I don't own pokemon- Nintendo or whoever actually owns it do, as if I owned it, the anime and games would be quite different...

Islets

PS. I don't own any images either

"Bye daddy!" A voice called out from behind him.

The figure with messy black hair and tanned skin turned around to look at the picturesque little house, and saw his little boy running out after him, waving madly. The man laughed, and swung the little boy round in a hug, before setting him down on the earthen path that led out of Pallet Town.

"You will be good for mummy, won't you Ash?" Isiah Ketchum smiled down at his five year old son.

"Yes daddy, I will!" Ash excitedly said, "Good luck daddy!"

"Thanks kid."

And with that final parting phrase, Isiah Ketchum walked out of his wife and son's lives, and it seemed he would never return.

It had been five years since Isiah Ketchum had left on his journey, and now, his son Ash was ready and raring to go on his own.

Except for one little snag.

The morning of April the First, the day all ten year old trainers received their first pokemon, Ash had, in his sleep, managed to throw his alarm clock over to the other side of his room, thus breaking it. So as a result, he hadn't woken up in time to get to Oak Laboratories, and by the time he had run the half mile, he was too late.

"But Professor, are there seriously no other pokemon? Not one?" Ash looked heartbroken- all his dreams ruined just because of an alarm clock! The final starter pokemon had been taken by a girl- who had been running late herself- from Saffron City.

"I'm sorry Ash they're all gone. I can probably get one for you by the start of next month, but-"

"But by then Gary will be too far ahead to ever catch up with!" Ash was now looking close to tears, and Professor Oak looked at the boy thoughtfully before nodding to himself,

"Well, I may have one-"

"Please Professor! I'll take good care of him, I promise! Please!" Ash instantly interrupted, begging shamelessly.

"Fine," grinned the professor, "I'll just fetch him for you shall I?" And with that, he walked in to his private study, leaving Ash alone with only his eager anticipation for company.

Ash did not have long to wait however, as Oak returned a minute or so later, holding in one hand a strange looking pink pokeball.

"Err, Professor? What's that?" Ash asked, looking at the strange pokeball he held.

"Oh this?" he replied, looking at the object. "An old friend caught this pokemon using a special kind of ball and then sent it to me, so I could study the effect of a different type of capture device on a pokemon."

"Yes, but what is it? It doesn't look like any type of pokeball i've ever seen."

"It's a love ball. To be exact Ash, it isn't actually a pokeball at all. It's an apriball, a special type of capture device that was used until the invention of the modern day pokeball. This one I believe was crafted by a man named Kurt from the Johto region, and it's a ball designed for capturing a pokemon with the opposite gender to your own."

"That's pretty clever." Ash commented, looking at the pink carved ball, only now realising the effort taken to create the thing.

"I know, but anyway here you are Ash- your first pokemon."

Ash looked nervously at the ball, before nodding, and throwing it up in the air, relishing in the clunking, whooshing sound that accompanied the beam of light that spilled over from out of the ball. Ash watched as it began to form into a creature, and waited for the last few seconds before he saw a pokemon that he had never seen before sitting on the lab table in front of him.

Sitting on the bench was a small, blue, parrot like creature with fluffy white wings, that was looking up at Ash in curiosity.

"Professor? What is this?" Ash asked interestedly, already taken by the cute bird pokemon.

"This Ash," the Professor said, "is a Swablu. An old friend called Prof. Birch sent him over to me for study after he captured it in the love ball. The reason you haven't heard of this species in probably because it's only native to the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions, both of which are hundreds of miles to the south and north of Kanto."

Ash smiled at the Professor, but was soon distracted by the Swablu flapping up to rest on his shoulder.

"I'll take him Professor!" he exclaimed in his usual excited way.

"Good! Right Ash, here's your pokedex, and there's six pokeballs to get you started. And Ash-" he called out to Ash, who was already retreating out of the lab.

"Yes Professor?" He asked as he turned around.

"Don't start your journey in your pyjama's!"

"Oh, right." Ash blushed, then turned and headed home with his first pokemon- Swablu!

"Mom! I'm back!" Ash yelled as he slammed into the house. Delia Ketchum poked her head out of the kitchen door, and said,

"Oh, you made it then?"

"Yes, and look at my pokemon!" he said proudly, and the Swablu on his shoulder chirped proudly.

"But Ash," his Mom said slightly worriedly, "what is it?"

"Oh, he's a Swablu, a pokemon from the Hoenn region. Isn't he so cool Mom?"

"Well yes dear, but don't you think you should get changed and going?"

"Oh, right! Let's go Swablu!"

And about half an hour later, Ash stood on the house porch, hugging his mother a final, final goodbye.

"Oh, you will be careful, won't you Ash?"

"Yes Mom."

"And you'll take care of Swablu, won't you?"

"Yes Mom."

"And Ash, remember to change your underwear everyday-"

"Mom!"

"Oh, i'll miss you dear!" Delia sniffed, already missing her son- he was leaving home, going on a journey that would lead him hundreds of miles from home and would take him at least a year.

"I know Mom, but i've got to go!" Ash said, jiggling on the balls of his feet excitedly.

"Bye Ash!" she called after him as he set off along the dirt path that lead to Viridian City.

And the only thought that Delia could think of was how alike Ash looked in this moment to his father who had walked out on that very same path five years ago. And all she could do was hope that this time, ash would return to her.

I know it's a bit small, but it's only a pseudo-introduction.

Islets

XXX