Chapter 1:

Inspiration

The cloaked figure stood in silence at the crossroads. He poked at the soft ground by his feet with the tip of a katana, almost absentmindedly. The road forked into two before him; Pewter City to the northwest, Cerulean to the northeast, and his home in Viridian City lay to the south.

He hated this spot more than any other place in the world, even his home. In truth, all he knew of this road was heartbreak and loss; at least at home, he still had memories of love, of the one he loved and loved him, the only creature he had such a relationship with.

"It's all his fault," he growled, his voice strangely strained.

"Sire," a Houndoom approached him. "We must return to base. Your father will not be pleased to hear that you're so carelessly risking your life like this."

"He won't be hearing of it, then. Less is more, 44-6-2." He hated calling his bodyguard by a number. A number, God damn it! Living things were meant to have names. Names became a part of the soul, gave one a personality. But, in his life, only he and his father had names. The humans and Pokémon that worked for his father were mostly called by number, not name. Humans had a letter in front of their numbers; Pokémon did not.

44-6-2 was one of two Pokémon that were to be his bodyguards. 44-7-8 was another, an Arcanine. His two human bodyguards were H66-3-4, a man with short, tan hair, and F23-7-3, a woman with very long hair that she dyed many different colors. Lately, she kept it a bright green color. These three were at home; only 44-6-2 was with him. All four of them were in perfect physical condition, and sworn to protect the teen's life.

As long as there's no profit in it for them otherwise, he scoffed to himself. They could go back on that false oath in a heartbeat, if they thought they could get away with it. They'd even kill me themselves, if they saw something in it for them.

Trust no one, he told himself.

"Let's go home," he said softly, and started to walk to the south, the Houndoom close behind him the entire way.

It's been over three years.

He never relaxed his grip on his sword during the entire trip, always at the ready, his killing instincts tense and alert.

…

About a week later, another teenage boy sat at the same fork in the road, leaning his back against the sign that said which road went where. A Pidgeot sat nearby, explaining how he got there so fast from Pallet Town to the south of Viridian, and how he planned on returning home in time for dinner. A Pikachu stood in front of him; his head was tilted slightly, a look of concern on his face.

The teen simply stared at the ground, holding his favorite hat-which he'd won in a contest as a little kid-in front of him. His expression was serious; a rare thing on his face, and his stare suggested that he wasn't all there. His jet black hair was ruffled-he never thought he had time to comb it-and he seriously needed to get a hair cut-it was starting to get in his eyes. He had some slight muscle, and was finally getting some height-he was over five and a half (almost six!) feet tall. His dark blue-almost black-eyes were in the past, as various memories blended together in his mind's eyes.

"I know I could never…"

"Go on."

"Will I ever see you again?"

"You will. I swear."

"Uh…okay."

"Dey're loveboids!"

"You must be crazy!"

"You're a very lucky guy…"

"And…I miss her every day…."

He noticed his vision was blurry, and rubbed his eyes to find that he has been crying. What was wrong with him? Why was he obsessing over every memory that made him think of…her?

He shook his head. It wasn't like him to think like this. He had to throw this feeling off, or it could affect his sleep or his appetite, or even his training. He decided that it was nothing. He stood up, dusting off his jeans, and put his hat back on.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked.

"I'm fine," he grinned. "Just wanted to come here again. There's something…special about this place. It made me think…makes me think…" he trailed off again, and sighed. "C'mon, buddy. Let's go home. Mom's making dinner for all of our friends, before I try to decide what region to go to next. If we hurry, we'll make it before it's done, so they're not mad."

"Leave it to you to think of your stomach," Pikachu muttered to himself, as they mounted the Pidgeot.

I can't believe how much that crossroad has changed…the teen thought.

Pidgeot and Pikachu caught a scent, a familiar one, but pretended to ignore it.

The teen had no way of knowing how accurate his thoughts had been.

They flew off, towards the south, in peace….

…

A teenage girl helped set the table, in the Ketchum residence in Pallet Town. She wore a yellow T-shirt with barely any sleeves, a pair of blue jean shorts, sandals, and beautiful smile. Her blue-green eyes were bright with life, and her fiery scarlet hair was in her typical side ponytail. She looked up at her friends.

One of them, a girl about two or three years younger than her, was also placing plates in their spots. She had her long, brunette hair kept out of her face by her favorite bandanna, which was red. She also wore a dark blue tee, and white shorts. She had kicked off her tennis shoes a while before, and was in her socks. Her sapphire eyes noticed much.

The younger girl's brother, shadowed constantly by a Totodile, was setting up the silverware. He wore white slacks, and a green T-shirt, also in his socks, and his charcoal eyes were framed in glasses that only hinted at just how intelligent he truly was. His dark blue hair always seemed to be neat, although he rarely took time to care for it beyond washing it almost every day. The Totodile chuckled and babbled as its trainer went around the table, helping.

In the kitchen, a woman was stirring something in a large saucepot on the gas stove. Her long, brunette hair was tied back in a ponytail, to keep it out of the way, and she wore a pale yellow shirt, a floor-length pink skirt, and a white apron. Her russet eyes had a slight tired look about them, and it was clear to the others that Delia was worried about her son. A Mr. Mime was sweeping the floor, but made sure to stay near his friend as much as possible.

Near her, a younger adult was stirring something in another, much larger pot. His dark, clay brown hair was always spiked in all directions, and his eyes always seemed to squint, creating the illusion that he didn't see much, when he actually noticed things many others didn't. He was wearing a green T-shirt (his vest was hanging with the others' jackets), dark tan cargo pants, and a white apron as well.

At the counter, another teen-not quite to his second decade-was cutting Pecha berries very carefully with a large knife. He had his green hair kept out of his eyes by his red headband, wore a dark green cotton shirt, and red shorts. He almost always had a very reserved and calm air about him, and rarely lost his temper.

Carrying ingredients back and forth for the others was a girl, about eleven or twelve years old. Her blue hair was pinned up, under her cap, and her blue eyes still held the innocence of a preteen. She wore a knee-length, pink and black, sleeveless dress, and a white, long-sleeved shirt under it, which she accented with a darker pink scarf around her neck. She would occasionally peer into the living room, trying to hide that she did so.

"What's wrong, Dawn?" The nineteen-year-old cutting berries asked.

"Nothing, Tracy," she said quickly, looking down to hide her reddening face.

The other two started chuckling.

"What's so funny, Brock?" Dawn scowled.

"Yeah, what is it, Mrs. Ketchum?" Tracey added.

"Don't go disturbing Gary, he won't like that," she simply smiled.

Indeed, in the living room, laying on the couch and staring at the ceiling, was a sixteen-year-old boy. His jet black eyes were memorizing the pattern of paint above him, and his brown hair stuck out in all directions like a Sandslash's spikes. He wore a loose, black T-shirt, and white slacks. He had a white lab coat hanging by the front door; he'd come down from the lab during his trip back home. Gary Oak had been traveling around the world, researching Pokémon. While he still had a slight arrogance to him when agitated, he had calmed down a lot over the past six years, and was now very polite, respectful, and-as he'd noticed recently-quite charming. He had a tendency to make girls blush, and stammer, and…

"Heh," he scoffed. "Look at me. Here I am, waiting for Ash to come back, intending to tease him, and I'm thinking about that!" he scolded himself.

The front door swung open.

"I'm home!"

"Speak of the devil," Gary muttered, grinning and sitting up, "and he shall appear."

"Ash!" Several female voices rang out at the same time.

"No, Dawn, wait!" Brock's voice called out from the kitchen.

"Hey, Dawn," Ash greeted, taking off his jacket and hanging it up, revealing the black shirt under it. "Hey, May," he added, when the young brunette came up to him. The redhead about his age started to approach him, smiling softly, but remained a few feet's distance away. Ash's eyes met hers, and he returned the same soft smile, a strange look in his eyes. "Hey, Misty."

"Hmm?" Gary muttered to himself, before smiling and chuckling. He got up and walked over towards his old rival. "It's about time you showed up, ya overgrown Munchlax!" he punched him in the shoulder. "Where were ya, anyway?"

"Around," Ash said vaguely.

"Wha'cha doing?" May's younger brother asked. "What kept ya?"

"I was thinking, Max," Ash muttered.

"You, thinking?" Misty grinned, teasing. "I think Armageddon is upon us, if you're thinking!"

"Funny," Ash retorted.

"What were ya thinkin' about?" Gary grinned.

"Stuff," Ash muttered.

"Stuff, eh?" Gary smirked. "Like…?"

"You know, stuff," Ash seemed touchy about this. "Like, where I'm going next, what I'm doing with my life, stuff like that. Why?"

Gary quickly glanced at Misty, before simply saying, "No reason."

All throughout dinner, however, Gary couldn't stop wondering if there was something going on between his old rivals. He kept glancing back between the two of them-sitting next to each other, as usual-and tried to find any thing that could prove such a theory.

"So, May," Misty started. "How were the contests in Jhoto?"

"Challenging as ever," May sighed. "Drew's gotten tough to beat."

"So, you ran into him a lot, huh?" Misty asked.

"Kinda."

"That's not all that happened…" Max chuckled to no one in particular.

"Max!" May scolded, blushing.

"Hehehe…" Max kept chuckling.

"So, you like this guy?" Dawn grinned, twirling her fork between her fingers.

"How would you know, anyway?" May asked her brother, ignoring Dawn's question. "You've been at home in Petalburg!"

"But, we came to see you in the Jhoto Grand Festival," Max corrected. "And I definitely saw something."

"Like what?" Misty asked.

"Oh, nothing!" May cut in quickly. "So, how's the gym?"

"Slow lately," the Water Trainer sighed. "Gets kinda lonely. Makes me really miss traveling."

Gary could've sworn he saw Misty look at Ash expectantly, but she looked away just as quickly.

"What about you, Ash?" Gary asked between bites. "Where do you intend on going next?"

"I'm not really sure, yet," Ash said lightly.

"As if he'd plan something ahead of time," Pikachu added.

"Maybe you could reunite with an old friend, and travel a new land," Delia Ketchum suggested. She glanced around the table.

"Yeah," Misty grinned. "Maybe you can try the Orre Region or even re-travel some place, like you did here in Kanto with May, Max, and Brock."

"Yeah!" Ash exclaimed. "Maybe I could call Richie, and we could go around Jhoto, or even go to those Sevii Islands."

"Yeah…" Misty sighed. "He'd really love that."

"Ash," Brock noticed something was wrong. "Maybe there's someone else, too. Someone you haven't traveled with in a while. Someone who has been stuck at home for a while. Someone who really misses you."

"Y-yeah…"Ash stammered slightly. "I guess…" He inhaled and sighed. "I'll make a decision after dinner." He glanced at Misty, and then looked at the others. "What are you guys doing next?"

"I'm gonna go to Sinnoh and compete for entry to the Sinnoh Grand Festival," May said brightly.

"And I'm gonna enter contests in Hoenn," Dawn smiled.

"I'm gonna start my journey alone, with Totodile and Ralts," Max grinned.

"I'm gonna continue some more of my research here in Kanto, really going in depth into my grandfather's specialty of human-Pokémon relations, in addition to Pokémon evolution," Gary said nonchalantly.

"I have to go home," Brock said quietly. "Forrest is having difficulty handling the gym, and my parents are busy with the rest of my siblings."

"I won a week-long trip to the Whirl Islands," Tracy grinned. "I'm going next Thursday, and I plan on sketching a lot of Pokémon that are hard to find elsewhere."

"He's also taking Daisy," Misty nudged Ash in the arm. "They've been awfully close lately."

Tracy blushed, and chuckled nervously.

"Well, it was her idea for me to enter the contest, so…" Tracy stammered. He did have a soft spot for Misty's oldest sister.

Later, Ash placed a bunch of dishes in the sink. He turned on the water.

"Is Tracy really…?" He asked.

"With Daisy?" Misty asked, looking around. They were alone in the kitchen, cleaning up after the meal.

Maybe it's a conversation starter. It was a good idea. Maybe he's gonna…no. I've got to stop thinking he's going to make a move.

"Yeah," Ash said quietly.

"I did walk in on them, uh…" Misty trailed off.

"In on them what?" Ash asked. "Kissing?"

"Yeah," Misty avoided Ash's eyes.

"Must've been awkward," Ash muttered.

"For who? Me or them?"

"Both…" Ash said slowly.

"Yeah, it was…" she muttered. "So, where are you planning on going next?"

"Not sure yet…" he grinned, scrubbing a plate. "But, I can't wait to decide!"

"You'll never grow up, will ya, Ash?" Misty smiled softly.

"Oh, who wants to grow up?" Ash said just as his mother walked in.

"You might change your mind one day," she smiled.

"What on Earth would make me want to grow up? Sixteen's old enough. I want to see the world, to be the best! What could make me want to give that up?"

"You'll see one day," Mrs. Ketchum smiled, and looked at Misty.

Ash peered out the window, and froze. He dropped the cup he was scrubbing back into the water-filled sink, but didn't notice.

"Ash!" Mrs. Ketchum exclaimed. "Careful!"

Misty, however, saw the look in his eyes.

"What is it?" She asked.

Ash didn't hear any of them. Instead, he ran out of the kitchen in a blink of an eye, slipped on his shoes, and ran out into the night before anyone could stop him.

Misty was right behind him.

…

A Ninetales stood on the beaten path, in Pallet Town. Night had fallen, but he could see as easily in the dark as in the day. He seemed to be following a scent trail of some kind, an invisible track only he could see. He was chanting, and as he got closer to his target, the louder he got:

"Trail of fate, path of life anew,

Lead me to the only one who

Can place love in an empty heart,

And the reign of hope restart."

He stopped his chant, and looked up. He saw a young male running out towards him, a girl about his age following him.

"The Chosen One," the Fire Sage recognized him, even though this was the first time he'd seen him with his own eyes. "How strange…his blood…this is quite peculiar," he muttered to himself. "I must converse with the other Sages; this is very…surprising," and with that he seemed to vanish in midair.

Ash stopped.

"Where'd he go?" He looked around.

"Who…what?" Misty stood behind him, catching her breath.

"Something's out there, a Pokémon," Ash said.

Misty rolled her eyes.

Leave it to Ash to get all worked up over a wild Pokémon.

Wait.

His tone wasn't excited.

It was serious.

"I think it's watching me," he said quietly. "Don't tell the others, but, every time I come home to Kanto, I sense it watching me. And, it's not Ho-oh, or some legendary, either."

"How long have you felt like that?" Misty asked.

"Since…after Jhoto…" he muttered, a painful memory replaying in his mind.

Misty said nothing, as the same memory flashed before her eyes.

"I'm going after it," Ash said firmly.

"Tonight?"

"It's been haunting me, Mist. And, I get the feeling that it will forever, until I go after it, and face whatever it brings my way."

Plus, then, maybe, I will have the courage to face the other thing on my mind.

"Ash, you're crazy!"

"Mist, I've got to face it! I can't run away," he sighed. "Besides, what could happen? I'll be fine. I always am. Really. So don't worry about me."

"Who said I was worried?" Misty said defensively. "I'm a little concerned about your mental health, but I'm not worried!"

Ash felt disappointed.

"Then, you won't be wanting to join me?"

"Pardon?" Misty wasn't sure she'd heard right.

"I won't have time to meet up with anyone, so I'll be heading off alone."

"You really are crazy!" Misty was in shock. "You're gonna worry your mother sick! What if you get hurt?"

"So, you are worried."

It wasn't a question.

"Ash, you're my best friend. I'm more than allowed to worry about you."

The thought that Misty would worry about him warmed something in his chest, but Ash was also strangely hurt by her words.

"You're not leaving until morning," Misty went on, not noticing the fallen expression on Ash's face.

"Why?" Ash was taken aback that she would start telling him what to do like that.

"Because, whether you like it or not, I'm coming with you."