So, this is my first fiction on the site. I have not seen something quite like this on the site's Pokemon fanfiction base, so I do hope it is not cliche. If it is, that is okay, because I do not own this and therefore the Pokemon Company will not have its reputation hurt. or something equally silly. Do be told that if I have left something out or if numbers seem wrong! It is more likely on purpose than a mistake. Do beware that canon is twirled like putty. All that being said, I hope you enjoy!

RUN.

[part one: impossible]

Ash Ketchum woke up from a fitful rest into a morning that was just as fitful. Tomorrow was the day, and he was nervous. Indigo Academy for Effinity and Mythinity Studies was notorious for only accepting the elite, the best, the impossibly brilliant, and, at least according to his next-door neighbor, a shoo-in for IAEMS known as Gary Oak, Ash wasn't that. True, he wasn't brilliant, he supposed. His grades were only a bit above average, being top of his class in both Effinities and Mythinities but being awful at maths. His mother, a quiet but kind former Audino Effin, might give him the genes, true, but Gary liked to brag that his grandfather was not only a powerful Normal Mythin, but head of the admissions office. Ash could only say back that Delia Ketchum had been quite the name in certain military hospitals, and that wasn't much of anything he could brag about at all! In fact, if Gary was to be listened to, Ash as he stood was chanceless!

The main reason, though, that Ash was trying to get into the IAEMS, the one reason he knew he had a strong chance, was that he displayed signs. He'd heard that it was quite rare for a child to display them before being trained, but Ash knew he was special. You see, ever since he was young, he had seen Colors. They were odd, and they were also how he knew Gary was a shoo-in for the IAEMS. Gary's Colors were black, wrapped around him like protective fur, and yellow, making shapes like little moons. Gary's Grandfather, who Ash had seen once or twice, had Colors that were grey with veins of pink flowing through them, mostly concentrated around his head and fingers. His Mom had pink and tan Colors that would make anyone smile. The Colors could indicate when someone was going to be a Effin or a Mythin, as far as Ash could tell. He could not see his own, otherwise he would not be worrying.

"Speak of Giratina, and he shalt appear," muttered Ash. A flash of black in the corner of his eye had alerted him to someone's presence.

"Hey there, Ashy-Boy! Planning on failing today's test?"

"Shut up, Gary! You know I'll do better than you!" Blue and yellow flailed up from Ash's arms, and he once again wished that mirrors could reflect Colors. He'd be able to see if it made a real connection or if it was just a rainbow hodgepodge, just like everyone else who would fail.

"As if! You're failing maths, anyway! No way you'll get a Hugh enough grade to get out of the waiting room tomorrow!" Gary's adoring fans crowded around him, laughing. Ash clenched his fists.

"You'll see! I'll turn out great! I'll be a hundred times the better soldier than you!" Gary snorted.

"Don't make me laugh- oh wait, you did!" Ash burned red as Gary strutted out of the room, his fans following him, each taking their turn to jeer at Ash. It was hard to believe he had once been friends with that jerk.

"Ack!" he suddenly shouted, "I'm late!" He took off. Though getting a bad grade wouldn't necessarily matter if he didn't have the skill, it certainly wouldn't hurt if he got a good one before he hopefully transferred on his eleventh birthday.

109: Explain Effinity.

Ash groaned. This test was getting too easy. Did they think he was in Lower School or something? Then again, he had really been struggling earlier with the math and science sections, and he had noticed the teacher's Colors (an insignificant mucky swirl of many colors centered mostly around the head) and then the ceiling was suddenly very interesting and before he knew it he had accidentally waisted most of his time so he had to make up answers. At least he could make up for it on this section.

"Effinity is the connection between certain people and a certain range of animalistic powers. The word 'Effinity' refers to the connection itself, while the word 'Effin' refers to someone who has such a connection. These seem to have a heavy relationship with certain ancient texts and creatures. The exact nature of this is unknown, but certain personality traits often match up, and powers tend to develop to match. Only an Effin can use an Effinity Device, machinery that mimics the powers of Effinities. These are unique to certain Effinities, and cannot be interchanged with those with another Effinity and retain effectiveness. For example, a Zubat Effin's Bat Wing Device could not easily be exchanged with a Caterpie Effin's String Gun Device. There are 500 currently recognized Effinities."

There. Heck, that probably covered more than the question wanted to know! He could have put in so much more, like how a Charzard Effinity was what Ash wished he had more than anything else. It would be so cool to use the Dragon Wing Device! Charzard Effins were the only ones who could! Bird Wing Devices really didn't compare. He doubted he was, though. In no book that he read were Colors mentioned, but a Psychic Mythinity or a Effinity under the Psychic arc would be what Ash would most likely end up with. Speaking of Mythinities...

110: Explain Mythinity.

"Mythinity is a broad connection between certain people and an overriding arc of Effins. The term refers to the connection itself, while a person with the connection is referred to as a 'Mythin'. Mythinity, like Effinity, has some relationship with certain ancient texts and creatures. The exact nature of this is unknown, but the bond allowed for a broad identification of Effins and a control of certain Effins' abilities. These Mythinities seem to be split into overarching 'Types', which seem to correspond with Effins. The recognized Types are: Fire, Water, Grass, Flying, Poison, Bug, Ice, Rock, Ground, Steel, Normal, Electric, Fighting, and Psychic."

As Ash put down his pencil. Exhausted despite the ease of the last section, the teacher called out "Okay class, pass your tests to the front, you are free to go, have a good existence." That's when it hit him.

He was done.

He'd never return to Pallet School again.

He felt oddly bittersweet as he left the building, and the other exiting Upper Schoolers, if only judging by their Colors, agreed.

That night, he stayed up later than he ever had before, mostly because he couldn't seem to fall sleep at all. He was just so nervous, nervous because tomorrow would be life changing! Tomorrow was the day that he would find out if he was an Effin or a Mythin, or if he was a no-one special like most of the world. Tomorrow, he would either stay at the IAEMS or be sent to some sort of trade school. He wanted too be a part of the IAEMS so badly, though! He didn't want to go to Vermillion Nautical Institute; he didn't want to wind up at the Celadon School, he didn't want to end up at ANY of those places! He just wanted to wind up on Indigo Plataeu, the place for the very best!

He hugged his pillow close, staring at the clock. 3... 2... 1... midnight. He wondered if it was good or bad luck to turn eleven right before your testing? It better be good luck! He really didn't need the bad sort, not when he was already condemning himself by not sleeping! He needed to focus and fall asleep! What was that old trick he always used to use? He closed his eyes and focused on the layer of heat that was his Colors. In his mind's eye, he saw a great thunderstorm spiraling through the air, but no, he was focusing on the deep breaths that would help him stop thinking and sleep. 'You win some, you loose some, you reap what you sow. Everything happens for a reason, and the best is yet to come,' he thought quietly to himself. The words calmed him down and put him to sleep, just like they always had before his Dad died. He missed his Dad...

That night, though, continued to not be restful, as a dream took up steady, dark paws and swept them across his consciousness. Panic, much like a river of glass and sand, pushed against Ash's chest as the dream began, a feeling that would not fade until it ended. As he tossed and turned in bed, his nightmares became more and more improbable, until they became so unlikely that they were certain to happen.

Around him, a storm was raging. Two others kept step behind him as his feet struck the ground. He wished he was faster, but he had no choice. Speed was not an ability he normally got from a Heart Fusion. The small bundle in his arms seemed to agree, though Ash couldn't make out what it was.

"Ash, they're gaining!" shouted the redhead girl. She, too, was carrying something, but that thing would not enter Ash's memory.

The one with thin eyes was next. "Misty, we're running as fast as we can!" He was carrying something, too.

"Guys! I have an idea!" Ash called, and without warning he launched himself over the side of the bridge. To his surprise, the others followed without hesitation.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

Splash!

What?

Shit.

"Hey there, Ashy-Boy."

BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP-

Ash's head snapped up, his forehead drenched in sweat. That dream had made no sense, but it had still been terrifying. What exactly had been going on there, anyway? He was being chased by someone, and Gary had shown up and he felt panicked, and that wasn't good. He glanced around the room hazily, trying to recall the dream. However, when his gaze fell on the alarm clock, he nearly had a heart attack.

"I'M LATE!" It took maybe twenty seconds for Ash to take off running. His Mom stood in the corner. She waved goodbye, though Ash didn't notice. He certainly didn't notice Delia's expression, one of slight fear, but mostly remembrance. His Mom had once been an Effin, and she hoped Ash was as well, because that was what her son wanted. As Ash barely caught the bus in time, though, she couldn't help but wonder if he knew why she had quit her old job, since she easily could have kept it if she had tried hard enough. She doubted it. Maybe Ash wouldn't be running so fast, then.

Ash, meanwhile, was panting on the bus as a familiar voice approached him. "Hey there, Ashy-Boy! Don't you think things would be working out better if you hadn't made the bus? You'd be saved the humiliation!" Ash was about to retort when he looked at Gary's Colors. He was nervous too.

"You'll do fine," he grunted at Gary. His former friend stared at him in shock.

"Why would you be comforting me, Ashy-Boy?" There was a pause, and then a mumbled "Thanks..." Ash sighed.

"It would have been possible for us to still be friends..." Gary snorted, though it was a half-hearted one.

"Barely..." The two looked at each other. None of Gary's entourage was around, as none of them had passed the preliminary testing this year, and those who would have were too young to try for IAEMS. Ash was the first to give in.

"Have you shown signs?" Gary frowned at the odd question, but finally, rather hesitantly, nodded.

"Yeah. I haven't found them in any book, though. I keep on seeing people's Shadows move." Ash looked at him thoughtfully.

"I've shown some, too. That's how I could tell you were worried. I see Colors around people." Gary couldn't help it. He laughed.

"Never heard of that one, either! I suppose we're the freaks of nature?" Ash looked at him before laughing as well at the expression on Gary's face.

"I've missed this! It's times like this that I remember why we were once friends!" Suddenly, the two of them were silent.

"Ashy-Boy," said Gary finally, "if we both make it in, can we try to fix that? I mean, covertly. I have a reputation to uphold!" They shook on it, but Ash couldn't help but feel things would not come to pass in that way, but in another. For the life of him, though, he couldn't decide: what other way could there be?

They were still talking when the bus stopped. However, when they got off, Gary was suddenly his enemy again, so Ash walked away. Such is life. Then, one by one, they were lead away by a woman in a short dress. Her Colors were a steely grey wrapped around her center with an odd horseshoe protrusion on either side of the grey that was red. They looked annoyed. She took the group to a waiting room and started talking.

"Right now, none of you are likely to pass. I'll be damned if half of you do. Have a nice day. Good luck. You idiots are going to need it." She then walked away. Ash sat down, his knees banging together. It wouldn't be long now. When they called his name, he'd be tested, whatever the test was, and either accepted or rejected. He sure hoped it wasn't rejection, but that was entirely possible. No one was coming back out, so he didn't even know who had been accepted and who hadn't. They weren't calling in alphabetical order, though, because Gary had already gone in, leaving Ash the only one outside, shaking like a stricken tuning fork.

"Ketchum, Ash?" He jumped at the voice before raising his hand. "You're next." Shuddering as he stood up, he walked in.

The room was small. All around him were walls made of woven carbon nanotubes, the strongest material in the world. Computer wires could be seen wrapped within the grey walls, and flashing lights surrounded him. He winced. His every instinct was begging him to flee. The space was small and confined, and he wanted to break out NOW! The logical part of his mind was busy wondering why. He had never been claustrophobic before now, but the somewhat round room was sending shivers up his spine. The door opened, and a man that Ash recognized walked in.

"Ah, Ash! When my Grandson came through, I was wondering when you would!" Ash nodded in return.

"Professor Oak," he responded.

"Now, I'm going to tell you what's going to happen. I am going to leave, and then the room will light up. You will probably get dizzy, and you might black out. Don't worry! That's perfectly normal. On that screen," he said, gesturing to a tiny screen no larger than an x-transceiver that sat in the corner, "data will appear. I'll tell you if you pass, though that data should tell you before I have to say a word! Any questions?" Ash shook his head. At least it wasn't some sort of interview, as he felt like he imagined leaves in a hurricane must feel. He really needed to get a hold of himself! Oak left the room and Ash sat down. If he was going to get dizzy, he didn't want to fall.

"Ready? ON!" Suddenly, Ash's vision turned white. Which way was up? Which way was down? The world around him was a supernova, and he was an atom lost within it, unable to tell where things were but for a thin raft below his feet. His vision began to swim before the current of the light knocked him cold out, even as he felt he was drowning.

Then, as his eyes dared to open again, it was over. Nothing was spinning; nothing was drowning. He didn't hear the frantic commands over the intercom for him to stop as, still in a daze, he walked over to the screen. On it, there was following:

Electric Lucario MythEffin. Pass.

A pale-faced Professor Oak walked into the room. Ash stared at the screen. Was it broken? He'd never heard of a Lucario, and he had memorized all of the recognized Effinities. He certainly hadn't heard of a MythEffin, so he assumed the screen was broken. A hand on his shoulder turned him around.

"I'm sorry, Ash. The test results are finalized. I'm afraid you have no potential." Ash stared at him in shock. He had been afraid of that, but with the screen's readout, it just seemed so unlikely!

"But Professor! Look at the... screen?" he said, but to his surprise, the screen now simply read No Data. Holon's Clause. Fail. Oak shook his head sadly as Ash stuttered. "But... but... that's...not possible! I showed signs! The screen said I passed before, Professor, you've got to believe me! Professor! Please!" Oak just shook his head as Ash was guided out of the room and to the back of the building.

"Another bus will be here soon, Ash. Go home. Get some rest. Decide on a job you might want." Ash was now openly sobbing, but he managed to nod his head. How? This wasn't supposed to happen! He felt cheated, and it was unfair, and he didn't want to go home and get rest! He was supposed to be a Master! That was his dream!

As he sobbed, he didn't hear Professor Oak say into his radio, "The results from just now are to be burned. The boy is not to be allowed out of range. Understood?"

Instead, Ash just kneeled at the back of the building, sobbing. No. This wasn't supposed to happen, no! He didn't notice that the sky had gotten dark. When he finally got to the busses, though, he discovered that he was too late. He was going to have to walk. He kicked the ground. He didn't want to have to tell his mom. He didn't want to have to tell anyone. This shouldn't be happening! He was supposed to be a Master. He almost, therefore, didn't hear the squeak of indignation as he tread on something's tail.

Perhaps, my friend, this would be a very different story had Ash passed. Perhaps this would be a different story if Ash hadn't missed his second bus. Perhaps this would have been a different story if Ash had been a little less or a little more distracted. However, this isn't a different story. He looked down.

And nearly screamed in shock.

There was, before him, a yellow mouse (how else could he describe it?) with a lightning-bolt tail and long ears, the ears tipped with brown and the tail ended with it. There were brown stripes across its back and there were red circles on its cheeks. It had electricity pouring from those cheeks and a frightened expression, almost as if Ash frightened it. Ash would have wondered why, had he been thinking straight. After all, he was terrified of the creature in front of him.

It was a Pikachu.

But that was crazy.

Pokemon were extinct.