Ash returns from Unova to the biggest party since the Indigo League. How will he react to seeing his friends for the first time since he left?
The boat pulled into port at Vermillion city. Ash Ketchum, the 11 year old trainer with a sparking attitude, walked off the deck of the SS Anne. He approached a brunette woman with a sign saying 'Ketchum.'
Ash embraced his mother, and looked about the city, "It's great to be back in Kanto, isn't it, Ash?"
Ash smiled, breathing in the sea air, "There's no place like home, Mom."
Delia Ketchum smiled back at him, "Not home yet, Ash."
Ash's eyes perked up, "Pallet."
Delia nodded, "You're in for a treat when we get back, but I can't tell you what it is."
Ash tipped his hat, beaming now, "Surprises are the best!"
They left in Oak's car, and commenced bouncing on the rough country roads of Kanto. Ash fell asleep to the beats of the car hitting ruts in the path, and in almost no time was shaken awake by his mother.
"Come on, sleepy Pokémon master, we're home." Ash's eyes fluttered open, and he saw the welcome sights of Pallet town. There were some small differences, though.
The small town was covered in white tables and stalls, and a large sign read, "Welcome Home, Trainers!"
Ash looked at his mom, "Why is it plural?" Delia nodded her head, and Ash saw someone he had not expected. "What is Gary doing here? I thought that he was in Hoenn researching Pokémon?"
Ash's mom laughed, "He's still a trainer! He has Pokémon enough to battle you, doesn't he?"
Ash tossed Pignite's pokeball in his hands. "That he does, doesn't he?"
Delia laughed again. "Go ahead, Ash. Have fun. This party is for you, after all."
Ash walked away, and then turned to look at his mother again. "Partly." Delia waved her hand, shooing him with a smile.
"Hey, Gary Oak!" Ash called. Gary turned to him, and smiled.
"How are you doing, Ash!" Ash's long time rival asked.
Ash smiled, "I'm fine. Are you keeping up with your battling skills while you research?"
Gary nodded, "You Betcha, Ketchum. I think that I can solidly say that I can sweep the floor with your Pokémon."
Ash gave a fierce grin. Their days of hating each other were long over. "It's mop the floor, genius, and I'd like to see you try."
Gary lifted one fist in a challenging gesture. "Then let's go."
"Go, Aerodactyl!" Gary said, with a slightly haughty tone. Ash remembered Aerodactyl- it had been powerful enough without Gary's training, but had been one of Gary's Pokémon for some time now. It was sure to be insanely tough. But Ash wasn't lacking in strong Pokémon himself.
Ash knew just who to use, "Go, Palpitoad!"
"Toad!"
"Palpitoad, use Hydro Pump!" Ash directed.
Aerodactyl dodged the attack nimbly, smirking to taunt Palpitoad.
"Palpitoad?" The Pokémon recoiled.
"My turn! Stone edge, Aerodactyl!" Gary ordered.
A stone blade formed in Aerodactyl's talons, and it charged Palpitoad. "Aero-DACTYL!" The Pokémon exclaimed.
With a swift motion, Aerodactyl slashed Palpitoad, winding the Pokémon. "Palpi!" Palpitoad grunted.
"Palpitoad!" Ash shouted. "Are you alright, buddy?"
"Palpitoad!" The Pokémon replied. It shook itself off, glaring at Aerodactyl.
"Alright, Palpitoad! Use Supersonic!" Ash commanded.
Palpitoad let loose a barely audible sound directed at Aerodactyl. The Pokémon began swaying in the sky and lost control of its flight, falling to the earth.
"Aerodactyl!" Gary shouted.
"Now, Palpitoad! Use Hydro Pump!" Ash exclaimed.
"Palpi-Palpi-TOAD!" The Pokémon shouted, letting loose a powerful jet of water at the fallen Aerodactyl. It was a direct hit.
Aerodactyl was unable to battle. Gary recalled his Pokémon, closing his eyes and saying something beneath his breath.
Gary laughed softly, "I wasn't expecting an easy battle from you, Ash! Go, Umbreon! Dark pulse!"
Umbreon violently attacked, relentlessly pulverizing Palpitoad. The Pokémon had taken severe injuries from the battle against Aerodactyl, and the barrage of attacks proved too much for it.
Ash sent out Pignite. The pig Pokémon slammed its arms together, preparing for the battle to come.
"Pignite, Flame Charge!" Ash ordered. The Pokémon rushed his opponent, slamming into the Moonlight Pokémon.
"Umbre!" Umbreon exclaimed, sent flying backwards by the fire attack. He hit the ground rolling, coming to a sliding stop.
"Are you feeling okay, Umbreon?" Gary asked.
Umbreon stood up shakily, nodding. It winced, falling onto one of its knees. Gary looked at his Pokémon, "You've sustained a burn, Umbreon. Think you can pull through?"
Umbreon nodded, standing up again. "Umbre-ON!"
Gary smiled, "Umbreon…" He laughed, "That's right, pull through! Use Toxic!"
Umbreon fired a hunk of poisonous goop at Pignite, covering the swine Pokémon in sickening slop.
"Ka-Reet!" Pignite squealed, stumbling back as it tried to clear its face.
"Pignite!" Ash exclaimed.
Pignite shook its head, glaring at Umbreon. It grinned, determined not to give up. Umbreon smiled back, signifying that it wasn't prepared to throw in the towel either. Ash laughed, "Yeah! That's the spirit! Flamethrower, Pignite!" He ordered.
"Shadow Ball, Umbreon!" Umbreon fired a violet ball of immaterial energy, meeting Pignite's powerful spout of flames. The attacks clashed in the center of the field. It seemed that Pignite's Flamethrower would win, but then the spout stopped as Pignite fell to its knees. The poison was taking its toll. The shadowy attack hit Pignite right on the face, sending it reeling.
"Reeeeeet!" Pignite squealed.
"Pignite!"
Pignite stood shakily, looking at Ash. "Ree-reet!"
"That's what you want to do?" Pignite nodded. Ash smiled, "Alright, Pignite! Keep fighting 'till the very end! Use Fire Pledge!"
A flaming aura surrounded Pignite, and its eyes began to glow like a volcano. He lifted his foot, then slammed it down on the earth. The ground erupted in fire, and Umbreon was surrounded by pillars of flame. The fires closed in, overtaking Umbreon.
When the heat cleared, Umbreon was unable to battle. Ash laughed, "Pignite! Great job, buddy!"
"Niiiiite…" Pignite whispered. It fell, the poison causing it to faint.
"Pignite!" Ash shouted. "You did a good job. Come on back, take a nice rest." Ash smiled, recalling his Pokemon.
"Who next, Gary Oak?" Ash asked.
"I think you already know the answer to that question!" Gary answered, "I choose you, Blastoise!"
"BLAAAAAAST!" Blastoise roared. The powerful Pokémon stomped the earth, calling a challenge for whomever came to stand against it.
Ash was in quite a predicament. He knew that even with the type advantage, Gary's Blastoise would defeat Snivy with its pure power. Oshawott couldn't stop the colossal opponent, not a chance. Pikachu would be crushed by the enormous Shellfish Pokémon.
What could he do? He couldn't lose his first battle back in Kanto! Suddenly, a bellow resounded through the air.
"No... Way." Gary seemed breathless at the sheer size of the Pokémon now flying above them. Ash knew exactly what he could do now. This had always been his strongest Pokémon, and nothing could stand in its way for long.
He faced Gary, now determined that he would win.
"I choose you, Charizard!" The large Pokémon gave another momentous roar.
Gary closed his eyes, chuckling, "Not going with the type advantage, eh? I've learned that those are the times that you are most dangerous. Blastoise, stay on your toes! Hydro Cannon!"
Ash waved his arm, "Charizard, dodge!"
With blinding speed, he moved out of the way of the high pressure spout of water, "Charizard! Seismic Toss!" Ash directed.
Charizard smiled, looking as if he had been thinking the same thing.
Charizard rushed forward, faster than Blastoise had time to defend himself. Charizard grabbed Blastoise by the shell, and lifted it high into the air. He flew in the air, looping to gain momentum, and he threw Blastoise to the ground. Charizard flew out of the crater, smirking.
The dust began to settle. Charizard looked deep into the hole.
"Blas-TOISE!" A spout of water was launched from the crater, hitting Charizard squarely in the chest. Charizard fell from the sky, landing hard on Kanto's soil.
"Graoar…" Charizard groaned. He looked into the pit, and his mouth filled with flames. He filled the hole with a powerful conflagration.
The fire cleared, and Charizard smirked.
"BLASTOISE!" Blastoise came spinning out of the pit, using its Rapid Spin attack on Charizard. The shellfish made contact, slamming Charizard in the stomach.
"Graaooooh!" Charizard exclaimed. He grabbed Blastoise's shell, slowing and then stopping the Pokémon's rotation. "Groooaaar!" He lifted Blastoise's defensive fortress, and shot powerful flames directly into the holes. He threw Blastoise to the ground, roaring.
Blastoise came out of his shell slowly. "Blaaastoise…" He groaned. The Pokémon was unable to battle.
Gary recalled his pokemon, surprised at the turn in the battle. "What had I expected? It's like I said, when you have the disadvantage, you are most powerful."
Ash gave Gary a thumbs-up, "You weren't half bad either."
Gary nodded, "You really are going to be a Pokémon master."
Ash smiled, "Thanks."
They heard loud footsteps heading towards them, "Hey! Wait!"
Ash laughed, recognizing the sprinter, "Brock!"
Brock looked at them both, "Don't tell me that the battle is over!"
Ash laughed, "Sorry Brock. You couldn't get here in time."
Brock sighed, "I guess that I shouldn't have spent so long with that sonnet to Nurse Joy..."
Ash shook his head, "A sonnet, Brock? For real?"
Brock sighed again, "Could you tell me something, Ash?"
Ash frowned, "What, Brock?"
Brock looked to the sky, "How do you get the girls to like you so easily?"
Ash tilted his head, confused, "Whaddya mean?"
Brock looked back down, "You know! First Misty, Bianca or Latias or whichever it was, than May, then Dawn, even that Lyra girl! I bet you sparked a few hearts over in Unova too! The girls just like you! How do you do it?"
Ash shrugged, "I don't even know what you're talking about. The only reason girls ever follow me is because I broke their bikes.
Brock walked away contemplatively, and Ash wondered where he was going to.
"Was that the best thing to do? You know he's desperate." A female voice giggled.
Ash turned and saw Bianca. "What are you doing here? How's Latias?"
Bianca laughed. "She misses you. Oh, and about the kiss?" Bianca laughed nervously, "Um… You see, she'd seen it a few times and figured it was common practice." Ash nodded, glad that the mystery was cleared up. He didn't know that Bianca only told half of the truth. The part about Latias was true, and she did miss Ash, but at the time that Bianca had kissed Ash, Latias had been too busy grieving over her brother to say farewell, which was part of the reason that Latias missed him so much.
Bianca hadn't been able to help herself, it had really just sort of happened. "Well, it was nice to see you, Ash. Have a good day, it is your party." Idiot! How come you lied like that?! Bianca thought to herself. As she walked away from Ash, she shook her head. Oh well, it's not like he had any feelings for her anyway. If she had gleaned anything from seeing him with that Misty girl who was traveling with him, she had already gotten Ash smitten.
Ash watched her walk away, and suddenly remembered something. He grabbed his bag, and shook it vigorously. "Pikachuuuuuuuuu!" The jolt went through his body, and he fell to the ground, blackened from the zapping.
His mother ran to him. "Are you alright?" He nods, and she lifted him up. Charizard laughed, and they kept on walking through the party. Pikachu peeked his groggy head from Ash's bag, climbing onto Ash's shoulder. Pikachu smiled, pointing forward. Ash looked at where the mouse was gesturing to, and smiled.
Alright. First chapter, not so bad. I haven't even gotten to the good part yet! I will give a little bit more in the next chapter, but I think that Charizard's battle was enough for now. Ugh... I've always been a water type trainer... I don't enjoy doing that to Blastoise, but Charizard is just so much stronger. It would have been blasphemy to let Blastoise win. Ha, in related news, a women had a dangerous encounter with an Onix today. The owner promised he would pay in full, and asked her if they could take a walk to the nearest bike shop. She simply got his info and left. And Brock's journey of love continues...
