Hey guys! Welcome to the newest story here on my Fanfiction account: Path to Glory! I should be posting this either around the time where I have finished the Chosen One's Wrath, or rather when it is done entirely. If you haven't read that story yet, I do urge you to go and do so. It's a great piece of writing in my opinion that is centered around Ash, who is betrayed by his friends in the worst of ways, and is forced to recover, which he does, and he won't let off the traitors easy. The entire summary can be seen in the Chosen One's Wrath, so go check it out if it sounds like your kind of thing!

In this story, Ash is again the main character. The secondary main character is Gary. Other main characters will include Paul, Brock, and a shocker, Barry (One of Ash's rivals from the Diamond and Pearl runs!) If you're reading this now, it means that you probably like football and Pokémon. Here's the interesting thing: If I understand fanfiction correctly, and I didn't miss anything, then this should be the only Pokémon Football fanfiction out there! That's pretty surprising, in all honesty. One of my favorite stories is an Ash/May pairing in which Ash is a basketball player. That was part of the inspiration to write this piece.

This also marks the first story I've written that does not involve Ash getting betrayed (well, because of Pokémon battling, that is.) My first story was the Betrayed Rises, then came Aura of Betrayal (which I didn't finish due to health reasons,) followed by the LOS Chronicles, and then The Chosen One's Wrath, which is by far, my most popular fanfiction that I've created.

I wanted a change of pace, so, here we are at this story, which I'm thinking I'm going to name "Pallet High: Path to Glory." As I am typing this, it is a couple of days from the end of January 2020. I could change my mind I suppose, but that is the plan as of right now. I'll clear up some more things right now about this story.

For one, This story will include a classic "High School" style theme. It is not entirely football, although, yes, it is the primary target of this story. Some of the main male characters from Pokémon will likely be in this story. I won't say what main character plays which position though, you'll have to read it and find out!

There will not be any Pokémon in this story. It is strictly the characters of this story trying to… well you know hahaha. I will attempt to make each chapter at least 5,000 words long. In my most recent betrayal story, chapters are almost always greater than 7,000 words (at least as of late.) Finally, I will begin this chapter by giving a background on it. Also, I'm honestly not sure what pairing I want to do as of right now either, which is actually really interesting.

Part of me wants to do my all-time favorite pairing, Serena. Yes, I know, Serena is considered to be one of the most disliked ones because of how she was portrayed in the anime, yes, I'm aware. She's still my favorite though! As for who I will end up using, I think it will come to a battle between Serena, May, Cynthia, Skyla, Whitney, Anabel, and maybe a few others. I will have to decide shortly on who the lucky winner will be. Also, Gary will likely have a pairing as well.

I've also decided on some other major characters that rarely appear in some fanfictions. To name two of them, Lt. Surge (Vermillion City Gym Leader), and Barry (Rival with Ash and Paul in Sinnoh!) Obviously, there will be other characters involved as well. I have no idea how long this story will take but I guess I'll have to see! The first few chapters are explaining things about the world this takes place in. Then, the games begin. This is a mix between high school, the romance in it, and of course, football a plenty!

Kalos will be the most recent region used in this story. You'll see what I mean. Yes, Also, I'm aware not everything I type is accurate in the present world we live in and, also yes, I'm aware I said Kalos is the most recent region used yet Mallow is in a pairing.

Yes, I am understand. It's a fanfiction . (AN: I mentioned it above but I've had second thoughts on using mallow in this story. It'll be explained a bit later why I changed it.)

Finally, a disclaimer. Yes, I'm aware this isn't word for word what football looks like in High School and college. Yes, recruiting is different in real life. This is a fanfiction everyone… don't look too much into it, yeah?

I don't think there's much else that needs to be said! Please enjoy this story ladies and gentlemen!

LegionZ Presents… Pallet High: Path to Glory

The world always appeared to be moving slower for some people than others. In the beautiful area of Western Kanto, a small city called Pallet was bustling about. It had vast green hills, a thriving tourist attraction thanks to a beachfront, a big, but not oversized city to compliment the beach and hills. On this very beachfront, there was a rather large building shaped like an "H." Around the H were the obvious roads to lead back to the city, town side, and beachfront of Pallet. It was a school, Pallet High School to be specific. It obviously wasn't the only one, but it was the largest one in Pallet by a good margin.

In every school, there were three branches. The names of the branches were the Academics Branch, the Athletic Branch, and the Hybrid Branch. About 90% of every school's enrollees were from the Academics branch. They were the many that would aim to get normal jobs, but would become successful anyway. They were the teachers, the doctors, the working class, etc. They were the authors, the inventors, the entrepreneurs, and everyone else. Well, not everyone.

The Hybrid Branch made up 9% of the enrollee's. These were students who played athletics as well as excelled in academics, however, a good portion of these kids who were solid at athletics would use their athletic prowess in order to get into a solid university. They would then continue to work towards a degree while playing athletics as their ticket to that degree. It was a win-win for both sides in all reality. Almost nobody in the Hybrid branch actually went on to play any sport professionally, but it happened… rarely.

And finally, the last branch was known as the most difficult to be accepted into. The Athletic Branch made up the final percentage point of all students at every school. Naturally, these numbers could be different depending on what school one was looking at. It varied as a whole. The students in the athletic branch were specifically aiming towards becoming full-time athletes. They didn't aim to go anywhere else but up. It wasn't easy to be admitted into the Athletic Branch. You pretty much had to be accepted in if you were a star athlete that had multiple scholarship offers. Otherwise you'd need to prove it to your schoolboard's committee somehow.

How one is ranked varies in each sport. The most dynamic sports in every school were a given: Football.

Football.

And of course…

Football.

They were the biggest sporting events among every region no matter what level; Junior High, High School, College, or Pro. In all of 6 regions, there was Kanto, Johto, Unova, Kalos, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. All of these regions had many schools across the nation. For Junior High, it was all about setting yourself up for High School, which really began to put a player on the map. Junior High was from the Sixth Grade to the Eighth Grade. During those three years, you were to try and make a name for yourself, that way, you'd either have a much better chance of making a high school team as a walk-on, or… you'd get offered.

See, High School football… and High School in general, was hardcore. The regions agreed that every student would be required to stay on campus all week long, without staying at their permanent residence with their families. This was because they felt exposing their students to the reality of being alone early would prepare them for college and what followed after it.

So, because of this, every student who was in the Academic Branch felt it was necessary to stay local. They would attend the closest high school and go back to visit their families on the weekends. Athletic Branch electives would have to make a decision: they would aim to play D1 High School football; which would put them on college radars and allow them to be heavily recruited. Hybrid players were in the roughest boat of the three, because they had to make a difficult choice: attempt to break the ice and make it to the Athletic Branch, or stay local, likely get less popularity, and somewhat assure yourself that Athletics were only to pay for college. It was nothing to be ashamed of.

After High School came college. At this point, Hybrid Branch Students should know if they were playing sports to go Professional, or just playing for the degree. Academics and Athletic branch students don't really have a change of scenery or aim.

The Aca's, or students of the Academic Branches, would stay on their campus for four years most of the time, earn their degree, find their jobs, and get the hell out. The Athe's, or students in the Athletic Branch that were primed for the Professional level, would stay up until just the right time, then, they'd declare for the Draft. They'd be drafted by a Professional team, and begin training for the big time. The Hybrids… they were the outliers. They didn't have a nickname; they didn't have much to show for anything. They were the undecided, the unsure. There wasn't anything wrong with it; it just meant they hadn't found their calling yet.

So, in Recap, Junior High was the earliest level to play a sport where it began to determine if you were worthy of becoming an Athe. You would build up your recruiting profile, and depending on where you landed in terms of branches, you would decide whether you would stay local for school, or go long distance.

High School was about finding your passions and determining where you fit in. Were you an Aca or an Athe? Of course, the two sides got along well enough together. One side was much larger than the other, but it wasn't really about the sides; it was about the individuals on each side. Aca's worked on their profiles in order to get into Prestigious colleges based on grades and smarts, while Athe's honed their skills in their particular sport in order to get recruited. Hybrids, as per usual, were left looking at the long road, trying to figure out where they fit in and what they wanted to do.

College was about getting your degree and… oh you get the point.

But, enough about Aca's; the Athe's recruiting process was nothing short of a doozy. National attention was crucial to Athe's and some Hybrids. So, if a recruit was ranked, it meant they should be watched closely. They were ranked on a Star System: On a One to Five scale. A One or Two Star Athlete was rare, simply because it was likely someone who would not be truly be "ranked" at all. They were the lower Hybrids, who probably weren't expected to make the big time. A Three star prospect would catch a few eyes of the larger D1 high school across the regions. A Four star prospect would get many, many offers. It would be enough for the recruit to make a prime choice. A Five star prospect, though… they were the most dominant recruits around. They had a choice of where they wanted to go, as long as the school offered.

Of course, this was only Junior High. High School only had a three to five star rating system before you dropped to unranked. A Prospect in Junior High would automatically lose two stars when they entered 9th grade. For example, if a four star player in junior high went to play in High School, they would drop to unranked, since their two stars lost would leave them, technically, at two stars, which was unranked in the High School system. But, that was as a freshman. Over the course of four years, the kids would fight and battle to get their ratings up based on performance in order to get better attention. There were usually around one thousand five hundred total three star recruits across the world, which meant they weren't the most common thing to see. There were around four hundred and eighty four star recruits, some of the best of the best. And finally, twenty young kids each year would be ranked as five star recruits: the future superstars of the professional level.

Obviously, there weren't enough kids from just those recruits to make up the football teams at every college and university, so coaches also had to recruit based on scheme fit to their football team. These kids could be unranked, and that was likely where the Hybrid players could fit in, but it wasn't guaranteed. Some of the best colleges scored a majority of the best players, therefore eliminating the need to recruit lower-end students.

By the end of freshman year in high school, that particular class would have the listed five star athletes, four star athletes, and three star athletes. When they entered high school, the freshmen could only have a three star rating as the highest number. That was to see if they truly thrived in the high school environment. And again, by the end of the year, kids would watch as their ratings would go from unranked to three star, or from three star to five star again. And each year, each graduating high school class, would have their own group of five star recruits. The Class of 2000 would have around 20 five star recruits across the world, from different regions and from different High Schools. The Class of 2001 would also have around 20 five star recruits from across the world. As of late though… that number of five star recruits was getting larger.

So, recruiting kids to come to Pallet was both easy and difficult at the same time. In every region, there were exactly ten Division 1 (D1) high schools. In Kanto, they were Vermillion, Pewter, Cerulean, Saffron, Celadon, Fuchsia, Violet, Viridian, Cinnabar, and finally, Pallet. Every year, as expected, they'd try to recruit young kids from their own region, as well as other regions, in order to get them to come and play for them.

Division 2 schools (D2) didn't have that kind of firepower in terms of long distance recruiting. They tried to recruit locally as best they could. They were known for creating some of the best Hybrid Players due to how underrated some of them could be. Division 3 (D3) schools weren't at all that relevant.

The recruiting staff would send out scouts to many junior high games across the world, trying to see who would have a chance at becoming the next great player for their team. They'd have to convince the player to play for them instead of joining a rival squad that could be hellbent on making that player their next stud. Eventually, usually during that players 8th grade, they'd announce where they would play.

The end goal of each D1 school was to win the World Championship, but it wasn't easy in the slightest. For one, in order to get to the World Championship, you needed to win multiple other games to have a shot at it. Each region of the core 6 had, as explained before, 10 D1 schools. That meant every year, sixty teams were competing for the title of the best in high school football.

In each region, they were split into Western Divisions and Eastern Divisions. For example, Kanto was split with Pewter, Viridian, Pallet, Vermillion, and Cinnabar in the Western Division. That left Fuchsia, Violet, Cerulean, Saffron, and Celadon in the Eastern Division. Every year, every team would play the other teams in their regions, plus a home matchup against a team from another region, and a road matchup against a team from that same region. A Twelve Week season, counting a singular bye week for each team sometime in the schedule.

After the Twelve week season was up, playoffs would be decided. The top 3 teams for the West and East in each region would clinch playoffs, based on record. The first tiebreaker was record against one another. If that wasn't eligible, then record against division opponents was the next tiebreaker. It went on and on. The top seed in the East would get a free pass to the next round, as did the team in the West. The 2nd and 3rd teams from each divisions would face off, and the winner of that game would face the 1st seed. 60 would be trimmed to 36 by playoff cuts, then again to 24 from the first round. After the second round, where the winner of 2nd and 3rd vs 1st seed face off, the last team standing in the East would go against the last team standing from the West. The winner of the third round would become the D1 champions of their region.

But teams were hardly done. 6 teams would still remain, one champion from each region, at most three matchups needing to be played to get to this spot for any team. Kanto would play Johto, Unova would play Kalos, and Sinnoh would play Hoenn. Each team's winner would be in the finale, where a round robin between the final three squads standing determine would is the Grand Champion. The First Team to beat the other two teams without losing, would win. Each team would host a game in most scenarios… though not always.

Sometimes a team would conquer the other two teams in succession, eliminating the need for a loser to host a matchup. Tiebreakers, naturally, were needed here too… but at the moment, it's not a concern. The bare minimum you could play in playoffs alone in order to win the championship?

Five.

Five games was the least you could play in order to become the Grand Champions: Two for inter-region games (Req: 1st Seed,) 1 for Regional Championship, 2 for Round Robin. It was not easy in the slightest.

Another thing that needed to be discussed was the sheer popularity of football; everyone loved the sport. It was practically a way of life in the regions. Every D1 high school stadium was required to be able to sit forty thousand fans at minimum. It was mandatory if you wanted to be considered D1. So, Pallet's first stadium, simply named Pallet High Stadium, wouldn't be good enough. It only sat around ten thousand maximum; while ridiculously large for a normal high school stadium, it was not even close to being good enough for D1.

The new stadium had begun construction around two years prior; when the decision to mandate an increase in seating capacity had taken place. Fortunately, the Pallet fans were passionate about Football just as much as any other city, and had easily gotten a new one approved. The name for it was still up for debate, but some people wanted to call it Hell's field. The reason behind this was because Pallet's official name was the Pallet Flames. Across the league, there were the Pewter Boulders, the Cerulean Wavecrests, the Saffron Bullets, the Cinnabar Magma, the Fuchsia Daggers, the Celadon Morning Sun, the Violet Beacons, the Vermillion Thunderbolts, and finally, Pallet's hated rival: The Viridian Rainbow Warriors.

As a whole, the best team in the West was, unfortunately for Pallet, Viridian. They were the usual favorites in the West, with Cinnabar and Vermillion battling it out for 2nd in the division. Pallet and Pewter were the usual disappointments of the west, and usually got dispatched quite often in games. In the East, it was an interesting case. Saffron generally was the top dog in the other half of Kanto, but Celadon and Cerulean had both claimed titles in the past five years from them as well. Fuchsia was middle of the pack and usually the playoff hopeful. Violet, like Pallet and Pewter, found themselves at the bottom of the league most of the time.

However, for Pallet, things could change, and much sooner than people thought. They had a team mostly made up of juniors, and their captain was a junior as well. From a Kanto standpoint, they had the 3rd best team ranked by overall grades of star's and what was known as composite score. They were only behind Saffron and Viridian in terms of developing talent; if they could have a dynamic recruiting class for incoming freshman, they could be set up for years to come.

It all depended on the future of recruiting… and how Pallet played to compliment it…

End of May… Somewhere in Kanto… Year 2020… (AN: Don't look too much into the year guys…)

The crowd was roaring and whooping for the athletes as they took to the field, cleats digging into the ground. The adrenaline was pumping through their veins, heart beating a million miles a minute. For one contestant, time always seemed to slow down for him; he always considered it an advantage. He could practically envision himself completing his goal, the one thing that mattered most to him:

Winning the race.

He wiped the sweat that was forming off his brow as he lined up with seven other athletes at his age. He didn't consider himself the best, because until it was official, he considered himself to be just like everyone else: fighting for a spot to become the best. He cracked his neck to the side drilled his cleats into the backstop in preparation for the race.

"ON YOUR MARK!"

The man placed his hands on the ground, awaiting the final seconds before the inevitable happened. The kids next to him did the same. Little did they all know, the fate of the race was already decided.

"SETTTT!"

Everyone arched their backs in preparation for the noise.

*BANG*

The man kicked off instantly, pumping his arms and legs. He could feel the blood rushing through him, the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He felt the momentum carrying him. He gritted his teeth as he ran, knowing what was on the line. He finished when he passed the white line and heard a roar from the fans. He stared up to the legitimately filled stands. He then looked back behind him and saw the kids were just finishing up. He had easily won, and it truly hadn't even been close.

The One-Hundred meter dash was his race, and nobody else's. He was a speed demon. Nobody had a faster burst of speed than him in an instant, and nobody had more raw speed to match his either. He grinned a little as he received pats on the back and cheers of celebration for his phenomenal performance.

"Amazing work Ketchum. Not saying I had a doubt in you." Coach Yelto grinned at him, his aging gray beard and blue eyes standing out. He was wearing a hoodie that mixed gray, black, and orange together. It was Pallet's team colors, after all.

Ash Ketchum smiled at his coach and gave him a handshake, still panting slightly from the race. "Thanks Coach. Wouldn't call it a breeze, but I thought it'd be easier, in all honesty." Coach Yelto rolled his eyes at him with a smirk. "That may be true, but your raw speed is something like I've never seen kiddo. Your kick-off is something else too: you could definitely turn into a multi-sport athlete if it's something you really wanted to."

Ash gave him a sad grin. "I doubt anyone would take me in now. Too late for me, only got one more season after this, and if I go unrecruited, then I'm stuck. Hybrid for life, and there's nothing I can do about it. Now or never."

Coach Yelto pat him on the back and said. "Hybrid just ain't good enough for you kid is it?"

Ash shook his head. "No sir. It's not. I've worked my entire life to try and become someone that my mother can say she's proud of, and until I get that scholarship, it's not enough for me. I need to keep pushing myself Coach, and over the summer, you can bet I'll be a lot better than before! I'll be faster, stronger… greater!" He finished defiantly.

Yelto stroked his beard, as if contemplating something. "Ketchum, I seriously think you need to try out for another sport next year. It'd be a great way to gather popular attention for yourself, and the next time spring track rolls around, you'll be gathering scouts by the groves. Just go out and try to figure out which sport you like best and pull a "one year wonder" in." He added with a grin. "Who knows? Maybe you'll end up liking it more than track."

Ash gave his Coach an incredulous look. "I just won the one hundred meter dash for the team in our last meet of the year and you're pushing me to do another sport?" Yelto just chuckled, expecting this reaction from the star. "Yes, yes I am. You're a gifted kid Ash Ketchum—best use your talents in as many sports as possible."

The hours passed by, and the next thing Ash knew, he was on the team bus heading back. Everyone was quieter than usual, not because they were tired, but because they had lost. Head Coach Krial had been fuming at them for blowing a massive lead: three events worth in the final five, to be exact. Ash was angry and disappointed, but he knew he had left it all on the field. There wasn't anything else he could've done. He had ran the one hundred meter relay, the one hundred meter hurdles dash, and the four by four.

The four by four was the race where four kids from one school would take turns running four hundred meters around the track and hand off a baton to the next runner. Once the first person ran their 400 meters, they would swiftly give it to the next runner, who was usually already in stride. This would continue until the final runner finished. He had won all of his events and even shattered the one hundred meter relay record time.

It bewildered him why he wasn't getting more attention, but it didn't matter now. What did matter was getting that attention before it was too late. He bit his lip. He didn't know what sport he could possibly try out for. Football was out of the picture, because they were on the rise and therefore would be way too exclusive for someone like him who hadn't played a single snap of organized football in his life. Sure, he knew the rules; he loved to watch the sport, but playing it seemed out of the picture.

Soccer was played in the fall at his school, so maybe that was an option? Still, his footwork could use some work in his opinion, it wasn't like he honed it daily or anything. He sighed and rubbed his temples a little. The somber mood of the team didn't help him at all. Ash Ketchum let out a sigh.

Something had to change.

Snowpoint City… May 2020…

A man with graying hair was watching a television curiously.

"In local sports talk, we're back to the usual talk of recruiting, but in this case, instead of talking about recruits coming to Snowpoint football, this recruit wants out of Snowpoint football: rising Star Gary Oak! The man who led Snowpoint to a Sinnoh North title announced two weeks ago that he would be transferring to another school!"

Another man cut in. "Can you blame the guy? He leads Snowpoint for two and a half years and then gets told by management that Claude Revere is gonna come in and take his spot in his senior season? I mean, I get Revere is a tremendous kid and all, but how do you justify the action of demoting your best player simply because you want to replace him with a younger version of him? I'd leave too! Clearly, they have no respect for him, and wherever he chooses to go, they are getting one heck of a player."

The man shut off the television and called out to the house. "Gary! Where are you?"

A young man with spiky brown hair and brown eyes walked into the room. "Hey dad! What's up?"

"The entire city is buzzing right now. They can't believe you're leaving Snowpoint! You've been here for over a decade after all!" Ryan Oak said, a trace of disappointment in his voice. Gary shrugged. "Dad, I've told you before: they just came to me and told me I'd be riding the bench my Senior season… all because they got the best quarterback of the 2023 class! Claude could've easily played for the last two seasons. So, I hope they know what they're doing, because so long as I can help it, they're going to pay for it."

His father frowned. "Son, you know I can't go anywhere. My job is here."

Gary snorted. "Sorry dad. I'm well aware of that. I'm not just here for your mansion after all."

It was true; Gary's father was a wealthy businessman and had lived in a mansion in Snowpoint for many years now. His mother and father had divorced when he was just a young boy and his father had won rights over him. Gary wasn't sure of what happened, because everyone kept that information private. It was a sore subject for both his parents, and although he saw his mother sometimes, it wasn't that common.

His father looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Then where will you go? To Nimbassa with your mother?"

Gary grinned. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind, but there are other people who I know wouldn't mind my company."

His father grinned ever so slightly. "Oh I'm sure there are."

Of course, there were indeed a few places he was looking to go. His Uncle Trel lived out in Sunnyshore City, his mother lived out in Nimbassa City in the Unova region, his Aunt Karla lived on the outskirts of Coumarine City, and his grandfather lived in the heart of Pallet Town. He knew that these were the most likely schools he would attend.

Still, he wasn't quite sure which.

As he walked back to his room, he considered just how lucky he was to be an Athe. They received a lot more national attention than Hybrids. Gary thought the whole "Branches" system was broken and rigged for the Athe's. Of course, this was the general opinion from everyone too. He was ranked as the 38th best player from the 2021 class. He was a junior, with one year of eligibility remaining.

That's why it was soul-crushing to be demoted by someone two years younger than himself. He was losing his chance to complete a solid recruiting wave. Sure, he had some D1 offers for college, but it was from some of the smaller schools that wouldn't give him the attention a 38th ranked player deserved. He needed this superstar-caliber season in order to go to a prestigious school.

He opened the door and walked into his luxurious room. He had everything in his room: a large bed, a large desk, flatscreen television, a fireplace to sit next to, a couch or two, a computer setup, etc. He also had a fantastic view of the city. Usually, he wouldn't be here at his father's mansion. Like Pallet, Snowpoint required that all students stay in their dorms around the year. However, because he announced his transfer, he was being permitted to take his classes online. He had said goodbye to his friends, who understood his decision, though he could tell they were still a bit hurt by it nonetheless.

He wanted… no… needed to go someplace where he could have the titanic season that would prove he deserved praise. He was still heavily unsure. He needed a sign of some sort, something that told him he should make a certain decision.

He plopped down on his bed and began browsing the social media app everyone used across the world: Believe.

Believe was essentially Instagram. You posted pictures of what you were doing, who you're with, etc. It just looked a tad bit different in the way of layout. Gary scrolled through a few posts, mostly sports stuff that he had already scrolled over and viewed. However, something did catch his eye; a post from PTHA (Pallet Town High Athletics.) He curiously scanned it over; he definitely knew this one wasn't one had previously viewed. He opened it up and was a tad bit disappointed to see it was just a track and field video.

He casually went to the comments section and began reading, not looking for anything in particular. However, the second he saw the names in the comments, his eyes widened in surprise. The name was incredibly consistent: Ash Ketchum. He was more than just a little surprised; he hadn't spoken with Ash in years. Whenever he'd visit his grandfather in Pallet, Ash would occasionally come over. It had to have been… probably three years since he had spoken to him.

He peeked at what the video was of once again, and once more, he found himself in awe. Ash Ketchum was blazing fast. Hell, he had to be the fastest… Gary's mind froze there.

"…Huh…" He said while nodding his head slowly, as if contemplating something. He racked his mind and was dead certain of something: Ash was not a member of the Flames football team. He wondered why. With speed like that it was nearly a given to make the squad. Especially because though the flames were on the rise, in the past few seasons they'd been rough… really rough.

Another thought came to his mind. He immediately switched to the internet and began to look up all of Pallet Town's best players. The first few to come up were as follows:

J. Stamkos ~ DE 5*(#11 NTL)

M. Surge ~ DE 4* (#189 NTL)

X. Blackmon ~ S 4* (#268 NTL)

B. Harrison ~ TE 4* (#451 NTL)

L. Wataru ~ LB 3* (#699 NTL)

(NOTE: Class of 2021 Only.)

Gary looked thoughtful. These kids were his age. They would be his teammates… if he chose to commit to Pallet. But… the more and more he thought about it… it made sense. Pallet Town just lost their Senior QB to college. Their current guy coming in was just a sophomore: unranked too. If he went there, there would be an immediate start, all but guaranteed. The o-line in Pallet was young but a mix of mostly Juniors or Sophomores. The issue lied in offensive weapons: all of them were young and slightly undeveloped. Trex Redwood was a sophomore, but he was more of a physical receiver than anything else. He could body people without causing too many penalties.

Bail Cree was a Sophomore receiver with a very specific and yet dynamic skill set: those of a master route runner. He was able to get open consistently thanks to above average speed and above average athleticism. The final name on the receiver trio was Oswin Lennon. He was a smaller kid with mediocre strength and speed, pretty much an all-around threat, but inexperienced. He was only a freshman.

Still, as Gary thought more and more, a grin was growing on his face. Could he see himself bearing the Black and Orange home jerseys in West Kanto?

Yeah.

He could.

Pallet… Surge Household… A Random Weekend… Seven Days Later…

The school year was officially over. It meant everyone could go back to their parents houses. For one family in Pallet Town, it was time to party. Matias Surge was a superstar caliber defensive end for the Pallet Flames. He was on pace to go to a tremendous college, though like many athletes, he was unsure as of where.

However, at the moment, he wasn't the primary target of this writer. The house, more accurately, mansion, was rocking. Everyone was partying due to another year gone by, and summer to look forward to. Everyone was cheering and drinking alcohol drastically underage. During the school year, drinking on campus was grounds for expulsion. After the school year was done though, they could drink so long as it was supervised.

Okay that was an exaggeration. Any drinking was frowned upon for any of those underage. Still, that didn't stop a vast majority of students from hitting the bottle hard. Football players were included in this group. There was a lot of dancing, drinking, sexual activity, and socializing. The Surge household was ground zero for partying, and because of that, you'd think the Surge's would frown upon being known as the party family from other parents. It was actually quite the opposite. They had a good reputation as a whole, and thankfully, with their son keeping his head above water in academics, they had nothing to worry about.

Now though, that same son found himself wandering through his household, attempting to locate a specific someone. It, thankfully, did not take long to spot the brown haired boy, as he had about three females attempting to drag him off to the dance floor.

"I said, I have—" He was saying to them.

"— Somewhere to be with the boys." The boy turned and sighed in relief as Surge clapped him on the shoulder. "I need his help, sorry ladies." He sent them both a wink and dragged the boy away.

"Xavy, I saved your bacon there, so you can help me out here. Deal?"

Xavier Blackmon, the superstar caliber talent who commanded Pallet's secondary, frowned at his friend. "I was not 'In trouble',I was flirting with those beauties."

His eyes narrowed. "If it's another favor to try and get Mallory into your arms, you can kiss it good—"

Surge waved him off swiftly. "No no no, I swear. Where the hell is Stamkos? He's supposed to be the life of the party but we're carrying his sorry ass through it instead. He's gotta loosen up brother."

Xavier pointed out. "You know he doesn't dig these parties man. He's always down to hang out with the squad, but this isn't up his alley."

Surge crossed his arms. "Still, where is he? Do you know?"

Xavier chuckled. "In his usual spot the last I checked. But maybe he's somewhere where we'd least expect him to be?"

Surge blinked. "And that would be…?"

Back down on the dance floor, a boy with faded brown hair on the sides of his head and curly brown hair on top was deep in thought. He was approximately six foot two and was built like a tank. He had a well-defined jawline and dark brown eyes. He was wearing a black flannel a black t-shirt. He had light colored jeans and a golden cross necklace around his neck. John Stamkos, the number eleven player in the nation for his class, did not like to party.

He was a social guy, sure. He loved to chat, he loved to hang out, he loved his sports, but this whole thing; Drinking, Dancing, Sex, it just wasn't his thing. Football was his thing. He was a wizard at the game. He was gifted with a brilliant mind for the sport, and the body to compliment it. His goal was the become the best, and the way he saw it, Drinking only got in the way. One bad decision and bam! Your career could be over. Sure, he didn't blame his teammates for guzzling booze, but it wasn't his thing, and anyone who tried to force that on him rarely stayed close to him.

"Hiii!" John looked over and saw a rather attractive young girl with brown hair and dark blue eyes approaching him. John barely heard her over the roar of the music. John gave her a small smile. "Hello."

"I'm Shirley! Nice to meet you!" John sweatdropped. "John. Pleasure." He then tried to direct his attention back to his line of thought, only to have it ruined by teen. "Sooooo, what do you like to do for fun?" She slipped into the seat next to him, and John gritted his teeth together. He could tell that this girl did not know who he was, but liked the way he looked. That was enough to tell him that this girl was not to be given much other than the time of day.

John shrugged. "Sports."

She giggled. "Wow! So do I! I'm a very… active person…" She ran her hand up his arm, and John surprisingly found the urge to be polite and yet rude at the same time. "Excuse me, but are you lost? Because the way you're touching me you're acting like I'm your long-lost boyfriend. I'm sorry to tell you, I'm not. Please." He gestured the girl away, who looked totally caught off guard.

She spluttered. "Wha…" She slowly stood up and then in one rash action, she grabbed the nearest cup of water and splashed him with the contents straight in his face. She expected him to retaliate. However, she felt two hands snag her arms: two men in black suits were gazing down upon her with intense looks.

Did I forget to mention that the Surge's were bloody rich and could afford borderline anything? Shirley glanced down at John, and was stunned to see him smiling, almost smirking. "Thanks for the shower, quite refreshing." His mischievous dark eyes were dancing gleefully. She was dragged out and John began to dry his face off. The party was back to normal and people were going about their business.

Meanwhile, John's trail of thought went back to where it usually was: Football. It was about recruiting. The head coach at Pallet, Bob Welsh, was a great man. He didn't have much experience in the game, but was a legend at recruiting. He had brought a dynamic haul of prospects into Pallet Town, specifically, these recruits:

Axel Fractera ~ MLB 5* (#19 NTL)

Barry Jun ~ CB 4* (#88 NTL)

Paul Shinji ~ RB 4* (#169 NTL)

Micah Logsdon ~ OT 4* (#391 NTL)

Abel Winchine ~ CB 3* (#509 NTL)

Of course, there were others. However, the real prize that could possibly be acquired was a transfer: Quarterback Gary Oak. John knew that they had issues on both sides of the ball. Outside him, Surge, and Sid, their defensive line was young and inexperienced. The same thing for their cornerbacks; their most experienced corner as of right now was Drew Saiga, a rising sophomore. He was talented but had a long way to go. Jun and Winchine were expected to immediately slot in as the #2 and 3 corners, which was not good news. It wasn't like they were bad players, but tossing a corner immediately into the fire was generally not smiled upon.

Thankfully, they were deep at defensive end, linebacker, and safety to make up for it. Blackmon and the Free Safety, Red Gilmore, another senior on the team, patrolled the secondary. In the middle of the field, Lance Wataru was the head man. Opposite to Lance was linebacker Denzel Diorgal, a rising junior. He was a former four star recruit, and a current three star recruit in his class. And starting, was freshman commit Axel Fractera. He was a beast, blazing fast around the edge and had remarkable perception which allowed him to play coverage as well. He was from Kanto too, so it was a home-region recruiting bonus.

Offense was where most of their problems should lie. They had a rising sophomore at QB who had never been ranked prior, they had a sophomore running back as their lead who had only taken twelve snaps in his whole high school career, they had no rising senior receivers, and those they did have were one-dimensional. It didn't make them bad, just made them easier to predict. Their O-line was also young; not a single senior was on it. It essentially meant that with so little experience on the offensive side of the ball, the defense was forced into carrying the bulk of the weight.

He knew he shouldn't get his hopes up. It didn't matter that he was one of the best players in the world. There was no "I" in team. He needed help to win all these games, that was why it was so crucial they got Gary Oak, even if by a miracle. He was the spark the team needed desperately, or else it'd be another 4-7 finish.

Then, he placed his phone down for a few minutes, contemplating the chances that they could somehow land the superstar caliber quarterback. Then, abruptly, his phone gave a unique buzz, one that sounded eerily like a hockey goal horn of some sort. It caught him by legitimate surprise; it was his "Believe Verified" ringtone. Anyone who was verified on Believe and sent him a message on it would make that ringtone.

He opened it up and you could imagine his look of stunned surprise when he saw the text.

Gary Oak

Hey my man, how goes it?

John stared at the screen in absolute disbelief. Gary Oak… contacting him? He looked at the message a second or two longer before he responded.

It goes. Whaddup?

He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but anything would quench his curiosity at this point. He waited anxiously for the response, and when the message he'd typed showed up as "read," he couldn't wait much longer. Thankfully, he didn't have to.

I wanted to talk to ya about my transfer, I've seen you were pulling for me to come to the town where Halloween Hails. That true?

The Town where Halloween Hails. That name came from the team's colors: Black and Orange. Every year, the game when Pallet would play closest to Halloween they'd break out their specialty uniforms: their color rush jerseys. John swiftly sent his reply.

Yessir. You bet I am. We need a commando like yourself right now.

The response came not too long afterwards.

Then I think this piece of news is going to thrill you: I'm not supposed to be saying this ahead of time, but I wanted the captain to know that I got no intention of taking his spot.

John took a second to process this, completely bewildered. Then, it hit him like a sack of bricks. He darted his eyes back down to the text, rereading it to make sure he just hadn't hallucinated the whole thing. As he did so, another text, the text, appeared.

In two days, I'll be announcing my official transfer to Pallet.

John was frozen, staring at the screen in shock. He reread it again and again.

…Transfer to Pallet.

John felt like screaming in joy. They were going to land the gem of the transfer portal. Gary Oak was going to become a flame. He couldn't believe this.

He texted rapidly. I appreciate it bro, and I think I speak for every single Pallet Flame fan when I say you're gonna love it here. You want me to keep this quiet for now?

The text came. Yeah. For the time being. Only you and my gramps know as of right now of my decision. I'm moving in over the summer; I'd like to start training as soon as possible w/ the crew. Think you can give me a hand organizing some shit?

John responded. You bet. Can't wait to get you here bud. Godspeed.

Ditto. See you..

John placed down his phone, still contemplating what he had just seen. Gary Oak was going to be his teammate. The quarterback they so desperately needed was going to join forces with him. Now, as he heard Surge roaring at him nearby, he felt something he hadn't felt in a long, long time.

Hope.

And from that point on, for the next month or so, everything flew by for Pallet and their fans. As predicted, once Gary transferred to Pallet, many more of the top transfers in the regions wanted to tour Pallet and possibly, confirm the transfer. And transfer, they did. They scored a handful of dynamic talents, specifically, at Corner, Offensive Line, and Defensive Line; all positions they found themselves either depleted, or with the lack of experience.

The one issue with this new development: It meant that for people who aimed to walk-on to the team for their shot at glory, it was significantly reduced. Nothing was guaranteed, especially for Walk-On's. For those who sought the ultimate story, it would truly take a miracle to achieve.

Somewhere in Unova, a beautiful redhead was sitting on a beach, tanning herself to perfection…

AN: And just like that, the first chapter is done! I know a lot of this can be confusing, and I apologize in advance. So, in recap, Ash is at an impasse: he is unsure if he should still pursue Track and Field, simply because even though he possesses inhuman speed, he isn't well known enough to make a push at a D1 scholarship. Gary was temporarily unsure of where he'd transfer, but after seeing his old friend running track, Pallet leapt up, and eventually, stole the show. This was picked up on by John, who knew that the team was good, but would need more talent and depth if they were to have a chance at staking their claim as legitimate contenders. Still, how will Ash fit into this? Just how good is Pallet? Will Gary get along well with the team? Come back next chapter to find out.

If you're looking for when the Ash x Skyla pairing will kick in, you may have to wait a bit. I know how I'm going to get them together, and I don't see it happening quickly. Be patient my boys

If you're new, please follow and favorite. Also, I'll give explanations of what everyone looks like, not just Ash and John (the main characters of this story.) And if you didn't see it earlier, John will have a pairing as well: Mallow from Alola. Yes, I know it's weird since Alola isn't a region included in this story per se. Stick around though for some High School Drama, Football aplenty, and much more

Thanks for reading, till the next one!

LegionZ