Hey guys, StartersoverLegends here with something a little different. Rather than my usual Advanceshipping story, I've decided to give Altoshipping a shot. Regardless of the difference from my usual shipping, I hope you all enjoy it. Any and all reviews are appreciated, so please leave some input if you feel up to it!

-StartersoverLegends

Chapter 1:

"Well here we are, Pikachu."

"Pika."

"You ready buddy?"

"Pika, Pi!"

With a smile a teenager with messy black hair scratched his loyal partner, Pikachu, under its chin before walking into view of his hometown. As he stepped out from the shade of the woods into the generous sunlight that shone down upon the small town, his features became better distinguished. He sported a slightly battered red cap over his unruly hair, though it still poked out in every direction regardless. He also wore a blue jacket over a plain black tee shirt, along with blue jeans and sneakers. His face had changed a bit since he had last come home to the town of Pallet- he was much older now, after all. But he still wore the same determined smile as he did the first day he left on his journey. He had returned to visit several times since, usually after exploring a new region. In this case, he was returning from his travels to Sinnoh.

His chestnut-colored eyes quickly adjusted to the new light level, allowing his hometown to come into focus. From his position he could see almost all of it- although to most people it wouldn't seem like much of a town at all. A lot of it was made up of quaint houses and yards, along with a few Miltank pastures and windmills. But to Ash Ketchum this place was as good as anywhere else. It was his childhood, his home at heart.

Ash stopped to take a long breath of the fresh air with Pikachu perched contently on his shoulder. After savoring the familiar smell of the place, he straightened the green gloves on his hands.

"Looks like Pallet Town hasn't changed much, huh Pikachu?" He asked the Electric Mouse pokemon on his shoulder with a grin.

"Pikachu," The pokemon agreed with a similar look of happiness at finally being home.

Ash turned back to the sight before him, thoughts of seeing his family again now fresh in mind. And although his only biological member from the town was his mom, Delia, there were many others that he considered to be family as well. Professor Oak and Tracy for example, were as close to family as Ash ever knew. Suddenly the excitement of seeing everyone again was too great for the energetic boy, as he turned to speak to Pikachu once more.

"Come on, we don't want to keep Mom waiting any more do we?" Ash asked.

"Pika!" The yellow mouse replied in the affirmative as it jumped down from his shoulder to run with him.

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Ash exclaimed as he started to run down the dirt path into the town. "I can already smell Mom's cooking!"

The duo sprinted past houses and fence lines, giving short greetings whenever someone called out to Ash. Pallet Town being as small as it is, just about everyone knew one another. Especially in the case of Ash Ketchum, who had received by some the title of 'The Pride of Pallet Town' by his many great and heroic adventures.

Before long Ash's old house came into view, prompting both him and Pikachu to increase their speed even more. It was a property like countless others in the town, made up of a medium-sized white house and a fenced in front yard. The only difference here was the large collection of potted plants out front- a result of Delia's love of gardening. Turning on a dime, Ash raced into the front yard with Pikachu bounding by his side.

"Mom, we're back!" Ash shouted happily as he threw open the front door, him and Pikachu both panting as a result of their running. But despite his greeting, there was no reply. The house was strangely quiet and void of Delia or Mr. Mime's seemingly endless housework.

"Mom?" Ash repeated, closing the door and placing his trainer's bag on the couch next to him. Again, there was no reply. "Hm... Hey Pikachu, where do you think-"

"SURPRISE!"

The sudden outburst had caught both him and Pikachu off-guard. Ash nearly fell over out of shock, while Pikachu had barely refrained from firing a Thunderbolt at the sound. Good thing he didn't too, as the source of the commotion became clear to Ash.

In the kitchen, three familiar people and a Mr. Mime had jumped up from behind the counter as to welcome the trainer back. Ash gave a large grin, never so happy to see them.

"Oh Ash, it's so great to see you!" Delia greeted as she quickly crossed over and engulfed her son in a tight hug.

"Thanks mom, it's great to see you too!" Ash replied, hugging her back.

"Ash! How are you m'boy?" Professor Oak asked kindly as he and Tracy also walked over to him.

"Good Professor! And you?" Ash asked as he and Delia parted.

"Not bad, I'm glad that you made it back to Kanto safely."

"Thanks, it's a long way from Sinnoh but everything went smoothly."

"Speaking of Sinnoh, I can't wait to hear about your adventures." Oak said with a wink.

"Hey Ash," Tracey said with a smile, "Where's Brock?"

"Oh, he went back to Pewter City to visit his family." Ash answered, a little disappointed that his longtime friend couldn't be here with him. Still, he knew that they would see each other again soon enough.

"Well," Delia started as she looked out the window to judge the time, "I say we all catch up over dinner. How does that sound?"

Naturally, there was unanimous agreement toward one of Delia's meals. With a smile, she took Mr. Mime into the kitchen to cook while the guys talked and watched TV. Tracey showed Ash some of his recent sketches, the most interesting being a picture of what he thought the mythical Pokemon Mew looked like. Having already met the pokemon, Ash looked it over and gave Tracey some notes on Mew's form. Quickly the artist got to work making changes to the image, his tongue sticking out as he worked feverishly. Meanwhile, Professor Oak only shook his head in amazement at how many rare pokemon seemed to cross Ash's path.

Before long the food was done and the three (along with Pikachu) quickly made their way to the kitchen table. Of course, Delia told them all they had to wash up first. By the time they sat to eat the sun was setting, its orange light giving the sky an artistic quality. Normally Tracey would have been quick to sketch the sight, but tonight was a special occasion. They all sat happily at the table, each greatly enjoying the fantastic homemade meal.

"So Ash," The professor started after a few moments of silence as they ate, "How was the Sinnoh region for you?"

"It was great Professor!" Ash replied, "There are all kinds of different pokemon there."

"Was it just you, Brock, and Pikachu traveling?" The Professor again inquired.

"No, actually I met this girl named Dawn there. She traveled with us, and turned out to be a fantastic coordinator."

Delia perked up at the mention of a girl.

"Dawn huh?" She asked, "Were you two very close?"

"Sure," Ash answered before taking another bite, not getting the meaning behind the question. Delia shot him a sideways smile.

"So my Ash has got himself a girlfriend!" She said excitedly, "Oh, my little Ashy is becoming a man!"

At hearing this statement, Ash nearly choked on the food in his mouth. As the Professor patted the coughing boy on the back to assist, Delia was going on with delight in her eyes.

"Oh, I'm sure she's just a wonderful girl! What does she look like? I can't wait to meet her, I'll have to go dig up your baby pictures and-"

"Mom!" Ash exclaimed once he had stopped choking, his cheeks bright red from embarrassment. "Dawn is just a good friend, it's not like… That." Delia's face suddenly turned to disappointment.

"Oh Ash, when are you going to find a girl that you're interested in?" She asked while counting the names on her fingers "There has already been Misty, May, and now Dawn."

"Now Delia," The Professor spoke in Ash's defense, "In time I'm sure that Ash will find a girl. But for now, I believe that he is more interested in traveling and pokemon than relationships. After all, he is still just a young man."

"I suppose you're right." Delia agreed with a weak smile. Ash let out an audible sigh of relief at this, some of the red fading from his face.

The remainder of the meal was spent with Ash telling the group of his many adventures while he was away. All three seemed very interested in his travels, while Oak seemed to ask the most questions. Pikachu was also helping Ash explain by sharing in his excitement and acting out certain situations, while Mr. Mime had long since finished its meal and was now taking dirty dishes over to the sink to be washed. After everyone had finished eating, Tracey and the Professor stood and thanked Delia for the great home cooked meal. By this time it was well past dark, and both had a lot to do at the lab the next day. Given the circumstances, each thanked Delia again for the meal before saying their goodbyes and departing into the night. After they left, Delia instantly started to clean the kitchen.

"Ash, could you please bring me the rest of the dishes from the table?" She asked from the sink, where she was cleaning what had been placed there earlier by Mr. Mime.

"Sure," Ash said happily as he got up and gathered everything, before walking over and placing it in the kitchen sink. Suddenly he let out a large yawn, still tired from his trip back to Pallet. Delia smiled at her son.

"Tired sweetheart?"

Ash nodded and scratched the back of his head sheepishly, getting a giggle from his mother.

"Looks like you're not alone. Why not take Pikachu up to your room and get some rest?" She asked kindly.

"That sounds great Mom," He replied with a smile, "You sure you don't want help with cleaning up before I go?"

"I'll take care of it sweetie, thank you."

Ash said goodnight before turning to see Pikachu out cold on the couch. It was sprawled out on its back, ears occasionally twitching as it snored lightly. With a smile Ash lifted Pikachu into his arms and made his way up the stairs. From there he turned right toward his bedroom, which still had pokemon stickers plastered on the door from all of those years ago.

Ash grinned as he opened the door and walked inside. To his delight Delia had taken good care of his room, leaving it looking like the day he left. His pokemon toys and posters still remained in their respective places… Though there was one difference. Quietly he crossed to his bed and set the still-snoozing Pikachu down, then turned to his dresser. Sitting atop the wooden surface was a piece of high-grade paper, rolled up almost like a scroll.

Carefully Ash picked the paper up and unrolled it. Even though the room light was off, the moonlight shining through his blinds allowed for just enough to study the item. However, the image was already etched into his mind. Still he felt himself smile at the sight. It was a hand drawn picture of him from when he visited Alto Mare, with a smile on his face and Pikachu on his shoulder. The work was great, almost as though he was looking at a photograph. Even now, he wasn't completely sure who drew it- though he decided long ago that it was Bianca's work. The Alto Mare native always seemed to be busy with some art project, but he was certain that she wasn't the one who actually gave him the picture.

Slowly he ran his thumb over the surface of the paper. The moment that he was given the gift suddenly flashed through his mind, causing several familiar emotions to roll over the young man. Surprise at seeing Latias- who had been in the form of Bianca- running after the boat that he was in. Curiosity at her handing him the paper unexpectedly. Then… She had kissed him. It was his first kiss by a girl, and it was unlike anything he had ever experienced. The moment seemed to last exceptionally long as the two stood on the docks of Alto Mare, the reflective surface of the water backlighting them. Recalling the feel of her soft lips against his skin, Ash unconsciously brought a hand to the spot that they connected and rubbed it. Even if the kiss was from a pokemon, it was something that stuck in the trainer's mind no matter where he was. But even so, he couldn't quite decide how he felt about it. It was a new feeling, something foreign to his usual emotions. But what was it?

Deciding that sleep was a larger priority at the moment, Ash changed into a fresh tee shirt and boxers before crawling into bed beside Pikachu. He would have to think Delia for putting his picture away like he had requested. Shortly after he had left Alto Mare he sent her the portrait for safe keeping- and his mom had done an excellent job at doing so.

Slowly Ash let his mind wander to different subjects, like his attempt at the Sinnoh Pokemon League. He had fought well against the Elite Four, but to his disappointment was defeated before he could reach Cynthia, the champion. At first he had been upset, but had quickly moved on with the support of his friends. Now he was more determined if anything to train hard and someday conquer the League. With that in mind it wasn't long before the teen dozed to sleep, his dreams taking form from the darkness.