Well… Here's my first 'official' One Shot. I'm kinda stuck in a rut with 'Six Years', so it's still gonna be a bit before I complete that. Anyway, I thought I'd pump out something completely random, to kinda get the rust out of my writing 'gears', so to speak. This is not a One Shot I've described on my Profile, though I've been feeling like giving Ash's father a background lately. I know it's been done before, and some have even speculated that Giovanni's his dad. Still, this'll be short, and doesn't HAVE to be taken seriously. I would hope that it needn't be said that this is an AU, 'cause this is FANfiction. Not sure if I 100% like how this came out, so tell me how I did, if it behooves you. And remember I'm not above constructive criticism, so tear this story apart, if it's bad. I can only get better over time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy…
Summary: While travelling through Kanto again to compete in the Indigo League a second time, Ash Ketchum runs into an acquaintance of his father's: His father's mentor in Pokemon, or so the eccentric old man claims. His mom has never brought up his father much in conversation, so Ash believes this a perfect opportunity to learn about him, as Ash has been curious about the man his whole life. What will Solomon have to say?
Ash stared at the front of Celadon's Gym, confused. He had seen many people in his travels, but no one as weird as THIS. Ash thought the behavior slightly familiar, but something about it was different…
Ah, that's right. Brock had exhibited some of these quirks, but he had been upfront about it. THIS guy… well… If Ash had to describe the old guy in one word, it'd be 'pervert'.
The white, long-haired man was plastered to one of the big front windows of the Celadon Gym, and he was drooling and mumbling incessantly.
"Oh, hohoho… YES! PERFECT specimens… I think my next book will be the best one YET…!"
The old guy's right nostril began to bleed a little as he GIGGLED. Ash found that disturbing just a teeny-tiny bit…
"Hey, Mister… You going to challenge the Gym, or just stand there all day…?" Ash asked innocently enough as he walked up to the geezer. Truth be told, the guy didn't look THAT old, considering he didn't have many wrinkles to speak of. Still, he didn't exactly seem middle-aged.
The old man jumped at being addressed, which caused him to accidentally smack into the front window he had been previously plastered to. Hard. The noise was loud enough for the ladies inside to perceive, and they in turn shrieked in terror upon the sight of the old man re-plastered to the front window, making a weird stunned expression. The ladies ran off further into the complex, and the old geezer slumped against the window, saying, "No, no, no…" over and over. Ash scratched the side of his head in confusion. It was true the guy was a pervert, but he wasn't embarrassed or ashamed at being caught in the act.
"Uh… Mister…?" Ash asked again, but the man still seemed to be ignoring him.
"My… re…search… ruined…" The old man whined, but then he growled and got up. Turning around, he grounded out very intimidatingly, "What. Is. It. Brat?"
Now that Ash got a good look at the guy, he didn't know quite what to think. He'd definitely seen different styles of clothes, but he hadn't quite seen anything like this guy's wardrobe in his travels. The guy had spiky, waist-length hair, wore a headband on his head, a green short shirt kimono with matching pants, a black belt, and a red cloak on top of that. The guy had his arms crossed, and stared heatedly as Ash gawked at him.
"WELL?" The old guy pried once more.
Ash rubbed the back of his head and gave a lopsided grin.
"I-I was just asking if you were taking on the Gym here…"
The old guy shook his head and clicked his tongue several times.
"I have no time to challenge Gyms! Don't you know who I am, by just one look at me?" The guy asked while holding up a twitching hand. Ash shook his head, and sighed when the guy struck a pose by parting his legs while extending one arm out and bending the other upward behind his head. "I am the one and only Water Sage… the devilishly handsome writer… Solomon the Gallant!"
Solomon held the pose for what seemed like eternity for both him and Ash. Solomon had a cocky smirk on his face, and Ash a quizzical and lost one.
Finally, Ash replied as he shook his head and crossed his arms.
"… Nope. Never heard of you."
Solomon's right eye twitched and he fell over backward soon after. Solomon's whole body twitched and he moaned something about 'the clueless generation' before leaping to his feet again.
"Okay, so you're just another brat…" Solomon cleared his throat and coughed into his fist. "Well, while I'd like nothing more than to stick around and gab all day… I've got research to do. Clearly you're just an average trainer. I mean, every trainer who's actually got experience knows who I am. You're just a snot-nosed teenager in way over your head…"
Ash clenched a fist at Solomon.
"Oh, yeah! I challenge you right here and now! I'm not some snot-nosed kid! I've been in tons of Leagues now, and I've got lots of experience!"
Solomon scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"Look, brat… Just exactly how many Leagues have you participated in now? It couldn't be 'tons'. You look no older than sixteen."
Ash blushed and rubbed the back of his head. He gave a cheesy smile.
"W-Well… Technically, I've participated in six different Leagues, and this is my second go with this one."
Solomon snorted and crossed his arms, not looking very impressed.
"Uh-huh. And how many of those have you actually come out on top?"
Ash fidgeted and tapped his index fingers together. Suddenly the ground seemed a lot more interesting.
"Just one…"
Solomon burst into laughter and Ash looked up, steamed. Solomon waved his hand at Ash's indignant stare.
"You'll have to forgive me. I just thought I heard you say a few seconds ago that you were chock full of experience…"
Ash fumed and stomped on the ground.
"Winning the Pokemon League isn't easy! And I've saved the world a lot more than once! Just how many Leagues have YOU won?"
Solomon rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He smirked when he gave his answer.
"I've participated in thirty my whole life, and I came out on top in seventeen of them. Of course, I forfeited the championship each and every time, but…
Solomon shook his head, not even caring to comment on the 'saving the world' part.
"Anyway. You're obviously a waste of my time. Heck, I'm on par with the Elite 4, so what chance do you have against me? Brat, I have to say I'm unimpressed with you so far."
Ash shook his fist again at Solomon while he continued scowling.
"I have a name, and it's Ash! Ash Ketchum!"
Solomon blinked, and for the first time in a long time, Solomon was rendered speechless. Gone was the smugness that had been with Solomon for nearly the entirety of speaking with Ash, gone the condescending smirk.
Solomon raised his index finger slowly at Ash and frowned.
"You're…" Solomon trailed off, incapable of finishing that line of thought out loud. Flashes of another raven-haired boy filled Solomon's mind, and he couldn't speak. So many memories.
Ash scratched the side of his head and almost all traces of anger had left him. His voice was concerned when he spoke.
"Hey, Mister… Solomon… You alright?"
Solomon still had his index finger pointed at Ash, and he was still swimming through his memories, but he did eventually find his voice. When he did, Solomon couldn't help but chuckle.
"… Ketchum. How many years has it been now…?" Solomon shook his head again and did a fairly bold move by patting Ash on the head and resting it there. "So, you're Ketchum's kid… Well, can't say I'm surprised. You're the spitting image of your father, and I never even noticed it. You start from Pallet Town?"
Ash was really confused right now, but he could still find his voice.
"Uh… Yeah. Why? And… who're you talking about?"
Solomon chuckled some more and ruffled Ash's hair some before eventually taking the hand off Ash's head.
"Like father, like son. Say, how is your dad doing, kid…?"
Ash was relieved that Solomon was starting to make sense, but now he had like ten more questions to replace the one answered.
"Uh… M-My dad?" Ash mumbled while Solomon watched him expectantly. Ash continued after a few moments of silence. "I don't know where my dad is… I mean, when I grew up, I lived with my mom. Dad was never around."
Solomon appeared troubled at this revelation, but he shook the troubled expression off as an idea dawned on him.
"Say… If that's the case, I bet you'd like to know a little about your dad, huh?" Solomon waited for a reply, but only got a nod in response. "Well… Truth is, I only knew your dad for roughly three years. After competing in the Indigo League, your dad apprenticed under me, and we trained until he was ready enough to take on the Indigo League again. Thanks to me, your dad came out on top in the Indigo League, and went on to compete in several others all over the world. We didn't stay in contact after his three-year training… Neither did his travelling companions.
Solomon smiled and reminisced fondly about the trio of kids he got to know for a short period of time. In the end, it was he who left them, and not the other way around, but he felt that they were ready.
"I miss those kids… Anyway… So, is there anything you'd like to know about your dad? Maybe I only knew him for three years, but we did bond."
Ash looked thoughtful for a moment, then he asked a few.
"What was he like? What was his starter Pokemon? And did you ever know my mom?"
Solomon recoiled a little at Ash's sudden burst of curiosity, but he had to smile at the enthusiasm.
"If I had to describe your dad in one word, Ash… It'd be gutsy. Gutsy and stubborn. You're a lot more like him than you think, actually! He did tend to get riled up too easily, like you do… And don't deny it." Solomon smirked as Ash made a pouty face. Before Ash could retort, Solomon went on, "Your dad never did say what his starter Pokemon was, but he tended to use a Charizard a lot in his training. And as for your mother… No, I've never met her. Like I said, after three years of training, your dad and I lost touch. He was in his teenager years when I saw him last, so you look a lot like he did. And I'm still embarrassed I didn't see the resemblance sooner…"
Ash looked thoughtful again, and then asked a couple more questions.
"So… What were my dad's friends like? Did he ever befriend any Gym Leaders, have them as companions?"
Solomon shook his head, crossed his arms, and looked to the side as he frowned in deep thought.
"No, I don't think so… At least, none were travelling with him in the three years I knew him. The other boy of the group had ridiculously bright orange hair, and he was a lot more level-headed than your dad. Then, there was the violet-haired beauty… She, too, was more level-headed than your dad. Sorry, kid, but your dad wasn't the sharpest tack in the box… The three of them came from poor families to say the least, but they – well, the four of us, actually, were like a family."
Ash looked at Solomon expectantly as he asked the next question.
"So, my dad aimed to be the Pokemon Master?"
Solomon grinned at the question and shook his head.
"No, your dad and his friends sought world peace." Solomon paused, then he nodded after a few moments. "Yeah, that's one way of putting it. Competing in the Pokemon League was only a means to an end. Your dad did it to keep his Pokemon in top shape, to settle disputes, if the time came where they would be needed. Strangely enough, I'd been seeking a similar goal before they'd come into my life… I wanted to do something about the suffocating hatred of this world. I guess fate brought the four of us together. After three years of training, your dad was so much stronger, so much more capable. And it wasn't because of my tutelage alone, your dad had the guts to never give up, and that's something I wish that every trainer had."
Ash blinked as it dawned on him that he hadn't asked this question up until now.
"By the way… What was my dad's name? So far, you've only called him by our last name."
Solomon smirked.
"Well… I'll leave you to figure that out. I could answer that now, but I don't think I will." Solomon chuckled as Ash growled. After he'd ceased chuckling, Solomon looked down at his watch. "If that's all you have to ask about your dad… I've got stuff to do. You DID scare away what I was researching, y'know…"
Ash growled again and nearly shouted.
"Hey! You were being a creepy pervert! What kinda 'research' involves ogling girls!"
Solomon looked indignant and nearly shouted back.
"Such impertinence! I need inspiration for my series of books, and those ladies were PERFECT! Now they'll be more cautious around here, so I've gotta find my inspiration elsewhere, ya brat…"
Solomon began to storm away, and Ash looked on after him.
"Well, good riddance!" Ash was about to go into the Gym, but then he remembered something. Calling after him, Ash said, "What if I need to get in touch with you again?"
Solomon stopped in his tracks, but only waved his hand behind him dismissively.
"Face it, kid… You won't 'need' to see me again. I only write books nowadays, and I'd rather not have you ruin my research… AGAIN…"
Ash growled lowly.
"What if I want to know more about my dad?"
Solomon grunted, then turned around.
"Really? I don't know much more about him, Ash! I doubt I could answer any other questions you might have! I only knew him as a kid. What happened after that, you'll have to ask your mom."
Ash sighed and crossed his arms one more time.
"Fine… See ya, Solomon…"
Ash grumbled and entered the Celadon City Gym. Solomon rubbed his chin and entered as well. After finding a scratch sheet of paper at the un-manned front desk, Solomon jotted down a number and a note for the receptionist, whenever she got back, to give to Ash before he left. Though Solomon feigned not wanting to keep in touch with Ash, Solomon actually didn't mind, because Ash was the son of his best student. Though he didn't know what had happened to Ash's father, Solomon made it a point to find out.
"… After seeing Ash's battle…" Solomon grinned. And with that, he made his way further into the Gym to witness, in his opinion, a spectacular battle. After all, no one could battle like a Ketchum…
Fin
P.S.: Virtual cookie to whoever can guess who Solomon is based off of. :D