Chapter One
The forest had aged, slowly growing wild through the years of neglect and disuse. The once-clear paths of gentle caterpie had become areas of strange and mysterious powers. Viridian Forest had changed.
Ash walked slowly through the grass, looking out for wild Pokémon intent on facing him. It seemed so mundane now, the endless drone of wild battles. He remembered his first days here, back, what was it? Five years. Five years ago he had walked through here with his Pikachu, and five years ago he had left Kanto. He had come back to someplace entirely different. Ash emerged from the wood, and into the dilapidated building that had once been the guard house for viridian forest. The bricks were crumbling, the metal roof strewn about the floor. It was hard to believe it had only been five years; it looked like hundreds had passed.
He stepped onto the sandy path, now overgrown with weeds, and began to walk toward Viridian City. Coming in sight, he saw the old gym, now empty, since Giovanni had left. He saw the Pokémon center, white paint now beige, and red roof covered in leaves. It was autumn. The wind blew quietly, massaging the tree branches. Ash shivered in the cold. The road to pallet town was just visible on the other side of the city. Walking through the streets, Ash wondered if he should go back there. He wanted to, more than anything, but having seen all this? It was more than likely he would find the town abandoned and overgrown. But he had to see.
Route 1. Then Pallet Town. Ash saw them, collapsed. Just as he had expected. Oak's Lab was now just a tangle of vines. The door was cracked. To Ash's utter surprise, he heard voices coming from inside. Wild Pokémon, perhaps. But he doubted it. He walked silently, up to the door, and peered inside. He saw two figures. One was hunched over the computer terminal, frail and thin, and the other was Koga. He could tell. The poison master's cape and ninja-like clothes gave him away, though his purple hair showed no sign of trying to hide it. The two were talking, in low tones, too quiet for Ash to make out. Then, Koga took the cloaked figure by the arm, and began to turn around. Ash darted to the side, climbing the vines up the side of the building. Koga and the other came out, then Koga reached into his pocket and took out a poke ball. Ash barely stifled a gasp. He hadn't seen one of those in years. Out of it came a dark Pidgeot, crest black and eyes glowing like the sun. Koga climbed on top, taking the cloaked one with him. They flew off, in the direction of Saffron.
Ash got down, sliding to the ground and looking around. He was very aware of the possibility of others. He pressed himself flat against the wall as a group of grunts trotted out, all carrying poke balls, and each flew away on a bird Pokémon. Ash stepped inside the lab, taking out his flashlight. He shone it around the lab, revealing only dust and nonworking computers. He stepped over to the hub where he had gotten his first Pikachu, the event that had started his whole adventure. Wiping off the grime, he saw only three empty slots, ones that had previously been occupied by the Kanto starters. He peered through the cracks, trying to discern how to open the secret slot underneath, where his Pikachu had come from. Feeling around, he couldn't find a button. Going over to the computers, Ash attempted to find some sort of power source. If only he had an electric type now.
The only power source for the hub was a battery slot, big enough to hold a massive cubic foot of battery, but all he had was his flashlight. Removing the batteries, he felt around for where they were supposed to go in. The screens lit up. He wouldn't have much time. Running over, he quickly scanned through the options, trying to find some way to open the hatch. Sure enough, there was a selection for the Pokémon terminal. There were only three options. Trying them all, there was no response. He tried hitting the screen. Then the computer, this time in frustration. Selecting all three in a desperate attempt, he hit enter. A whirring sound that ended almost immediately. The screens went dark. The batteries were gone. Ash felt his way over to the Pokémon terminal. He put his hands on the top, trying to find a way in. The gap was bigger now. In his last second, he had done something. Working his fingers in through the cracks, he pried them apart, straining. His hand fit now, and he reached in, barely believing there was something there. There was. A poke ball, something he hadn't held since his last days in Unova. He took it out, for a moment feeling the shape in the palm of his hand. Slowly, he moved his thumb to the button, then pressed. The familiar stream of light gave way to a materializing Pokémon- a Pikachu. Frozen for a moment, Ash flashed back to his first Pikachu. It was when he was just 10, spent his whole life in Pallet Town, and about to embark on the journey of his lifetime. The new Pikachu looked up at him, and it seemed to see the sadness in his eyes. It hopped closer, then nuzzled against his leg. Despite himself, Ash smiled.
"Hey buddy," he whispered, "You all right?" The Pikachu seemed to nod. Ash picked him up and walked out the door, sneaking across the side of the building. The rest of the town wasn't so much destroyed as... abandoned. Lawns grew out of control, leaves from autumn still sat on roofs. He saw his old house, off down the road. He wondered if he should go in. He was afraid of what he would find. Perhaps nothing. Perhaps something. He began to walk along the road, the new Pikachu at his heels. Nostalgia flooded Ash like a wave of wishes. He had walked down the very same road with a Pikachu at his heels when he had first left Pallet Town. How long ago it seemed. he walked up the steps of his house, and pulled on the door. Locked. He kicked it, with all his force, but the wood was strong. He looked at the Pikachu, and without a word, it summoned its strength and blasted the knob with a bolt of lightning. The knob melted, leaving the door open. Ash looked at the Pikachu, surprised and amazed at its strength, then walked in, curious. Inside were chairs turned over, paint and drywall ripped off, blood spattered everywhere. Ash froze, in shock. He called out, not expecting an answer.
"Hello?" Nothing. He was scared now, more scared than he had ever been. What had happened? He ran upstairs, and burst into his room. The door was burnt, now just charcoal, and the inside was half-burned and destroyed. He went into his mother's room, and then he saw her. The body lay on the bed, old. Only scraps of clothes were visible. The skull was sunken, the skin a dried mess. The innards picked clean by wild creatures. It was the body of his mother, that had been lying there for five years.