Title: Accept Your Fate

Summary: Ash achieves his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master, but to what costs will he take the position? Watch the ignorance of a young Pokemon Master unfold.

Author's Notes: Okay, hopefully, this isn't as clichéd as I'm expecting it will be. You see, I generally stay away from Ash – centered fics, and have only written a couple, so the story line hopefully isn't too overused. My apologies if it is. Tell me what you think, so READ and REVIEW pretty please!

Disclaimer: Puh. Like I'd be writing on this website if I actually owned Pokemon.

Accept Your Fate

"Do you, Ash Ketchum, hereby accept your duties toward the Pokemon League Council with the full ranking of a Pokemon Master?"

"I do," Ash said, lightly placing his gloved hand upon the Official Pokemon League Handbook, quickly glancing up into the audience and immediately finding Gary, whose pale lips unintentionally twitched slightly with every new word Lance spoke.

"Then it's settled," Lance said, taking the younger man's hand in his own and accidentally firmly pressed the sharp, dragon spikes circling his red gloves into Ash's wrist, "Welcome to the Pokemon League Council!"

"As your new Pokemon Master," Ash began, facing the large crowd and nearly stepping on Pikachu's tail, which had been swishing rhythmically in time with the increasingly louder series of "speech!" that had been called throughout the audience, "I accept every and all challengers!" he shouted, mentally begging for the wind to pick up and blow his long, crimson cape dramatically.

Ash's ears had already perked in the hope that he would next hear a cool but adamant voice declare they wanted to battle. It seemed as though Pikachu had thought the same thing for its black tipped ears had been raised in a defensive manner along with its trainer's.

But that voice never came.

He looked off into the crowd again, scanning his eyes with an almost anxious behavior, looking for Gary. He spotted the seat where his old rival had been sitting, finding the chair empty, with a small girl whose father had been supporting his daughter on his wide shoulders throughout the ceremony place her where Gary had been just moments beforehand. In the small girl's hands she held a flag, Ash's face having been plastered on thousands of them as the announcement of his joining the League was carried out through Kanto the previous few weeks.

It had been a difficult decision for Ash to make. At having finally achieved his goal of becoming a Master, it had meant giving up many things in the process. After having traveled with May, Max, and Brock in Hoenn for a little over two years, the friends went separate ways, with May and Max going back to their father's gym and Brock going back to his own, eager to begin taking care of his family again. After that Ash made a quick stop to visit Misty in Cerulean City, then traveled back to Pallet Town before setting off again. While he was there, Professor Oak told him of a new championship tournament, which he immediately set off for without so much as a goodbye to his mother, or Gary for that matter, who had been spending some time in Pallet Town after hearing of Ash's arrival there.

With that having been done Ash lost contact with most of his friends and family, becoming much too busy with training to bother keeping in touch. He became totally engrossed in his training, and soon came back to defeat the Elite Four, giving him the newly acquired ranking of a Pokemon Master.

Ash tore his eyes away from where Gary had been previously sitting, the spark having been taken from his midnight black eyes. He had lost many things, one of them, and probably the most difficult, was his oldest friend and best rival.

Lance once again took Ash's hand in his own and lifted it above his head, brushing his arm against Ash's matted hair and accidentally knocking off the hat Ash had thrown messily on earlier that day, the one he had obtained when he was only a boy. It fell to the floor as Ash's hand was thrust into the air, and the crowd cheered wildly, Ash barely noticing as he gave off a blank stare, realizing the terrible mistake he had made.

So, I hope you all liked it. Now remember, Tear needs reviews to live. Be good, bad, or filled with dead twerps, I need them.

Till Next Time,

Tear22