This is my first time writing a fanfic, so I'm not sure how good it'll turn out, but I'm going to give it my best shot.
Once a year, every year, fourteen-year-olds from across the region all set off on their journeys. Be it for fame, for money, for power, or for something else entirely, each and every one of these budding trainers all brim with their own lofty dreams and bold aspirations for the future.
Pokemon training is a wide and diverse profession, after all.
There are breeders, who work to nurture, raise, and care for Pokemon all the way up from their time as an egg, helping to supply the league on mass with starters suitable for young trainers.
There are co-ordinators, who participate in contests to see who can present their Pokemon the most appealingly, and with each demonstration being its own great big work of art.
There are rangers, who work in harmony with the Pokemon of nature, acting as a force for good alongside the G-men to protect the region.
Battling in particular, however, still dominates as one of the most popular professions worldwide. Many aim to compete in Kanto's very own Indigo Conference, an event where the toughest trainers all gather from far and wide – be it from home or abroad – to test their mettle, and compete in one grandiose, single-elimination tournament.
Between them, stand the eight Gym leaders. These crucial figures reign at the top of the nation's ladder – masters of their chosen typing and tasked with the job of wheedling out the weak from the strong. The harsh reality is, only a few dozen rookies ever manage to defeat them all and qualify during their first attempt. For many, their once-towering skyscrapers of hope crumbling into smouldering ashes and debris, blindsided by the difficulty, and crushed without even having obtained a single Gym badge.
Once a trainer makes it to the league, though, even after all their struggles, there's still no guarantee they will ever make it past the onslaught of preliminary rounds, where a single mistake can cost you your placement in the tournament. Hardly any first-time novices manage to make it any further than the top 16, and into the true depths of the full-scale, 6 on 6 battles.
After all of that however, if, just if, a trainer does manage to get this far, the Indigo Plateau is waiting just beyond, where their final challenge resides. Having surpassed every other trainer in the region and proving their strength, a trainer can receive the opportunity to challenge these national-level trainers in a gauntlet that leads up to the region's Champion, Lance, the dragon master, in the hopes of making their mark in the Hall of Fame.
Now, as another season of the Indigo League arrives upon us, with a new group of bright-eyed rookies ready to step up to the plate, our interests lie in one simple trainer.
We shall follow him, as he embarks on his quest, his head high up in the clouds as he reaches for a far-off goal – to be the very best, like no one ever was.
For now, though, we start off in simpler times, as he lives his life in the quaint little place, known as Palette Town…
/
Crouched eagerly before the chunky TV set, its image grainy, a boy with sooty-black hair was rewatching the quarterfinals of this year's Indigo Conference with bated breath.
He loved the thrill of the battles; the back and forth of the Pokemon; the flashy attacks and complex strategies trainers would execute; all of it would leave him constantly on the edge of his seat.
The announcer's voice and the crowd's cheers of excitement all boomed in the background of the stadium, as a Gengar and Nidorino lay locked in combat. The current standings were tilted 5 to 3, with neither side willing to give up.
At its trainer's hasty command, Nidorino rocketed forward with a vicious Drill Run, the earthen terrain tearing and splintering beneath it in a display of great power for its current stage of evolution, aiming to take down the Gengar in one fell swoop and close the growing gap in the score.
Gengar's sinister grin somehow managed to grow impossibly wider, however, as it proceeded to phase through the attack, before reappearing – unharmed.
At this level in a trainer's career, they had spent enough time with their Pokemon to find ways to work around their weaknesses.
Swivelling around, Nidorino skidded to a halt, making a desperate lunge for the toxic ghost, claws wreathing in a shadowy energy, only for Gengar to give a ghastly cackle. Waving its arms, the poison type was quickly stopped in its tracks, as the Gengar blasted it with a well-aimed Hypnosis.
Picking up his Voltorb alarm, one of the many Pokemon memorabilia filling his room, the boy mimicked the motions of the trainer on-screen as they switched out their Nidorino, sending forth their next Pokemon, an Onix, which burst forth from a Safari ball, towering overhead as it gave a ferocious roar.
He slowly leaned in, zoning in on the television set. His eyes gleamed excitedly as he watched the Onix lunge forward for the offensive. It had begun to swing its tail, with the force behind the blow being practically palpable, even from the footage.
The Gengar began to charge up a Shadow Ball, ready to intercept the blow. With the Onix's tail incoming, though, it was going to be cutting it close.
At this point, the tail was barely an arm's length from the ghost, and it finally let the attack rip, the shadowy sphere speeding forwards.
They were about to collide; they –
Click.
The TV switched off.
"Ash Ketchum, get to bed!"
Turning around with a startled yelp, the ball slipping out of his hands in surprise, Ash groaned disappointedly, "Mum."
Stood there was a brunette, TV remote held firmly in her hand, sending him a stern look. "It's eleven o'clock already, and you should be asleep. You've got an early start tomorrow and I'm not having you stay up all night again."
Picking up his alarm back up, he checked with an anxious haste he made sure it hadn't broken. His mum had gone all the way to Celadon City to get it for him.
Placing it securely back on the bedside table, Ash whined, "But I can't sleep, I'm getting my first Pokemon tomorrow."
"Well, if you're not going to sleep yet, you can at least do something productive with your time," she countered, giving him a look, "like going over your studies one last time, or packing your bag so its ready in advance; you have a history of oversleeping young man."
"Alright, alright." Ash said with a slight sulk, picking up his brand-new backpack, all fresh and free of rips and tears. Moving around, he grabbed what he needed what he needed from around his room – starting with his clothes and then working his way through the rest of his requirements – before bundling it all into his arms and stuffing it in the bag.
Only then, having finally finished, did he clamber into bed.
/
Fidgeting restlessly as he looked up towards the ceiling, Ash couldn't help but contemplate for the umpteenth time which starter he should pick.
All three were great options, commendable in their own rights, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. He had to choose carefully.
His gut reaction would have been to immediately go for Squirtle, no doubt in his mind.
Blastoise excelled in both offense and defence, thanks to the brutal combination of their cannons and protective shell. While at times, the evolution line could be overly zealous – making it one of the more intermediate level starters in difficulty to raise – this was often counter balanced by their stereotypically calm attitudes as water types. Most importantly to him, however, was that this starter was just plain awesome.
A sheepish smile worked its way onto his face.
Okay so maybe his last reason was more of an opinion than a fact, but in fairness, what wasn't cool about a turtle with cannons on its back? Literal cannons!
As the moment passed however, he sighed, expression drooping back down. No matter how badly he wanted one, it realistically wasn't going to happen.
Gary had been planning on getting one since they were kids – wanting to follow in his grandfather's footsteps and all that before he went on to surpass him – and there was no way he would let Ash of all people have it instead of him.
He shrugged off the thought, trying to keep up a positive outlook.
Okay sure, not getting Squirtle was going to be a bummer, a pretty big one too, but he had two more options to pick from, right?
A Bulbasaur could definitely be good.
Gary always complained they were too passive and lacking in strength compared to the others, but Gary also always enjoyed taking the simpler approach compared to Venusaur's indirect playstyle so that wasn't really a fair assessment.
Ash knew that what they were truly well known for in battle, was their versatility and utility. Trainers could cleverly utilise a variety of spores and healing moves to gain the upper hand on opponents.
Past their battle capabilities however, it was irrefutable that their easy-going and mature nature made them an ideal choice for rookie trainers. The one they had brought into school to show had definitely demonstrated that.
'Except when it had given Gary a light whack on the back of the head with one of its vines,' he chuckled to himself, 'but he'd had that one coming.'
Everyone had a limit, and he knew all too well that Gary was capable of pushing just the right buttons to send you over the edge. Especially with him…
'Anyways', he sniffed, pushing away both the tangent and the memory haunted by Gary's influence, 'the final option is Charmander.'
It was a Pokemon famously popular across the entirety of both Kanto and Johto, with its influence also spilling over to other regions. Heck, even Lance had one! It was for good reason too; Charizard boasted the highest raw power of any of the Kanto region's starters. The lizard could even fly!
It was easy to understand the hype behind the idea of riding around on a fire-breathing dragon, but it was probably too much for its own good. Its power came with a catch, after all. Like many fire types, these dragon-like Pokemon tended to have a pretty egregious arrogant streak if not raised with the utmost care, and many starting trainers would be tripped up by the struggle of curbing the Flame Pokemon's prideful tendencies.
He admittedly felt a little trepidation towards this pick.
Would he really be able to handle raising such a temperamental Pokemon?
Fire types most often demanded for a trainer they could respect. He... wasn't exactly that.
Since he was going to be struggling enough as it was just trying to get a good footing on his journey. He didn't want to also deal with his own teammate turning on him.
Before he could spiral down that line of thinking any longer, his tiredness finally began to tug impatiently at his eyes, and he gave out a long yawn.
Right, sleep. He needed that didn't he?
Shuffling around under the covers, his eyes drifted shut. Whichever one of them he got, fire, water, or grass, he was sure that no matter what, they would be great.
/
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Morning sunlight filtered in through the open window, and a shrill noise invaded Ash's ears with a fierce assault.
Ugh. What was that?
He felt like he should know but his mind was a foggy mess right now, and thinking was like wrong through deep water.
Fumbling around blindly with a half-groan, half-whine, he tried to find the source, until eventually, Ash managed to slap a hand on the annoying sound.
Sweet silence returned to the room.
There. It had stopped.
Now he could get back to his sleep.
His brain stopped to think for a moment, clearing up now that it could focus and shake off the groggy haze.
Wait a minute...
Ash hurled the covers off of him, bolting up straight.
It was happening. It was finally happening!
He would finally be receiving his Trainer's License!
Just the thought of it alone sent a series of shivers running through him.
Having jumped out of bed, within minutes Ash stood before the mirror, having changed out of his yellow and green pyjamas before slipping on a blue jacket with short white sleeves.
He adjusted the official Indigo League cap upon his head, barely able to contain his excitement. This was going to be his big day, and he wasn't going to let anything ruin it for him, not even Gary.
Today, he started his journey to becoming a Pokemon Master!
Stumbling slightly as he dashed over the large Snorlax plush lying on the floor, teetering as he flailed his arms like a windmill to stay balanced, Ash managed to bound down the steps, moving for the porch, where his shoes were flung to one side.
As he started down the hallway, his mother called out from another room, "Ash, wait!"
He turned to see her waiting for him in the dining room, where she had just placed two plates down on the table, before pulling out a chair.
"Aren't you going to have any breakfast?" Delia said, gesturing to the still-hot slices of toast that were waiting for him.
Ash glanced anxiously at clock, before looking back to the food.
On the one hand, it was the last chance he would have to eat with his mum for a good while. On the other hand, he didn't want to miss out on his chance to get a starter just because he lost track of time, and Gary would never let him hear the end of it if he was late either.
Weighing up his options, he grabbed the food, finally deciding, "I'll eat on the way there, mum. See you in a bit!"
Hastily slinging his bag onto his back, the slices of bread held precariously with his mouth, Ash was out the door within seconds with a swift wave of goodbye.
/
Making his way to the steps that led up to the lab – having just finished shovelling in the last of his breakfast – Ash couldn't help the groan that escaped his mouth, his earlier joy souring somewhat.
"So, you finally showed your face, Ashy boy."
He had known this was going to happen, but that expectation didn't make it any less unpleasant.
Stood in front of him, leaning against the railing with crossed arms and a smirk that oozed with more brash confidence than a Muk did sludge.
It was none other than Gary Oak himself.
"Gary." Ash ground out, doing his best to keep the nickname from riling him up. He didn't know why he hated it so much, but it seemed to grate against his every nerve like an impulse, and that was all the reason Gary needed to keep using it.
He bit down on the inside of his cheek. Alright, all he had to do was just keep calm.
He wasn't going to let the boy get under his skin; he wasn't. Not today.
"Congratulations, looks like you're actually on time for once." Gary said, with a faux clap of his hands, "Not that it matters all that much. You're never going to get anywhere near my level once I become a world-famous trainer."
"You'll see," he huffed, face screwing up with some annoyance, "I'll beat you, and then I'll win the league and become –"
"You'll become a so-called 'Pokemon Master', right?" he taunted with an incredulous roll of his eyes, as if the very notion was a ridiculous fantasy. Having cut off Ash, he leaned in closer before continuing, "It's not like you're saying it for the hundredth time – whatever it's supposed to even mean. Forget defeating me, forget winning the league, if your even deluded enough to believe what you're saying, I bet you won't even make it to the conference."
Ash opened his mouth to respond with a jab of his own…only find himself hesitating. Just insisting with something like 'Yes I will' wasn't going to prove anything to the boy, not without anything to back it up. He was never the best at witty comebacks or one-liners, that was always Gary's forte by a long shot.
'Doesn't that apply to everything at this point?' a part of him couldn't help but wonder with a weary drudgery.
Gary was Palette Town's rising star. Gary was the goldmine of potential. Gary was the grandson of the fabled Professor Oak.
Gary, Gary, Gary.
It was always Gary.
He practically had his entire career laid out in front of him, but Ash? He wasn't a genius, or some chosen one, or anything special like that; he was just someone who fumbled blindly, blundering into every conceivable obstacle, and only scraping by through stubbornness and dumb luck.
What was he meant to say when faced with all of that?
After a moment's pause, Gary smug grin stretched further across his face, sensing that he'd won – however arbitrarily – and sauntered backwards to the door.
"Well, come on then", he motioned, stamping down on any final chances Ash may have had to squeeze in a retort, "I'm not going to wait around all day for you."
Grumbling, all Ash could do was follow through behind him.
/
Walking inside, they passed by various assistants and aides, who were busily typing away on their computers, compiling the research they'd gathered from observing the spare Pokemon trainers kept there.
Heading upstairs via the single spiralling staircase, they reached an office, where Professor Oak and the two other rookies who were setting off on their journeys today stood.
The girl, Leaf, was tapping her foot impatiently as she watched the boys approach them, shooting a glare in particular at Gary; she was just about the only girl in their dinky little town not to be head over heels for Gary, and by now she'd gotten sick of hearing from every single one of her friends how oh-so great and perfect he was supposed to be. She wore a cyan, sleeveless top, and a red skirt that complemented her hat and shoes, which were both white with red highlights.
Then there was the boy next to her, Ritchie, who was looking anxiously at the dirty looks being shot between the two. He wore a similar attire to Ash, although in a more turquoise colour-scheme than him, and with a blue and yellow cap instead.
In all honesty, Ash didn't know him too well, considering he'd only recently moved here, but he seemed friendly enough. He was nicer than Gary anyway, however low that bar was.
They were waiting beside an ornate, wooden desk, which upon it had an assortment of items. Various papers and documents lay scattered messily across the surface, documenting findings about a variety of different species of Pokemon; on top of them was a mug filled what he presumed to be coffee, long since gone cold after nights of late-night research. Finally, there was an old, faded photograph in a wooden frame, of a young Professor Oak, standing proud and victorious at the Indigo Plateau, surrounded by six Pokemon.
The Professor himself, had once challenged the League after all, and even though he had participated only twice, it was an unforgettable team that he'd had.
His starter, a Blastoise, was able to keep a level head no matter the situation; some say it had even been able to go head-to-head with Agatha's Gengar, who was a close rival of Oak's. His next Pokemon was a Tangrowth, able to withstand even the strongest of attacks as the team's forefront of defence.
His Ninetales was graceful and composed, able to spit fire with deadly aim and a sharp focus, and he had a Clefable, who exuded an all-encompassing aura of peace and serenity, that couldn't help but make you feel better.
His Kangaskhan was a powerhouse to be reckoned with, able to pack as much force as a Hyper Beam with its two fists. Last, but not least, of course – with this one being Ash's personal favourite – was his trusty Dragonite.
After a close battle, he narrowly lost to the second member of the Elite Four at the time. Despite the numerous and persistent offers he received to join the Elite Four following this, he had instead settled down in Palette Town, laying his battling skills to rest, to be able to fulfil his dream of becoming a researcher.
At least that's what Ash had been told whenever he had asked the older residents of the town. He wasn't too sure just how much was exaggerated for dramatic effect.
That wasn't important right now though; what stuck out to him most of all on the desk, however, was the four, glossy Pokeballs placed upon it.
"Ah! Ash, Gary, you've finally arrived." Oak said, overlapping with Leaf muttering under her breath 'Took you long enough'. Reaching into his lab-coat pocket, the Professor drew out their standard league-issued Pokedexes and empty Pokeballs, handing them over to each of them.
The organisation helped draw in more starting trainers by offering a set of starting equipment and a relative amount of initial funding depending on your economic status.
"With everyone here we can finally begin." he started, "Now of course we do have something for each of you four to choose from; however, we only have one of each traditional Kanto starters available today."
Ash's skin prickled, and a tension filled the room.
If you had your heart set on any of the starters specifically, you'd be hard-pressed to find them out in the wild.
"Recently, the league has assigned a number of researchers to help Professor Sycamore's and other scientists of the region's investigation into a certain phenomenon practiced in Kalos." explained Oak with a grimace, "As part of this, a number of the Pokemon initially intended to be starters, have been sent over for observation, and so this year we have been spread thin with the Pokemon available for distribution."
"Luckily, having accounted for their lower turnout of trainers, our neighbouring region of Johto has agreed after some negotiations to send over of their own Pokemon as potential substitutes. Most cities got given more common Pokemon, such as Sunkern, Phanpy or Teddiursa, but after a few phone calls with Professor Elm, I was able to pull some strings so that Palette Town would receive one of Johto's regular starters instead."
"I know that you were all looking forward to picking one of our conventional picks however, so I felt an apology was in order. Waiting three or so months for more starters to be available again is, of course, always an option but …" he continued, trailing off at the end as he looked over their expressions. For those aiming to participate in the conference, any delays could lead to major setbacks, especially for a rookie.
Professor Oak took a moment to let them come to an agreement amongst each other; as a minute dragged by however, and everyone refused to budge, he'd been forced to awkwardly step back in and make them draw lots to determine an order to choose their starters in, which had been a somewhat amusing moment for Ash...until he drew the shortest straw.
First up was Leaf, who plucked a Pokeball engraved with a leaf-symbol above its button. As she hooked it to her waist, planning to greet her Pokemon later, Gary let out a snicker, before snarking a comment about how fitting of a choice Bulbasaur was for her,
"Hardy-har, laugh it up Gary." Leaf scoffed, glaring at him, "At least I'm not riding my grandpa's coattails."
That promptly shut him up.
Ash huffed. Why couldn't he do that?
Going up next was Gary, who barged past him to the front, flashing that same obnoxious and mocking smile he always did as heswiped up Squirtle's Pokeball from the desk. In a flash of light, the Squirtle materialised before him, and lifting his Pokedex up, the light blinked on as it scanned Gary's new Pokemon.
'Squirtle. This Tiny Turtle Pokémon draws its long neck into its shell to launch incredible water attacks with amazing range and accuracy. The blasts can be quite powerful.'
'Squirtle's gender is male, and it has the ability Torrent, which greatly boosts the power of water type moves when the Pokemon has sustained heavy damage. This Pokemon knows the moves Tackle, Withdraw, and Water Gun, and has the egg moves Aura Sphere and Aqua Jet'
"Now this is a Pokemon for a future Champion." grinned Gary, kneeling down to further examine Squirtle.
"We're going to go far, you and me." he boasted, voice filled with self-assurance, as he patted the water type's smooth, ridged shell, for once having forgotten the need to wind up Ash upon having received his long-awaited first Pokemon.
In the meantime, Ritchie made his decision between the two remaining options. He looked a little guiltily at Ash, scratching his cheek, before meekly picking up Charmander's Pokeball.
That left either the substitute for him, or nothing.
Oh boy.
/
As the three trainers had begun to make their way out back downstairs and out of the lab (Gary leaving first, and not without getting in a 'Smell you later', of course) Oak looked Ash square in the eyes with a serious expression.
"Well, I'm afraid that's all of them but the substitute." Oak lamented, "Before I give to you however, I must ask: are you certain you don't want to wait?"
Ash took a deep breath.
Whatever waited for him in that final Pokeball, he was ready.
He nodded.
"Very well then…" sighed Oak, handing Ash the capsule, "Here is your starter. She's well-behaved and sensible enough, but just keep in mind, Professor Elm has informed that this Pokemon can be a too stubborn for its own good at times. It's nothing that isn't manageable for a trainer such as yourself, of course, but it is something you will need to keep in mind."
Taking the ball from the professor's hands almost reverently, he nodded.
Although he couldn't stop the disappointed feeling swirling around at this turn of events, Ash felt the child-like wonder inside him grow, like a small shoot of hope.
He wondered which it would be.
Cyndaquil?
Chikorita?
Totodile?
He didn't know much about any of them but their names and appearances, so he'd be going in blind with all of them…
Well here goes nothing then.
He pushed down on the Pokeball's release button, ready to see his starter.
Bursting out of the capsule, a lime green, quadruped Pokemon now sat on the ground in front of him.
Upon its head, was a large, swaying leaf, complemented by a series of small, dark buds around its neck. Fidgeting with its short and stubby limbs, its tail wagged back and forth as it took in the new environment.
Blinking up at him, with wide eyes – a soft red in colour – was a Chikorita.
The two stared at each other with curious and probing expressions, neither making a sound as they processed the situation.
Ash felt almost giddy right now; it was like he had his head in the clouds. He had his very first Pokemon right here in his arms.
As the Professor left them to their own devices, the two milled around awkwardly, eyeing each other with unsure gazes.
Ash scuffed his shoe against the floor nervously, looking at the leaf Pokemon – he didn't want to mess this up.
He shook his hand back and forth in the air, as if to dispel his worries.
Whatever, it would be fine.
Sure, he didn't have any proper friends, but he'd say he was great with Pokemon. That was the one thing he could truly do without Gary keeping him down.
He just had to pull it off one more time.
Finally, working up the courage, he sat himself down, anxiously watching his starter's reaction, and, stumbling slightly over his words, said "So, uh, hi Chikorita."
Chikorita stiffened, looking up at him.
"My name's Ash," he continued, making sure to maintain eye contact with the grass type, "and I'm going to be your trainer."
Chikorita tensed a little further, as Ash tentatively reached out his hand to his starter.
A moment passed, the leaf Pokemon giving him a sceptical look as she also tried to get a read on him, before finally, she cautiously leaned into the embrace.
A small grin crossed Ash's face at the sight, making sure to cherish the new feeling of Chikorita's bristly skin under his palm.
She definitely seemed a little wary, but at least she wasn't trying to attack him or anything like that.
He was glad the league made sure to cover their bases and didn't just give out any old random and aggressive wild Pokemon as a starter. Someone could really get hurt like that.
After a few seconds of quiet had passed, Ash said, "I'm just going to take a look your Pokedex entry before we head out, alright?"
He couldn't battle with a Pokemon he didn't know the moves for, could he?
Having checked it over with her, he pointed his Pokedex at her, waiting for it to give him the information he needed; he couldn't exactly battle without knowing what moves they had to work with.
'Chikorita, the Leaf Pokémon. Chikorita emit pleasant aromas from the leaves on their heads and they love to sunbathe.' droned the device in its monotone voice.
'Chikorita's gender is female, and it has the ability Overgrow, which greatly boosts the power of grass type moves when the Pokemon has sustained heavy damage. This Pokemon knows the moves Tackle, Growl and Vine Whip, and has the egg move Ancient Power.'
Ash's eyes widened a fraction at the last attack listed on the screen.
So Chikorita also had an egg move. He supposed it wasn't too surprising, since she was also bred by humans rather than being caught from the wild.
Whilst he was unsure whether or not she had the ability to execute it at her current level of experience, especially with the move's requirement some degree of psychic power, it would definitely prove useful once she got stronger thanks to the coverage the move would provide them with.
Putting the advanced piece of technology carefully back in his pocket, he nervously turned back to look at his starter again.
"Alright…" he asked, "are you ready to go?"
As she nodded determinedly at him, he stopped, preparing himself, before stepping out through the doors.
/
Exiting the building, Ash saw that, Delia was waiting for him to say their goodbyes. After seeing he was still at the lab, the Professor had apparently called to suggest that she come, since Ash was taking his time.
"My baby boy's all grown up and leaving home" Delia sighed, giving him a tearful smile, "Just remember to call me when you have the time."
"Don't worry Mum, I will." he replied, doing his best to put on a brave face as he wrapped his arms around her, giving her one last hug.
It wasn't as big or celebrated as what Gary had gotten – he'd heard the cheers and whoops of what felt like the entire town spilling in from outside – but this, he wouldn't trade away this send-off for anything else.
As they separated from the close embrace, Delia added, "And be careful; don't go looking for trouble and watch out for Team Rocket!"
Delia then turned down to Chikorita, who had been watching the exchange curiously by Ash's side, and said, "I'll be counting on you; just take care of him, okay? He needs someone to keep him from doing something reckless."
The grass type proceeded to stand to attention, giving a mock salute, which prompted a short laugh from the woman and a 'harrumph' from Ash at the playful tease.
"I'll be fine Mum." he reassured, before starting to make his way down the path that led onto Route 1.
As he departed, an empty silence hung thickly in the air. It was unsettling, Delia thought; so different to the constant noise her son would normally make, the excitement he would bring with him.
With a bittersweet wetness in her eyes, she continued to watch for as long as she could, until he was nothing more than a silhouette, and then until even that had faded into the distance, and she could see him no more.
Only then, did she finally turn and head on home…
Looking up at the sky, where the sun was just arriving at its peak, Ash clutched the straps of his backpack with a tight grip as he walked.
The receding number of buildings and the unfamiliar weight of the Pokeball clipped to his belt only served to ground the reality of the situation, and the single thought that echoed incessantly in his mind.
He was finally leaving home.
Ash paused as he reached the old and rickety wooden sign, that marked the edge of town.
This was it.
Sparing one last glance at the place he called his home, soaking it all in, Ash took an unsteady step forward, and then another, and another, and soon, they were out.
They were out, and into the wild.
Ash gave a wry grin a cocktail of emotions swirling; their journey was only just beginning.
Ash's Pokemon:
Chikorita (Female) (Overgrow)
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Well if you're this far down the page I'm hoping you actually read the full chapter. If you have, then thanks, I really appreciate it.
Feel free to leave any thoughts or constructive criticism in a review. It really helps.