already had a full team, so he would have to send Eevee(green) to his parents until he had the space for him on his team.

From there on Ash’s journey through Johto was pretty usual, if you ignored that, for some reason, Team Rocket had taken an interest in his Pokemon, and decided to become pains in the butt about it. Around half way through the journey through Johto, another one of Ash’s Eevee evolved. The group of traveling companions had stopped in a forest for the night, and just as they were about to crawl into their sleeping bags, Eevee(purple) ran off. Ash wasn’t sure what got her attention, but he ran after her regardless. In the pitch black of the forest, Ash managed to get lost, and worse, he couldn’t find Eevee anywhere. Eventually, tired from running and admittedly a little scared, Ash sat down against a tree stump, and decided to wait it out until morning, or until Brock or one of Ash’s other Pokemon sought him out. It was around midnight, when the moon was high in the sky, that Ash was jolted to attention by something rustling around in the bushes. Ash tensed, preparing for a Stantler, or possibly even an Ursaring to emerge from the bushes, but to his utter relief it Eevee(purple). Upon seeing him, the uppity Eevee’s face broke into a big smile, worry melting away as she leapt joyously into his arms. Ash breathed a heavy sigh of relief, coddling Eevee to his chest, and touching his forehead to her’s while muttering about her never running off like that again. In the light of the moon, Eevee started to glow, fluffy brown fur shorthanded and faded to sleep black and O shaped spots shimmering like the moon above took shape and brown eyes slanted into vibrant red. Before his very eyes, Eevee evolved into Umbreon, her spots glowing enough to light up the forest around them. Full of pride, Ash scratched Umbreon behind the ear, singing her praises before standing up, and letting her guide him back to their campsite.

Even as Ash faced gym after gym, neither of Ash’s other Eevee evolved, and Ash was fine with that. He had competed in the league before with three Eevee, now he only had two, plus a spink little Umbreon. Even after evolving Umbreon still found herself loved on and pampered by Espeon, and eventually she started to deal with it. Once again Ash only made it within the top 20 of the Silver Conference, but soon after, he took a detour to compete in the Orange Islands’ Orange League, ending up as one of the champions. By the time they were heading home, the whole team felt pretty proud of themselves.

Not everything could stay cheerful though. As Ash and Brock made plans to journey to Hoenn, Misty would sadly be unable to join them, as her sisters were going on vacation, thus leaving Misty in charge of the Gym in their stead. Misty obviously had mixed feelings on it, on one hand she finally got the recognition she wanted, on the other traveling was so fun. It was a rather sad goodbye, but Ash finally got around to buying her a new bike, this one red with custom Eevee, Staryu, and Onix decals running up the body of the bike, just something of a reminder of their time together until they could meet again. Tearfully, Misty returned the favor, gifting Ash with a Water Stone for if one of his Eevee every wanted to evolve into Vaporeon. Before Misty could head on her way, or Ash could put the Water Stone in his bag for safe keeping, Eevee(yellow) forced his way out of his Pokeball, something he had never done before. In a move that reminded Ash far too much of Eevee’s(yellow) brother, he scaled Ash’s body, and purposefully touched his nose to the bubbling waterstone. Right before their eyes brown fur melted away into shimmery blue scales*, round paws became webbed, brown eyes faded to deep violet, and fluffy tail elongated, graining a ride and flattening out like a fishes, while fins morphed atop his head, and neck. Vapreon crooned loudly, rubbing his scaled cheeks against Ash’s as he looked at Misty, barking meaningfully at her while Misty laughed lightly while wiping away a tear. With that they all went their separate ways, at least for the time being.

===Hoenn/Battle Frontier===

Ash had intended to bring Umbreon with him to Hoenn, but while visiting the lab Umbreon had fallen head over paws for his father’s Houndroom, and while the Pokemon was standoffish, it was clear to see he returned her affection, as they were pretty much glued at the hip. After a bit of discussion, Ash decided to leave Umbreon with his parents, and instead take Eevee(green) with them instead. Umbreon got to stay with Houndoom, and Ash and Eevee(green) got to spend time and get to know each other.

Brock had left Kanto later than Ash, with plans that they would meet up in Rustboro City, so Ash traveled to Hoenn on his own. A good part of Hoenn was surrounded by water, and Vaporeon very obviously loved it. Ash was still kinda shocked by Vaporeon’s sudden decision to evolve, but he seemed happy, so who was he to judge? Since Ash took a boat to Hoenn, he would periodically let Vaporeon out in the water below and watch him swim around and play with the other water Pokemon before bringing him back on board via returning him to his Pokeball. Flareon and Eevee were still close as ever despite their opposite typing, and Vaporeon still loved soaking up his brother’s warmth whenever they cuddled, it was honestly adorable. Aside from that, Ash was able to make some interesting combination attacks for double battles. Double battles weren’t common in Kanto or Johto, but according to some online forums, Hoenn had a fair bit of trainers who preferred them.

Speaking of new additions, Ash met two new traveling companions, after once again destroying the girl’s bike, courtesy of Flareon’s Ember. Ash met May Maple by accident, after she had run off to find Professor Birch. While she was 12, like he was, she had put her journey off for a few years due to not really liking Pokemon, but her father had finally convinced her to start her journey, at the very least so she could travel. Being a starting off trainer, Ash was able to see what it was like for most other people to get their first Pokemon. May picked out Torchic, a tiny Fire Type chick Pokemon, who seemed to love her immediately. Since Ash destroyed her bike, Ash was guilt tripped agreed to accompany her to Petalburg City, where Ash met her younger brother Max. Max was a very smart kid, but he had a smart mouth. He had apparently seen Ash compete in the Silver Conference and had lots to say about Ash’s Eevee filled team, mostly about the fact that he hadn’t evolved them all yet, which according to Max, should be easy since at least three of them use stones, two of them just require going to Sinnoh, and the other three, well considering Ash already had the other three, it couldn’t be that hard to get them to evolve properly. Ash didn’t often think of resorting to violence, but Max was pushing his limits, and truthfully, had Max’s parents not arrived when they did he probably would have smacked him upside the head. Annoying as the kid was, it was obvious he was smart, and had a real passion for Pokemon, his problem was he had no real experience with them, meaning he didn’t know how different each different Pokemon was, or that they all had their own preferences. Max was young, and hadn’t realized that yet, which was why when May asked for her brother to Join them, Ash agreed. In his opinion, the best way to learn was to do.

Traveling through Hoenn was pretty much the same. Brock met up with them a bit earlier than planned, but that, Team Rocket’s annoying habits, and the usual world saving conundrums, were about it. Well, other than learning about contests. Contest Culture wasn’t very prominent in Kanto, and Johto was only just opening up a test Contest circuit of their own, so he had no experience with it. Learning alongside May out of curiosity was fun, and his Pokemon seemed to really enjoy it. Truthfully, deciding to commit himself to both the Battle Circuit and the Contest Circuit was something of a last minute thing. Originally he decided to test one out just to satiate his curiosity, but it was fun, a different kind of fun compared to normal battles, but fun all the same, and teaching his Pokemon to control their move outburst could really only lead to good things. May was understandably excited, she had never really been interested in battles, and Contests were so beautiful and fun, it allowed her to finally warm up to the idea of Pokemon, and made her realize she loved them, or at least, how much she could love her own Pokemon, wild Pokemon still scared her. Traveling beside a rival was even better, Ash and May pushed each other, a constant reminder, and encouragement to train and work even harder than they already did, and while there was a bit of playful teasing between the two of them when one won a ribbon over the other, it was nothing brutal or mean spirited.

Between contests, and battles however, Ash still kept up with his research, and even procured a Thunderstone for if any of his Eevee wanted to take that Evolution route. Maybe there didn’t seem like much to research, but actually there was. Everytime he came across another person with an Eevee or Eevee Evolution, he asked for an interview. He always had the same questions, about when and where they got their Eevee, was it evolved when they caught them, if they weren’t evolved were they planning to evolve in the future, how did they decide what to evolve into, what was their occupation, did their Pokemon help with said occupation, and other such questions. Most people were confused, but seeing as Ash had an entire team of Eevee and their evolutions, they didn't think much of it. All the interviews were kept anonymous, with each trainer being assigned a number, and Ash even signing a promise not to mention them by name should he ever publish said interview. Not to mention, documenting any wild Eevee, and Evolutions they came across. Brock was admittedly a bit worried about Ash getting burn out, and wasn’t against tying him down to rest a few times.

All that hard work paid off though, and after the usual year or so of traveling, not only did Ash have all the required badges, but also the five ribbons for the Grand Festival, as did May. The Grand Festival was a few months before the Hoenn League, so for the time being that was what Ash put all his energy towards. In the preliminaries, Ash chose to use Sylveon. Since they could only use one move, Ash thought it would be best to use Fairy Wind, it was beautiful, but also displayed the power and grace of Fairy Type Pokemon, not to mention it would show off the natural flow of Sylveon’s ribbons. But, the Preliminaries were only the beginning of the challenge, because once he passed, they were onto the main competition. For the Main Appeals Ash went with Espeon, their bond was special, and Espeon could even tell what Ash wanted her to do without him having to say anything, leading to a breathtaking, and mysterious display of trust and Psychic power. As for the Main Battles, Ash used Vaporeon and Flareon. The Main Battles were in double battle format, and Vaporeon and Flareon worked the best together, and had a fair amount of coverage with their type difference, Vaporeon could cover Flareon from Ground and Water Attacks, while Flareon could cover grass, and defend against Electric attacks. They put up a very valiant effort, both Pokemon battling together, offending and defending while racking up points against their opponents. And Ash was proud to say they did pretty well, getting within the Top 16 before being taken down by Drew. Ash didn’t mind the defeat, having faced his fair share already, he was able to recognise what they did manage to accomplish, and they were able to watch the rest of the competition, including May battling up into the Top 8. May was much less used to losing though, and took her defeat rather hard until her mother and Drew talked to her.

Following their showing at the Grand Festival, Ash buckled down for the Hoenn League, starting with the Elvolution of one of his Eevee. As it stood, Eevee(pink) had yet to show any interest in actually evolving, even though she seemed mildly interested in Leafeon, so Ash simply chalked it up to her not feeling ready yet, and left her alone. Eevee(green) on the other hand, seemed more than ready. From the beginning he had seemed interested in Jolteon, and given his already excessive energy reserves, that seemed to never run out unless Ash and May let him and Skitty run around like maniacs for an hour, Ash was a bit nervous about letting him evolve. On one hand, evolving might help with the excess of energy, on the other it might make it worse, and on another hand it might stay the same. Really, Ash had no idea what to expect, but he respected his Pokemon’s choices so, with a bit of reservation, Ash pulled out the Thunder Stone he bought previously, and leant down to present it to Eevee(green). Too excited to stand still, Eevee(green) all but tackled Ash, causing the stone to touch the Pokemon’s chest while also resulting in him evolving while standing on Ash’s chest. Soft brown fur gave way to spikey yellow fur, while plush tan chest melted into a white spiked collar, and his once poofy tail melded away completely, while excited brown eyes darkened to purple while meeting Ash’s startled gaze. Ash, a bit perturbed that all his Pokemon seemed to like evolving in his arms, stared in awe up at his new Jolteon, sputtering as Jolteon proceeded to lick his face in excitement, his whole back in wiggling like he was trying to wag.

With Jolteon, Ash’s team was starting to become more balanced. He had Water, Fire, Normal, Fairy, Psychic, and now Electric. There were some weaknesses obviously, such as having nothing to really cover against Ghost Type, other Fairy Types, but all around they were covered pretty well, and it showed as Ash made it into the Top 8 of the Hoenn Festival, meaning he moved up an entire 8 spots from his ranking in Johto.

Following Hoenn, Ash returned home. He wanted to share the good new with Umbreon. Umbreon excitedly met him at the door, her stomach a bit more round than he had remembered it. Regardless, he scooped her into his arms while letting everyone else out. For some reason, Espeon took one look at Umbreon, and tackled Houndoom to the ground. Ash watched, befuddled, as Espeon growled and hissed at the hellhound Pokemon, before he quickly got her off him. It wasn’t until at dinner, when he was recounting what happened, that he found out why. Umbreon was expecting. They hadn’t told because they wanted it to be a surprise, and the fact that Umbreon was going to clutch at all was a bit of a surprise. Houndoom and Umbreon were in the same egg group, but being different species and having different trainers meant the likelihood was low, but ignoring that, Ash was excited. He’d never dealt with a Pokemon egg before, excluding Togepi, and was looking forward to raising one. Well, if it was an Eevee. Since his father’s Pokemon was the other parent, they had a deal. If the egg was a Houndour, his father would care for it, and if it was an Eevee, Ash could care for it. Caught Pokemon weren’t as parental as wild Pokemon, wild Pokemon had a lower chance of survival so they tended to dote more on their clutches, in comparison caught Pokemon knew their clutches had a better chance at survival if their trainers incubated them, so while they played and cared for their clutches, they were also content to let the humans do all the work. Ash decided to stick around until she clutched, so he could take the egg, if it was his, on his journey with him. There was a small loophole in how many Pokemon one could carry, if a trainer was caring for a hatchling or baby Pokemon, they could carry up to seven until said Pokemon would be okay alone, and Ash planned to exploit that loophole just a little. Hey, it’s a possible baby Eevee, could you blame him?

In the time Ash stayed in Kanto he was already prepared for his next venture; the Battle Frontier. Brock was already staying with them, wanting to see first hand what it was like to see a newly clutched egg, and May and Max also happened to come by. May wanted to check out the Kanto contests, and wanted to visit before she set off, but since Ash was staying in Kanto for the Battle Frontier they decided to travel together, and Ash would be able to compete with her again. Soon after, Umbreon clutched a beautiful, healthy brown and tan egg, the tell tale signs of an Eevee egg, and after a few days of Ash making sure Umbreon was okay, and the egg was checked over and placed in an Incubator, the traveling quartet set off.

The Battle Frontier was different from the usual Gym Battles, but in a good way, they were more free spirited, artistic. It was also interesting to see how Kanto and Hoenn contests differed, the differences weren’t a lot, like in Kanto trainers could switch out Pokemon between Appeals and Battle, where in Hoenn they could only use the same Pokemon for both rounds. All in all the journey was normal, and fun, and May even got an Eevee egg of her own, and was really excited about it, a gift from her helping protect an Hatchery. It was fun for both May and Ash to raise their eggs together, sharing tips and such. May of course asked Ash as many questions as possible, wanting to rear her Eevee to be as strong as his were. It was a great bonding experience, even if their eggs hatched at different times. Ash’s egg was a little older than Mays, but only for about a week, so a week after Ash welcomed Eevee(gold) to the world, May welcomed her own. Both Eevee were male, as shown by the spiky patterns on their tail tips, but while May’s Eevee was cheerful and a bit of a mischief maker, Eevee(gold) was much more mellow, and somewhat skittish. Eevee(pink) got along very well with Eevee(gold), seeing as they were both on the more docile side, and Espeon, of course, happily tended to her ‘grandbaby’.

With all the excitement, research keeping, and having to battle Brandon twice before Ash conquered the Battle Frontier, Ash wasn’t able to get his final ribbon needed to compete in the Kanto Grand Festival. He was bummed, but was happy to cheer May on from the stands as she rose to the Top Four.

After the Grand Festival, it was time to say goodbye to May and Max for the time being. May was setting off on her own to Johto, while Ash made plans to head to Sinnoh. It was a bittersweet goodbye, as May’s Eevee and Eevee(gold) were very close, and very sad to say goodbye, and Ash and May had gotten extremely close in the time they traveled together, but nonetheless it was time to go. Of course, May promised that they would compete in another Contest sometime in the future, and Ash was determined to hold her to that.

===Sinnoh===

In the time it took Ash to concoure the Battle Frontier, his parents brought a bunch of Magnemite to the Lab. On top of helping with the electricity supply, they evolved in very curious ways, and his parents wanted to study it. However, the group of Magnemite weren’t easy to control, at least, they weren’t until Ash brought Jolteon out. As if driven by instinct, Jolteon easily rounded up the wild magnet Pokemon, keeping them in check with small yips and growls. Running after and herding the Magnemite also seemed to keep Jolteon focused, and helped him use up all his excess energy. So with a littlea lot of begging from his parents, and some excitement from Jolteon, it was agreed that Jolteon would stay at the lab to help them.

It worked out for everyone. The lab wasn’t driven crazy by Magnemite, Jolteon got to spend his energy with something he enjoyed, and a spot opened on Ash’s team so he could continue working with Eevee(gold). Umbreon and Houndoom were of course happy to see their hatchling, but Umbreon was also adamant her hatchling become just as good a battler as she was, so she trusted Ash with his care completely, and was excited to see what he accomplished going forward.

Like with most of his other journeys, Ash began his venture through Sinnoh by accidentally frying some poor girl’s bike, leading to said girl joining him and, eventually, Brock on their journey. Dawn was a positive, and determined young trainer with aspirations of being a coordinator, and to Ash’s surprise she knew exactly who he was. Apparently Dawn was something of a Contest Otaku, growing up with a Top Coordinator as a Mom was obviously an influence, but the girl really loved Contests, from Kanto, Hoenn, Johto, if there was a contest circuit she watched it. Ash had never given his contest rank any thought, he knew he was somewhat known in the battle scene, you don’t work explicitly with Eevee Evolution line and not get some acknowledgement, especially when you manage into the Top 8. As it stood, Ash had always assumed he wasn’t well known in the contest scene, not like May or Drew, or Distortion, even Harley, who were all well known, but apparently he was wrong. He had only participated in one Grand Festival, and a small handful of contests for another, but apparently the Contest community was very dedicated so even small-time Coordinators that only participated once or twice every now and then for fun had something of a following.

Sinnoh was the first time, unless you count Gary being an annoyance in Kanto, that Ash really had any rivals. Zoey was, for lack of a better word, complicated. She didn’t like Coordinators who weren’t serious about the sport, and she didn’t like people who were Gym Challengers and Coordinators simultaneously. Rude wasn’t exactly what he would call her, but she was definitely standoffish, regarding him with stiff shoulders and clipped words while criticizing him every time she saw him. As the year went on and Zoey came to realize that Ash did, in fact, take contests just as seriously as he took his Gym Battles, she slowly thawed, and even started regarding Ash more as a friend than an annoyance. Ash was pretty sure it had something to do with both himself, and Nando competing seriously. Ash for one was really happy that she came to view him as a friend, as when she got a Leafeon, he was able to interview her in great detail. Paul and Ash had a far less easy going rivalry, if you could call it that. Ash, for the first time in, possibly his life, could say for certain that he hated Paul. To say Paul was a rough, rude, brute of a guy was an understatement. He didn’t treat his Pokemon well, and Ash meant that, he wasn’t like Drew who was simply strict, Paul was down right brutal, barely hovering over the line of abuse, and even then Ash begged to differ that that was in fact what he did. To someone like Ash, who relied so much on love and understanding with his Pokemon, it drove him up the wall, and truthfully Ash was waiting for the day the guy would be dropped down a peg or two, or better yet ten.

Annoying rivals and plots of revenge aside, Sinnoh was shaping up to be pretty fun. Eevee(pink) eventually decided she was ready to evolve, and into a Leafeon no less. It took them a while to scope out the Moss Rock, but eventually they were able to track it down in the Eterna forest, nestled between the stalks of tall grass. She was still too scared to go towards the rock alone, so Ash of course had to carry her over to it, once again letting one of his beloved Pokemon to evolve in his arms. Spiky brown ears and floofy tail split like leaves as tan spread throughout her body, stopping only to leave her with brown paws as leaves sprung up from her thinned pelt, sprouting like sprigs across her paws, chest and forehead. As the glowing went down, Ash found himself staring into wide golden brown eyes, opposed to Eevee’s dark brown. Even as a Leafeon, she was still rather docile, cowering behind Ash when Dawn showed a bit too much enthusiasm over her evolution.

Leafeon’s evolution seemed to light a fire under Eevee(gold). While even more timid than Leafeon, the little Pokemon seemed more and more determined to pick out his Evolved form, even when Ash, and his other Pokemon, assured him he could take his time. But no matter what anyone told him, Eevee(gold) continued to ponder. It was still a while until Eevee(gold) got to evolve though, not until the Wallace Cup was announced and Ash got a very excited phone call from Johto.

May was coming to Sinnoh to compete in the Wallace Cup, and also to Evolve her Eevee into Glaceon. Since Eevee evolution was Ash’s passion, she invited him to join her in Snowpoint City, where the Ice Rock was, so he could see Eevee evolve, and Ash didn’t want to give miss out on the opportunity, so he quickly agreed, scheduling a flying taxi to get him to Snowpoint faster. Eevee(gold) was extra excited when he heard the news, he was extremely close with May’s Eevee after all, and missed his friend dearly. Hearing that his dear friend was going to evolve solidified even further that Eevee(gold) wanted to evolve too. Seeing as his friend was going to Evolve into Glaceon, and the fact that a Glaceon was all their family was missing, Eevee(gold) made the decision to Evolve into Glaceon too. He had adjusted the best to Sinnoh’s cold weather, and seeing the pretty, glittering snow in snowpoint just solidified his decision, even if he was very scared to touch the Ice Rock. The Ice Rock was a large ice crystal in the middle of a snowy cavern, it glittered and shone light all across the cavern despite only a little light being able to reach it. Ash, who knew the drill by now, picked the nervous Eevee up, and walked him forward with May’s Eevee beside him, and crouched before the stone. Eevee(gold) and Eevee made quick eye contact before they both set their paws on the sharp rock. Almost immediately, the Eevee in Ash’s arms felt cool to the touch, puffy fur melted away and turned pale blue as his fluffy tail gave shape to a diamond tipped, ribbon thin tail, and his spiky brown ears shifted to be vaguely diamond shapes, spots became visible down his back, and from his forehead sprouted a crystal like shape and two bang like ribbons. Both Glaceon looked proudly at their respective trainers, their dark blue eyes glowing with joy at their new forms.

Despite evolving, Glaceon didn’t get much braver. Ash knew Glaceon could never perform in the appeals round in a contest, and thrust didn’t try. The one time Ash had tried, when Glaceon was still an Eevee, he hadn’t stopped shivering through the whole performance, and Ash cut his performance short, losing his chance at the ribbon, so that Glaceon would be more comfortable. Ash didn’t mind that Glaceon didn’t like being in the appeals round, so he never sent him out, instead letting him watch from the stands with Brock. Glaceon liked battling well enough, being able to focus on his opponent distracted him from the audience. But even if Glaceon couldn’t battle at all, Ash wouldn’t have minded. Glaceon was a sweet little lad that was an expert cuddler, and Ash would have been content with that.

The Wallace Cup went well, which surprised Ash considering Dawn was really getting in her own head. Ash started his Appeals off with Vaporeon, showing off Acid Armour Haze simultaneously to allow Vapreon to vanish into the water before he sprung up out of the water, showing off his miraculous tail, only to then use Water Pulse on the pool below to spray the people on the bottom row closest to the Pool. When it was time for the battles, Ash was pleasantly surprised to be up against May. It had only been a few months since they had battled against each other, but it somehow felt much longer. Ash started the Battle with Leafeon, while May sent out Glaceon. What it risky to send out an Eevee Evolution against the guy who pretty much breathed the species, yes, but May wanted Ash to see how far they had come since they went their own ways. It was also a treat for the rest of the audience, to see the Eevee Evolution most common in the Sinnoh Region to battle against each other. May started off the battle with Ice Shard, causing sharp chunks of ice to rain down on Leafeon while Leafeon used Razor Leaf, using the sharp leaves to slice through the chunks of ice and cover Leafeon while he fired off a quick Sunny Day, making the sun above them even brighter, and warm the field up just slightly.Ash lost some points for allowing May to fire an attack, but May lost more of Ash being able to counter and fire off a second move. Simultaneously, Ash called for Leaf Blade while May called for Iron Tail, causing the two moves to clank against each other, and costing both sides a few points. A back and forth commenced, Ash had been battling longer than May, and May was still a tad uncertain about the battle style she was trying to perfect since parting ways with Ash, so while they looked even, Ash had a slight edge, even more so when taking into consideration that Ash knew all of Glaceon’s possible moves, making it harder for May to slip in to surprise him, even with Secret Power. But, May was just as stubborn as Ash and knew him pretty well, so while she didn’t know everything about Leafeon, she could at least prepare herself for the usual moves she predicted he would send. Match came to an end by all the time being used up, neither Pokemon looked winded, and in fact still looked raring to go, even as their heads snapped up to look at the points. It was hard to tell, but May won the match. Before time was called, Glaceon had Shadow Ball ready to go, costing Ash a few points at the last second. Ash and Leafeon shared a downtrodden sigh before giving eachother a quick smile. Leafeon padded over to him, and Ash met him with a warm head pat, assuring him they would win next time, before he hollered out a cheer to congratulate May on winning their match. While a bit bummed, Ash was also really excited to watch May, and Zoey, and then soon after May and Dawn battle. All three girls were phenomenal, and stubborn, but in the end Dawn came out on top.

Following the Wallace Cup, and saying their goodbyes to May, Ash, Brock, and Dawn went on their way. Ash and Dawn both needed to prepare for the next contests, and Ash also had to get ready for his next battles.

Before they even knew it, after many ups and downs in their journey, including but not limited to saving the world at least three times, thanks for that Arceus, the time came for the Grand Festival. Ash, and Dawn had managed to get all five ribbons they needed, and Ash was excited to enter the Grand Festival after being unable to in Kanto. Ash was expecting the Grand Festival to go on as usual, but that was before he was sickened by Ursula’s Appeals round. He didn’t so much care that Ursula had two Eevee, he would be gatekeeping if that were the case, and up to a point he even found the performance intriguing, at least up until she threw two evolutions into the air. Evolving during a battle was pretty common, and usually wasn’t dangerous so long as the Pokemon wasn’t interrupted. Everyone knew to give Pokemon a bit of space when they evolved, and to not touch or battle them until they’re completely evolved. When a Pokemon evolved everything changed, even simple evolutions were risky, on top of changed personality, a Pokemon’s power level, and complete form changed, it wasn’t uncommon, especially in Fire and Dragon Types to go off the rails after evolving due to the rudeness of the change, but even smaller and less versatile Pokemon were a risk. Evolution was touchy at the best of times, that was why Ash stood incredibly still every time his Pokemon evolved in his arms unless they moved first. But never had Ash heard of someone using evolution to show off, especially not in mid air while also performing a move! The moment those stones touched the two Eevee, Ash was holding his breath, hoping and praying they would be fine, he had been so focused he hadn't noticed Espeon or Sylveon, the Pokemon he intended for his own appeals round, looking worriedly up at him until Sylveon’s ribbons wrapped around his wrist and he felt a mental nudge from Espeon. With grit teeth, Ash gently rubbed his thumb over Sylveon’s ribbons while reaching out to scratch delicately under Espeon’s chin, his eyes still trained on the, now, Flareon and Vaproeon. Maybe it was because evolving had always been so sacred to Ash, it was a key point in his research, sure, but also because it showed how close his bond was to his Pokemon. Pokemon don’t often trust their trainers enough to evolve right in their arms, and while fun to joke about with his Pokemon, it was a privilege Ash had always treasured. Ursula returned to the back room looking rather smug, and even had the audacity to look to Ash, as if waiting for him to approach her. Actually, she probably was; it had become well known that Ash liked to Interview other Eevee trainers, and his fellow contestants had more or less prepared themselves, but Ursula unknowingly made a very big mistake, besides just putting her Pokemon in potential danger. Due to Ursula’s display while evolving her two Eevee, Ash couldn’t interview her, even if he wanted to. What she did was dangerous, and not something that should be documented, for fear of others trying to copy her. Even if he could, he wouldn’t, partially because he would never support the way she evolved her Pokemon, but more importantly, any chance of Urusla keeping her ambiguity was gone. Few, if any, people would dare purposefully evolve their Pokemon on stage, so all it would take was one internet search for someone to pinpoint who the interview belonged to should Ash ever decide to publish his research, it was a safety risk. Instead of humoring her, Ash looked at her with barely concealed disgust, and turned his head, leading Espeon and Sylveon to the stage where they were called for their own Appeals round. Ash was pleasantly surprised, and admittedly a bit smug, when Ursula’s name wasn’t on the bored of coordinators going forward*, and he made no move to hide it. With Urusla out of the Festival it continued without any more annoyances. Ash made it into the Top 6 before losing to Nando. Ash didn’t take his loss too hard, and instead joined Brock and Glaceon in the stands, cheering for Dawn as she eventually made it to the finals. Dawn and Zoey’s battle was amazing, it was kind of hard to keep track of the points due to all the twists and turns each side made, but in the end Zoey came out as the Top Coordinator.

Following the Gran Festival was the Sinnoh League, and Ash was proud of his accomplishments, making it into the Top 4 after doing something nobody else had managed to do. The man Ash lost to, Tobias, was playing a bit close to the rules, having both Darkrai, and a Latios, and in fact his win was a bit controversial because of it. Some people thought Tobias using two legendary Pokemon was a breach in the rules, while others didn’t see the problem so long as said Pokemon were caught ethically. Controversial wins aside, Ash was proud at what they accomplished, not only had they managed to take down Darkrai, courtesy of Glaceon’s Last resort, but thanks to Sylveon, they also defeated Latios, it was Tobias’ Houndoom, and Honchkrow that beat the remains of Ash’s team, who were all injured from battling Latios and Darkrai themselves.

===Unova===

When Ash decided to go to Unova, it wasn’t really to compete in the regional League, rather he had heard an interesting rumor. There was a rumor he had picked up before he returned to Kanto, about another trainer like Ash who also raised Eevee, and like him, had one of each, minus Sylveon, though he did have an Eevee in his stead. With a rumor like that, Ash couldn’t just sit around and not seek it out. Since Ash wasn’t going to Unova to battle, he was able to get a permit to take all eight of his Pokemon with him, with the stipulation that, should he take part in official battles, he would need to return two of his Pokemon back to Kanto. Ash had been traveling for almost five years, and a lot of that time he had been bustling between battles, contests, research, and saving the world, so he was going to take his time in Unova as a little vacation before he set out elsewhere.

Virgil was everything Ash had been told. He was older than Ash by a good 3 years, making him 18 years old, and like the rumors said, he did indeed have seven out of eight Eevee evolutions, plus a cheerful little Eevee who happily sat upon his shoulder. Virgil worked with his older brother and father, and was more or less some sort of ranger. Like Ash, he was a bit of a trouble maker who tended to rush into things, but he meant well, and always tried his hardest to help others.

Virgil’s interest in the Eevee line was different from Ash’s. Where Ash’s interest initially stemmed from scientific interest that lead to genuine love and curiosity, Virgil's original interest stemmed from a sense of duty. Virgil’s first Eevee evolved into Umbreon after the two of them got lost in the woods, and Virgil’s sense of duty led to devotion in the Pokemon line.

Like Ash, Virgil was delighted to find another Eevee enthusiast, and with the permission of his father and older brother, invited the younger boy to stay with them while he was staying in Unova. Ash was happy to sit the older boy down and interview him. Hearing about how each Pokemon evolved, in comparison to his own Pokemon, was fascinating, as was the difference in personality. Virgil’s Pokemon all seemed rather mellow, not skittish or withdrawn, just mild mannered, with the exception being Eevee, who was more outgoing and lovey towards Virgil. It was a stark contrast to Ash’s Pokemon who were all rather eccentric, from Glaceon being a bundle of nerves, to Umbreon being a sasspot, and Jolteon being speed incarnate.

The Pokemon also seemed rather curious about each other, with the exception of Ash’s Glaceon, who was perfectly happy hiding in Ash’s arms the whole time while Virgil’s Glaceon tried to to check him out, though not very successfully. The two Jolteon delightfully raced each other across the fields, jumping and yipping and rolling around like two peas in a pod. Ash’s Espeon, and Sylveon seemed content to sit with Virgil’s Umbreon, watching over the other Pokemon like a group of mothers gossiping at the park. Virgil’s Eevee took full advantage of the double Flareon and double Vapreon, playing some sort of ‘who’s who’ game, where she would close her eyes and guess which Pokemon were which, if she was wrong, one of the Vaporeon would give her a gentle splash in the face. The two Leafeon, as well as Virgil’s Espeon, seemed content to curl up under the trees, sleeping peacefully and ignoring the craziness around them. Some days Ash and Vrigil had leisurely 8v8 battles, sometimes just to see who had the ‘better’ evolution, but that was mostly played up for laughs rather than anything insulting.

With all his questions answered, the other Pokemon thoroughly studied, and Ash contemplated what to do next, up until Virgil mentioned his goal to compete in Unova’s version of the Pokemon League: the Vertress Conference, and asked if Ash wanted to join him. Ash was still content to play bystander during his time in Unova, but he didn’t see any problem joining Virgil’s journey, so he easily agreed, and not just because Davy and Jeff, Virgil’s brother and father, asked him to tag along to help keep Vrigil out of trouble.

Traveling through Unova was relaxing, Ash did the usual chore, like helping cook and the like, but it was nice to just exist and encourage Virgil for once. Ash still intended to compete in Gym Challenges after Unova, but he would be lying if he didn’t acknowledge how good relaxing felt every once and a while.

Ash’s journey through Unova ended a few days after Virgil won the Vertress Conference. Virgil would be sticking around to challenge the elite four, but seeing Virgil win the conference filled Ash with determination to battle again himself. So, after a cheerful goodbye filled with best wishes, and promises to meet and battle each other again in the future, Ash departed back to Kanto, filled with excitement for the next leg of his journey.

===Kalos===(Espeon, Sylveon, Flareon, Leafeon, Vaproeon, Glaceon |Jolteon, Umbreon)

To say Ash’s parents were happy to have Jolteon back was an understatement. Apparently the Magenemite were no calmer with the Jolteon gone. Houndoom was much the same, peppering Umbreon with soft licks before all but curling around her so Ash couldn’t ‘steal’ her away from him again.

After resting for a few days and preparing for the next leg of his journey, Ash said goodbye to his parents and Pokemon, and set off to Kalos. Kalos was a very peaceful Region, teeming with people and Pokemon on every street in a way that Ash had never seen before. Ash was bummed that the region didn’t have contests, and that the closest thing to a contest was gender specific, but otherwise he thought the region was amazing.

Already, Ash had acquired three traveling companions; Clemont, a boy in similar age as Ash who seemed to breath inventions, Bonnie, Clemont’s eight year old sister and Pokemon enthusiast, and Serena, a girl his age that had unrealistic expectations for their ‘relationship’, something Ash planned to chip away at in time. Bonnie adored all of Ash’s Pokemon, and for the most part his Pokemon were fine with her, with the exceptions being Sylveon and Glaceon, who preferred to be far away from her grabby hands, while Flareon seemed to absolutely love the girl’s pampering attention. Clemont was mostly neutral, simply marveling at Ash’s team, impressed by each and every one of them. Serena seemed mildly disappointed, like she expected Ash’s team to consist of something else, luckily, for her sake, that mindset didn’t last long, and she soon adjusted to his team.

As time went on Serena found herself with an Eevee of her own. Serena’s Eevee was similar to Glaceon, being a shivering little thing that was shivery at best, and down right panicky at worst. It was of little surprise that Glaceon and Eevee got along well because of that, with the inclusion of Leafeon, who was also rather docile, and Espeon, who tended to dote on the younger Pokemon. All in all it was pretty cute. Serena wasted no time clamoring to Ash’s for advice in regards to her new Pokemon, and while Ash was happy to help, explaining each evolution, and what to feed Eevee, he was also a bit hesitant to answer all her questions, simply because many of them were weird or the same question posed various ways. Still, he helped her, at the very least for her Eevee’s sake.

Ash had a lot of fun battling Valerie, sending out Flareon and his Sylveon to battle her Spritzee and her own Sylveon. Had it not been for Ash’s Pokemon still wearing their designated handkerchiefs even after evolving, the referee and onlookers would have had a hard time distinguishing Sylveon v Sylveon. Valerie and Ash of course knew who was who regardless, but the blue handkerchief wrapped around Sylveon’s neck was a big help to the poor ref, who had to deal with their antics. Poor girl never had a chance. Neither did Valerie actually. The battle started off with Ash’s Sylveon v Spritzee, Spritzee was swift in the sky, but Sylveon’s ribbons made it near impossible for the little bird to escape. The Sylveon v Sylveon battle was a toss up, both Sylveon were strong, but Valerie’s just had a bit more energy in the end, leading to Ash sending out Flareon, who easily took down the ribboned Fairy Type.

When Serena’s Eevee eventually evolves into a Sylveon of her own, Ash couldn’t be more excited for her, and hopeful that her questions would stop. Evolving seemed to really help Eevee with her confidence, and while still a bit skittish, she was a bit more sure of herself. But that didn’t stop Serena from begging Ash for his input. At least Ash could conduct another interview for some more data.

Following the Master Class, in which Serena got runner up, was the Kalos League. Kalos trainers didn’t play, and each Battle was filled with blinding determination. Admittedly, Ash was a bit nervous. Mega Evolution, while not common, had become better known since the start of the season, and it seemed like all the already heavy hitters had acquired stones of their own. It wasn’t enough to make Ash turn tail, but it was enough to ensure Ash and his team were careful and prepared for anything. By some stroke of luck, Ash and his Pokemon managed to bite and claw their way into the Top 2, missing out on becoming the Kalos League Champion by only a few seconds, Regardless, he was proud of how far they came, from only being in the Top 20 in Kanto, to ending up in the Top 2 in Kalos.

===Galar===

Ash grinned as Espeon purred, watching as their challenger deflated and his rank in the world cup went up. Galar was interesting, originally Ash had intended to just compete in the Gym Challenge, a recommendation letter written for him by Professor Oak, but then the World Cup was announced and Ash’s plans were put on hold so he could compete. Ash ran his calloused hands through Espeon’s cheek tufts, adding a nice scratch behind her ears until his Rotom Phone went off.

Carefully, Ash answered the phone, biting back a laugh as he saw half his dads face in the camera. Ash could see the exact moment his father realized Ash had the Phone on, because he grinned. “Hey son, how's the World Cup going?”

“Pretty good, I just went up a rank.” Ash said proudly.

“Fantastic!” Cole grinned, seeming a bit distracted. “Say, how would you feel about taking on a very special Eevee?”

Narrowing his eyes in thought, the 17 year old cocked his head. “Special how?” he asked, and Espeon chirped in agreement.

“This Eevee, Ash, she can’t Evolve! At all!” Cole sounded absolutely giddy.

Ash’s eyes widened, lighting with a curious spark. “Tell me more!”