Hi, there! Been...a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry about that. This chapter, while it has necessary for the story, was kicking my ass for a while.

I'll shed more light on why the update took so long in the ending notes, but I hope you like this chapter.

I'll stop talking now.

As he stood there, cool morning breeze rolling over the hills of Pallet, Ash couldn't help but feel like he was overcorrecting for yesterday morning.

The time Oak had given his mother to come and retrieve his Trainer ID was 8am, a fairly reasonable early time.

But Ash had went back to bed at 3am after his capture of Pichu, and had woken up at 7am, his mother having made sure to wake him up early.

He prepared his clothes the night before and so get cleaned and left as quick as he could.

Ash was no running on four hours sleep, and he could feel it.

He couldn't even imagine how tired Dratini was, having to go through two gruelling battles in one day. He wasn't gonna let her out until much later.

It was 7:50, and no one was there. Ash felt like a chump, standing in front of the Laboratory.

As he stood there, still waiting, Ash's mind wandered to the second Pokéball on his belt, and its new denizen.

Pichu was the terror of this town, constantly causing trouble for everyone, including at this very laboratory, and yet, through sheer dumb luck and quick smarts, Ash has caught it, and now he would train the Prankster of Pallet.

He had mixed feelings about his new capture. On the one hand, Pikachu and rare enough, Raichu, were jacks-of-all-trades, with a vast movepool and limitless strategies combinations in the hands of a skilled trainer. On the other hand, given its propensity for pranking, the way he and Dratini had chased it down, squeezed the life out of it and slammed it into a tree, it would not trust Ash at all, and generally be a pain in the ass to deal with.

He pulled Pichu's Pokéball off of his belt, and then pulled his PokéDex out from his jacket pocket.

He had seen what Pichu could do, but not what it was fully capable of. He opened the PokéDex.

Like he had with Dratini, Ash put the circular button of the Pokéball into the special groove at the bottom of it, transferring its data to the PokéDex, and feeding it information on the Pokémon stored within.

Ash heard the robotic voice of Dexter the AI speak;

"Pichu, the Tiny Mouse Pokémon. Despite its small size, it can zap even adult humans. However, if it does so, it also surprises itself."

Ash snorted. This one held no surprise about zapping humans.

"This Pichu is male, with a Naughty nature, and has the ability Static."

Oh how very fitting, Ash thought to himself. Made a whole lot more sense now.

"This Pichu currently knows the moves Thunder Shock, Body Slam, Sweet Kiss and Fake Out."

Now that wasn't a bad line-up, all the moves fit perfectly into Pichu's…particular habits, and all would be very useful in battle.

For all the pain training this little dickhead would cause him, if when Ash could get him on-side, he would be a valued and reliable member of his team.

A part of Ash liked the challenge, having to convince this useful Pokémon to cooperate with him, for Ash to prove he was right and for him to become obedient to him.

It would be painful for the time being, but worth it in the long run.

Not that he didn't like how close he and Dratini were already, in fact he was glad. Dratini trusted him implicitly and it had paid off very well for the both of them so far.

It weirded him out how instant the bond was. He was still doubting whether he deserved a partner as rare as Dratini, but he would prove that he could and turn her into the most powerful dragon she could be.

But still, that instant trust made him curious. How could Dratini know Ash was what the right trainer for her? How could she know he was telling the truth? How could she have known she would be safe in his hands?

Ash was jostled from these big brain questions by the flaps of large wings.

He looked up to see a Charizard flying overhead at great speed, and when it passed him, the wind generated from it knocked Ash's hat off his head.

It flew over the Oak Laboratory before turning around and heading down, before it presumably landed.

While Ash was still taking that in, he heard a voice behind him.

"Ash!"

He turned around to see Jason and Doctor Carmine approaching him, with the boy waving at him.

Doctor Carmine chuckled to himself, amused by Ash's presence. "And here I thought we would be the first ones here. Glad to see you're here early this time, Ash" he said, smiling, leading Ash to scratch the back of his head, embarrassed.

Ash tried to keep his dignity somewhat intact, retorting with "Well, can't have people making rumours about me, can I?"

The doctor simply chuckled once more. "I suppose so" was all he commented.

A moment passed before more footsteps could be heard. Ash turned his head to see Leaf, skipping up the hill, grin on her face. She looked to Jason, who looked her in the eyes, before surprisingly, at least to Ash, his lips contorted into a little, knowing smile.

"I told you he'd be here, Sarah."

Ash simply rolled his eyes at the insinuation. He was never gonna live yesterday down, was he?

Sarah's cheeks inflated like a Jigglypuff, embarrassed and upset.

"You said you wouldn't tell anyone."

Jason chuckled, in a way that left no question as to his paternity hit back at his annoyed friend with "I said no such thing" in mock anger.

Ash laughed a little, amused by the childish game.

"Yeah, yeah, it's not gonna become a habit, got it? Sorry I ruined your bet, Leaf."

"You should be!" Leaf exclaimed, cheeks inflating once again as she leaned back under a tree. This roused laughs from both boys.

After the laughter stopped, there was a brief moment of quiet, before the doors of the Oak Laboratory swung open.

Professor Oak stepped out to face the group, with Gary in tow.

As soon as the young boy saw his rival, he quickly tore his eyes from Ash, his face contorted in anger. Unlike with Sarah, this did not amuse Ash or Jason. They were pulled out of this unpleasantness by the sound of the Professor talking.

"Ah, good morning everyone! Please, please, come in." He beckoned the group with a hand wave.

The children stepped into the main hallway of the Laboratory, before being led to the back of the building, into Professor Oak's personal office.

Professor Oak opened up an envelope on his office desk, before handing out plastic cards to each of the children. At last, they now had their Trainer Licenses.

"The licenses arrived this morning. I hope everyone liked the pictures they sent."

Ash did not. He couldn't find his hat that day, so the photo of him had the Spearow's nest he called his hair on full display. It was not a good photo.

And after looking at the very important piece of identification, as Ash expected, his hair looked awful in that picture, and his dour face showed his displeasure.

Oak smiled. "I guess Ash here did not." Ash gave the researcher a glare, but one without real malice. He then turned to address the whole group.

"Now, children, this is where your real journey begins. You are now officially Pokémon Trainers. You are going out into the world on your own. I have given these Pokémon to you to give you the best start you could have, but in exchange, I want you four to use your PokéDexes to record all you can on the various Pokémon that live in the Kanto region. I trust you four are up to the challenge?"

The four kids nodded wordlessly. They knew what their job was, and it was something they were all ready to undertake.

The Professor's face then turned unexpectedly serious. "And, I want you to make a promise to me. I know how much you want to explore the world and battle, but I want you all to understand this world is a dangerous place. The staff of this facility, including myself, will offer as much assistance as we can to you on your journeys, but for the most part, you're on your own. I want you to promise me that you have a plan for this journey, and know how to accomplish it safely. Understand?"

Ash, Sarah and Jason were caught off-guard by this, but seemed to understand the gravity of what the Professor was asking of them, and they nodded once more. They were determined in their goals.

Gary, who hadn't made a sound since Ash had seen him, began to speak, his characteristic smug grin returning.

"Well, that's a great speech, Gramps, but I ain't too scared of all that. I know what I want to, nah, what I will do, and that's become the Champion. I have a plan, I got the tools, and I know how to make it a reality. And most importantly, I got the knowledge on how to raise a strong team, thank you very much for that, by the way. I don't know about these chumps," pointing at Sarah and Jason, who were both glaring at their friend, before turning to face Ash directly, "but I'm aiming for the League."

Ash scowled at him. He and Gary had been confrontational ever since the incident, but had tolerated each other for the most part for Sarah and Jason's sake, and Ash tried to brush most of his barbs off. But this show of assholery and machismo was too much for him, and he scowled at his former best friend, hands clenched into a fist. Oak motioned to try and say something to him, but he simply breathed out a sigh, unclenched his hands and looked his rival dead in the eyes.

"Yeah, I'm aiming for the League too, asshat. I want to be Champion, I wanna be the best, like no one ever was. I've studied battling, training, movesets, Natures, and Abilities, I know how they work, and how I can put that knowledge to good use. It's my dream and I'm gonna make it fact. Our friends might not be aiming for the same thing we are, but they are smart enough to succeed at their goals, just like we will. They're not now, were or ever will be chumps, and you can't insult people you're supposed to care about because you think it makes you look tough. It doesn't, dumbass. Now get that stupid smug smile off your face or I'll wipe it off and you can run away again."

That shut Gary up, and he was now glaring a hole through Ash's head. He went to step closer before Professor Oak stepped between the two, frowning and shaking his head.

"That is ENOUGH! This is not the time, nor place for this, boys. I know you two are not on good terms but this does not excuse this type of behaviour. I gave you those Pokémon and those Licenses, and I can very easily take them away if I feel like you aren't mature enough to have them. Do I make myself clear?"

Ash and Gary both grumbled a yes, sir. The Professor was not done, and turned to his grandson. "Gary, that was unbecoming of you. You did not impress anyone here, least of all me. You will go home and we will discuss this further there."

Gary looked a little shaken by that, rage clearing from his head and regret that he had upset his grandfather. He nodded, before turning and solemnly walking out of the room.

Oak then turned to Ash, and the boy prepared himself for the sharp critique he knew he deserved, even if Gary did instigate it. "I'm disappointed in you, Ash. I know Gary is hard on you, and that he was entirely out of line, but you shouldn't give into that type of foolishness. It only leads to trouble." The elder man sighed, before leaning against his desk. "Go home, Ash. Say goodbye to your mother, and promise to call her, she worries about you. Make sure you have packed everything you need before you leave."

Ash nodded, and began to walk away, as the Professor looked towards Jason and Sarah, who told Ash "Meet us at the entrance to Route 1 at 1PM, got it?" As he reached the door to Oak's office, he turned back and said to the Professor with complete sincerity, "thank you, Professor, for everything."

"It was no problem" was the man's only reply, recognizing Ash's honest thanks, but still disappointed in him.

Ash left the office.

"Have you packed your tent kit?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Sleeping bag?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Money?"

"Yes?"

"Potions?"

"Yes."

"Pokémon food? You're not the only mouth you have to feed to any more, and trust me, it's not easy to maintain."

"Yes." Ash was starting to get quite irritated.

"Fresh underwe-"

"Do not finish that sentence, please." Ash begged, exasperated at his mother's…extensive line of questioning.

He understood why she was like this. Her only child was about to set out on his own. If he was in her shoes, Ash thought he would be petrified.

Still didn't stop the embarrassment, his head now in his hands.

Ash looked at his mother's eyes. He thought he could recognise a mix of emotions in them. Happiness. Sadness. Pride. Fear. It was clear as day that she was not ready for him to fly the nest. It was also clear that she knew she couldn't stop Ash from leaving. He was leaving no matter what, to pursue his dream, and she couldn't stop him.

She spoke to her son. "I left around $31,000 in a pouch near the top of your backpack. There's a wallet in there, too."

Ash gave his mother a small smile. "Thanks Mom. Not just for that, but for everything. I know it was hard without Dad around, but because of you, I know all I need to know to be a Master. Thank you. I can never repay you for that."

His mother gave him a sad smile, muttered an "Oh, honey…" and then wrapped him in a big hug. "You don't have to thank me for doing my job as a mother. I'm proud of you. You're gonna go out into the world and show it who's boss, I just know it. You've got yourself a great partner, and I know you'll take good care of each other" she pulled her head back, tears pricking at her eyes, "but I want you to remember that if things get to be too much, I want you to remember that it's okay to come home, even if for a little while, okay?"

Ash was tearing up too, and leaned into her hug, tears starting to fall. "I will. Thank you, Mom. I love you."

Delia was crying too, and she tightened the hug, never wanting to let go. "I love you too."

Professor Oak looked at the four children before him, and despite the morning's events, he couldn't help but feel happy for them. They were all intelligent and motivated, and he knew they were all going to achieve great things. The four were walking up to the edges of Pallet Town, chatting amongst themselves.

Gary, despite his bravado and smug persona, was genuine in his belief that he would become the Champion, and he had the intelligence and instincts to make that a reality. Gary had studied every book he was able to comprehend on battling and strategy, and even some he didn't, with Oak having to fill in the gaps for him. Oak loved his grandson, but he knew this façade would crumble eventually, and he would be better off for it. After Ash had defeated him the previous day, Gary had run home. Oak was able to console him and for the first time in a long time, Gary had been honest about what he was feeling. Oak had felt slightly guilty about letting him get to this point. Ever since his son and his wife was killed, Samuel had tried his best to raise Gary and Daisy, but he was a busy man, and so he couldn't help but feel like this was his fault. Hopefully this journey would help him mature.

Sarah wanted to travel the world. Unlike her compatriots, while she did have ambitions of being a great trainer, her main focus was on Pokémon breeding. Having lived and worked in a florist's, and learning how to breed stronger, more beautiful plants, Sarah wanted to breed strong and resilient Pokémon, so that she may drag out a Pokémon's full potential. Oak smiled. She reminded him of a young Delia in that way. If Sarah ever wanted a job at the Lab, all she had to do was ask. She was the opposite of Gary, in that her joyful demeanour was genuine. To be completely honest, Oak didn't think anything would ever stop her confidence and charm, not that he ever wanted to. The world was harsh and cruel, and people like Sarah make it better, whether they realise it or not. If it weren't for her, her three friends would be a lot worse off.

Jason, young, clever Jason. Michael never stopped going on and on about how smart and perceptive his little boy was, but it was not unwarranted. The boy was at the top of his class for a reason. The encyclopaedic knowledge he possessed on Pokémon never failed to astound Samuel. For a long time, he was sure Jason would eventually take over the Laboratory when he retired.

He was a little shocked to hear that Jason wanted to travel around the world and understand all forms of battling, but well, Samuel had done the very same thing when he was his age, so he couldn't fault the boy, look how he turned out. Arguably the only thing holding him back was himself.

While he had Ash, Gary and Leaf, he could still barely interact with others and he lacked confidence in himself, when he really should not. Oak hoped his journey would let him break out of his shell, but he made a mental note to keep an eye on the boy.

And that left Ash.

Samuel would never forget his first encounter with the boy.

His mother on his doorstep, tears in her eyes, clutching her newborn son to her chest, barely past being a child herself, a storm raging throughout Pallet.

Delia tearfully begging him for a job, James and Lucy, new parents themselves, agreeing to help the mother and child.

Oak asking about the boy's father, and Delia's angry tears.

The Professor shoved that train of thought out of his mind for the time being. Stop focusing on the past, and start pondering the future.

Ash had wanted to be a Master his whole life. And how could he not? Samuel was one himself, after all, and the prestige and benefits that came with that title were prime motivation. It meant stamping your name in the annals of history.

He just got battling. Gary and Jason had strong instincts, and had greatly supplemented that with deep research, but with Ash it was intuitive. He understood battles on a fundamental, unconscious level that Oak had only ever seen in a handful of people. Ash would not win every battle, and this was something Oak knew Ash knew, but the real dangerous part about Ash is that the losses he took would only make his intuition stronger, his strategies tighter.

Gary could, and if he was as dedicated as he was before getting his Pokémon, and in all likeliness (Samuel couldn't completely rule out his own bias there), would eventually become Champion, he knew Ash would be the single largest threat to his reign.

Oak sighed internally. He knew that something had happened to drive his grandson and Ash apart, but neither boy ever said why. It was clearly personal, so Samuel didn't try to pry further.

He hoped that they could reconcile one day, but right now Oak didn't think that was feasible.

Ash had determination, and that would take him further than some might think. He was strong in heart and mind, a quality of all great Trainers.

Dratini seemed to trust him already. The trust between the two was already high, but Oak mused that was the nature of dragons. Few people who hadn't trained them understood why they acted the way they did, but he knew Ash would figure it out eventually. He just knew the boy would make her a powerful and beautiful Dragonite one day, just like he did with her mother. Now that Ash was closer by, he could see Dratini asleep on Ash's shoulders, a living scarf.

Enjoy it while you can, little dragon.

The children noticed him and began walking towards him.

Oak retreated from his thoughts and addressed the children.

"Now then" he said with a smile, "I trust you all have everything packed? Spare clothes, money, Pokéballs, towels?"

He was greeted with a chorus of yes and nods of heads.

"Good, good. I would wish you good luck, but I don't think you four need it." That put smiles on faces.

"Now, if you ever have any questions on Pokémon, big or small, or if you need advice on something, feel free to call me whenever you have the opportunity." More nods ensued.

"While I'm on that topic, Ash, Sarah, Jason, please call your parents regularly. They worry about you enough as is, don't give them any more reason to." The children in question nodded, although this time, it was a bit more sheepish.

Oak smiled. "Well then, no sense in delaying you any longer. Your journey begins now. It will be the best, and the worst experience of your life. You take care." Samuel knew he was getting emotional, but he couldn't help it.

In return, the kids gave him a "Thanks Professor/Grandpa".

Gary, ever unable to take a moment to slow down, stood forth first. Oak stopped him, motioning for a hug. Gary rolled his eyes, but obliged.

Ash and Sarah gave him teasing grins, and were met with sharp glares from his grandson, as if to say you saw nothing.

Oak let go, and Gary composed himself. "Well, I'll see you three at Viridian City. Gym Badge, here I come. Smell ya later!" The pompous boy disappeared towards Route 1.

Now it was Samuel's turn to roll his eyes. He had lost count of the times he had told Gary to slow down and enjoy life, but he wouldn't begrudge him this time. He was clearly excited.

Sarah was the next one to step forward. She smiled at the Professor. "I'll be sure to repay you one day for giving me my starter, Professor. I promise." She then turned to her friends. "See you soon, boys. Let's battle soon!" She began walking forward, smile still plastered on her face.

Jason stepped forward, a small smile on his own face. "Thank you for everything, Professor. I cannot state how grateful I am." He bowed before his elder.

Oak waved him away. "It's not necessary, Jason. Just go out there and battle. It's what you want, isn't it?"

Jason nodded at him, smile growing. "It is indeed, sir. Look after my father, will you?"

"Will do" was his response.

Jason turned to Ash, holding out his hand. "Next time, I'll be the one to battle you. Deal?"

Ash clapped his hand. "Deal."

And then the boy made like his friends and walked forward.

Only Ash was left.

Unlike his friends, instead of turning forward, Ash turned back towards Pallet Town, and the cliffs overlooking the sea.

It made sense, Oak mused. Ash had never left Pallet for any length of time. This town, the Laboratory, his mother, his friends, they were all he really knew. He was hesitant to leave it, but he knew he must, to achieve his dream.

Samuel walked up to the boy and clasped his shoulder like he had done to Gary many times in the past.

"It's okay to be hesitant, Ash. I know what this is like. I felt the same way myself when I left home. You'll be just fine. And you know what, I think you will be a Pokémon Master someday."

Ash looked up at the Professor, and gave him a sad smile. "I know I said it in the Lab, but thank you for everything, Professor."

This time Oak returned the sentiment. "It was no problem, Ash. Now go show everyone what you're made of."

Ash grinned, giving him an enthusiastic nod, before setting off towards Route 1.

Oak began to walk back down the hill.

Those four kids are going to do great things, he thought. Things just got a lot more interesting.

I won't lie, it has been rough times for me recently.

A lot of aggravating and personal things have been going on in my life lately, and I haven't felt motivated to post for a while.

This isn't an excuse, but simply me telling you why you haven't seen an update in two months.

I thank everyone that followed, favorited and reviewed this story so far, that support is why I'm continuing this story. I thank you for your patience.

I have the next arc planned out in my head, up until around the first Gym battle, and after this has been posted, I'm gonna start working on writing the chapters up.

This story lives!

With that, I bid you adieu, Goodbye and Good Night!