Hello everybody! This is just a new story I came up with after going on a binge on the first season of Pokemon. I just had to get it out of my head, and I needed something fresh to help get my mind off of school work for a while. It's already been a month since school started, and I've already had to write about seven one-page essays and two full blown essays. I guess it serves me right for taking three English classes in one quarter, but I do admittedly need it in order to complete my major requirements. At least two out of the three classes are on subjects that I like, so I guess I really can't complain too much.

But enough about my rants and whatnot now. Let me just say a little something about this story. To be perfectly honest, this was something that I came up with like nine or so years ago when I was still in seventh grade. Back then, I had no idea how to use a computer and was pretty bad at actual writing. As such, I planned the entire story in my head and completed it within the year. Since then, it's been resting within the deep confides of my head to the point that I completely forgot about it. It wasn't until I went on my pokemon binge that I suddenly remembered about it and decided to put the idea down on paper. Granted that I don't remember the entire story word for word, but I do remember the main premise and can still structure a story around that.

With that said, I hope that you all end up enjoying this new story of mine and my first attempt at a Pokemon story. Please don't forget to leave a review before you move onto the next story. Being that this is a new entry, it helps me to gauge what you as the audience is thinking. Until the next update on this or any of my other stories on here everybody!


Chapter 1: A Typical Evening

"The battle's only getting more exciting by the minute, folks!" a television announcer commentated animatedly. "After an admittedly rocky start, this has proven to be an entertaining display of power. Despite being down to his last Pokémon, our promising challenger is giving the defending champion a run for his money. Might we be witness to a come-from-behind victory, or will their hard-fought efforts be for naught?"

"Wow, this's so cool!" a young teen sighed in awe, his eyes glued to the action on the television. He was sitting on the edge of his computer chair with so much anticipation that it threatened to tip over at any moment. "There's no way Lance'll ever lose to that guy. He's the best trainer there is in the entire Kanto Region!"

"Oh my, it looks like the challenger's Alakazam is readying some kind of psychic attack," the announcer observed as the camera was angled in a way to showcase both said Pokémon and its respective trainer. At the same time, the screen split into two with the second half showing the champion's, Lance's, graceful Pokémon gliding through the air right after he commanded, "Quick Attack, Dragonair!"

"Now, Alakazam; Teleport!" the challenger instructed. Just as the opposing Pokémon was about to make contact, the psychic disappeared and suddenly reappeared behind Dragonair. "Now use your Psychic on it!" The creature did as it was told and pointed one of its spoons to its opponent. The unaware target was suddenly sent flying towards the ground with an invisible yet clearly painful attack. It then bounced a few times before coming to a stop where it tried to get back up but failed.

"Well, it looks like Lance's Dragonair is out for the count!" the announcer observed as the stadium roared with excitement while the champion recalled the fainted Pokémon into its pokéball. The young teen could not help letting out his own little shout at the amazing display. "Each trainer now has only one Pokémon left to fight with. Can our challenger handle one last battle with his Alakazam already worn out from two-and-a-half straight battles? Will he be able to muster a come-from-behind win and dethrone Lance from his champion's seat? This is all so exciting; I'm just itching with anticipation!"

"Heh, looks like it's all up to you now, my old friend," Lance was heard muttering to a pokéball when the camera panned over to him. He then exclaimed to the challenger, "You're pretty good to have taken down most of my team. You even managed to catch me off-guard a couple of times. But let's see if you'll be able to beat my last and most powerful Pokémon! The stage's yours, Dragonite!"

The champion quickly threw the ball out towards the arena where it opened up upon landing. For that split second, the field was engulfed in a white light. As quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared and left behind a large orange dragon in its place. It gave out a rather confident roar before assuming a battle stance.

"Whoa, there's no way that guy's going to get past that beast of a dragon!" the teen murmured as he stared in reverence at the mighty Pokémon. "That's Lance's ace. There's a reason why he always saves it for last; it never loses a key battle! Oh, I can't wait to see how this's going to end!"

"Ash, can you come down for a minute?" a woman's slightly muddled voice called out. "The professor's here to see you!"

"Aww, alright mom!" Ash begrudgingly replied as he got up and straightened his black shirt before heading towards the door. He never once tore his eyes from the television until he was out in the hallway. He then ran down the stairs in hopes to quickly greet his visitor and get back to the exciting match.

"…he's going to be fine," he heard his mother say in the living room. When he entered, he saw that the television happened to be on the same program he was watching upstairs. The battle had just started, and it looked like the Alakazam was opting for evasive maneuvers against Dragonite's Dragon Claws and Iron Tails. His eyes quickly became glued to the action, and he all but failed to notice their guest having a seat on the sofa next to his mom.

"Where're your manners, Ash?" his mother quickly chastised but not without a slight hint of annoyed amusement in her tone. "You should at least say hello to Professor Oak before being sucked into the television."

"Oh, that's quite alright, Delia," Professor Oak brushed off with an understanding smile. "This year's championship has proven to be quite exciting. Even I must admit that I want to see what the outcome will be before anything else."

"You two and your fascination with Pokémon," Delia sighed before turning her attention to the exciting action.

"Despite clearly being worn out, the challenger's Alakazam is putting up one heck of a fight!" the announcer exclaimed as the television showed both Pokémon battling it out. "It's managed to dodge all the attacks and put in a couple of its own. But will this strategy be the one to end Lance's reign as the Kanto Region's Pokémon Champion? Can his final Pokémon keep up with this dangerous game of tag?"

"Your Alakazam's better trained than I thought," Lance grumbled, his voice laced with a bit of worry as he saw his Pokémon slowly being worn out. "It's definitely given me one heck of a challenge, but let's see if it can handle this. Change of plans, Dragonite! Fly up to the sky and get ready to use Hurricane!"

"Use Swift to shoot him down, Alakazam!" the challenger quickly commanded as said Pokémon took a split second to rest. He then lifted one of his spoons into the air and summoned a wave of white stars to fall high above the stadium.

"Use Incinerate on those stars!" Almost immediately, the Dragonite turned onto its back and stared at the oncoming stars. With a deep breath, it let out an amazing stream of flames that fanned out and set the falling stars ablaze. Having lost their intended momentum from the opposing attack, they fell harmlessly to the ground before disintegrating into ashes. "Now get back to Hurricane before he tries anything else!"

"Uh, t-try using Teleport to get up there!" the challenger hesitantly suggested. At the same time Dragonite turned his gaze back to the battle field and started to heavily beat its wings, Alakazam disappeared once more. This time, it reappeared on top of the dragon's back and surprised it enough that it stopped trying to use Hurricane! "Alright; great job! Now let's send it crashing down with Thunder!"

"Oh no; hurry and shake it off, Dragonite!"

Try as it might to rid itself of its unintended passenger, the psychic Pokémon held on for dear life as it began to generate an electrical charge. At the same time, the entire stadium air was charged with anticipation. The entire audience, including the three television viewers in Ash's living room, were anxiously waiting to see what will happen next.

"Well, this is an interesting turn of events, folks!" the announcer explained. "Dragonite isn't weak against electric attacks, but it's been tired out from making attacks that don't connect. And being that Alakazam is strong and at such close range, this next attack could possibly severely weaken Lance's Pokémon if not cause it to faint. We might actually bear witness to his defeat today! How is our champion going to get out of this mess?"

"Grrr, use Slam with your back to the ground before it electrocutes you! If it still shocks you, then we'll at least try to take it down with us!"

"Don't let go of him until you cast Thunder, buddy!"

"Hmm, this is interesting," Professor Oak speculated as he watched Dragonite trying to execute its Slam attack as quickly as possible. "The challenger is gambling on the thought that his Pokémon is faster at executing its move and can escape at the last second. At the same time, it looks like Lance might be trying to force a tie should the unfortunate happen."

"Why would he do that?" Ash asked, his eyes stuck at the spectacle of Alakazam trying to distract Dragonite while still preparing its Thunder.

"So he can avoid an actual loss," the man explained. "As stated by the league rules, the one who initiated the battle will lose if they don't have at least one conscious Pokémon left by the match's end. In this case, it'll be the challenger who'll be getting the short end of the stick. It's very unusual to be aiming for a tie, but it's a good strategy should the conditions show no way to claim a conventional victory."

"My, that certainly sounds like an odd way to defend his title," Delia thought out loud as she took a sip from a cup she had been holding. "If this happened to be two people fighting and they defeated each other, then neither side would be able to claim any kind of victory. It doesn't seem right for it to be different in this case."

"Oh, that one's gotta hurt!" the announcer exclaimed at the same time a loud crash was heard. Everyone immediately turned their attention back to the television and saw the arena now filled with smoke from Dragonite's Slam attack. Combined with it was the electrical static in the air that had no doubt come from Alakazam's successful execution of its Thunder attack. "Both Pokémon have executed their moves and created an electrical dust storm. I can feel the charge all the way up here in the announcer's booth! I don't hear any movement down there, but we can't be sure what's happening until we can see the arena again."

In the seconds that passed, the dust slowly started to settle. Soon, faint silhouettes of two Pokémon could be seen standing in the center of the arena. Once it was completely cleared, both Dragonite and Alakazam were standing a few yards away from each other. Each of them were heavily panting and showing clear signs of exhaustion. The dragon was down on one knee with an arm resting as support on the other; the psychic was still on both feet but had trembling hands as it held onto its spoons.

"I can't believe it; both trainers' Pokémon are still standing!" the announcer exclaimed in awe, a sentiment that was reflected upon the countless viewers in the stadium. "That was such a frightening display of power we've been witness to. The fact that they withstood each other's attacks is proof of just how strong these battlers are. This truly is a battle to remember for the years to come! Oh, look at that!"

Suddenly, both Pokémon started to fall to the ground. While very exhausted, Lance's Dragonite managed to further support itself by anchoring its hands to the floor. For the Alakazam, it merely fell forward with no attempts at trying to break its fall. Its spoons fell with a clatter, and its body caused an audible thud to echo in the silent stadium. With a determined roar, the dragon used the last of its strength to get to its feet.

"And this battle is over, folks!" the announcer excitedly concluded over the loud cheers of the people. "By an amazing show of strength, Lance's Dragonite has managed to endure such a powerful bolt of Thunder. Unfortunately for our challenger, his Alakazam was too worn down to withstand that strategic Slam. It was a really close match, but the winner of the Kanto Region Championship is our defending champion, Dragon Trainer Lance!"

"Yes; I knew Lance was going to win!" Ash exclaimed as he jumped about excitedly. "He's one of the best Pokémon trainers in the world. There's no way he's going to lose his champion title anytime soon!"

"I suppose that's true, although it was a rather close call for him this year," Professor Oak said as he watched the victory ceremony take place. "I wonder if his age is starting to get to him. I still remember how overly eager he was when he came by to receive his first Pokémon from me six years ago."

"He's only nineteen, Samuel," Delia replied with a soft chuckle. "You make it sound as though the boy's much older."

"He might as well be," the young teen stated as he finally moved from his spot by the living room hallway and headed towards the kitchen. "Lance's been the Kanto Region Pokémon Champion ever since before I started getting into battles a couple years ago. This has practically been his entire life apart from his travels to advance the study on dragon Pokémon. I don't think there's anybody out there who'll ever take the title from him!"

"I don't know if that's true, but it's clear to me that he has a very good bond with his Pokémon," the professor said while taking a cup offered by Delia. "The respect that they hold for him and vise-versa truly shows in their battle performances. Treat them well and they'll gain confidence in you.

"And speaking of Pokémon," he continued on with a smile. "I believe I have a silly little one that's more than ready to come home, Ash."

"Hmm?" Ash questioned, his mouth currently filled with some juice he had poured for himself. He then asked after swallowing and returning to the living room, "You're talking about Pikachu, right? How's he doing, professor?"

"Oh, he's perfectly fine. The Tentacool's poison didn't do that much to him, although I will admit it was good you brought him to me quickly. Each Pokémon reacts differently to its effects, but their poison is always more potent during the mating season. They really should put up a sign on the beach whenever this time of year comes around! Anyway, he's back at my lab ready for you to pick up."

"Thanks a lot! I think I'll go and bring him home now if it's okay. You know how he is when he's either at your lab or a Pokémon Center. He hates having to stay for anything longer than a regular check-up."

Suddenly, there was some light scratching sounds coming from the front door. It at first sounded like some random animal clawing away; however, the occasional sounds of "pika, pi" indicated who was responsible.

"…And he can be a pretty good escape artist when that happens," Ash sheepishly added before going to open the door. No sooner had he opened it did he become assaulted by a yellow ball of fur jumping onto his chest. "Hey; calm down; buddy!" he chuckled amidst the warm snuggling session he was receiving. "You don't need to be that excited. You were only gone for the day. The way you're acting, you'd think I'd forgotten about you!"

"Those two really are attached to the hip," Delia observed with a warm smile. "I never thought they'd be so close, especially with how wary Pikachu was when we first found him a couple years ago."

"Well, Pikachus usually aren't sociable around people," Professor Oak explained. "They tend to have an independent nature and thus take a lot more effort for trainers to train. I'm surprised that this one got along with Ash so quickly, especially since he's not yet a trainer! He must've made a great first impression for it to be so fond of him."

"He's always been a friendly boy, so I'm not surprised that they connected so quickly," the mother said as she watched her son go back into the kitchen, his Pikachu now perched on top of his right shoulder. She then asked in a more somber tone, "How's Gary been doing? It's been a few days already."

"…My grandson's doing fine, despite everything that's been going on," the old man replied with a frown. "I can't say the same for me or his parents, though. It's hard to keep it together when we don't know what's wrong, but we're managing."

"Do you at least have any idea what is happening?"

"I wish I did, Delia. I've asked everybody I could about what they know, but nobody can even come up with a reasonable theory. But even if they did have an answer, I doubt there's much that I can do to help. I could say that Gary not being alone kind of makes me feel better, but it really doesn't."

"And what about Ash? We've been giving him the same explanation the past two days. They're the best of friends; it seems to me even deeper than that. He's bound to notice Gary's lack of presence soon."

"I don't want to worry your son too soon. You know how easily worked up he can be. I think it best to wait until…"

"Pikachu; get back here!" Ash suddenly exclaimed. A second later, both adults saw the yellow Pokémon running out of the kitchen with a can in its hands. He failed to get far, however, as the teenager quickly caught up and scooped him into his arms with a laugh. "Give me back that soda, you rascal! You know it's not for you."

"Chu~!" Pikachu playfully responded as it gave up the can. In return, it happily took a rice ball that was in Ash's free hand and began nibbling away at it.

"Mom, Pikachu and I are going to be in my room," he said as he passed by the entrance to the living room. "Thanks again for your help today, Professor Oak."

"There's no need for thanks, Ash," the professor replied with a smile as he watched the small Pokémon's playful antics. Whatever traces of worry in his voice was covered up with a small chuckle. "Just make sure you stay out of the water for the next few weeks. I'm sure we don't want the same thing happening again."

"Don't stay up too late!" Delia added as her son disappeared up the steps. "You have school tomorrow."

"I won't, mom!" he shouted back before arriving at his room and shutting the door. He then put Pikachu, still nibbling away at his snack, down on his desk which was set up next to his bed. He then asked in a faux disapproving tone, "And what were you trying to pull with my can of soda earlier? You know you're not allowed to drink it."

"Pi?" Pikachu questioned as he momentarily stopped eating. "Pikachu~!"

"I know you like it, but remember what happened last time? You were literally bouncing off the walls! I still remember how you practically made it look like a hurricane passed through my room. Mom almost grounded me for the mess you caused. Do you want something like that to happen again?"

The Pokémon actually had the sense to look sheepish and apologetic before silently going back to noshing at his rice ball. Clearly, he had forgotten about the incident and did not care to remember it now.

"I thought so," Ash said as he popped open the can and took a quick sip. "Anyway, I gotta finish up some homework before turning in. I'd ask you to help, but I don't think you'd know anything about science."

Continuing to nom on his snack, Pikachu moved to a more remote portion of the desk to allow the teen room to work. In the next hour that passed, both respected each other's personal space. The yellow Pokémon was simply laying down and watching with mild interest while Ash concentrated on trying to memorize all of the scientific terms and processes in his textbook. It proved to be pretty tough for him, and he soon quit attempting to complete something he had no chance of ever understanding.

"Why am I even doing this?" he whined after struggling for half an hour. "There's no point to it! This's just the school's way of making us waste our time. I mean, come on; I don't really care about how to figure out the compositional properties of the Moonstone. What do you say about us just going to bed now, Pikachu?"

Said Pokémon merely yawned as he got up and walked over towards Ash's bed. Ash allowed his eyes to follow the yellow mouse and rested on the alarm clock which showed it was a few minutes past ten.

"Yeah, I'll just call it quits here. It's not like I'm going to suddenly start understanding it all, anyway." Downing the last of the soda, he tossed the empty can into the trash bin beside his desk. He then turned off the lights and allowed only the light from his alarm clock to illuminate the room.

Familiar with Ash's antics, Pikachu took a spot up against a wall corner in anticipation for a leap. As expected, the teen leapt onto the bed back first and landed with a contented sigh. The yellow mouse was slightly miffed about the bed's unnatural movements but was otherwise dismissive. Once things had calmed down, he hopped onto the boy's chest and curled up with a contented sigh.

"Are you really that tired, Pikachu? You only sleep on me when you're wanting to shoot for a fast knockout."

"Chaaa…," the yellow mouse yawned. He then shifted around slightly so that his head was over Ash's chest.

"And he's out like a light," Ash whispered with a smile, the sounds of light rhythmic breathing reaching him. "Boy, he can just knock himself out when he wants to. I need to know how he does it so I can sleep faster."

Making sure to not move around too much, the teen reached over to his alarm clock to set it up. Once it was set, he brought both hands behind his head and continued to watch his beloved Pokémon sleep. The view was calming, and the sounds of Pikachu's rhythmic breathing proved to be relaxing. Ash soon found himself getting weary from this. A couple minutes later, he was out like a light and was snoring away alongside his companion.


Well, I hope this proved to be a very interesting first chapter. I thought it would be good to start things off with some Pokemon action, and what better way to show it than through the finale of the Pokemon championship? I really hope my attempt at writing an action scene was good; I'm still learning about how to do it and hope it turned out alright.

Also, I'm not going to translate Pikachu's speech. Instead, I'll keep it short and try to make Ash's response be key to translating what the yellow mouse said. Just use the soda can incident as an example of what I mean. And at the same time, I've noticed that Pikachu always addresses Ash as "Pika pi", so I'm taking a longshot that it's Pikachu's way of calling him. I don't know if there's really a way to decode some of his speech, but I'm just going to wing it.

And just to say, I'm going to keep to the rule of the games that each Pokemon only has a set of four moves per battle. For one, doing more than four moves in a battle scene might make things confusing for both you and me. Secondly, I don't want the battle to be just a crapload of moves and run the risk of slowing the action with redundant details. If you notice, both Pokemon in the televised championship battle only used four moves at the max. That's just what I'm going to do, have each Pokemon be able to use only up to four of their moves per battle scene. I hope you all don't mind too much!

But yeah, that's pretty much I can think of saying now. I hope that you all enjoyed reading this new story and will take the time to leave a review. They are always very helpful, especially when it's a new entry like this one is. Until the next update to this or any of my other stories on here everybody!