Pokemon: 4 Years After

Prologue.

Pokemon Master – the elusive title that a trainer receives for mastering the art of pokemon training. This is a rare feat that not many have managed to do. In fact, hundreds of trainers world-wide all start their journeys trying to reach this very goal, but in the end only a handful of exceptional trainers get to be known as Pokemon Masters.

Ash Ketchum, of Pallet Town strove to become one of these exceptional trainers years ago. He trained for many years, traveling with his friends along the many lands of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and even the Orange Archipelago. He competed in many leagues and would get far in them, but never seemed to win. And eventually, like many trainers, his dream began to fade.

Chapter 1. The Pallet Panic

4 Years Later

"No word from Ash yet?" Brock talked into the phone.

"No, not yet," Max replied, as he looked into the video screen. "I hacked into his Pokegear, but we won't know if he's gotten the message until he contacts us."

"I see. Well, wherever he is, he has to get here fast. Oak really isn't doing so good."

Brock looked up into the air, remembering when he heard the news that Oak's lab had been broken into. Tracey had called him from the Hospital that Oak was being held in, and he told him that nearly every pokemon in lab had been swiped. The only people who could've done such a thing were Team Rocket. But no one was brave enough to stand up to them. In the past 4 years they had gotten bigger than ever before. And now they had targeted Oak's lab.

"Ash where are you…?" Brock thought.

"He's not coming so why even bother," a voice from the back said. Brock turned his head and saw Misty standing in the doors of the Pokemon Center with her bag in hand.

"Misty! What are you doing here?" Brock looked back at the video screen, "Max keep trying. I have to go."

"Sure thing. See ya," Max said.

Brock hung up and walked over to Misty.

"I heard what happened from Delia. She told me you were staying the night at the Viridian Pokemon Center so I thought I'd meet you here." The two hugged.

"It's good to see you."

"You too," Misty smiled. "So is the Professor okay?"

"No, honestly he's not," Brock said.

"What happened? Delia only told me that he was hurt."

Brock nodded and then motioned for her to follow him to a couch. The two sat down and Brock began to fill her in.

"Team Rocket were the ones who did it. Apparently, they were looking for something. And I guess when they didn't find it they retaliated and destroyed the lab, along with stealing all of the pokemon being held there."

"But what were they looking for?" Misty asked.

"I know how you feel about this subject, but from what Oak was able to tell us…they were looking for Ash's pikachu."

"You've to be kidding me! They're still after Pikachu? After all these years? Why can't they just realize that Ash is gone and he's not coming back!" Misty stood up angrily and walked over to a window and looked outside.

"But don't you see Misty?" Brock got up and went over to her.

"Don't I see what?" She turned to him.

"They did this to lure him back."

"Lure him back! Lure him back! Do you seriously think he cares? He left us Brock! He doesn't care about us or anyone for that matter!" Misty looked back outside. Brock began to get angry.

"Hey! Are you even listening to yourself? We're talking about Ash here, our old friend. He left because he did what he had to. Let it go…"

"I can't Brock. I mean yeah I'm over him…but that doesn't mean I've forgiven him for just abandoning us like that. Especially after what we all went through for him!"

Misty stared out into the evening sky over Viridian City. Brock looked at her reflection in the window and saw that a tear had come down her cheek. Whether she said it or not, she really did miss Ash, the way everyone did.

It had been 4 years since Ash had left them. Coincidentally, it had been in that very same Pokemon Center. Four years ago on a not so special night, while Misty and Brock slept soundly, Ash was thinking hard, not able to sleep. With his arms behind his head acting like a pillow and his eyes fixed upwards at the ceiling, he came up with a decision. And with his mind fixed on that decision, he jumped down from his bunk and grabbed his stuff. He fixed himself up and made his way out of the room they were staying at.

Misty had heard him get up though, so she followed him out the door and down the hall.

"Ash?" She called out to him. He turned around and faced her. "Where are you going?"

"I-I…"

"What? You can tell me," Misty told Ash.

"I've been thinking and I…"

"Uh huh"

"And I'm going to go on my journey alone…" Ash looked down at his feet.

"W-what do you mean alone?"

"I don't know how to explain it Mist- but this is what I want to do."

"But why?"

Ash hesitated and then looked up at her.

"I've failed so many times and I don't wanna lose again. Maybe being alone will be better for me," Ash continued to look down, purposely not making eye-contact with her.

"So you're gonna leave us just so you can make yourself feel better?" Misty didn't understand.

"I don't know what to say-" Ash didn't have an excuse for his actions and turned his back to her.

"You can't go Ash," Misty placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry…" He took a step forward and her hand fell off his shoulder. She felt her heart go up into her throat as she watched him make his way towards the doors leading outside.

"He can't leave…." She whispered to herself, "He can't leave because…because I love him."

She yelled out her feelings, "-but….I love you!" She covered her mouth with her hands as soon as the words escaped her mouth. Ash stopped in his tracks. She didn't know what his reaction would be - his eyes were covered by the brim of his hat's shadow.

"There's no way he can leave now," she thought to herself. She knew he wouldn't leave her there like that, they were best friends, he wouldn't do that….he couldn't do that.

Ash turned his head a bit. "See you around Misty…" And he walked out the doors of the Pokemon Center. Misty could only watch him as he walked out of her life on that night. It took all of her courage to finally tell him her feelings and there he had brushed her off like she meant nothing to him. It was a moment that Misty would never forget, and would never forgive Ash for.

"I'm here to see the Professor and that's all. I'm not waiting to see if Ash'll show up. I've spent enough of my life waiting for him to come back," Misty told Brock. He looked at her and then heard a TV being turned up by the Nurse Joy of the Center. Brock turned and saw that it was a news broadcast.

"We're here, live, at the city limits of Viridian City where Team Rocket agents were just apprehended moments ago," A woman reporter talked into her microphone. "Here is video of footage caught earlier of a mysterious trainer wearing a dark cloak battling the two Rockets as they tried to make their escape." Brock watched in awe as he thought he recognized the trainer battling the two Rockets. Misty turned around and started to watch herself. As the video of the battle went on both Brock and Misty were able to identify the mysterious trainer.

"And just like that, the trainer has disposed of both Rockets! We have him here and we're going to have a few words with him," she reached for her right and grabbed the trainers shoulder. The young man walked in front of the camera and his face was shown all over the news.

"It's Gary. So he's back! He must've heard what happened to his Grandfather," Brock said.

"So do you have anything to say?" The reporter asked Gary.

"The only thing I have to say is that those Team Rocket bastards better stay away from here again or something worse will happen to them!" Gary angrily said into the microphone as the reporter nodded.

"And there you have it. Powerful words coming from a very powerful trainer who was able to defeat two very well trained Rockets. That's it from here. This is -"

"Ever since Ash left to train by himself Gary felt he had to do the same. I guess sitting around researching pokemon really wasn't his thing. I can't wait to see both of them go at it again like they used to back in the good ol' days hahaha" Brock laughed. Misty's expression saddened. She turned around and sat back down at the couch. Brock watched her.

"Would you believe me if I told you I still thought about Ash every day?" Misty looked towards the ground as she spoke. Brock didn't say a word. "I still worry about him. I mean he's out there all by himself. I remember when I first met him. It was the first day he set out on his journey - so it's like I was with him since the beginning. I was always there for him, but now whenever I'm lonely and need him…he's not around," Misty cried into her hands. Brock sat down by her and put his arms around her. She fell into his embrace and hugged him back.

"Everything will be okay. You'll see Misty," Brock tried to comfort her.

"No it won't. Ash isn't coming back. He's never coming back!" She angrily said.

Brock then looked up as he saw the doors of the Pokemon Center open. A somewhat tall young man with dark messy hair under a hat stood in the doorway. His dress style reminded him of an old friend but yet it didn't. The boy, who looked to be 17 years old, looked around trying to figure out what to do next. He looked confused, like their old friend. "It couldn't be," Brock thought. The boy then turned his body and Brock got a good look at his front. Around the boy's neck was a necklace with a pokeball hanging down from it. What made this a very important detail was that the pokeball had a lightning bolt embedded over the opening of the ball. "It has to be…" The boy faced Brock and made eye-contact. The boy's face lit up and Brock recognized him.

"…Ash?" Brock managed to say out loud. Misty took her arms away from Brock and looked into Brock's face.

"What did you say?" She asked.

"Ash!" Brock stood up. The boy then ran up to Brock and gave him a big hug. "It's been too long!"

Misty turned her body and saw the boy that Brock was talking to. He looked like Ash, but at the same time he didn't. He was tall. But yet his sense of clothing and hygiene matched Ash's. He wore the same old hat but his other clothes had changed.

The boy then moved from Brock and began to look at her, "Misty?"

When she heard his voice she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. It was him. It was Ash.