Hi there people, and welcome to my first attempt at writing, Beyond Stars and Chains! The title probably sounds cliché, but at least I will actually refer to it eventually. Is my name a giveaway? If it isn't, I heavily support Altoshipping, among others, and this story is Altoshipping. I took some minor liberties, which will be listed below. I'm also going to thank my beta, who actually hasn't done any work yet, in advance. I have already sent in the first two chapters to her so she could look at them. But, she's super busy so I decided to get a head-start. As soon as she is done though, I will be editing any flaws she has found that replace what you see right now with updated content, and mention her by name. So, enjoy!
Minor changes
1. Pikachu knows Electro Ball, even if this story takes place pre-Unova.
2. I altered the ending of Pokemon Heroes slightly.
3. Ash is 18 in this story, having started his journey at the age of 12.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
Ash Ketchum's thoughts were a mess, lifting up the cup, a sign of his victory at the Lily of the Valley Conference. He still couldn't grasp the thought that he had done it, but at the same time meeting a Latios had sent his brain into an overdrive. He should be enjoying his victory a lot more, but he couldn't. His heart was hurting, for a reason unknown to him. Why would a Latios trigger such a reaction? He tried his best to remember anything that could possibly give him an answer, or at least a hint. He connected water to the Latios, a wave clearly visible in his mind. Then the memories, and emotions, came crashing down on him and he felt that his legs were growing weaker and weaker. How could he have forgotten? How could he have forgotten one of his most treasured memories?
"Let's go Ash!" Misty called from the boat, Ash just about to board it before something caught Pikachu's attention. Nudging his trainer's head, Ash tried to see what Pikachu was seeing, turning towards the city again. Running along the dock was one of his two friends, the difference between them minimal unless you knew how they liked to differentiate from each other. Bianca was always wearing her white beret, and Ash didn't think she would ever go without it. Noticing that she, Latias, was holding something in her hands, Ash was rather surprised when she, literary, forced, what he now knew was paper, into his hands. Unrolling it, he could only stare at the beautiful picture that was depicting him and Pikachu.
"Did you draw it?" Ash asked, Latias nodding in response. Looking at it again, he could only admire the details on the picture and how carefully it had been drawn, "It's beautiful. Thank you Latias."
'There's nothing to thank for, I should be the one thanking you,' Latias said, leaning forward slightly and planting a soft kiss on Ash's cheek. Quickly pulling back from the kiss, Ash froze on the spot and was overcome by an emotion he had never felt before, at the same time shocked that Latias had spoken, 'Promise me you will come back.'
"I promise." Ash responded, to a degree having snapped out of his daze. Smiling at him, Latias turned around and started running back into the city.
"Are you coming Ash?!" Misty shouted slightly annoyed, for two different reasons. Ash had been kissed by a girl, and he was taking too much time.
"I promise I will come back." Ash mumbled to himself, his hand still touching the spot where he had been kissed and following the running Latias with his eyes. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw an annoyed Misty and a rather shocked Brock and decided that he could continue thinking once he was on the boat.
"Was that Latias or Bianca?" Brock asked, Pikachu looking excited and Togepi chirping in glee.
"I don't know." Ash responded. There was no reason for them to know that he liked the attention from Latias. Staring out at the ocean, Ash simply replayed what had just happened moments earlier, Pikachu contently taking his place in Ash's lap. Absent minded, he continued his thinking while scratching Pikachu behind his ear.
"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked worried, noticing how absent Ash was.
"Everything's alright buddy, just thinking."
"Ash!" Dawn shouted worried, clearly coming from somewhere behind him. Opening his eyes, he saw that he wasn't longer standing but was down on his knees. Looking up at Dawn, Ash was surprised to see her back off ever so slightly. What did she see?
"Ash, are you alright?" Brock asked, now also down on the field next to Ash. Standing up, Ash was still a little shaky before he regained his balance.
"I'm fine," Ash said, now determination in his eyes, "But there's something I got to do."
"Where's he going?" Dawn asked worried, following Ash with her gaze as he was heading straight for the exit, the cup in his hands and Pikachu sprinting after him.
"I have no idea, but wherever he's going, it's probably something important," Brock responded, knowing Ash's determination, "I don't think I have ever seen him this determined, not even during a League."
"Come on, we better follow him!" Dawn exclaimed, starting to run to make sure that she didn't lose sight of Ash. Shaking his head, Brock didn't hesitate to follow after his two friends. What would happen to them if he wasn't there to help them? Simply following Dawn, Brock was rather surprised to see Ash stand at the ticket booth, pulling out some money from his wallet and handing it over in exchange for three tickets.
"What is he doing?" Brock mumbled, mostly to himself, pretty sure that they were planning on leaving tomorrow. Dawn had said nothing about coming along either. Sure, Ash had grown from his early days in Kanto. Yes, he was more mature. Yes, he prepared more. Yes, he thought things through, but this was just strange, even for Ash. Still talking to the man in the booth, Brock and Dawn could only watch and wait for Ash to explain whatever he was doing. Eventually, Ash was done and saw Brock and Dawn standing there, questioning expressions on their faces.
"Here, take those," Ash said, heading over to Brock and Dawn and handing them a ticket each, putting away his own, "I got us two rooms on the ship to Altomare."
"Altomare?" Dawn wondered, only having heard of the city but never actually seen it.
"It has something I should done a long time ago," Ash responded, pulling out his ticket and looking at it before putting it back again, "Our ship leaves in half an hour so we should better board it."
"You remembered after seeing the Latios, right?" Brock inquired, also remembering their little trip to Altomare. He wondered if Ash still carried around the picture he had been given by a certain girl. Ash had surely been sad leaving the island, actually crying that night. But about what? The visit had been nice, and Ash had surely bonded with the two guardians. Maybe the death of Latios had taken its toll on Ash.
"It's just something I have to do. I left with a promise to return." Ash admitted, trying to find their ship.
'What promise is Ash talking about?' Brock wondered, not remembering that any promise was given by Ash. Finding their ship, after a rather long walk, they showed their tickets and were allowed to board the ship.
"So, how long is it going to take until we arrive in Altomare?" Dawn asked, happily running along the ship, while Ash and Brock decided to take a more relaxed approach.
"It shouldn't take that long, considering this ship is supposedly quite fast. Also, the route from to Altomare is rather straightforward, not very far away once we pass Hoenn." Brock answered, his ticket having the travel time on it, approximately one day.
"Let's find our rooms, I managed to get two rooms, with a door between them." Ash stated, glancing at his ticket before heading up the closest set of stairs.
"I need to call my mom!" Dawn suddenly exclaimed, worry written over her face as she ran off to find a phone.
"How about we settle down and wait for Dawn to return?" Brock suggested, opening the door to their room and putting down the bag on one of the two available beds. Putting the bag next to his bed, Ash let himself fall backwards and just enjoying the moment, "So, what exactly is this about?"
"Do you remember this?" Ash wondered, pulling something out of his bag and handing it to Brock, "That's the picture I was given before we left Altomare."
"I think it's nearly impossible to forget that moment," Brock declared, looking at the picture, handing it back while watching how carefully Ash handled it. It was clear how much he cared for the picture alone, not to speak of the one who gave it to him, "You said something about a promise, one that I have never been aware of."
"You remember right before we left that I was given this picture, right? I promised her to come back." Ash explained, the promise clearly etched into his mind. He knew how broken she had been, but back then he prioritized himself so much higher.
"And you are sure that it was Latias?" Brock wanted to make sure that his suspicions were correct. They had discussed it quite heavily afterwards, with Ash being the only one believing it was Latias.
"Yes." Ash responded, confidence seeping out of that statement. Brock couldn't believe it, and that he didn't see it back then already, but Ash was most likely smitten with the red dragoness without actually being aware of it.
"Maybe you can boast with that you won the Lily of the Valley Conference." Brock joked, Ash chuckling a little at this, but was unable to before Dawn bursted through the door.
"There's a sort of tournament going on the upper deck!" Dawn stated, quickly catching the attention of Ash.
"A tournament huh? You up for it, Pikachu?" Ash asked his best friend, earning an excited 'pika', not wasting any time to find its location.
"A battle is still a battle it seems like." Brock said, shaking his head lightly, deciding that he couldn't leave Ash on his own, while Dawn simply tagged along.
"Finish it with Thunder!" one of the current trainers that was battling shouted, his Jolteon not hesitating to comply. Bathing in electricity, the Jolteon unleashed Thunder upon his opponent, an Absol. Covered in smoke, the result was not hard to guess. Absol had fainted and was now recalled by its trainer, "Who's up next?!"
"I am!" Ash called, Pikachu perched on his shoulder and his cheeks sparking. Walking up a small set of stairs, Ash found himself on one side of the battlefield, a boy around his age standing on the other side.
"The name's Jack, and I'm currently unbeaten on this ship." Jack introduced himself, clearly confident in himself.
"I'm Ash Ketchum." Ash responded, not bothering to mention his his victory in the Sinnoh League. Whispering something in Pikachu's ear, Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder, placing himself opposite of Jack's Jolteon.
"The rules are simple, it's a 1 on 1 battle and it's over as soon as one of our Pokemon is unable to battle, or if one of us surrenders," Jack continued, taking a small step back, Ash mirroring his movement. Seeing that Ash was ready, Jack quickly opened the battle, "Jolteon, Quick Attack!"
"Pikachu, use Double Team then Iron Tail!" Ash countered, Pikachu disappearing for a split second, replaced by a dozen Pikachus. Dashing through one of the clones, neither trainer nor Pokemon saw Pikachu coming down from above and hitting Jolteon with his Iron Tail.
"Use a Double Team of your own!" Jack called, Jolteon repeating what Pikachu had just done a moment ago and disappearing, reappearing and surrounding Pikachu. Having had Pikachu use Double Team so many times, Ash had gotten the chance to study the move a plethora of times, in case that someone ever would try something similar, and in the process learnt the finer details on how to spot out the real Pokemon.
"Go for Iron Tail again!" Ash quickly shouted, using the advantage of Jack not knowing that he knew which the real one was. Seeing that Pikachu didn't go for one of the clones, Jack could only grit his teeth.
"Intercept with Thunder Fang!" Jack tried, hoping his Jolteon was stronger when it came to brute force. After all, both Pokemon relied more on speed and power than anything else. Managing to catch Pikachu's empowered tail between his fangs, it became clear that neither Pokemon would yield and would continue until one of them gave up.
"Throw him!" Ash suddenly ordered, to Jack's and mostly Pikachu's surprise, but Pikachu didn't hesitate to comply with his trainer's command. Gathering all his strength, Pikachu managed to lift up Jolteon slightly in the air, before slamming him back down on the ground. Yelping from the impact, Ash took his chance to strike, "One more Iron Tail!"
"Jolteon, dodge it!" Jack barked, having no plans on losing his spot as the best trainer on the ship. Rolling to the side, Jolteon barely avoided Pikachu's Iron Tail which struck right next to him.
"Electro Ball!" Ash continued, not slowing down while he already was in control.
"Quick Attack followed by Thunder Fang!" Jack countered, Jolteon shooting forwards and dodging the incoming Electro Ball and trying to connect his fangs with Pikachu. Actually hitting Pikachu, a grunt came from the yellow rodent, eventually escaping Jolteon's grasp.
"Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, Pikachu recovering from Jolteon's attack and unleashing the powerful bolt. Unable to dodge the attack, Jolteon howled in pain even though electricity was something it was used to, "Let's finish this! Volt Tackle!"
"Get out of there!" Jack desperately called, Jolteon simply too tried to evade the attack. Chanting the same thing over and over again, Pikachu eventually disappeared completely and was simply a yellow mass of electricity heading straight for that battered and bruised Jolteon. Jumping a little, Pikachu dashed forward and connected with Jolteon, resulting in electricity and sparks flying in all directions, followed by a minor explosion which covered both Pokemon.
"Good job!" Ash praised Pikachu, who after some recovering from using Volt Tackle happily took his place on Ash's shoulder again. Scratching Pikachu behind his ear, Ash watched as Jack spoke to his Jolteon and petted it lightly before recalling it.
"That was a great battle, Ash." Jack said, walking over to Ash and holding out his hand which Ash shook.
"You weren't that bad either," Ash responded smiling, "Especially considering that you went up against the winner of The Lily of the Valley Conference."
"I thought I somehow recognized you," Jack admitted, shaking his head and turning around, walking down the small set of stairs. "I hope that we eventually meet again Ash Ketchum. I expect you to be ready to lose then."
"We'll see about that!" Ash shot back, Jack leaving the upper deck with a wave of his hand. Turning around, Ash walked down the set of stairs and was greeted by his two friends, both congratulating him on his victory.
"Not bad at all. I remember you told be about last time you had a battle after a bigger win." Brock said, referring to Ash's battle with Gary after having beaten Brandon and his Regice.
"Don't mention that one, that just was just me not even thinking." Ash glared, that battle being one of his more disappointing ones, considering he had just beaten the Battle Frontier. But it was also one of his biggest victory, finally opening his eyes. If that battle never had taken place it would be questionable if he would have actually won the Sinnoh League.
"So, what do we do now? The day's not over yet." Dawn chimed in, looking like she stay up for another few hours. A few years ago Ash would have been that restless as well, but with Sinnoh came a new maturity, one that even impressed Brock.
"How about we relax and enjoy the nice weather and then looking for something to eat?" Brock suggested, an idea that both Ash and Dawn approved of. Having already left the part of the upper deck where the battlefield was, the three friends walked around the ship until they found a set of table with chairs and parasols, a perfect place to enjoy the late afternoon. Sitting down, they all released their Pokemon who immediately went off to do different things. Sceptile and Croagunk found a spot, truly defining the word relaxation where as Charizard took off to the skies. Many of their smaller Pokemon, Pikachu and Piplup included went off to play, leaving their trainers alone.
"I can't actually believe we're going back to Altomare. How long has it been? Three years?" Ash wondered, Dawn simply listening to what Ash and Brock were saying.
"Something around that. At least this time the circumstances will hopefully be better." Brock responded, the events taking place in Altomare clear in their, both the good and the bad ones. For Ash, the Tour de Altomare, the time they spent in the garden and when they were about to leave stood out for him the most as the good memories. One of the toughest battles in his life had resulted in one of his most treasured memories to be remembered. He could never have wished for a better battle, the results not even mattering to him. The only important thing was that he remembered his promise to Latias.
"Are we going to stay there for a week or less?" Dawn asked, more and more wanting to see Altomare with how much Ash and Brock talked about the city.
"Seems reasonable." Brock said, Ash nodding in agreement and looking at the ocean. He just wished that time could fly by faster so he could be in Altomare already. He really wanted to see the red dragoness again, and spend as much time as possible with her, to make up for all the time in which he didn't keep the promise.
"You really need to show me around, because Altomare really sounds interesting from everything I've heard from you." Dawn demanded, also wishing for time to go faster so they would reach Altomare, even though for a different reason than Ash.
The hours had flown by, time passed by talking about everything they had experienced in Sinnoh, and Ash and Brock telling Dawn of some of their earlier experiences in the different regions. Enjoying the last sun rays, everything was quiet, all of the Pokemon recalled or just lying on the floor next to their trainers. Silence surrounded them, a content smile on each of their faces and eyes closed, enjoying the moment. Until Ash's stomach showed signs of life, as usual.
"Looks like it's time for dinner." Ash declared, standing up and stretching. Recalling all of his remaining Pokemon except Pikachu, Ash waited as Brock and Dawn did the same, eventually heading inside the ship and for the cafeteria. Walking for a few minutes, the entrance of the cafeteria soon came into their sight. Entering it, they took a plate each and went around, looking through the different options available to them, finding a table at one of the many windows and taking a seat.
"Just relaxing feels good, the last weeks have been hectic." Brock voiced, Ash and Dawn agreeing. The weeks surrounding the conference had been hectic, a lot of training having to be done, and multiple close calls during the entire tournament. The final had been heartbreaking multiple times, Ash's Pokemon barely losing a battle. But in the end, only one thing mattered. Ash had won.
"Hey Ash, do you remember our first battle?" Brock asked, a small smirk on his lips, Ash's expression being the opposite.
"Kanto was a complete failure when it came to gym battles." Ash admitted, knowing he pretty much didn't earn a single badge through winning a battle and if he did, it had hardly anything to do with his skill as a trainer.
"Also, shouldn't you maybe call your mother? You know how she can be sometimes." Brock added, Ash instantly pushing his chair back.
"I will back in a moment."
"Mom, it it just something I have to do." Ash tried, his mother being rather upset that he had first called now, and wasn't going to return for another week.
"If you say so," his mother responded, a smile gracing her face, "Just so you know, I'm so proud of you, winning the Sinnoh League."
"Thanks mom. I will be calling you once I'm in Altomare, alright?" Ash finished, deciding that this call didn't need to be dragged out. Yes, he loved his mother, but sometimes talking to her could be rather annoying, especially concerning certain topics.
"I'll take your word for it. Greet Brock and Dawn from, will you? I love you sweetie." Ash's mother said, knowing that Ash was in good hands.
"I love you too, mom." Click. The screen went dark again, and Ash placed the phone back in its place. Sometimes, having these conversations with his mother was hard. Ash knew that his mother would prefer having him at home then him going to Altomare. Continuing to muse over this, Ash headed back to his friends, which he had left as Brock had pointed out that he should call his mother.
"How did it go?" Brock asked as soon as Ash approached their table. Smiling slightly, Ash shook his head.
"You know how it goes, so I suppose as usual." Ash answered, taking his seat again. Watching friends, they sat just there in silence before Dawn spoke up.
"Let's head back to our rooms, maybe there's something interesting on tv," Dawn said, Ash and Brock following her. Reaching their rooms, Dawn stood in front of her door while they stood in front of their door, "Goodnight you two."
"Goodnight Dawn." Ash and Brock said in unison, smiling, heading into their room. Plopping down on the couch, Brock took the remote and started looking through the different channels available, Ash only watching half-heartedly.
"What a great day." Ash thought out loud, Brock grinning at the statement.
"Sure has been a great day. You don't know how proud I am that you won the Lily of the Valley Conference, especially against an opponent like Tobias." Brock explained, never having been more proud, and more impressed by Ash's skill and determination as a trainer.
"What do you think, Pikachu?" Brock wondered, Pikachu lazily lying at the foot of Ash's bed. Opening his eyes, Pikachu looked at his trainer and Brock, deciding if he should answer that question or not.
"Pi, pika." Pikachu answered, something that could be understood as a 'yes, but it was a pain in the ass'. Ash laughed at Pikachu's response. Brock had to a degree learnt to understand Pikachu, trying to remember some of Pikachu's more simple expressions. Obviously, Ash understood him far better than Brock did, but Brock had picked up a few things, like Ash's name, yes and no, good and bad and some other simple things.
"Are you excited to be back in Altomare?" Brock asked suddenly, catching Ash off-guard a little. Sure, he was excited to be there but with Brock he surely didn't refer to that exactly.
"Yes, I missed the city, and her of course," Ash responded, knowing that Brock knew who he was talking about, "Seeing Bianca and Lorenzo will also be nice."
"Yeah, it feels like forever but it has only been a few years." Brock added, it only having been three years but feeling a lot longer. They had seen so much since then, and now Ash had won his first league.
"Today the new Sinnoh League Champion has been crowned, Ash Ketchum. But currently his whereabouts are unknown. It seems like he is not longer on the island, and we will soon be talking to our Champion, Cynthia."
"Maybe I should have said something, at least to someone so they knew what was going on." Ash commented, the news obviously showing that many were surprised that he had simply disappeared, considering this was his first league victory and such.
"Would have been a good idea, but it's too late to change that now. At least you avoid the trouble of having talk to the reporters and tv." Brock said, knowing very well how they could be.
"I'm going to take a shower." Ash said, leaving Brock alone on the couch.
"Fine with me. Also I guess it is time to sleep anyway. Especially if we want to get something done tomorrow."
"Maybe I should start selling your pictures as well. They would probably sell really well, considering your style isn't that different from mine." a brown haired girl said, wearing a white beret, a simple green short sleeved shirt and a white shirt. Sitting next to her was a girl, who many would simply say was her twin.
'Come on Bianca, you know I only draw them for fun, and nothing else.' the other girl responded, her golden eyes shining and her hair was flowing with the wind.
"Can't you just let me sell one? They are all so amazing, Latias." Bianca begged, Latias managing to find the most incredible things to draw while flying around the city, before returning back to the garden and drawing them.
'Alright, but only one and you will never ask me again, alright?' Latias finally gave in, not wanting to hear Bianca ask her that every single time she showed her one of her new pictures.
"Fine," Bianca ceded, not wanting to push her luck, "Hey, how about we go the docks tomorrow and see if we can find anything interesting to draw? I heard there's a big ship from Sinnoh coming."
'Sure, maybe we can spot something fun to draw.' Latias said, always liking to watch all the different people interact.
"Talking about Sinnoh, I saw in the TV that Ash had won the Sinnoh League." Bianca continued, knowing very well that reaction she would get from Latias.
'He did what?!' Latias exclaimed surprised, 'Why didn't you tell me?!'
"I forgot?" Bianca tried, knowing it wasn't going to work very well. But Bianca knew what would have happened if she had told Latias. She would be super happy to see Ash battle, but then it would dawn on her how slim her chances were to ever meet him again.
'But he promised he could come back.' Latias whispered, Bianca not sure if she was meant to hear that.
"Come on, it's time to sleep. Tomorrow we will paint some wonderful pictures, okay?" Bianca assured her, hoping to lighten up her mood again, at least a little.
'Okay,' Latias responded, Bianca slowly heading for the exit of the garden, 'Goodnight Bianca.'
"Goodnight Latias." Bianca called back, turning around and giving Latias one last smile before leaving. Transforming back into her real form, Latias slowly flew up to one of her favorites spots in the garden. Landing on one of the bigger branches of the massive tree, Latias couldn't stop tiredness from overcoming her. Maybe tomorrow would be a good day for once. Latias hoped at least that it would be so.
I will try to update weekly, but take it with a grain of salt. Considering Chapter 2 is already complete you can expect me to post it in a few days. Thanks for reading!