Disclaimer - I don't own Pokemon
Walking down the dirt paved path, Ash was at a loss at what to do. He was confused. Everything he came to know was turned on its head in the span of a day, and he somehow found himself alone. Alone. He never thought he would be alone again, ever since he made such great friends in Brock and Misty. That's why the events that transpired three days ago came as such a shock.
Flashback
Two men stood in a dark cellar, neither one bothering to meet the others gaze. The only thing separating the pair was cold metal bars, lining all the way down the hall, insuring that the man behind them would never see the sunlight for a very long time. If one looked closely, they could see the evident humiliation in the eyes of the man being restrained. He wore a black and white striped, one piece suit, and his hands were chained together, both the results of his crime. The boy on the other side of the bars wore a blue shirt and jeans, an outfit he stuck with almost his entire life. On his head was the elusive limited edition Pokemon Master hat. His eyes were full of shame and disappointment.
"Where's Misty?" the man behind the bars asked, looking up at his friend.
"She...she didn't feel like coming in here. After what you did, I can't really blame her though. She's staying at the Pokecenter with Gary right now. I think she's afraid of you."
"Brock...why did you do it?" Ash asked, finally gaining the nerve to ask the question he came down here for. He just had to know what pushed his loyal friend over the edge and landed him in this sorry state.
The man just buried his face in his hands, backing away from the metal bars and taking a seat on the wooden bench by the wall. When he spoke, the shame, humiliation, and confusion was evident in his voice. "I...I don't know Ash. After Professor Ivy left me...I was in a bad spot. I'm sure you noticed when I started touring with you guys again. I was defeated. I finally thought I found someone to spend the rest of my life with, and after she finally had some success with her research she threw me out like yesterdays news." he said. He took a pause, trying to hold back sobs. "I...I started drinking. During the night while you and Misty were sleeping, I would sneak out of the Pokecenter and go to a bar. One night, I started talking to a woman. She was so nice. She reminded me of Ivy. I thought I could spend the rest of my life with her. When she asked me to take her back to her place, I was ecstatic. But when she asked me to go home...I...I snapped. I don't want to make excuses, but it had to have been the alcohol. I...I threw her to the bed, and..."
"STOP!" Ash yelled, starting to tear up himself. "Just...stop." he said, turning his back on the shell of his former friend, not being able to stare at the broken and beaten man any longer.
"Ash...you got to forgive me. I don't know what I was thinking." he said. "I was in a bad place."
"I'm sorry, Brock. I just don't know what to believe." he said, his back still facing the bars. "I'm...I'm going to go now."
"I understand." Brock said. "Thanks for coming and talking to me. Tell Misty I said...I'm sorry things turned out this way." With a nod, Ash walked up the steps and out the door into the sunlight. A light Brock would not see for another five years.
End Flashback
Finally reaching the outskirts of a city, Ash practically passed out on the nearest bench he found. Luckily, with the help of a couple generous travelers and Officer Jenny, he was able to navigate towards the next town. Now that he was there, though, he realized how little of a clue he had on what to do next.
Seeing his only true friend so broken left a scar on Ash. A scar that should never exist on such a young boy. At first he couldn't understand how such a strong and proud man could fall into temptation so easily. But his heart eventually grew numb to the situation. He tried not to think of it, but that was no easy task seeing how big of a celebrity Brock was. Newspapers, magazines, and televisions around all of Kanto kept playing the story like a broken record, each report turning Brock into more and more of a monster. Each time he saw one of those dread-full reports, his heart died a little on the inside. But just when he thought things couldn't get worse, he was about to be proved wrong.
Flashback
Dragging himself back into the Pokecenter, Ash didn't even stop to retrieve his Pokemon from Nurse Joy. Visiting hours in prison were extremely early in the morning, and he didn't exactly get the best sleep last night. After talking with his friend, his mind was slightly put to ease, and all he could think about was passing out on his bed. Unfortunately, this was not to be the case. Walking into the room, he was greeted to the sight of Gary and Misty packing up their things.
"Hey guys...what's going on?" he asked. The couple stopped their packing and looked up at Ash, slightly shocked. Gary recovered first. "Er...I have to go and get my Pokemon. I'll leave you two alone. I guess you have some things to sort out." he said before dashing out the door.
"What was that about?" Ash asked, not really in the mood for his rivals odd behavior this early in the morning.
Sitting down on her bed, Misty looked at her friend with downcast eyes. "Ash...what do you plan to do now that Brock isn't with us?" she asked. Ash looked slightly shocked at the question.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, Brock did all of the cooking. The cleaning. The planning. Got us all of the money. Took care of all of the Pokemon. Sewing...and well you can't even read a map properly. And I'm not much better off myself. How do you think we'll get around now that Brock is no longer with us?"
Taking a seat on the bed next to her, Ash put his arm on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Mist. I'm sure everything will work out fine. I know it will be hard, but we'll be able to get through it if we work at it, right?"
"No Ash." she said, standing up and walking away from him. "We can't just work this out. There are too many problems. We wouldn't last five days out there by ourselves. That's why...well, Gary is going to set off for the Orange Islands today. We should go with him."
"You...You're leaving me for Gary?" he asked, heartbroken. Although they were never dating, he always did have a slight crush on her, and she was his only remaining friend left. If she left, he would have nothing.
"No Ash, I'm asking you to come with me. Gary said he didn't mind if we both tag along. He's rich. Especially with Professor Oak's latest breakthrough with Articuno. He will be able to take good care of us. And at the Orange Islands I can catch some amazing water Pokemon!" she finished with stars in her eyes, missing the scowl at the mention of Professor Oak's latest discovery. "I know you and Gary aren't the best of friends, especially with what has been going on with Professor Oak and your mother, but please give him a chance."
"Best of friends? I hate him! He is always putting me down. If I went with him, he would hold it over me for the rest of my life! He'd treat me like a slave the entire time. The only reason he invited me is because of you!" he practically screamed. Voice softening, he spoke "I already lost Brock, please don't make me lose you."
"Stop being a child, Ash. Gary isn't as nearly as bad as you make him out to be. This silly imaginary rivalry you created is pointless." she said as she started walking towards the door.
"Misty...if you leave me now, I don't ever want to see you again. Never come back." he said, fists shaking and his eyes facing the floor.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, Ash. But you don't understand that you aren't giving me a choice. I hope when you group up, you will understand that I had good reasons for what I did." And with that, she walked out the door, and out of Ash's life. With a cry of rage, Ash finally passed out.
End flashback
"Pika" Ash's Pikachu said, snapping Ash out of his daze. Ash just looked pitifully down at his electric mouse Pokemon. It must have been famished. It had been three days since they had a meal, and he was still broke. He did knock out a few Pidgey's, but when it came down to it, he just couldn't bring himself to eat the helpless Pokemon. Taking a glance around him, he noticed a garbage can standing right across from the bench.
'Can...can I really bring myself to eat out of that?' he asked. Realizing that he didn't have a choice in the matter, he quickly took a glance around to make sure nobody was watching. Slowly, he crept towards the trashcan and tore of the lid. Disgustedly, he searched through the contents for something edible. To his good fortune, he was able to find a few packs of half empty Pokemon food. Trainers in a rush must have quickly discarded the food in an attempt to quickly get back to their journey. Calling Pikachu over to the trashcan, he tossed the food in front of the rodent, watching with amusement as the rat sniffed the food before reluctantly taking a bite. It must have realized that this was not the time to be picky as well. Still, Ash couldn't help but feel pity for his Pokemon. He was supposed to take care of them. He was their parent. And he couldn't even hope to feed Charizard with this small amount of food. He had to take action fast. Searching the trashcan further, he was disappointed to find that there was nothing other than Pokemon food and paper.
"I'm screwed..." he said, stroking his Pikachu gently as it ate its food. The Pokemon, noticing it's trainers distress, pushed some food towards Ash in an attempt to calm his trainer. The boy just smiled at his Pokemon's generousity. No matter how dark his situation was, his trusty Pokemon always stood by his side.
"That's O.K boy. You keep it." the boy said, going back to rummaging through the trashcan. A brightly colored piece of paper caught his interest. It had a man holding up a giant sum of money with his Pokemon standing in the background.
Are you a new Pokemon trainer? Are you looking to prove your name and be one of the best? Need cash? Come down to the local Pokemon tournament, held every Sunday at Saffron City!
Smiling, Ash looked towards the city of Saffron up ahead. The tournament would be held tomorrow. He just hoped the exhausted Pikachu and Charizard would be up for the battle.
A/N - First chapter finished. I hope it isn't too rushed, but I wanted to finish it while I was in the mood. Next is the tournament and confrontation with Team Rocket, if I ever get around to it.