Chapter Two:
On the ferry to Orre, Ash stared out at the ocean, lost in thought. Misty and Brock had come along, but Ash had wandered away from them, not feeling like talking to anyone at the moment. Pikachu, too, was silent, understanding that Ash needed time to think, to collect his thoughts.
Ash had gone back to his birthday party and let everyone know he was okay. His mother especially seemed worried. Then an aide from the Lab telling the Professor he had received an urgent message... Which Ash already knew about. He let Prof. Oak go anyway, and when the Professor came back he told Ash to take the next ferry to Orre immediately.
Lots of Ash's friends had wanted to come, but he'd only wanted Brock and Misty. After all, they were the ones who'd been with him in the beginning... They'd known him before any of the others. It just felt right to bring them along... Besides, he didn't want any of the others getting hurt.
But Ash's thoughts were elsewhere now.
He was thinking about the one time his mother had told him anything about his father. Sure, it pained her to think about him, but of course Ash as a child had asked the inevitable question once... "Mom, where is Dad?"
And he had done well to remember her answer.
…
Delia had met Ash's father one morning when a dark-haired stranger came to Pallet Town. In fact, he walked right by her house and the Pokemon Lab...
He had stopped for a moment to look at her garden, where she was working.
"Those plants look amazing." He said, his voice was calm and cool.
Delia blushed. "Why, thank you. But I can't take all the credit. Mr. Mime here helps me a lot."
"Mime Mime!"
He laughed, but the laughter belied sadness. "Well, of course. Pokemon make the best of friends."
Delia walked out the gate to her house and held out her hand. "My name's Delia. What's yours?"
He'd hesitated, then awkwardly took her hand and gave it a shake. "Uh... You can call me Aaron. Aaron Ketchum."
He released her hand, and stood there silently.
"I've never seen you in town before, Aaron."
"Well, I've... ah... been away for some time. Though..." He glanced around, awe temporarily flashing in his blue eyes, "I was born not far from here."
"Really? Are you a trainer then, who was off on a journey?"
"A... trainer? I mean... Yes, of course." He smiled.
"So... How long were you gone?"
Aaron hesitated again. "Ah... On my journey, you mean? Well... it took me months to go from town to town at times."
"From here to Viridian?"
"Viridian? ...I guess."
"So, where are you off to now?"
Aaron shrugged, sorrow in his eyes. He looked rather lost and forlorn. "I don't know. Things have changed a lot since I was last here... But I wouldn't mind staying here. I like this place... What's it called?"
"Pallet Town."
"Pallet Town." Aaron had smiled then. A true and happy smile.
…
Delia had gone on to tell her son other stories, of happy days the two of them had spent together. She suspected this was going to be the only time she would be able to speak of it, and she wanted to tell Ash everything.
She said Aaron always made her see the ordinary in an extraordinary way... That that had been one of the things about him she'd loved.
"Isn't it amazing, Delia?" He'd asked once, when the two of them had been returning from a late walk in the woods. It was sunset, and it was beautiful.
"What, Aaron? The sunset?"
Aaron had smiled. "No. The way those magic little lights are coming on as it gets dark. Isn't it wondrous?"
Delia had stared down at Pallet Town for a while, and she had to agree with him. The way the street-lamps twinkled on at nightfall, though completely ordinary, was somehow remarkably beautiful.
"Magic little lights?" She asked, grinning. "They're not magical."
"They are when I'm with you." He'd swept her up in his arms and, being happier than usual, had kissed her for the first time.
There were other stories, too, of course, but Ash remembered this one the best of all of them. Perhaps it was because he could almost see it happening... The way the lights came on as the sun set... Once, after hearing this but before he'd left on his journey, he'd gone to the very same hill at sunset just to see the scene unfold.
Delia had married Aaron less than a year after meeting him. Some people had scolded them for not waiting longer, but they both knew they were meant for each other. In fact, Aaron had seemed to worry often how long it would last. It was as though he had seen what was coming even then, and had been fighting against it. But that was impossible.
...
Finally Delia had come to the last story. How Aaron had disappeared.
It was a year to the day since he'd come to Pallet Town, and the weather had been fair and good, and was supposed to stay that way for some time.
Aaron had been quiet that day, thoughtful. Not unlike he had been exactly a year before.
In the afternoon, Delia had found him standing on the beach, looking out to sea. His expression was dark and brooding, and he seemed to be looking farther than his eyes could see.
"There's a storm coming." He'd said.
"Don't be silly." Delia had laughed nervously.
Aaron had turned to her, and taken her hands in his. "I mean it."
She had suddenly felt afraid. Very afraid. "What's wrong?"
Aaron had let go of her hands and looked away. "I love you, Delia. Remember that."
"What are you saying?" Delia had suddenly found her voice touched with anger, but the anger sparked from the fear. "You're not going anywhere!"
"No. No, I'm not." He sighed. "I don't know what I mean, Delia. Forget I said anything."
But she hadn't forgotten... And he had meant every word he said.
A storm had come. It had baffled all the meteorologists. But Aaron hadn't even seemed surprised.
"Delia... I'm sorry. I'll come back if I can."
"Aaron!" She had shouted as he ran out into the storm.
But it was too late.
Not an hour after he'd left, the storm simply vanished. But Aaron never came back, and the next day search parties were sent out. They never found his body, but considering the circumstances... Two bridges and a dock had collapsed, and three streets had been horribly flooded... There was little hope for his survival, and the fact that he never showed up all but confirmed it.
Not long after, Delia had found out she was pregnant. When Ash was born, her only wish had been that Aaron could have met his son, too.
…
"Ash!" Brock called.
"Huh?" Ash said, shocked out of his thoughts.
"We're almost there! Didn't you hear? There was an announcement... Two minutes to arrival."
"Oh... No, I didn't hear. Sorry."
"It's okay, Ash." Misty said. "I mean, you have a lot to think about, I guess."
"You are feeling better, right?" Brock seemed worried.
Ash forced himself to grin. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Pika Pi?"
"Yeah, I do wonder what Orre's like." Ash agreed.
Brock looked at a pamphlet, frowning. "It says here that unlike most regions there are no wild Pokemon in Orre, and it's filled with dangerous thugs and outlaws. It also says there are a few gems in this region, such as Phenac City and Agate Village."
"Well... That doesn't exactly sound good." Misty sighed.
Ash chuckled. "Well, lucky for us we're headed for one of those "gems," Agate Village."
The trio of friends, plus Pikachu, looked to ahead, as they were just arriving in Gateon Port.
Another announcement came on. "Welcome, travelers, to the Orre region. Enjoy your stay, and be sure to keep on the look out for criminal types! Watch your step as you disembark. Thank you!"
With only a moment's hesitation and a quick glance back, Ash and friends left the ferry behind them. Little did they realize they were followed by a familiar group.
"Ugh. What do they mean by that? They make criminal type sound like a bad thing!" muttered James, wearing a typically bad yet apparently good enough disguise just like the other two. This time they were dressed as stereotypical tourists.
"Quit your idiocy, James! It is a bad thing, you stupid human!"
"Oh. That's right. Thanks, Meowth, I forgot."
"Be quiet, both of you!" Jessie said, silencing them with a smarting thwack to their heads.
"Ouch, Jessie... Did you have to hit so hard?" James frowned. "I wonder what the twerps are up to this time...?"
Jessie rolled her eyes. "Shut up and maybe we'll find out."
…
Seth and Rui were waiting at the Port.
"So, you guys are the ones who... uh... called Prof. Oak, right?" Ash asked, even though he already knew it was them.
"Yeah." Seth nodded. "And you're Ash, the "Chosen One." Right?"
"Yep." Ash grinned, rubbing the back of his head with both hands. "That's me."
Brock and Misty sighed. "Don't get all big-headed, Ash..." Misty said.
"Well, come on, I'll take you to Agate in our... car."
They followed Seth and Rui to the car, while Rui explained that Seth preferred to drive a strange one-wheeled motorcycle.
"Whoa, cool!" Ash said.
Seth smirked. "Yeah, but there's no way you would all fit. Only room for one passenger."
Everyone got in the car and they were soon driving across the Orre desert.
"So, Ash..." Misty started, "What were you thinking about on the ferry?"
Ash snapped to attention. "Oh, uh... That's not important." But after a moment, he sighed and continued. "I was just thinking about my Dad, okay? I wish I could have met him... or know more about him... Or at least see a picture of him or something."
"You've never seen a picture of your dad?" Brock asked.
Ash shook his head. "It's weird... But for some reason no one ever took any of him."
"That is weird..." Misty said. "I wonder why not?"
Ash shrugged. "Dunno. But... I guess it doesn't matter anyway. He's dead."
Truthfully, part of Ash always had wondered if his father were alive after all. He suspected that he would until he found actual proof, part of him always would. But if Aaron Ketchum were alive, he would have come back long ago.
Finally, they arrived in Agate Village. In stark contrast to the desert around it, it was a beautifully green and forested town.
Seth explained to the trio about the events that had transpired in Orre a few years before. Ash and friends were quite shocked to hear of the Shadow Pokemon experiments being done by Cipher. "And we though Team Rocket was bad..." Misty remarked.
Behind a tree, where they were spying on the twerps, Team Rocket shared an annoyed glance.
"So, Celebi appears near the Relic Stone, huh?" Ash asked.
Rui nodded.
"I wonder..." Ash said, but he left it at that, only finishing in his mind. ...Is it the same one that brought Sammy to our time and let me meet him?
"But there's no Relic Stone there right now..." Seth said.
"Right. There's some kind of portal." Ash nodded. "Let's see this thing."
Rui led the way to the Relic Forest, and the place the stone should have been. Team Rocket followed in secret, as confused by the situation as everyone else.
The glowing bright blue letters were still there. The Phoenix awaits beyond.
"How strange..." Brock said.
"So, this thing will only let the "Chosen One" through, huh?" Ash asked. Seth nodded, demonstrating what he'd done earlier.
When he approached, the letters shifted. Only the Chosen One may pass.
And then, when he backed away, they returned to what they'd said before.
"Well, Ash, your turn." Misty said, smiling encouragingly.
Ash stepped forward... And after a moment the letters flashed and changed.
The path ahead is dangerous. Are you prepared?
"I guess." Ash said.
"You'll have to go alone, Ash." Rui said. "Your friends can't go with you."
"Pika Pi?"
Everyone looked at Pikachu, then Rui smiled. "I think it will let you go, though. After all, you are very close to Ash... You're not a normal Pikachu."
"She got that right!" Meowth remarked, only to be whacked over the head by Jessie.
"Did you hear something?" Misty asked. Brock shook his head.
"Pika Pi..." Pikachu looked very relieved.
"Ash... Be careful." Brock said.
Misty looked at him and Pikachu sadly. "We wish we could come, you know... So don't get into trouble without us."
Ash was quiet for a moment, then he smiled. "Thanks, guys."
And then, Ash stepped through the door, Pikachu seated on his shoulder.
As soon as Ash was completely gone, the dark portal vanished as well, and the Relic Forest returned to normal. The Relic Stone stood as though nothing had happened. Everyone, Team Rocket included, appeared totally stunned by it's disappearance.
"So..." Brock sighed. "What are we going to tell the Professor and Ash's mother?"
...
Author: This chapter's still somewhat of a re-do of a couple of the older chapters. I wanted to work Team Rocket in. They appeared later in the other one, but I wanted them earlier.
This ending's a bit of a cliff-hanger (and sadly the next one may take a while due to more editing needed... Sorry.)
Rest assured, I do have the whole thing planned out, though, and I do plan to finish it eventually.
See you next chapter!
Smasher. The-Keyblade-Bearer: Thanks for the review! As you see this chapter, the portal is really just for Ash, but Pikachu goes along to. (Of course.)
Aquila of the Solaris: Well, thank you! I do plan to continue, but right now I'm working with other things, too. I'm pretty busy, honestly.