A/N: Before we get started, allow me give you an introduction to the entire project. This is a large scale project where I attempt to take elements and ideas from each of the universes and throw them all together to make an adventure of the lifetime set in its own universe. Ash will be merged with Red, Leaf with Green/Blue, and Gary with Blue/Green, and so on and so forth. You can pretty much tell which characters came from which universe. All main characters' personalities are going to be slightly altered to fit the scope and nature of the plot. There are also going to be new elements added to this work not seen previously in any of the universes. This is an attempt to make Pokémon more in tune with the real world. This work is the Kanto Arc of the project; there are five planned arcs (for each generation). Parings: Ash x Leaf, Ash x Misty, or Ash x Amber (Yellow)

WARNING: Moments of strong language and suggestive themes

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Pokemon, Nintendo, or any party that falls in between. This is purely a fan-based work and no monetary gains are expected.

Also, please do not hesitate to PM me if you get confused along the way; I will try to make this experience as straight-forward as possible.

I have released a wiki for this story. It can be found in my profile under the "Links" section.

Chapter 1: Prologue

June 1st, 1997 – 5:00pm

Pallet Town: a small, quaint community nestled upon the western peninsula of Gulf of Kanto. Its warm, salty air gives way to the sweet smell of fresh fruits at the local vineyard. The seawater laps calmly upon the shore where many shelder have taken to basking in the afternoon sun. Small communities dot the rolling hills surrounding the town's humble center, with a windmill perched upon the tallest hill just outside of town. The main highway that connects Pallet Town with the neighboring Viridian City and Pewter City winds around the hills and cliffs. It is here we find two men driving down the Viridian Highway in a white BMW M5 back home to their families for the summer.

"Ahhh…it's going to be great to be back in town, Matt," the shorter of the two men started as he let go of the steering wheel, stretching his arms in the process, "can't wait to sit back and relax at this party!"

"Yeah, Will," Matt replied taking a nice whiff of the fresh Pallet air while the windows were rolled down and staring his brown, spiky hair in the side mirror's reflection, "I haven't seen them in a while; it just makes me miss them more. Just need to find a chair, grab me a beer, and just chill out on the beach."

"Amen to that, dude" Will nodded in agreement as they both saw the community nestled between the hills slowly come to view. They entered the town at the freeway's end to the northwest where it immediately gave way to modest storefronts and apartment housing along the main drag. They soon passed by Central Square where they see a statue of the Legendary Bird Trio surrounded by a platoon of dancing water fountains. They then turned onto the main southern road that led them to the beachfront area not too far from their neighborhood.

The car slowly crawled to a stop as they reached the beach front area. The sun was now lower in the sky and started to give off an orange hue. From the bluff facing the sea, picnic table can be found perched upon the white sand with piles and piles of food placed upon it. Directly next to it, man in glasses and a woman can be found grilling the food. Will and Matt took off their blazers and ties and made their way down towards the group of people they have come to know as their family and friends. "Hey guys!" they both yelled and wave their arms in the air, "we're home!"

Immediately, all of the heads of the group turned towards the direction of the seawall. There stood two men they all have been dying to see for 9 months out of the year. The three children dropped their things and rushed towards their fathers. One small brunette simply dropped her toys and pokemon and rushed towards the one who is her uncle. All four of their eyes beamed up as they drew in for a somewhat coordinated hug attack. "Daddy!" the three cried, "I missed you!"

"We missed you guys, too" Matt laughed returning the bear hug, "Hey there, little Leaf! How's my favorite niece doing?" 'Oh yeah, it's June 1st' "It's your birthday today, isn't it?"

Leaf looked up at him with sparking eyes. She cupped her hands and straightened them down to her front. "Yah! I'm turning 5!" she cooed, her eyes sparking.

"Oh really?" Matt began, an evil grin slowly forming on his face, "Can you count to 5?"

Leaf looked at him with a tilted head. She held out her hand and was trying her hardest to remember the numeric sequence. Her face turned a shade of purple as she struggled to remember anything from preschool. Of course that's when she came up with a brilliant idea. If she got her uncle to help, she wouldn't have to remember. "Hey Uncle Matt, can you help me count to 5?"

"Sure! Here, hold up your hands in a fist like me. Okay now stick each finger up like this whenever I say a number! Okay one…two…three…four…five!"

"Yea!" Leaf clapped excitedly. All four of them made their way back to the beach to play with each other's pokemon. The boy with jet black hair, or known as Ash Ketchum, owned a pikachu. A boy with brown hair, or Gary Oak, is around many pokemon belonging to his grandfather, but today he has a charmander out with him. An older, taller girl, presumably Gary's 12 year old sister Daisy, has her clefairy with her. And then there's Leaf, the third of the trio of youngsters who brought her jigglypuff out to play. Meanwhile, the two men made their way over to their wives, complete with a hug and kiss. They were reunited again for the next 3 months until they would have to return to their jobs. Delia started talking to her husband, "So Will, are things still quiet up there?"

"Eh, it wasn't that busy. Little start-ups here and there, but nothing we couldn't handle. But there's always a chance that Team Rocket may start trouble again…" Will recounted as he went on his usual talking self.

"Yeah, things were quiet in my office as well. There just aren't that many things going on nowadays," Matt added in.

"Well Matt," Nora began, "at least no one got hurt! Haha…"

"Yeah, but knock on wood. I might get a call tomorrow. Haha…"

A male voice behind the grill beside the picnic table called out to the group. "Burgers are ready!"

Will's mouth instantly began to water as he ran towards the grill. Ash heard the exact same call and reacted the exact same way. Delia could only muster a sigh and shake her head. 'Like father, like son'. Matt and Nora went to grab their children to go eat. Their grandfather lounged in his usual lawn chair with his cup of tea napping until he heard the call, awakening him from his blissful slumber. "Hmm? I suppose dinner's ready," he simply said as he made his way over. To the town and the world, he is known as the famous Dr. Samuel Oak, or Professor Oak for short. A former League champion, he dedicated his life for the better advancement of humans and pokemon alike so that they could co-exist peacefully. His job is to search and recognize new pokemon as well as study the feeding habits of them.

Now turning to the well-groomed man in glasses with a spatula, the line formed in front of him. A not as tall woman with a bob-style haircut assisted him with the serving of foods. "Ken…careful with patties! You'll drop 'em if you keep throwing them like that on to the plate!"

"Don't worry! I'll set 'em down right here on the table so everyone can get them and the buns as well as the condiments." Now, Kenneth was the only one of the group who stayed in Pallet Town for his career (although he technically works in Viridian City and makes the 17 mile commute every day). He is the "highest paid nerd" in the company. Today, though, he plays the cook for the barbecue alongside his wife, Miranda.

All 11 people sat down with their plates full of endless burgers, salads, mashed potatoes, and corn. They happily munched away. "Wow, Ken!" Delia exclaimed, "these are really good! You should cook more!"

"Nahhh! I'll leave that to you and my wife since you two run the Pallet House. I'm pretty sure this was a fluke of its own. Hahaaa…"

"I'm not gonna lie, though" Matt countered, "even though my sister runs the Pallet House, I do prefer the extra amount of grease and juices from this." This remark earned him a glare from both Delia and Miranda. Matt immediately recoiled and hid behind Will. Will, being the shorter and slightly bulkier of the two looked at him with unbelieving eyes.

"Really, dude. Trying to sacrifice your best friend to the beasts? How incredibly nice of you" Will sarcastically remarked as he stuck his tongue out.

"Hehe, that's what best friends are for, hehe. We always got each other's backs, right"

"Yes, but the difference here is that you are actually using my back…"

As dinner progressed, the sun began to creep nearer to the surface of the water giving off a deep orange glow to the skies above. The children kept playing in the sand without the slightest of care of their surroundings. The adults continued the adamant small talk on life with Matt ever so often ducking behind Will. But there was one figure that stood alone at the edge of the water, pondering life and its meaning.

'I wonder where I'm really going with this research. I can't keep searching for new pokemon forever and ever. There has to be a way for me to continue…' Professor Oak mused as he gazes towards the setting sun. Matt catches him over by the water's edge and slowly makes his way over. "Hey, Dad," Matt slowly began, "something on your mind?"

"Nothing much, my son, I'm just wondering what the future will be like and what it will bring. Will it be prosperous? Or will it descend into darkness? Only time will tell. Change is always around us and there is nothing we can do to stop it. I believe great change is on the horizon. Whether it will be good or bad is anyone's guess. I guess that's what is making me uneasy. "

"Don't worry, Dad. I'm sure everything will work itself out in the end, right?" They both look off into the horizon as the sun slips beneath the ocean to bring the Pokemon World into nightfall.

-An Unknown Location-

A lone figure sat in her leather chair behind a large wooden desk. There was a clean stack of files and papers to the right of her and a desk lamp to the left. Even though the lamp lit up the desktop, her face was still cast in shadow. Her left leg was draped over her right as she cupped her hands around her knees. The room was dead silent as her assistant stood beside her, ready for orders. She took her right hand and pushed it against her forehead and began to sigh. She was contemplating something. "Jasmine, please bring my brat of a son into my office."

"Yes, Madame." She quickly ran off into the darkness to fetch a man in a dark suit sitting in another office reviewing reports on a very rare pokemon that no one has ever seen. "Giovanni, sir," Jasmine called from the door, "your mother wants to see you in her office." He slowly let out a grunt and started off down the long, dark corridor. 'What does the woman want this time? It's bad enough she treats me like shit.'

He found himself in front of a set of large double doors with a dim light emitting through the center crack. 'Oh hell,' Giovanni thought as he made his way in. A firm, menacing posture gave away the malice he held for the woman behind the desk. The woman, whose lips where only shown from the silhouette, replied with the same menacing glare. "Sit down, boy," the woman began, "we have much to discuss about the future of this organization…starting with a proposition I am about to offer you." It was then Giovanni's ears perked up. "…I'm listening…"