Hi guys,

This is my first fanfic, so please don't be too rough with me :). Pearlshipping

I don't own any pokemon, unfortunately.

On with the fic!

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It had been two years since Ash had returned to his hometown, Pallet Town. He had just recently travelled through the Hoenn region with a coordinator that he met from the start, named May, and of course, his good friend Brock. Now he was finally heading home.

-Flashback-

"And the winner is...Paul!" the announcer boomed loudly as Charizard was struck down by Electivire's thunderbolt. Ash ran over to his Charizard and softly patted him on the head, "Good job, Charizard, you did good". He then returned Charizard and went up to meet Paul.

He offered the purple haired trainer his hand, but Paul simply brushed his hair and walked off. Ash clenched his teeth, determined to defeat Paul someday.

Paul went on to compete in the top eight Hoenn conference, and made it all the way to the finals, where he lost in a tight six on six battle.

After bidding farewell with May and Brock, Ash trained by himself for for a few more months, and strengthened his current team of Charizard, Gliscor, Heracross, Gible, and of course, Pikachu. During this time, he also captured a Larion, which soon evolved into an Aggron.

Then, in late July, Ash decided to head home to Kanto and meet up with his mom and Professor Oak. He boarded the SS Tropical that ran to a small port near Viridian City.

Ash sighed as he dropped his bag. He still couldn't get the over the fact of how easily Paul had beaten him. He plopped himself down on the large bed, and before he knew it, he fell asleep.

Two hours later...

Ash couldn't help but think of how to become stronger. His mind always replayed the battle in the Hoenn league of losing all to two pokemon.

He didn't want to think of it anymore, so he walked outside onto the deck to get some fresh air. He scanned the surroundings, taking in all the attractions - food stands, a basketball court, a large swimming pool, a sports bar, a pokemon battlefield, an arcade..A POKEMON BATTLEFIELD?! He sprinted to the entrance and took a peek inside. 'WOW! It was truly magnificent!' There were bleachers all around, filled with people watching and cheering competitors on. On the battlefield, intense battles waged. He couldn't help but stand there and watch the battle between the young girl and her Snover against a tall man with his Grotle.

"Hey, kid."

The man tapped his shoulder, "Hey, you there."

Still no answer. The man was beginning to get annoyed. "I'm trying to get in, please move."

Ash, still entranced, cheered as the Snover leaped up and landed a perfect ice punch, securing the girl a win. "KID!"

"Huh, oh sorry." Ash smiled sheepishly and moved aside."This might be a good time to get some training in," he thought. He went back to his room to grab his pokeballs.

Meanwhile…

"Snover, use ice beam!"

"Croagunk, dodge!"

However, Croagunk was just a little too late, and was the ice beam struck his feet, making him unable to move.

"Finish this with ice punch!"

Snover jumped up and came down, smashing Croagunk with full force. Croagunk fell backwards and fainted.

"And Candice wins again! Will anyone else dare to challenge her?"

"I WILL!" Ash ran into the room, panting.

The trainers stood at both sides of the field and pulled out their pokeballs. Ash thought of which pokemon he should use. He decided to use Heracross, who he hadn't been training much recently. It would be good practice.

"Go, Heracross!"

"Go, Sneasel!"

Ash was first to call out a move, "Heracross, use megahorn!"

"Sneasel, dodge!" Sneasel barely moved out of Heracross' path, dashing to two large rocks that trapped it in a corner.

Taking advantage of the situation, Ash quickly called out, "Heracross use toxic!"

With every move, Sneasel began to show signs of fatigue and weariness, and Heracross continued to use his speed to dodge all the attacks. The arena was immersed in the battle, quieter than it ever was before.

Candice knew if she did not act soon enough, the battle would be over. "Sneasel, shadow ball!"

"Heracross, dodge, then use pin missile!"

"Quick, follow up with dark pulse, then night slash!"

The two attacks collided and created a large explosion, creating a lot of fog. When the fog lifted, the result showed both pokemon down and out.

After that, Candice left, and Ash won the rest of his battles pretty easily, so he decided to leave and relax with the last hour left.

"Hey, wait up!" It was the same girl that battled him earlier.

"Hi, I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and this is my buddy Pikachu." Pikachu gave a friendly "pika" to her.

"Oh, that's a cute pokemon. Never seen one of those before. My name is Candice, and I'm from Snowpoint City," she said.

"Really? Isn't that in Sinnoh?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, I really want to visit Sinnoh someday. Anyway, you battled great." Ash smiled.

She blushed a little, and said, "Thanks. So did you. I was surprised that your Heracross was able to do so well, especially since it is weak to ice type moves."

Ash shifted his gaze to the sea, "Yup, that's my Heracross."

They stood watching the sunset, admiring the Lapras swimming off in the distance.

Candice looked over at Ash, staring at his deep, auburn eyes and his good body shape. Ash had changed drastically since he had first begun his journey. He was now taller, stronger, and more mature than his old, innocent self. , 'Wow, he's breathtaking.' She smiled to herself, thinking of a future with Ash, when suddenly he asked, "So, where are you headed?"

"Um..I'm going to the Cerulean Battle Academy High School. It's basically like a regular high school, but with lots of pokemon battling too." She hoped he was not suspicious why she was staring at him, and quickly turned to hide her blush.

"Wow! A school with battling!" Ash thought that maybe he should go too. After all, he would be old enough to go to high school, and he needed the pokemon training. It would be good to relax and not have to travel around so much…

A loud bell sounded off in the distance. Many Pelipper and Wingull circled above, welcoming guests to the region. People crowded the exit to leave, with Ash being one of them. Candice desperately tried to keep up. Not surprisingly, they were one of the first ones off the boat.

"Well, I got to get going before it's fully dark. It was nice meeting you." Ash smiled.

"Yeah, you too! I hope we'll meet again some day!"

They waved and went their separate ways.

"What a cutie! If only he was going to the school too…" she thought.

Ash kept on running until it was dark. Man, it was hard to find the way without Brock. He ran past a familiar stump just to find himself in the same place as he started. He was now standing in the middle of nowhere, and was helplessly lost. Pikachu looked tired.

"Don't worry Pikachu, we can still find a way out!" His stomach rumbled loudly.

"Oh well, I guess we'll just have to find some shelter for the night," he thought to himself. He found a small hole inside a large tree, and went inside to rest.. Pikachu seemed to be in a pretty bad shape. Ash took the shivering mouse into his arms and hugged him tightly. He then brought out Charizard and began gathering wood so they could start a fire. After finishing, Ash rested comfortably against the wall, with the adorable sleeping mouse in his arms and Charizard lying next to them. The trio fell asleep.

Next morning, after a combined flamethrower and thundershock, the two pokemon were finally able to wake Ash up. Then, after eating breakfast, they continued their journey to Pallet Town.

As they walked back, Ash found it just like the first time he had walked through the forest with Misty. His memories went back to the time when he had first caught a Caterpie, and how scared Misty was of it.

-Flashback-

Misty: Ash, you're acting like a...

Ash: Look! Inside this ball is the very first Pokémon I ever caught in my whole entire life.

Misty: Great, just keep it away from me will ya!

Ash: You aren't afraid of an itty bitty Caterpie in a pokéball are you?

Misty: Bugs get me all bugged out! Even when they're in a pokéball. Just keep it away!

Ash: I like bugs even if they're not in pokeballs. It must be great for Caterpie inside the pokéball, all cute and comfortable inside there! (Starts to hug the ball) I love my new little Pokémon!

Misty: I guess it takes a worm to love a worm.

Ash: Very funny. (bends down to Pikachu's level Pikachu! We've got a new friend.)

…

James: What's that?

Meowth: It's a bug! A measly little bug.

Jessie: (laughing) Let's get the bug spray.

(Caterpie dodges Ekan's and Koffing's attack)

Misty: (to Caterpie) Hang in there. Ash: Caterpie, String Shot now!

(Caterpie is able to wrap Ekans and Koffing within it's string)

James: (shocked) Beaten by a Caterpie.

Team Rocket runs off, defeated and humiliated.

He still remembered his early days with Caterpie, and chuckled at the thought of it. Later on in the day, they battled various pokemon in the forest, including Beedrill, Nidorino, and Venomoth. They'd finally found the main path. Ash let out a sigh of relief and continued to walk towards Pallet.

He could smell the cooking of his mom's double deep dish pizza pot pie in his mind. He planned to stay for a longer time, since he normally would drop by for only a day or two. It would be so great to see everyone again.

Before he could react, Ash felt something hit his face and he was pinned to the ground. He looked up and saw a large Caterpie, bigger than any he had seen before. Charizard stepped in between, giving Caterpie a look of hatred that would send most running. However, this one did not back down, and was first to make a move. Charizard flew up to dodge a tackle, then went behind and used a large and overwhelming flamethrower. Due to Caterpie's unbelieveable agility, it was able to quickly move aside, but Ash wasn't so lucky. Right after removing the sticky webs Caterpie had shot at him, he was now blasted in the face by Charizard.

*tumble*

The Caterpie escapes. The two pokemon looked rather satisfied, watching their trainer give Charizard a menacing stare, his hair puffy and popping out of his hat. However, his mood quickly changed when he looked ahead.

"FINALLY! I can see it! Pallet Town!" Ash raced down the hill, and as he turned around the corner, he bumped into someone.

"Heyyyy, Ashy Boy! Watch where you're going!" teased Gary.

"What are you doing here? Weren't you in Johto with Jasmine?"

Gary's face suddenly darkened.

"Ahhh," Ash chuckled slightly.

"SHUT UP ASHY BOY!"

Ash burst into laughter and raced down the hill. "MAKE ME!"

Gary chased after him.

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Dawn yawned and got up from bed. She was going to leave Twinleaf Town, Sinnoh, and most importantly, Lucas. Who knows how long? Possibly forever.

She had been travelling for a year, and went along with her best friend, Lucas, who she'd known since a child. When she was young, she and Lucas were the best of friends. They always played together, went to places together, etc. Then, one year, the two decided to go on a journey. Dawn wanted to be the best coordinator, and Lucas wanted to win the Sinnoh League. However, these two often fought over small things. Lucas began to tease her, even after her repeated complaints, and Dawn was tired of him. After thinking for a long time, Dawn decided just to go back to school after the contests were over instead of travelling around.

One day during the summer, Dawn's mother, Johanna, told her that there was a famous school in Cerulean City of Kanto called the Cerulean Battle Academy High School. Since Dawn loved pokemon and battling, she was excited to go, but she still did not feel good about leaving Lucas. After threatening him that she would leave, he replied with, "Have fun." and walked away. Dawn dropped to her knees and sobbed.

She didn't have any other friends in Sinnoh, since all she had done was hang out and travel with Lucas, so she was fine with moving.

One side of her really missed Lucas, since he was her only friend, while the other side hated Lucas, and never wanted to see him again. Dawn's mother, seeing that she was torn by the decision of whether to move or not, decided to pipe in, "I think it would be the best for us to move. Make new friends, see a new place, and take the thought of Lucas off your head." Dawn could only nod, and small tears began to form at her eye. She couldn't understand why he had been so mean to her.

A few days later, she spotted Lucas at Professor Rowan's lab, and went up to him to talk. He was cold to her and didn't seem to change one bit. She was hurt.

Should she leave or not?

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Ash ran down the hill as fast as he could, teasing the Gary the entire time, but Gary was catching up. Right at the entrance of Pallet Town, Gary caught Ash and jumped on top of him. The two began wrestling, with each trying to get on top. At this time, two familiar people were walking by, and happened to see them.

"Oh hey! It's Ash!" Whitney squealed.

"Ah, Ash, long time no see," Falkner laughed as he saw the two fighting like small Poochyena.

Ash remembered to two as a couple in Johto. Whitney was once a gym leader, but decided to leave and explore the world. As for Falkner, he decided he wanted to improve his skills before returning to be a gym leader, and on a business trip to Goldenrod City he met Whitney, where they both decided to go to the academy to train.

Gary and the duo introduced themselves to each other, and Ash found out that the two were planning to attend the same high school that Candice was going to. As they bid farewell, they headed for Viridian City, and Gary headed for his grandfather's lab. Ash decided to go home. As he opened the unlocked front door, he walked in quietly and sneaked upstairs.

Where'd Mom go?

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Stay tuned!

The next story will be out before Feb., I'll guarantee that :D

Also, a certain pokemon will be back :P...you can probably guess who.

LATER FICCERS!