Angel: I don't own Pokémon, sadly. If I did, Ash and Misty would be together and Brock would have a girlfriend.
I walked into the Viridian Gym, mentally preparing myself to challenge the gym leader. If I won this badge, it would be my 16th one. I had started out in the Johto region, having lived in Goldenrod for most of my life. My mom told me I was like my father, yearning for adventure, longing to travel along the roads, pursuing dreams so big nothing could stop me. But the last one is no longer true.
My mom died before I started my journey, leaving me alone in the world. She admitted that none of my relatives knew of my existence. She told me time and time again I looked like her but acted like my father. We joked I was payback for when she used to hurt him on the head with her trusty mallet, something I carried for extra protection.
"Can I help you kid?" a male voice asked. I turned my head to see who stood there. My cerulean eyes glared at him, recognizing him as the gym leader.
"First I'm not a kid," I began. "Second, I'm here to myself another badge."
"Well Red, you look like a kid to me," he smirked. "And the gym's closed for the day. I have an important visitor coming." My eye started to twitch, a habit of mine whenever I got angry. One personality trait I had gotten from my mom, was her temper.
"The name's Al, not Red," I calmly started. "I challenge you to a Pokémon battle Gary Oak! Unless you're too chicken to face me that is."
He never lost his cool, he simply smirked at me once more. I was ready to send out my Gyarados and have him use flamethrower on the jerk just to wipe that smirk off his face. I would have done it too, if one, my mother hadn't taught me better, and two, someone else hadn't entered the gym.
"Hey Gary," another male voice greeted. "Who's this?" I looked over my shoulder to see a black haired man with a Pikachu on his shoulder. I almost changed my mind about fighting Gary and challenging the Ash Ketchum instead. Ash Ketchum, the Pokémon Master from Pallet Town.
"Some boy named Al wanting a battle," Gary replied.
"I'M A GIRL YOU IDIOT!" I yelled, pulling out my mallet. My red hood then fell off my head, revealing my long orange hair. Looking back, baggy pants and a big red hoodie didn't make my identity of being a girl obvious.
"Correction, some crazy little girl wanting a battle," the jerk said.
"Gary be nice," Ash scolded his friend. "Just accept the challenge already. We both know you've been bored out of your mind, looking for a challenge."
I stuck my tongue out at the jerk after he sighed. He motioned for us to follow him to the field. We didn't have to travel far, seeing as how small the gym was. The whole time, Pikachu was watching me, as if trying to place my face from somewhere. I pushed any possible ideas of why out of my head as I took up my position across from Gary.
"This is a one-on-one battle," Ash informed us, standing in as referee. "Begin!"
"Come on out Blastiose," Gary called out, sending out the large evolved Kanto starter. I tried not to cry at the thought of my mother and her love for water Pokémon. It still hurt, even after four years, her death still made me want to cry.
"Well then, come on out Starmie!" I exclaimed, sending forth the ten pointed star water type. Starmie was my first Pokémon, having once belonged to my mother. I tried not to smile at the thought of Gary Oak's face after Starmie's shocking moves are shown.
"Blastiose use water gun!"
"Starmie dodge and use psychic!" Starmie managed to dodge the water and its gem started to glow. Gary's Pokémon was covered in a purplish aura. "Now throw him!"
Blastiose was thrown upwards, crashing into a light fixture before plummeting down to the ground. The impact created a large crater. The weakened creature stood up, glaring at Starmie.
"Ice Punch," Gary coldly ordered, glaring at me as I merely smirked at him.
"Time to show you our true power!" I cheered. "Thunder!"
A bolt of electricity came down from the light fixture and hit Blastiose, knocking him out. Swirls were all you could see in his eyes. Gary's face was priceless, he reminded me of a Magikarp, the way his mouth dropped open.
"The winner is... um, what's your name again?" Ash asked, looking towards me.
"Al," I replied. The two males looked at me, waiting for me to continue. "From Goldenrod..."
"He means your full name kid," Gary informed me, before returning his fainted partner. I didn't want to give out my name, I never had to back in Johto or the other gyms. I really didn't like giving out my name too much.
"That is my full name," I lied.
"Oh. Well the winner is Al from Goldenrod," Ash exclaimed, holding up the arm closest to me.
I walked up to Gary and held out my hand, waiting for my badge. He grumbled about losing before dropping it into my hand. I reached into my back pocket before handing him an envelope, fulfilling my mother's last wish.
"I was told to give this to you," I explained. "She wouldn't tell me why."
Gary opened the envelope and then read a small note inside. He frowned at what he read. I took this as a chance to put my new badge in my violet badge case. It contained my badges from Johto and Kanto, all of the spots finally filled.
"Ash there's a letter for you in here," Gary called out. I froze, wondering how my mom knew Ash Ketchum, the best trainer ever. I simply pretended to be studying my badges as Ash came over and read the letter. Gary looked at Ash and then me, as if trying to figure out the meaning to life, which I'm told is 42.
"So that's why she left," Ash quietly said after finishing the letter. Gary looked confused, wondering what it was that the Pokémon Master had just read. I was confused as well, seeing as how I never had read the letter. "It's from Misty."
"She's alive?" Gary asked.
"Who's Misty?" I asked, wondering who they were talking about.
"His old girlfriend," Gary answered, pointing his thumb at Ash. "Misty Waterflower."
My eyes widened in shock. Gary Oak had unknowingly answered a question I had never known the answer to. I couldn't believe it, I was shocked beyond words. Ash must have took the silence as permission to continue.
"The letter says that she left because she was pregnant," Ash informed us. "She was scared, so she left. She didn't even tell her sisters about the baby. I have a daughter, named Allison."
I nearly fainted then and there. Gary must have noticed the color drain from my face since he asked if I was ok. I didn't even nod, too stunned by the confirmation of the identity of my father. Ash Ketchum was my father, the man I had never known for eleven years.
"Y-y-y-you're my dad?" I finally managed to get out. Gary and Ash looked at me in shock, surprised at hearing my voice. I could right away that Ash, err, Dad, had a lot of questions for me.
"How's Misty doing?" he asked, of all the questions.
"Mom died four years ago," I sadly informed them. "It was from cancer. The doctors couldn't do anything. She wrote that letter and made me promise to give it to Gary, so he could give it to you I guess."
Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder and onto mine, rubbing his cheek against mine. I sadly pet the electric mouse, trying not to cry. I felt myself get pulled into a hug, from most likely my dad. I let the tears fall, hugging the man I had never known until that point in time.
I later on met my dad's friends, most of whom happened to also know my mom. I was also introduced to my grandmother and my aunts, who tried to get me into a pink dress. Life changed for the better that day. I still missed my mom, but my family was always there for me.
Every night I would look up at the stars, knowing that my mom was watching over me now. I would search the sky for our star, the one my mom said was named after me. Next to it was another star, the one that I had named after her, Misty Waterflower, my mother.
Life threw me onto a crazy ride, something people joked that Ketchums were cursed with. I ended up following my dad's footsteps, including some of his not so smart ones. I made friends, enemies, rivals, and even found my true love. Dad still get's over protective, even if it's been six years since I met the guy. Would I change anything about my life? Even though I've suffered so much, it was that pain that caused me to meet all of the people that became my friends and family. So I wouldn't change a thing, since it's through the pain that I grew into the Pokémon Master I am today.
The End
Angel: I wrote this in over an hour, just in honor of being able to finally upload stories.
Misty: You killed me off?
Angel: Um, not directly.
Misty: *raises mallet*
Angel: Please review! *runs for life*
Misty: GET BACK HERE! *chases*