Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. Also, in advance, I do not own any of the characters besides Ash, Erynn, Seryn, Professor Goldenrain, and… well there are actually quite a few that I plan to use. The OC submissions will definitely be used in some way or another… in fact I said I'd use Dave in this chapter, and so… enjoy.

The elevator dinged once as it opened to the ground floor. He stepped out into a back room, which was empty but for a small rubbish bin and a doormat which read

Please come again!

Shrugging, he stepped out into the waning sunlight. He was standing in what looked to be the city square. A large water clock with a brass Pidgey atop it showed that it was already close to evening. Looking around, he could just spot the round dome of the PokéCentre a some distance away. Sighing resignedly, he turned to Ditto.

"Well, I don't have the money for a hotel room, so a Pokémon Centre will have to do."

Ditto made a small noise of dissatisfaction, climbing from atop Ash's backpack to his head and mussing his hair. Ash sighed and jingled the change in his pocket.

"Out in the wild you'd be living in a tree or something. You should be happy… and anyways we've got to go meet Seryn's sister there. It'll be okay; don't worry."

Ditto grumbled all the way to the PokéCentre. On the way, Ash went into the PokéMart and bought some rice balls and unidentifiable meats for them both. Ditto had a remarkably large appetite for something so small. Ash added some berries to his bag as well, just for a snack. Dittos, being omnivorous, could eat just about anything without much trouble.

After all, they can become any Pokémon at all… technically they'd have to adopt any feeding style as well.

Tossing a berry into his backpack, he stepped into the PokéCentre again. Nurse Joy was slightly more helpful this time, though her entrance was just as upsetting. As he took the keys from her hands, Ash made a mental note not to be holding anything the next time he rang that particular bell.

Leaving the backpack in the room, he plonked himself down on the loveseat outside, sharing dinner with Ditto. Ditto was by far the faster eater, since it was able to contort its mouth to any size, and instantly assimilate any food it ate into its body structure. Ash, on the other hand, was hampered by having a less efficient digestive system, and was only halfway through his meal when she arrived.

She was still wearing the same outfit he'd seen her in earlier; a black-and-slightly-purple ensemble. The only difference was the backpack she now had slung over her shoulders. Unsurprisingly, it was also black-and-purple. She didn't seem to know where to look, though it wasn't very obvious behind her dark glasses.

Sighing, she sat down on the seat next to them, resting her backpack on the ground. After leaving her Pokéballs with Nurse Joy, she watched them eat, with nothing better to do… or rather, watched Ditto sit around and Ash eat. He slowed as he realized she was watching.

"Are you Seryn's sister, then?"

She relaxed as she realized that it really was him she was meant to meet.

"I prefer to be called Erynn, thanks very much…"

Ash swallowed the rest of his dinner, stuffing the rubbish into the plastic bag it came in.

"Well… it's nice to meet you, Erynn."

He threw the bag at the nearest rubbish bin, missing horribly. Ditto sighed and waddled over, dumping it in with a flourish. It returned to him and sat between the two of them. Silence reigned.

"So… how old are you?" her question, that.

"Fifteen…"

She moaned.

"I'm stuck with a boy who's almost no clue about anything at all, and is older than me. How unfair is that?"

"How old are you?"

"Fourteen… I'm not fifteen till September."

"All around the same age, then. And here's Ditto. I don't know how old it is."

Ditto waved. She smiled and patted it on the head.

"Great… and my name's Ash, in case you don't know yet."

She shook her head.

"As a matter of fact, I didn't."

"Well now you do. Nice meeting you, Erynn."

He mentally slapped himself on the forehead. Repeating himself wasn't good. It always happened… he could never hold a conversation with a girl his age, no matter who it was. He wasn't attracted to her or anything; it was just something he didn't know how to turn around.

A/N: This sounds like an author-insert, so sue me.

He sighed. Picking Ditto up, he turned to her again. She was staring into space with a slightly bemused expression on her face.

"Hey…"

She looked up at him, one brow raised in a questioning glance.

"What about your Pokémon…? Don't they come out once in a while?"

Her gaze lingered on Ditto, before coming back up to his eyes.

"I wish… they aren't as tame as Ditto."

Standing, she walked over to Nurse Joy and requested for her Pokéballs back.

"By the way…"

She turned to Ash, her Pokéballs held in her hands.

"Why isn't Ditto in its Pokéball?"

Ditto hurriedly transformed into the green Pokéball again, clambering onto Ash's belt and attaching itself to it. She smiled in amusement, then poked the little sphere a few times.

"Not green. It's ugly."

Soon the ball settled on a very pale blue colour, which she seemed to approve.

I never could get Ditto to do that…

"Well yeah… that's because it got squashed when Ditto transformed into Gyarados."

Erynn's eyes widened.

"A Gyarados? You've met one…?"

Ash shrugged. The truth was far from spectacular. When he'd finished telling her about it, she seemed to appreciate his situation more.

"So that was your first Pokémon battle ever… interesting."

In a deft movement, she released the three Pokéballs. As expected, three Pokémon appeared. Somehow Ash didn't expect anything different. As the Pokémon were released, the Pokéballs somehow managed to bounce back into her hands. Her technique was pretty impressive.

"So… these are my Pokémon…"

The Magikarp flopped about on the ground for a few seconds before she recalled it. Sighing, she clipped the ball back onto her belt.

"Well, Ditto, meet Griven and Abra."

Abra was, unsurprisingly, an Abra. Ditto walked up and nudged it, but it just kept on sleeping.

"Griven…"

The Growlithe was beautifully groomed; he took a step towards it only to have it back away. Erynn scratched its head as it retreated to her.

"I'm sorry… she's not exactly accustomed to strangers."

So it was a she… he knew Ditto didn't have a gender, but he never wondered much about other Pokémon before.

"Fine… now that the introductions are over… let's get some sleep."

He walked towards the room, before turning to her, who watched uncertainly from the center of the room.

"You can always go home to sleep if you want… otherwise there are two double-bunks here. Ditto and I only need one of them."

She looked undecided. Obviously she'd somehow assumed they'd be setting off in the middle of the night. Ash rolled his eyes.

"You already said your goodbyes and brought your bag out here to the Pokémon Centre. If you go back now it'll be awkward, right?"

She nodded; then shook her head in resignation.

"Okay then… Griven, Abra, return."

The two Pokémon turned to red immateria and returned into their Pokéballs.

"I'll take the other bunk. Just… don't try anything, you got that?"

Ash rolled his eyes again.

"Fine…"

This eye-rolling business is hard… how do those other fictional characters manage it?

Neither of them bothered changing or undressing before going to sleep. They just plonked themselves onto their beds.

"Hey, Ash… do you want to try a Pokémon battle tomorrow?"

Ditto groaned painfully. Ash sighed.

"Maybe when I've got a more obliging partner…"

Erynn stifled a laugh, turning it to a yawn.

"Fine by me… well, I guess this is good night, you two."

"Yeah… night, Ditto. Night, Erynn."

"I wonder why trainers like to battle so much…?"

"For the final time, wake up!"

The sudden shout awakened him immediately. In fact, his head almost collided with hers.

"Uhn… what time is it, anyway…?"

He checked his PokéNav. Half past nine. Not surprising he woke so late, considering he'd been up at three the previous day. Rubbing his eyes, he got out of bed, and then turned to Ditto, who lay sleeping in her bunk. He turned to her, curious, and more than a little stung.

"Why?"

She smiled a little sheepishly. She was wearing a black, fluffy bathrobe. Everything seemed to be black or purple with her.

"Late last night, for some reason it curled up against my leg and went to sleep… so…"

Ash slapped his forehead. Ditto never was that friendly with him…

"No, I mean… why does it get to sleep while I have to get up?"

She groaned, throwing a pillow at him.

"It's a Pokémon, you're a human, and you've got to get yourself washed and ready. So get to it."

She toweled her hair dry as she spoke, the room vaguely smelling of some lavender shampoo she used.

This is why I don't like traveling partners…

"Fine…"

He left for the showers, which were right across from the rooms. He was sure to take all the necessary with him. By the time he'd returned, she was strapping on her Pokémon belt.

"You know, I don't get all this rush…"

He threw a few things into his bag and hefted it onto his back.

"It's not like we're in any hurry…"

She picked up her backpack and slung it over her back.

"What do you carry in that bag, anyway?"

It seemed remarkably light to him; too light, almost. She shrugged.

"It's not my fault your parents had to pack your bag for you…"

He scratched his head.

"I already had it all packed up… then they decided to add in a few extras…"

She let out a breath and attached the last Pokéball to her waist. Ash prodded Ditto awake, and in a few minutes, they were done.

Time to start our Pokémon journey… for real.

But first… there was breakfast.

She watched them attack their food voraciously, unsure of what to do. Slowly she took a bite, and chewed it.

In less than five minutes, Ash and Ditto were done eating. Erynn was only halfway through. She watched them watching her, a little embarrassed.

"It's how I usually eat…"

The two of them sighed. Ditto transformed itself into a book, and Ash began reading.

It has no legible words in it at all…

"Sure… blame the illiterate Ditto… Dit."

He slapped himself on the forehead.

"Done eating, yet?"

She shot him a look which shut him up immediately.

"It's only been five seconds since you last asked."

The both of them sighed again; Ditto turned itself into a pool of slime, and Ash made patterns in it with his finger.

This journey… is going to be really long.

"Finally! I'm out of Rubidium at last!"

She laughed out loud as they begun walking through a forest that seemed to have been created to impede people on their way to Fluoride. Of course, there was a sign at its edge which read

Rubidide Forest: An obstacle proudly brought to you by Immaterion Corp.

But it hardly meant a thing.

"Wait… do you hear that…?"

Ash turned; Erynn was lagging a ways behind, and she didn't seem to be in any hurry to catch up.

"What is it?"

"There's a voice… like someone calling for help."

"Hmm? You mean that loud screeching of 'somebody, please help me!'?"

She looked at him, not comprehending exactly.

"Yes… that one. You mean you heard it?"

He nodded once.

"Five minutes ago it began. And it hasn't stopped even once yet. That guy really must have quite a voice. Why? Does it mean anything?"

She would've slapped her forehead, but it wasn't something she did.

"Thank goodness! Someone's here at last…"

Ash looked at the boy, unimpressed. A Rattata jumped around the boy, which, in Ash's eyes, sort of justified the undignified position from which the boy hailed them.

He was hanging by the ankle from the top of a tree.

Erynn gasped and rushed to help him. Ash stood there, unsure of what to do.

"Why're you up there?"

The boy didn't seem to appreciate his questions, but he answered it anyway.

"My Espeon… used confusion to tie this rope around my ankle… she left me here about ten minutes ago."

"Griven! Use Ember on the rope!"

Ash groaned.

Girls… impulsive, every one of them.

"Ditto, you know what to do."

Ditto spread itself like a blanket under the boy, which was just as well, or the fall would've suffered him nasty bruises on his face, and possible amnesia.

Erynn stared at the sight.

"Oops…"

The boy stood up and dusted himself off. Ditto squirmed uncomfortably. Then the boy got off Ditto and dusted himself off again.

"Espeon, you can come out now…"

A purple cat-fox thing leapt out from behind a bush, its eyes showing that it gained no end of pleasure from the delightful tormenting.

Ash removed his PokéNav from his pocket, flipping out the PokéDex.

Espeon, a psychic Pokémon, incredibly rare. It is one of the evolved forms of Eevee, and evolves when a certain level of happiness with its trainer is reached. If this is a wild one, catch it! Otherwise, that lucky so—

Ash shut the PokéDex down before it could finish its sentence. Remembering what the Espeon had done to the boy, he could hardly hide a grin.

I see where it gets its happiness from…

He turned and addressed the boy.

"Hey… you. What's your name?"

The boy stopped nudging Ditto, who was trying to rub the dirt on its body off.

"My name's Dave; and I'm going to be the one to catch all 600 Pokémon in the world!"

Erynn flipped open her PokéNav, confused.

"But it says here there are only –"

"Well they said there were only 150 Pokémon a few years ago, and then 250… and since then there've been more and more popping up… I figure by the time I catch them all, there'll be at least 600."

Ash was unimpressed.

"How many Pokémon have you got now?"

He looked down at his feet.

"Two. I've just got Espeon and Rattata over here… but I've only started a day! At this rate, I'll have 600 in under a year!"

Ash watched the Espeon as she groomed herself in the sunlight.

"How'd you get the Espeon, anyways?"

Dave shrugged.

"My uncle… he decided that he'd give me Espeon here for my fourteenth birthday."

Erynn clapped. Everyone stared.

"Someone younger than me!"

Ash shrugged.

"But his Pokémon are stronger than yours."

Erynn sobered down; Ash sighed. He knew it had to be tough living with a Gym leader designated as the worst in the league… she had no chance of getting better than her.

"Hey, Dave! Want to battle?"

Griven barked happily at the word 'battle', but Dave shook his head. Disappointed, Erynn recalled the Growlithe.

"I just want to get to Fluoride before Espeon kills me."

He groaned as Espeon turned its innocent gaze on him again. Hurriedly, he recalled his two Pokémon.

"Can't you just keep her in there?" Erynn asked.

Dave shook his head.

"She knows how to let herself out. Right now she's staying in there just to be obliging."

Ash sighed. This encounter had already taken too long, and there weren't going to be any Pokémon in this clearing, not when his cries for help had already echoed halfway across the forest.

"Since we're all going the same way… why don't you come along? Once we reach Fluoride City, we can just go our own ways."

Dave looked uncertain.

"I haven't fulfilled my daily quota of Pokémon…"

Ash and Erynn simultaneously slapped their foreheads.

"… but I guess it really doesn't matter. Fine, so long as you don't mind Espeon here…"

And with that, they set off into the Rubidide forest. Like Ash had thought;

The journey was going to be really long…

And it'd only just begun.

A/N: End of another chapter! My longest yet; what with the dialogue and all…

Well I hope you enjoyed it, and perhaps everyone might want to tell me what your character's goal in life is…? I have no idea about where they should be based, if they're going to follow Ash and Erynn or not, and all that. So… once again please review!

And I'm glad this is actually going okay.