As much as he hated to admit it, Ash Ketchum knew Lily of the Valley Island like the back of his hand.
Four stadiums loomed like dimmed cathedrals over the rest of the landscape, the twinkling lights of hotels and surrounding buildings nearly matching the brilliance of the night sky overhead. A calm breeze swept through the evergreens and bare-branched aspens, rustling what precious little leaves remained to life.
From the tree he'd climbed earlier that evening, Ash could see nearly everything- the forest on the east end of the Island where he hoped to set up camp, the secret doors into the stadiums where the roar of crowds overhead could fade into white noise, the tiny coffee shop near Stadium C that was a perennial favorite of the Champions and the Elite Four, the ice cream stand- his personal favorite- on the second concourse of Stadium D.
The copse, just outside of Stadium A, where his life changed forever.
"You know, I think this is the first time I've been here where the Island doesn't smell like an Arceus-damned combination of Cottonee candy, corn dogs, and kettlecorn," a voice gagged, removing her hood to reveal a shock of copper waves and curls.
Ash chuckled, leaning back against the trunk of their tree. "Once the rest of the world arrives tomorrow, I'm sure that smell will return to haunt you."
"Speaking of haunting…" the girl trailed off, taking a moment to pull her hair back into a messy ponytail, "you know we don't have to take this mission. Lance could send two other agents to take our place in a heartbeat, and he wouldn't fault you for it one bit. We'd be back at HQ in half an hour, like none of this ever-"
"No. I feel like…" Ash scratched a sleepy Pikachu behind the ears. "Aurian, I have to do this. Our assignment here is the universe telling me that it's time to face my past."
Aurian sighed, putting a hand on Ash's shoulder. "Are you ready?"
"God knows we haven't been ready for any of the last three and a half years," Ash laughed, drawing a grim smile from his best friend, "but that doesn't matter. The only reason that everything went to hell the last time I was here is that I wasn't strong enough to save everyone. Things change, we've changed, we're stronger now. We're risking everything we've worked for if we're discovered but this is where we're supposed to be. I can feel it."
"What else were we expecting to happen? You can't dismantle a few criminal syndicates and not come out of it without a bounty… or a death wish," Aurian said, expression flickering somewhere between excited and petrified. "We may be in over our heads with this one."
"That's why they sent us."
Aurian sighed in exasperation. "You really are something, aren't you, Ash?"
"You're the one that decided to stick with me this long."
"We're patonai, it's in the job description!" Aurian groaned, lightly punching her partner's shoulder. "And for the record, you picked an awful tree-"
Ash clapped a hand over her mouth as three sets of footsteps- two humans, one smaller- crunched through the fallen amber leaves below.
"Three whole days on this island and there ain't been no sign of the twerp!" a familiar voice groaned, moonlight catching the coin on Meowth's forehead.
Jessie hissed under her breath, nudging the Pokemon forward with her knee. "Can it! There's no way of knowing who else is out here!"
"There's also no way of knowing who else can hear y'all's endless blabbering, but that's beside the point," a higher voice said, stepping out of the shadows into full view, a dozen black tulips tucked into a quiver on her back. "Buffoons, the lot of you."
James huffed, nose upturned. "Love you too, Domino."
"Damn Bunch and Cassidy for being late," Domino sighed, massaging her temples. "Whenever the Boss calls this mission off, I'm spending three days in a spa. Away from y'all."
A muscled form burst through the trees, closely followed by a blonde with pigtails. "For the last time, it's not Bunch, it's BUTCH!"
"They totally butchered their opportunity to stay quiet," Ash muttered, earning a shoulder punch and a grin from his best friend.
"Now that we've all oh-so-graciously announced our presence," Domino fumed, crossing her arms, "do I need to remind y'all of what our goal is here?"
"Now, let's see… poach ourselves some pretty Pokemon," James counted off each goal on his fingers, "keep an eye out for any G-Men interference, and find the twerp if he shows up."
Cassidy frowned, twirling a minimized Pokeball in idle thought. "Boss seems awful confident that he's gonna show."
"It's the tournament of tournaments; everyone who's anyone is coming!" Jessie protested, arms spread wide. "And think of all the power that's up for grabs…"
Domino nodded, taking a long, deep breath before continuing on. "For now, go about your business. If an easy swipe comes up, go for it. Whatever you do, don't blow your cover. We'll meet back here in three days for further orders."
The six Rockets each darted off in different directions, the only thing left of them a faint cry of "Wobbuffet!" in the distance.
Ash and Aurian shared a cautious glance before climbing back down the tree, their feet hitting the ground with a muffled thump.
"Well, they know that we planned to be here," Ash muttered, resisting the urge to kick a rock across the forest floor.
Pikachu tapped his shoulder twice. "Pikapi, pipi pikaka chu."
"You're right, they'd be fools for thinking our higher-ups wouldn't send anyone," Ash answered with a nod. "To be fair, we expected criminal activity here, too."
Aurian frowned, blue eyes unfathomable. "... this can't be the entire plan. It's not like Rocket to default to petty Delcatty-burglary for an event this large."
"Would you really trust any of those six with the full plan?" Ash snorted.
"Touche. Even then, it's weird seeing them work together. From what you've told me from your early days, Biff and Cassidy can't stand Domino, who can't stand Jessie, James, and Meowth, who can't stand…" Aurian trailed off with a shrug. "We'll keep our eyes open."
In the blink of an eye, the duo vanished, leaving only the slightest echo of their words behind.
Morning rose with a brilliant sunrise, bathing the sky in a technicolor show of red, orange, and pink clouds. Starly chirped overhead, a familiar sound for Aurian, who woke first.
She sat for a moment, savoring the early morning stillness, the sharp scent of pine sap, the peaceful repetition of waves hitting the cliffside to her left, and the feel of grass under her fingers instead of concrete.
Aurian crept out from her sleeping bag and set out breakfast for their teams. Six Pokeballs opened, her team taking in the new landscape with wide eyes and growling stomachs.
"I know you're hungry," she said, just as her Togekiss' stomach gave a huge rumble. "Eat up. Leave some for Red's team, though, we can't let them starve!"
A moan signaled Ash rejoining the world of the living, a muffled "love you too" not far behind. He released his team as well, five more Pokemon joining Pikachu to sprint over to the food bowls.
"Quite the motley crew we have assembled, huh?" Aurian grinned.
Ash nodded. "Hey, they told us to bring our A game!"
Aurian dug around in her backpack for a hot second before finding two granola bars, tossing one to her friend. "Okay, let's make sure we have everything straight before we register. It'd be nice if we could beat the rush this morning."
"Absolutely," Ash said through a mouthful of breakfast, earning a displeased look from his patonai. "We're using our Sinnoh call signs for this, we should probably start calling each other by code names before we get to the Center so we're not more awkward than we normally are."
Aurian grinned. "Blue Katrian returns from the dead! Nice to see you again, Red."
"I'm assuming you have the entry letters?" Ash asked, downing the rest of his granola bar and pulling a contact case from the outside pocket of his backpack.
Aurian nodded, handing over a crisp envelope marked with the League seal. "Pretty sure that Overhead had to pull about a thousand strings to get these in our hands, but I'm grateful. Also have the recommendation letters from Oak, Rowan, Lance, and Cynthia, too."
"Not sure how they got Goodshow to sign off on those, but I won't ask any questions. Thank God you're better with paperwork than I am," Ash muttered, handing Pikachu a Leppa berry. "I have the contacts, we're using replacement Pokedexes… am I forgetting anything else?"
"To breathe," Aurian said, giving her partner a concerned glance. "Red, you're running a million miles a minute. You're worried, and you look it."
Ash sighed, Pikachu giving him the same look that Aurian did.
"You know as well as I do that most of the crew I ran with before everything exploded will probably be here," he groaned, head in his hands. "You also know what they said about me afterwards…"
Aurian raised an eyebrow. "Was any of it true?"
"No."
"Do they know what a badass you are now?"
Ash tried his hardest not to laugh. "Definitely not. They think I'm dead, and it's staying that way."
"Good. I know that's been churning around in that thick skull of yours," Aurian knocked twice on top of his head, "because I've had the same worries. We have rock-solid documentation, paperwork, and identities. All we can do is let go of the past… and remember our covert ops training, or Koga will kill us."
Ash gave Aurian a one-armed hug. "Thanks, Ri."
"That's what I'm here for! Come on, let's pack up camp and get moving, I hate the thought of standing in line when the weather is this nice," Aurian said, pulling Ash to his feet and starting the process of packing up camp.
Ash smiled, watching Aurian and her team make quick work of packing everything neatly back into place. He never anticipated that the girl that bailed him out from a nasty street battle with what remained of Team Galactic all those years ago would one day be his best friend, his partner in both the G-Men and in aura training. Aurian Copland cared fiercely for everyone around her, wielded sarcasm like a weapon, and refused to do anything halfway.
They were family. He and Aurian shared no blood, but they were as close as brother and sister. Aurian was the one person in their G-Men squadron, the Armada, that knew everything about him from his favorite color to most of his embarrassing childhood stories to why he hated broccoli so much. And he knew he was the same kind of person for her.
"See anything unusual?" Aurian called, packing the last sleeping bag away and shouldering her backpack.
Ash's vision faded to monochrome as he closed his eyes, his patonai's aura flaring on his right. He reached out into the forest, finding nothing but Pokemon and trees.
"Nothing. Yet."
"Optimistic as ever," Aurian smiled. "Shall we?"
Ash paused, fumbling the contact case. "Hang on."
A minute- and a lot of cursing- later, Ash turned back around with crimson eyes.
Aurian flashed him a thumbs-up. "Eerily natural. Research did a great job with those."
The patonai set off through the forest on the east end of the island, following a winding path downhill towards the Center outside of Stadium A.
"I'll admit, I'm surprised that Rocket's here after what we did to them three months ago," Aurian muttered, stepping over a pile of Caterpie droppings.
Ash shrugged. "They've never known when to quit. Guess that means we should be extra-careful- I think we've moved up on their hit list since last time!"
"Our crowning achievement," Aurian drawled, much to Ash's amusement.
Half an hour after sunrise, the duo arrived at the largest Pokemon Center on the island, located just in front of Stadium A. Hotels loomed behind the Center, most of the windows dark. Down the path a little ways further, boats from all over docked and dropped anchor, excited chatter from participants and spectators alike thrumming in the air.
"Looks like we got here before things get too wild," Ash muttered, holding the door for Aurian.
The inside of the Center hadn't changed much since Ash's last time on the Island- the spacious foyer was filled with trainers sitting on couches and in armchairs, a massive Pokeball etched into the floor. A small line of participants stood in front of a League official behind a separate portion of the counter than the Center staff, each brandishing envelopes and making small talk with each other.
The line moved quickly, putting Ash and Aurian at the front within about six minutes.
"Welcome to the Global Invitational! We're so excited to have you here. Do you have your documents ready to go?" the League official asked, pushing her glasses back up her nose.
Ash nodded, passing his envelopes over. "Here's my entry letter and my recommendations."
"Good, good," the official said, barely looking at Ash as she seized the envelopes. "Who wrote your recommendations?"
"Professor Oak and Champion Lance."
She nodded, cracking the seals to inspect the letters. "All of these look in order. Now just to confirm, you'd like to be listed as Red Aronshu from Kanto?"
"Yes ma'am," Ash nodded.
The official frowned. "Just Kanto? No hometown?"
Ash laughed. "I grew up off of Route 6- no town in sight! I appreciate the concern, though."
"All right, you're good to go. Now for your friend here- what's your name, girlie?"
Aurian cleared her throat. "Blue Katrian, hailing from Canalave City in Sinnoh. Endorsed by Professor Rowan and Champion Cynthia."
"Excellent, excellent," the official nodded, scanning the letters and handing them back to Aurian. "You're both good to go! While the machine here prints your wristbands, I've been asked to let you know that the League is piloting a mentorship program for new trainers this year! Each participant has the opportunity to take on a Trainee who's just started on their journey. Would you be interested in participating?"
Aurian grinned. "Yes, of course!"
"Sounds fun," Ash offered. "Are the names randomly assigned?"
The League official ducked out of sight, rummaged around a bit, then pulled a massive fishbowl filled with folded pieces of paper out, setting it on the counter. "It's all done by random draw! Stick your hand in and pull out a name."
Aurian stepped forward and nudged her sleeve up a little, exposing a small part of the web of scars that Ash knew wrapped around both arms and traced down her back. The League official recoiled the slightest bit but said nothing, gaze focused on the scar as Aurian pulled a piece of paper out and unfolded it.
"Madeleine Cobalt," she murmured. "On the bright side, this has Pokegear contact info, so we can get in touch with them! This'll be fun."
Ash nodded, approaching the fishbowl. "Let's see..."
He withdrew a green piece of paper. Aurian watched, horrified, as the color left his face.
"Do you need anything else from us?" Aurian asked, putting a careful hand on her partner's shoulder.
The official shook her head. "That's all. Have a lovely day!"
Aurian steered Ash away from the counter and plunked him on a couch in the back corner of the Center. "Talk to me."
Ash handed the name over, the unfolded paper reading 'Max Maple'.
"Oh, Red," Aurian shook her head. "You've spoken highly of him in the past so it shouldn't be too bad, right?"
Ash bit his lip. "It's not him I'm worried about, it's who he's probably traveling with."
"One battle at a time," Aurian said, "and we won't know that until we meet him. We need a distraction. Want to help me call my trainee?"
"That sounds great! Come on, give me an earbud."
Aurian pulled her headphones from her pocket and dialed a ten-digit number on her PokeGear. Three rings later, a small Black girl popped up on the camera, sporting microbraids interwoven with blue extensions.
"Madeleine?" Blue asked.
The girl in question nodded. "You found me! Are you my mentor trainer?"
"You got it! I'm Blue, it's so nice to meet you. Have you gotten to the Island yet?"
Madeleine nodded. "Yeah! I got here yesterday and thought I'd try to learn my way around before it gets too crowded. When did you get here?"
Blue smiled. "Last night. My best friend and I are in the big Center by Stadium A if you'd like to come say hi! We'll be towards the back."
Madeleine let off an excited squeal, bringing a huge smile to the patonai's faces. "OMG, yes! Give me five minutes and I'll be there. See you soon!"
A click signaled that the call ended, leaving the duo staring at a blank screen.
"I think you've met your match in terms of energy. Looked like she was gonna vibrate off of that park bench," Ash laughed.
Aurian laughed. "Enthusiasm is never a bad thing. She's just starting out, cut her some slack. In the meantime… how are you going to contact Max?"
"Text message," Ash answered, pulling out his PokeGear. "Low pressure."
"Hey, Max! This is Red, I'm your mentor trainer for the duration of the tournament. Would you like to meet up somewhere?"
Not ten seconds later, he received a return message.
"Absolutely! I'm on my way to the Center with my sister and her friends right now, are you anywhere close?"
Ash swore under his breath. "Just finished registering. I'm sitting with my best friend and her trainee towards the back. Come find us, I'm wearing a red hoodie.""Sweet, see you soon!"
As Ash closed his Pokegear, the duo spotted Madeleine working her way through the crowd, a Cyndaquil tucked in her arms.
"Madeleine!" Blue called, waving frantically in an attempt to catch the girl's attention.
Ash tapped her shoulder twice. "Max is on his way, too."
The smaller girl ran over with a breathless grin. "Man, it's really crowded out there! I've never seen so many boats in one place."
"Madeleine, this is Red, my best friend," Aurian motioned towards Ash, who gave a wave and a high-five.
"Nice to meet you," Madeleine said, brown eyes bright. "Please call me Maddie, though- my mom is the only one who ever calls me by my full name."
The girls erupted into excited conversation while Ash kept an eye on the door.
He looked back over at Aurian, who gave a delighted Cyndaquil another Leppa berry from their stash.
"You ready?" Aurian asked, passing Cyndaquil back to Maddie, who scratched her starter under her chin. "Your Cyndaquil is in excellent shape, by the way."
Maddie beamed. "Thank you! Nova and I haven't been together for too long, but I think we're going to be a great team."
"Quil!"
The doors at the front of the Center opened to reveal Max Maple himself, accompanied by May, Gary, and Dawn.
Ash made eye contact with Aurian, who nudged him forward.
"Here goes nothing…"
A/N: Hi! Before we get too far into things, special thanks to thechinskyguy for being the best beta reader a writer could ask for, and for agreeing to come back for the rewrite. Thank you for your keen eyes and fantastic advice.
When COVID-19 hit the US back in March, I went back and reread a whole bunch of my old writing projects— including Primary, which is the original incarnation of Primary Intentions.
When I started writing Primary seven years ago, I had no idea what I was getting into. While the ending is something I'm still proud of, the rest of the manuscript is... well, pretty questionable at times. Primary was written off and on over the course of about three and a half years— I grew a ton as a writer through that time period, and I like to think that I've grown considerably more after Primary's completion. This story deserved better than I could give it at the time, so we're back for a rewrite! For those of you that are new to this altered universe, hello and welcome! There are a few things to keep in mind:
1. I started Primary in 2013, between B2W2 and X&Y. Since the original project came out of the gap between Gen V and Gen VI, I've elected to honor that placement in the overall Pokemon timeline. Fairy types do exist here (and I'll do my best to give them the love and appreciation they deserve!), but the move pools and TM uses are all sourced from Bulbapedia's Gen V databases, when applicable.
2. The break from anime canon happens after Ash's Sinnoh League. Anything before that is fair game!
That's it from my end- thanks for persevering to the end of this ridiculously long Author's Note! I promise they most likely won't be as hefty from here on out. Feel free to drop a review, if you'd like! I hope you enjoyed what you read and hope you'll consider sticking around for future updates!
- PL, signing off!