A/N: Hey Everyone! Here's that long-awaited Advanceshipping fanfic you've been waiting for! This one will also be a Book Story. There will be a continuation and a possible prequel to this. Anyway, I know you're anxious to read this so I'll just shut up and let you read.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you A Fateful Journey, A Manifesting Love.

I do not own Pokemon. I don't know who owns it but bottom line is I don't own Pokémon. So put away the lawsuits and cases. There's no need to sue me. I did nothing wrong.

Ash's eyelids slowly fluttered open as he felt the sun shining on his face. He began wiping the sleep from his eyes as he sat up.

After a quick stretch, he began surveying the room.

The first thing that caught his eye was the glistening golden trophy on his shelf.

A small smile formed across Ash's lips as he saw the cup.

My Sinnoh League Trophy. A permanent memento of all my hard work in Sinnoh.

That trophy reminded him of another kind of award he got.

Hastily, Ash reached over to his dresser and pulled out the upper draw. He took out a small piece of pink satin that was attached to half of a medal.

Ash gingerly ran his fingers over it.

It was his ribbon. Their ribbon.

As Ash ran his fingers over the emblem, his thoughts slowly drifting towards a certain Hoenn native, specifically a girl - a brunette - who he had missed oh so much during his time in Sinnoh.

Ash's thoughts were interrupted when he felt something warm and fuzzy brush against his arm. He saw his trusty partner, squinting through his sleepy eyes at him.

"Oh, sorry, Pikachu. Didn't mean to wake you."

"Pi-ka…" the little sleepy pokémon said as he closed his eyes again.

Ash gave Pikachu a gentle pat on the head before getting out of bed and proceeding into his adjoined bathroom with a fresh change of clothing.

I know exactly what I'm going to do today.

About an hour later, Ash along with Pikachu went downstairs to join his mother for breakfast.

"Morning, Mom," Ash said as he took a seat at the table.

"Morning, dear. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yep. One of the best dreams I ever had."

"Oh really? What was it about?"

"Oh, um…" Ash began rubbing the back of his neck as he felt his face heat up.

"Uh…I-I forgot."

"If you don't want to tell me what it's about, dear, then just say so."

"Okay. I don't want to tell you what my dream was about."

"Is it something that should concern me?"

"No. If anything, it should make you extremely happy," Ash said as he put his hands behind his head.

"Oh really? Was it about a girl?"

He quickly sat up. "Mom!"

"I'm just funning with you, dear. Oh, you are so cute when you get all huffy like that!"

Ash's heart continued to beat faster as he realized how close to home his mother had hit with that last comment.

Shaking himself loose, Ash started to feel the color come back to his face.

"So Mom, what are we having for breakfast?" He began rubbing his hands together.

"My famous blueberry pancakes," Delia said as she placed a large platter of pancakes right in front of her son.

"Yeah, all right!" Ash said as he put his fists up in the air.

"And don't think I forgot about you too, Pikachu!" Delia added as she placed a rather large bowl of pokéblock in front of the electric mouse.

"It's your favorite kind. And look what I've got," Delia said as she held up a little bottle of ketchup.

Pikachu's eyes glistened with passion. He put his paws out in a "Gimme" format, waiting anxiously for his trainer's mother to give him the small bottle of red condiment.

"Here you go my little Pikachu," she said sweetly, handing the little mouse the bottle.

"Pika! Pika Pika Pi Pikachu!"

"You're welcome."

Delia smiled as she watched her only son and his pokémon scarf down the last of their breakfast.

"Wow, Mom…That was great! Man, I've really missed your cooking," Ash said as he sat back in his chair.

"Cha!" Pikachu sighed in agreement.

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it, honey. So, is my little man heading out somewhere today?" Delia asked as she began washing the dishes.

"As a matter of fact, I am. First, I'm going over to Professor Oak to drop off some of my pokémon. Then, I'm gonna go straight over to Hoenn to visit May."

Ash realized his mistake the moment he said her name.

"May?"

He put his hand over his face as he began to slump down in his seat.

"Is she that pretty little brunette that came over here a few years ago when you decided to enter the Battle Frontier?"

"Yes, Mom."

Delia smiled. "She's a nice girl."

"Mom…"

"You're going all the way to Hoenn to visit her?"

Ash shook his head. He could only blame himself for this.

"Mom, I wanna see how she's doing. I haven't seen her since she came to Sinnoh a few months back…"

"She came to Sinnoh?"

You're digging yourself in a deeper hole, Ketchum.

"She competed in the Wallace Cup. That's why she came to Sinnoh."

"Oh."

Ash hid his hand behind his face. It wasn't an Oh like Oh, that's nice or Oh, I didn't know that. Rather, it was an Oh, that's interesting kind of Oh. Ash had to think of a way to get out this conversation, and fast.

"She competed in the Grand Festival around the same time I competed in the Sinnoh League. I wanna know how she did, how she's doing…"

"Surely a simple phone call would suffice?"

Oh man! I gotta get outta here!

"Mom, I haven't been able to contact May at all since Sinnoh. It's been an unnecessarily long, drawn-out game of phone-tag. Besides, these are the types of things you do in person."

"Phone-tag? You mean, you've been calling her the whole time you were in Sinnoh?"

Oh God, kill me now!

"You didn't try to call Misty?"

When did this become about Misty?

"I have stayed in contact with Misty, Mom. And every time I do call her, she keeps blowing up in my face about something I'm doing wrong, whether it's about my battles or how I'm not staying in touch enough."

"Well, she's got a point there. You know, you could try and call your mother every once in a while."

Oh no, she's doing the guilt thing!

"I mean, I know you're off trying to become a Pokémon Master, but…"

"I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to ignore you like that. It's just, well…"

"I understand, Ashy. And I'm perfectly fine with it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm used to it now, anyway."

Ash felt like he was jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

"Mom…"

"So when are you going to visit May?"

That question caught him off guard and Ash wasn't ready to answer it.

"Um…today…Definitely today…"

"Definitely?"

Ash slumped down in his seat even more.

I need to get out of here!

"Mom, can I please just go?"

"Of course, dear. Take care. Phone me when you arrive in Hoenn!"

Phone me?

Ash shot out his seat and ran for the front door with Pikachu in tow. He kept running until he was a good distance away from his house.

He stopped, out of breath, and bent over, trying to catch his breath.

He felt a soft tap on his leg. He looked down to see Pikachu looking at him to see if he was okay.

"Pika?"

Ash straightened up as his breathing slowly returned to normal.

"Whew, I didn't know if we'd get out of that one, buddy."

"Pi?"

"Man, Mom can be so inquisitorial sometimes."

"Pika?"

"Yes, I know what inquisitorial means! I'm not completely out there, yah know!"

Pikachu shrugged his shoulders as he hopped onto his trainer's shoulder.

Ash exhaled loudly as he began looking down the path in front of him.

"Guess we better go to Prof. Oak now. The faster we do that, the faster we can get to Hoenn to see May!"

"Pika!"

"Alrighty, then. Let's go!" Ash said as he began charging towards Prof. Oak's lab, thoroughly excited of what he was going to do afterwards.

"Hey, Ash!"

Ash stopped walking and turned around to see who was calling him.

"Well, look who's back from his long journey."

Ash looked up to see a girl with her red hair in a ponytail styled off to the side. She had on yellow jogging outfit and white tennis shoes.

"Pika Pika!"

"Well, hello there, Pikachu. At least someone remembers me," Misty said as she approached the two.

"Hey, Misty."

"What, are you too busy to call me every once in a while?"

"It must have slipped my mind," Ash said dryly.

"I could do without the sarcasm, Ash!"

"Look who's talking."

"Oh! You know what? You are so lucky that I left my mallet at home, buster!" She said, pointing her finger in his face.

"Like you would dare hit me." He said as he slapped it away.

"Why you…"

"I don't have time to talk, Misty. I have things to do," He started walking away from her.

"You mean things like visiting May?"

Ash froze. He turned around to face Misty.

"My mom told you?"

"Yep. 'Bout a few minutes ago, actually. Your mom's very sweet, Ash."

Ash almost slapped himself.

"Why'd I have to go open my big mouth?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Ash shot Misty a look.

"You know, you could have spared some time to visit me, Ash Ketchum. I had to hear from Tracey that you were back in town. And now you're going out of your way to visit May? Why didn't you do that for me?"

"For one, May doesn't live a few minutes away from my house…"

"I don't live a few minutes from you! I live hours!"

"…And two, May lives in a completely different region and it would take days to get there. I see you every two seconds. I haven't seen May the whole time I've been in Sinnoh. I wanna see how she's doing."

"More like you wanna see her to get a little…"

"Misty!"

"You're not even gonna let me finish my sentence?"

"I don't have time for this. I have a previous engagement to attend to," He again began walking away.

"Invite me to the wedding!" Misty shouted, waving him goodbye.

Ash paused for a moment, then continued walking away from his red-headed friend.

I really need to get out of this town.

Ash continued his walk to the famous Prof. Oak's laboratory with his faithful Pikachu. When he arrived there, Ash knocked on the door. After a few moments, the door opened, and Tracey Sketchit was there to greet him.

"Well, hello there Ash! Oh, and you too, Pikachu! Great to see you guys again!"

"Chu!"

"Hey there, Tracey. How've you been?" He asked.

"Great, actually. The professor's busy at the moment, but if you want, you can see your Pokémon out back and I'll have him come see you when he's available."

"Thanks, Tracey," Ash said as he walked through the door and back to the ranch where his pokémon were kept.

"You know, they've really missed you, Ash," Tracey said as he opened the door that lead outback.

No sooner had Ash walked outside when a myriad of Pokémon came rushing over to greet him. Ash was tackled by several of his pokémon and fell down to the ground laughing.

"It's great to see you guys too!" Ash said as he struggled to get up off the ground, only to fall back down as another group of pokémon tackled him to the ground once more.

"There you are!"

Ash looked up to see Kanto's own Professor Oak standing above him, offering him a hand.

Ash took it as he stood up.

"Well, well, looks like you took a mighty tumble. Are you okay, young man?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Professor Oak. No real damage," He began dusting the dirt off of his clothes.

"My, how long it's been. Oh, and I must say, congratulations on your Sinnoh League victory."

"Thanks, Professor."

"Pika!"

"My, my. Well, Sinnoh's new champion, what can I do you for?"

"So you want to go to Hoenn to go see May, is that right?" Professor Oak as he went to deposit Ash's pokéball into the PC Storage system.

"Yes, Professor. I wanna see how's she's been doing since Sinnoh."

"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Your mother already informed me that that was your original plan earlier today."

"What?" He said, shock evident on his face.

"Yeah, she called about a few minutes ago, actually," Tracey said as he completed a sketch of Pikachu. He showed it to the little mouse, who began cooing over the picture as if it were a prized bottle of ketchup.

That didn't distract Ash from the news he was just informed of, however.

"What is this? Did my mom blab to everyone that I was going to go visit May today?"

Professor Oak turned around to face him. "I think she's just proud of you, Ash. She also mentioned something about grandkids, but…"

"What?"

"Oh, dear. Maybe I should have left that part out," the old professor said as he looked at his assistant, who gave him a firm nod.

"Grandkids! What does she mean, 'grandkids'?" Ash said, getting hysterical.

Tracey started walking towards him. "Ash…"

"All I said was that I was going to visit May! And now she's talking about grandkids?"

"Ash, I think you need to calm down…"

Ash grabbed Tracey by his arms and pulled him close to his face.

"How can I calm down, Tracey? I'm on my way to go visit a friend, and my mother's already talking about grandkids?"

"Ash…"

"I'm sixteen years old, Tracey! I'm not ready for a commitment! I'm not ready to get married! I'm not even ready to become a father!"

"Ash…"

"I'm not ready for anything! I'm just going to go visit May!"

"Ash!"

"Pika-CHUU!"

Pikachu unleashed a mighty Thunderbolt towards his trainer, shocking both Ash and Tracey. They both fell to the ground when the attack ceased.

"Wow, it's been such a long time since I felt one of those. I can see how you won the Pokémon League," Tracey said as he dropped back down on the ground.

"Yeah, thanks for that, buddy. I really needed thaa…" Ash's voice trailed off as he too fell to the ground.

"Pika?"

"Well, I suppose that's one way to handle a sticky situation," Professor Oak said with a sweatdrop.

Pikachu nervously began rubbing the back of his head.

"Um, e-excuse me?" A voice called.

Professor Oak looked up to see a small young girl entering the lab.

"Professor?"

"Ah, yes! You must be Melanie. Welcome!"

"Pika Pikachu!"

The little girl nervously glanced at the two men lying unconsciously on the floor.

"Um, are they gonna be alright?"

"Huh?" Professor Oak turned his head to see his assistant and his grandson's old rival on the floor.

"Oh, yes. They'll be fine. Melanie, can you pass me that pokéball there to your right?"

Melanie turned around and picked up the small white and red ball on the table beside her, enlarging it and handing it to the professor.

She suddenly pulled back. "Wait! Professor, is there a pokémon in here?"

"Why, yes."

"Oh, can I call it out, professor! Please?"

The old man put his hand to his chin.

"I don't see why not. After all, it won't be long before you can begin your own journey. Go ahead."

"Yeah! Alright, C'mon out and help us out!" Melanie cried out as she threw the ball in the air.

A large electric pokemon materialized in front of her. It had a red ball on its tail and a matching red gem on its forehead.

"Wow! An Ampharos!"

"I see you've been doing you're research." Professor Oak said with a chuckle.

"Professor! Does this Ampharos maybe know Heal Bell?"

"How right you are, young lady."

"Can I call out the attack?"

"Please do."

"Alright! Ampharos! Use Heal Bell!"

The large light Pokémon's tail began to glow a bright blue as she began singing. She closed her eyes in concentration as she started moving her tail in a rhythmic pattern while she continued to sing. When she finished her song, the light Pokémon's tail stopped glowing as well as the gem on her forehead.

"Did it work?"

Professor Oak, Melanie, and Pikachu all watched as Ash and Tracey slowly got up off the ground and stood to their feet.

"Wow, that last fall was a doozy," Tracey said as he held his head.

"Ah! My head hurts!" Ash said as he grasped his head.

"We did it!" Melanie cheered as she began jumping up and down.

"We did what?" Ash asked as he curiously watched the joyful little girl.

"Ash, Tracey, this is Melanie. She's beginning her pokémon journey today." Professor Oak sai.

Ash smiled. "Wow, really?"

Tracey extended his hand towards the small girl. "Hey there, Melanie."

The ten year old ignored Tracey and pointed her finger at Ash. "Wait a minute, I know you!"

"You do?" Ash said as he began scratching his head.

"Yeah! You're Ash Ketchum from our very own Pallet Town! You just won the Pokémon League in Sinnoh!"

Ash chuckled. "Well, yeah. You're the first person to actually acknowledge that."

"You're like my hero! I wanna be just like you when I begin my journey!"

"Oh, uh…thanks. I think."

"And I wanna have a Pikachu just like yours!" Melanie said as she began petting Pikachu, causing him to express his pleasure.

"Well, I'm not sure if you're gonna find another Pikachu quite like mine. It's one of a kind," Ash said as he petted Pikachu on his head.

"Pika Pikachu!"

"Well, how would you like to start your pokémon journey now, young lady?" Professor Oak asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Would I!"

"Hoho! What I wouldn't give to have that youthful spirit again! Come with me," He led the way to the upper portion of the lab.

"Ah, here we are!" Professor Oak said as he walked over to the center of the room where three pokéballs rested.

"Here is where you can pick your starter pokémon," Professor Oak said as he released the pokémon held within the pokéballs.

"Every trainer needs a partner, and these are the three available in the Kanto region," Professor Oak began.

"The water type, Squirtle," he said as the baby turtle blew cute little bubbles in the air, followed by a "Squirtle Squirtle!"

"The fire type, Charmander," he said as the baby lizard blew out a few Embers before following it with a "Charr!"

"And the grass type, Bulbasaur," Oak concluded as the little seed pokémon did a cute pose with her Vine Whip, followed by a "Bulba Bulbasaur!"

"This is where you choose your partner, young lady. Make your pick."

"Oh, this is the part I've been dreading!" Melanie said as she gazed upon the three starters.

"Take your time, dear. There's no need to rush. Who you choose as your starter is very important to your success as a trainer."

"No pressure," she mumbled to herself.

"Okay, I…choose…" she began as she gazed upon the young hopeful faces, "I…choose… Charmander!"

"Char!" the fire type pokémon said with excitement.

Bulbasaur and Squirtle slumped down in defeat.

"Are you sure, Melanie?"

"…Yes, I-I'm sure…"

"Charmander!" she cried out as she made a victory sign with her claws.

"Alrighty, then," Oak said as he took up a pokéball from his desk, "Here's Charmander's pokéball and your pokédex, young lady. You'll find it very useful as you begin your journey."

Melanie stared at the other starter pokémon sorrowfully as she held her Charmander in her arms. She walked over to them and started petting them.

"Hey, cheer up, you two. You both are wonderful pokémon and any trainer would be happy, not to mention lucky, to have you. I would take you both if I could, but I can't. I'm sorry."

A small smile appeared on the two starters' faces as they looked up at the young girl. They began snuggling up close to her.

Upon seeing this, Tracey got an idea.

"Hey Professor, didn't you get a call from that pokémon breeder this morning that she was sending you three more pokémon later on this afternoon?"

"As a matter of fact, Tracey, I did. Lynda told me she was bringing me her newly hatched Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur just a few hours ago."

"So, it wouldn't be a problem for Melanie to take these two now, would it?"

Squirtle and Bulbasaur's eyes sparkled as they directed their attention to Professor Oak.

The professor put his hand to his chin and closed his eyes in thought.

"Well, I don't think any other trainer's are coming by today, so I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

Melanie's eyes lit up.

"Really, Professor? I can take Squirtle and Bulbasaur with me?"

"I don't see why not. Looks like you're gonna be the first trainer to ever get three starter pokémon to begin their journey, young lady."

"Wow, really? You hear that, guys? You're all gonna be coming with me!"

The three pokémon cheered as Squirtle and Bulbasaur hopped into Melanie's arms to join Charmander.

"And I know exactly what I'm going to name you!"

"Name you?" Tracey said as he began scratching his head.

"Right, Tracey. Some trainers find it interesting and fun to nickname their pokémon. A Pokémon's nickname is a reflection of the trainer who nicknamed them. Do you know what you want to call your pokémon, Melanie?"

"I sure do Professor," Melanie said as she put all of her pokémon back down on the table.

"I'm gonna name my Charmander, Blaze! How does that sound, buddy?"

Charmander gave her trainer a thumbs up before she jumped right back in her arms.

"And Squirtle, how do you like the name, Shelly?"

"Squirtle Squirtle! Squirtle Squirt!" the little turtle cried as she jumped onto Melanie's head.

"And don't think I forgot about you even a second Bulbasaur. How does the name Floret sound?"

"Bulbasaur Bulba!" she cried out as she hopped off the table and began nuzzling her trainer.

"Those are all wonderful nicknames, Melanie."

"Thanks, Professor."

"Looks like it's settled, then. Young lady, your pokémon journey begins now," the old professor said as he handed her 5 pokéball.

She nodded. "Right! Oh, and Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"After I get a little stronger, will you challenge me to a pokémon battle?"

He smiled. "Sure, just be prepared for the battle of your life!"

"Pi Pikachu!"

"Oh I will, Ketchum! And I'll win! You better believe that!"

"Char!"

"C'mon guys! Blaze, Shelly, and Floret! Let's go show mom my new team! Bye, Professor!" Melanie yelled as she ran down the stairs.

"Goodbye!" Professor Oak called back.

"Well Ash, looks like you've got yourself another rival." Tracey said.

"I guess. She's a nice kid. A little cocky, but nice."

"Pi? Pi Pikachu?"

"I am not cocky, Pikachu!"

Professor Oak shook his head. "Well, one thing's for sure. The battle between you two will be a sight to see."

Ash shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe. Hey, I'll talk to you guys later. I gotta hurry up and get to Viridian City to catch the ferry for Slateport."

Tracey nodded. "Alright. See you later Ash! Call us when you get there!"

"Right, Tracey! Bye Professor!" Ash said as he began running down the stairs, Pikachu right behind him.

"Pika Pi!"

"Bye! Oh, that boy never ceases to surprise me," Oak said as he walked over to the PC to register Melanie as a trainer.

"Hey, Professor?"

"Yes, Tracey?"

"I'm just wondering, did Mrs. Ketchum call anyone else today and tell them that Ash was going to go visit May?"

"You know something, Tracey, I really don't know, but I hope for Ash's sake that she didn't."

A/N: And that concludes part one of this story! I hope you all enjoyed it!

Oh, and please don't forget to review!

And don't forget to Keep on Rocking!