A/N:
*Disclaimer*
Pokémon does NOT belong to me. I was simply inspired by Ash and Misty's characterizations in the show. Everything belongs to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo, NOT ME!
Also, please note that Friends is separate from my other fics. It's a big girl now and can stand on it's own two legs!
Please Enjoy!
Friends
Chapter 1 – Returning Home
"We're almost there Pikachu." Ash said happily. The little electric mouse squeaked excitedly as Ash scratched behind its ear. "It's been awhile, Pallet."
Ash hadn't seen Pallet Town in nearly three years. He had returned at the age of fourteen, after traveling the entire world in an effort to become Pokémon Master. The young trainer had remained in his hometown, working to build his confidence after failing to reach the number one spot in every league, except for the Orange League. He trained for a year, building his and his Pokémon's strength, skills, and strategy, and had set out to retrace his steps. Now, upon his return, Ash was eighteen and the youngest trainer to ever defeat every league around the world and every region's Elite Four.
Unlike his last stay at home, Ash now felt on top of the world, like he could go against anyone and anything and come out on top. He couldn't wait to get back into town to train even further so that he could finally compete in the Pokémon Champion Games to earn the title of Pokémon Master. He would have to compete against Cynthia, the trainer that had maintained her title for over eight years and still fought with her Garchomp. The idea made him shiver with trepidation and excitement. Before he could compete with her however, Ash was determined to find his old friend and rival, Gary Oak. As much as he hated to admit it, Ash knew that Gary was always better than him, with Pokémon, with training, with strategies, and he just seemed to have this never ending knowledge of the different species. The young, black haired trainer just couldn't match up to him before, but he was certain now that he could finally defeat Gary and his Umbreon.
Gary wasn't the only person Ash hoped to run into. He planned on saying hello to his mother and staying home for a few days before traveling to Cerulean to see Misty. The young trainer was hoping he would be able to convince her to leave the Gym for a bit and stay with him in Pallet to train for the Games. He hadn't seen her in nearly eight years so he was hoping to use that to his advantage. Ash wasn't able to write or call her much due to his extensive travels through the regions. Their lack of communication upset him greatly and he sorely missed her company and insight. He had always been upset since she had split away from him and Brock to take care of the Cerulean Gym. Of course he had several other friends along the way, but none like Misty. She was always so honest with him, speaking her heart, and he loved that she wasn't afraid to tell him exactly what she thought, due to the fact that that had helped him become a better trainer in the long run. Brock was always there for him, of course, throughout the entire eight years of his journeys. When they had first met each other, Brock had been five years older than Ash, so as much as they tried to connect throughout their time together, Ash never truly felt like he could relate to Brock and occasionally felt as if Brock only stuck around to chaperone.
Ash stood up from his spot on the hill overlooking Pallet Town. He stretched with a loud moan and allowed Pikachu to jump up and rest upon his shoulder. "Alright buddy," he said excitedly. "Let's get down there, say hello and leave as soon as possible for Cerulean." Pikachu squeaked loudly as its trainer began taking the hill at a sprint. "Hold on!" Ash yelled. He wanted to get to Pallet as fast as he could. Before he knew it, Pallet Town was growing bigger and his house was growing closer. With a final sprint, Ash raced up to the front door and threw it open.
"I'm home!" Ash yelled, looking around the empty living room.
"Pikachu!" The little yellow animal yelled just as loudly as he jumped from Ash's shoulder and ran through the house.
Just as quickly as Ash had arrived, he was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug by his mother.
"Oh Ash!" She cried. "I've missed you so much! I can't believe you're actually home. My how you have grown!"
Ash's muffled complaint, "Mom!" came quietly from her shoulder as he struggled for breath.
Delia quickly let go, but still remained within hugging distance. She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to the kitchen. "C'mon Ash! I've gotten you a surprise! Oh, you're gonna love this!"
"Ah, Mom," Ash began. "You didn't need to get me anything, just some food would have been grea-"
He cut himself off, however, once his eyes landed upon his "surprise" standing in the small kitchen.
"Well, Hello Mr. Ash Ketchum." The thin redhead said coyly. "It's nice to finally see you after so long."
"Misty?" Ash sputtered. "Why are you here?"
His mother laughed. "I thought I'd invite your girlfriend to your homecoming, Ash! Don't tell me you're upset."
"Mrs. Ketchum," Misty began, "Please, we're not dating. We're just-"
"Friends." Ash finished, staring into Misty's eyes in shock.
A/N:
All right fellow Pokémon fans - especially AaMrn fans ;) – Here's the first chapter to my new fanfic. Just to reiterate, this is NOT a continuation of my other fics, this is a new story, standing free all on its own.
Please Please Please REVIEW!
As much as I appreciate and LOVE the author favorites and story favorites, there's nothing more disheartening than having a bunch of story views, but no reviews.
I used to say this as a joke, "No Reviews, No Fics!" but I've realized that it's true. When a writer doesn't receive any feedback – good or bad – they don't want to write. :(
Also, I thought it'd be fun to involve the readers a bit more. Remember those "Choose your ending" books? Well, I thought that I'd give you guys a few chapters as a basis, and then depending on your reviews and ideas about what you want to see happen next, I'd continue the next few chapters in that given direction.
So please, keep reading and REVIEW!
Thank you everyone!