Crimson/Red

A/N- Ok...this story has been nagging and nagging at me for weeks...My brother showed me the comic of Pokemon and I loved it! Then I started to think...what if Red lost the battle between him and Giovanni? How would his life in team Rocket be like? Then soon enough...the anime I watched when I was five got mixed into it! So this story came out of the thought process... yeah.

Chpt. 1

His blood painted palms quaked against the ground. Misty eyes met smirking ones filled with deceit but he still forced a smile out of the pain and sorrow, it wasn't over yet in his mind.

"Clean your self up kid..." the voice mocked throwing a towel to him, "You work for me now...."

"So I do...." Red replied unquestioningly still smiling at the edge of consciousness now, "So I do...."

...... 5 years later, Palet town....

"Ash! Ash! Ash!" a nagging voice screamed through the pillow's surface echoing through the boy's brain.

"MOM!" he growled turning over to face the opposite direction of the nagging voice, "I'm trying to sleep!"

"Fine! Be late!" She acclaimed storming out of the room, then it hit Ash....today was the day! With a yelp of surprise he jumped from his bed, smelled a pair of clothes then threw them, his eyes hit the clock and he cursed softly and simply threw on a pair of shoes hurrying out the door.

A crowd of cheering people awaited him arriving at the lab, he shoved his way to the front effortlessly.

"My, My doesn't Gary look just like his big brother Blue?"

"Yeah...and I'm betting he'll be just as great! Blue's only second to Red!"

Ash scowled, he was sick and tired of hearing how great that no account Gary was going to be! Honestly he did respect Blue, but Blue was second best to his cousin! That alone gave him the right to say he was going to be better. Up ahead he could see Gary running his mouth, his fist tightened.

"Cool it..." a calm voice replied grasping the fist, Ash looked over and scowled seeing the great Blue himself standing before him.

"Blue!"

"Cool it..." he repeated his grasp closing tighter around the fist, "I'd like to knock that idiot out as much as you..Maybe more...but you have something to do right?"

A puff of air shot from Ash's mouth at the truth of the words and quickly shot forward with no luck of avoiding Gary's hawk like eyes. Their eyes met, no surprise in them, a simple pride filled glare shot together, sparks of electricity holding their eyes together.

"Well if it isn't Ass!" he spat the hold on their eyes gone as he began to laugh, his drone like cheerleaders following his lead.

"My name is Ash!" he barked, hands tightening, too quickly forgetting Blue's advise, "And I'm 1000x better then you!"

"Yeah,I don't think so! If you haven't noticed, the people came here to see me! Cause they know I'll be great cause it's in my blood!"

"Yeah...well it's in mine too!"

"Don't start that again...everyone in this town knows Red was too damn cool to be a Ketcham!" the crowd all began to grumble at once 'not this again'. Red was the last champion to come out of Palet, so it was only natural for all the new trainers to say they were related to him, but Ash took it a step ahead of the rest, he tried to be him.

"Ok...so he's not exactly a close cousin...he's a second cousin..." he paused for a second his cheeks burning red, as the people stared at him and he finally mumbled quickly, "Twice removed..."

"More like completely removed! There's no way you have a single drop of his blood in you!" Gary spat the crowd now beginning to leave, knowing Gary and Ash this could last awhile and it was never pretty. Ash's fist shot at Gary's still smiling face, but his fist was firmly caught.

"Stop acting like children!" Blue barked, throwing Ash's arm and glaring at Gary now, "So you want to be better than me? Well here's one thing you could do...stop acting like you're above everything you see! Ash stop picking fights before being sure you're going to come out the victor! Do I make myself clear?"

Both grumbled something inaudible, but Blue figured they got the point even if it took awhile to get through their skulls. Rolling his eyes he finally grumbled, "You're helpless...the both of you..."

With his hands in his pockets he walked off only glancing back to Ash to say, "What are you waiting for? You're late as it is..."

With one final glare to Gary, Ash walked into the lab, pretending not to here Gary say, "Is he wearing his PJs?"

Professor Oak was famous around the land for bringing out famous trainers that were sure to be legends, especially those in his own family. As custom, anyone wishing to be a trainer in this town came to see him on a certain time of the year set around the time all the future trainers were around ten or older, but this year he had four trainers coming out of his town, it seemed the number got bigger every year, yet the only note worthy trainers from Palet came out of the town five years ago! He truly hoped this year's batch would make it, particularly his grandson and his rival (who was late as usual and missed out on the three strongest pokemon he had in his stalk!).

"Professor! Professor! I'm here---" Oak rolled his eyes and guessed now was better than never.

"Ash! Where have you been? What part of seven exactly didn't you get?" his eyes now fully on the boy who just rushed in.

He began to say something, but Oak quickly cut him off, "Never mind! You missed your chance to hear what his expected of you as a trainer, so I'll just tell you briefly, you need to be able to grow and learn from your pokemon like they will do with you---"

"Yeah I know that much!" Ash acclaimed his hands waving to shut the old man up, "I need to know what kind of pokemon I'll get though! I want a charmander!"

"You missed your chance on the starters...but I do have something for you...." he said with a small smile. Excitement filled in Ash's eyes, but faded as soon as he stared at what the professor was talking about.

A small yellow adorable rat was now staring him in the face, the exact opposite of what he expected to get, "Are you sure this thing can fight?" he acclaimed grabbing the rat and shaking it up and down, anger shooting across its face.

"His name is Pikachu..." the professor began, Ash staring hypocritically at the small animal staring angrily back at him, tilting his head he poked the animal's nose down, hitting its last strand of patience as it sent electricity flooding through Ashes being toppling him to the floor, "And he's an electric type...."

"Daaaaaaaah!" he acclaimed smoke flowing from his open mouth, his body twitching.

"What?" An angery voice screamed his voice flooding through the halls like a tidal wave striking an unexpecting island, making his guards outside the door flinch and sweat rain from their bodies. The only calmness outside the door was a young boy plopped nonchalantly against the wall dressed in the common black Team Rocket uniform with a white scarve flowing down to his midsection on both sides of his body and a red hat turned backward upon his head, his pure black hair sticking out of it. His face was that of a child but wisdom of an elder was surely there, his eyes were closed and pointing to the ground with his arms crossed around his chest, a Raichu at his side. He was no ordinary member in the gang that was the only reason he wasn't concerned, he was second in command.

"You have one last chance! You better not Screw it up!" the boss screamed into the phone slamming it down into the receiver with an echoing slam through the hall, he slumped down angrily running his hands through the persian's main quickly.

"Anger early today, aren't we?" the mocking voice of the boy chided stepping from the shadows of the door way, the persian growling at him and the boy's Raichu growling back at him from the side of his master.

"Good, your here...." he said calming instantly the Pokemons' growling ceased, but they continued to glare, "I have a job for you...."

The boy raised his eye brow in question, but fought against asking he was about to get his answer, "I want you to help some morons to stop putting our name in vein..."

He nodded curtly and took a step to the door but was called back, "By the way, Red, If worse comes to worse..."

Giovanni threw a gun to Red and again before he could ask, he got his answer as Giovanni slid to fingers across his throat, finally making Red nervous.

-tbc