Ok, this chapter was hard to write. H A R D. Also long, wow, it's twice as long as normal...

Please tell me what do you think in the end. As always, I love you guys, and I hope you're going to enjoy the chapter.

1

If a person that knew Ash were to sneak a peek into his bedroom, they will find something unbelievable.

No, I'm not talking about a pink feline Pokémon or something of that variation, although I admit that would be just as shocking if not more. What I'm talking about is the book inside of the young boy's arms.

What's more, it appears that the boy is actually reading. Simply mind-boggling, right?

Until this day, Ash would have never, on his own accord, took the initiative to study. How he didn't fail all of his classes would forever remain a mystery, but that's not the point. The point is that Ash Ketchum was sitting in his bed, legs crossed, dressed in his night-clothes – cape included, and read the book aloud.

On his lap sat a Pikachu that looked very interested in what the book had to say. It could be that it was on this Pokémon insistence that Ash found himself learning.

Pikachu had a lot of questions when it came to trainers and what one is supposed to do on a Pokémon journey – which is very natural considering how he was supposed to accompany Ash on one. The boy turned Pokémon couldn't answer all of those questions, which lead the two of them to look for answers in Ash's books.

It took time because most of his books were on math and history, and other annoying things like that. However, that didn't mean that Ash gave up, nor did Pikachu. The two of them looked through each and every book they found until they reached the right one.

When they did – or more truthfully, Pikachu did, the mouse Pokémon called Ash, and the two of them made their way to Ash's room. They settled on the bed, and with shining eyes, they started to read.

It was the first time that Ash was feeling excited when holding a book, but since it was a book on Pokémon and Pokémon Trainers, it wasn't that weird, "you ready Pikachu?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Pikachu said before he rubbed his head against Ash and let out a content 'cha…'

"Alright, here I go," Ash cleared his throat and read, "a Pokémon Trainer is a person who catches, trains, cares for, and battles with Pokémon. The majority of people within the world are Trainers."

"So far so good," Pikachu said in an upbeat tone.

Ash gave him a look before he continued reading, "Pokémon Trainer is a broad term for any person who owns Pokémon, including Coordinators and Breeders. However, the term is more often used to refer to people on a journey to collect Gym Badges and enter the Pokémon League."

"What the hell is a Coordinator and a Breeder? What are they supposed to do?" Pikachu couldn't help himself. He stopped once he looked up and saw Ash's unimpressed expression. "Sorry."

Ash rolled his eyes and continued reading, "Many Trainers leave home at about the age of ten or eleven, sometimes accompanied by a starter Pokémon obtained from a Pokémon Professor. Many will travel around one or more regions, doing such things as gathering information for a Pokédex, perfecting their technique, collecting Gym Badges, and working to become a Pokémon Master." Ash stopped for a dramatic effect, and now it was Pikachu's turn to roll his eyes.

Starting a Pokémon journey is considered a rite of passage for children. Ash, like both his father and grandfather, wanted to start as soon as possible and prove himself.

"Pokémon Trainers come in all sorts of classes: Youngsters tend to stay close to home, and Bug Catchers swarm about the Bug-filled forests… not really interesting, let's skip a little forward ok Pikachu?" Ash looked down and passed his hand through Pikachu's soft fur.

"Fine by me, read the parts we need to know, the rest is just Pokeshit anyhow…" Pikachu yawned.

Ash shrugged before looking at the text and searching for something interesting.

"Here's something," Ash nodded to himself, "many towns have a Gym run by a strong and experienced Trainer known as a Gym Leader. Other Trainers may challenge a Gym Leader, and if the Gym Leader is defeated in battle or the Trainer proves himself in some other way, he or she awards them a Badge - a symbol of the Trainer's skill."

"So, you need to know how to battle effectively, is what they're saying, right?" Pikachu asked.

"Seems so," Ash nodded, "let's see what else…"

"Above the level of Gym Leaders are the Elite Four members and the Pokémon League Champion. There are also Trainers who serve as leaders for battle facilities not recognized by the Pokémon League. These Trainers are considered the cream of the crop, and should a Trainer defeat other Trainers at this level, it is not uncommon for him or her to be offered a place in these high ranks,"

"However, just as there are many Trainers with noble goals and lawful methods, there are also corrupt Trainers, including several villainous teams and poachers – like Team Rocket!" Ash hissed angrily, and his hair stood up, "These Trainers often use powerful Pokémon to take what they want to further their plans."

Pikachu blinked tiredly before he asked, "does it say what we're supposed to do if we run into one of those?"

Ash looked, "No, just that any sighting should be reported to the appropriate authorities."

"Figures," Pikachu snorted and flicked his long ears, "basically, it means that we need to fight them if we're strong enough or run away otherwise. The third option is unacceptable," Pikachu thought aloud.

The third option was to give up their Pokémon, which is never going to happen. Ever.

"Ho, look. There's a map with all the known Gyms marked up! I think this thing belonged to my dad! Mom didn't go on a Pokémon journey, so she doesn't need to plan it like that," Ash looked at the old book with different eyes now.

"Great for you, kid," Pikachu said softly, "but I'll tell you what, I'm kind of tired, so I'll be sleeping right here. That's ok with you?"

Ash nodded. He didn't mind at all. Mom was about to come home in a few hours anyway, so it's not like he's going to be alone for a long time.

Ash left Pikachu to nap on his pillow and made his way downstairs.

2

Magikarp looked in all directions – up, down, left, and right. Not too long ago, he was almost eaten, kidnapped by an old Pokémon, and had to go through seven hells just to get back to where he started.

There's no such thing as being too vigilant!

Soon he got to the spot where those vile flying Pokémon ambushed him, and he escaped them after a long and gruesome battle – which is a great accomplishment in his book.

Magikarp finally understood why it was so hard to complete the almighty training. The steps required were made to provoke nature and give lousy luck to the one practicing.

Yes, that's the only reason Magikarp took this long to get here, not that bad luck was going to stop someone like the fantastic Magikarp. No. Not even Mew's perfect smile could influence his mind of steel!

Carefully, Magikarp tried to remember the next stage of the training. Thankfully, he was smart enough to memorize the whole thing before he left the hidden cave. It would have been regrettable and pathetic had he not.

Magikarp smiled smugly but didn't dare laugh. The next step of the training was: finding the second cave of destiny!

Yes. Magikarp's ancestors knew that such a great and powerful technique couldn't be stored in one single cave, so they dug various caves in hidden spots, and each cave had a clue and a task that lead you to the next destination!

A Magikarp's mind is indeed a fearsome thing.

Years earlier, the one that came with this training technique stood in front of the craving in the first cave and wondered if he should write the rest inside. In the end, he didn't trust the Magikarp's "fearsome mind" and decided to divide the whole thing to avoid problems.

Maybe it was for the best that Magikarp didn't know about it…

It was time to search for the second hidden cave!

Magikarp's eyes burned with an inner fire, and the fish Pokémon started searching every inch of the river, totally overlooking the spot he just swam above – which coincidentally was the entrance to the second hidden cave.

Second hidden cave: *sweat-drop* Every damn time…

3

Delia made sure to call Ash every hour like a clock, but she was still worried about her little boy. Ash had just gotten back after getting kidnapped. He had to be scared, all alone in their big house. It must be so hard for him.

Ash denied it, of course. Delia's boy was sweet like that. He didn't want to worry his mama, but Delia couldn't help herself… Ash shouldn't be alone right now, but it's not like she can leave everything and go back just because she was a little anxious.

Delia took a deep breath and decided to give her friend a call.

Professor Oak could be trusted to look after Ash. The old man didn't have one mean bone in his entire body.

"Hello, this is Professor Oak speaking," his voice came from the same device she used to call Ash, "who is it?"

"It's Delia. I need a favor…"

4

Ash was practicing inside when the doorbell rang. He looked at the clock and swiftly changed back to his human form.

It was too early for his mom to come back, and she didn't say anything about inviting guests. It could be that she forgot. It wouldn't be the first time, but Ash wouldn't open the door before he made sure that it wasn't Team Rocket on the other side of that door.

"Ash…? Ash, it's Professor Oak," the voice was familiar enough to calm Ash's racing heart, "Please open the door."

Ash let out a little laugh and made his way to the door, "Professor Oak, you surprised me. Mom didn't tell me you were going to come here," the boy opened the door only to see two people standing on the other side, and his expression immediately soured, "oh, you're here too."

Standing next to professor Oak stood his grandson Gary Oak – Ash's former best friend. The thief stood there with his hands crossed against his chest, and he didn't dare look Ash in the eyes.

Ever since that time, when Gary tried to take his Pokéball away from him and broke it in half, the two of them weren't on speaking terms. Ash couldn't forget it. The same went for Gary, who still insisted that he saw the Pokéball first.

Ash saw it first, so it belonged to him! So, what if Gary reached it first, he wouldn't have noticed the Pokéball had Ash kept his mouth shut.

Ash glared at the other boy before he ignored him and turned to look at professor Oak, "not the be rude or anything, but what are the two of you doing here?"

Professor Oak laughed merrily, "Don't worry, don't worry. It's not rude at all," the professor reassured, "I just got a call from your mom, Ash. She was a little worried about you is all," he explained calmly, "so I suggested to come here with my grandson to visit for a short while. The two of us were really worried after you disappeared like that!"

Ash sneaked a peek at Gary just in time to see him blush lightly, "oh," Ash wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to something like that, "Well, come in then…" he shrugged and let them pass.

Professor Oak and the thief made their way inside before the professor gave the boy a wide, mischievous smile, "what do you boys say, do you want to order a pizza?"

Ash nodded happily, and Gary gave a single nod. Ash ignored him. It was easier. "Let me go and wake up Pikachu, he'll be mad if we left him out of the fun!"

Ash runs upstairs, leaving the professor with Gary on their own.

Professor Oak turned to look at Gary, "Did he say Pikachu?"

Gary shrugged. He didn't believe that Ash, that loser had a Pokémon with him and if he did, that Pokémon would probably be something lame like a Ratata or a Pidgey.

Professor Oak shook his head at his grandson's behavior. No one knew why the two kids suddenly turned bitter enemies, but the professor was sad about the situation all the same. He had hoped that bringing Gary here would rekindle their friendship, but from the look of things, no such thing was going to happen anytime soon.

In the end, the professor settled on asking, "did Ash seem different to you?"

Gary snorted, "that loser seemed the same as ever. Why?"

"It's probably nothing," Professor Oak said while stroking his beard, "just overthinking things, probably."

There was silence for a little while before Gary said slowly, "he did seem to be a little… shorter, and he's a little pale."

"Hum…"

The two sat in silence when Ash got back with a groggy looking Pikachu in his arms. The sight was rather lovely. Pikachu is a cute Pokémon if a little territorial, so to see one letting himself be hugged by a random human was strange, but the good kind. As a Pokémon and Human Relationship professor, it was an exciting thing to observe, "so, that's your Pikachu?"

Ash smiled and nodded, "Yeah. Pikachu really helped me, so now we're partners, right Pikachu?"

The Pikachu nodded gravely, "Pika pi!"

"How curious. Usually, this kind of Pokémon doesn't like trainers all that much, to see one this attached is very unusual," Professor Oak said with a smile.

"Well, the two of us are fine with each other," Ash shrugged. He wasn't about to tell them why Pikachu didn't mind staying with him, or how the Pokémon didn't really want anything to do with him at first.

"You know, with skills like yours, maybe it will be smart to start your Pokémon journey when you turn ten. A lot of kids do it those days," Professor Oak said before gesturing at Gary, "my grandson decided that he's starting at ten not too long ago, now that I think about it..."

"You really mean it?" Ash asked, "I mean, I know that you can start when you're ten, but didn't you say that it would be better if I waited until I was eleven?"

Professor Oak smiled widely and shook his head, "I did say that, didn't I?" He gave a little chuckle, "but that bond you've got there with your Pikachu convinced me otherwise. I see you're responsible enough to take care of your Pokémon, so why don't you give it a chance, what do you say?"

"Pika pika pi!"

Ash turned to look at the Pikachu to Gary's rising annoyance. He didn't mind Ash having a Pokémon before he did, but the whole thing was getting on his nerves.

"Alright, if you think I'm ready, I guess I'll see you soon, professor!" Ash grinned at him like nothing happened. Like he wasn't missing all this time, and Gary couldn't take it anymore.

"As if," Gary rose up and stood across from Ash, "is that Pikachu the reason why you suddenly up and disappeared, is it Ash?" he glared at the pair standing in front of him, "you let everyone here worry while you left on some merry adventure."

"That's not-" Ash started but was cut off by the professor who looked just as shocked as he did, if not more.

"Gary!" Professor Oak called.

"What…?! You know I'm right!" He looked at the shocked Ash and practically hissed, "Delia was super worried, and everyone started looking for you all over the place, did you know that? And all this time, you were fine, playing with that Pikachu god knows where," Gary's voice shook a little, but he kept going as if he had to get this off his chest.

"Gary, that's enough!"

But Gary wasn't finished yet. He'd had enough with Ash's selfishness, and he wanted the other to understand what his absence meant. "Now you dare come back like nothing happened. You're a real piece of work, Ash," he sniffed disdainfully, "I don't blame your mom for calling my grandpa to come and watch you. She's probably afraid you'll up-and-leave again, and she'll never see you."

"Take that back!" Ash hissed at the other boy, but Gary didn't back down. He glared just as hard at Ash. He would have hit him too, but with his grandfather, in the same room, he knew he wouldn't be able to get away with it.

"No."

The professor didn't smile anymore, "Gary Oak, you apologize right this moment!"

"No, I'm not going to apologize to him!" Gary gritted his teeth, but he didn't look away from Ash.

"You stupid boy!"

It was the first time that his grandfather called him something like that. It wasn't fair. Why was his grandfather on that loser's side?!

"Ok, first thing first," Ash said firmly, stopping whatever professor Oak wanted to say next, but not really caring, "pikachu helped me. If not for him, I wouldn't have the slightest clue on how to get back home. This is why we're partners."

Gary turned to look at the little mouse and saw how the Pokémon's cheeks were sparkling with electricity. It didn't look all that happy with him.

"Second thing, I didn't 'up and leave' I was fucking kidnapped, and I don't need to explain myself to you at all. Why am I even talking to you?" Ash shook his head, "Professor, I think it's best if the two of you left."

Professor Oak looked hesitant, but he nodded in the end before he dragged Gary out by the ear, "I hope to see you soon, Ash."

"You will," Ash promised.

There's no way in hell he'll let Gary Oak start his Pokémon journey before he did. Ash closed the door after the duo left and locked it.

5

Mewtwo opens his eyes to total darkness. The only time this room lightens up is when the door opens and that wicked human walks inside. When that happens, usually that scum man wants him to battle for him – he would take Mewtwo out of this room and away from the shackles, but not from the machine that keeps him a prisoner.

Mewtwo blinks slowly and makes sure to check his health. The pain in his limbs is getting better – leftover from the battle he had been forced to participate in. His body is almost completely healed. The only downside is the machine clinging to his body like a second skin. It makes him feel heavy and sluggish.

Don't talk about moving around, even opening his eyes is hard. The reason is the machine that keeps him prisoner. It stays on him at all times. The human scum had explained once that with this thing on, Mewtwo won't be able to escape.

'Foolish human,' Mewtwo wants to snort, but that takes too much effort, and he's almost ready to break free. Just a few seconds more, and he'll be able to tear this contraption away from his body.

The power builds up under his skin, making him feel full, almost ready to burst. At the moment, the energy is pressing against the glass wall that confines it. As if looking for a crack – a way out, it checks every corner. Mewtwo knows that there isn't one, but that doesn't mean that he can't make one.

With a flick of a finger, the energy breaks out like a wave-tide. The power that the psyche Pokémon carefully collected short-sericites the machine, and suddenly he can access all of his power, and whichever force that effected his mind dissolves. At that moment, his mind is his own.

It's the first time in a very long while. He's free. He's finally free, and there's no better feeling than that. The extreme intoxication is unraveled, and the possibilities in front of him are endless – the best thing is that he is the only one that can choose.

The first thing he does is open the door and flood the room with light, and then he slowly makes his way from his "room" towards the lab. There are explosions and utter destruction everywhere he goes, and when he finally reaches the lab, he burns it all.

A pair of glowing eyes and a raised hand is the only thing those humans see before they are burned to crisp.

Mewtwo does not feel bad for their deaths. It was those guys that experimented on him when he was just created. It was them that hurt him again and again in order to make him a powerful war machine.

Not even one of them showed him even the tiniest of compassion – those creatures do not deserve pity. Mewtwo feels nothing at their screams, but he also feels nothing at their deaths.

There's no joy or satisfaction, just… nothing. It was necessary. A task he had to do so that no one else would suffer as he did.

Mewtwo takes everything that didn't burn with him and disappeared into the night.

A/N:

So the next chapter is the start of Ash's Pokémon journey! How exciting!

Mewtwo escaped, destroying parts of Giovanni's gym and the attached secret lab, so he's on the run now the same as Ash. I think as Ash's unofficial big bro Mewtwo should secretly some and check out how his baby bro is doing lol

After seeing what a trouble magnet Ash is, I can't see Mewtwo leaving him alone anytime soon, but maybe that's just me.

Magikarp made another appearance! God, I just love writing him! Do you want to read more of Magikarp adventures? I'm also willing to take requests, so if you have a funny idea, I'm totally on board with making it a reality!

On another note, as a fresh Pokémon trainer, Ash has no choice but to get a starter from Professor Oak, and I'm not entirely sure what starter he's going to get… I'm not asking you to vote (because in the end, I'm just going to do what I want), but out of the three starter Pokémon: Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Charmander who do you think would suit Ash best, and why (what you write could and probably would change my opinion, so give it a try lol).

Thank you for being amazing and reviewing!