Bright, city lights shone overhead in the vast Saffron City, the neon signs and blinking lights, followed by the hums and horns of passing by cars was enough to make any newcomer feel overwhelmingly anxious and strained, but Ash had been here before a few times over the years; it was nothing he wasn't used to by now. After spending some time visiting his childhood friend Misty back in Cerulean City for a few weeks, where he had been excited to catch up, reminisce, and spend some more time exploring the town, Ash decided to head back to his hometown of Pallet, and stay with his mother for a while, whom he hadn't seen in quite some time now. After bidding goodbye to Misty, Ash's travels landed him in Saffron City, where he planned on resting for the night before heading into Celadon. It was in Celadon City where he planned on phoning his mother to announce his plans of visiting. Sure, Delia would probably have been ecstatic over her only son arriving out of the blue, but her over-joyed spirit seemed as though it would be too much for Ash to deal with, too overwhelming, especially when he only wanted to return home to relax amongst the comfort of his own house and bed. Granted the suffocating hugs and painful kiss pecks were inevitable, Ash Ketchum knew an unannounced visit would only worsen the grueling, ten minute experience, and perhaps even double the duration.

The young teen hadn't even realized he had been standing motionless on the middle of the sidewalk, staring into the windows of a restaurant, contemplating if he wanted to use even more of the money he barely had to grab something to eat. The smarter choice would have just been to settle on a small snack to ensure he had enough for a decent motel, but the young boy was beginning to feel as though he was ravenous, though more often than not, his mind was always hungrier than his stomach. However, as his beloved pikachu gave off a squeak from below him, darting quickly to stand in between Ash's feet as a passer-by cursed under their breath, having nearly tripped over the small electric type, Ash's trance was broken as he shook his head, blinking before he glanced down to Pikachu, where he saw a citizen catching their balance as they mumbled something about "the damn tourists".

"I'm sorry, Pikachu," Ash mumbled his apology as the small, mouse-like creature glanced up to him, and as soon as Ash held out his arms, inviting the loyal Pokemon to them, Pikachu immediately jumped up towards Ash's chest, and he caught him easily, pleased that Pikachu's weight seemed to have only become lighter the older Ash grew. He wrapped his arms around the small body, one gloved hand securing a hold onto Pikachu's chest as he rested the other on Pikachu's back, his bare fingertips moving over the yellow fur and brown stripes on his back. With Pikachu safe and shielded in his owner's arms now, Ash abandoned the restaurant and thought of food as he continued down the sidewalk, Pikachu's brown rimmed eyes wide as he stared forward, observing the area laid out before them.

Ash's sneakers patted lightly against the concrete as he continued through Saffron, recalling a fair motel located near the outskirts of the city. A slight breeze blew past, ruffling the black, curled and wavy hair that stuck out on either side of Ash's head from beneath his hat, and he held onto Pikachu tighter, shielding him from the cold, though the electric type was hardly phased by the temperature. Instead, he merely nuzzled closer to Ash's chest for comfort, allowing for his eyes to close as he gave into the calming motion that came with each step Ash took. "We'll be at the motel soon, buddy," Ash assured, his mind flashing him an image of the hotel's vending machine, which he knew would contain a neat row of beautiful, red packages, shielding the colorful, fruity candy inside. Ash licked his lips, wishing he hadn't been so quick to finish his last pack of Skittles. He had already begun to forget how that last, yellow orb had tasted, a near impossible feat considering the teen had sucked on the candy until it had completely vanished within his mouth, never once using his teeth to chew.

The wind picked up the closer Ash made it to the outskirts of town, his arms beginning to ache due to being held in the same position for some time now, but he refused to let Pikachu down. He remained alert as he turned the corner onto a much more barren and darker road, and recognizing the row of corner shops lining either side of the street, he knew he was headed in the right direction. However, no amount of alertness could have helped the boy notice the fresh, wet and sticky muck that had recently been abandoned on the ground, and as soon as Ash felt his shoe stick to the pavement slightly before giving way, his heel separating from the shoe before it snapped back into place, Ash let out an audible groan as he stopped in his tracks, and as soon as Pikachu leaned up and turned his head downward, Ash released his hold on him before bending his knee to lift his right shoe up, Pikachu glancing up at him from the ground.

"Dammit! Well this is just great," Ash muttered to himself as he proceeded with taking off his shoe completely. "I hate when I step in gum," he groaned as he knelt down to begin scraping the bottom of the shoe against the curb. Pikachu immediately stepped closer, investigating Ash's actions as he repeatedly scraped the shoe against the concrete, trying to remove as much of the pink gum as he could, but as soon as he realized he was spreading the substance more than he was removing it, he stopped, dropping his head in defeat.

"Was it hot water or cold water that helped to get gum off?" He wondered aloud, turning to glance down at his best friend. But Pikachu merely titled his head to the side as his ear twitched, signaling to his master that he, too, didn't know. Ash's lips thinned as he faced forward again before he leaned up, and he slipped his shoe back on with disappointment, deciding there wasn't a thing he could do about the gum right now. His mother would be pleased to find out the boy had ruined yet another pair of expensive sneakers. Ash grinned wearily at the thought as he turned around, bending down to scoop Pikachu back up in his arms, but as soon as he glanced up to stare at the window of one of the closed shops, he froze completely, a chill running through his body that did not stem from the wind. There, staring back at him on one of the shelves in the store was a light brown, plastic figure: teeth barring, eyes narrowed, hairless tail curved behind and raised in the air. Mouth agape, Ash stumbled back slightly, completely taken by the sudden sight of the raticate glaring back at him, fake or not, and he cast his glance upwards, reading the sign above the entrance to the store: Novelty Pokemon Gifts. His mouth refused to shut as he glanced back down, that chill traveling up his spine again as a painful shock ran through his heart, and he was unable to tear his eyes away from the raticate, who appeared to be angry as it blankly stared back… furious… hurt… dead.

Ash closed his eyes, his brow furrowing as he bowed his head, the memories taking a strong hold and refusing to leave no matter what Ash did to force them away. Pikachu wiggled in Ash's arms, having seen the same thing he had and quickly reaching the same conclusion, and he nudged his owner's nose with his own. Ash recoiled for a moment –after all, the very Pokemon that was trying to comfort him now was the very same Pokemon that had killed –accidentally killed— Gary Oak's raticate in a very heated, very intense battle. But Ash didn't blame Pikachu, he could never. It was Ash's fault that the innocent Pokemon had perished, painfully so. It was Ash who was ruthless, who had been obsessed with winning and would do anything to defeat his rival, even if that meant refusing to back down even when he had noticed how injured the raticate had already become. He could recall the command he had given Pikachu— "Pikachu! Finish him off with Thunderbolt!"— he could recall how heated Pikachu was, how indulged in the battle he had become, how confident his little mouse Pokemon had become. More so, he could remember how the lighting attack had shaken the floor in which they stood on, how it illuminated everything in a blinding, golden glow. But the final attack had been unnecessary. Ash had been winning, against his rival— but he was too blind to realize the Thunderbolt attack had been complete overkill, and in the end, Ash really had finished the raticate. He had killed him. Not Pikachu.

He remembered Gary running to his raticate's aid, but Ash had paid no attention to this; it was nothing the nurses at the Pokemon Center couldn't heal, like all the electrocuted Pokemon before him. All that mattered was that Ash had won, he had defeated "The" Gary Oak. Beaming in his victory, Ash had merely gained the opportunity to rightfully taunt his rival before he left to celebrate, leaving the scene of what would ultimately become one of Ash's biggest tragedies and regrets.

"Pika-Pi," Pikachu chirped, re-gaining his master's attention as he nuzzled his head into the crook of Ash's neck, placing his small feet against his chest. Ash placed his hand over Pikachu's back as he rested his head on top of the Pokemon's, in between his ears, and he held onto him tighter. "You remember it, too," Ash declared in a low voice as he closed his eyes. "I don't blame you, Pikachu," Ash then assured. "It wasn't your fault…"

Another breeze blew past, stronger this time, causing Ash to finally take notice of how cold it was becoming. Fall had long sense settled in the region, and opening his eyes Ash severed the embrace as he quickly turned away from the window, averting both of their visions from the toy. He took a few steps forward, keeping his head bowed as did Pikachu, but as soon as he reached the beam of light shining down from a street light, he paused abruptly, eyebrows meeting in the middle as a thought occurred to him. Holding onto Pikachu with one arm, he reached into the back pocket of his jeans for his red Pokedex, one of the few things he had never abandoned from when he had started his journey, and he flipped open the screen to check the date: October 17th.

An astonished Ash returned the Pokedex to his pocket as he stared blankly into the distance, chocolate brown eyes wide, and even when Pikachu nudged his jaw again, Ash didn't break his stare.

"Today," he spoke. "That happened… today, five years ago." Understanding, Pikachu hunched his body, eyes falling to the ground below as Ash tried to make sense of this great coincidence. But how coincidence could this be, really, that he just happened to come across a raticate, of any form, on this night of all nights? Perhaps… this meant something. Perhaps it was a sign, a sign that signaled to something Ash should do, and suddenly, he couldn't escape the desire. "Maybe we should go visit him," he voiced his idea, capturing Pikachu's attention. "Pay some respects, y'know?"

Pikachu appeared to disagree with the idea, for when Ash had glanced down at him, tiny black eyes had narrowed as black-tipped, yellow ears flattened. "C'mon Pikachu, it's been five years since—…. since we were last there…" Their last visit, however, had been anything but peaceful, and it was during Ash's last visit to Lavender Town that he had discovered what he had done, and it was at the grave-site where the weight of his actions would forever sink down upon him. Gary had been there— it was the last time Ash had conversed with him— and he had been ruthless in demanding his revenge, demanding Ash to battle as he so selfishly sent out his Eevee, an accusing finger pointing directly to Pikachu. But Ash had refused. The grave-site was no place for a battle, especially one out of spite. A part of him could understand Gary's hurt and anger, but Ash was positive it wasn't because of the Pokemon Gary had lost— it was primarily because Gary had lost in the first place. At the time Ash hadn't truly understood where else that anger was stemming from, but as soon as he trudged off, leaving the grave behind, did Ash finally notice, did he finally realize. Now, re-visiting the site and paying his proper respects seemed all the more inevitable. "It's something we have to do, Pikachu," Ash concluded, his voice more stern, though it remained low. "Just a quick pit-stop there, and then we'll continue home, okay?"

The mouse Pokemon finally gave in with a weak grumble of his own, but deep down, he knew his owner had some validity to his point. He remained in Ash's arms as he quickened his pace, heading in the same direction, but this time it wasn't toward the motel. Once he reached the dark, grassy plains of the outskirts of the town, he reached into one of the inside pockets of his bigger, outer most jacket, drawing out a pokeball. He sighed as he held it in his hand, Pikachu having since then jumped onto the ground, staring at Ash intently, and his ear twitched when Ash turned the ball in his hand to face it forward, holding his middle finger over the white button in the middle. His heart raced in his chest, threatening to break free, but Ash had no other choice if he planned on reaching Lavender Town that night. With a deep breath, he released his charizard.

With a beam of bright, red light, the ferocious fire-type took its form outside of the ball, stretching his small, orange arms as he tilted his head back, eyes closed before he lowered his head forward, shaking it, and already Ash could tell Charizard was not too happy about being disturbed. Big, teal-hued eyes snapped open and narrowed down on Ash's frame as the beast's nostrils flared, but Ash didn't allow for himself to back down. It had taken some time, but Ash had finally reached somewhat of a better relationship with his charizard, after saving his life in return for Charizard defending his own. No longer did the fire-type completely ignore Ash or attempt to burn him, but still, Charizard remained with a serious attitude problem. This was apparent now as he stared down at Ash, narrowing his eyes further, demanding to be told why he had been disturbed. But Ash wouldn't let himself feel belittled.

"I need a ride to Lavender, Charizard," Ash explained sternly, leaving Pikachu to glance up at the orange beast. "I need to get there tonight and the only way I can is if you take me there." Charizard held his eye contact with Ash, who refused to avert his gaze, and after a long minute had passed, teal eyes were rolling upward before he was turning his orange body around with a grunt, light gray smoke escaping from his nostrils and dissipating into the air, and he lowered himself toward the ground. A wave of relief washed over Ash as he slowly approached his Pokemon, who swayed his tail out of the way to allow Ash to climb aboard. Placing Pikachu on his back first, Ash climbed on second, assuming the position he had discovered was the best when riding Charizard, which he had only done a few times since the incident in the Viridian Forest. Shielding Pikachu with his body, who sat on the back of Charizard's neck, Ash leaned down onto his stomach as he stretched his legs behind him, arms and hands clutching onto the rough and dry scales of Charizard's shoulders. "Okay Charizard," Ash began, turning his red and white hat backwards, curls from his bangs escaping in the front. "Take it eas—aaaay!"

Without warning Charizard shot up into the night sky, the flame from his tail probably resembling nothing more than the spark of a firework to any on-lookers in the town as he traveled higher and higher upward, and once he had reached an altitude of his liking, he flattened his body horizontally, and with a strong flap of his wings he propelled them forward, feeling Ash's hold tighten onto his shoulders, but right now all the fire-typed cared about was reaching their destination quickly so he could return to his rest.

The thin air soared past Ash, blowing his raven hair in all directions, but his hat remained secure to his head. He could feel the pleasing warmth from Charizard's tail behind him, and Ash leaned forward, securing Pikachu between his chest and Charizard's neck, but the mouse Pokemon was at complete ease as he stared ahead, eyes narrowed due to the wind.

They reached Lavender in record timing due to Charizard's vigorous flying, and even though the descent was anything but gentle, Ash was pleased the beast had obeyed his command nonetheless. Legs shaking as he climbed off of the Pokemon's back, his clothes now carried the strong stench of smoke, but it was a scent Ash had come to like, despite how many times he had been burned. Shaking his head once Pikachu had leaped off to land in the cold grass, Charizard turned his head, craning his long neck to glare at his owner, the expression on his face clearly announcing to Ash that he had gotten his favor, now it was time for Ash to return it. As he took out the pokeball from his pocket, Ash realized this was the type of relationship he currently held with this Pokemon- nothing more than a trade of favors. As he returned Charizard to the ball with no further qualms, Ash glanced up to the tall, eerie tower, but with determination he immediately began toward it, Pikachu at his heels.

The interior of the tower was dead silent, almost painfully so, but Ash continued for the stairs, which creaked and moaned under his steps. Pikachu raced forward, waiting for his owner at the top, and once Ash had reached the second level hall he began towards the familiar door at the end. However, as they drew nearer, Pikachu's demeanor changed before Ash's eyes. The electric-type lowered himself, tail flicking to attention as his ears remained tall and held straight up in the air, and Ash's brow furrowed once they reached the door. Was somebody else already in the room?

Cautiously, Ash placed his hand to the handle of the door, turning it before he gently eased it open, Pikachu's sparks from his cheeks dimly illuminating the room. A growl was the first thing to greet the pair as Ash stepped in behind Pikachu, but his breath immediately left him once he saw who had made it to the grave before him. Gary Oak.

As soon as the auburn-haired teen's eyes met with Ash's, Ash took another step forward, his heart skipping several beats in a row. His eyes had immediately flashed to Gary's Umbreon, whose teeth were bared at Pikachu, but noticing she was holding true to Gary's command, Ash called off Pikachu as well with a simple 'stop'. The sparks remained, Pikachu was not going to let his guard down, but his ears did flatten slightly. Ash's eyes returned to Umbreon, and he wondered vaguely for a moment when exactly Gary's Eevee had evolved, but that wasn't the issue right now. Gary was here, at the same time Ash was, having had the same idea...

"Gary," Ash spoke quietly, his voice echoing slightly amongst the otherwise deathly silent room, save for the cackles from Pikachu's sparks and faint growling from Umbreon. It was a stupid question to ask, but still, Ash could not stop his tongue from releasing the words. "What-... what are you doing here?"

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