Chapter Zero: I want to taste the ashes

The fires had raged wildly in Pallet Town.

Ash remembered that day clearly, as did most of the town's inhabitants. Gary and Daisy were both sent away by Alakazam as soon as the smoke was seen, to be properly guarded within the walls of Viridian. Ash himself could not count on the same privileges, though the Oaks had offered Delia the chance. His mother was both prideful and attached, a dangerous combination in face of danger, and Ash himself was much the same. "Odds are, nothing will happen," he remembered the Professor saying. "Everything will be alright."

His decision, therefore, was obvious. He'd stay by his mother.

Everything had not been alright.

Ash was 5 on the day of the War's end, when the last active Kalosian group had launched an assault on Pallet Town in a desperate attempt to cripple Kanto before being forcibly subjugated in what was known as the last battle in what became known as the Silverburn War. They'd been acting rogue for weeks, the news had said, and though the relationship between the Indigo League & Kalos was everything but positive, few within Kantonian borders thought to argue that point. Still, their march on Pallet was unexpected.

The invaders, led by a man named Bernart Allaire, had been the leader of the charge, followed by 30 of his most loyal and skilled men. The rest had been instructed to give up, an act that Bernart had perceived as merciful in his arguable knowledge of his fate. Whatever happened, he knew he'd die that day - it was only a matter of taking down the famous Professor Oak or not.

His Pyroar and Houndoom had led a brutal assault on their city, leading all thirty of his men into battle with one goal and one goal only: destroy as much as they could before they were stopped. Meanwhile, Bernart himself had taken to the skies with his Talonflame, descending stealthily toward the Lab itself while most of Pallet fled toward the bunkers that were built by the rivers that lined the town's edge, shadowed by Mt. Hideaway. A perfect attack, in theory; enough would be destroyed to attract attention, but no focus was given on slaying civilians, as his men intended only on creating more visible destruction. Meanwhile, he himself could swoop in on the good scientist and slay him as he gathered the Pokemon at the corral.

Had it succeeded, the attack would most likely have given the Silverburn War a second wind. Unfortunately for Bernart, he had underestimated the good Professor.

What ensued instead could only be called a slaughter, and that's before the Indigo Elite Four were alerted of the raging battle and teleported in with the aid of Saffron's Sabrina, smothering completely what had already been the last whimper of a dying flame. It is said that Lance, who had only been crowned Champion a month prior after the death of his predecessor, arrived with his Elite in tow expecting a fight, and found terror instead. The brutality shown to the invader's by Oak's Team was the stuff of nightmares; Oak's Arcanine and Charizard had alone been more than capable of contending with the main group of invaders and their leaders, while his Tauros, Exeggutor, Gyarados and prized Kanghaskan faced down Bernart and his team with the Corral as their arena.

By the time the smoke cleared, Samuel Oak's Exeggutor was unfortunately found to have been slain, it's main body completely torn by the combined efforts of Bernart's Talonflame, Simisear, Flareon and Delphox. It is said that the Professor grieved for an entire day after that, for there had been little left for him to bury.

He had paid for his pain in full, however, for not a single one of the invading force had been found to be alive.

As for little Ash Ketchum… Unfortunately, though loyal to his mother, he had found that leaving the Professor, whom he was close to, behind was unacceptable. Thus, as his mother guided him into the safety of the bunker and the doors started to be shut, he had pushed away the hands that held him and ran out just as the exit was sealed, taking advantage of the chaos to escape mostly unnoticed. He had been hiding under Oak's table while the battle raged, watching through the window as endless horrors unfurled into existence, and was found later by league forces as they sought for more of Bernart's men within the ashes.

And thus ended the Silverburn War. The scars it left, however, would remain raw for a very, very long time.


"Hurry your ass, Ashy-boy, or I might really leave you in the dust, loser!"

"I'm coming! We'll see who's the loser, loser!"

Arguments between those two weren't uncommon in Pallet. In fact, the feud between Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak was such a well-known thing that it had become something of an inside joke between the townsfolk, with the video of Gary's "Smell you later" followed by Ash's "Yeah! When I fart on your face!" having been seen by essentially everyone within the city border, much to both of their embarrassment. Still, one would think that today would be a reprieve from their usual tension, considering how important it was to the two of them.

It was, after all, the first day of their lifelong journeys as trainers. The day had finally come where the two boys, both 11-year olds, were allowed to receive a League-sanctioned starter and their Trainer ID, alongside with the Pokedex from Oak's lab that they'd both known they'd get anyway. But it seemed that nothing, not even something as important as that, would stop the two from clashing.

The two boys rushed into the lab like their life depended on it, chests rising and falling quickly as they panted and heaved. The way from the Ketchum's house to Oak's laboratory wasn't particularly long, but the two of them had made it into a competition nonetheless and rushed with all of their might to see who'd get there first.

Oak couldn't stop himself from sweat dropping at the sight, raising his hands as if attempting to placate a pair of wild Pokemon. Ash would have taken offence to it were he not busy trying feebly to calm his nerves. He'd totally gotten there first, after all.

"Now, now." Came the Professor's exasperated voice, cutting through the faint giggles and snickers of his assistants, who, as per usual, watched the pair like the stars of a particularly humorous movie. "Let's not get into a fight on such an important day, hm?"

In response to his reasonable suggestion, both boys let out a 'hmph!' and turned away from one another with arms crossed over their chests. Ash and Gary both were clearly in that awkward age where the body started to shape itself into more adolescent proportions, but had yet to truly do so. Between the two of them, Gary, who was only two or three months older than Ash, was the taller one by far, with a good two inches on his shorter friend. The Oaks had always been tall.

Gary was tall for his age, with a slightly bulkier body and dark brown eyes that matched his own when he was younger. His hair was a wild mess of ginger locks that he usually liked to wear as disheveled as possible, since it made him look, and he was paraphrasing there, 'cool and badass'.

Meanwhile, Ash was short, had a leaner body and slightly darker skin, with a mess of dark locks that were somewhere between wavy and curly and thus always had a bit of volume to them. His trusty hat, which the boy had been insistently wearing at almost all times since he got it last year, usually kept his hair away from his eyes no matter how long it grew, so the boy didn't cut his hair as often anymore. With light caramel eyes and a face of softer features, the boy looked remarkably like his mother, skin and hair aside. Still, his choice in outfit was…

Samuel held back a snicker.

It seems like sending Gary to get Ash was a good choice, Oak noted with an eyebrow raised. Judging by the way the boy still wore his pajama pants, it was clear that he'd overslept; had he simply followed protocol and given out Pokemon to whomever got to them first, Ash would've likely been disappointed. Instead, all five of the Pallet-town trainer wannabes stood now in a line within the Lab's building, some clearly a little uncomfortable by the white walls, floor and ceiling.

Pallet was a small town, with a little over four thousand people living within its walls, most of which worked in sprawling farms around the city proper. Outside of farming and small family-businesses, the only real thing Pallet had going for it was the presence of the world-famous Samuel Oak and his kin. His corral itself necessitated many a dozen hired hands to upkeep, which in turn ended up developing something of a Town Center (by Pallet standards) around it. And, because Oak was League Certified to hand out Starters and IDs, many families who before had never had an official trainer in their blood now had the chance to have their young set out in the world to try and make a name for themselves.

Many didn't, of course, as was common in small settlements like those. To some families, children meant more helping hands to work on their fields, and thus for their children to set out on a journey was nigh unimaginable. To others, it was a chance for more; mediocre Trainers received little more than a decently successful farmer, but good Trainers could really make money if they knew where to look for it.

These prospective trainers, whom he had taken to calling First Generation, hadn't really grown up around many Pokemon. Almost every family had between one to three of them, to which they were mostly very close and somewhat dependent on, but information on other species didn't often reach their hands. To them, the Pokedex would be invaluable, as it was something of an equalizer to put them in the same standing as those who, like Gary or little Ash, were as familiar with Pokemon as they were with themselves.

This year's batch had two of these First Generation trainers, he noticed; Charlie Samson and Janice Colton, both of whom looked quite uncomfortable in the lab's sterile environment. They'd require special care, though they'd been friends with the others from a young age and had likely absorbed some information over the years. They both wore beige clothes that wouldn't stain easily, with Janice wearing her long brown hair in a high ponytail and a light blue skirt that had likely been handmade for her. Charlie, on the other hand, had opted for a more standard shirt and pants combination of the type that was readily available.

Their packs looked a little on the big side. Clearly, their families had gotten a little overzealous.

As for the other three… Gary, Ash and the mayor's own son, Gilbert. Though he made sure to keep a neutral and friendly expression on his face, Oak couldn't help but snicker a little. The three boys had quite colorful personalities, and usually didn't get along very well, much to everyone else's amusement. Gary was smug, Gilbert was pampered and Ash was stubborn and quick to anger. An interesting trio, to be sure.

It would be a little lonely without them around, he thought to himself, motioning for them all to follow him as he walked deeper into the lab and then upstairs to the second floor, the same smile on his face having gained something of a wistful touch. He'd miss Ash and Gary's constant presence, and he knew for a fact that Delia would feel the same. For all of their bickering, the two were a light in Pallet's life that wouldn't easily be replaced. Mew knew he'd had many a conversation with Delia while the boys played about their impending empty nest syndrome.

Alas. All boys leave home one day. It said so on the TV, after all.

As the large table where the five Pokeballs were laid out finally came into their sight, he heard the children let out gasps of varying intensity and resisted the urge to chuckle, lest he risk ruining the private magic that this day would undoubtedly have and hold to each of them. Today, they'd meet their first partners, after all.

"Alright," he started, attracting all of their gazes unquestionably. As he spoke, he moved to stand in front of the table, with his back turned toward the pokeballs so he could look each child in the eye. "We all know each other, but I'd like to welcome you formally to my Lab nonetheless. I'm Professor Samuel Oak -"

Gary let out a theatrical sigh.

"Really, gramps?"

Ah, that boy… this time, Oak didn't resist the urge to chuckle.

"Yes, really. Patience, Gary. I have to follow League Regulations before I can hand out your partners and official IDs."

That shut him up, of course, and Oak was free to continue, thank the heavens. Still, he took a moment to analyze each child that stood in his domain before continuing.

"As I was saying, I'm Professor Samuel Oak, and I'd like to welcome you all to my Laboratory. As you have all reached the minimum age of 10 required to travel, or will reach it in the next month, I'm glad to announce that each of you is now eligible for the position of Official Trainer as per Indigo Regulation on Pokemon Possession, article 151. As soon as you each pick your starter, it will be registered to your Trainer Card and you will be, in the eyes of the Indigo League, Pokemon Trainers."

Ah, he never got tired of this.

There was a reason Oak hadn't denied the League's request to act as an official Starter Distribution Professor despite the fact that he was, more often than not, astronomically busy with all of his research. Sure, knowledge was his passion, but there was a joy to be gained in starting a young trainer's journey into their world that he couldn't really get from anywhere else. He found himself looking forward to this day every year almost as much as the children themselves, though it had taken him a good three years to get used to the lowering of the age Trainers had to be from 13 to 10 after the war.

Even Gary and Gilbert looked starstruck, their usual personas long since forgotten in favour of simple eagerness.

He pressed on.

"As usual, I was sent a batch of starters from our friends at the Xanadu Nursery, though it is my belief that their Charizard couple didn't lay any extra eggs this year, so I couldn't get two complete sets for the five of you to choose from." They all nodded. "Since we're following League regulations, you will choose your partner one after the other, oldest first." He paused, considering the group - and then sent an apologetic smile to Ash, who had gained a despairing expression as his words registered. "Sorry, Ash, but since you're still 10 days away from your 10th birthday, I do believe this means you'll go last."

Gary snickered at that. Of course he did. Still, he waved for them to line up, and, after a few moments of shuffling and muttering among themselves, line up they did. Janice, who'd been only a week too young to depart on her own journey last year, was first, with Gary second, Gilbert third, Charlie fourth and Ash last. It was a little funny to note that their expressions were more bitter as the line went, with Ash looking like he was a pressure pan about to burst. Poor kid. He could sympathize with him.

He'd been desperate to leave on his journey from the day they'd first talked, after all.

"Janice, step up and make your choice…"

The girl took a trembling step forward. Really, she looked so nervous Oak was half-worried she'd have a heart attack right there and then. Still, he showed her a kind smile and did his best to make her feel better as she inhaled deeply, gave her own cheeks some three light slaps in an odd way to make sure she wasn't sleeping, and shouted her choice in the boldest tone he'd ever seen from her:

"Charmander!"

As soon as she said it, he could see Charlie and Gary let out a sigh. Seems like their choice was gone. Still, he smiled at the girl and nodded, gently taking the Pokeball from the table it had been laid on and handing it over to her. She received the metallic orb with reverence so deep it was like she was handling a religious item, and then turned eyes as wide as saucers to him.

"Congratulations, Janice. Take your partner downstairs, where my assistants will give you a Pokedex and guide you through its functions while your Trainer ID is registered into the League Database. Next up!"


As Janice scurried away and Gary boldly stepped up, Ash took in a bated breath from behind the line. It'd taken him ages to choose the partner he'd like to start with, and though all three Kanto starters were awesome, he'd really like to get his pick. So, while Gary took in a deep breath, Ash couldn't help but mentally recite a mantra:

Please, not Squirtle. Please, not Squirtle. Please -

"I choose… Squirtle!"

"Damn it!" Ash instantly exclaimed, attracting mirthful gazes from everyone… and a smug one from Gary, like his discontentment was the cherry on top of an already-amazing cake. And then the bastard stepped up to receive his starter, got the same instructions from Professor Oak and hurried downstairs with the biggest grin on his lips.

No, wait - just before he disappeared down the stairs, he paused to wink at Ash. Oh, in the name of Mew, Ash hated him. He was such an asshole.

...Well. That was fine. There was still another Squirtle to choose. The other two just had to pick Bulbasaur instead - which was likely. He knew for a fact that Gilbert had been rather enamoured with one of the Bulbasaurs in Professor Oak's corral for a while now, so his choice had never been doubted. And Charlie had worked the field, so maybe he'd appreciate the handyness of having a Grass-type nearby.

"I choose Bulbasaur!" Gilbert confidently exclaimed, and Ash almost shed a tear of happiness. The boy picked up his starter, held it close to his heart and scurried away before Oak could as much as say anything, much to the professor's clear irritation - and Ash made himself stifle a snicker at the old Oak's expense.

This was it. This was the moment of truth.

Charlie stepped up, leaving Ash as the only one still in line. He took a few shaky steps toward the table, took a few moments to breathe until he could calm himself, and exhaled forcefully as he made his decision. Ash stared at his friend's back with hope dancing in his eyes.

Charlie looked back at him apologetically. That hope was quashed. He knew what happened next.

"I choose Squirtle."

… Damn it all!

As he watched the boy take the Squirtle and descend the stairway, Ash despaired. It'd taken him so long to choose, too! He'd had half a notebook filled with his attempts at choosing between the three! It wasn't like Bulbasaur was bad, but it still felt a little disheartening.

Oak, bless his heart, laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't make that face, Ash. I'm sure you wouldn't want that Bulbasaur to feel unloved, right?"

That brought him back to reality. Of course not! Bulbasaur were awesome, and Ash never wanted to be the reason a Pokemon felt bad in his life! He shook himself out of his bad vibes and smiled at the Professor. Then, a thought occurred to him that made him even happier: Bulbasaur was especially effective against Gary's Squirtle.

"Alright!" He happily exclaimed. "I choose Bulbasaur!"

With a chuckle escaping his weary old lips, Oak quickly exclaimed "Very well, then!" and turned to take the sole Pokeball remaining on the table. Ash, however, was much too excited and beat him to it, much to his amusement. It was fine, of course. That was only a convention, after all.

Twirling happily around his own axis, Ash let out a happy shout and instantly moved to release his new partner, much to Oak's belated surprise.

It was common for trainers to release freshly-caught Pokemon in safe, silent environments where they could make the Pokemon feel safe as they introduced themselves. While Pokemon were, as a general rule, just as intelligent as the average human person, their brains operated in manners much, much different from our own; their concept of future was strenuous and they thought about things in dramatically different ways, not having evolved to distance themselves from their baser instincts like humans had. Releasing a freshly-captured wild Pokemon in a stressful environment was almost always a surefire way to get oneself drastically injured or worse, as they'd lash out 99% of the time if they felt threatened.

He knew for a fact that Ash was aware of this fact, since the boy had always done surprisingly well on tests despite his usual attitude, but it seemed he was much too excited to care.

Well, it didn't matter. League Starters were both bred and prepared to be handed to newbie trainers, and thus were always non-aggressive. Unlike a wild Pokemon, the Bulbasaur wouldn't lash out at Ash. Let the boy enjoy his special moment; he'd just make sure to remind him of the importance of following this particular protocol in the future.

The Pokeball opened in a brilliant flash of white light. The Pokemon within it was not, in fact, a Bulbasaur.

Ash stared at the newly-released Pikachu with poorly-contained curiosity, though his smile was still present. In his state of surprise, he did nothing but stare as Ash approached the wary mouse.

For a moment, Ash took note of the old Professor's expression. Perhaps it was subconscious, for it happened too fast for him to even process it. All he knew was that Oak's face told him that he knew the Pikachu somehow.

"Hi, buddy!" Ash happily exclaimed, carelessly approaching it. "I'm Ash Ketchum! How about -"

He saw it then.

A single spark left the Pikachu's cheeks. A warning. No, not a warning - a warning implied you'd get the chance to turn back. Pikachu would give Ash none of that.

There was horror in the Professor's face, he noted dimly, paralyzed in the sudden slow flow of time as the mouse's fur stood up. He stepped once to look at the ensuing scene with dawning horror in his eyes, reaching out slowly to try and pull Ash away from what the boy's mind could tell was the beginning of a tragedy.

He saw the man's lips moving, too.

'Ash, step back!' He probably wanted to say. But the only word he could exclaim was "Ash!" before Pikachu erupted in a powerful Thundershock and everything went from bad to worse.

And then there was pain.

And then there was nothing.


Pokemon were frightful creatures. All humans knew that innately, but in the current age of competitive Pokemon battle, it was easy to forget the way they were wielded in wars to commit the very same atrocities humans were notorious for. Pokemon wielded powers casually that we, as humans, could not even comprehend a few decades ago - and, even now that these powers could be comprehended and, to a lesser extent, replicated, we were still wise to fear them.

Pikachu weren't particularly powerful as a species, unlike their evolved form Raichu. Raichu were famous for their insane ability to store electricity, which could be then released in attacks almost as powerful as real lightning. In comparison, Pikachu couldn't store that much electricity in their young, small bodies that were more built for mobility than sheer power. Their biology simply wasn't able to process that much energy.

Unfortunately - this is all by Pokemon standards. By human standards, however, the tale is very different.

A Pikachu's electric attacks could have voltages of 10,000 to 100,000 volts, depending on how much power they put into it. This is a lot of power. Fortunately, the harm electricity does to a person's system isn't usually dictated by voltage, but by current, or amps. For example, stun guns of up to 95,000 volts can be semi-safely wielded on others without lethal results, because their currents are designed to be low enough to not fry your heart. Of course, damage requires both current and voltage to work.

Unfortunately for Ash, Pikachu can also control the current of its attacks. Also unfortunate is the fact that, having been captured while fighting Professor Oak after being caught chewing on his cables a few days ago, it was very tense and quite willing to kill.

Electricity could fry you as well as stop your heart. It could pop every vein in your body. It could bloat your brain, ruin your throat and flood your lungs with blood. It could make your eyes pop out of your head.

The resulting attack could have killed Ash five times over. It only needed one.

But humans were also frightful creatures. Frightful because they evolved and grew like no other species, not even the scarily intelligent psychics. Frightful because they had a drive to change that most Pokemon could scarcely comprehend. Frightful because they would wield anything they could to their advantage.

Pokemon could kill you in a million different ways. Humans could save you in ways Pokemon could never even have dreamed of.

And so it was that, a month later and against all odds, Ash Ketchum woke up.