"SURPRISE!"
Confetti and streamers rained down upon the young adventurer, through the door of his Pallet Town residence. The local fans had once again turned out, and his beaming mother stood front and center.
"Oh, Ash, I'm so glad you're okay!" she squeaked, embracing him with a smothering grip. "I was worried sick! I missed you so much!" She followed with a series of kisses.
"Gee, thanks, Mom," said Ash, trying to keep her at arm's length. "What's all this about?"
"You didn't think we would have forgotten about your birthday, did you, Ash?" Professor Oak replied. "We're all very proud of you. And you've been through so much, we thought we'd mark the occasion with something special!"
"Wow," Ash gaped. "What can I say–"
"Say nothing, just make a wish!" Misty answered from around the corner, and revealed a large cake decorated to look like a Pokéball, with a circle of brightly lit candles.
The crowd of guests joined in song. "Happy birthday to you / Happy birthday to you / Happy birthday dear Ash / Happy birthday to you!"
"How old are you now–" Brock continued, before a sharp elbow to the gut from Misty cut him off.
"Now, go on, make a wish!" she goaded.
Ash took another look at the candles. "Hmm, that's strange…"
"What is it, Ash?" asked Brock.
"Wasn't I twelve… last year?"
"Don't be silly, Ash," replied Misty. "You're twelve today, you were eleven last year. Duh. Can't you do math?"
"But I could've sworn that–"
"Just hurry up and make a wish, I'm starving!"
"…Oh, all right." He paused a second more, and with a deep breath extinguished the twelve candles.
– – –
Ash sauntered slowly down along Pallet's southern shore, savoring the sensation of the sand between his bare toes. A familiar, dreadful yet unavoidable feeling came rushing through his reverie.
There is still another?
The conclusion came not without a certain sense of exhaustion. He recalled in a moment the long years of travel and toil, from his most recent journey back from the abyss of unbeing, to the day when that wide-eyed youth had first set out with his Pikachu.
But the decision took only just another moment. "I am Ash Ketchum from the town of Pallet, and I've Gotta Catch 'Em A–"
A sudden flap of wings from above interrupted him. A Dragonite with a messenger bag landed in front of him, and wordlessly produced a small cubical package.
"For me?" asked Ash, taking it from the courier's hands. The Dragonite nodded and flew off.
"What's this?" The box was labeled on the front:
TO: ASH
FROM: VATTHA
He unwrapped the packaging and removed the cover from the box. Inside, nestled carefully between layers of cotton and foam, was a spiraling nautilus shell.
The word Diagonal came vividly and inexplicably to mind.
Can it be? He dropped the shell into the shallow waves washing across his feet. "Go, Missingno.!" The sparkling anomaly emerged from its ball.
He tentatively poked his finger into the mysterious mist, drew it out, and examined his hand.
It's… they're all numbers…
The Missing Number. Along the diagonal.
Of course. He smiled silently to himself. Yes, there was no stopping it now.
"I'll never forget y