A/N: Today marks the day where I start my most ambitious project yet. Champion's Shadow is the longest story in chapter length, word count, and an overall length that I have ever written. This project is planned to span 6 stories, and three or four pre-series lore stories that will be posted exclusively on AO3.

So before we jump into the story, it's important to say that this takes place after the end of Journeys which clearly hasn't ended yet, but for purposes of this story, that arc ended with Ash managing to make it into the Masters 8 but ultimately losing to Leon. My rough timeline for Ash's adventure will be in the Author's Notes below. So doing the math, this takes place roughly about 22 years later.

I've introduced some new mechanics in this story, implementing Sub-Champions which are essentially a buffer between the Elite Four and a Champion and are handpicked by Champions to be their right hands. That's the one major thing, along with renaming Battle Bond to SynchroEvolution and making it so more people have that ability, and adding more modern technology.

This is a project that I have been really excited to share with the internet, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Also Happy Amourshipping Day!


"You'd think since they've been covering the World Coronation Series since before you were even born, they'd have this stuff figured out."

"I swear the only reason the Kalos League gets the proper coverage is that Malva is an anchor for the Lumiose Press."

Both of them could hear the frantic movements of the makeup artists behind them, scrambling to prepare the anchors for the events about to unfold on the battlefield before them. As it usually would be for the last battle of the World Coronation Series, the arena was sold out for this battle.

"You should have seen the field day Sinnoh Now had when your father took out Tobias' Darkrai. It was all they talked about for weeks."

"Well naturally. Other than Cynthia, he was the only one able to beat it. At the time, at least."

The murmurs of the crowd began to rise like a symphony in a crescendo. All the action behind the two came to a skittering stop.

"Sub-Champion Ketchum," a dark-haired man said to the younger of the two. "Mrs. Shinji." Some of the interns stared at the man, dressed in a blood-red cloak with long, wavy, blue hair that covered one of his green eyes.

The younger one nodded, "Sub-Champion Takuto." She gestured to the space along the balcony rail to her right.

The older woman nodded, "Tobias. I didn't know you were in Galar."

"It's protocol, Dawn," the younger one explained, "Sub-Champions have to attend these kinds of battles unless their home region is somehow falling apart."

The three of them heard the click of heels on the tile, whoever was walking towards them was walking with a purpose. They turned to face a woman with blonde hair in short curls that stopped above her shoulders. She was wearing a soft pink blazer, white blouse, and slate grey pencil skirt. Her heels added an inch to her normal height. At her side was a Pumpkaboo with a pink scarf that matched the color of the woman's blazer. She beamed.

"Mrs. Shinji, Sub-Champion Takuto, and Sub-Champion…" she cut herself off, "Do you prefer Elaine or just your last name?"

"Elaine Ketchum is fine," she answered. The woman nodded, satisfied with her answer.

"Well let me be the first to tell you what an honor it is to meet the three of you. I'm Ciara Woods, one of the anchors for Galar's most popular new source. Could I possibly get a one-on-one interview with you-" she noticed the hesitation in Tobias's facial expression- "most importantly Sub-Champion Elaine Ketchum, not everyone can get a one-on-one interview with the youngest Sub-Champion-"

Dawn cleared her throat, cutting off Ciara, "There is a good reason why not many reporters get interviews with Elaine. She is only thirteen after all. And I can assure you that her father isn't keen on having his daughter smothered by reporters."

Ciara blinked a few times in shock, her Pumpkaboo mirroring her trainer's confused expression. Ciara then cleared her throat, nodded to the three of them, and turned towards the desk where multiple makeup artists were fussing over a man's hair. Elaine mouthed a thank you to Dawn.

"One minute until we go live people!" A man cried from behind the array of cameras in front of the desk Ciara had just taken a seat at. Elaine adjusted her ponytail, raking her partially gloved hand through her honey-blonde locks at the last minute. Dawn adjusted the headband that was tucked behind her ears and Tobias adjusted his cloak so his pokeballs could be in full view.

"Your mother does a much better job at this," Dawn said, watching the makeup artists frantically touch up the makeup on Ciara and her co-anchor. Elaine stifled a laugh and nodded.

The male anchor swatted the makeup artists away, smoothing his graying brown hair and taping the papers in his hands on the desk. He made eye contact with Ciara, who nodded in approval. The producer frantically darted back to the camera array, "We are live in...Five...Four...Three…"

Elaine took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching her fists. Dawn gave her an encouraging thumbs-up. Ciara tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as her Pumpkaboo floated towards the cameras.

"Two...One!"

"Good evening Galar Region. I am Cruz Hopkins," the man said proudly.

"And I'm Ciara Woods. We are broadcasting to you live from the Wyndon Arena, where we are joined in the room by Sub-Champion Tobias Takuto, Sub-Champion Elaine Ketchum, and former Top Coordinator and fashion icon, Dawn Shinji." The cameras zoomed in on the three of them. Tobias' lips quirked up into a smile, Dawn beamed, and Elaine simply smiled and nodded. One of the cameramen jerked his thumb back to Ciara and Cruz and the producer nodded to the three of them, signaling that the cameras were back to the anchors.

Elaine sighed in relief, relaxing her body from its rigid posture. The producer, a portly, balding man, trotted over to them. "Thank you very much ma'ams...and-and sir, of course," he stuttered. He turned away, jogging back to the camera array as Ciara and Cruz gave an overview of the day's news.

Dawn groaned, "Finally. These heels are killing me."

Tobias nodded to the two of them, "I'll meet you both in the box. Now if you'll excuse me." He stalked away, the personnel in his path parting like a rock would a stream. Elaine shivered as he left, "How do you handle him as Sinnoh's Sub-Champion?"

"Tori feels the same way. Tobias has always creeped her out," Dawn said. "That reminds me, how is your little brother?"

"Well, he turns ten tomorrow, so that's why he's not here tonight. And there's a really low chance that my mom can convince him to go to sleep with this whole thing kicking off tonight." Elaine glanced over her shoulder to Ciara and Cruz, still reporting the day's news. "It might be a reasonable time here in Galar but it's four in the morning in Kanto."

Dawn nodded and gestured towards the door, Elaine nodded and began striding forward in step with Dawn. "And what about your mother? Is she doing alright?"

Elaine nodded, "Dad and I have to head out to Kalos to help finalize preparations for the Kalos League; Mom has to go out too, to help set up the Master Class. But I'm in charge of most of the league preparations because Dad wants to make sure Mom doesn't suffer too much from empty nest syndrome."

Dawn nodded as they came up to a door, the guard in front of it opened it and waved the two of them in.

"Sub-Champion Elaine!"

Elaine turned to the side and nodded, "Champion Gloria, Sub-Champion Victor. I should have expected you both to be in attendance."

Champion Gloria grinned, her brown eyes sparkling with excitement, "O'course we're here!" She shouted. Her bright, northern Galarian accent softly echoed in the room.

"Glo wanted to come to pick up some battle tips," Victor explained, his accent slightly different from his sister's. Not as aggressive, in Elaine's opinion.

She opened her mouth to respond before screeching feedback cut through the dull roar of the crowd outside of the box. The crowd increased in volume, knowing exactly what the feedback meant. Elaine darted over to the large window that overlooked the battlefield.

On either side of the sprawling field, a figure walked towards the center. Elaine, along with the rest of the crowd, recognized the figures. One was wearing a blue and gray jacket, a dark red t-shirt, black pants, and a white cape. On his head was a red, brimmed cap, and a furry, yellow creature was perched on his shoulder.

The other had nothing on his head, leaving his purple hair that was tied back at the nape of his neck in full view. He was wearing a black trench coat over black slacks and a gray uniform shirt. Dawn waved towards him.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, and Pokemon Battle Fans from around the world!" The crowd screamed with excitement, the volume rising like a lava plume from a volcano. Ciara's voice echoed across the arena, she could even see the two figures on the ground flinch. "This is the last battle of the World Coronation Series! And once again, it is between our reigning Monarch, whose reign could soon give Former Champion Leon's a run for its money!"

Gloria and Victor made a combined, affronted noise upon hearing that comment. Elaine scrunched her nose in confusion before remembering the twins were part of the generation that practically worshipped the ground the former Galarian Champion walked.

"Our Monarch, the Champion of Kanto, Kalos, and Alola, Ash Ketchum!" Ciara cried. Adjusting his hat, Ash took a bow to the crowd. Elaine nearly chuckled at the cheers that erupted from the group of fangirls that carried posters with his name sloppily plastered across them. Even though she couldn't see it, she was positive the other figure was rolling his eyes at her father's antics.

"And his opponent. A childhood rival of his. The Champion of Sinnoh, Paul Shinji!" Cruz had called that announcement instead of Ciara at that time. Instead of bowing or acknowledging the crowd in any way, his eyes drifted up towards the box, making eye contact with Dawn. He smiled and nodded, and Dawn nodded back.

Elaine recognized the gesture, having watched her parents do the same thing her entire childhood. "So what do you want to bet that my dad will continue being the monarch for another season?"

Dawn smirked, "I'd bet that you haven't seen how hard Paul has been training to beat him. Even if he does win again, it'll be close."

"It's always been close," Tobias commented, though he smirked, "Though I must concur, Champion Shinji has dedicated a majority of his time to defeating your father, Sub-Champion Ketchum. I would not be surprised if we had a change in the rankings after the battle."

Elaine nodded, "But," she argued, "my dad has been training too. I think it'll end up just like it always does. You up for a bet?"

Tobias narrowed his eyes, seemingly turning up his nose at the teenaged Sub-Champion. He said nothing and Elaine shrugged, turning back to stare out across the battlefield; her bright, hazel eyes full of anticipation for the battle.

Both Champions exchanged a handshake in the middle of the field before retreating to opposite sides of the battlefield. Ash gestured to Paul as if inviting him to take the first move. Paul nodded, unclipping a pokeball from his belt and tossing it into the air in front of him.

"Weavile," he shouted, the microphone clipped to his jacket giving scratchy audio outputs. Slight feedback cut through the crowd's deafening roar like a sword would a piece of wood. "Stand by for battle!"

Materializing in red light, the Sharp Claw Pokemon appeared on the battlefield. The floodlights gave Weavile's razor-sharp claws a malicious glint. Its crimson, beady eyes narrowed at Ash and the creature on his shoulder.

Ash nodded to him, unclipping a pokeball from his belt. "Lycanroc, I choose you!" He shouted.

The Wolf Pokemon materialized across from Weavile, holding its head proudly and staring down its opponent. Lycanroc's emerald green eyes stared directly at Paul and Weavile. Both trainers nodded and turned their attention towards the referee hovering off to the side on his Aegislash.

He nodded, adjusting the microphone clipped to his collar and clearing his throat. "This will be a two-on-two battle. No substitutions are allowed. Do both of you agree to these terms?" Ash and Paul nodded, and the referee raised his arms. "Battle BEGIN!"

"Accelerock!"

"Blizzard!" Paul commanded. Weavile leaped into the air, opening its mouth and sending shards of ice towards Lycanroc's paws to freeze them in place.

Lycanroc jumped to the side, becoming surrounded by a white aura as it slammed into Weavile, drawing a cry from the Sharp Claw Pokemon. Paul narrowed his eyes, "Metal Claw." Weavile snarled, reaching a claw up towards the Wolf Pokemon and slashing across its face, causing Lycanroc to release Weavile from its hold as it stumbled backward.

Ash clenched his fist, "Lycanroc, are you okay?" He called. Lycanroc gave an encouraging bark and lowered into a lunge, ready to attack. "Use Bite!"

"Dodge, then use Swords Dance!"

Weavile just barely managed to avoid Lycanroc's teeth. Skidding to a stop and tearing up the turf on the field with its claws. Weavile's claws then turned purple and grew in length as the Sharp Claw Pokemon spun around.

"Use Stone Edge!"

"Dodge!"

As an orange aura surrounded Lycanroc, the Wolf Pokemon stood up on its hind legs. It howled and slammed its front paws into the ground; the shock shaking the ground in front of it as jagged, blue stones appeared from the ground on a path towards Weavile.

The Sharp Claw Pokemon wove its way between the stones before jumping into the air and landing on one of them. It leaped between them until it was overhead of Lycanroc.

"Metal Claw!"

"Lycanroc, use Accelerock!"

Lycanroc was once again surrounded by a white aura, lunging before pushing off the ground to slam into the falling Weavile. The Sharp Claw Pokemon was still able to slash across Lycanroc's muzzle.

"Stay on it! Use Blizzard!"

Weavile wrapped its arms around Lycanroc's neck. Opening its mouth again, shards of ice went flying towards Lycanroc's paws, freezing it to the ground. The Sharp Claw Pokemon unwrapped its arms from the Wolf Pokemon's neck as it leaped backward.

Ash narrowed his eyes, "Counter!"

The brown stone on the top of Lycanroc's head began to glow orange with a green outline. The Wolf Pokemon howled, managing to free itself from the ice and charging towards Weavile. It struck the Sharp Claw Pokemon with the stone, sending Weavile flying almost all the way back to Paul's side.

Weavile pushed itself up from the ground, snarling at Lycanroc's proud demeanor. As it rose, Lycanroc bared its teeth, trying to discourage any continued attacks.

"Use Ice Shard!"

"Lycanroc, use Bite!"

Weavile raised its arms, forming a glowing, light blue block of ice between them. It lobbed the block of ice towards Lycanroc, who easily jumped to the side. It lunged forward, sinking its teeth into Weavile's arm, drawing a pained cry from the Sharp Claw Pokemon.

Lycanroc tossed Weavile like a ragdoll across the battlefield. It attempted to push itself up with shaking arms, before collapsing to the ground.

"WEAVILE IS UNABLE TO BATTLE!" Ciara practically screamed with excitement. The feedback is drowned by the roar of the crowd, becoming louder with every second. Paul nodded, returning Weavile to its pokeball and clipping it to his belt again.

Lycanroc panted, its legs shaking. It was clear the Wolf Pokemon was close to collapsing. Paul reached for his second pokeball, throwing it up into the air like he was almost bored. Materializing from the red light was Paul's stoic electric titan, Electivire.

The Thunder Pokemon stared down Lycanroc with a haughty expression. Lycanroc snarled in anger, lowering into a lunge and preparing to pounce upon Electivire.

"Brick Break!" Paul commanded.

Electivire slammed its fist into Lycanroc, sending the Wolf Pokemon tumbling backward and landing at Ash's feet. Ash kneeled, running his hand through the scruff around Lycanroc's neck. "You did great, Lycanroc. You deserve a rest," he whispered. He retrieved Lycanroc's pokeball, pressing the center button as a red beam of light shot towards, and surrounded Ash's fallen partner.

"Lycanroc appears to have met the same fate as Champion Shinji's Weavile. Now that both of our competitors are down to a single Pokemon, it is still anyone's match!" Cruz's voice echoed across the arena, a wave of cheers rising after. Like a tide rapidly rising to the shore.

Ash nodded towards Paul, "You've gotten a lot better since I last beat you!" He yelled. Electivire narrowed its eyes at that comment, while Paul gave an amused, half-smile.

"You can't count on the past to save you now," he countered with a sharp, yet somehow amused tone. "You're right on improvement, Electivire and I aren't playing around anymore."

"Great, I've been waiting for a challenge."

Dawn rolled her eyes up in the box, "It's always fun to see how childish the two of them can be and have it spun as a friendly rivalry."

Elaine snickered, "Mom pokes fun at it all the time. He and Iris have taunted each other like kids, and they're still presented as dignified Champions in their regions and interregionally."

Dawn held up a hand to mask her laugh, turning her attention back to the battlefield. Materializing in front of Ash was arguably his most trusted partner, his Greninja. Pikachu gave a disappointed sigh from his trainer's side. Ash scratched the back of his neck, "Sorry buddy. Next time, promise." Pikachu shrugged, seemingly accepting this answer, and curled up on the ground.

Electivire grunted in acknowledgment to the Ninja Pokemon. Greninja responded with a curt nod before taking a fighting stance.

Paul raised an eyebrow, "Looks like someone wanted to show off," he said. Closely observing Greninja's stance.

"Might as well, one of my daughters is here in person. And Aaron is probably watching at home anyway. Water Shuriken!"

"Dodge, then use Thunder Punch!"

Greninja held its palms close together, forming a shuriken out of compressed water. Throwing it at great speed towards the Thunder Pokemon. Electivire sidestepped the attack, lumbering forward and thrusting its electrified fist towards Greninja, who easily dodged by slipping to the side.

"Brick Break!"

"Get behind it and use Night Slash!" Ash commanded.

Greninja slid out of the way of Electivire's fist, forming a glowing, purple sword in its palm. It slashed across the Thunder Pokemon's back, drawing a pained roar from the Sinnoh Champion's partner.

"Water Shuriken!"

"Protect!"

Once again, Greninja created a shuriken from water and threw it towards Electivire. The Thunder Pokemon stood firm, a gold and green shield coming up between it, easily deflecting the attack.

The crowd's volume was rising still, the excitement spurred on by the battle before them. Many of the spectators were hungry for more action, and the division of support for both Champions was becoming clearer every moment.

Ash narrowed his eyes as Electivire shook itself off. "Greninja!" He called. Greninja glanced over its shoulder in acknowledgment. "You need to have Electivire come to you."

Paul furrowed his brow at this change in strategy, "Keep your distance. Use Thunder!"

The ends of the antennas that stretched from its back to over its shoulder began to crackle with golden electricity that danced across its body. Electivire's body was soon surrounded by the crackles of the dancing golden sparks. It fired a blast of electricity towards Greninja, who ducked out of the attack's way.

"Aerial Ace!"

Paul raised an eyebrow, watching Greninja's arms glow with pale blue light as it crossed them to make an X shape over its chest. "Take it," he mumbled to Electivire, who nodded in acknowledgment. Greninja broke the X, sending light blue arcs flying towards Electivire. They crashed against the Thunder Pokemon's bulky arm, not even getting so much as a blink in acknowledgment.

"Water Shuriken!" Ash hollered.

Greninja dashed forward, managing to get itself behind Electivire; compressing water into a shuriken between its palms once again, delivering a debilitating blow from behind. Electivire stumbled forward with a groan of pain.

Paul opened his mouth to give a command but shut it as Greninja seemed to disappear and reappear in front of Ash. The air around him felt heavy like it was being weighed down with water, and he could feel a film of water over his skin. The Sinnoh Champion narrowed his eyes at his opponent, who smirked.

"Son of a-" Paul cut himself off, remembering the mic clipped to his collar and the crowds and cameras.

Greninja mirrored Ash's stance as the humidity in the air began to condense into droplets of water around the Ninja Pokemon.

Tobias lifted his chin slightly, "It seems victory will not come as easy to your father as you were led to believe, Sub-Champion Ketchum." His eyes darkened, "If he wins at all."

Elaine rolled her eyes, holding a hand up to her mouth, letting out a yawn. "He's doing this to show off."

Dawn raised an eyebrow, "You seem confident."

"I know my dad, Dawn. He did raise me. Besides, I've done the same thing with my Greninja," Elaine retorted, patting at her belt. One of them began to violently shake on its accord as the droplets around Greninja slowly condensed into streams of water.

Ash and Greninja, seeming to move as one, crossed their arms over their chests in an X as the torrent of water fully concealed Greninja within. The wind picked up, and Ash's hair was ruffled by the wind, nearly carrying his hat off his head when Pikachu jumped up to catch it.

A collective shiver washed through the crowd as two red lights appeared in the center of the vortex. Ash's own eyes turned from their warm hazel to the striking red shade of the lights in the water vortex. He broke the X of his arms, and the torrent broke apart, the two halves swooping low to create a giant Water Shuriken on Greninja's back.

Paul wasted no time admiring the transformation, "Thunder Punch," he commanded.

Electivire lumbered forward, its fist crackling with the dancing light of electricity. It slammed its fist forward, to which Greninja simply sidestepped.

"Night Slash!"

Forming from hard light in Greninja's palm, the Ninja slashed at the underside of Electivire's arms, drawing a pained cry from the Thunder Pokemon. Electivire retaliated, slamming its fist into Greninja's side, causing a pained grunt from the Kalosian Starter.

"Water Shuriken!"

"Brick Break!"

Greninja jumped into the air, reached behind its back, gripping the top of the shuriken and lobbing it towards Electivire. Electivire thrust its fist forward to attack but was already forced back by Greninja's Water Shuriken. It growled in pain, stumbling backward, and falling flat on the battlefield, a small cloud of dust rising around it.

"Oh my Arceus! If you can believe it; Champion Ash Ketchum is once again our World Coronation Monarch. Electivire is unable to battle!" Ciara and Cruz announced into their microphones, making way for a rise in cheers from the crowd.

Elaine smirked, "Well, that's the battle."

Dawn looked at the teenager, "Looks like you were right." She checked her watch, "I have to go; Tori should be calling soon."

"Tell her I said hi, and that Aaron does too."

Dawn nodded, exiting the room. Tobias soon followed suit. Gloria and Victor turned to Elaine, "It was good to meet ya again," Gloria called.

"It was wonderful, Sub-Champion Elaine. Hopefully, we'll be able to battle again soon," Victor added. Elaine nodded gratefully to the twins and left the room as well. A ding chimed from her RotomPhone that was tucked away in her pocket. She fished it out and quickly read the notification. Of course, he'd still be up, she thought.

She wove through the reporters being fended off by the numerous security guards. One tried stopping her before spotting the silver pin fastened to her collar. The guard called over two others and Elaine was escorted to a helicopter pad not far from the stadium.

"How'd you get out before me?"

Her dad shrugged, Pikachu mirroring him, "How'd the news thing go?"

"One of the anchors wanted an interview with me. Dawn, very politely, told her to buzz off; other than that, it was fine," Elaine said, her voice increasing in volume as the hum of helicopter rotors increased.

"Good! I'm glad! You're going to have to get used to it during league preparations in Kalos." The helicopter door slid open and both father and daughter climbed inside. "Malva will be with you to make sure you're comfortable. She's also the only person that can actually get the press to calm down, to my knowledge at least," he continued, watching as the bright lights of Wyndon faded as they rose into the clouds. "It's one of the reasons I'm worried for your brother."

"The press never bothered me, Laura, and Sarah that much."

"Yeah, but you three...You weren't what they focused on-" Elaine raised a questioning eyebrow and Ash sighed, "Yeah, they had some interest in you, but that was because you three were triplets and they were curious about how your mom and I would handle all three of you. Aaron is…"

"Your only son," Elaine finished. "He's been on camera just as much as me, Dad, and he's three years younger. I think he'll be fine."

Ash looked out the window at the city that eventually turned into suburbs, and then farmland, like the changing of the seasons. He sighed and Elaine shifted in her seat across from him. "I hope you're right," he mumbled.


The World of Pokemon. An Incredible World, where Humans and Pokemon live in perfect harmony with one another. Pokemon are the incredible creatures with which we share our lives.

There are hundreds of Pokemon Species spread out across numerous regions. And Pokemon are classified with a typing system consisting of 18 types. Normal, Fire, Grass, Water, Fighting, Flying, Electric, Ground, Rock, Ice, Psychic, Poison, Bug, Dragon, Dark, Steel, and Fairy.

The humans that bond with their Pokemon to lead them to victory in battle are what we call Pokemon Trainers. Pokemon Trainers form bonds to unlock their partner's true strength, and some Pokemon can even undergo a phenomenon known as Evolution.

When Evolution occurs, a Pokemon gains more power and even changes its form. And in some cases, a Pokemon has the ability to unlock a higher form of Evolution, known as Mega Evolution. And in some rare cases, Pokemon were able to perform an even more intense form of higher evolution, in which a Key Stone and corresponding Mega Stone were not required; this form having been dubbed SynchroEvolution by, now retired, Professor Augustine Sycamore.

Trainers even compete in competitions known as Pokemon Leagues for the chance to challenge their Region's Elite Four, Sub-Champion, and Champion.

The protocol of including Sub-Champions, a Champion's right hand was introduced as well. Sub-Champions occupy the position between Elite Four and Champion, not nearly Champion level power, but stronger than Elite Four members.

And the Regions have never been safer, with the eradication of the malicious organizations that had plagued the Regions for so long. The Ranger Union still handles larger crimes, like interregional pokemon smuggling rings, as does the International Police. Rocket, Magma, Aqua, Galactic, Plasma, Flare, and Macro Cosmos have been officially disbanded, with Team Skull being nothing more than a minor nuisance to the citizens of the Alola Region.

Many Trainers are now equipped with Rotom Technology like RotomPhones, with more technology still in the works by RotoTech. And these technological advances have become commonplace in society.


"Even if you don't want to talk to her, you can at least act like you tolerate her for your mother and little brother's sake."

"You know, that's almost exactly what my dad told me."

"Little kid bestowing actual wisdom on his children? Stop the presses."

A man, adjusting a microphone addition to his headset as he flicked a few switches on the dashboard in front of him, cleared his throat, "Champion Iris?"

Iris turned away from the teenager across from her and towards the pilot, "Yes?"

"We'll be landing momentarily," the co-pilot answered as the pilot said something into his headset.

Iris nodded, turning back to the teen, "And there's a pretty big chance that Elaine might not even be there. She and your dad were in Galar just last night, which would have been about three or-"

"Four. It was four in the morning during the battle here in Kanto," the teen answered, staring out the window at the small collection of houses nestled in the lush, green, rolling hills of the countryside. "And you underestimate Elaine. She'd make it her mission to show up. She is Aaron's favorite older sister after all."

"You do realize the only reason for that is because he sees Elaine the most out of the three of you," Iris commented.

The teen rolled her eyes, "Not my fault that she's Dad's right hand," she muttered.

Iris frowned and shook her head, "How long until we land?"

"Another minute or so, ma'am; th-though it seems that someone is standing dangerously close to the landing site, it could be an assassin."

Iris snorted, "I didn't take down Team Plasma or Neo Team Plasma, whatever Ghetsis was calling himself, to be worried about a possible assassin from Kanto of all places."

The teen narrowed her eyes, spotting a figure from the ground waving their arms. At her side seemed to be what looked like a Gabite, and a yellow blob that looked like a Raichu. She stared at the figure's outfit, trying to find any specific logos to identify them; soon recognizing the gaudy green jacket and blue jumper.

"It's not," she said, "It's just Sarah waving her arms like a maniac."

The pilot exchanged a glance with the co-pilot and Iris. Iris also leaned over to look out of the side, squinting at the figure and nodding at the pilot, "We're clear," she said. She turned back to her protege, "How'd you guess that one?"

"Sarah is the only person I know that would willingly wear that trainwreck of a school uniform out in public willingly," she chuckled lightly, "The normal Ranger Outfit looks fine, but not their academy uniforms."

Iris nodded in agreement. She opened her mouth to say something before the pilot interrupted her. "Prepare for landing."

The Unovan Champion shifted in her seat, "Will you need a flight back?"

"I have a flight to Nimbasa City from Cherrygrove after all this, I'll be back by-"

"Good. I'll have Elesa meet you and Trip can bring you back," she paused, "I'm in Elite Four meetings all day; something about the Kami Trio. Caitlyn is being paranoid about it all."

"Touching down in...Five...Four...Three...Two...One."

The door slid open, the whirring of the helicopter blades even louder. The teen unbuckled herself, ducking her head as she stepped down to the ground.

"Laura!"

Laura was nearly tackled by a blur of green, blue, and black. She looked down to see the messy, black hair of her little sister. "Sarah," she said half-heartedly, "Long time, no see."

"Of course! You didn't even come to your own birthday!" Sarah shouted, "At least Elaine did," she added. Sarah leaned to the side, one of her black pigtails brushing against Laura's shoulder, "Hi Aunt Iris!"

"Good morning, Sarah," Iris called, "Make sure Laura doesn't start any fights and say hello to your mom for me."

"Will do!"

Iris nodded as the door to the helicopter slid closed. Sarah enthusiastically waved her arm as it hovered in the air and took off flying to East. Laura stared off into the distance, her sapphire blue pupils following its trail.

"Is Elaine here?"

Sarah shrugged, "I flew in from Fiore a couple of hours ago, I haven't even gotten home yet."

"I thought the Ranger Academy was in Almia?"

"It is," Sarah explained, "but we were shadowing a couple of Rangers in Fiore for school. Anyway, how's your training been going with Aunt Iris?"

"Fine."

Sarah shrugged, "Anyway, we ended up shadowing a Top Ranger named Kellyn, and he knew Dad! And-"

"He's a Champion, Sarah. Everyone knows who he is," Laura interrupted.

The two sisters arrived at a quaint house, the front yard framed by a white picket fence and dotted with shrubbery and flowers. The paint seemed to be newly coated, and the windows sparkled in the mid-morning light.

"Looks like Mom's been busy," Laura commented, observing the garden.

Sarah rapped on the door with her fist, "Mom! Laura and I are here!"

The lock of the door clicked open and a woman dressed in a white shirt, a gray cardigan, and a pair of dark leggings stepped out into the crisp Kantonian air; her honey blonde hair was done up in a braided updo with a royal blue ribbon woven in. Her sapphire eyes sparkled, "There you two are," she opened her arms and Sarah moved to hug her.

Laura raked a hand through her short, close-cropped, honey blonde hair, "Hey Mom."

"So where's the birthday boy?" Sarah asked, leaning over to try to see past her mother.

She sighed, "Still asleep; he was up late watching the match last night, so he finally fell asleep at about four-thirty, in the morning."

"Arceus above. That's when they get us up for really early training sessions at school."

"Even Iris lets me sleep in until 6," Laura interjected, sensing Sarah was about to start telling another of her ridiculously long stories.

Their mother opened the door allowing them in. Sarah sat at the small bench by the doorway, unlacing the brown, standard-issue uniform boots she'd been romping around in all morning. Laura simply kicked off the brown combat boots she was wearing.

"So how did you girls fly in?" Their mother asked, setting out a large dish of pokemon food for Sarah's Raichu and Gabite. She looked towards Laura, who shook her head.

"I got a flight from Fall City in the Fiore Region and then landed in Viridian City. And walked the rest of the way."

"Iris dropped me off in the outskirts of town, and Sarah found me there."

"And Aunt Iris told us to say hi!"

Their mother nodded, "Sarah," Sarah jumped to her feet. "Do you think you could take Raichu and wake your little brother up? If he sleeps any later, he'll never make it to Viridian City before dark."

Sarah gave a joking salute, "Yes ma'am!" She darted up the stairs, her feet thumping on the steps in unison with Raichu. Their mother turned to Laura, "Please tell me you at least brought a jacket, it's cold out there and you're in shorts and a tank top."

Laura looked down at her army green tank top and khaki shorts and looked back to her mother, shrugging as she dug a steel gray jacket out of the small bag she had been carrying. She glanced at the bandages wrapped around her arms as she slid the jacket over them, "You aren't going to ask me what happened?"

"Iris mentioned it. She said it happened when you were training with Houndoom. You were trying a difficult fire-type move that Houndoom hadn't perfected, and it got out of control. Are your arms okay?"

"They're fine," Laura grunted. "I'm fine."

Her mother's expression softened, "I'm glad you're okay."


The room was bathed in the golden, mid-morning light filtering through the window panes. The shelves of the room were covered in figurines of pokemon and photographs. A desk was set up in the corner, papers ripped from notebooks with notes messy scrawled across them.

Sleeping peacefully, wrapped in the covers on his bed, was a black-haired, young boy. He shifted a few times in his sleep, sighing a few times as well, seemingly at peace, before his leg seized and he felt like someone had just put the atoms of his being in a blender. He jolted awake and fell out of his bed, watching a blur of yellow and orange dart out of his room accompanied by the mischievous giggles of a girl.

"What the-" he muttered, rubbing his leg. He stood up, holding onto his dresser for stability with his numb leg. He narrowed his eyes at his slightly ajar door and shook his head, changing from the warm pajamas he'd donned during the night and into a white and reddish-orange jacket, a pair of blue shorts, revealing the bandages decorating his knee.

He rubbed his eyes, transparent shapes dancing across his vision. Lying on his nightstand, next to a note scribbled on a piece of crumpled paper, was a RotomPhone. "Good morning, Rotom," the boy called.

The electronic beeped and rose into the air hovering inches in front of the boy's face, "Zzt. Good morning, Aaron!" It said. "The time is 10:23 Kantonian Standard Time, and the day is October Twenty-Seventh!"

Aaron stood silently and blinked a few times, Rotom's declaration not fully registering with the half-awake boy. "Wait," he began, "It's ten-twenty-three?"

"10:25 now!"

He stood still, the words still not registering in his head before they finally clicked. "Holy Egg of Arceus," he whispered, "Man, am I late."

"Indeed you are." Rotom deactivated, dropping into his palm. Aaron tucked the device into his pocket and slid out of his room, gliding over the hardwood floors in his socks. He ran down the hall and quickly ran, nearly tumbling, down the stairs because of the speed.

"I'm up!" He yelled as he got to the bottom, "I'm up!"

"And late!" His mother called from the living room, "You were supposed to have your starter picked out by now!"

"I know, I know, I-" his face lit up as he walked into the room, "Sarah! Laura!" He darted over to his older sisters, with Sarah jumping up from her seat and wrapping her little brother in a beartic hug. He wriggled himself out of her arms after a few seconds and looked left and right, "Are Dad and Lainey here?"

"Not yet," his mother said, watching her son's face fall, "But there's still a chance. From what I heard, Lainey is determined to at least see you off."

"Ye-yeah! She is! I know she and Dad'll come!"

Laura sighed, receiving a disapproving glare from her mother.

"You know, Aaron, you've kept Uncle Gary waiting for longer than we told him; how about you and Sarah start heading over there. I need to talk to Laura about something."

Sarah and Aaron glanced at each other and shrugged. Their mother's face lit up, remembering something, "Your bag is next to the door Aaron, remember to grab it."

"I will!"

She focused her attention on her oldest daughter, who shrugged, "What?" Laura borderline snarled, watching her sister and brother exit the room.

"I'm going to remind you once, Laura. Today is not about you or any issues you have with Elaine, it is about Aaron and the start of his journey and-"

"I notice you aren't chiding Elaine about this," Laura retorted.

"Because Elaine is better at civility than you. She's camera trained. You are more like your father, you're very impulsive and can't always keep your thoughts to yourself." Laura rolled her eyes as her mother sighed, "I'm not trying to show favorites, you know I have none. I'm just trying to give Aaron the tenth birthday he deserves, without you and Elaine fighting. You'll always be sisters."

"So what, you want me to be all loving and sisterly?"

"I'm asking for civility. Nothing more."

Laura narrowed her eyes at the ground in front of her, "Fine."


The soft padding of feet alerted her to the second presence in her room. A girl, covered in blankets, opened her striking jade and cold blue eyes and smirked. The padding increased in volume as a part of her mattress sunk slightly, "Jaz?" A voice hissed.

A few seconds passed and Jaz resisted the urge to laugh.

"Jaz?" The voice said, louder now.

"Jasmine?"

Silence.

"Well den," the voice said, with a hint of obvious amusement, "I guess we're gonna 'ave to wake youz up da hard way." Jasmine snickered silently as the owner of the voice padded around; she clutched the pillow in preparation to move it over her head quickly. It jumped into the air, "FURY SWIPES."

"Try again!" Jasmine shouted, bringing the pillow up to her face, leaving the claws to sink into the fabric. Pillow fluff escaped from the holes that had been made, scattering across Jasmine's bed. There was a cry of surprise and a thud on the ground; Jasmine sat up, swinging her legs so they were hanging off her bed, "Morning Meowth." She giggled.

"I didn't sign up for dis," Meowth groaned, pushing himself up from the ground.

Jasmine crossed her legs and stared down at the Scratch Cat Pokemon, "Why didn't Mom or Dad wake me up?"

"Der over at Tangelo Island. Wobbuffet and I are watchin youz today."

"I don't need to be watched Meowth. I'm 10, and I'm old enough to go on my own Pokemon Journey. If Mom and dad would let me," Jasmine muttered the last part under her breath.

"You know the reason why."

"Yeah, I do," she sighed, "So what's for breakfast?"

"It's ten-thirty."

"So?"

Meowth rolled his eyes, "Downstairs," he waddled out of her room and Jasmine finally got to her feet. She scanned the floor for a pile of clothes that didn't look like they'd been there for so long.

Scattered on the floor was a pile of clothes: a pair of light wash jeans, a pale yellow blouse, and a slate-gray jacket. She sat down in front of them, lifting them up to her nose to do a sniff test. She shrugged, changing out of her pajamas and into the clothes. She tied her lavender hair back into two pigtails and tucked a yellow headband behind her ears.

She lumbered downstairs, her feet thudding on the stairs. Meowth was perched on top of another pokemon resembling a tear-drop and standing in front of a stove and a frying pan. "Good morning, Wobbuffett," she called.

"Wobb!" Wobbuffett called back, jerking around to cause Meowth to fall to the ground. The Scratch Cat thudded on the ground, rolling over so his tail wasn't pinned under him, "Ow," he moaned.

Jasmine winced, "Sorry." She walked over to him and leaned down, lifting him from under his armpits and setting him on the counter. Wobbuffett held out a wooden spoon to Meowth, who snatched it out of the Patient Pokemon's hand with an aloof "hmph".

Meowth used his tail to adjust one of the knobs on the stove and tried picking up the frying pan. Jasmine heard a sickening sizzling and saw Meowth's paw on one of the red-hot burners. "Uh, Meowth?"

"Ye-OW!" Meowth yelped, jumping into the air and crying in pain. Wobbuffett moved forward to catch the Scratch Cat Pokemon and the frying pan as well. Meowth cradled his burnt foot, hissing in pain.

Jasmine winced, "I'm gonna go get some bandages for that." She slowly backed out of the kitchen, bumping into one of the counters and hissing when the corner dug into her back. She stood on her toes, opening one of the hanging cabinets and rummaging through everything. When she couldn't find anything, she lifted herself onto the countertop, rummaging through the upper shelves when finally, her hand closed around a white, cloth roll of bandages.

"Here you go," she said, gently, but tightly wrapping the bandages around Meowth's injured foot. "Sorry about that."

"Wobb, wobb," Wobbuffett exclaimed, handing Jasmine a plate of eggs and bacon. Her face lit up as she scarfed down the food. Meowth looked between Wobbuffett and Jasmine and sighed, "I can't wait until Jess and James are back."

Jasmine interlaced her fingers and stretched, "Anyone feel like they're forgetting something?"

Wobbuffett shrugged and Meowth turned towards a calendar, "Looks like it's the twenty-seventh-"

"Wah! It's Aaron's birthday! I totally forgot!" She exclaimed.

"Isn't that the twoip and twoipette's kid?"

Jasmine shook her head, "You shouldn't call the person that got all of you in a witness protection scheme for selling out Team Rocket secrets a twerp," she muttered, "I should go call him or something." She walked out of the room, leaving Meowth and Wobbuffett alone.

Meowth looked to a door on the other side of the room and frowned, "As much as I know that Jess and James are tryin to protect Jaz-"

"Wobb?"

"Nevah mind."


"So, does Aaron know you're here?"

"Nope."

"It's to surprise him," Ash answered. "I was there when the girls-" he glanced at Elaine- "got their starters. It wouldn't be fair if I wasn't there for my son."

An umbreon's lazy purr filled the air. The Moonlight Pokemon was bathed in the golden, late-morning sun, curled up on spare blankets under a window. Elaine kneeled and scratched behind one of its ears.

"Count on Ashy-boy to make a twelve-hour flight in six hours just to visit his son on his birthday," Gary teased, shoving a binder back onto a shelf, "I can't imagine having kids."

Elaine shook her head, hearing a soft chime from her RotomPhone. She fished it out of her pocket, "Mom said Aaron just woke up, and he and Sarah are on their way. She and Laura are behind them."

"So does Serena know?"

"Also no. She's just as clueless as Aaron."

Gary raised an eyebrow and shrugged, laying out an empty food bowl in front of Umbreon and shaking a bag of food into it. Umbreon raised herself and nibbled on some of the pellets that had been shaken into the bowl.

"So how long has it been since you've seen your little brother, Elaine?"

Elaine shrugged, "You can still call me Lainey," she said, "but I don't think Aaron and I have even talked since a couple of days after Tori left on her journey."

"Tori," Gary mumbled to himself, "That's Dawn's daughter, right?"

"Yup."

"Hmm," he glanced out the window, "I'm surprised no paparazzi or tabloid reporters have appeared. You'd think they'd be all over something like this."

Elaine nodded, "It's a little suspicious. He's going to be the last champion child to start a journey for a- Oh there they are," she sighed, her eyes flickering between their natural hazel color and a deep, ethereal royal blue.

"Where?"

"In the bushes," Ash said, turning to Elaine, "Nice catch."


"Are you sure you can't tell me what starter you're picking?" Sarah whined.

Aaron chuckled, "Nope! You'll find out with Mom and Laura and Lainey and Dad."

Sarah groaned, "You have got to be the worst little brother ever," she teased, ruffling Aaron's raven black hair. Aaron batted her hand out of his hair and did a mock pout, causing Sarah to burst into laughter. "So anyway," she said between snickers, "how is only child life with Mom?"

"It's pretty cool. And exhausting. Once, for one of the movies she was doing, it was filming in different locations all over the world so we had to visit nearly every region in like a month; including Almia, Fiore, and Oblivia."

"What? You should've come to say hi."

"We literally didn't have time. I think we were there for like two hours and then we had to fly all the way to Unova."

"Jeez. Mom was really on a mission," Sarah mumbled, "Did you guys meet anyone cool?"

"Does Diantha Stone count?"

Sarah stopped suddenly and gaped at her little brother, "Diantha Stone as in the actress and former Champion of Kalos? That Diantha Stone?"

Aaron crossed his arms and nodded smugly, "And I saw her Mega Gardevoir too."

"You lucky little-" Sarah grumbled. "So what was she like?"

"She was so cool! And her team was awesome too! There was such a cool scene where her character-"

"She's in the movie?"

"She's playing the main character's mom. An old woman who's lived her life and serves as a guide for the main character, who's trying to make her mark on some industry or something, I can't remember. I think it's a rom-com or something."

"The best genre in my opinion," Sarah declared as Aaron rolled his eyes. She shrugged, "Me and my hallmates decided to marathon a bunch of rom-coms last week because it was newbie initiation week."

"At least Lainey has actual taste in movies," Aaron muttered, which was met by a scoff from Sarah.

"Don't even act like you haven't watched all the movies Mom ever worked on like a thousand times, buster. And speaking of Elaine, how is my darling little sister?"

"If you call her your little sister, she'll probably slap you."

"Well she is my little sister so I don't see the issue."

"Probably because she's younger than you by like two hours. You were all born on the same day so I don't really see the issue," Aaron said, unlatching the gate and hearing the familiar creak of the hinges.

"Says the only kid in the family who wasn't born with another kid," Sarah teased, ignoring the open gate and vaulting herself over the picket fence that might have once been a dazzling white, but hadn't been painted in years, obvious in the little chips that Sarah brushed off her hands into the unkempt flowerbed she landed in that was more weeds than anything else.

"You're gonna get in trouble," Aaron snickered as he latched the gate behind him and started walking up the stone stairs that were set into the hill on top of which the Professor's Laboratory was perched.

"Meh. Those flowerbeds, and that fence haven't been touched since 'The Professor' moved out to a nice retirement home in Alola."

"The Professor" was the nickname that the Ketchum siblings had given the old man who used to live in the laboratory. He'd been an old, kindly man who their parents held a lot of respect for. He supposedly once presided over the laboratory during their father's childhood and passed it onto the current Professor, who had been given the nickname of "Uncle Gary" by the kids. The Professor had moved out to Alola a few months after Aaron had been born, so the young boy had no memories of the old man. Even the girls' memories of him were sparse.

"Wanna race?" Sarah dared as she caught up with Aaron. He smirked at her and nodded. "Last one there is a male salandit!" He cried, taking off up the stars.

Sarah narrowed her eyes, "Cheater!" She yelled, taking off after her little brother, the squeak of the gate opening again drowned out by her voice.

Aaron looked behind him and saw her running after him, deciding to pick up the pace. His legs began to strain as he moved up more and more stairs, but the gap between him and Sarah was closing fast. But, there was a loose stair, and Aaron knew exactly which one it was.

He jumped into the air, clearing the loose step and the one after it; though his moment of graceful triumph was ruined by a stumble when he landed.

Sarah briefly raised an eyebrow at her little brother's antics before stumbling on the loose step herself. She fell to the ground, loose gravel digging into her palms and knees. She looked up towards Aaron, who'd nearly made it to the large double door entrance at the top of the stairs.

"You two are absolutely your father's children," Serena called, walking beside Laura, who resisted the urge to input that their mother had a habit of saying that nearly every time any of them blinked.

Sarah jumped back to her feet, dusting off her uniform jacket and jumpsuit. She'd lost the gaudy, mustard yellow necktie that completed the uniform for this casual occasion, but still donned the uniform as some obscure show of status.

Aaron turned to see the three of them down as he finally made it to the top, "Beat ya!" He boasted as Sarah's expression turned mock sour. "You cheated!" She yelled back, "You knew about that loose step!"

Aaron flashed a cocky grin, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously. He stuck out his tongue in a mocking manner causing Sarah to playfully cross her arms with an aloof "hmph" while Laura rolled her eyes.

"Aaron," Serena chided. Aaron looked down at the ground. "Sorry Mom," he mumbled as she walked up to join his side. She rolled her eyes, ruffling Aaron's black hair, an action he didn't protest.

"Are you ready?" She asked, her comforting smile encouraging one to spread across Aaron's face. He nodded, giving her a quick hug before moving towards the large, double doors. His fist thumped against the solid, wooden doors, and they slowly began to open; he barely contained his excitement, because the door that was opening in front of him, was the door to his future.


Jasmine stared up at the stars plastered on the ceiling above her head. They were glowing with a ghoulish green light that created ghastly shadows on her walls. The blinds were drawn; only tiny cracks of light managed to wiggle their way into the room.

She tossed an empty luxury ball into the air, catching it again with a thwack, and throwing it up into the air again, over and over until her door creaked open.

"Jaz? Honey?"

Jasmine caught the pokeball and set it on her nightstand. She sat up to make eye contact with her mother. The woman, surprisingly, looked good considering she was nearly five months pregnant. Her sleek, magenta hair was styled into a short, a-line bob. Her blue eyes had long ago lost the spark of a young woman's ambition but still sparkled with confidence.

"Meowth told us there was a bit of an incident at breakfast," she said, flicking on the lights as the stars lost their glow.

Jasmine shrugged, "It wasn't a big deal. It wasn't even a bad burn; mostly shock."

"That's the conclusion your father came to. He's downstairs nursing Meowth back to health," she turned to leave and threw one more remark over her shoulder, "We'd appreciate it if you'd spend time with us downstairs."

Jasmine used her pillow to stifle her groan. 'We'd appreciate it if you'd spend time with us downstairs' was code for 'we need to talk but it's a one-sided conversation where we continue to justify not letting you leave the house to go on a journey'. She'd seriously considered running away and starting on her own, but she didn't want her parents grieving the same way they did when her brother disappeared; especially with her mom being five months pregnant and all the stress she felt.

She slumped out of her room, slinking down the stairs when she heard her mother's voice in a frustrated tone that Jasmine never heard. She sat down on the stairs and leaned forward to catch a glimpse of what was happening in the living room.

"Now Jess, be reasonable," her father said in his, almost annoyingly, suave and soothing voice. He reached out for her mother's arm, before it was jerked out of his reach.

"No, you listen to me, James! You might have run away from home to get away from that fiancée of yours-"

"Ex-fiancée," he weakly corrected, his voice so quiet that Jasmine had to strain to hear what he said.

"-but this is a completely different situation. Remember when Christian disappeared-" Jasmine shivered at the mention of her older brother who'd disappeared a month into his journey- "and now look where we are. He's been missing for four years and probably dead, and I will not allow Jasmine to suffer the same fate!"

"Jaz is a smart kid, Jessie," Meowth piped up, Jasmine silently cheered that he was in support of her leaving, "She can survive on her own. She'll be safe. She's been practically begging to leave on her journey for three months now; it'll only get worse now that the twoip's kiddo is leaving on his journey."

"That doesn't change the fact that she could be hurt," Jessie argued, clenching her fist. "I'm not losing another child!"

"Jess, please," James pleaded, "We were prepared to finally let her go, she needs this. We still have everything we prepared," he looked towards the door to a storage room that was off-limits to Jasmine.

"No! I won't allow it! I won't lose her too!" Jessie cried. The exchange continued, with James and Meowth, much to Jasmine's dismay, accepting defeat and agreeing with Jessie. She chose then to make her grand entrance, with slumped shoulders and dragging feet.

Her parents sat her down and explained for the millionth time that they were trying to protect her by not letting her go. Her father and Meowth glanced over at the door that was off-limits to her more often than not, and Jasmine began to suspect that was where they had hidden whatever they prepared for her journey.

Opening that door would open the door to her freedom, and her future.


"I was told nine this morning," Gary said as he opened the door to the laboratory. Aaron looked down at the ground and mumbled something about waking up late.

Serena shook her head and jabbed a thumb at Aaron, "He's Ash Ketchum's son, did you expect any different?" Aaron rolled his eyes, muttering something about how his father wouldn't have gotten Pikachu had he been on time.

Gary choked back a laugh, "Gramps is gonna lose it when I tell him that this is a genetic thing," he said, waving his visitors inside.

Aaron had crossed over the threshold many times as a child; nearly every week to help look after his father's retired pokemon. His favorite was probably Infernape, especially since the story of how it became so strong was one of his favorites, second to the story about his Greninja. Though he did enjoy playing with the, by his and Gary's count even though it felt like there was more every week, thirty tauros. And Bulbasaur and Hawlucha were pretty cool.

Umbreon slinked over to the group to nuzzle against her trainer's leg. Aaron kneeled down as Umbreon turned her attention to him and walked over to him, gratefully accepting the scratching behind her ear that Aaron gave her.

"So my little brother is finally going to be a Pokémon Trainer."

Aaron's face lit up, "Lainey!" He shouted, jumping to his feet and running to tackle his big sister. He collided with her and Lainey let out a soft "oomph" as she returned Aaron's hug, squeezing around his shoulders.

Laura stiffened, crossing her arms, in direct contrast to Sarah, who somehow managed to be bouncier and more cheerful than normal, and Laura half thought she was going to explode into a cloud of rainbows and sunshine.

Aaron looked up at Elaine, "Wait a second," he began, "if you're here then is-" he trailed off as Elaine snickered and jerked her head to the left. He let go of his older sister so his arms could hang down at his sides and his jaw dropped, "Dad?!"

"Wait really?!"

Laura flinched, watching her father, still outfitted in his champion regalia. She stifled an angered outburst clawing at her insides as she watched him adjust the golden, four-pointed star pin that had the seals of the Pokémon Leagues of Kanto, Kalos, and the Alola Regions. She almost let it out when Elaine adjusted her matching one, though hers was silver. Second-in-command. She must have been scowling more than normal because Sarah elbowed her and faced her with a rare frown, her thumb and forefinger on either corner of her mouth and spreading them so she showed her smile again. Laura rolled her eyes, ignoring the gesture.

Gary raised his hands in surrender as Serena shot him a questioning glare. "I didn't know until this morning when they showed up at my door to surprise Aaron," he protested.

Aaron ran over to his father, wrapping his arms around his waist. Ash returned the gesture, ruffling his son's hair as well. When they broke apart, Ash held him at arms length, "You've grown," he said.

"Three inches in two months if you were curious," Serena informed him.

Ash chuckled, "You weren't even up to my shoulder last time."

Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder to Aaron's, allowing Aaron to scratch behind his ears. Ash moved towards Serena, who met him halfway with an embrace, "I missed you," she mumbled.

"I missed you too," he said back, drawing his wife in for a tender kiss that gained the reaction of painfully obvious fake coughing with something that sounded like "pda" said between coughs from Gary.

Ash rolled his eyes and turned to face Aaron, "Ready?"

Aaron nodded as Gary waved him upstairs. Through a door just off the landing, there was a table covered with pokeballs in eight groups of three, with two more off to the side.

"As did your sisters, Aaron," Gary began, "you have the option of any of the starters from the eight major regions, or a Pichu or Eevee if you so choose."

Aaron looked back at his father before turning to Gary, "I made my choice months ago, and I don't plan on changing it. I choose Charmander!"

One of the pokeballs on the table began to shake, eventually rolling out of its stand on the table and rolling onto the ground, landing on the white button and realizing a beam of red light that took the shape of a lizard-like Pokémon.

It eventually materialized, revealing the rough bright orange skin, and a yellow underbelly. A flame brightly burned at the end of its tail, though did not cause pain to it. Its green eyes sparkled with exuberance, "Char! Charmander!" It cried.

Aaron grinned, kneeling down to be on Charmander's eye level. "You're gonna be my partner, alright?" Charmander nodded, and Aaron's grin widened. "You and I are gonna travel all over Kanto, and maybe all over the world. And we're gonna train to be really strong and-" he turned to face his father- "we're gonna dethrone my dad as Champion of Kanto!"

Ash grinned, ruffling his son's hair, "Don't expect me to go easy on you when you challenge me. I wanna see how strong you are myself."

Aaron nodded, giving his dad a hug and then running out of the room like he was using Quick Attack. Ash turned to Gary, "Was that Charmander-"

"The one that hatched from the egg from your Charizard? Yup. Bugger hatched literally two days ago. Took to Aaron pretty well."

"He's a good kid. Pokémon have always liked being around him."

The two of them left the room to find Aaron showing off Charmander to his sisters while their mother watched. While she smiled, her sapphire blue eyes revealed her true emotions.

"Everything okay, Sere?" Ash whispered, draping an arm over her shoulder.

Serena clasped his hand in her own, "I'm worried for him," she said, looking up at her husband.

"He's a good kid and-"

"He's just like you. And they write history textbooks on how close you've come to death."

"In my defense, every time I died, I was then promptly re- oof," Serena elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to almost double over. "You didn't have to hit me that hard," he hissed, "I get your point."

"And then Team Rocket was stalking you for years-"

"That's why I worked so hard to get Giovanni behind bars. And it worked. The world has never been safer than it is right now."

"But we still don't know who attacked her," Serena whispered, squeezing Ash's hand tighter when she looked at Elaine.

Ash frowned, "I've been trying to find them since it happened; the best answer I've gotten is that they were poachers. With any luck, some other organization got them and put them in jail."

"Luck," Serena scoffed.

"He's gonna be fine, trust me. The worst thing is paparazzi and tabloid reporters, and there's a couple outside hiding in the bushes. Besides, he knows how to deal with that."

"If it's any consolation, Ash's mom just threw him out on the streets and didn't talk to him for months after he called her in Viridian City," Gary chimed in.

"That's true."

"Grandma seriously did that?" Aaron asked, he turned to Serena, "Did Mamie do anything like that?"

Serena shook her head, "No, she kept in contact with me. And the only reason everything was so rushed was because I was trying to catch him," she explained, jabbing her thumb at Ash.

"You need to get going," Elaine declared as Aaron opened his mouth again, "If you wanna get to Viridian City before dark, that is."

Aaron rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "I guess you're right." He started towards the door before being stopped by his father's hand on his shoulder.

"Don't think I'm letting you leave without a gift from me," he said. Aaron turned to face him as he was presented with a brimmed hat that was reddish-orange except for the front, which was white. A motif, the color of the rest of that hat, decorated the front with a semi-circle shape with a small part turned white.

"That's technically one of the hats that's being used for the postcard contest during the Indigo League, so don't tell anyone."

Aaron adjusted the hat on his head, "I won't, promise."

"Stay safe, Aaron."

"Make sure to call," his mother called as he walked through the door. Charmander was back in his pokeball, clipped to a belt around Aaron's waist.

"I will!" He called back. Aaron looked out at the horizon and turned back to his family. He ran back to them, wrapping his arms around his parents, "I'll miss you."

He pulled back and turned back to the horizon, looking over his shoulder, "I'll make you proud Dad!" He yelled, taking off running.

Ash grinned, "You already do, kiddo," he whispered to himself.


Jasmine's phone vibrated, pulling her out of her dreams. She groggily checked the time.

12:15 AM

"Perfect," she whispered, slipping out from under the covers. She was still wearing her clothes, part of her master escape plan. She tiptoed over to her closet to avoid any creaky floorboards. She silently slid open the door and rummaged in a pile of clothes at the bottom, retrieving her backpack and shouldering it.

She opened her door carefully, praying to Arceus that it wouldn't creak and wake her parents. When she stepped out, she breathed a silent sigh of relief, but that turned to holding her breath as she passed the nursery.

It had been her brother's room before it was revealed that she was having a younger sibling. And in some twisted way, it felt like they were trying to replace him. She frowned, and turned back to her room, grabbing a small, well-loved, stuffed teddiursa and setting it on the nightstand by the crib with a note.

"Hi baby Mia," it read, "this is Ursi the Teddiursa. She was mine and your big brother Christian's favorite stuffed pokemon. I hope you like her. Love, your big sis Jaz."

At least Mia had some connection to her if she wasn't going to be there. She slid down the railing to avoid the creaky steps, lightly touching down at the bottom. She crept towards the forbidden door, opening it and finding a yellow belt hanging on the back with a single pokeball clipped to it, along with a ticket.

A ticket off the island.

She could finally make it off Valencia Island.

She could go anywhere in the Orange Islands.

She could go to Kanto.

To say she was excited would be a drastic understatement. Jasmine wasn't sure there was a word to describe how she felt. But guilt took aim and stabbed at her heart.

If she left, she wouldn't just be leaving Valencia Island, she'd be leaving her home, her parents, her family.

But that ticket, it was the ticket to her freedom.

And she wanted freedom more than anything.

She shut the door behind her, breathing in the warm, humid, autumn air. She tied her jacket around her waist, slipped her RotomPhone into the holster on her belt, clutched the blimp ticket, and took off running. The moon illuminated the path in a pale, ghostly, light like it was telling her to follow; and Jasmine wasn't the kind to ignore such an obvious sign from the universe.

She ran, her feet pounding in unison with her heart as she finally had the airfield in sight. The floodlights shot up into the sky, almost like they were beacons trying to reach the heavens.

A few men and women in official-looking uniforms stopped her and inspected her ticket before waving her through towards a small group of people. She stared up at the sky, not noticing the girl standing in front of her until it was too late.

She whipped around to face Jasmine and winced, before looking back at the sky, "First time seeing the stars?" She joked.

"Uh, no, um. Sorry for running into you," Jasmine apologized frantically.

"Don't worry about it," she said, "I'm Ari, from Akala Island," she stuck out her hand for Jasmine to shake.

"I'm Jasmine, from here on boring old Valencia Island."

Ari snorted, "I don't think it's boring," she said, prompting Jasmine to raise a questioning eyebrow. "Me and my buddy spent three days exploring the whole island. It's really beautiful. Nothing like home, right buddy?"

Jasmine looked towards the small group of trainers, waiting to see when one of them responded. Ari repeated her question, slightly louder while looking over her shoulder. When the wind answered with a breeze that brushed the small ringlets framing her face into her eyes, she groaned and set her bag on the ground next to her and zipped the largest pocket open. She lifted out a canine-like creature with white scruff around his neck and little brown rocks dotting the scruff around it and a fluffy white tail.

Jasmine gaped at the small pokemon in Ari's arms, "He's so adorable!"

"She, actually. Her name is Thea and-" Ari yelped in pain as Thea woke up and bit down on her hand, causing Ari to drop Thea who landed on her paws on the asphalt. She shook her hand out and gave a stink eye to her Rockruff, "Yeah, yeah, I get you don't like being woken up from your naps but you don't have to bite."

"Oh my Arceus, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Thea bites me pretty normally. She's very fussy, especially when someone wakes her up from her naps. I have a feeling she'll grow out of it once she evolves."

"Flight 249 to Viridian City, boarding now!"

"Ah yes, blimps, a broke trainer's way of skipping across the Orange Islands and to Kanto if they don't have a lapras."

Jasmine snorted and followed Ari as they boarded with the rest of the herd of smelly, haggard-looking trainers. She plopped her bag down on the seat next to the one she sat down on. Ari sat down on the seat across from her, and set her bag down. Thea jumped up into Ari's lap and curled up, covering her eyes with her paw.

"So why start in Kanto? Doesn't the Orange Islands have something league-like? I mean, I know the Orange Islands is a Regional Republic, but I thought-"

"Oh, the Orange League? Yeah, the Orange Crew is kind of a hot mess and the Orange League has kinda fallen apart because of it," Jasmine explained, "Also my best friend is starting his journey in Kanto, so might as well meet up with him."

"Really? That's awesome. A family friend is finally starting his journey today- I mean, technically yesterday. His sisters are all older than him and they've all started their journeys."

"Huh. My friend has three older sisters that started their journeys before him-"

"Are the sisters triplets?" Ari questioned, leaning forward and waking Thea who jumped into the next seat over where Ari's bag was and let out an annoyed huff, which Ari ignored.

"Ye- yeah, they are-"

"And is this kid from Pallet Town?"

"He is-"

Ari narrowed her eyes as she leaned even closer to Jasmine, and Jasmine leaned back into the plush backing of the chair. Ari opened her mouth in shock, "Do you happen to be talking about a kid named Aaron?"

Jasmine blinked in disbelief, "How'd you know that?"

"Well duh. My dad is great friends with Champion Ketchum. I'm pretty good friends with Aaron's sisters too. Supposedly my dad and his traveled through Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh together; at least that's what my dad tells me, and my twelve younger siblings."

Jasmine's eyes bulged out of their sockets, "Twelve siblings?! You're the oldest of thirteen?!"

"Actually, I'm the second oldest of fourteen, I have an older brother named Koa who's in some region, I'm not sure," Ari pondered for a moment, "And then there's Libby and Dex, who are twins and they're thirteen. Lexi, who just turned eleven. Jocelyn just turned ten. Lucile, who we call Lucky because she was the seventh child our parents had, is also ten, she's about two weeks younger than Jocelyn," she sighed, "And then there's Nohea, he's nine. Kane and Malie are the only other twins and their eight. Estella is six. Makoa is three, and Ashley is two-months-old."

"That's a lot of siblings-" Jasmine observed, her brain grasping for a proper reaction that both expressed her shock but managed to be polite.

"Yeah, that's why I got out of my house ASAP. Do you have any siblings?"

Jasmine rested her elbow on the armrest and smushed her hand into her cheek, "It's complicated," she answered tersely after a period of silence.

Ari winced, "Did I strike a nerve? Sorry about that-"

"Actually, my brother is indirectly why I ran away from home-"

"Oof, that bad? Little brothers can really suck."

"Actually, no. He was- is! My older brother."

"So, was or is?" Ari asked bluntly.

Jasmine frowned and let her arm hang down and draw small, lazy circles in the air, "To be honest, I'm not sure. He stopped talking to us a month into his journey. We just assumed that he was too focused on training for the Indigo League until he didn't show up in the Indigo League. His number was disabled, and we haven't heard from him since."

Ari averted her gaze and pursed her lips, "Uh, sorry for interrogating you-"

"Oh it's no big deal," Jasmine said, sitting up straight, "If I ever see my brother again. I'm so punching him in the face for disappearing. And my parents are going to have to answer for the fact that they're basically replacing him with my sister."

"You have a sister?"

"That's four months from her due date, her name is Mia. Short for Miyamoto. Named after my grandma or something."

"What about that brother of yours, I could let you know if I see him."

"His name is Christian, and sure. Make sure to punch him in the face for me if you see him."

"Only if you say hi to Aaron for me, I've only been able to talk to Sarah, so I haven't heard much about him."

Jasmine nodded, "It's a deal."


A/N: So there's Chapter 1. Now as much as I'd like to just jump straight into this adventure, Jasmine and Aaron aren't the only characters that we're following.

The group will have 6 members, 4 more being introduced in Chapter 2. It's a big group which is why this project is so ambitious.

And as promised, here's my rough timeline for Ash's adventure:

Kanto - 1 Year

Orange Islands - 3 months

Johto - 9 months

Hoenn+Battle Frontier - 9 months

Sinnoh - 9 months

Unova - 6 months

Kalos - 6 months

Alola - 6 months

Journeys - 6 months

15 1/2 By the end of Journeys

I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter of the story, and that you'll enjoy the future chapters to come.

Shal out!