Author's Note: I'm not putting Secret Fire back on hiatus, that chapter is half done. Just wanted to put this out there to test the waters about reception for it. I've got two versions of this chapter too, this third person one and a first person one, I've been toying with wanting to do a first person story for a while so let me know what y'all think about that idea.
Chapter 1: A New Journey
Michael Oak carefully groomed his twin Nidoran with a steel-wool brush as he sat outside the Viridian City gym. His cousin, Rose, was late in arriving so they could start their Pokemon journey together and it had given his parents just enough spare time to start arguing.
"I don't care that you became Champion without taking more than a Zapdos-damned taser into the wilderness, Blue! Our son has trained with my father and I every summer for the last ten years like we agreed when we split custody and he will be taking traditional shinobi weaponry with him on his journey!" The voice of the Fuschia City gym leader, Janine, and Michael's mother rang out even through the closed gym doors.
"It's completely old fashioned and outdated Janine! I'll allow that something more than a taser might be warranted, especially since the Viridian Forest has regrown, but a sword? Mukspit, I'll cave on the throwing knives, but a sword?"
And that was his father, Gary "Blue" Oak, Viridian City gym leader and the infamous 'Ten Minute Champion'. Michael was honestly quite confused as to how his parents had ever been together, as long as he could remember they had fought like rabid Houndoom. Either verbally or with their Pokemon teams.
As he switched to feeding some homemade pokeblocks to his Nidoran, first the male and then the female, he sighed and for the hundredth time wished his cousin Rose would arrive so he could just leave.
"It's a ninjato! Not a sword! It's not like I'm sending him out with a katana! And they are kunai and shurikan! Not throwing knives! You never respected my family's traditions! You wanted the wedding to be at your grandfather's ranch with no priest!"
"Yeah well we never quite made it to the wedding anyways so I really don't think that needs to be brought up every time we discuss sending our sixteen year old son out on his journey with antique tools of assassination!"
"Antique?" Janine's voice took a much higher and indignant pitch here.
'Oh shit. Mom's gonna bring out the Pokemon over this.' Michael thought to himself.
"That's it Mr. Ten Minute Champion! Grab your belt and let's bring this into the ring! Three on three!"
'Holy Moltres three on three? Mom is serious,' Michael pulled out the two Dusk Balls that his twins had come with.
"Sorry Cleo, Antony, into the balls. Snacktime is over I gotta get out of here before-" Unfortunately for Michael he did not get a chance to dash off after returning his pokemon.
"MICHAEL SATORU OAK! WE NEED A JUDGE!"
His mother was using his clan name. That was never a good sign. He debated if he could still run off without her knowing.
"I CAN SENSE YOU OUTSIDE GET IN HERE!"
His plan was out the window now, with a sigh he opened the door to the gym and entered, wishing dearly that his cousin would just stop being such a nuisance so they could leave.
At least his father had the decency to look embarrassed as he took his place at the gym leader's stand. Though his mother simply looked furious as she took her place at the challenger's stand.
With a groan Michael took his place at the referee box, "Alright this will be a three on three match. Until knock out or withdrawal, no switching because this is a grudge match and for the record I think you are both acting like children."
His father was again the only one with the decency to look embarrassed while his mother shot him a glare.
The first pokemon were sent out and both were the trusty scout members of their respective teams.
Blue's glorious Pidgeot burst forth with a trill, an excited gleam in her eyes which immediately died as she turned to glare at her master for bringing her out to fight against his former mate once more.
Janine's Crobat, while normally quite vicious and eager for battle turned to his master with a similar look of annoyance.
The battle moved forward swiftly as the two agile pokemon danced around each other in the high gym ceiling. The bird dodged multiple globs of Toxic and the bat wove around blasts of air with a grace that showed off the skill of both pokemon and trainer.
Eventually the Pidgeot managed to weaken the Crobat's blows by obscuring him with a Feather Dance and a powerful Hyper Beam followed up the attack to send the bat plummeting to the ground.
Janine returned her pokemon with a scowl and sent out her next.
A creature that resembled three studded purple balls leaking methane all attached to each other took the field.
"Alright Miasma! You know the drill, girl!" And indeed the Weezing did, immediately ghostly flames and waves of electricity began shooting out across the field attempting to hinder the speedy and dangerous Pidgeot, a member of Blue's original Championship team.
None of the Will-o-Wisp attacks or Thunder Waves managed to hit and the Weezing took three Quick Attacks for its trouble, however the toxic orbs wove a few Thunderbolts into the combination and one of those sent the large bird spiraling off to the side before she recovered, unfortunately for Janine not paralyzed by that attack.
"Don't you dare you bastard!" Janine cried as she saw Blue reach up and tap a stone embedded on the sunglasses he had sitting on top of his head. It glowed and so too did a stone on an anklet around the foot of the Pidgeot.
In a burst of light similar to Pokemon evolution the Pidgeot had grown larger, the tips of its wings were tinged blue, and its crest had elongated in the middle with an extremely long red feather whipping around in the air behind it.
And the air did immediately whip up with a fervor. Michael had to grab onto the railing of the referee box as a storm flared up behind the bird and shrieked forward with the voice of a Hurricane, buffeting the Weezing and slamming her into the ground just like her predecessor.
Janine returned her Weezing and threw up her hands, "Using Mega Evolution is a cheap move you asshole!"
Thankfully just as she was pulling out her third and final pokemon for the battle the gym doors opened and a head of long messy black hair peeked in.
"Uncle Gary? Aunt Janine? I heard the fighting all the way from the Pokemart, are you guys done so that Michael and I can leave?"
Finally the daughter of Ash 'Red' Ketchum and Daisy Oak had arrived and Michael happily jumped down from the referee box with a flip and as he passed the challenger's box jumped up and grabbed the contentious ninjato from his mother's belt. He grabbed his cousin's hand and pulled her out the door before his parents could react.
They were halfway to Viridian Forest before he noticed the little Pichu riding along on her shoulder holding on to her backpack strap for dear life.