Author's Note: I just want to put this right here before I forget: this takes place when Ash returns from Sinnoh. Where the last episode of Diamond and Pearl ends is where this begins.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, and I'm not making money off of this. Satisfied?


Intuition

Chapter One

"There's Pallet Town. Let's go, Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

That said, sixteen year old Ash Ketchum instantly sped off in the direction of his home with Pikachu at his side, keeping an even pace with his trainer. The elation was running high with the anticipation of returning to the place in which their journey had began.

Running down the dirt paths he knew so well as a kid, Ash eagerly soaked up the nostalgia and allowed his mind to race with the countless new memories he'd aquired from Sinnoh, stemming from the moment he, Pikachu and Aipom had arrived in Sandgem Town, only for Team Rocket to fulfil their daily routine of trying - and failing - to capture Pikachu, which had led to his newfound friendship with the optimistic Co-ordinator-to-be, Dawn, and her proud starter Pokémon, Piplup.

Needless to say, their budding friendship had been strengthened upon the return of Brock, who, Ash recalled with a grin, had managed to unintentionally find another being to keep him from flirting with the many unsuspecting and identical Nurse Joys and Officer Jennies in Croagunk.

As with the other regions he'd explored, Sinnoh had brought new friends, adventures, and even a new rival, Paul. And it was with a slight frown that Ash thought back on how his first, and previously only, rival had chosen to become a researcher over a trainer, leaving Ash to stumble through the Hoenn region without someone to try and best. It was a move that had stunned Ash, but strangely enough, had also spurred him to do better - if only to show Gary that he was the better trainer after all.

Running and jumping over a fallen tree branch blocking his path, it was with a jolt that Ash recognised the very path beneath his shoes was the very one he'd set out on to start his journey. In other words, the very same path he'd used a clothes line to literally drag a very stubborn Pikachu down, whilst adorning pink rubber gloves.

Of course, their lack of cooperation had landed them in a rather sticky situation with a flock of angry Spearow, which, ironically enough, was the event that began their friendship.

It had also been the day that a very angry red head had begun following him around, demanding payment for her destroyed bike - courtesy of Pikachu. And, with a small, amused smirk, Ash remembered that paying her back was something he had yet to do.

Then again, thinking about it, Ash really was in some debt bike-wise, as Pikachu had managed to start the tradition of frying the bikes of each of his female travelling companions. Though in a sharp contrast from Misty, May and Dawn had been nice enough to see that each incident had, in fact, been accidents.

"Pika?"

Being brought out of his musings by the familiar call of his Pokémon, it was then that Ash realised how he'd steadily come to a halt just outside of his neighbourhood. Though he often forgot in the midst of the excitement of a new journey that awaited him, this was the moment that Ash hated the most.

Today had brought several goodbyes. First it was Dawn, who was remaining in Sinnoh for a while before she would be starting her new journey in Hoenn, a region that had nothing else to offer for Ash. But then, which had come as a shock, Brock had announced that the next big journey would be one that Ash would be taking alone, for the Breeder had instead chosen to take the advice of Nurse Joy and become a Pokémon Doctor.

It was a path that Ash knew Brock would go down successfully; in all their travels, Brock had shown on multiple occasions that he was more than capable of nursing injured Pokémon back to health, not to mention his incredible care of both his family, and his travel companions. But even so, Ash couldn't help the selfish wish that Brock had chosen otherwise, and decided to accompany Ash to yet another region.

Ash shook his head of the thought. Yes, he was thrilled that Brock was fulfilling his dream, but it was with a slight jab to his chest that he realised that at long last, the 'Original Trio', as several had dubbed them, were finally going their seperate ways.

It was strange, really. During Brock's short absense when Ash had gone to the Orange Islands, meeting another lifelong friend in Tracey Sketchit, Ash still had Misty. And when she had (somewhat reluctantly) returned to Cerulean City to take over the Gym Leader duties from her sisters, Brock had long since returned.

Looking down at Pikachu, who was tugging on his pant leg with a concerned expression, he cracked a weak grin. "I was just thinkin', it looks like we'll be starting a new journey alone, huh, Pikachu?"

Finally discovering the reason for his trainer's sudden withdrawn mood, Pikachu started to feel the slight depression Ash was experiencing. His pointed ears drooped a little, as he hummed to himself, pondering how different things may be now that Brock was gone.

And it was with a slight shock that the electric mouse looked up to see his trainer instinctively jump into a challenging stance, and a large, genuine grin replacing the smaller, forced one.

"C'mon, Pikachu," he challenged, "I'll race you to Professor Oak's!"

Deciding not to dwell on his Pikapi's seemingly bipolar emotions, Pikachu immediately mirrored his pose, the momentary depression vanished, and responded with an eager, "Pika!"

As though the previous ten minutes of pondering had never happened, both trainer and Pokémon bolted down the road, now heading in the direction of the home of Professor Oak, which was visible from any point in the quaint town.

Feeling the sudden burst of adrenaline firing through his veins, Ash easily brushed his previous concerns away. Today had brought many goodbyes, but no farewells; both Brock and Dawn were leaving to pursue their own dreams, but why should that mean they would never meet again?

But that was the thing. It didn't. Though those particular reaqquaintances had been fairly brief, both Misty and May had returned at some point after leaving the group, and who knew what awaited in the future?

The lab becoming ever closer, and beats of sweat starting to trickle down his forehead, Ash felt that same adrenaline pushing him further, willing him to steadily overtake Pikachu, who had been several paces in the lead.

Yes, friends and rivals alike would come and go, but the latter part would never be permenant. No matter how long the wait, Ash knew that eventually, they would always reunite.

And that thought pleased Ash more than he would ever know.

Intuition


In their determination to beat each other in their childish bet, both Ash and Pikachu had made it to the lab in just under ten minutes: a new record.

Both of them panting and with sweat beading on their foreheads from the final run up hill, Ash found himself leaning against the front door of the lab with his right arm, while Pikachu opted for a much less dignified choice of collapsing on his stomach upon dragging himself upon the door step.

They remained in their chosen positions for a minute or so, in which Ash's breathing had evened out, and he couldn't resist the urge to direct a smirk as equally childish as the bet towards Pikachu. "I win," he teased.

Much to worn out to argue otherwise, Pikachu used what remained of his energy to crack open one eye to look at his trainer before slumping down further and letting out a defeated, "Chaa," honestly not caring enough to start the 'No you didn't! Yes I did!' argument that usually happened around about now.

Thinking along the same lines as Pikachu, Ash silently agreed. "So," he huffed slightly, his heartbeat still quite rapid. "You ready to go in, Pikachu?"

Offering a weak thumbs up of agreement, Pikachu managed to push himself to his feet, stumbling slightly as he battled a sudden head rush.

Following his tradition of not knocking, Ash swung open the unlocked door to the lab, greeted once again by an empty, silent hallway. "Professor!" He called out, cupping his hands around his mouth for an added effect. "It's me, Ash!"

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu imitated, mirroring his trainer's hand motions.

The seconds ticked by with no response, and Ash tapped his chin in thought. "Maybe he and Tracey are out back, Pikachu," he mused. "D'you think we should go see?" Of course, he was already making his way to the extensive gardens of the lab as he said this; Pikachu close behind.

Peaking through the open living room door as he passed it, Ash could see from the barely steaming coffee mugs on the table and the red standby light on the television that the room had been recently occupied.

"Professor Oak?" Ash called out again. "Tracey?" Still no answer.

Frowning to himself, Ash half ran towards the back door, which promised the presence of at least one of the occupants of the lab due to being ajar, and stepped out onto the patio, scanning the nearby area. Though the fields were alive with a countless variety of Pokémon wandering around, conversing with one another, and even a few mock battles, Ash's line of sight was devoid of any human activity.

"Weird .. " He mused, Pikachu mirroring his concern. "Where d'you think they are, Pikachu?" He asked, looking down at said Pokémon, who shook his head.

"You could always turn around and find out," came a familiar voice that caused Ash to jolt in his unprepared state.

Turning around sharply to face the direction of the voice, Ash found himself staring at Tracey, who was lugging a large sack of Pokémon food over one shoulder, his headband slipping down over his eyes slightly. "Whoa, Tracey," Ash gaped, having genuinely been caught off guard by his sudden presence. "I didn't see you there," he added sheeplishly.

Tracey pushed his headhand up so that he could see Ash well enough to note the changes in the young trainer. "It's good to see you, Ash," he said with a smile, dumping the sack on a pile of others. "You've certainly grown since the last time I saw you. How was Sinnoh? Though honestly, I wasn't expecting you back so soon."

"Oh, yeah, the ferry got to Vermillion this morning. I've been travelling all day," the younger said. "Pikachu and I decided to come here before going home to see my mom. By the way, where's Professor Oak?" He added.

"The Professor? He left about twenty minutes ago," Tracey informed, leading Ash back into the lab.

"He left?" Ash yelped, "Where did he go? And when is he coming back?"

"Well, I don't know about the last question, but I can answer the first," Tracey said, opening the fridge and pulling out two cans. "Soda?" He asked, not waiting for an answer before he tossed at Ash, who, surprisingly, caught it.

"Thanks, and yeah, where is he?" Ash inquired once more.

Tracey led the way into the living room as he spoke. "I don't know if you saw the news," he sat down on one of the two sofas, with Ash and Pikachu occupying the one opposite, "but in any case, it's pretty major. A few hours ago the volcano on Cinnabar Island erupted."

Ash looked up so suddenly, his already fizzed up can of soda splattered over the rug. "Are you serious?" He yelped, paying no attention to Pikachu, who had been in range when the can of soda nearly exploded and now grumpily settled himself on a couch cushion after shaking his fur clean.

Tracey nodded. "Yeah, and the Professor only heard about it half an hour ago, but when he did, he ran right out of here." He took a sip of his soda before continuing. "He shouted something about helping with the evacuations, but he didn't say when he was coming back."

"So it's really that bad?" Ash asked in astonishment. "They had to evacuate the whole island?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Tracey said, frowning a little. "From what I've heard, the entire island was destroyed in the eruption, but thankfully no one got hurt. The Gym Leader keeps a careful watch on the volcanic activities, so there was enough of a warning to get everyone to safety before the volcano was able to erupt."

By this point, Ash had forgotten about the soda. "Whoa .. " He mused sadly, then asked. "Where is everyone gonna live?"

Tracey gave a half shrug. "That's one of the things that Professor Oak is trying to help out with. I'd say that for now they're going to be staying in nearby places such as Fuschia City, and maybe even here in Pallet Town, if there's enough space." He paused for a moment, then added, "I guess it's a lucky thing that Cinnabar wasn't heavily populated. Otherwise that could have caused a lot more issues .. "

Intuition


Not much longer after, recieving the startling news about Cinnabar, Ash found himself back on the path that lead to his house. With the promise to help Tracey with the evening work at the lab, they'd both decided for Ash to first go home and visit Delia, who had yet to learn that her son was back.

Pikachu had decided to stay at the lab in order to catch up with his old friends, so Ash was making the trip alone, but while his body insinctively walked in the direction towards his home, his mind was clouded with thoughts that constrasted sharply with the ones from earlier that day; he was actually mildly surprised to think that he'd only arrived in Kanto that morning.

Gazing over at the quaint beach that resided south of Pallet, if he squinted, Ash could just about make out the smoke rising from Cinnabar. No doubt it would be gone within the next hour, and it struck him as odd that he hadn't noticed upon arriving in town.

I wonder how it looked during the eruption ..

It wasn't the regret of missing some sick thrill that Ash thought this, it was the familiar pang of compassion that he'd felt so many times during his six years of travelling. Sometimes he would wonder if anyone else felt as strongly as he did about this stuff. Even though Ash knew full well that there was no possible way in which he could have prevented the catastrophy, he couldn't help but feel the guilt of not being able to try.

Ash shook his head in a vain attempt to push these thoughts away. He'd always been told by his mother to never dwell on the negative and instead focus on the positive, but at times like these, seeing the negatives was just too easy.

Exhaling deeply, Ash picked up his pace slightly as his house came into view. From the distance he was currently at, he saw Mimey watering the plants in the front garden. Though he and the psychic type Pokémon often had their bouts of rivalry, mostly in situations involving Ash's mom, it always made him happy to see the little guy. The knowledge that his mom had such a caring form of company was a comfort to him, and eased his worries that he'd been away too long.

Breaking out into a run, Ash then skidded to a halt by the white painted gate, swinging it open and offering a word of greeting to Mr. Mime, who enthustastically waved back and sent a "Mime!" of welcome before returning to the flowers.

Chuckling to himself in knowing that some things would never change, it was with newfound elation that Ash swung open the front door and exclaimed, "I'm home!"

"Ash, is that you?" Came the instant reply, followed a few seconds later by Delia gliding down the stairs, positively beaming as she swept her son into her arms. "Oh, Ash, I've missed you so much!" A few tears of joy streaked down her cheeks. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming home today? I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow at least!"

Returning the hug with all his might, Ash replied, "Pikachu and I made pretty good time. We got back to Kanto this morning."

There was a squeal of delight. "Oh, sweetie, it's been so long, and you've grown so much!" She broke the embrace to hold her son out at arms length. "Look how much you've grown! Goodness, you look like a completely different person!"

Ash ducked his head with slight embarassment. "I wouldn't go that far .. " He grinned and asked, "How have things been while I was gone?"

The smile faltered ever so slightly from Delia's face. "Well, aside from the obvious, there really isn't anything new."

Ash sensed what she meant by this. "Do you mean what happened on Cinnabar?"

Delia's eyes widened as she recalled the event. "Oh, Ash, it was so horrible!" She exclaimed mournfully. "I was out in the garden, and I could see all the smoke. I didn't have a clue what was going on until I saw the report on the television. I'm just relieved that no one got hurt."

"Yeah, me too."

There was a slight pause. Ash bit his lip, unsure of what to say at this point, when Delia suddenly perked up a little.

"By the way, where is Pikachu?" She inquired.

"He decided to stay at the lab," Ash informed her. "He saw Bulbasaur outside, and once they got together, I couldn't convince him to leave," he gave a slight chuckle at this, along with Delia.

"Well, I was hoping to see him when the two of you got back, but Professor Oak always said that Pokémon become like their trainers," she replied cheerily.

Ash just rolled his eyes jokingly at the comment. "By the way, I was gonna help Tracey out with some stuff at the lab. Since Professor Oak is gone, I said I'd help him out, but I wanted to come home and visit first."

Delia stepped back slightly, placing a hand over her heart in mock horror. "Ash Ketchum finally offering to do chores?" She asked in somewhat real disbelief. "You are my son, aren't you?"

A pink tinge glazed over Ash's cheeks. "Mom .. "

Intuition


Several miles south, a lone figure stood on the shore of what remained of Cinnabar. The barely existant waves lazily lapped at the soles of his shoes, an action that he would have avoided last week, but couldn't care less about today.

It was quiet. He could have chuckled at the irony of the situation if he wasn't so disgusted with it. Cinnabar was always a rather peaceful place, though with the daily arrivals of overconfident trainers arriving in the port with the aim to win their next badge, things were often quite lively. And this was merely one of the several reasons why the Fire type Gym was - or rather, had been - situated in the volcano; Blaine liked his peace and quiet from time to time.

But to get it like this? Blaine scowled, clutching his walking stick with such a ferocity, he was mildly surprised that it didn't break in his hands.

You're a filthy excuse for life, he thought bitterly, his unwavering gaze fixed upon the sea route leading to Pallet Town. Mark my words, things will be much different this time around .. he vowed, his eyes flickering up to the sky, where a distant roar had emitted itself.

Knowing full well what to expect within the next minute or so, Blaine tipped his hat forward and turned away from the waves. He walked up the untouched sands of the beach, stopping when he felt a strong whoosh of air against his back, followed by a muffled, but heavy thump of something landing where he'd been standing previously.

Not needing to turn around to confirm who the new arrival was, Blaine simply mused aloud, "You certainly took your time, didn't you?" He allowed himself a humourless chuckle. "And here I was informed that Dragonite could travel over a thousand miles an hour. How foolish of me."

"What's foolish is making jokes at the time like this." Came the agitated reply. Blaine simply scoffed lightly and turned to face the one he was speaking to.

"And what would you suggest?" He inquired, tapping his foot absent mindedly while the Dragonite was recalled to his Poké ball. "It's been a while since I've had a good laugh, and in our current situation, it's now or never."

Professor Oak sighed wearily and placed a hand to his forehead, as though hesitating in the action to run it through his hair. "Thinking like that won't be helping matters. Haven't I always told you not to dwell on the negatives?"

Blaine scoffed again, ceasing his foot movement. "And if things will be anything like last time, if we don't dwell on the negativity, it may very well cost us a lot of innocent lives," he half snapped back.

Professor Oak's hand dropped to his side. "I don't need to be reminded, Blaine." He stated, an edge of pain to his voice. "But at least this time, we have a rough idea of what to expect."

"That's what they always say," Blaine monotoned, turning away and heading back up to where the town's centre used to stand. Professor Oak automatically followed. "If you believe you know what to expect, it could blind you to what's really happening. And you can be sure as anything that I will do everything in my power to see to it that we do not make the same mistakes as before."

"I agree, but at this point, we're as blinded to the truth as we'll ever be." Professor Oak winced as charred china doll on the ground crumbled into a small lump of ash when he nudged it with the tip of his shoe. It was like walking into the past. "After all, we have no leads, no connection, direct or otherwise, no clue as to it's motives - "

"Now, you know that last one isn't entirely true," Blaine cut in grimly.

The Professor came to an abrupt halt, looking quite pained. Blaine almost regretted his bluntness. He placed a hand on the senior's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have - "

"No, it's fine," Professor Oak said, letting out a drawn out sigh and regaining his serious composture. "If anything, we should be expecting it. It would be foolish not to."

Blaine nodded in reluctant understanding.

"So, anyway," the elder continued, "should we inform the other Gym Leaders?"

Blaine paused for a moment. "I think," he responded slowly, "we should only let those who were involved last time know about this."

Professor Oak raised an eyebrow in uncertainty. "Do you think that's a good idea? After all, the more people we have on our side, the better chance we'll have if things get out of control," he reasoned.

But Blaine shook his head. "That makes sense in one way, but in another, it would be best if we kept this whole situation under wraps. Telling the truth will only cause panic to the general public, and if less people know, then it's all the more reason for them to be left alone."

Knowing Blaine was correct in his assumptions, Professor Oak just nodded. By this point, having continued their stroll, both adults now found themselves standing at the entrance of what remained of the infamous Pokémon Mansion. It's sturdy build had protected it well, but being one of the places closest to the eruption, it was now little more than a solid black, crumbled in lump of brick and metal.

"What's your plan, then?"

Blaine turned to his right, and indicated towards something in the distance. "If you'd seen the news, then you'd know I have plans on moving the Gym to Seafoam Islands," he stated, turning back to face the elder, who looked skeptical.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to burden yourself with Gym Leader duties?" He asked.

"I don't see any other alternative. It's either that, or I help out with the evactuations. And as selfish as it sounds, unless I keep the Gym as close to Cinnabar as possible, then I'll be pulled away. And if anything strange goes on over here, it'll be missed."

Professor Oak hummed in agreement, then turned away to face the ruins of Cinnabar. He couldn't be sure if it was the mocking nostalgia, or the painful jab of realisation that things could very well end in the same manner.

Cinnabar. It was a risk filled plan to begin with, but considering the only possible alternative at the time, he wasn't sure he regretted it. Though he couldn't bring himself to admit it aloud, the Oak still had nightmares involving what had happened over twenty years ago, when Kanto had all but become a war zone, and Saffron City had gone up in flames. More lives had been lost in the chaos than anyone could have predicted, and a majority of the fault stemmed back to one of the only people who was able to bring it to an end.

"We were ignorant," the Professor replied after a long period of silence. "Whether or not either of us will admit it, it was pure ignorance on our part to even hope that this day would never come." He opened his eyes, which he hadn't realised he'd closed, to find his gaze resting upon the speck of land in the distance; the most he could see of Pallet Town.

"And it looks like we're going to pay for it."


Author's Note: Eh, I can't say I'm thrilled with how this turned out, so chances are I'll edit it at some point. The next chapter should be a lot better. But if you liked it, then it would be awesome if you left a review :D