Request from CharmedMilliE: maybe you can use a bagon next.
#371: Bagon. It dreams of flying through the air, and jumps off of high things to try and accomplish that goal, only to fail. When it fails in it's attempts to fly, it will bash it's head against things in frustration.
This chapter has genderbent Ash (Ashlyn) and Delia (Devon) and they live in the Hoenn region. Also has reference to the second chapter.
Did Ash dream of being a Pokemon Master? At one point, yes. But that Ash is gone. His soul refreshed and reawoken to start anew at the decree of Arceus, in fact the Soul of the World was to do that, and so it did. The pokemon didn't change, nor so did the humans, save for a few.
The Ash that we all know, is gone. Replaced by someone new, smart, and excited. Someone who has aspirations to do something great.
"Ashlyn Ketchum! Get your head out of that book and into bed right now! Your journey starts tomorrow!"
And, who is also, a girl.
"But, dad! I'm almost done reading this chapter about how Giratina can change form with a special crystal."
Couldn't change one without doing the same to the other, could you, Arceus?
"I don't care young lady, it's past your bedtime." Devon Ketchum said, brushing a red bang out of his eyesight, only for it to return there again.
"But I can't help it. Tomorrow I get to choose from the pokemon at prof. Birch's lab. I'm so excited!" She said, jumping up and down in excitement. She was already dressed for bed, with the exception of her glasses, still on her face from when she had been reading.
"I know you are, dear. But, the fact is, you need to get some rest. Okay?"
Ash sighed, "'kay dad."
Devon walked into the room and smiled as his daughter climbed into bed and took her glasses off. "Night dear." He said, kissing her forehead as he tucked her in.
"Night daddy." Ash said, returning the gesture. She let him do this, because after tomorrow, who knew when she'd be back home.
Devon set Ash's clock for her before smiling as he walked to the door and put his hand on the lightswitch, "sweet dreams."
"You too daddy."
The light was soon out, and Ash took the book and her glasses off of her bedside table and a flashlight out from under her pillow.
"Ash, no late night reading! Bed!" Devon called from his room.
"Dragon fang." Ash muttered, putting the items back on the table. Within seconds, she was asleep.
Ash woke up in a panic. It was that same dream. The one about her battling some weird pokemon called Kyogre, and losing everything as the world became flooded. She looked at her alarm, still having an hour to go before she actually woke up.
She sighed, now unable to go back to sleep. She put on her glasses, grabbed her clothes, and went to the bathroom. She showered and dressed in relative peace, but something still bugged her. It was the pokemon she was fighting with. She knew it wasn't a starter pokemon, it was a Salamence. The last evolution of a dragon type known as Bagon.
Ash walked down to the breakfast table, putting a purple scarf with the insignia for dragon type pokemon around her neck. Her father was making eggs and pancakes, the bacon was already done.
"Morning dad." Ash said, checking her bag that she packed yesterday, not seeing her father freak out at the sound of her voice as he flipped a pancake and nearly missed catching it in the pan before his Mightyena could eat it. Said dark type dog, disappointed that it didn't get any of the good stuff, walked over to Ash and nudged her, putting on his saddest sad eyes ever, complete with pouting puppy lip, flattened ears, a small whimper, and tears eyes. She patted his head, "don't worry boy, I got ya."
"Morning dear," Devon said as soon as his heartbeat slowed down, cursing his father for teaching her stealth, before putting food on some plates. He smiled when he saw Ash giving Mightyena a pancake when she thought he wasn't looking, letting her get away with it today. "How'd you sleep?"
"Good, except for I woke up an hour before I was supposed to because of a nightmare about the world being flooded."
Devon looked concerned, but then figured it was something she read about in one of her books. He looked back towards the video phone when he heard it ring. He turned to Ash and Mightyena, whose ears were visible over the edge of the table, "stay out of my food." He then went to the video phone.
As soon as his back was turned, Mightyena took his pancake and a strip of bacon, and ran to the safety of his bed in the livingroom. Ash was laughing into her tilted empty glass of OJ. Until her father's conversation peaked her interest.
"Uh.. Yeah. She's here. Yup. Woke up an hour before she was supposed to, like you predicted... Oh.. Really? You're kidding. This is just... No, no. I'm sure she'll be thrilled. She's been reading about them since she could read. Thank you.. This is perfect! See you then professor."
Devon whipped back around to look at Ash with a smile on his face, not noticing his missing pancake or bacon. "Ash."
"Yeah, dad?"
"Prof. Birch has a surprise for you. It's at his lab. You'll like it."
Ash, upon hearing the word 'surprise', shoved her remaining bit of pancake into her mouth. She ran out the door, and calling out, "I'll be back from the lab, don't worry!"
Devon smiled, before turning to his plate. He saw his pancake and a strip of bacon were gone. He turned to his Mightyena, who belched as he walked into the kitchen. He and the dark dog made eye contact, before the dog ran. Devon shook his head, "oh, you hopeless mongrel." He grabbed another strip of bacon, and ate it on his way to the living room to watch some tv while waited for Ash to return.
Mightyena jumped onto the couch next to him, looking pathetic. Devon shook his head, "you lazy old table scrap muncher." The dog then lie next to him on the couch, watching tv with him.
Ash ran to Birch's lab and got there in record time. Shortest run she'd ever taken, considering she runs laps from Littleroot to Mahogany on a regular basis with her dad. She walked into the lab to see the aids talking to each other, passing around clipboards with data charts and notes.
"Excuse me," Ash stopped a female aide, "where is professor Birch?"
"Down the hall, take a left and it's the door to your right." The aide said, talking to Ash like she was stupid.
Ash bit back a snarl, following the directions. She walked into the room the aid had said, and saw it was a pokemon nursery. She was swarmed by friendly little baby pokemon, more than the three starters of Hoenn that's for sure, all wanting attention.
"Professor Birch!" Ash cried, soon getting overwhelmed.
"Come on," Birch said, walking into the room with a basket in his hand, ushering the baby pokemon to go to the play area that was through a small door. The babies couldn't get out of the room fast enough.
Ash sighed in relief, "thanks professor, you wanted to see me?"
Birch nodded, "yes, actually. I did." He set the basket on the table. He lifted the blanket that was covering it off, "This pokemon here is-"
"A Bagon." Ash said, cutting him off. She looked back at the professor with a sheepish expression, "sorry."
The man nodded, "so, your father was right. You know about dragon types."
Ash nodded, "yeah. My cousin, Lance, is training to be a dragon master. My other cousin, Liza, works at a Charizard protection ranch. I know Charizard isn't a dragon, but studies from the Kalos region have come up that show Charizard can evolve further so that it becomes a Dragon type for a limited amount of time before changing back into it's original form."
Birch nodded, "you're a smart young lady, I heard you were the top of your class."
Ash nodded, before putting her hand out to the Bagon. It sniffed it, before butting it's head against it. It then jumped from the basket and into her arms.
Birch nodded to the pair. He then pulled a pokedex and pokeballs from his coat pocket. "Bagon is your starter, so this," he enlarged a pokeball with the insignia for dragon types, "is it's pokeball." He returned Bagon to it's pokeball, only for it to pop out on top of Ash's head.
Ash rolled her eyes, "I guess he wants to stay out of his ball." She took the pokeball and pokedex from the prof. and put them in her pocket. She then walked out of the lab, with Bagon still on her head, "I hope you can hang in tight." Bagon nodded at that, laughing as Ash took off running.
Devon looked up from the tv to see Ash walking in with a blue pokemon on her head.
"Hi dear, who's this?"
Ash smiled, picking Bagon off of her head and holding him at arm's length for her father to see, "this is Bagon, but I call him Bacon. He finds it funny. He's a dragon type pokemon and my partner." Devon walked up to them and patted Bacon's head, with Mightyena following behind him. Bacon waved with a call of his species' name. Mightyena sniffed Bacon's feet, yelping in excitement.
A short time later, Ash had her backpack on her back and Bacon was sitting on her shoulders clinging to her hair.
"Well, I guess you two will be off now." Devon said, a smile on his face.
Ash nodded, "I guess so." She hugged her father, "I'm gonna miss you, daddy."
"And I'll miss you too." Devon said, hugging her before pulling away. "Now go have an adventure."
Ash nodded, "I will. I promise." She ran down the walkway to the house, Mightyena following her until she reached the gate. Mightyena howled his goodbye. "Bye!"