Prologue
A boy sighed. He looked across the ship that he was on, mentally urging it to go faster. Of course the ship remained at its own pace, as if to mock him, and he settled back down. He smiled to himself. He was finally going back home, after a long journey in many regions. He reminisced on his many journeys and battles, and how little he saw his home since he left at 10. He sadly realized that he wouldn't be able to stay long—he never could. But he let himself forget his troubles as he remembered that in 3 hours, he would be back home in Pallet.
His Pikachu smiled at him and with a delighted expression showed Ash the ketchup bottle the waiter had given him. "Pika-Chu!" he sighed, contently licking the ketchup bottle.
Ash smiled at his friend and scratched him between his ears. He grinned as he remembered all that they had gone through together—when Ash got Pikachu, going through the Indigo league and the Orange islands, the Johto league, Hoenn, the Battle Frontier, Sinnoh, and lastly Unova. After finally finishing Unova, Ash was going back to Pallet to take a quick break. After that, who knows? He might explore Kanto some more. But first he was eager to get back home and see his friends.
His friends…he sure had a lot of them. Ritchie, Brock, Dawn, Iris, Max Cilan, Cassie, Tracey, and even Gary, his old rival: they, and so many more had helped him. And of course, there was Dawn, May, and…Misty.
Misty…he had traveled with many people, but with Misty the longest, besides Brock. But Brock always left, even if he came back. Misty never left, she stuck with Ash. Maybe it was because she was the only one who hadn't actually wanted to travel with him. He groaned, he still owed her a bike. Whenever he thought about Misty, he realized that the only reason she travelled with him was cause of her bike. Despite everything though, she WAS one of his best friends. He looked at the handkerchief she gave him, and thought how nice it would be to see her again…
He shook his head vigorously at the thought of her, and remembered that he would be able see both Misty and Brock again when he arrived in Kanto. He once again smiled, and Pikachu, recognizing his master's thoughts happily stated "Pika pika!" I can't wait!
Ash smiled, he couldn't wait either. He tilted his cap down to hide his eyes and he remembered some of the friends that he knew he would no longer see or had left behind: Latios, Celebi, Bulbusaur (now a Venasaur), and many other Pokémon. He alternated between places of sadness and happiness while remembering his friends and his Pokémon, vowing that one of the first things he would do is visit Tracey and Professor Oak to see some of his Pokémon.
Ash grinned, he hadn't told anyone he was coming back except Tracey. Tracey, a friend he had travelled with when travelling on the Orange Islands, eagerly accepted the idea. Ash thought, I can always count on Trace. He was so happy when he got a chance to know something that professor Oak didn't... Ash, happily remembering the surprise he was going to give his friends by coming home, drifted off to sleep.
Ash awoke to a siren and looked up in surprise—the boat had arrived. He and Pikachu got up, and Pikachu jumped on his shoulder. Ash seemed rooted to the spot, and Pikachu nervously asked "pika pika?" Are you okay? Ash looked down at the ground for a split second more, lifted his head and yelled "Ha-Ha!" and immediately started running off the boat. He stepped foot in Kanto, and happily exclaimed to Pikachu, "Pikachu! We're Home!"