A teenager with bright orange hair sat on a simple turquoise bed, holding a small photo frame to her chest. Her eyes were bloodshot and she wiped salty water away from her face with her yellow shirt sleeve.
She took one last quick glance at the photograph, and shed a few more tears at the sight of an eleven-year-old boy grinning back at her, his warm chocolate-brown eyes shining brightly. He looked so real that she almost reached out to touch the flimsy paper, intending on tidying his unkempt raven hair; the hat that he usually had upon his head was held in his right hand.
Finally tearing her sea-green eyes away from the boy's picture, she grabbed a tissue and blew her nose with it. "Why did he have to…and he still owed me a bike, too…" she murmured hysterically.
A sixteen-year-old stood atop the highest mountain range in all of Napaj, Mt. Silver. He wore nothing but a black shirt, torn blue jeans, and a brown cloak with the hood down. He stood in front of a collection of Pokémon to onlook their progress, and gave them advice when needed.
His chocolate eyes were currently focused on a small mouse-like creature. The rodent was primarily yellow in color, but bore two brown stripes on his back and another of the same color on his tail, shaped like a lightning bolt.
The mouse was grinning toward his opponent as he dodged an azure-blue globe of glowing energy. The attacker was a bipedal canine-like Pokémon with blue and black fur. There was a patch of cream colored fur as well on his chest, along with a spike. There was also a round spike on the back of each paw.
The Pokémon quickly created three more balls before firing them at his evasive sparring partner. The Pikachu shook his head in mock disappointment, speedily maneuvering around the Aura Spheres and retaliating with an arc of electricity.
The Lucario merely watched the Thunderbolt approach him, looking bored. With an Extreme Speed, he appeared behind the Electric-type and smoothly transitioned to a Bone Rush. Pikachu canceled his attack before it even hit the ground where Lucario previously stood. Debris clouded the battle field.
The Ground-type attack hit something solid, but no bundle of yellow went soaring through the cold air. Instead, the club fazed through the Substitute seconds after it had seemingly struck the clever mouse.
The Aura Pokémon smirked and pivoted, catching the steel-coated tail in his paws before it could land a blow. Just then, a shout rang out across the area, signaling everybody to rest. Lucario and Pikachu both relaxed from their tense postures, and the jackal loosened his grip on the other's tail, which had returned to its regular color scheme. Their Trainer stepped towards them, smiling.
"That was a very good job, you two. Well done."
"Thank you, Master," Lucario replied gratefully.
"Yeah, thanks. Although, you were the one who trained us, Ash," Pikachu pointed out.
The teenager chuckled a bit. "Please don't start this. I help you get stronger, but you choose to stick with me. We work together to make this work, just like we've always done.
"Anyway, I have some big news. It's obvious that people know about Red, but the Pokémon League personally invited us to attend the Master Tournament that is staged every ten years. I wrote them back with a confirmation."
His Pokémon began to cheer, feeling the familiar adrenaline rush they get when they are sent into battle. Pikachu laughed out of pure excitement.
Ash smiled as he saw his Pokémon's thrilled expressions. "We're going to storm the competition," he said.
It was a sunny day for the people who lived in the small and peaceful area known as Pallet Town. The sky was a bright blue, the cirrus clouds dotting it white. The air was warm with a passing breeze now and then that prevented one from getting too hot.
A shadow circled an open area from overhead, and curious adults squinted upward to try and get a glimpse of the Pokémon casting it. Soon, the creature landed, and it was revealed to be a large brown and cream bird.
The male sitting on the bird's back swiftly jumped off, landing effortlessly on both feet right beside the Pokémon. The yellow mouse on the avian's head thanked her before he leapt onto his Trainer's shoulder. The Pidgeot merely chirped back and took to the skies once again.
The teenager began walking toward a very recognizable building, his cloak billowing with every step he took. He ascended the steps with ease, stopping at the door and taking a moment to inhale some fresh air.
He shared a nostalgic glance with his inseparable partner. "This really brings back memories, doesn't it?" he asked.
"Yeah, it does," the mouse agreed.
The teenager sent him a quick smile and rapped on the door. Barking was heard, among other noises, which was followed by a particularly loud string of curses. Seconds later, the door swung violently open, and an annoyed brunet dressed in a shirt and jeans underneath a white lab coat stood where it had once been.
"Let me guess. You want to register for the Master Tournament." Although it wasn't a question, he still nodded. The brunet rolled his viridian eyes, and said, "Fine. What's your name, then?"
The boy didn't hesitate. "Red." Professor Gary Oak's eyebrows shot up instantly.
"Red Satoshi?! The one who singlehandedly took down all five of the major criminal organizations here in Napaj?!"
The teenager sighed, but nevertheless nodded. His left hand dug around in his pocket, searching for the letter that the Pokémon League had sent. He eventually found it, and took the envelope out before handing it to the researcher. "Here," he said, watching Gary reach out for the paper slowly, still partially in his stunned stupor. As soon as his childhood friend took the letter, Ash turned around and left.
"That was one of the hardest things I had to do, even if I didn't show it." Ash sighed forlornly as he walked down the dirt paths of his hometown. "I bet they probably told my friends that I had died, since Gary didn't seem to be all that sad."
Pikachu's ears drooped. "Ash…" he muttered.
Ash reached up and stroked his partner's head. "It'll be alright," he soothed. "It's going to be fine."
The eighteen-year-old sat at the edge of the Gym's pool, thinking about the one boy that had stolen her heart; the one boy who was claimed to be dead. Her friends had started to believe it after four years of no contact, but she wouldn't even dare think that he was gone. Misty Waterflower was stubborn, and she still had faith that Ash Ketchum would return one day.
Three adults were huddled together and whispering, occasionally sneaking quick glances at the orangette. "Look at her," the pink-haired girl said quietly to the two others.
"She'll hate us if we tell her," the bluenette snapped back. The blonde let out a resigned sigh.
"We deserve it, though," she decided. "We can't excuse our actions. All we can do is ask for forgiveness. If she gives it, then we'll be grateful for that. If she doesn't…well, I can understand why."
The three cringed, looking at their younger sister and remembering what had happened four years ago.
Violet took in a long and shaky breath, before saying, "Well, I guess we'll just have to hope for the best, won't we?"
Lily merely nodded, guilt welling up inside of her. Daisy seemed like she was going to say something, but then closed her mouth.
"What is it?" Lily asked concernedly.
"It's just…" Daisy didn't know how best to word her question, so she said what was on her mind. "Do you think that…that she'll ever forgive us?"
Their eyes widened, not having expected that. "Daisy…" Violet murmured.
"I know I've made fun of Misty a lot, but I really do care about her. I hate knowing that we hurt her, and then lied about it! I just…if I know Misty, and I do know her, she'll start yelling and screaming at us and then that will turn into sobs, where at that point she'll tell us to leave. But I don't know if she'll forgive us."
"…just try not to think about it," Lily said.
Ash was sitting on a branch, eating an Oran Berry. Pikachu was down on the ground, wreaking havoc on the surrounding land as he fought against Pidgeot.
"Take this!" he yelled, firing off a quick jolt that spread out across the makeshift battlefield. His opponent attempted to dodge, but was struck by the Thunder Wave. Her wings locked up, and she hit the ground hard. Pikachu winced, but encased himself in electricity nonetheless, before redirecting the energy to his shimmering tail. Taking advantage of the situation, he sprinted up a nearby tree at an incredible velocity and pushed off of the bark, going into a backflip.
The Volt Tail attack, as Ash and Pikachu had dubbed it, had exceptional aim, but Pidgeot stayed strong despite its power. She finally found the strength to fly again, even with the Paralysis in effect. She flapped her large wings, creating extremely powerful gusts that blew the Mouse Pokémon around without any trouble.
Ash looked down from his position on the tree limb, having finished his snack. He raised an eyebrow as the winds began to pick up drastically, before he smirked. "Hurricane," he muttered to himself. No sooner had he spoken when the force of the attack blasted his starter high into the air.
Pikachu knew he couldn't struggle against the power behind the move, so allowed himself to get blown away. It was surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, easier to go with the flow of the air current rather than fight against it. He knew that from personal experience, and also knew how tactful it was during battle. The opponent would certainly be surprised, at the very least. Many were shocked enough into a paralyzed state, which made it almost annoyingly easy to attack them. Still, it was a very good offensive maneuver, as well as defensive.
Pikachu added even more momentum to his ascent using a combination of both Quick Attack and Extreme Speed, as though the mere concept of gravity hadn't even existed. As soon as he got to a height he deemed was enough, he engulfed himself in electricity yet again, before rocketing towards Pidgeot.
She attempted to dodge, but unfortunately the all but forgotten Paralysis caused her to freeze up, and Pikachu would have landed his attack on the hapless bird had it not been for the quick thinking of their Trainer.
Ash's eyes had widened when he realized what it was exactly that Pikachu was planning. "Pikachu, stop!" he yelled suddenly, startling the few Pidgey that had been brave enough to watch the battle. They squawked and flew away at speed, leaving the three beings on their own.
The Mouse Pokémon immediately halted the Volt Tackle on instinct alone, and he tumbled into the bemused Pidgeot without causing much damage. Static electricity discharged into her plumage, but she didn't seem to notice.
"Really, Pikachu. That was too much. Seriously, I don't want her to die because of you," he quipped as he pushed off of the branch and landed in a squat on the ground. The Electric-type crossed his stubby arms and huffed.
"Pidgeot wasn't going to die, you know…" he mumbled. Ash dusted his pants as he stood fully up. Then he raised one of his eyebrows and stared at his partner with a deadpan expression. Pikachu faltered at the intense look. "She wasn't going to die," he insisted still, emphasizing the last word. Ash sighed in response, taking a Poké Ball off of his belt.
"Meganium," he called, opening the red and white sphere. The device released a white light that soon morphed into a pale-green four-legged sauropod.
"Meganium," Ash repeated, tiredly. The Grass-type duly looked at him. "These two idiots over here," he groaned, pointing behind him in the general direction of where Pikachu and Pidgeot were. The bird looked at him crossly, and the rodent raised his head in defiance. The Herb Pokémon snorted in amusement. Ash continued, "They pretty much destroyed everything. So, if it's not any trouble, could you…help revive all of this?"
Meganium took one look at his pleading face and then at her two misbehaving teammates, and nodded determinedly. Ash smiled and thanked her, watching as she began to absorb the sun's rays before transferring the energy to the dead plants that were destroyed during the match.
She collapsed on the soft grass when she finished, and Ash praised her once more as he stepped forward. His hands began to glow a blue hue and the Aura flowed into his Pokémon, reinvigorating her. "Thanks," she said sincerely.
"You too," he replied. "And you're welcome. So, do you want to go back in your Poké Ball or stay out here?"
"I'd like to go back in, if you don't mind," she said after a moment's thought.
Ash smiled warmly. "Not at all." He raised the sphere up once again, and a red beam of energy surrounded her and sucked her back into it. Turning, he faced the two troublemakers. "Pidgeot, return," he commanded, holding out the Poké Ball. She too was captured by the beam of light and deposited in the small device. Pikachu pouted.
"C'mon, let's go," Ash said, ignoring the whines from his stubborn partner. Pikachu wouldn't budge for the longest time, but chased after when he saw that Ash had already turned around and began to walk away.
In front, the boy smirked and sped up.
"Hey!" Pikachu complained from behind him. "Slow down, Ash Ketchum!"
The teenager only laughed and started to run.
A/N: I'm really sorry that I haven't updated, but I just haven't gotten much inspiration. Because really; what good is a story if the chapters are so horrible that they could possibly get compared to literal crap? That should be a violation against writers.
On a much lighter note, here's a new story! So please, let me know you read this and comment on it! As in, leave a review! Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what you want to happen, what you predict will happen… I can't get better as a writer if the readers don't help me!
