Hey readers! This is my first chaptered fic and though I planned to finish this before posting it I really want to see what everyone thinks cause I'm really proud of this. It's yet another experiment in style and I hope it works – it's based on one of my twelve oneshots with a twist. My goal with this fic? For this story to be the best of its kind!
Please comment – I need a little motivation to keep going with this one, as well as feedback. Chapter updates should come soon as I have a lot more of this written. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon Misty would never have left.
All For One
Chapter One: Start of Something New
Victory.
A fierce determination and a singular dream combined with years of endless sacrifice and toil had brought him to this moment.
He was finally a Pokemon Master.
He stepped onto the podium, raising his hands in triumph, a jolt of burning adrenaline shooting through his veins as the crowd screamed their approval. He had won their hearts long ago with his drive and spirit – now he was their Champion.
The fiery sensation magnified as he lifted the trophy above his head, so powerful it threatened to overwhelm him. Confusion flooded through him as he tried to fight the pain, though his eyes darkened and his knees buckled in agony…his perfect moment, shot down in flames as he fell down into darkness…
'AAAAAGGGGHHHHH!' seventeen year old Ash Ketchum screamed as he tumbled out of bed, his nose making painful contact with the bedroom floor. He lay still for several seconds in a temper, wondering whether it was worth his while getting up today. Groaning, he hoisted himself into a sitting position and tried to massage his nose back into shape.
'What the heck was that for, Pikachu?' he snapped up at the electric mouse, who was glaring down at him from the bed.
Pikachu lobbed the long broken Voltorb alarm clock at its Trainer's head by way of reply.
Ash's eyes watered as he glanced up at the working Pikachu clock on the wall.
'Pika Pika!' the Pokemon snapped indignantly, waving its little paws in the air to drive the point home.
Scrambling to his feet in a panic, Ash raced out of his bedroom and dove for the bathroom door.
'Thanks, Pikachu!' he yelled it slammed shut behind him.
'Pika pikachu,' the Pokemon muttered grumpily, heading off in search of the ketchup bottle.
*****
Charizard soared over the lofty building, swooping steeply downwards in a stunning, daring arc. The Fire Pokemon blazed arrogant victory flames as it skimmed lightly over the lawn, coming to a smooth, sweeping stop on the asphalt outside the door. Ash grinned a little shiftily as he leapt from the broad orange back. He saved his flights on Charizard for mornings when he was exceptionally late. Unfortunately, that was pretty much every morning.
'Thanks, Charizard. Return!' he cried as the Pokemon disappeared in a flash of red light. Ash hitched his bag on his shoulders and stared up at the entrance with a martyred expression. Only eight more months.
It had started out as simply the latest in a long list of accidents made by young, inexperienced Trainers. Almost a year ago, a pair of young trainers had tragically lost their lives in their attempt to save a Bulbasaur from a rock fall. However, when it emerged that one of the victims was the son of a famous Coordinator, the public outcry became so great that after months of deliberations, the League had to act. Their actions, however, were radical in the extreme.
All Trainers under the age of eighteen had their Trainer licenses revoked, and in order to regain them, a one year diploma from a Pokemon based high school had to be attained. Ash had been in Sinnoh when he heard the news, fresh from his latest Gym victory and mere weeks away from competing in the Sinnoh League. He remembered his reactions with wry clarity.
'I've been a Trainer for SEVEN YEARS!' he had howled to an unimpressed league official. 'I'm an Orange League Champion! I was in the top eight in the Silver Conference AND the Ever Grande Conference! I'm the Kanto Battle Frontier Champion! I WON'T GO!!! You can't send me back to school, I won't let you!!! '
They had, though.
Back in August, Ash had unwillingly started at the most prestigious Pokemon school in the world, founded and headed by the most admired of Pokemon Professors.
Though Ash had resented the new laws deeply, over time he had grudgingly admitted that perhaps the League was right to limit younger trainers. After all, he and his friends had had their share of near-death experiences on their Pokemon journeys. Or in his case, actual death experiences.
Though he missed traveling intensely, life at Pokemon High was not without its advantages. Ash couldn't help sauntering a little as he strode up the steps of Pokemon High - three days ago he had won the monthly Intraschool Pokemon Tournament for the second time in a row, successfully defending his position as the toughest trainer in the
place. He was the first in the short history of the school to hold the title of Champion.
'I see you're practicing your victory strut, Ketchum,' a snide voice came from behind Ash.
Ash stopped dead.
'I see you're practicing being a stuck up, self satisfied idiot, Hayden,' Ash retaliated, whirling around to face his assailant. 'Or is that just your natural state of being?'
The two stared coldly at each other, unblinking. The corners of Drew's mouth began to twitch, and Ash's bit his lip. Out of nowhere, both boys burst into spontaneous laughter at exactly the same time.
'It's not my fault I rock, Ash,' Drew chortled, pushing his friend to the side so he could squeeze through the doors first.
'Just keep telling yourself that, Drew,' Ash sniggered as they ambled down the hall together.
The comments flew as they headed for their homeroom.
'Great match Friday, Ketchum!'
'Nice job, Pikachu!'
'You rock, Ash!'
'Still Pokemon High's golden boy, Ashy!' Drew smirked at his friend.
'Jealousy doesn't suit you, Drew,' Ash replied loftily, though he was relieved when they reached the door of Professor Birch's room. He was a little bemused by all the excessive attention - he still couldn't quite get used to it.
'Nice of you to join us, gentlemen,' Professor Birch remarked as they wandered into the room. 'Congratulations on the victory last week, Mr. Ketchum.'
'Thanks, Professor!' Ash said as he walked to towards his seat, sparing a quick grin for May and Dawn, who waved back from their spot in the back row. Ash felt the familiar empty lurch as he turned away from them. He still hadn't put his finger on where the feeling came from.
'You two love dramatic entrances, don't you?' Paul said, rolling his eyes as Drew slumped into the chair in front. Pikachu settled comfortably on Ash's lap, curling up for a doze.
'Nice to see you too, Paul!' Ash said ironically, high fiving his friend and grinning. It never ceased to amaze Ash just who he had become friends with on his arrival at Pokemon High.
'Late again, loser!' Gary Oak hissed from behind him. Ash turned slowly in his seat so he could face his biggest rival, raising an eyebrow sarcastically.
'Gary, the only person you should be calling 'loser' is your own reflection,' Ash drawled coolly.
Paul snickered appreciatively as Drew smirked. Ash shot them an amused grin as most of the class exploded into giggles.
'You're one to talk, Paul!' Gary replied hotly. 'Or have you forgotten that I was the one who knocked you out in the semis?'
'Oh, I just wanted the pleasure of watching my buddy Ash humiliate you in front of the entire school again,' Paul said lazily, grinning. 'Second time in a row, wasn't it Gary old pal?'
'That your excuse for loosing, Paul?' a mischievous voice piped up. 'You might want to work on that.'
Paul froze. He turned his head slowly, glaring frostily at Dawn as if he considered replying to such a statement as beneath him. Dawn wasn't the slightest bit fazed – she simply smirked back. Ash snuck a look at his friend, smirking a little himself when he noted the almost undetectable blush on his friend's face. Dawn was the only person in the school who Paul had failed to intimidate with his studied indifference, haughty attitude and famously brutal words - though he had succeeded in making her loose her temper. The knowledge that he definitely didn't scare this popular, talented and undeniably beautiful girl left Paul permanently wrong footed. She was the only one who could tease him and not end up dead.
Gary, however, wasn't the slightest bit interested in Dawn. 'I still beat you!' he said loudly.
'We're really sorry that you can't beat Ashy boy, Gary,' Drew put in maliciously, leaning around Ash so he could enjoy Gary's reaction. 'But that's your problem, not ours. Maybe you should ask your big sister for some help?'
Gary's face went red, and he glanced at his sister. Daisy Oak, however, was pouting into a compact mirror, seemingly oblivious to everything but her own reflection.
'Shut up, Drew - you're nothing but a pathetic little freak show,' Daisy cut in icily, causing everyone to jump. She didn't even bother to glance up at Drew. At the back of the room, May felt a little affronted. Nobody was allowed to insult Drew apart from her. She rolled her eyes at Dawn, half exasperated and half entertained by the usual banter.
Drew, however, looked highly amused at Daisy's comment. He clutched his heart theatrically. 'That one hurt, Daisy,' he mocked, sighing dramatically. 'Just because I'm a Coordinator!' he pouted in a mock teary voice. 'Nobody understands me!'
'We understand you all right, Drew, we just think you're crazy,' May snickered superiorly. Ash grinned as Drew whipped around in his seat, all traces of humor vanishing from his face as he glared stonily at his rival. May returned the favor.
Ash suppressed a snigger at his friend's discomfit. Somehow, the confident, quirky brunette was the only Coordinator in the school who gave him a challenge on the Contest field – and the only person who ever got under his equally confident, coolly self satisfied skin.
'You're one to talk, May,' Drew snapped, immediately wrangled by her comment. 'Taking on my Roserade with your stupid Beautifly is crazy in anybody's book.'
May flushed a little, though she was unsurprised by the comment. Drew had been bringing up their last battle together everyday for a whole week.
'My Beautifly has beaten your Roserade before, Drew' she snapped. 'It was just tired last week!'
'Tired of having a useless Coordinator telling it what to do, no doubt,' Drew sneered.
'Well I'm tired of looking at your ugly face!' May yelled, clenching her hands into fists.
Drew's face darkened, but before he could call her every name in his vast vocabulary Professor Birch called the class to order, and open war was temporarily avoided.
*****
Misty Waterflower peered cautiously around the corner of the hallway, searching for some sort of clue that she was in the right place. She had long lobbed her plan of the school into the trash, branding it incomprehensible, but now she was regretting how hastily she had discarded the paper that might have shed some light on where the heck she was. She replayed the instructions Nurse Joy had given her – 'Just go out the double doors, turn right, go up the first flight of stairs to your left, then take another right…' The words jumbled hopelessly in her brain. As much as she hated admitting it, Misty knew she had a hopeless sense of direction. She silently cursed her sisters. If they only been sensible, then she could have started at Pokemon High two month earlier like everyone else – though to be fair, they couldn't exactly be blamed for her current predicament.
She shrugged her shoulders, setting off down the nearest hallway with a determined expression. All the doors looked annoyingly similar, and there was no indication outside each room of who it was that taught within. Steeling herself, Misty stopped by the nearest door and standing on her toes, peered boldly in through the little window. A woman with long purple hair was standing at the front of the room, pointing out the different parts of a Vileplume's anatomy on a live model. Misty gave a little giggle of recognition. She was pretty sure that that was not Professor Birch.
She backed away from the window, trying to decide which door to try next. An ear splitting bell sounded suddenly from right above her head, startling her out of her reverie.
Oh, great, Misty thought sardonically. I missed my first class, and now I have to get somewhere equally impossible to find. She felt a fluttery burst of panic in the pit of her stomach as students began spilling out of classes. It was hopeless.
*****
Ash slung his bag across his shoulders as he strode out of Professor Birch's class, relieved to be free. He found it harder to concentrate in lectures than he did in practical battle classes – that was his playground.
'See ya, Ash!' Drew called as he headed towards the Appeal Complex, busy glaring at the coffee colored head in front of him. Paul hung back to chat to Professor Birch so Ash leant up against the wall outside the door to wait, gazing idly down the hall teaming with students and Pokemon.
Ash did a triple take as he caught sight of something that made his heart stop dead.
Standing outside Professor Ivy's class was the most stunning girl he had ever seen.
The first thing he noticed was her brilliant red hair. It swished around her face in loose waves, shining like amber silk under the glare of the bright hall lights. Her skin was the softest pale cream, her face tinged with a delicate rose pink. The stylish clothes she wore skimmed over her lissome figure – a trim little waistcoat over a white t-shirt paired with a mini skirt that revealed a pair of long, slim legs clad in over the knee socks.
He blinked stupidly, half expecting her to vanish into thin air.
She had to be new to Pokemon High – of that he was sure. After all, he was only the most promising trainer in the school. He knew everyone, and everyone knew him. But as he stared at her, Ash felt a vague twinge of recognition. He had the strangest feeling that he had seen her face somewhere before.
She was peering up and down the hall with an uncertain look on her face. He watched her fidget with her red drawstring bag, pulling out a crumpled sheet of paper. Her little cherry mouth tightened ever so slightly as she studied it, her face falling.
She glanced around wildly, as if praying for help to appear out of nowhere. All of a sudden, her eyes locked with his chocolate ones.
Her gaze shot to his heart like an arrow. It was then that Ash noticed the most beautiful thing of all - her eyes were the most startling shade of blue-green, and they sparkled like the sun on the sea.
He could hardly believe his luck. This was it - his chance to talk to her.
Forgetting all about Paul, Ash walked slowly over to where she was standing, never taking his eyes from hers. He noted with surprise and with pleasure the dazed look on her face as she gaped back at him.
'Hello,' he said quietly, trying to smile. 'Do you need any help?'
The girl didn't say anything. She simply stared at him as if he was the most astonishing thing in the world.
Before he could even think of something else to say, he felt his head jerk roughly to the side as Pikachu used his head as a launch pad.
'Pikachupi!' cried the little Pokemon as it leapt towards her.
'Pikachu!' she laughed, reaching out to catch the little Pokemon and hugging it close.
Ash gaped in utter astonishment. Pikachu liked his friends, of course, but it had never -never – taken to a stranger like this before. Many of Ash's admirers had learned the hard way to leave Pikachu alone – some of the determined ones still had the scars - yet here it was, welcoming this stranger of a girl as if she was an old friend!
Ash had a nagging feeling that he was missing something important. Confusion washed through him as he squinted at her, trying to place his recognition.
Suddenly, the obvious thunked into place in Ash's thick head. Pikachupi.
Ash's insides froze.
'Misty?' he whispered hoarsely.
'Hello, Ash,' his oldest friend said quietly, turning from his favorite Pokemon to look at him.
*****
My first cliffhanger! Please tell me what you think and whether I should even bother to continue. Extra points to those who can tell me where I'm getting my chapter titles from – it's not hard. Daisy Oak goes by that name to prevent confusion with May Maple. I know people other than Ash and Misty might be OOC…sorry. Thanks for reading!
Song Inspiration: Hey Juliet by LMNT. Perfect for this chapter.