Alright, everyone! Welcome to my very first fanfiction! I have read quite a lot of stories on this site and decided to try my hand writing one. I know I won't be the best but I would like you guys to tell me how you like my story.
This is going to be an amourshipping story and my version of how pokémon animé (at the end of XY series) should end. Here is the summary (I suck at summaries):
Ash has finally won the Kalos League and he and his companions are ecstatic at the win. He has decided to train hard for challenging the Elite Four and Diantha and heads home. Meanwhile, Team Rocket has decided to stop playing games and the boss replaces a few members. What happens next might change everything. What will Ash do as the danger approaches?
Also, I have decided to try and stick to the animé as much as possible. Therefore, there won't be any cursing (or very minor) and I am not going to include any weapons. Since this will be my first time writing, it would be great if you guys help me out. The updates will be slow (sometimes very slow) because of my college and all. Now, onward with the story!
A few notes:
"Regular font in quotes" indicates normal human speech.
Italicized font when mentioned directly indicates thoughts and will indicate flashbacks.
CHAPTER 1
"And the winner of today's finals is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town."
Ash stood in shock as he heard the announcer declare him the winner. He had done it! He had actually won the Kalos league! His Charizard, stood out there in the field, proud of having helped his master – no, his friend – win the league. His friends, Clemont and Bonnie, who were siblings, and Serena were cheering for him loudly. They were all really happy that he had won. They had seen him train hard for every gym match as well as the league, had seen him struggle and come out on top of the gym leaders he challenged – Clemont being one of them – and had helped him train and all that had paid off.
His partner and best friend, Pikachu, was ecstatic that they had won the league. He had been standing beside him during the entire match, cheering on his pokémon friends as they were battling; the excitement of the match keeping them going. Everything they had done so far had contributed to the win in the league.
Their opponent was looking on in shock at what had happened. He was sure he had won the league. The final moves both pokémon used had been so strong that they had cracked the whole battlefield. He looked on as he saw his ace pokémon, Blastoise, drop on its knee before finally fainting and deciding the result of the match.
The stadium was silent as everyone waited for the dust to settle down. As the dust settled down, they saw Blastoise fainting while Charizard, who had reverted back from its mega evolved form after the final attack, was still standing on its knee, tired out after the whole ordeal. The silence was shattered as the whole stadium erupted in cheers for the new winner.
Charizard turned around and faced his trainer who had helped him learn many things and had stood by him, no matter what. He flew towards him and seeing that he was still shocked, burnt him. Ash snapped out of his shock as he felt himself being burnt. He returned Charizard to his pokéball while Pikachu jumped on his shoulder. It took some time for him to realize that he had actually won the league. As soon as he realized that, he was overjoyed.
Ash's opponent came over after thanking and returning his Blastoise to his pokéball. He stared at Ash for a while, and then admitted grudgingly that he really deserved the victory. They shook hands and he walked away. Suddenly, Ash felt a pair of arms wrapping around him as someone tackled him. The force was too much for him so he lost his balance and fell on the ground with the person on top of him.
Serena was quite glad that Ash had won. She couldn't believe it. She, along with her friends, Clemont and Bonnie, started running towards him, wanting to congratulate him for his win in the Kalos league. Serena ran ahead of the siblings but she tripped on her own foot, tackling Ash into a hug, which made them both fall on the ground with Serena on top of him. She soon realized the position they were in and blushed hard, trying to cover it with her hands.
She got up from her position on top of Ash but couldn't look around due to the fact that her face was still red from what had happened. She had accidentally hugged her crush from behind and hadn't even been thinking while doing it. It was true that she had tripped but she couldn't help being flustered. Meanwhile, Ash was still getting his bearings since he got hit on his head when falling. He saw both, Pikachu and Serena, looking at him in concern.
"Are you okay, Ash?" Serena asked, her voice barely audible, her face still red from what had happened.
"Wha...Oh, um...Yeah, I'm okay." Ash said as he was getting up, not knowing Serena had hugged him. But he never got up because he was tackled into another hug, this time by Bonnie, who was really excited to see her friend win the league.
"That was the most awesome battle I have ever seen, Ash. You were awesome." Bonnie yelled in his ear. But before she could make Ash go deaf, her brother came up behind her and pulled her away from him with his Aipom arm.
"That was a great battle, Ash. You used such great unpredictable strategies to overcome your opponent." Clemont said as he helped Ash up, his tone of voice telling he was clearly impressed.
"I actually won the league." Ash yelled at the top of his lungs, pumping his fist in the air.
All this while, Serena had been listening to everything but she still was too embarrassed to join in the conversation. She didn't know that Bonnie had seen her hugging Ash and had kept quiet about it. Serena had also forgotten that the Kalos league, being one of the strongest leagues, is broadcasted all over the world. So, it didn't occur to her that many people other than Bonnie had seen what she had done.
Pallet Town, Kanto
"And the winner of today's finals is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town."
This could be heard in every house in the small town. As soon as the winner was announced, a great resounding cheer was heard throughout the town. The whole town was delighted that a trainer from there had actually won a league. But no one was happier than a certain light-brown haired woman. She had seen him grow up from a kind, caring yet reckless kid to a great persevering, determined trainer that he was now.
Delia, Ash's mother, was on cloud nine. Her son had won the league! She had always been optimistic and had always supported him in everything he had done. And she couldn't have been happier. Her partner pokémon and housekeeper, Mr. Mime, was just as happy.
The next thing she saw surprised her. She saw a honey-blonde haired girl running and hugging Ash from behind. From what she could see, it didn't look like she had tripped, making the hug quite cute. The girl looked quite familiar, almost as if she had seen her somewhere before, but she couldn't remember. She thought mischievously that she had got a reason to tease her son (other than under-wears, of course) when he comes home - a girlfriend.
Meanwhile at Professor Oak's lab, Professor Oak, Tracey and the rest of Ash's pokémon were celebrating his win in the league. They were elated because they knew how many times Ash had tried his hand at the league and failed. But this time Ash had managed to win the league proving that if you are determined, no one can stop you from achieving your dreams.
They soon saw Serena hug Ash. Everyone was shocked to see that Ash actually had a girlfriend! As the camera zoomed in to their position, they saw the girl's head bent down towards the ground as though she was embarrassed. That told them that even she hadn't been expecting this. Professor Oak thought she seemed vaguely familiar. Maybe he had seen her somewhere but being old as he was; his memory had become somewhat weak so he couldn't recognize her.
Cerulean Gym, Cerulean City, Kanto
The redheaded gym leader was watching Kalos league shown live on TV. She was rooting for Ash with whom she had travelled throughout Kanto and Johto. She hadn't known travelling with him would change her life so much. Ever since she had started travelling with him, she learned many things for her to become the toughest water-type gym leader in Kanto. She thought of him as her little brother, a brother she never had.
Misty reflected on her life so far and compared it before and after her journey. She knew that her life after the journey has been way better than before it. She learned how to make pokémon trust humans, how to take care of them, how to train them and much more. Even her sisters now respect her for the great trainer she is, something they could never be. But some things never change. Misty still hadn't gotten over her fear of bug-types and it was still difficult for her to control her temper.
She watched the finals in anticipation. This was the farthest Ash had ever reached in a league; he can't lose now. She watched as the announcer declared the winner. For a moment she thought she had misheard, but she hadn't. He had done it! He had actually won! She couldn't believe it. This showed just how far he had come from the reckless and stupid boy she knew.
She decided to go to his hometown, Pallet town, and wait for him there. Of course, she could go to Professor Oak's lab and meet him and Gary. She couldn't help but blush as she thought about Gary. She didn't know or remember when she had fallen for him but she had. She had a feeling that he might like her back as well but she wasn't so sure.
As she watched the post-battle celebration where Ash would be awarded the trophy, what she saw left her dumbfounded. She saw this girl hug Ash. She didn't expect that the densest boy on earth would actually have a girlfriend! She soon saw the awkwardness of the situation the girl was in because soon after the hug she got up and looked quite red. They were soon joined by two blondes, probably siblings, as one of them jumped on Ash.
Misty switched off the TV and decided to head to Pallet at once. She decided to ask Ash about his girlfriend while she would spend some time with Gary, she thought, blushing about the last part.
Petalburg Gym, Petalburg City, Hoenn
A brunette was watching TV with her brother Max, her father and the current gym leader Norman and his wife Caroline. They were all watching Kalos league and all of them were rooting for Ash.
Norman had known him for a short time but he knew he had the potential to win. Max was watching every move he made and he knew that he had come far from when he had known him. Ash had promised him a battle as soon as he became a trainer and Max was going to make sure he fulfilled that promise. Ash was like a brother to him and he wanted to see him win. Caroline had also seen Ash's determination and was thankful that her daughter had such a best friend. The brunette herself was quite excited to see him win.
May thought about how much Ash had changed from when she last saw him in Sinnoh, travelling with another coordinator named Dawn. She never thought that travelling with him, after his Pikachu burnt her bike, would change her life to such an extent. She had wanted to be a Pokémon trainer just so that she could travel the world. She had actually hated Pokémon then! Travelling with Ash and his friend, Brock, opened up a whole new world for her. She discovered her dream of becoming the top coordinator in the world. Even her brother, Max, with whom she would always quarrel, had supported her to follow her dream.
She had met a whole lot of people, made some great friends and rivals and even learned to love Pokémon, something she had never thought would have happened! In short, travelling with Ash and Brock had changed her view of the world. She also remembered how Ash ate food; the only person who could challenge her in an eating race and win. She had huge appetite for food, quite like Ash and both of them loved to eat. Brock, she thought, made the best food ever. She and Ash would finish eating in minutes while Max and Brock had only finished half of their first helping, a thing never ceasing to amaze them. She chuckled at that thought.
She also remembered the time when Brock would start flirting with any pretty girl they came across. She never understood why he did that. Whenever he would flirt, Max would go near him and would pull his shirt or his ear, a thing he picked after they met Misty, Ash and Brock's first travelling companion. May saw the brother-sister relationship Misty had with Ash and she saw her develop the same kind of relationship with Max. No wonder Max trusted her.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the announcer announce the winner. And boy was she thrilled! Her best friend had won the Kalos league, one of the toughest leagues in history! They saw how shocked Ash looked as if he was never expecting to win the league. Everyone was excited at the win. It seemed quite a few times that Ash was going to lose, but being Ash, he turned the tables around and won. His first step to become a Pokémon Master!
Soon, a girl hugged Ash from behind, stunning the family. They weren't expecting that. It took some time for them to realize that Ash might have got a girlfriend. May recovered from her shock first and squealed excitedly, thinking Ash had actually got a girlfriend. She was the type of girl who was interested in romantic stuff and she had known, after travelling with Ash, that he was dense and oblivious to that. So this 'accidental' hug excited her.
Her squeal brought the rest of the family out of their stupor, as they continued watching the celebrations. Soon after the hug, two blonde-haired people, probably Ash's travelling companions joined the two teens. One of them jumped on Ash before he could get up. She looked like a small child, around Max's age. As the camera zoomed in, the family except Max saw the girl who had hugged Ash, staring at the ground, embarrassed while Max was focused on the girl who had later jumped on Ash.
She looks quite cute, he thought, Wait, did I really think that? While Max was confused about his own thoughts, he hadn't averted his gaze from the girl and May, who turned to him to talk about something, caught him staring at the girl.
Well, it looks like dear Max is going to get a girlfriend. She thought grinning secretly.
"You know what," Norman said, attracting the attention of the rest, "We should head towards Pallet Town and congratulate him personally for his win in the league."
"Of course, we must, Dad," May and Max said in unison. Caroline just nodded. They all headed to their rooms, quite tired due to all the excitement of the finals while Norman decided to book plane tickets to Kanto and headed out towards the airport.
Twinleaf Town, Sinnoh
A blue-haired girl was eating breakfast with her mother, sitting and watching TV. She was awaiting the result of the Kalos league finals. Her close friend, more like a brother, was battling in the finals, the farthest he had ever reached in any league so far. Her partner pokémon, Piplup, was just as excited as her. Her mother's partner Pokémon, Glameow, was sleeping on the window sill. The girl's name was Dawn.
Dawn had travelled with Ash through Sinnoh to achieve her goal of becoming the best coordinator in Sinnoh, just like her mother. She had always wanted to prove to her mother that she had it in her to become a coordinator. She had first come across Ash's Pikachu being chased by Team Rocket and had helped him get out of their clutches for a while so that she could take him to a Pokémon center to heal him. She set out to find Ash with the help of Professor Rowan, Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy. Meanwhile, Ash had met up with Brock once again and followed the instructions of Professor Rowan. He finally found Pikachu and Dawn and helped them get rid of Team Rocket.
Dawn remembered how they decided to travel together to her first contest and later throughout Sinnoh region. She remembered how they both didn't get along very well at first, quarrelling quite a lot of times over Dawn's inexperience with Pokémon. But they soon got used to each other's ways and supported each other through whatever they did, many-a-times exchanging hi-fis.
She remembered the rivals she made on her journey – Zoey, Kenny and a few more. She also remembered the tasty food Brock made for them in their journey; he really was a great cook. She remembered how Brock flirted with girls before being knocked out by a Poison Jab in his stomach by his Croagunk. She chuckled at that thought.
But before she could think about anything more, she heard her mother say out loud, "Look Dawn!"
She heard the winner's name and jumped for joy. Finally, after trying hard so many times, her friend – no, her brother – had actually won the league, that too, one of the toughest leagues! Her mother, Johanna, was just as happy. Ash was like her son and his winning the league was quite a big achievement.
As the camera turned towards Ash to get his reaction, Dawn and her mother were amazed to see a girl hugging Ash, the whole situation looking quite awkward yet adorable. They knew for a fact that Ash was dense as anything and his getting a girlfriend was the last possible thing, they thought, that would happen to him.
"Awww, doesn't it look just adorable?" Dawn said to her mother who nodded and replied, "No wonder Kalos is called a romantic region."
While seeing him get pushed down again by a blonde girl, Dawn said, "I know! Why don't we go to his hometown to congratulate him personally? What do you say, Mom, Piplup?"
Piplup agreed with her immediately. But her mother looked at her and said, "I am sorry, Dawn. I can't come with you. I have been invited to judge a contest in Alamos Town and it would take a few days." Dawn looked sad but Johanna smiled and continued, "But if the contest ends in 3 days or so, I will come there directly. So don't worry about me. You and Piplup, go and have fun."
"Great. Thanks, Mom," Dawn said happily before turning around and heading towards her room to pack, excited to meet Ash and Pikachu after such a long time.
Lily of the Valley Island, Sinnoh
A purple-haired trainer was watching the Kalos league broadcasted live on the TV screens there along with a crowd of people. He had known Kalos was one of the toughest regions; he wanted to see just how tough.
A few years earlier, he was defeated in the quarter finals of the Sinnoh league at the same place he was at now. His opponent was a certain trainer, he had considered weak but the trainer had proved him wrong by not only defeating him in the quarter finals but by also being the only trainer to defeat a Darkrai in the semifinals.
Seeing the same trainer in Kalos league had surprised him but he managed to hide his surprise. He hated showing extreme emotions. Ash had gained his respect after defeating him in the quarter finals of the Sinnoh League. After learning that, he had defeated Brandon, the toughest Frontier Brain in Kanto, while he himself had lost gave him the motivation to give it a try once again. He won against Brandon and was given the privilege to become a frontier brain but wanting to travel more, he declined.
Paul had hated Ash's training style and vice versa. While he used to be brutal and wicked to his Pokémon, releasing them if they didn't meet his expectations, Ash had always considered them to be his friends; something he never understood until he saw the strong bond he had formed with his Infernape. The Infernape had once been a weak Chimchar he owned, easily scared of Zangoose but had overcome its fears with the help of Ash.
Being defeated by Ash had made him respect him and his training style. He now wasn't as brutal and wicked as he had been at first, but he still used harsh words of encouragement to see how far his Pokémon can go; occasionally praising them if they learned any new moves and thanking them after a good battle.
Paul saw how Ash won the league and decided to challenge him to a battle as soon as he returns to his hometown – and get his revenge. He headed towards the airport to get a ticket to Kanto.
Striaton Gym (-cum-restaurant), Striaton City, Unova
The three gym leaders (and waiters) had been watching the Kalos league on the TV and saw how a certain challenger was winning the matches with his unpredictable battling style. One of the gym leaders was red-haired, hot headed, fire-type specialist; the second one was blue-haired, cool headed, water-type specialist and the last one, who had travelled with him, was green-haired, grass-type specialist. The customers in the restaurant were watching the match along with the three of them.
"What do you think, Cilan?" The red-haired gym leader asked, turning towards his green-haired brother, as the finals started.
"I don't know. It's still too early to decide yet, Chili," Cilan replied. "He has been battling great so far and he is quite stronger than the last time we saw him."
The blue-haired gym leader said. "You are right about that, Cress," Cilan said, "His battling skills have improved since I last saw him."
Cilan thought back to the day he first met Ash and remembered how surprised he was when he challenged all the three brothers for their gym badge. He had been quite impressed with his battling skills. Ash had amazed him many times, even when the situation wasn't in his favor. He remembered why he had decided to go on with Ash on his journey – to become the top connoisseur.
He remembered how he, Ash and Iris had travelled through Unova and Decolore Islands before heading to Kanto where they split up with Iris heading to Johto while he himself heading to Hoenn. He remembered how fond Ash was of food; and whenever Ash did or said anything stupid, Iris would be there, ready to call him a 'kid' while acting like one herself.
His thoughts were interrupted as he felt his brothers shove him. "What were you thinking about, Cilan?" Cress asked, concerned about his brother.
Cilan shook his head and said, "Not much. Only thinking about my journey with Ash."
Chili and Cress looked at each other, and then Chili asked, "Why don't you go on a journey again, if you want to?"
"Yeah, don't worry about the gym. We will take care of it." Cress added.
"Really?" Cilan asked as he glanced slyly at his brothers. Seeing their confused expressions, he continued, "I did the same thing when I first went on my journey with Ash and do you remember what happened? You two couldn't seem to beat a certain ice-type trainer who was threatening to turn our gym into an ice-type one, once she defeats all three of us."
Realizing who he was referring to, both of them scratched the back of their heads as Chili said, "Oh, yeah. About that…"
But before they could continue their banter, they heard the winner of the final match being announced. All three of them were thrilled to know that the winner was their friend, Ash.
"I know what to do!" Cilan said suddenly, attracting his brothers' attention, "I will first head to Pallet Town to congratulate Ash and then I will continue to Sinnoh region for my next journey."
"That makes sense." Cress agreed, as he nodded and got up followed by Chili and Cilan.
"You will also be able to meet the famous Professor Oak." Chili added as he switched off the TV.
"Yeah and I have a lot of juicy, tasty questions to ask him." Cilan said as he headed towards his room to pack up. Cress decided to book his brother's ticket and headed towards airport while Chili stayed at the gym-cum-restaurant to wait on all the customers who had suddenly become hungry after the excitement of the match.
Nuvema Town, Unova
"Professor Juniper…" A high-pitched voice was heard as a girl came running at the Pokémon Research center in the small town, with a Gible in her hands. The girl had purple hair; so long they reached up to her knees. The Gible in her hands was injured badly as could be seen by the cuts on its body. Hearing the voice, a woman came from a hall on her right. She had orange hair and was wearing a lab coat, indicating she was one of the researchers in the lab.
"Who is it? Oh, Iris… and what happened to Gible?" Her voice showed concern as she walked over to Iris to check up on the Pokémon in her hands. She looked on all the damage and said, "Gible isn't injured too badly but it would take some time for its wounds to heal. Why don't you wait here in the reception while I get your Gible treated?"
"Sure, Professor Juniper, I will." Iris said, trying to calm herself down. She knew getting worried and worked up wasn't going to help Gible heal. She knew she had made a bad decision while choosing her newly-caught Gible to battle against her opponent's strong Gallade. She was feeling stupid for putting Gible at risk, even though it trusted her.
"Have you seen the Kalos league, Iris?" She suddenly heard the professor's voice coming through the hall. "Oh yeah, I forgot the Kalos league was going to start in a few days." Iris replied to the professor. Professor Juniper raised an eyebrow at her. Iris continued, "I had been travelling from Castelia City and I didn't come across many Pokémon centers so I couldn't keep tabs on the league."
"Well, Ash is in the finals of the league right now." The professor said, shocking Iris. Her Axew, who was resting in the big forest her hair was, was shocked just as much. The immature kid, they knew, was in the finals of one of the toughest leagues in the world! Switching on the TV, they saw him battling out there with his Pokémon, all of them excited as they waited for the result.
Seeing Ash's enthusiasm as he battled made Iris remember her journey with him through Unova. She had always been surprised at his enthusiasm at everything, especially when it came to pokémon battles. They had met when Ash had thought her to be a pokémon and had aimed a pokéball at her. She couldn't believe at his immaturity then. But as they travelled, together with Cilan, he proved to her that he wasn't as immature as she made him out to be, but of course, only when it came to thinking unpredictable strategies in battles. She had still thought him to be immature in other everyday chores.
She remembered how she had hugged Pikachu quite hard – seeing one for the first time – and had got a thunderbolt as her punishment. As she thought about her journey through the Decolore Islands as well, she remembered going to a fair dedicated to Kanto region. She remembered how excited both, she and Ash were to be able to go and see such a unique fair. She had called Ash, a kid, for being excited but now that she thought of it, she had been just as excited and had been acting like a kid too. She felt embarrassed as she thought about her immaturity.
"And the winner of today's finals is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town." The announcer's voice interrupted her thoughts and she was quite pleased to know that her friend had won the league.
"You know what," her thoughts were interrupted once again as she turned her head towards the professor, "I wish I could go to congratulate him personally. But I am busy with my research." The professor's words made her think about planning another trip to Kanto but, this time, heading towards Pallet Town.
"Gible!" Her thoughts were interrupted yet again, as she saw her newest friend running towards her. Gible jumped in her arms and started cuddling to her, making her giggle.
"Gible is all well now." A male voice said. She turned to see another man in white coat, heading towards them.
Another of the researchers, Iris thought. Professor Juniper thanked the man, as he turned around with a wave of his hand.
"I think I know where we are heading next," Iris whispered to Gible and Axew.
"Did you say something, Iris?" She turned her head around to see the professor looking at her curiously.
"I was just thinking about heading to Kanto, you know, to congratulate Ash on his win." She replied.
"Then do tell him that I congratulated him as well."
"Sure."
Professor Sycamore's Lab, Lumiose City, Kalos
Professor Sycamore, with his lab assistant, Sophie, was watching the Kalos league. He knew about Ash's determination to win the league and he had supported him to follow the dream. Seeing him win would only help his research with mega-evolution because it would showcase his bond with his Pokémon, a key fact for any trainer to achieve mega-evolution. Ash had been doing great so far and everyone was expecting something from him; if he couldn't win the league, he should at least be a runner-up.
The professor had been keeping an eye on Ash's Charizard. He had seen the strong bond the Charizard and its trainer shared. He had seen how the pokémon trusted its trainer, knowing he wouldn't do anything reckless that would put the pokémon at risk. It just rooted for the fact of having a strong bond between them, the reason Charizard had not lost its control even while mega-evolving for the first time.
As soon as he heard the winner, he was exultant and turned around to hug his assistant, only to catch air as he fell on the ground, his assistant having dodged his sudden hug. Sophie had had a feeling that the professor may try something as she remembered how he had tried to do the same thing when Serena had won her first showcase. So, she had been expecting this. She dodged as soon as he lunged at her, missing only by a few centimeters. She switched off the TV and advised the professor to concentrate on his research instead of girls as she herself headed towards the lab, leaving the professor on the ground.
Lumiose Gym, Lumiose City, Kalos
A brown-haired man was working on an electric heater that had been damaged due to excess electricity. His partners Amphorous and Blaziken were there beside him, helping him in any way they could. Beside them, a magnemite, a magneton and a heliolisk along with a robot were watching the Kalos league on TV. The robot looked like Clemont, the Lumiose Gym Leader, complete with the lightning bolt-shaped strand of hair on its head. The robot was Clembot, one of the many ingenious inventions of the Gym Leader and one of the very few ones that hadn't blown up lately.
The brown-haired man was Meyer, father of Clemont and Bonnie. He ran an electrical shop in the Lumiose City along with his trusted partner Amphorous. He was one of the few people who had mastered Mega-Evolution along with Professor Sycamore with his Garchomp, the current Kalos Champion, Diantha along with her Gardevoir, Gurkinn, grandfather of Korrina, the Shalour City Gym Leader, along with his Lucario and Korrina herself who had a mega-evolving Lucario as well.
Meyer had a mega-evolving Blaziken, who he hadn't introduced to his kids. He saved Lumiose City from thieves and criminals by using his alias, Blaziken Mask along with his Blaziken, who was usually mega-evolved. He didn't want his kids to know about him being the Blaziken Mask, although they had almost found it out while helping Professor Sycamore get his kidnapped Garchomp back from the stupid Team Rocket. The kids hadn't found out the truth but the professor had and they struck a deal so that now he was helping the professor with his research on mega-evolution. He was watching the league while working on the side.
Watching Ash win on the league was exciting to say the least. He had wanted to repair the heater while watching the league but the league was too exciting to miss anything, especially Ash's battles. He was happy to see Ash win; it just showed how far he had come. He was glad to see them enjoying the victory. Seeing Serena hug Ash had surprised him but he dismissed it, thinking they might have started dating on their journey. He decided to call them and congratulate Ash; he couldn't just leave his shop open in the care of his pokémon all the time.
Pokémon Centre, Anistar City, Kalos
"Nurse Joy, can you help me? Charizard hasn't been feeling well lately. Something seems to be bothering him." A husky voice was heard. A tall trainer with a blue scarf around his neck came running in the Pokémon centre. With him was a girl around eleven years old and a Chespin. The trainer had a pokéball in his hand. He looked tired as though he had been running a marathon. The girl with him was already sitting down panting hard. The boy's hair was quite messy.
Nurse Joy turned around to see a pokéball shoved in her face. The boy, who held the pokéball, had a worried and concerned look on his face. "Please help me, Nurse Joy. I don't get what has been bothering Charizard," the boy almost pleaded.
"Now, now, don't worry," the nurse tried to calm down the boy, "Your Charizard is in capable hands. You are lucky for we have the best Pokémon Doctor in Kanto, here. I will make sure your Charizard will be looked after." She smiled, took the pokéball and went inside.
"Don't worry, Alain. Charizard will be fine. You know he had been through worse." The girl said, having regained her breath. She cared about the boy quite a lot, because he was just like a big brother to her. Alain didn't reply, though he nodded, indicating he had heard her. He was trying to calm himself down; he knew worrying wouldn't help his injured Pokémon heal.
Soon, they heard a deep voice calling them. "Alain, your Charizard is all fine." They turned to see a tanned man beckoning them over. He had spiky hair and he was wearing a white coat. He had the pokéball in his hand. "Your Charizard is completely fine now."
"Thank Goodness." Alain finally relaxed. He had been worried quite a lot, running all the way to the Pokémon Centre from the Anistar sun dial. The said boy was an Assistant of Professor Sycamore, gathering all the information he could on Mega Evolution to help the Professor. He hoped to carry on the professor's research on mega evolution.
He called Charizard out of his pokéball only to see the tip of his left wing and left hand wrapped in bandages. He turned towards the doctor for an explanation but was interrupted from a growl from his Charizard. He saw that both Charizard and the doctor wore serious expressions, watching whatever battle that was airing on the TV. He turned to the other side only to see his fellow companion watching the battle as well. He was surprised and turned to see what battle was being aired. He was astounded to see a Charizard standing on top of a heavily injured Blastoise. The Charizard was very familiar and its trainer was… Ash.
There was complete silence in the centre as everyone, watching the battle, soaked in the results. The silence was suddenly shattered as everyone cheered for the winner. Alain and his Charizard just smiled while the girl and the Chespin started shouting and cheering for Ash at the top of their voices, making Alain go deaf or so he thought.
Alain turned towards the doctor, who had a knowing smile on his face. He thought it to be weird but decided to think about it later. He supposed that the doctor must have known that Ash would win the league. Not that he himself didn't believe it; he knew Ash had it in him what was needed to win.
"So, what was wrong with Charizard, Doctor…?" Alain snapped the doctor out of his thoughts as the doctor turned to face him. He was still concerned about what was wrong with his partner.
"Brock," The doctor said, "Just call me Brock. And as far as your Charizard is concerned, he had some internal injuries in its wing and hand. But you don't need to worry; they will heal in a short time. Just give him these medicines every other day and he should be good as new in a week." Brock handed him some tablets. Alain took the tablets and turned towards his Charizard, who looked somewhat sheepish.
"Why didn't you tell me? Do you know how worried I was for you?" Alain almost yelled in anger before calming down and hugging Charizard hard. Charizard hugged his trainer back. Brock noticed their strong bond and couldn't help but think about how Alain was like Ash when it came to take care of their pokémon.
"I suppose Charizard didn't want to worry you about his injuries. So he must have decided not to say anything about them." Brock offered an explanation. Alain turned towards Charizard who nodded slightly, still shamefaced about his stupidity.
"I guess I will forgive you." Alain told Charizard, "But just don't anything stupid like that again, okay?" He then turned towards the doctor, "Thanks, Brock for your help." Brock just nodded and smiled.
Alain felt a tug on his arm. He turned towards his companion and asked, "What is it, Mairin?"
"Did you just see what an awesome win Ash got?" Ever since meeting Ash, she had wanted to be a trainer like him – thinking strategies on the go and giving her best in it. She almost always looked up to Ash as a little sister would look up to her big brother. Ash treated her as a little sister just like Bonnie. While Alain looked amused, Brock looked surprised; he hadn't known these people would know Ash personally. Then again, it was Ash, so he was bound to have many, many friends.
"Yes, Mairin. I saw. Now don't hinder Brock. He is a busy doctor and you shouldn't disturb him like that." Alain pacified her in a brotherly tone. He had started using the 'brotherly' tone lately because even though he didn't show it, he really cared quite a lot about the girl and thought of her as his sister. Brock silently chuckled at the exchange.
"I wish we could go to Kanto to congratulate him." Mairin continued, not hearing Alain apparently. While Alain tried to calm Mairin down, her words sent Brock on a nostalgic trip.
Brock had first met Ash when he had come to challenge Pewter Gym in Pewter City. Brock had been the Pewter City Gym Leader when his parents had left him to care for himself and his many brothers and sisters. He had always wanted to be a Pokémon Breeder then but couldn't leave his siblings alone.
Ash had challenged him twice. He had lost against him, at first and he would have won during his second try at the battle had it not been his siblings. They had stopped Ash from winning the battle and Ash had admitted to their wish and had forfeited the battle. His love for everyone had really touched Brock and he had gifted him the Pewter Gym Badge.
Meeting Ash had changed his life for the better. His parents had come back and his father had decided to take charge of the Gym so that he, Brock, could travel the world with Ash. Brock knowing that his siblings were in able hands left home to travel and become the best Pokémon Breeder.
He had met many friends and girls too, Brock thought, feeling warm like he did whenever he saw a beautiful girl. His and Ash's first travelling companion, Misty, had never let him flirt with any girl in peace before going near him and pulling him away with his ear. He inadvertently brought a hand to his ear, slightly rubbing it, still feeling the pain from all those years.
He remembered the large appetite of Ash, always eating food as though that was the only thing that mattered in the world. He never thought he would come across any one with such a large appetite as Ash; but he was wrong for he did meet another person like that – May.
May's stomach, he thought, was just a bottomless pit because no matter what the time was, she was always hungry. You could name any place on this planet which served food, you could be sure May knew of this place. It was best not to let anything happen to May's food or she might go on a rampage to destroy the cause of wastage of her food. With her was another person, her brother – Max.
Until Max had met Misty, he could easily flirt with any girl without being pulled away. When Misty returned to meet them on their journey, he couldn't do so anymore because Max started pulling him away from girls, taking up Misty's role. He wouldn't always pull his ear because he was too short to reach up to them; so instead, he would pull his shirt and drag him away.
Then there was Dawn. The blue-haired coordinator was over-confident quite a lot of times and usually used to over-estimate herself, when it came to pokémon – many-a-times to show that she was better than Ash. She had already set herself a goal like Ash and himself to become the best coordinator in Sinnoh.
Sinnoh had been a great region because he had caught himself some great pokémon to take care. It was also the region where he had changed his originally-set goal of becoming the best Pokémon Breeder to becoming the best Pokémon Doctor, after taking care of several severely-poisoned baby pokémon. And once again, luck hadn't been in his favor when it came to his love life, because he soon caught a Croagunk there, who took up the job of pulling him away from girls.
He couldn't think of anything much because he had been staring at the TV and what he saw had left him flabbergasted. Even though it looked accidental, he was amazed to see a girl hugging Ash. Ash! Ash out of all people! He started feeling something he hadn't thought he would ever feel against Ash any day – jealousy. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and was mature enough to know that being jealous was not going to help him at all.
He looked towards the TV again to see Ash being pushed down again by a lemon-haired girl. The honey-blonde girl, who he thought had hugged Ash, was looking towards the ground red-faced. He assumed she liked Ash but hadn't told him yet. Even though he felt sad about not having a girlfriend yet, he decided to go to Pallet Town, to congratulate both, Ash and the girl. Ash – for winning the league – and the girl – for cracking the dense shell Ash had wrapped himself into. He abruptly turned towards the door and headed out.
Meanwhile, Alain had calmed down Mairin by saying they would call Ash to congratulate him and headed to the Anistar Sundial to continue his research on mega evolution. As soon as they reached the sundial, Alain saw someone in a white lab coat heading towards them as well. He had thought there would be no one to disturb him on his research but it seemed he was wrong.
The brown spiky-haired researcher came running towards them and stopped before them, panting hard. Both, Alain and Mairin, waited for him to regain his breath. The boy, who looked around seventeen-years old, finally regained his breath, turned to Alain and spoke.
"Are you Alain?"
"Yes. How can I help you?" There was a slight doubtful tone to his voice. He didn't trust this stranger who had come up at the strangest time possible, for it was almost midnight. Although he didn't know it, he had put a protective hand in front of Mairin.
"Finally," he saw the stranger sigh before continuing, "I am Gary Oak, a pokémon researcher."
Both Alain and Mairin were shocked to hear that this guy might have some kind of relation with the great Professor Oak. Although Alain hid his shock well, Mairin didn't bother to hide her shock.
"Are you, by any chance, related to Professor Oak?" Alain asked Gary.
"Of course, he is my grandfather," came the reply, shocking the listeners even more.
"Oh, I have heard about him so much. I am a big fan of his. I have always wanted to meet him. I have so many questions to ask him about pokémon. Can I please meet him? Please, please, please…" Mairin was making a puppy-dog face. Alain looked amused while Gary sweat-dropped.
"Uh, sure." Gary agreed, not being able to resist the face she was making. He heard her telling her Chespin about meeting the great Professor Oak. He just shook his head and then turned towards Alain and said, "Professor Sycamore told me something about evolution of a pokémon after the final stage of evolution. He told me you were helping him in his research by gathering information about it and asked me to help you while learning about it."
Alain just nodded, turned and started walking towards the sundial with Mairin and Chespie – as she called her Chespin – following him. Gary, taking his cue, started following him as well. He remembered that today had been the Kalos league finals. He had seen Ashy-boy looking and battling as though he wanted to ruin each of his opponents. He had not been able to see much of the league because of his research work and he decided to ask Alain about it.
"So have you seen the Kalos league finals? I wasn't able to because of my research. Do you know who won?" Gary asked hopefully.
"Yeah, I did." Alain replied.
"Our friend, Ash Ketchum won the league. You should have seen the battle." Mairin said.
Hearing the extremely familiar name made Gary stop in his tracks. He was so stunned to hear the results that for a moment he thought he must have misheard, for he wasn't expecting this.
"You guys aren't joking, are you?" Gary asked doubtfully.
Seeing Gary stop, Alain and Mairin had stopped as well. They looked at him incredulously.
"Do you really think we are joking?" Mairin asked.
Gary searched for something that might tell him that she was joking, but he couldn't. All he could see was that they were telling him the truth.
"Not really. I just couldn't believe Ashy-boy finally won." He finally managed to say.
He abruptly turned around and started running towards the Pokémon centre while the remaining two looked at him, perplexed at his sudden departure.
"Where are you heading to Mr. Oak?" Mairin yelled at the top of her voice, running after the fleeing figure of Gary. Alain, seeing that he hadn't any other choice, sighed and started following them. He caught up with Mairin in time to hear the answer to her question.
"I am going to get a ticket to Kanto so that I could meet Ash," Gary answered back. I have a feeling he will want to return here to personally train all his pokémon and choose the strongest ones to head back and challenge the Elite Four of Kalos. I hope Misty would be there as well. He almost stumbled due to this sudden thought but managed to balance and kept on running. He went slightly red. Whoa! How the heck did I think like that? And from when? It isn't that I like her, is it?
By this time, Gary had reached the Pokémon Centre. Instantly forgetting his confusion, he raced up the stairs to the second floor where he had booked his room. He didn't notice a familiar friend staring at him nor did he notice the look of shock on his face. He was just too focused on getting his things from the room and heading towards the airport to get the ticket.
Meanwhile, hearing his answer, Mairin started running even faster. Alain, who had been running with her, was tired out already and didn't know how the young girl had so much energy. He put a final effort and caught up with her again.
"Why are you running so fast?" He asked panting and feeling strained.
"Didn't you hear that? Mr. Oak said he was going to get the ticket to Kanto. I want to go there as well so of course I am trying to catch up to him. I want to ask him if he wouldn't mind us coming." Mairin said that all in one breath. Knowing that he wasn't going to be able to continue his research any time soon, Alain decided to go along with her.
The two teenagers soon reached the Pokémon Centre and were about to enter through the doors rushing like a locomotive at full speed. The doors opened as soon as Mairin reached them and she couldn't stop herself in time. She bumped full force into the person who was standing on the other side of the door and fell down. Alain who had been lagging behind managed to stop himself and supported himself on his knees, quite tired due to his recent run.
Hearing a groan followed by another, Alain turned to see Mairin rubbing her head and Gary bending and clutching his stomach. Having finally regained his breathing, he first asked Mairin if she was all right. Mairin simply nodded before looking up towards Gary. Her confused expression changed to one of embarrassment as she got up and asked, "Are you okay, Mr. Oak? I am really, truly sorry. I should have been looking where I was running…"
Interrupting her, Alain asked, "Are you okay, Gary? I apologize for my friend's idiocy."
"Don't worry about me. Just got the wind knocked out of my stomach. I will be fine," Gary finally said. Turning towards Mairin, he continued, "One thing." Mairin closed her eyes expecting a scolding. "Please don't call me Mr. Oak. I don't feel comfortable about it."
"Sure, Mr… I mean, Gary." Mairin smiled and Gary smiled back, while Alain continued to watch on indifferently.
"Well, I didn't expect to see you here, Gary." A voice said from behind Gary. The voice was newly-familiar to Alain and Mairin; they knew it belonged to their new acquaintance but to Gary, it was very, very familiar. He turned around, amazed to see his real old and close friend standing behind him smiling.
"Brock, what are you doing here? Hadn't you gone to learn and become the best Pokémon Breeder? And what's up with that white coat?" Gary had just noticed his coat, so it seemed that Brock was a doctor, not a breeder.
Brock shook his head and explained, "I was going to be a Pokémon Breeder, but towards the end of my Sinnoh journey, I changed my goal to be the best Pokémon Doctor." He went on and explained what had happened to all the baby pokémon on his return trip on that fateful day.
"I see," Gary said. "And it seems you have been quite successful. But I didn't notice you when I first came here to book my room." Alain and Mairin were watching the exchange between the two old friends with interest.
"I had gone to get a ticket to Kanto. You must have heard about Ash's win." Brock replied.
"Wait, you know Ash?" Mairin almost yelled out of sheer shock. Alain was just as shocked.
"Of course I do. Had you thought you were the only ones who knew Ash personally?" Brock shot back.
"Huh? No. I just didn't know he knew so many people." Mairin said sheepishly.
"Hey, that guy keeps on travelling. Of course, he would have many friends." Gary pointed out. Mairin just nodded. Alain hadn't said anything so far. He was silently wishing Mairin would have forgotten her real reason to come here.
"So why were you running around like crazy?" Gary asked.
Damn it, Gary! You had to ask her that. Alain thought, glaring at Gary who didn't notice.
"Oh, yeah! How could I have forgotten? I just wanted to ask if you wouldn't awfully mind us coming with you to Kanto. I want to congratulate him myself." Mairin replied. Alain was wishing for Gary to say no.
"Sure, why not? Come along. I want to get the earliest possible flight." Gary turned towards the direction of airport.
There goes my chance to finally get back to my research. Why did all of this and that stupid Team Flare decide to come and interrupt it in the first place? Alain sighed.
"Wait a minute, Gary!" Brock called. "I have already got the ticket and I have checked the flight schedules. The earliest flight is at tomorrow noon – or should I say today?"
He looked at the clock to see it was already 1:00 in the morning. "Why don't you come back here after booking the tickets? I believe we have got quite a lot of things to tell each other."
Gary just waved his hand and started walking leisurely, knowing that his flight would be around noon. Alain and Mairin followed him, while Brock waved back and then headed into the Pokémon Centre.
Vaniville Town, Kalos
Grace, Serena's mother, was watching the Kalos League. She had met Ash when they were heading towards Coumarine City. She had been on her way to the Rhyhorn race track near the city to teach the kids there the basics of Rhyhorn Racing. She had sized Ash up perfectly and he was proving her guesses correct. She had thought Ash to be reckless and sometimes stupid and idiotic yet to be kind and gentle with pokémon and people alike.
She also remembered the first time she had met Ash and his mother, Delia, during that Professor Oak's fateful summer camp in Kanto. Even though everyone thought of his help as kindness, Serena thought – and cherished – it differently for the remaining time at the camp. It was quite obvious that she might have had a crush on him then because she wouldn't stop talking about him at all. It also explained her sadness at leaving the camp. She hadn't wanted to go the camp at first and now she didn't want to leave. This had terribly confused Grace at first but it soon cleared up after their moving to Kalos.
She had also seen the look of recognition and surprise when, after many years, they had seen Ash, but on TV. She remembered how Serena acted around Ash – she was quite sassy and rebellious with her but around Ash, she would get all nice and helpful and sometimes, she noticed, even blush. This just confirmed to Grace that Serena still had a crush on him.
She hadn't yet told her daughter about her knowledge but she decided to now, after seeing her 'hug' Ash. She decided to call Delia, Ash's mother.
And that's the first chapter! Do review the chapter guys; it would be quite helpful to me.