Misty looked on with anticipation as Ash Ketchum stood in front of her. His
brow was creased with deep concentration and perspiration was dripping off
him like water down Niagara Falls. But these were dwarfed by the aura that
surrounded him. It was bright yellow, and occasionally flicked to a sky
blue or white. Not a sound was uttered, except for the occasional grunt
from Ash or gasp from Misty. Ash's hair usually spiky in its on right was
standing up and the aura seemed to be brightest there. He flashed and the
Earth itself seemed to tremble as if being moved by some incredible force.
His clothes were being ripped to shreds by the sheer power he was exerting.
Suddenly, he seemed to stumble and lose his focus. The aura died and Ash
just stood there panting, as what remained of his sweat dripped into an
increasingly large puddle. He dropped to his knees, "Dammit! Why can't I do
it? Dad did it! Why can't I?"
Misty had never heard Ash speak of his father before, and this came as a shock to the girl.
"Why the heck can't I do it yet?" The obvious frustration of the 16yr old Pokemon Master nearly had Misty in stiches, but remembering what Ash was capable of quickly silenced her.
"I won't stop! Dad, I will claim the birthright that you gave to me!" he cried out and then slumped into a dead faint
"Oh my god. Did that just happen?" Misty turned to her two pokemon.
"Do Buu?" Golduck questioned
"Togi"
And still trembling from the shock, she turned to see Ash raise his head.
"Uh" Ash grunted lifting his head. He looked around and noticed the charred pieces of clothing lying scattered around him, and the burn marks radiating out from where he had fallen. Realising what had caused this, he groaned again and flopped down on his back, breathing heavily. Thoughts flickered across his mind, yet none could overcome the single thought that had gnawed at him since before he had returned to Brock and Misty after his yearlong absence. He chuckled as that crossed his mind and he remembered their faces when he had told them he was leaving. Back then he'd been a skinny runt of a 14-and-a-half year old, but his skills with pokemon had exceeded most peoples wildest expectations, even his. He had conquered the Indigo, Johto and Orange leagues before he was 14, and he had gained the title of Pokemon Master before he had left. But their was something, Ash had tried to keep to himself for those years he had spent with Brock and Misty, his past and his father. But the continuous expectations to be better he had placed on himself had driven him to near madness. Whenever he lost it crushed his spirit and he felt a deep shame that he felt he had to make amends for.
His father. He had been a Pokemon Master for years before Ash was born, but their had been a difference about his Dad, that no one could understand. No one except Ash. There had always been a strong bond that Ash had shared with his father, which no one else seemed to be come close to. Not even his mom, the woman his father loved and cared for shared a bond like theirs. Ash hadn't been able to figure out why, until recently when he had gone back and faced him for the first time in almost five years. His father had revealed a lot to him. That he was no ordinary man, that Ash was no ordinary boy and that Ash had immense power within him that needed to be unlocked. So they had trained. And in those 18 months Ash had become a whole new person.
He had not only had grown up physically, but he had also grown mentally. He was no longer that naïve 11yr old Misty and Brock had met. No, he was now a man. He was tall, taller even than Brock, but the most shocking difference had been the transformation of how he thought. His mind was no longer filled with the recklessness and lack of self-control of his younger self; it was now full of cunning, perception, self-discipline and strategy. His father had taught him how to be a warrior in the truest sense; he was powerful but had a sense of right that was as strong as ever, he could work his way out of a tight spot but he was fair and just and he noticed everything. He could clearly see and estimate any attack plan by anyone, human or pokemon, and adjust his strategy to suit. Ash had changed greatly, but he still retained a lot from his old self. Occasionally he was caught trying to think of an excuse or rushing headlong into danger without considering the consequences. But still the changes were serious. The time with his dad, just him and Ash, had been the greatest time of Ash's life. Everyday he had spent side by side with is dad, training from before dawn till long after dusk, and eating a mountain of food somewhere in between. Ash grinned as this last thought came to his head; he then smiled and got up. Thinking of that always made him smile. He headed over to his bag and rummaged through it, looking for a new t-shirt and gloves.
*Damn, I run through these clothes like there goin' outta style* Ash thought to himself as he picked out another black tee and gloves. He got up and took of his now totally ruined t-shirt and began to put on his new one. Misty's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw this and some not- so-innocent thoughts began to run through her head. She quickly tried to shake it off and watched as Ash finished replacing his gloves and bent over to pick up the rags he had taken off. With a sudden movement, faster than Misty's eyes could follow, he through them up high into the air and launched another blast at them, totally eradicating all traces of them.
"Well that takes care of that, now I better get back before Misty or Brock notices and finish getting changed" Ash said to no one in particular and the white aura surrounded him again and he flew off back in the direction of the hotel.
"Dammit, c'mon you two we need to run!" Misty shouted as she scooped up Togepi and sprinted off, back to the hotel.
"Do Buu!" Golduck yelled as it decided it wasn't going to be a good day and ran off after its master.
* Those times with my dad were great, * Ash mused during the flight back, * but I sure missed Misty * he mentally kicked himself and through himself forward. He arrived back in roughly 0.02 minutes and rushed back to his room. He immediately set about reviving and restoring his pokemon. After he had finished he turned and dumped himself on his bed and fell asleep again. Meanwhile Misty was finding it hard to get back to the hotel quick enough. She had conflicting thoughts about what to do; she wanted to storm up to Ash and tell him he had lied about what he'd been doing but technically he hadn't, all he'd said was he'd been training. But on the other hand she was scared of what Ash might do if she told him what she had seen. He had gone to such great lengths to keep it a secret and what he was capable of, she didn't want to push her luck to far. * But in hindsight, * she thought * at least he wasn't dating some girl in secret. *
"Pika, pikachu chu pika pi!" was the first thing Ash heard as Pickachu tried to wake his master. He was worried Brock might come in or worse Misty. Pikachu had a great affection for Misty, and he knew his master deeply cared for her, possibly even more so than Pikachu himself. The little rat-like pokemon grinned and continued to try and wake his master up. Pikachu most of all felt the effects of Ash's change. He hadn't been there for the year and a half his master had been gone, Ash had decided to leave his pokemon with Professor Oak while he was gone, and they'd all missed him with a vengeance, even Snorlax and Muk. He'd left them as the lovable 14-and-a-half year old, but he'd returned as a somewhat more subdued, yet still lovable 16 year old. He had looked different, but his personality and smell had made it clear who he was. Pikachu and the rest had run up to him and he had picked them all up, at the same time, and hugged them. They'd all fell to the ground in shock and he and Professor Oak had laughed and started talking about the events of the past year and all the news. It seemed that the Prof. had known about Ash's abilities all along. Pikachu smiled at those fond memories, then he grinned evilly and sent 10, 000 volts up Ash's arm.
Misty had no sooner gotten back to the hotel when she noticed Brock coming down the hall leading from the elevator. He saw and ran over smiling.
"Misty! There you are! I've been looking all over for you, where have you been?"
"I just..ahhh..went…for…a….jog! That's it! A jog!" she replied quickly
"Okay, well do you want to spend the day here at the beach? I mean we have been going from city to city for weeks and I doubt we've stopped for more than an hour to see the sights! I know Ash is in a hurry, kami knows why, but we didn't stop last time either, and I really don't want to miss this beach!"
"You mean you don't want to miss out on the chance to hit on some more unsuspecting beach babes."
"Well, yeah I guess that sums it up." Brock said sheepishly scratching the back of his neck
Misty sweatdropped "Fine, but if you get clobbered its your fault. I ain't holding you back today, I'm tired of it."
"Great! I'll go tell Ash!"
Ash had just got out of the shower, having been burnt to a crisp from a certain rodent's 10 bajillion volt electric shock. He sighed and lay down again in his towel, Pikachu was beside him, smirking.
"Cram it." Ash growled. He had been enjoying his nap. He had been totally wiped out from his last session. He had been so close, dammit! He didn't know what else to do. He'd tried everything his dad had told him and it still hadn't worked. *Oh well* he sighed *Tomorrow's another day, try and try again* he thought quoting proverbs to himself, it didn't help. Sighing he reached over to his bag and pulled out some fingerless gloves and put them on, he reached back and his hand touched a box inside. He pulled it out and opened it carefully, it was the present Misty and Brock had given him for his 14th birthday, a Discman, a few CDs and a photo of all his friends and family in a frame. There they all were: His mom, Prof. Oak, Tracy, Snap, AJ, Gary, Kurt and his granddaughter Maisy, Lt. Surge, Erika, Sabrina, Koga and his sister Anya, Blaine, Missy, Danny, Rudy, Falkner, Bugsy, Whitney, Morty, Jasmine, Chuck, Pryce, Claire, Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, Lance, Brock with a few Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys, Team Rocket had even made it in. And there she was. Right next to him at the front of the picture, giving him a hug and a kiss. She said later it was for luck and he had appreciated that. He smiled remembering back to that day. The whole of Pallet had turned out to see their greatest son turn 14. Of course everyone still respected Gary, it was just that Ash had beaten the pants of him and kicked his butt at the same time, with ease! Well not quite, it had been a huge battle. The whole stadium was nearly destroyed from the efforts of their pokemon. Craters lay everywhere, and the final round between his Pikachu and Gary's Umbreon had been extremely close, so close in fact Pikachu had mustered all his willpower just to stand for the 15 seconds or more he needed to win. And when Umbreon had fallen and Ash had been proclaimed the winner, Pikachu raised its paw, gave peace and fainted. Ash had calmly walked over to Pikachu, given it a restore and walked over to where the unconscious Umbreon lay. He'd picked it up and walked over to Gary who was still lamenting over his loss.
"Here Gary, it put up a good fight." Ash said in a completely neutral voice, preferring to wait for Gary to speak.
"Yeah, but it just wasn't good enough to beat the great Ketchum eh." He replied with a glum look
"Maybe not," Ash returned, smiling "but its good enough to be my friend any day." And as he said this Ash stretched his open hand out towards Gary
"Then I guess that he'll just have to try to be both" Gary smiled as he took it.
Ash was still grinning as he heard the knock at the door. Puzzled he got up and answered it. He was shocked further to discover Misty standing there looking at him with surprise, then with an evil smile.
"Ash, Brock and I were wondering if you'd like to the beach," she said, grinning, "You know we don't come along a beach like Olivine everyday, and my tan could use some work." She finished
"Sure, I guess." Was all Ash could reply, slightly put off by her grin.
"Great! See you down in the hall in ten," she said, and she turned and walked to her room across the hall,
"Oh and Ash," she said turning, with her hand on the doorknob, "You might want to wear a little more to the beach." And with that she walked into her room and shut the door. Ash looked down to see he was still only wearing a towel and frowned,
"Damn.."
Misty had never heard Ash speak of his father before, and this came as a shock to the girl.
"Why the heck can't I do it yet?" The obvious frustration of the 16yr old Pokemon Master nearly had Misty in stiches, but remembering what Ash was capable of quickly silenced her.
"I won't stop! Dad, I will claim the birthright that you gave to me!" he cried out and then slumped into a dead faint
"Oh my god. Did that just happen?" Misty turned to her two pokemon.
"Do Buu?" Golduck questioned
"Togi"
And still trembling from the shock, she turned to see Ash raise his head.
"Uh" Ash grunted lifting his head. He looked around and noticed the charred pieces of clothing lying scattered around him, and the burn marks radiating out from where he had fallen. Realising what had caused this, he groaned again and flopped down on his back, breathing heavily. Thoughts flickered across his mind, yet none could overcome the single thought that had gnawed at him since before he had returned to Brock and Misty after his yearlong absence. He chuckled as that crossed his mind and he remembered their faces when he had told them he was leaving. Back then he'd been a skinny runt of a 14-and-a-half year old, but his skills with pokemon had exceeded most peoples wildest expectations, even his. He had conquered the Indigo, Johto and Orange leagues before he was 14, and he had gained the title of Pokemon Master before he had left. But their was something, Ash had tried to keep to himself for those years he had spent with Brock and Misty, his past and his father. But the continuous expectations to be better he had placed on himself had driven him to near madness. Whenever he lost it crushed his spirit and he felt a deep shame that he felt he had to make amends for.
His father. He had been a Pokemon Master for years before Ash was born, but their had been a difference about his Dad, that no one could understand. No one except Ash. There had always been a strong bond that Ash had shared with his father, which no one else seemed to be come close to. Not even his mom, the woman his father loved and cared for shared a bond like theirs. Ash hadn't been able to figure out why, until recently when he had gone back and faced him for the first time in almost five years. His father had revealed a lot to him. That he was no ordinary man, that Ash was no ordinary boy and that Ash had immense power within him that needed to be unlocked. So they had trained. And in those 18 months Ash had become a whole new person.
He had not only had grown up physically, but he had also grown mentally. He was no longer that naïve 11yr old Misty and Brock had met. No, he was now a man. He was tall, taller even than Brock, but the most shocking difference had been the transformation of how he thought. His mind was no longer filled with the recklessness and lack of self-control of his younger self; it was now full of cunning, perception, self-discipline and strategy. His father had taught him how to be a warrior in the truest sense; he was powerful but had a sense of right that was as strong as ever, he could work his way out of a tight spot but he was fair and just and he noticed everything. He could clearly see and estimate any attack plan by anyone, human or pokemon, and adjust his strategy to suit. Ash had changed greatly, but he still retained a lot from his old self. Occasionally he was caught trying to think of an excuse or rushing headlong into danger without considering the consequences. But still the changes were serious. The time with his dad, just him and Ash, had been the greatest time of Ash's life. Everyday he had spent side by side with is dad, training from before dawn till long after dusk, and eating a mountain of food somewhere in between. Ash grinned as this last thought came to his head; he then smiled and got up. Thinking of that always made him smile. He headed over to his bag and rummaged through it, looking for a new t-shirt and gloves.
*Damn, I run through these clothes like there goin' outta style* Ash thought to himself as he picked out another black tee and gloves. He got up and took of his now totally ruined t-shirt and began to put on his new one. Misty's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw this and some not- so-innocent thoughts began to run through her head. She quickly tried to shake it off and watched as Ash finished replacing his gloves and bent over to pick up the rags he had taken off. With a sudden movement, faster than Misty's eyes could follow, he through them up high into the air and launched another blast at them, totally eradicating all traces of them.
"Well that takes care of that, now I better get back before Misty or Brock notices and finish getting changed" Ash said to no one in particular and the white aura surrounded him again and he flew off back in the direction of the hotel.
"Dammit, c'mon you two we need to run!" Misty shouted as she scooped up Togepi and sprinted off, back to the hotel.
"Do Buu!" Golduck yelled as it decided it wasn't going to be a good day and ran off after its master.
* Those times with my dad were great, * Ash mused during the flight back, * but I sure missed Misty * he mentally kicked himself and through himself forward. He arrived back in roughly 0.02 minutes and rushed back to his room. He immediately set about reviving and restoring his pokemon. After he had finished he turned and dumped himself on his bed and fell asleep again. Meanwhile Misty was finding it hard to get back to the hotel quick enough. She had conflicting thoughts about what to do; she wanted to storm up to Ash and tell him he had lied about what he'd been doing but technically he hadn't, all he'd said was he'd been training. But on the other hand she was scared of what Ash might do if she told him what she had seen. He had gone to such great lengths to keep it a secret and what he was capable of, she didn't want to push her luck to far. * But in hindsight, * she thought * at least he wasn't dating some girl in secret. *
"Pika, pikachu chu pika pi!" was the first thing Ash heard as Pickachu tried to wake his master. He was worried Brock might come in or worse Misty. Pikachu had a great affection for Misty, and he knew his master deeply cared for her, possibly even more so than Pikachu himself. The little rat-like pokemon grinned and continued to try and wake his master up. Pikachu most of all felt the effects of Ash's change. He hadn't been there for the year and a half his master had been gone, Ash had decided to leave his pokemon with Professor Oak while he was gone, and they'd all missed him with a vengeance, even Snorlax and Muk. He'd left them as the lovable 14-and-a-half year old, but he'd returned as a somewhat more subdued, yet still lovable 16 year old. He had looked different, but his personality and smell had made it clear who he was. Pikachu and the rest had run up to him and he had picked them all up, at the same time, and hugged them. They'd all fell to the ground in shock and he and Professor Oak had laughed and started talking about the events of the past year and all the news. It seemed that the Prof. had known about Ash's abilities all along. Pikachu smiled at those fond memories, then he grinned evilly and sent 10, 000 volts up Ash's arm.
Misty had no sooner gotten back to the hotel when she noticed Brock coming down the hall leading from the elevator. He saw and ran over smiling.
"Misty! There you are! I've been looking all over for you, where have you been?"
"I just..ahhh..went…for…a….jog! That's it! A jog!" she replied quickly
"Okay, well do you want to spend the day here at the beach? I mean we have been going from city to city for weeks and I doubt we've stopped for more than an hour to see the sights! I know Ash is in a hurry, kami knows why, but we didn't stop last time either, and I really don't want to miss this beach!"
"You mean you don't want to miss out on the chance to hit on some more unsuspecting beach babes."
"Well, yeah I guess that sums it up." Brock said sheepishly scratching the back of his neck
Misty sweatdropped "Fine, but if you get clobbered its your fault. I ain't holding you back today, I'm tired of it."
"Great! I'll go tell Ash!"
Ash had just got out of the shower, having been burnt to a crisp from a certain rodent's 10 bajillion volt electric shock. He sighed and lay down again in his towel, Pikachu was beside him, smirking.
"Cram it." Ash growled. He had been enjoying his nap. He had been totally wiped out from his last session. He had been so close, dammit! He didn't know what else to do. He'd tried everything his dad had told him and it still hadn't worked. *Oh well* he sighed *Tomorrow's another day, try and try again* he thought quoting proverbs to himself, it didn't help. Sighing he reached over to his bag and pulled out some fingerless gloves and put them on, he reached back and his hand touched a box inside. He pulled it out and opened it carefully, it was the present Misty and Brock had given him for his 14th birthday, a Discman, a few CDs and a photo of all his friends and family in a frame. There they all were: His mom, Prof. Oak, Tracy, Snap, AJ, Gary, Kurt and his granddaughter Maisy, Lt. Surge, Erika, Sabrina, Koga and his sister Anya, Blaine, Missy, Danny, Rudy, Falkner, Bugsy, Whitney, Morty, Jasmine, Chuck, Pryce, Claire, Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, Lance, Brock with a few Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys, Team Rocket had even made it in. And there she was. Right next to him at the front of the picture, giving him a hug and a kiss. She said later it was for luck and he had appreciated that. He smiled remembering back to that day. The whole of Pallet had turned out to see their greatest son turn 14. Of course everyone still respected Gary, it was just that Ash had beaten the pants of him and kicked his butt at the same time, with ease! Well not quite, it had been a huge battle. The whole stadium was nearly destroyed from the efforts of their pokemon. Craters lay everywhere, and the final round between his Pikachu and Gary's Umbreon had been extremely close, so close in fact Pikachu had mustered all his willpower just to stand for the 15 seconds or more he needed to win. And when Umbreon had fallen and Ash had been proclaimed the winner, Pikachu raised its paw, gave peace and fainted. Ash had calmly walked over to Pikachu, given it a restore and walked over to where the unconscious Umbreon lay. He'd picked it up and walked over to Gary who was still lamenting over his loss.
"Here Gary, it put up a good fight." Ash said in a completely neutral voice, preferring to wait for Gary to speak.
"Yeah, but it just wasn't good enough to beat the great Ketchum eh." He replied with a glum look
"Maybe not," Ash returned, smiling "but its good enough to be my friend any day." And as he said this Ash stretched his open hand out towards Gary
"Then I guess that he'll just have to try to be both" Gary smiled as he took it.
Ash was still grinning as he heard the knock at the door. Puzzled he got up and answered it. He was shocked further to discover Misty standing there looking at him with surprise, then with an evil smile.
"Ash, Brock and I were wondering if you'd like to the beach," she said, grinning, "You know we don't come along a beach like Olivine everyday, and my tan could use some work." She finished
"Sure, I guess." Was all Ash could reply, slightly put off by her grin.
"Great! See you down in the hall in ten," she said, and she turned and walked to her room across the hall,
"Oh and Ash," she said turning, with her hand on the doorknob, "You might want to wear a little more to the beach." And with that she walked into her room and shut the door. Ash looked down to see he was still only wearing a towel and frowned,
"Damn.."