Again he had failed.
Ash sighed as he walked through Viridian Forest on his way home to Palet Town, his trusty Pikachu clinging to his shoulder. He had just returned from the Unova region, where he had battled in the Vertress Conference. And lost in the quarter-finals. Again.
Only this time he had managed to lose against a guy that only brought five Pokémon to a full six-on-six battle.
The humiliating defeat had put some things in perspective for the young Trainer. Things he was currently discussing with his ever-faithful companion.
"I really don't know what to do anymore, buddy." He commented, scratching the yellow mouse's ear absentmindedly.
"Pika?"
"I mean, how did I manage to lose against Cameron? He only brought five Pokémon with him. And, now that I think about it, instead of getting better since Sinnoh and Hoenn, I only managed to get worse. You felt it too, didn't you buddy? Like someone flipped a reset switch on our lives and brought us back to the beginning of our journey."
"Pika." The mouse nodded solemnly, ashamed of his fluctuating skill level.
"Well, no more!"
"Pika?"
"We won't allow anything to stop us. Not anymore."
"Pikachu, pika!" Pikachu pumped his little fist in agreement. His ear twitched a little and he glanced to the right. "Chu? Pikapi, pika-Pikachu." He called out to his trainer, pointing leftward, into the dense woods.
"Huh? I didn't hear anything. What noise?"
"Pikachu, Pikapi. Chu pika Pikachu."
"Alright, if you say so. Lead the way." Pikachu nodded and jumped off Ash's shoulder, running in the direction of the supposed sound, his trainer trailing behind him.
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The pair came to a clearing in the forest. Two young Pidgeys were laying on the ground, eyes full of fea4r as they tried to inch away from a Fearow looming above them.
"Couldn't be the same one. Could it?" Ash asked pi9kachu, earning him a small shrug in return. "Whatever, Thunder Bolt. A warning shot, please." Pikachu let loose a streak of yellow lightning from his red cheeks, impacting the Fearow immediately. The bird Pokémon shrieked in pain from the super-effective move, most of its feathers completely blackened. "I said warning shot." Pikachu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
The Fearow turned to the source of the shock, its glare deepening when it recognized the offenders. It started cawing at the menacingly, trying to intimidate the human-Pokémon duo into running away, like last time.
"Holy crap it is the same one." Ash deadpanned at the not-so-intimidating-anymore Fearow. "Hey, Pikachu, how 'bout we deal with this nuisance once and for all?" Pikachu grinned, its cheeks sparking. The Fearow wasn't so sure of itself anymore. "Let's end this quickly with a Thunder. Full power."
The Fearow tried to fly away, but the most powerful electric attack stopped it in its tracks. The voltage coursing through its body sent it crashing into the ground, shrieking in pain. Without a word Ash threw an empty Pokéball at it, catching it after three half-hearted dings.
"Well, I guess that's that."
"Pikapi." Pikachu tugged at his pant leg, making him look down. "Pi pika chu ka pipi."
"Right. Might as well do it." He picked up the 'ball, thrusting it into the air in front of him. "Yeah, I caught a Fearow!"
"Pi-Pikachu!" The yellow mouse Pokémon jumped onto his shoulder, making a V with his fingers. The duo completely ignored the bewildered looks from the two Pidgeys.
Ash probably would've continued to make a scene in the middle of the woods, had a strong Gust attack not sent him to the ground in a heap.
A large, majestic looking Pidgeot landed between him and the two Pidgeys, flaring its wings in the air and cawing threateningly at the teen. Standing up carefully, Ash couldn't help but curse his luck.
The Pidgeot's threatening stance lasted nearly a whole ten seconds before it registered the Trainer's looks and the Pikachu that now sat on the ground, dazed. Then it barreled into Ash, crying out in happiness.
"Yeah, nice to see you too, Pidgeot." He rubbed the top of the bird's head, earning a strange purring noise only his Pokémon were somehow able to produce. "You didn't have to send that Gust at me, though.
"Pidge…" It looked away in shame.
"Hey, it's fine. I'm just glad to see you after so long." He hugged the bird tighter. His old Pidgeot cawed in happiness again, before turning to the two Pidgeys. It told them a few things Ash didn't quite catch, and the two saluted with their wings before flying away. "Huh? Where're they going?"
"Pika?" Pikachu tilted his head in confusion. The mouse could recover quickly, he'd give him that.
"Pidgeo. Pidg, pidgeot, geot."
"Pi-ka!" Pikachu yelled happily from his usual perch.
"Come with me? That's amazing." Ash grinned, hugging the bird again. "It'll be so great to have you on my team again. I missed you so much. Seeing you the few times I was home wasn't nearly enough. And I think you'll get along well with my newer Pokémon as well."
"Pidgeot."
"Now how about a ride back home?" The bird lowered its body, allowing its bellowed trainer to get up. "Let's get going girl."
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"Mom, I'm home!" Ash yelled as he and Pikachu enter his old home. He had sent Pidgeot to Professor Oak's lab, where the rest of his Pokémon were.
"In the kitchen, honey. Someone's here to see you."
"Eh, see me?" Pikachu and he tilted their heads in confusion. "Who could it be?" He entered the kitchen, finding a rather short, burly man dressed in a blue Hawaiian shirt.
"Hey Ash, remember me?" The man stood up, extending his hand in greeting.
"Scott? It's so great to see you again. How have you been?" He sat on the other side of the table. "Found any good trainers for the Battle Frontier?"
"A few, but none as good as you were, I can tell you that. That's actually why I'm here. I wanted to talk to you about that offer I made to you more than a year ago." Ash's eyes lit up in understanding. "Have you given it some extra thought?"
"I'm… not sure. I failed at the Unova League. Again."
"Oh, Ash…" His mother sighed, hugging him from the back. "You shouldn't let yourself down. You were great at the Conference. Not many trainers as young as you are make it to the Top 16, let alone Top 8."
"She's right, you know." Scott commented, sipping on some coffee. "There's really no shame in getting defeated by someone better than you."
"Yeah, but he wasn't better. He brought only five Pokémon with him!" Scott and Delia both sweat dropped. "I'm sorry for snapping like that, I'm just tired of losing, especially after getting so close." The young teen sighed sadly. Pikachu rubbed his arm, trying to soothe his trainer the best he could. "What do you think, buddy?"
"Pika, chu-pika, Pikachu-pika-pika, Pikapi."
"Well, I suppose that does make sense."
"Pi-Ka." Pikachu shrugged. "Pika-chu-ka Pika. Pikachaaa." Pikachu finished confidently. The two adults in the room glanced from the mouse to the teen, amazed at the level of understanding Ash had of his best friend.
"Yeah, you're right." Ash chuckled, scratching Pikachu behind the ear. "Alright Scott. After much consideration, we have decided to accept your offer. You're looking at the newest Frontier brain."
"That's great." Scott laughed. "But if only it were that simple. We'll have to head out to Viridian tomorrow for a grand Brain meeting. I'll make the calls now, and we can take off in the morning. I got my car with me."
"I could always just fly there." Ash started carefully. "It'd be much quicker."
"Hey, are you calling my driving bad?"
"Well… yeah."
"Pi-ka."
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It was late in the afternoon the next day when Scott, Ash and Pikachu had arrived to Viridian city, to the largest hotel's conference room. There the meeting would take place.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing all of them again, right buddy?"
"Pi-ka."
"Oh? Somebody in particular?"
"Nah, I don't think so." The teen could hide the red dusting his cheeks from the older man.
"Really now?" Scott grinned, seeing the opportunity to help out his two favorite Frontier Brains. "Not even little Anabel?"
"Anabel…" Ash muttered, looking in the distance with a half-sad expression on his face. "Yeah. Maybe Anabel."
"Don't worry about it, kid. Everything'll turn out fine." He put a hand on the teen's shoulder.
"Greetings, Scott." A strong voice called from the back. "And is that Ash? How are you young man?"
"Brandon." Ash grinned. "I've been better. Then again, I've been worse, too."
"That's good to know." Brandon nodded. "I have been watching your Conference battles. You have gotten far. Although, I must notice that you could have won in both Sinnoh and Unova if you had used some of your older Pokémon."
"Yeah, I know." Ash sighed. "I kinda failed as a trainer."
"No!" Brandon yelled, causing both Ash and Pikachu to take a step back with a sweat drop, and some people in the lobby to glance worriedly at them. "You are young, Ash. We have all made mistakes. Now it is up to you to fix them." The Pyramid King gave a small, almost-unnoticeable smile to the teen. "Now let us go up. Best not to keep the others waiting.
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Anabel couldn't believe her eyes when she saw who it was that their boss had called the meeting about. It had been around two years now, but her feelings for the raven-haired trainer had only grown during the time.
So here she was, sitting in the chair at the end of the table, in what was in her mind in the top two most important meetings in her life, and she couldn't focus on one word Scott was saying. All she could focus on was his deep, chocolate-brown eyes as he took a few secret glances at her, before blushing a bit and looking away.
Maybe this time you'll be able to read what's in my heart, my love.
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"And so, I would like to welcome Ash Ketchum as a member oif the Kanto Battle Frontier." Ash and Pikachu gave a small bow as most of the Frontier Brains politely clapped. "Now there is only one matter left to discuss. Who will you chose as your mentor?"
"Huh?"
"Pika?"
"Well, you have to choose someone who'll teach you how to be a Frontier Brain, and help you on your own training, while your Battle Facility is being built."
"Hm… Tell me, is being a Frontier Brain similar to being a Gym Leader?"
"Well, yes, I suppose it is similar in many ways. Why do you ask?"
"Well I've been traveling with a few Gym Leaders and they told me all about it, and what I don't know already I'm pretty confident I'll figure out on my own. So I'd rather train on my own for about a year or so."
"Oh? And why is that?"
"No offense to any of you." He gave a small bow to the Frontier Brains. "You are all amazing trainers, and I'm sure you could teach me a whole lot, but I just could choose." Ash chuckled sheepishly, mimicked by his Pikachu. "So I'll retreat for a year and train myself. Will that be enough time for everything to be done?" He asked Scott.
"Yeah, that should do it. And have you thought about you Facility and Symbol."
"A little." Ash grinned. "It's going to be the best ever."
"Pi-Ka!"
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Well, looks like it's time for my first non-Naruto story. Time to branch out.
You're looking at the typical 'Ash becomes a Frontier Brain' gimmick, but with a few twists of my own. What inspired me the most for this story was a picture I saw. It was of Red, not Ash, but they're basically the same person.
If this fic does well enough I might branch out into Pokémon as well.