Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. If I did, Ash would not be forever 10

"Talking"

'Telepathy'

Thoughts

'Poke-speech'

Description

What if Ash was a prodigy with befriending and training Pokémon. What if the reason Pikachu was so hostile to Ash when they first met wasn't because he was still untamed. What if Ash spent his childhood in the areas around Pallet town learning about Pokémon. What if six months before Ash's journey began, he ran into a situation that would have cost him his life, only to have Arceus intervene and change his life forever as a result. Follow Ash as he journeys through the Pokémon world to become a Pokémon Master.

Prologue

Pallet Town, a small and peaceful town in the Kanto region that shares its borders with many different wild Pokémon. It is also the home of the world famous Pokémon professor, Professor Oak. We currently find the professor in his lab doing some research on an issue that has recently been discovered.

"Hmm…now why would they be acting like this. There isn't anything to disturb their homes that I can find, no invasive Pokémon, and no one in town has seen any suspicious activity in the area." Prof. Oak said to himself as he looked over some data on his computer. "There isn't anything that explains why they have been so aggressive…maybe it's-"

*Knock, Knock, Knock*

Prof. Oak was pulled out of his research by the knocking on his door. "I wonder who that could be." he said as he went to answer the door. When he opened it, he was greeted by Delia Ketchum, a former student of his and the mother of Ash Ketchum.

"Good morning Delia." Prof. Oak said as he let her in, "What brings you here today?"

"Good morning Professor," said Delia as she entered the lab, "I'm looking for Ash. His Pokémon League hat was just delivered and he has been looking forward to getting it so I thought I would let him know. Is he around?"

The Prof. shook his head, "Unfortunately you just missed him. He left to study the water Pokémon south of here to help me figure out a problem we discovered a few days ago."

"Oh? What's wrong?"

The Prof. sighed "The water Pokémon have been acting up recently. They won't let anything besides other wild Pokémon get anywhere near them. It's like they are territorial but the area they are guarding has never been in the same place and is always on the move. I've tried to get close enough to watch them so I could figure out what was wrong but I couldn't even get close, let alone stay around long enough to study their behavior. So instead I sent Ash out to give it a try. You know as well as I do the gift he has for befriending all types of Pokémon. I'm hoping that the Pokémon will trust him enough so he can get closer and see what's wrong."

Delia smiled at the thought of the trust most Pokémon give to Ash, "Yes he does have a way with Pokémon." That smile fell though as she thought about what could be upsetting the Pokémon. "Maybe there is an injured Pokémon that found its way here and the others are protecting it?"

Prof. Oak scratched his chin in a thoughtful manner, "It's possible, but what kind of Pokémon could it be to cause the other water and even some ground bound Pokémon to be so fierce in their guarding?"

*BOOOOOOM*

Before they could continue, the entire lab shook from the force of an explosion. After they both regained their footing they ran outside.

"Where did that explosion come from?" Delia said as she looked around. Her head snapped to the Prof. when she heard him gasp.

"Oh no," he said after a second, pointing to the south where a giant column of smoke could be seen. "That's the direction Ash was headed to!" They looked at each other with worried faces, then ran in the direction of the smoke.

~ANS~

-A few minutes before the explosion-

Ash Ketchum was walking along the path that led to the southern end of Pallet town towards the sea where he would try to find out what had the Pokémon so worked up. He had the same thoughts as Prof. Oak and his mother but he was coming to a slightly different conclusion. For while Ash was eager to learn anything and everything he could about Pokémon, and had the smarts to do so, he had a special interest towards Legendary Pokémon. But unlike other researchers that are mainly interested because there is so little known about them, Ash had this gut feeling that he needed to know, not just to discover what others couldn't, but to find that information and use it for something. What that something was, he didn't know, but Ash was never one to ignore his instincts.

The only Pokémon that would cause so many others to protect them so furiously would be a Legendary Pokémon. When this conclusion came to Ash, he was as excited as any other 9 year old kid that loved Pokémon would be. But what Legendary would make their way here? The only ones in this region are Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Mew. It can't be the Legendary birds, it's mostly been water Pokémon being aggressive and whatever they are guarding hasn't shown itself. Mew is a possibility because it can transform into any Pokémon. His excitement stopped however when he continued with this thought. The only question now is what happened to that Legendary to make the other Pokémon so protective?

*BOOOOOOM*

Ash was blown off of his feet by the force of the explosion that happened not far from him. What was that! He thought after a moment. He quickly got back to his feet and ran in the direction of the explosion.

When he got there, he was horrified and angered at what he saw. In the middle of the bay that led to the sea were dozens of heavily injured and knocked out Pokémon, and among those Pokémon was a Legendary Pokémon, but it wasn't Mew or the Legendary Birds. It was a Legendary from another region, Lugia, Ash thought, but they are only supposed to live in the waters of the Orange Islands and Johto. What's one doing out here? Ash quickly shoved these thoughts to the back of his head, because surrounding the downed Pokémon and injured Lugia were numerous boats and helicopters all attached with weapons, and not far outside of the circle was a very large ship armed with what looked like cannons. While the large ship was doing nothing at the moment, all the smaller ones and helicopters were firing on the Lugia as it tried to defend something that Ash couldn't see. As he was looking around, he noticed a few of the boats were beached with some people in black outfits with a red R on them getting them back into the water. With his gut screaming at him to go, he didn't hesitate and ran down to the beach.

"What are you doing!?" Ash yelled as he neared the boats, "Why are you attacking that Lugia!?"

One of the people turned towards him, "Why does it matter to you kid, scram before I make you."

"Why does it matter? Legendary Pokémon exist to keep nature in balance and if one is killed then whatever that legendary controls is thrown into chaos! They never attack anything so there is no reason for you to be hurting it so why!?" Ash said in anger as he stood there.

"We don't care," the man shot back, "we want that egg it's protecting and if we have to kill it do so then so be it. But now that you know what we are doing, I can't let you go. After all, we can't have any witnesses."

Ash stood there in shock as the man made his way towards him. That shock quickly turned into anger at what they were doing. A Lugia is extremely protective of its young, the only way they will get that egg is if it's dead. He thought as he quickly decided what to do. I'm not going to let that happen!

Before the man could get to Ash, he ran forward, jumped, and kneed the man in the face. As the man fell to the ground clutching his nose in pain, Ash ran to one of the boats that got pushed back into the water, jumped in, and sped towards the Lugia. Before he could reach it though, 2 of the helicopters shot nets at the Lugia. When they connected, Lugia was wrapped up and shocked by the nets. While Lugia was in pain, a man in a third helicopter shot another net that grabbed the egg before pulling it back to him.

"NO!" Ash yelled as he neared Lugia. When he was close enough, he jumped into the water and attempted to get the net off Lugia now that it stopped shocking it. However while he was doing this, he failed to notice the cannon ship taking aim at Lugia. When the ship had finished aiming, it fired all 3 of its cannons.

*BOOOM*

The last thing Ash saw was the look of sorrow in the eyes of Lugia.

~ANS~

-Inside the Hall of Origins-

Arceus, god of Pokémon and creator of the universe, sat there watching in sorrow as one of his legends and his chosen one sank to the bottom of the sea, life quickly leaving their bodies. He would have liked nothing more than to save both of them but is unable to do so with his current power. 'I am sorry Lugia' he telepathed 'without the components of the Jewel of Life, I cannot heal you and the boy'

'This child that tried to help me,' Lugia answered back 'he is your chosen, isn't he?'

'Yes, and I fear that without him, this world will fall into ruin.' Arceus said, his voice filled with sorrow.

'If I may Lord Arceus, why have you chosen this child?'

Even though no one was around to see it, Arceus smiled 'He has a pure heart and an unending love for all Pokémon. As you saw, even if it puts his life at risk, he will help a Pokémon in need without hesitation. I had hoped that he could change the view humans have towards Pokémon all over the world and stop those who seek to harm Pokémon. But sadly I can do nothing to prevent his death with the power I lack.'

'Lord Arceus, I may have a way to save him.' Arceus perked up when he heard this 'Are you able to give this child my body and soul?'

Arceus was shocked, 'Yes Lugia I can and that would indeed save his life, but are you sure? If you do this, you will be unable to be reborn.'

'Yes,' Lugia said with resolve 'If my life can be used to save your chosen, then I can accept the cost. I only ask that I be able to speak with him as our souls merge.'

Arceus closed his eyes and bowed his head sadly as a tear escaped from his eye 'Very well,' then he raised his head, eyes glowing, and said in a voice overflowing with power 'It Shall Be Done.'As he finished, there was a blinding flash of light, both in the hall of origins and the area where Ash and Lugia were.

~ANS~

Ash stirred and opened his eyes. He looked around but was able to see nothing but darkness around him. What happened? He thought, Where am I?

As if in response to his thoughts, a flash of light blinded him. As he sat there trying to clear his vision, a voice was heard.

"Hello Ash." The voice said. It sounded powerful yet kind at the same time.

"Who's there?" Ash said. He was able to see again after a few more blinks and saw who was talking, "Lugia?" At Lugia's nod Ash decided to voice his questions. "Where are we? What happened? The last thing I remember was trying to get that net off of you."

"Unfortunately," Lugia began, "you were not able to get it off of me in time and the cannon ship fired and hit both of us. As for where we are, we are currently in your soul."

Ash was confused, "My soul? Why are we here?"

"We are here because the damage done to us was lethal. If left as we were, we would have both died. However both Lord Arceus and I thought of a way to save you. By giving you my body and my soul you will be given new life and a new form. The form of a Lugia to be precise."

"But why do you want to save me?" Ash questioned, "Why save my life at the cost of your own when your life is more important to nature's balance?"

Lugia smiled when Ash said this. "Because you are far more important to this world than you know Ash. My brother can handle our share of nature's balance by himself. Also because even though our lives are both at risk and you are presented a way to save your own, you want to help me instead. You have a pure heart Ash, it is because of this that I can give my life to save yours without regret."

Ash looked down sadly, "If that's your choice then I can't stop you, but what about my mom? I can't stay with her if I'm a Lugia."

Lugia looked up as if he was thinking. "It seems that Lord Arceus has given you an ability similar to that of the Eon Twins so you can switch between your human and Pokémon forms at will." Ash nodded, "Ash?" Lugia question, "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Anything Lugia." Ash said with resolve.

"I want you to protect my egg, my daughter, and raise her to be strong. I want you to make sure she lives a happy life."

"I will Lugia. I'll make sure she is safe and happy." As he said this, Lugia's form started to fade away. "What's happening?"

Lugia looked sown at himself, "It seems my time here is coming to an end. Can I ask you for one more thing Ash?" at his nod Lugia continued, "When you see my brother, tell him I am sorry for leaving so early and not saying goodbye." When Lugia finished, he disappeared completely.

Ash closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face. "I will Lugia, I promise." Then he started to glow.

~ANS~

-A moment before the flash-

Delia and Prof. Oak arrived at the beach as Lugia was trapped by the nets.

"What's going on?" Delia questioned, "Why are they attacking that Pokémon? Where's Ash?"

"I don't know," Prof. Oak replied, "That's a Lugia. They are normally only found in the Johto region. What is one doing out here?" The professor's eyes widened when he saw something. "What is Ash doing!?"

"Where is he?"

"He just jumped in the water. It looks like he is trying to get the net off of Lugia." Prof. Oak said while pointing.

As Delia turned to look, her eyes spotted something else. "NO!"

*BOOOM*

They watched as the cannon ship fired and hit Lugia and Ash

"ASH!" Delia screamed as she fell to her knees. Prof. Oak just stood there in shock, unwilling to accept what just happened. Then all of a sudden they were blinded by a flash of light that originated from where Ash and Lugia sank.

~ANS~

-With Team Rocket before the flash-

"Heavy fire unit, report" commanded a man from a helicopter circling the area where Lugia was.

"All shots hit, no barrier to interfere." Came the reply over the radio.

"Sonar unit, status on the target."

"Target is sinking, showing no other signs of movement."

"Capture team, status on the egg."

"Egg has been recovered, no damage visible."

"Good," the man smirked, "let's get out of here before-" he was interrupted by a blinding flash of light. What was that?! the man thought as he cleared his vision. "Sonar team, report. What was that flash of light?"

"S-sir!" came the panicked reply on the radio, "The target is surfacing and fast!"

As the sonar team finished saying this, a giant twister made of water shot out of where Lugia sank and hit the helicopter that had the egg. After the helicopter was destroyed, it proceeded to destroy over half of the boats.

"Heavy fire unit, prepare another bombardment. As soon as it emerges, fire at will!" the man commanded. Why won't this thing just die!

Just then, the twister stopped moving. After a moment, it was blown apart and a Lugia emerged, but it was not the same one that they were attacking. The Lugia before them was not white and blue, but instead an almost metallic silver with its underside, eye spikes, back and tail plates being pitch black and glowing metallic silver eyes. The blood in the man ran cold as he saw the look of unrestrained fury on its face while the egg floated around its neck.

'You will all pay!' yelled the Lugia as a yellow orb formed in front of its mouth.

"What are you waiting for?!" the man yelled into the radio, "Kill that thing now! FIRE!"

However before the ship could fire, the Lugia unleashed the power it was charging. A yellow beam shot out of the orb, raced across the water, and struck the cannon ship making it explode.

'Get out of my sight, and if I ever see you again, I will end all of you' the Lugia said as it raised its hand like wings. 'Hurricane' it said as it brought its wings down. As soon as it did, dark storm clouds rapidly gathered and gale force winds started to blow. The winds caused all of the helicopters to start losing control and the boats to almost capsize.

The man growled in anger, but took his radio, "All units retreat! Without our cannon ship we won't be able to take that thing down!" The boss isn't going to like this the man thought as his helicopter sped away from the angry Lugia.

~ANS~

Ash was panting hard as he kept the hurricane going. When he awoke after talking with Lugia, he had almost no energy, but he made a promise and he was going to keep it no matter what. When the boats and helicopters were out of site, he let go of the power that kept the hurricane going.

'Thank you my child for keeping your word to Lugia, and I am glad you are alright.' A voice said in Ash's head.

'I take it that you're Arceus?' he questioned, 'why did Lugia give his life to save mine'

Ash got the feeling that Arceus had a sad smile when he replied, 'He did so for 2 reasons. The first being that he knew how important your role is in future events that will happen, but the main one being that even if you gave him what was left of your life, he would have been unable to survive. But even so, when you risked your own life to help him without hesitation, you moved his heart to the point where he did not have a shred of regret in his actions taken with saving you.'

'I see,' Ash said after a moment, 'thank you for telling me.'

'I suggest you get back to your family Ash,' said Arceus, 'they are over at the end of he beach, you are almost out of energy and you will need to rest and recover. Also a few bits of advice before I go. First: keep that egg near you at all times. The child inside needs to get used to your presence. Second: prepare an area near a lake large enough to hold your Pokémon form for when the egg hatches. This way after it hatches, you can teach it to swim right away. And finally: keep your Pokémon form a secret from all but those you would trust with your life. If the wrong person were to find out, then evil organizations like Team Rocket will be after you all hours of the day. Your mother and the professor have already seen you in your Pokémon form so it's best if you tell them.'

Ash nodded, 'I will Arceus, thank you'

'Goodbye my child.'

Ash floated there for a moment before turning towards the shore where he then spotted his mom and the professor. He then flew towards them at a slow pace. When he was close enough he went to land but felt the remainder of his energy give out and hit the ground in front of them hard on his side. Ash saw the egg falling towards the ground but was able to catch it with one of his wings before it hit.

Delia and the Prof. were staring in shock, awe, and confusion at the strangely colored Lugia, wondering why it came to them. Their shock was doubled when the Lugia started to glow and shrink. "ASH!" they both yelled when the glow receded and revealed Ash lying on the ground with his arms firmly wrapped around a Pokémon egg.

"Hey Mom, Professor." Ash said before passing out from exhaustion.

Author's Notes

Take a smidgen of inspiration from The Black Latios by Mekon, add a dash of originality, mix it all together with the desire to see a decent Lugia fic, and finally top it off with how Ash should have been growing up in the same town as Professor Oak and you have this. This is my first Pokémon fic…at least the first one I deemed worthy enough to not lock it away for all of eternity. If you like it then SWEET! If you don't like it then you don't like it, though I do ask that you post a review on why to satisfy my curiosity. Also, I am writing this and my other fic, The Night's Shadow, at the same time so updates are probably going to be inconsistent. But so long as I am not at work or reading something from my seemingly endless list of fics to read, I will be writing one or the other. See you next chapter!