Pokemon journeys; incredible journeys that children around the world qualify for at the age of ten. Each one is a story of unique bonds, of which no two are the same. One such journey was that of Ash Ketchum, who forged countless, lifelong bonds in his first year alone. The first of these bonds was with his first Pokemon and best friend Pikachu, who he never would've met had he not overslept the day he started his adventure.
It's been twenty years since that fateful day. Ash has long since finished his travels and now lives in a bachelor suite in Neon Town. He prepared for the nightly noise of the outdoor casinos by buying noise cancelling headphones when he first moved in. While all of his Pokemon resided at Professor Oak's ranch, Pikachu remained by Ash's side, in this case serving as his roommate.
It was sunset when Ash sat down at the table for dinner. He filled Pikachu's food dish and eyed the papers Brock had sent him. With a new Gym being built in Neon Town, Ash was considering signing up to be the Gym Leader. He had already finished the written examination, as it was mandatory for all League sponsored careers, and his victories over the Frontier Brains allowed him to bypass the 100 straight wins prerequisite. It also helped that Brock and Misty, as Gym Leaders themselves, were willing to put in a good word for Ash. All Ash needed to do at this point was fill out the application form and submit it at the nearest Pokemon Center.
Of course, there were plenty of things to consider before becoming a Gym Leader. He would of course run an extra Gym rather than one of the main eight, which would be a load of stress off his back. The type of Gym he would run was definitely the most concerning detail. He was skilled in most types, but any given Gym needed to have one specialty type. He would definitely want to incorporate Pikachu into the Gym, but becoming an electric type Gym would require him to catch and train at least two more electric types, which wasn't likely on short notice.
Ash sighed and slid the papers away. He needed to sleep on this.
...
The next day, Ash submitted his application to Nurse Joy.
"So," she looked over the paper, "you want to be a fire type Gym Leader?"
"We'll, Blaine is retiring, so I figured the role might be up for grabs," Ash chuckled, "do you think I've got a shot?"
"That's up to the League," Joy put the paper among a growing stack, "have a nice day."
Ash turned to leave and bumped right into an ten year old girl.
"Sorry," Ash said.
"No, I should be the one to apologise," the girl bowed, showing that she was carrying a Vulpix in her backpack, as it's head was sticking out, sniffing the air in the Pokemon Center. She stood back up, "Actually, could you please help me?" She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and read a bit of it, "I'm looking for someone named "Ash Ketchum". He lives somewhere in this town. I tried his apartment, but no one answered. Do you know where he is?"
"You're speaking to him," Ash smirked at her surprised face, "how can I help you?"
"I was hoping you could tell me," the girl gripped her arm and shuffled nervously, "I remember wandering around Vermilion City, but everything before that..."
"You don't remember?" Ash asked and the girl shook her head in confirmation.
Ash stepped back to take a look at the girl. He might be friends with her parents, but he needed to figure out who they were first. There was a good chance she resembled them, so he scanned for familiar features. Outside of himself, he didn't know many people with messy black hair. He knew a lot of people with blue eyes, so that didn't narrow it down much. Ash thought for a moment, then got an idea. The hospitals shared a database of DNA from every citizen in Kanto and Johto. If the girl's parents lived anywhere in either region, they would know right away.
"Come on," Ash motioned for her to follow him.
"Where are we going?" The girl asked.
"To figure out who your parents are."
...
They stayed at the hospital the entire day, waiting to get service. Evening drew near as they waited for the test results. Ash had fallen asleep in a chair, with Pikachu on his lap, and the girl sat next to him, holding her bag, and Vulpix, close.
The door to the room opened as the doctor stepped in. Pikachu shocked Ash to wake him up.
"We just got the test results back," the doctor explained, "and her mother isn't in the system."
"So she's not from Kanto or Johto," Ash sighed, knowing that his list was narrowed down just a little, "what about her father?"
"Well, that's the funny part. You see, Mr. Ketchum, according to the results, you are her father."
Both trainers sat in stunned silence.
"Also, the results to the Alakazam test came back, in regards to her amnesia. It would appear that shortly after arriving in Vermilion, she had a run in with an exceptionally powerful psychic type Pokemon, and had her memories completely wiped as a result." The doctor waited for their response to the news, but they were still processing from the results of the DNA test, "I'll just go fill out the written documents. You'll receive them in the mail within the week."
The doctor left the two alone. It took several minutes for Ash to finally stand up.
"Come on," Ash said, trying to figure out when this could have happened, "You're gonna stay with me until we figure out who your mom is."
"Okay," she got up to follow him, "Can I call you "dad?"
"What?" Ash turned around, losing his train of thought, "Oh, uh, yeah. I mean I am. Uh, yours that is." He awkwardly cleared his throat, "Let's just, uh, let's just go home."
...
Back at the apartment, Ash moved the table to prepare the bed. As he placed the comforter down, he looked over to see Vulpix and Pikachu sharing Pikachu's bed. He sat down on the bed and considered his future. Gym Leader. Parent. Both were paths he never would've considered for himself, but now they were converging, becoming one and the same. Whatever the future holds for him, he was gonna face it, there was no doubt about that. But one question ebbed in the back of his head. Who is the mother of his daughter?
...
This is just an idea. Any ideas towards the future of this story are appreciated. I suppose the biggest point of interest is the question of Ash's "partner" in making this little girl. As for her name, so long as her memories are wiped, that is among the mysteries regarding her. Hope you enjoy this story.