Taking a Second Shot
by Sokanou
Disclaimer: More than likely, you all know that I don't own this series. Since you knew, or at least now know, then…
Well, well, well… now I delve into Pokemon! And surprise, surprise, it's another multi-chapter story, which we all know is my weakness. Well worry not! As big of a fan I am of Naruto, I'm a bigger fan of Pokemon. Well, at the very least, I'm a fan of the older stuff. I can't really get into Hoenn or the newer episodes so there may be some stuff that's a little bit off about it. Ah well, let's hit it!
The sun had shown brightly over the skies of Pallet Town all day, keeping everything uncomfortably hot. Even the Pidgey, which normally sang their peaceful songs, were quiet, spending their time resting in the shade of the trees they resided in.
Quite a few residents of the quaint little town could be found outside doing various activities, not at all bothered by the heat that they had grown used to. They went about their business on this day, just as they would any other.
One citizen, Delia Ketchum, hummed to herself as she worked alongside her partner and friend, Mr. Mime. Together they watered the flowers in the garden, helping them to withstand the sweltering heat.
The hero himself, Delia's own son Ash, was laid out on his bed, staring at the ceiling and sweating out rivers. His travels had taken him to so many different scenes; his body was no longer accustomed to Pallet's humidity around this time of year.
Ash laid unmoving on his sweat dampened sheets, glaring at his ceiling fan that, while on, wasn't helping his situation much at all. He grumbled and sighed, wishing at times like this that his mother would've gotten a pool or something.
A squeak came from a chair next to his bed. Ash's long time partner and friend, Pikachu, sat back and fanned himself with his hand. Ash's mom had given a large cup of cold juice with a bendy straw before heading out to the garden. Long since had the ice melted and the juice grown warm. The pokemon silently cursed him himself for not drinking it when she gave it to him.
"Chu…"
Ash sighed and nodded, agreeing with his little buddy.
The duo had returned to Pallet Town only yesterday. Delia was delighted to have her boy back after so long and wouldn't quit with the hugging all night. When it was bedtime, she escorted him to his room and even tucked him in!
Ash chuckled to himself, recalling this. He loved his mother dearly and was happy to see her joyous smile again. Even Mr. Mime was a sight for sore eyes! Pallet Town never changed, but Ash could never miss it any more.
"That reminds me, Pikachu. We still need to go check in with Professor Oak."
Pikachu replied with a simple squeak of agreement as he continued to lie in his chair. They both remained unmoving, even though they knew that the professor was likely to be waiting for them.
"We'll just… y'know… go see him… riiiight… nooww…"
With that, Ash and Pikachu both drifted off into their respective dreamlands.
"Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap!"
"Pika! Pika! Pika! Pika!"
The hero duo charged down the path to Pallet Town's own laboratory, ran by residential pokemon expert, Professor Oak. Their resolve to visit him that was lost to the heat of a summer's day now burned full blast now that the sun had receded to the edge of the horizon. Now that sunset was growing near and the air that cooled, the two were able to scrape up all kinds of energy.
As they ran, Pikachu wondered to itself whether or not Delia remembered to call the old man and alert him to their approach. It was more than likely that she did, but with her in the middle of making dinner, there was no way to be sure.
Ash, on the other hand, grinned to himself as he remembered the first time he had ever rushed to Oak's place. This time, though, Ash was adorned in his casual attire, rather than his pajamas. He couldn't help but shake his head at how irresponsible and goofy he was back then.
Everything was so simple back in those days. Back then, the young hero was nothing more than a fresh faced beginner with nowhere to go but up. There was a whole world to explore! There were still plenty of places that the young trainer had yet to visit, but they were much further away from home than Hoenn or even Sinnoh. Frankly, Ash didn't know if he was ready.
"Pika pi! Chu Pikachu!"
Ash returned from his thoughts, confirming Pikachu's declaration of their arrival.
"Thanks buddy."
As they slowed their run into a walk and neared the door, it opened itself to reveal an old friend from years back.
"Tracey! Long time no see!"
The two young men met a few years back in the Orange Archipelago, shortly after Brock departed from the group to stay back with Professor Ivy. Tracey tagged along in hopes of meeting his idol, who Ash just happened to know. Nowadays, Tracey worked part time for that idol, Professor Oak.
"The professor's been waiting for you, man! You gotta tell us all about what you saw in Sinnoh!"
Ash cringed slightly at Tracey's words. They obviously didn't know what had happened in Sinnoh and that it was now a touchy subject.
Tracey talked on as he led Ash and Pikachu to the lab for their meeting with the elderly professor.
Only half listening to Tracey's ramblings about the things that'd been going on in the lab lately, he returned to his reminiscing of his starting days with a smile on his face.
"Anyways, we're here. Professor, we have guests!"
Ash returned from his short-lived daydreaming and focused his eyes on the man that helped him to start it all, Professor Samuel Oak.
"It's been awhile, Professor Oak. I've missed ya!"
The professor was like a father to Ash. He'd always been there for him with advice or guidance just waiting. If there was anyone Ash could rely on without question, it was this man.
"Ash, my boy, it's been so long since your last visit. You're looking well, as are you, Pikachu."
After everyone took a seat, the catching up began. Professor Oak told Ash of the many projects he'd undertaken since the last time they met and how they would benefit pokemon everywhere. The old man recited a few of his new poetic masterpieces and told Ash about the cancellation of his radio show. As much as the good professor loved reaching out to the world on his show, it caused him to begin falling behind in his research. He did do another appearance on Goldenrod's radio station every now and then, though.
Tracey had fetched the many sketch pads he'd burned through and showed Ash hundreds of memorable scenes. Ash's own pokemon were in a majority of them, especially Bulbasaur. Tracey had multiple stories to tell for every pokemon under their care.
Ash recalled to them of his beginning in the Sinnoh region. He spoke of his meeting with Dawn and her contest battles. The trainer told of the aggressive Paul and his questionable way of raising pokemon. He had an incredible story to tell for every gym battle he fought. Ash even told of his encounters with the freaks from Team Galactic.
"I guess no matter where I go I'll always run into trouble!" Ash joked.
"It does seem so, doesn't it? You're quite the little trouble magnet, just like I was at your age! Only, I didn't have a hand in dismantling several organizations, ha ha!"
Ash could only imagine what kind of trouble Professor Oak could have gotten to back in his day. But, he did speak the truth. His little band of misfits had helped in the destruction of Teams Aqua and Magma in the Hoenn region and now Galactic in Sinnoh. He wished he could take care of Team Rocket sooner or later so they'd get off his back.
"So Ash, you haven't told us about the Pokemon League in Sinnoh! How'd you do? Were there a ton of tough trainers? Did you see any interesting pokemon?" Tracey's questions rolled out one after another.
"Well…"
"Come now, kid, don't hold back. I'd bet a million dollars you won the whole darn thing!"
Ash could almost sweatdrop at the professor. Nearly every time Professor Oak bet on him like that, he lost. The young trainer was only glad that his father-figure wasn't a gambler.
"Well… you'd lose quite a handful then, professor. There's no way I could've won that! The trainers in Sinnoh were dynamite strong! Their pokemon were nearly all monsters in their own rights! It was insane!"
Ash began the story of his experience at the league in Sinnoh. The two sat in silence as he spoke of the unbelievably powerful pokemon that the other trainers used. The fierce battles had put Ash down so quickly, he didn't get past the first round. At that point, Ash was twice as disappointed as when lost at Indigo Plateau. Sure, he didn't cry at that time as he had back then, but nobody saw him for a few days. Watching the other battles on the television only served to deepen his sorrow. At one point, the young trainer considered giving up on his dream.
'No way in hell!' After realizing what he had thought, Ash picked himself back up and dusted off his pants. As quickly as he had sunken at his loss, Ash Ketchum jumped back to high spirits. He wouldn't give up until he had conquered the Sinnoh Pokemon League and even then, he'd push on!
"Of course, I had Brock and Dawn and even the champ Cynthia stopped by to help cheer me up. After it was all over, Dawn and Brock went back to their hometowns for a break. I think Dawn is gonna head off to Hoenn or Johto for some contests. Seeing as I hadn't been home in awhile and had to collect my thoughts, I decided to come home too."
"That's the spirit, my boy! One who gives up on their dreams is a pitiful one indeed! All you really needed to do was cool your head, right?"
Ash nodded with a grin on his face. Sure, the Sinnoh League experience still stung like getting stabbed by a hundred Beedrill, but remembering it would help him grow as a trainer.
"So what are you gonna do now? You could take a run at Sinnoh again or go on to a different country that's even farther away."
"Nah, I don't think I can go through Sinnoh again so soon. I was planning on staying out the rest of the summer here, maybe get a job and decide when fall hits."
The small, unusually quiet electric mouse gave thumbs up to Ash's plan.
"I'm sure your mother would be delighted at that idea, but maybe you should push forward. If you stick around here too long, you might not leave again. When you were a kid, you were so eager to get out and explore that you literally jumped at the idea of leaving Pallet Town. Now, though, you've received a crushing loss and might end up stuck here. It happens, y'know? To tell you the truth, I only stopped in Pallet for a cup of coffee and… well… here I am fifty-something years later!"
Ash considered the professor's words carefully. It was true that he did come home for a break and some time to think. Ever since getting back, he had felt at ease. It was entirely possible that he might end up forgetting about his journey.
"Well gee, Professor… that must've been one hell of a coffee." Ash joked once more. It seemed that he'd joke around sometimes when he was faced with a dilemma.
"It sure was, but regardless… you should hurry up and consider what you're going to do. The world is wide and abundant with adventure. Just do what you were thinking about when you first left!"
"That's it, Professor!" Like lightning, Professor Oak's words struck a thought in Ash's mind that he had never considered. Sure, it was likely that the elderly man was thinking of how Ash planned to simply travel aimlessly with no goal, but that's not the way that the youngster was gonna go.
"Pikachu, we need to get ready! Thanks guys! I'll be back tomorrow morning to get my pokemon!" Without another word, Pikachu leapt onto Ash's hat and they tore out of the house towards their home, laughing heartily.
"Pika pi? Chu pika pikachu?"
"We're gonna do exactly what Professor Oak suggested! We're gonna take the Indigo League challenge once more!"
Bam! And there we go, chapter one begins. I feel like I'm unable to capture Oak and Tracey too well, but whatever... They won't be too important to the story anyways. Gimme a review or two and let's see where we go!