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Hey there everyone. I've decided to write another Pokémon Story. I've had this idea bubbling around in my head for a while now, and as most ideas that I get won't leave me alone until I type them out, here we are. :D
So, as usual Ash, in this case Female Ash won't be starting with Pikachu as that is just my preference. Like in my other Pokémon Story: Red Eyed Master, the Ash in this story will be a genius with certain issues.
Here we go then.
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I DO NOT OWN POKÉMON.
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"Hello" – Speech
'Hello' – Thoughts
"Hello" – Pokémon speech/Aura/Psychic communication
'Hello' – Pokémon thoughts
[Hello] – Pokédex Entries
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It was a rather cold and stormy night that one Ashley 'Ash' Ketchum discovered the truth that her mother had been hiding. She had no blood relation to her mother at all. She had been searching through a closet for family photos for a school related project when a box the size of a large shoe box had fallen and hit her head. After her pouting and silent curses, curiosity got the better of her and she opened the box.
Inside were a small journal and a single pokéball that was adorned by a simple pink ribbon.
The journal was easily identified as her father's by the name written on the first page. The pokéball was empty, much to her disappointment, but it was the small letter attached on the ribbon that drew her attention.
It read:
To my darling daughter,
Today marks a special day for you. It's the day in which you receive your Starter Pokémon and start your journey into the wonderful world of pokémon. As is tradition in our family however, you are presented with a single pokéball. This pokéball is to be used to catch a single pokémon that won't be an official starter, but your very first responsibility as a Ketchum.
Traditionally, you are supposed to receive this on the day that marks the 8thyear of your birth, but my dearest friend Delia convinced me to break tradition to allow you a carefree childhood.
Please do not blame her if you have found this and not been told, as I personally asked her to reveal the truth when you were ready.
Your Father,
Red Ketchum
Ashley was in shock and tears threatened to overtake her vision. It made sense now that she thought about it. Her hair was as black as night and her eyes was a deep red that often seemed to glow if caught in the right light. Her face was a creamy pale and held a soft yet regal shape that screamed nobility, not to mention the fact that she held a grace not seen in other children or even some adults. Meanwhile, Delia had warm brown eyes and hair that was a dark red that bordered on brown. She had the grace of a mother and her countenance was warm and inviting – Ashley's wasn't.
Since her very first encounter with children her age, they were either terrified of her, due to her eyes or they worshiped her due to her intelligence and grace. Boys often fell for her pretty looks, and it seemed that as she grew, it got worse. Her beautiful and almost ethereal appearance only seemed to grow as she aged and the local housewives/gossips could be heard muttering about her when they thought she was out of hearing range.
Her biggest problem was her inability to connect with children her own age. Her highly developed brain and keen observational skills provided her with a sort of sixth sense that let her see things that other … mundane people couldn't. As such, Ashley was often bored with conversing with those her age and sought company with the older generation, such as Professor Samuel Oak.
Samuel Oak realised very early into Ashley's life that she was special, and after observing one of her yearly exams, he made a life changing decision; he took Ashley as an apprentice. As the apprentice of Samuel Oak, she wasn't required to attend all of her usual school classes, provided that she still pass her exams, and the classes she did take were far more advanced than others her age.
The negative side to this was that she was put on a pedestal by her peers and she grew further isolated by it. By the time she was 9, her current age, she was already a rising star in the Pokémon Research Community with several papers already published on a variety of topics from Pokémon Evolution to Pokémon Behaviour and her most acclaimed piece: A Study into the Environment of Pokémon and how it pertains to their growth.
Despite this, Ashley was still only 9 years old and like any child that age, with tears forming in her eyes, she stormed out of the closet and all but crashed into Delia, who was doing the dishes.
"Shouldn't you be in bed young lady?" Delia sternly inquired, but she grew worried when she saw the tears in Ashley's eyes. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"
Ashley's thoughts were rampaging in her mind. Questions, so many questions were screaming at her in her mind, so instead of responding vocally, she simply indicated the box and the small letter.
Delia gasped and her face grew solemn. "It was only a matter of time you discovered this, take a seat sweetie and I'll make a nice hot cup of hot chocolate."
Ashley obeyed – her desire for answers overpowered by the stronger desire for hot chocolate. When Delia returned seconds later with the hot cup of chocolatey goodness, she merely sighed and sat across from the distraught youth.
"Where to begin?" Delia asked herself tiredly.
"The beginning is often the best place to start an explanation." Ashley responded.
Delia smiled in exasperation and giggled softly. "Yes, that would seem like the best solution."
So Delia explained. She explained how her Father had been the Pokémon Champion and how he faced the original Team Rocket and was killed in the process of saving the Pokémon World. Once Red Ketchum's death had been officially recorded, her family assets had been frozen, minus a small stipend to be used to raise her, as according to the last will and testament. Unfortunately, the secret of Ashley's mother was a secret taken to Red Ketchum's grave. Her birth certificate and blood work was all that proved that she was in fact, Red's child.
Ashley's mother clearly refused to acknowledge that she had ever given birth to Ashley.
Delia explained that she was raised by Red's family when her own, who were close friends of the Ketchum Family, were killed in a car crash when she was a child. When Red decided to become a trainer and aim for Pokémon League Champion, she decided to enter the world of Pokémon Medicine under Red's own mother.
They fell out of contact until Red's mother passed away. He turned up to the funeral with a baby in arm and claimed that the baby was his. He handed her the necessary paperwork and begged Delia to raise his daughter. One look into the baby's curious red eyes was all it took for Delia to fall in love with the child.
Delia would never forget the sheer fear and terror in his eyes as he explained his duties and how he needed to take down Team Rocket once and for all.
Then the next she heard of him was when an Officer Jenny and Lance Blackthorn, the Dragon Master knocked on her door with the news of Red's death. After the legal technicalities were dealt with, Delia was granted custody of Ashley and that was that. As Ashley's official guardian she raised her daughter in all but blood into the beautiful young lady sitting across from her.
"He was such a foolish young man to think he could take down Team Rocket on his own," Delia muttered, though she forgot that Ashley could hear her. "That stupid, foolish man."
The scrapping of a chair snapped Delia from her thoughts, and she looked up to see Ashley glaring at her in anger. By the time Delia's brain caught up and she'd realised what she said, it was too late and Ashley was bolting out the back door into the stormy night. Delia shrieked in fear and immediately called for Ashley, to explain that she meant nothing by her hastily muttered words, but all she could see was darkness.
Delia bolted to the Video Phone and called the one person that knew her daughter in all but blood as much as her … Professor Oak.
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Ashley just continued to run, at first her destination was going to be Professor Oaks Laboratory, but it took seconds for her brain to realise that that was the first place Delia would call. So instead she found herself venturing to the only abandoned building she knew of, the old Viridian City/Pallet Town Research Facility. Built as a joint venture between the City and Town to research the mysteries of Pokémon Genetics, it was closed down as funding dried up after the war with Team Rocket ended. She often went there to think, as the still useable facilities provided the intelligent young lady the ability to even shower should she get lost in her thoughts and stay too long.
It was the strangest thing, as when she arrived, she immediately had to hide as there were strange people talking quietly amongst themselves as they left the building. The doors looked like they'd been forced open and Ashley knew that they must've been there for something – she just couldn't think of why they would need something from the abandoned building.
"Quick, let's get out of here." One of the people hissed. "This place gives me the creeps."
"We have to wait for the boss you idiot," Another chided patronizingly.
Not long after the voice spoke, a big man who was stylishly dressed emerged from the building with power in his step as he made his way to the nearby truck. He was muttering about useless pokémon as he stepped in the carriage and soon after, the truck drove away – leaving the building in darkness.
Ashley deemed it safe to go inside and ran into the building, intent to get out of the rain as soon as possible. Once inside she could hear the pained cries of a pokémon from deep within the building. Steeling herself, she followed the source and came upon a beaten and bruised Persian.
Persian was a large, quadruped, feline Pokémon. Its fur was pale tan with the exception of its black-rimmed ears. It had a short muzzle with a small, black nose, red eyes with slit pupils, rounded ears, a pair of pointed teeth in its upper jaw, and three whiskers on either side of its face. In the center of its forehead was a red jewel. Its long tail had a distinctive curl at the end. It had long legs and three-toed paws with retractable claws.
This Persian was on the small side and was Female, judging by the slightly bigger ears but the small size was attributed to age, as it appeared young – perhaps she had only just recently evolved? She was heavily bruised and looked exhausted – as if she had been forced to use her most exhaustive move over and over again and had failed to do whatever the trainer wanted her to.
Anger bubbled up inside Ashley and she approached the downed Persian with caution, they were temperamental Pokémon after all. The Pokémon stirred and growled menacingly at the youth, but stopped once she caught the unmistakeable scent of power emanating from the child, it soothed her worries and caused her to feel safe and relaxed.
Whether Ashley knew it or not, she was unconsciously projecting an aura of peace and safety. It calmed the Persian immensely and she was able to safely approach the Pokémon's side and check the Classy Cat Pokémon over for injuries. It appeared that the Persian had been in some sort of battle lately and not properly healed, likely due to time constraints. The slight crunch of something under her foot caused her to glance down at the surrounding floor. Her heart sank, there were the remains of a pokéball all around the Persian, and it was clear that she had been released … it was likely that the Persian's ex-trainer had thought that she'd be dead soon and released her to escape.
No sooner than the thought crossed her mind, the Persian started breathing oddly. Ashley panicked, there was no way she could get to the Professor's Lab in time and there wasn't a Pokémon Centre nearby … wait a second! The abandoned Research Facility did have a healing section, but it was on the other side of the building and Persian wouldn't survive the trip. In her inner ramblings, she never noticed that the Persian was watching her closely.
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It shocked the Normal Type Pokémon that a human could be so kind, her first trainer and master had been kind once, but as he grew up and became more experienced, he became cruel and distant. That very night had sealed her feelings on him once and for all. He had ordered her to attack the reinforced panelling of the building and she just wasn't strong enough to do it. Then he had shocked her considerably when he growled in frustration and released her tired form from service. He then summoned another Persian that was almost twice her size and was even stronger than her. After that Persian managed to break through the wall, he ordered it to attack her and knock her out.
'At least that explained the scent of another Persian on him.' Persian had reasoned as she fell unconscious.
Then the next moment, she was waking to the sight of this beautiful human child. Whether the child knew it or not, she reeked of Aura and it didn't take Persian long to realise that this child had a powerful pool of Aura waiting to be released and trained.
It suddenly became very difficult to breath and she knew that her time had come. She watched as the human child realised it too and panicked. This child was so sweet and if she had the chance, then she would've gladly accepted her as a worthy trainer and even friend. She heard the child cry out in success and she managed to see that she had procured a pokéball from somewhere … it was wrapped with a pink bow and she realised that it must've been a present.
"Please," she heard briefly and looked to the child.
Her hearing had become muffled as she drew closer to the edge and weakly nodded to the child, hoping her answer got through to her.
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Ashley was at her wits end when she stuffed her hands in her jeans pocket in frustration. It was then she felt the familiar feeling of a pokéball. She instantly ripped it out of her pocket and eyed the Persian desperately. She didn't want to forcibly capture the beautiful but wounded Pokémon, but if it meant saving her life …
"Please, please let me catch you and save you," Ashley begged the Persian. "Please, I promise to release you afterwards, but please let me save you."
She saw the Persian nod slightly and her breath hitched. The Persian had really given her permission? No, now was not the time! She instantly pressed the pokéball to the Persian's head and watched in fascination as she turned into red energy and was sucked into the pokéball. Whether it was because Persian was so weak or because she chose not to fight it, Ashley didn't know – all she did know was that Persian was instantly caught.
Ignoring the biting wind as she bolted through the building, she made it to the healing centre and popped the pokéball on the healing machine, the same healing machine often found in the Pokémon Centres in Orre. They were older than the ones in Kanto, but they were easily operated by anyone in need. She instantly turned the machine on and watched in nervous fascination as it hummed to life and beeped. A tense five minutes passed before it beeped again and turned itself off, and Ashley shakily picked up the pokéball from the machine.
Licking her dry lips, Ashley took a deep breath before pressing the release button on the pokéball. It snapped open and a perfectly healthy Persian now stood before her, meowing in greeting. The Persian wasted no time in pouncing on the relieved girl and butted her head against Ashley's own. She was purring loudly and Ashley realised that she was suddenly feeling very happy. Ashley shivered suddenly and she was reminded that she was in a building with no heating and was soaking wet.
"Please Persian, I'm cold and need to shower and change." Ashley pleaded to the much stronger pokémon. Persian understood her and gracefully removed herself from her saviour.
Ashley thanked the Persian with a smile and gestured for the Classy Cat Pokémon to follow her; Persian did so promptly and watched in curiosity as they walked into an old staff only room. Inside were several lockers and a kitchen in the corner … it was a human staff room. Ashley wasted no time in walking to one of the lockers in the corner and opening the old locker with a creak. Inside was a clean set of clothes identical to the ones Ashley was wearing.
Since the building had been her hiding place from the world when she needed to think, she'd made sure she had certain … necessities available to her in the building. The Staff Room that she and Persian had entered was her main room in the building. In the locker, she had a clean change of clothes, and the staff kitchen had plenty of food stored away in case she got hungry. There wasn't any pokémon food however, and she hoped that Persian would be happy with human food.
Ashley turned to face Persian and spoke, "Persian, I need to shower and change, can you please wait here?"
Persian stared at the child before shaking her head negatively. Persian then wasted no time by walking into the bathing area, where the showers were located and made a show of sitting in the corner, where she had a good view of the showers, whilst giving Ashley her privacy and the exit. Ashley instantly realised that Persian was choosing to watch over her and wanted to make sure she was protected and safe. A warm bubbling feeling rose up inside her stomach and she nodded gratefully to Persian.
She enjoyed a very nice, long hot shower and then changed into her fresh clothes. The outfit was a simple pair of brown shorts and a long sleeved hoodie was slipped on over a plain white t-shirt. Yes, they were plain, and not very 'pretty' but she didn't care in the slightest. She shivered as she walked into the main Staff area and she made a quick detour past another old locker that simply held an old worker's jacket. The old worker's jacket was instantly put on over the top and she walked into the kitchen area in search of something to eat … Persian dutifully following along behind her.
Ashley settled on a microwaveable cup of noodles and found a tin of meat and beans for Persian.
"Sorry Persian, I don't have any pokémon food with me," Ashley apologised softly, still feeling rather chilly. "I can find you some later, is that okay?"
Persian nodded once and sniffed at the meat and beans, it wasn't the most ideal meal for a pokémon, but it'd keep her nourished and that was okay. Persian devoured the meal and then another can of the same before she sniffed and curled up next to a shivering Ashley to help keep her warm.
Ashley smiled and petted Persian and whispered her thanks.
"You know, for a building with power, you'd think they'd have heating," Ashley pondered. "I know that the Water System and the Power System work, otherwise I couldn't use the showers or indoor appliances. I'm glad though, without the Power System, you'd never have been healed."
She slurped the last of the noodles down and hummed pleasantly as Persian's warmth mixed with her own. She shuffled over to a corner and pulled some blankets and a pillow from one of the cupboards. "These'll help nicely, don't you think Persian?"
Persian meowed her positive reply and waited for Ashley to set up a makeshift bed. She waited and was prepared to sleep at the base of the makeshift bed when Ashley gently pulled her until she was next to the pillow, where Ashley would sleep.
"Good night Persian," Ashley yawned.
Persian meowed her response, but internally she was shocked. Even her old master wouldn't let her sleep so closely to him. It was a sign that she'd made the right choice in her book.
"Sleep well young one," Persian responded softly, licking Ashley's cheek. "I swear to always watch over you and obey your commands, my young mistress."
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Ashley woke to the echoes of the Pidgey singing to the morning sun and she groaned.
'Why is it so chilly this morning?' Ashley tiredly thought, until the events of the previous night caught up with her tired mind. "Father ... Persian, wait? Persian!"
"Persian, where are you?" Ashley called as she sat up and noticed that Persian wasn't sleeping beside her.
Persian trotted into the room seconds later and dropped a few berries on the blanket. Ashley blinked before smiling and petting Persian, much to the Cat Pokémon's pleasure.
"Were you finding food for breakfast?" Ashley enquired softly, and at Persian's nod continued. "I see, thank you Persian but since the storm has ended, it's time to go home. I'm afraid my mother – I mean carer will be worried."
Persian understood and nodded once to show her understanding.
"Do you want me to release you now?" Ashley asked sadly, a promise was a promise after all.
Persian reared her head back and shook it negatively, she liked her new mistress and she swore to protect Ashley. Ashley then proved that despite her intellect, she was a 9 year old girl as he squealed happily and hugged Persian tightly, but not too tightly. She blinked as a random thought popped into her mind.
"Do you want a name?" she asked the Cat Pokémon.
Persian pondered the question; she didn't care what she was called, as long as she could stay with her mistress. Outwardly she shrugged and meowed uncertainly.
"I know you probably don't care right?" Ashley guessed, and at Persian's nod she reiterated. "I was hoping that you'd let me name you, it's so others know that you're special to me."
That touched a nerve for Persian. Sure, her old master had once cared for her, called her special, but she could always tell that he was holding something back. Ashley however was sincere and truly considered Persian to be special to her – Persian meowed happily and nodded to her new mistress.
Ashley immediately perked up and pondered the possible names, "Something classy and powerful and feminine, hmmm."
Ashley snapped her fingers in realisation and offered her suggestion, "How about Bastet?"
Persian sniffed and meowed in question and Ashley giggled softly.
"Bastet is the Goddess of Cats, protection, joy, family and other things as well." Ashley supplied before pouting childishly. "I think it fits anyway."
Persian purred and licked Ashley's cheek in response, she loved the name.
"Then Bastet it is!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "Now I need to return you to your pokéball Bastet, is that okay or do you not like pokéballs?"
The newly named Bastet shook her head negatively and nodded to the pokéball, symbolising her acceptance. Ashley smiled and returned Bastet to her pokéball.
"Time to face the wrath of 'mother'," Ashley shivered. "On second thought, Professor Oak first so I can register Bastet."
She put everything away and put her still damp clothes in the locker to dry and replace the set she wore, then collected her things and slipped Bastet's pokéball in her hoodie pocket. She nodded to herself as she made it look like no one had even been there, before she began her hike to the Professor's Lab.
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There we go, chapter one of my newest story and the second Pokémon Story I've decided to write. Please don't be shy and let me know what you think.
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PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!
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\^o^/