"Gary was here? Ash is a loser?!" Ash read words scribbled on a road sign in disgust. The road sign is supposed to direct travelers to Cerulean City.
"Gary?" Brock asked.
Ash turned his back to the sign and snarled. "He's my rival," he responded, fuming with anger.
"Well at least we're about to finally reach Cerulean City." Brock stated.
"Heeeyyyy!" Misty, who had been lagging behind shouted as she caught up to Ash and Brock. She stopped a second to catch her breath, "where do you think you're going?" she asked.
"I know where I'm going; I'm going to Cerulean City since that's where the next badge is."
"No! Uh, ya see, you can't go there! There are scary ghost-type Pokemon there!"
Ash and Brock looked at each other with skepticism before continuing on.
For some unknown reason, Misty continued to plead her case to Ash and Brock not to go in Cerulean City. Despite this, Ash persisted that he much go into the city, find the gym and win his next badge so he can gain entry into the Indigo League. Misty watched desperately as the two trainers made their way into the city.
Meanwhile, a couple hundred miles off the coast of Vermilion City, over the seas of Kanto, Mr. Ketchum calmly gazes out the window of his first class flight.
"Sir. If I may, something has been on my mind this whole flight." An assistant of Mr. Ketchum's said.
Mr. Ketchum took a sip from his glass. "Yes?"
"How are we going to be able to find this Froakie? How can we be certain it is still in the Kanto region?"
Mr. Ketchum chuckled. "So you still don't gt it?"
The assistant simply stared blankly at Mr. Ketchum.
"This is all part of a bigger plan."
"A bigger plan?"
"We're playing chess with Lusamine and the Aeither Foundation. And we're winning."
"May I ask how?"
"As you know, I was the one who discovered that Froakie in the Lapidarian Highlands, my home region.."
The assistant nodded.
"I was the one who sent it to the Aeither Foundation, under the alias of a trainer who no longer wanted his starter Pokemon."
The assistant again nodded. "Yes, but that doesn't explain why you chose to do that. Or how you know where to find it?"
Mr. Ketchum gazed out of his window and put his glass in the cup holder on his arm rest. "Did you know most acclaimed scientists postulate that Pokemon and humans came from the same species over the course of millions of years?"
"I vaguely understand the theory," he responded.
"You see, after Pokemon and humans eventually split off into separate species, they were still intertwined emotionally and psychologically for thousands of years after the split. Our ancestors thousands of years ago utilized Pokemon for colonization and war differently than we do, since they understood this connection. Mega evolution and Z-moves are desperate attempts by modern science to recapture this method."
"What method are you referring to?"
Mr. Ketchum grinned. "Our ancestors had different labels for it: Synchro-evolution. Battle bond. This practice could only work if the trainer and Pokemon were in perfect synchronization in mind, body and spirit."
"So... I don't get it. Are you saying..."
"Yes. Froakie has this gift. The practice was eventually banned for two primary reasons: one, governments and scientists feared that it would be unstoppable if properly mastered. Two, humans who couldn't control this ability usually died in battle after sharing pain with their Pokemon. So naturally, Pokemon who still carried this ability died off and weren't able to reproduce and pass it on. Even so, it's speculated that some final handful of Pokemon around the world still carry the ability. Froakie is one of those rare examples. Knowing this, I sent it to Lusamine's lab, with the foreknowledge that her experiments would fail, severely destabilizing her plans."
"How did you find Froakie in the first place? How did you know it had this near extinct ability?"
"An elder woman in my region who is one of the last remaining people deeply connected to one of the existing tribes that practiced this form of battle for generations. Even after it was banned by governments around the world, they were able to do so in secret, in order to preserve their culture. I found her and took Froakie from her while it was still a baby."
"What became of the woman?"
"She had to be taken care of, for a greater good."
"And that good is stopping Lusamine?"
"Ha. Indeed."
"Why not just train up the Froakie yourself and stop her?"
"No. She has to think I'm on her side and that there is still hope, even with this Froakie on the loose. I'm not as close as I want to be to some of the specifics. She can't be stopped until I have more information. In the meantime, I'm planting a seed."
"So, if this is all a part of your plan, where is your Froakie? How is it going to get stronger if you can't control it?"
"I can't tell you that just yet. A genius doesn't reveal all of his secrets. Relax, Colress. You have a bright future. You'll see soon enough that patience is required for the greatest strategies."
"So Brock. Who is the gym trainer here, anyway?" Ash asked with his hands locked behind his head as they made their way through the city.
"I've actually never met the trainer here."
"Really? Well, what kind of Pokemon do they use?"
Brock put his hand on his chin, "Hmm..."
"Special moves?" Ash pestered.
"Sorry Ash. I have to keep all of that confidential as a gym leader."
Ash pouted.
"If you battle the same way you did against me, you'll be just fine. Anyway, I have some business I need to take care of while I'm in town. I'll meet up with you at the Pokemon Center later, alright?"
"Yeah, OK."
Brock and Ash split up, and the trainer from Pallet could see the gym on the horizon. It looked almost like a building for an aquarium. "Geez, Misty actually stopped following us." Ash said to Pikachu, who frowned after realizing the fiery trainer was no longer present.
The trainer eagerly entered the gym, surprised at the scene he witnessed once he entered. Three beutiful women in bathing suits performed in a large pool. They dazzled the crowd with impressive stunts using a Seel and Goldeen.
"Wow..." Ash commented as he and Pikachu watched in amazement.
After the performance, Ash followed the girls into a large hallway that was actually built into an aquarium on both sides.
"That was great, but I'm, like, so exhausted." one of the girls stated.
"Tell me about it." another added.
"Excuse me!"
The three girls turned around and noticed Ash and Pikachu.
"Um, sorry, we like, don't allow interviews unless you've talked with our manager."
Ash shook his head, "No, it isn't that."
"We only do pictures before the show.." another one of the girls asserted.
"I'm not here for any of that. I just want to battle the gym trainer here!" Ash shot back.
"You're, like, looking at the gym leaders."
"Uhh... Really?"
"Totally. But, the thing is..."
Another one of the sisters interjected, "We just lost two battles back to back with these trainers from this nowhere place called Pallet."
"Gary and Leaf..." Ash snarled.
"Yeah. They like, beat all of our Pokemon and we had to rush them to the Pokemon Center."
"But now, we have time to perform and look beautiful for the crowd!"
"Well, how can I get my badge from here?" Ash pouted.
"Look, since all we have is this weak Goldeen, we'll like, give you the badge. OK?"
"Give me the badge? I'd rather earn it..."
"A badge is a badge, just take it!" one of the sisters insisted, holding out the water drop-shaped Cascade Badge.
Ash hesitantly approached her.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" A voice called out from the other end of the hallway.
"Misty!" Ash exclaimed.
"Pika!" Pikachu enthused.
"That's right! If you three won't battle him, I will!" she proclaimed.
"Well, well. If it isn't our runt sister.."
"Sister!?" Ash shouted with shock, looking back and fourth at Misty and her sisters.
"I thought you weren't going to come back here until you were, like, a master water trainer.."
Misty's anger dropped for a second, "I guess I did say something like that.."
"That's why Misty was so against coming here earlier..." Ash said under his breath.
"Is he your boyfriend? Not my choice, but then again, you aren't all that great either." one of the sisters teased.
Ash fell to the ground in embarrassment and Misty snarled, "Look, none of that matters now. I'm not going to stand here and let you give him a badge! So I'm going to battle him! Two-on-two!"
The sisters looked at each other and nodded with pity.
And so, the battle between Ash and Misty ensued.
"Alright, Pikachu. Let's go!" Ash commanded. Pikachu hesitated and pointed at Misty with a guilty, refusing expression. "Huh? You don't want to battle Misty?"
"Aw! Thanks, Pikachu!" Misty shouted from the other side of the pool.
Ash looked up and grinned as he removed a pokeball from his belt, enlarged it and tossed it onto the floating platform in the pool, "Fine. Froakie, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed. Froakie emerged from the light and sat calmly on the platform opposite Misty.
"Alright, Misty calls: Staryu!" she said, tossing her pokeball onto her platform.
"HIYYYAA" Staryu opposed Froakie.
"Staryu: Rapid Spin!" Misty abruptly commanded. Staryu spun it's body like a shuriken as it quickly skipped across the pool.
"Froakie: dive under water!" Ash responded as his Pokemon just evaded Staryu by a hair, disappearing under water.
Serena left her house, tightly gripping the straps of her small bag. She got down and greeted her mom's Rhyhorn in the front yard before leaving.
"Rhyhorn, I start my journey today!"
"Hooorrrrrnnnn." Rhyhorn happily greeted her as she patted the large Pokemon on the head.
She stood up and gazed into the bright blue sky. "I have a great feeling about my journey! I'm so excited!" she enthused. "Alright, Rhyhorn, I'm off to Professor Oak's assistant's lab so I can get my starter Pokemon!" Serena waved as she confidently hit the dirt road in front of her house, looking back one last time and taking a deep breath before continuing on.
Lillie and Hau sat next to each other as the plane they boarded made its way to the Kanto region. Lillie stared out the window, lost in thought.
"Yo. What's on your mind?" Hau asked.
"Before we left, I did some snooping in my mom's office at home. She doesn't come home much, so I wasn't able to find much, but I did find something about a Pokemon that baffled her researchers.."
"Oh?"
Lillie turned her attention to Hau and nodded. "A Froakie. I don't know why she was so fixated on this Froakie, the writings were scattered and vague. But one thing is clear: this Froakie is important. She wants it."
"You think your pops... I mean, uh, your father knows something about this Froakie?"
"It's just a hunch. Call it a weird feeling. I just know my father is up to something. I can't prove it, but I think he's the one who gave me Nebby, and I also think he has something to do with this Froakie."
"Nebby?" Hau inquired.
Lillie was confused for a moment before realizing something, "Oh, yeah, I named Cosmog Nebby." she said with a giggle.
"That's some name." Hau said as they both shared a laugh.
Meanwhile in Cerulean...
"Water Gun!" Misty commanded as Staryu shot out a stream of water.
"Water Pulse!" Ash responded as his Froakie countered the attack, colliding and causing a struggle in the middle. Ash and Misty both watched intently.
*Lillie and Hau's POV*
"I got the feeling reading her notes that she's... afraid of this Froakie. It's almost like she fears it. The wormholes and ultra beasts excite her, they always have. But this Froakie, this is the first time I've gotten the feeling that she thinks she isn't in control. Everything else she talked about has been hers. But this Froakie scares her.. Why?" Lillie said while looking out of the window.
*Ash and Misty's POV*
Staryu continued to try and corner Froakie, but it simply could not. Froakie used its speed and power to overwhelm Staryu and weaken it in on its own playing field.
"Froakie: FINISH IT OFF WITH WATER PULSE!" Ash commanded. For a moment, he caught a glimpse of the battle from Froakie's perspective. He saw everything. The formation of the pulsating attack and the collision with Staryu. He felt the attack. Almost as if he and Froakie were one as it launched.
*Lillie and Hau's POV*
"What is is about this thing that scares her?" Lillie pondered intently. Suddenly, lights started flashing and the plane started dipping up and down. Passengers fell out of their seats and Hau grabbed Lillie and pulled her closely as she screamed.
"Attention passengers! This is an emergency situation! Please grab your masks and breathe. Try to remain calm!" A panicking, uneasy voice of the pilot announced over the intercom.
"Hau! I'm scared!" Lillie screamed as she buried her face in his shoulder.
Hau gritted his teeth as he held her tightly. "This is not good," he said as the plane appeared to go from very rough turbulence to a straight nose dive. Lillie's bag began to shake and emit a strange light...
Back in Vermilion City, Mr. Ketchum and his assistant, Colress, met with an aide of Professor Oak's at his lab.
"Wow. That's, um, quite the story." Professor Oak's aide said as he tried to analyze what he had been told.
"Of course, I trust you with this information. Oak is a longtime friend, I know I can trust that he will do what is right and side with us." Mr. Ketchum said with persuasion.
The aide was slightly skeptical.
"Um, sorry to interrupt. But I'm here for my starter Pokemon." Serena softly, nervously spoke up from the entrance of the lab.
"Oh, you must be Serena." the aide said, thankful to have a distraction. Mr. Ketchum held his arm out and stopped the aide from approaching Serena.
"How long have you been standing there?" Mr. Ketchum asked Serena, with malice in his voice.
Serena froze in fear.
After slowly regaining consciousness, Hau awoke to the sound of crashing waves on what appeared to be the beach of an island.
"Wh... Where... Lillie!" He noticed Lillie lying on her front, motionless a few feet away. While shaking her and trying to help her wake up, Hau stopped as he noticed something that terrified him.
Lillie slowly awoke, "Hau... Where are we?" she softly asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Lillie. Are Charizards supposed to be 60 feet tall?" he asked in horror.
Thanks for reading!
Quick note: I tried to use two things that are cannon in the pokemon universe, but not extensively covered in this chapter.
Lapidarian Highlands is a cannon region in the anime. Diantha refers to it in the XY series, but beyond that, we don't know anything about it. So this is where Mr. Ketchum lives and has major political influence.
Also, it is a cannon implication/theory/legend that pokemon and humans were once the same species, according to bulbapedia and several other accounts from the games.
And, of course "battle bond" is Ash-Greninja's ability. The anime gives us very little info about its origins, the games gives us none.