I am seriously shocked at the reception the first chapter got, in a week of being up. I can't thank you guys enough for taking the time to read this. I had no idea that this little thought of mine would actually be enjoyable to many people so once again, thank you. And thanks to those behind the C2 that this story is already in. I am glad my story has decent enough grammar, that was kind of a worry of mine.
So, a couple of days later than I had hoped, I prefer to have a weekly upload schedule for this fic, here his chapter two!
Oh and before that, here's the answers to the reviews from chapter 1:
Batguy2000: Why thank you! I have read a lot of Froakie starter stories, and the intial concept for my next story was a mix of that and Pokemon raising but I threw that out of the window when I wondered about the Sinnoh League and watched a couple of DP episodes in my free time. With Pokemon, there will be the similarity of the team, but there will be differences such as when and where a capture/evolution takes place and if it does. There is one Pokemon from Ash's original DP team that won't be appearing on this one, you can probably guess who that is in a couple of chapters' time. With characters, it will be DP plus Professor Sycamore, no Alain yet, sorry. Buizel may make an appearance but Ash won't get him, he has Froakie for that. Oh, I'm looking forward to writing those battles, especially with Greninja here.
mewmaster89: You will have to wait a while, we're still in the tenth season of the anime in comparison. Also, this is the next chapter so, wish granted?
Toa Solaric: Oh, he will be fighting, I can promise you that for nothing. Just, not for a while, that's all.
Selet: Sycamore's about to find out about Froakie in this chapter. Yeah, it's a new one for Froakie joining Ash early stories but I wanted him to be more mature and experienced and thus, the Sinnoh region. Plus Sinnoh was my start to Pokemon so I really love this region a lot. It has the best trainer battle theme, although the best character theme has to go to Wally, sorry Cynthia.
fangs of death: It just popped up in my brain, and I'm glad you found it interesting. Thank you and I hope you enjoy more!
Phantomsoul2015: Ur, no. Chimchar hasn't been caught yet. It's set from DP 34 onwards, before Cynthia steps in and Chimchar starts to take centre stage.
ShadowStriker: Yeah, I agree with you there. Aipom is a contester by heart and, quick FYI, she's not going anywhere for a long time. Ash won't get a Buizel, because he has Froakie, but someone else may get him, who knows. I'm glad you liked it and found it awesome.
Poke-Jedi Master Stotler: I am. Oh, Ash-Greninja will make it's debut WAY before the Sinnoh League, and what happens during the league and afterwards? Only I know that as of now but hopefully you'll like my plans for it.
AlphaDD: I missed that about them in BW and XY, DP Team Rocket were awesome. I am going to include more Fourth Wall Breaks and Boss Fantasies, if anyone remembers those from DP.
Agoge: I haven't focused on that this chapter, but it will come up in the next one. As for the changes, there will be a few.
TheFauxWriter. Thanks, I'm glad I got their personalities okay, especially since their ages are different to the anime. I don't plan on doing that at all. Ash will progressively get stronger, as will Dawn, and he will not suddenly be OP and all knowing, I think the next few chapters may cement my plans for their development for you.
With that done, I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading.
The Truth about Froakie and Ash
Professor Rowan had never expected a call from Dawn so soon, yet alone a call asking about a Pokémon that her Pokédex couldn't register. He was sitting at his desk whilst Dawn used overexaggerating gestures to tell the story of how they found the Pokémon the call was about, only interrupting her when she began making an absolute fool of herself in the Pokémon Center they were staying in.
"So, this Pokémon is a water type, hmm?" The professor asked her as she calmed down.
"Yep! It sure is! It could use Water Pulse and lived in a lake 'cause I fished it up!" She frowned before turning to face someone who was offscreen. "Hey, Ash! Can you bring Froakie over here for a bit?" Rowan's eyes bulged at her words. A Froakie was in Sinnoh? How? He remembered that Augustine Sycamore studied under him for a while, an aspiring professor from Kalos who told him all about the starters and Mega Evolution, which was a stable part of Kalosian life. Did Sycamore know that somehow – unless a trainer from Kalos had released it – that a Froakie was in the Sinnoh region? He'd have to tell the children to call him up, or do a three-way call.
As he was thinking, the two children had already returned to the screen, with Froakie sitting happily on his trainer's shoulder without a care in the world. It was the creature's cry that brought Rowan down from his scientifically run world in the sky, bringing a look of awe to the trainers on the other end of the call. Having been Sycamore's teacher for a while, the two men had continued to stay in contact and would bounce theories and ideas off of each other whilst just talking about daily life. Just yesterday Augustine was telling him about this rogue Froakie that had crushed its own Poké Ball and had run away from yet another trainer who didn't meet its standards. Rowan just had a feeling that this Froakie, the only one seen in Sinnoh thus far, was the one that his ex-apprentice was talking about.
"Amazing, I have never seen a Froakie in Sinnoh before," the Professor spoke, drawing himself out of his thoughts. "They normally are found in the Kalos region."
"Kalos?" Ash inquired, never having heard of it before. Rowan noticed Froakie's nod, confirming his theory about the Pokémon's origin.
"Yes, it's a region that's not too far from here," he put his attention onto the water type. "I've heard about you from Augustine, it's nice to see you've finally found a trainer you trust in." Four faces – Brock had come over to listen into the conversation – stared back at him in confusion, causing the professor to chuckle heartily. "Froakie actually belongs to the Kalos region's professor, Professor Sycamore. However, from what I've heard from him, Froakie broke his Poké Ball and ran away from the lab after being returned by a new trainer."
"So Froakie was abandoned?" Brock raised an eyebrow, noticing Ash's gritted teeth and clenched fists at the word. The two of them had come across many an abandoned Pokémon in their time travelling together and both felt the same way about the subject, Brock was just able to reign his emotions back better than Ash could.
"Far from it," Rowan shook his head slowly. "Froakie abandoned its trainer and ignored their commands. Professor Sycamore believes he knows why but that's something you need to ask him yourselves. I have a hunch it's something to do with his latest thesis topic."
"So how do we get in contact with Professor Sycamore?" Dawn butted in, considering she was the only one who had recovered from the shock of Froakie's actions. It didn't seem to be a rebellious type, especially with how well it was getting on with Ash.
"I could set up a three-way call between us considering that Froakie was found in my region of study…" The professor nodded to himself with a grin. "Yes, that's what I'll do. Please hold on for a second you three." He tapped furiously at his keyboard before the screen split into half and another man with messy navy hair popped up on the other screen.
"What's the matter this time Shaun… Froakie?!" The other man's jaw was hanging loose, staring at the trio with a certain water type waving at him whilst clutching at Ash's vest. "You really did find the one by yourself, didn't you?"
"I had a feeling that's why it was here," Rowan spoke up before the children could get a word in edgeways. "Froakie's appearance has something to do with your newest research topic, what was it again? Umm…"
"Bond Phenomenon," Sycamore laughed at his old mentor's forgetfulness. "I knew Froakie had it from testing but had no idea the trainer who matched him was currently in your region."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa… hold up," The professors' attention turned to the male trainer who had the topic of their conversation perched happily on his shoulder. "What are you talking about? And what is Bond Phenomenon…" Ash looked behind him at Brock and Dawn who had dropped their jaws at him. "Oh, ha ha, very funny guys. I know how to speak big words and yes, I know what Phenomenon means!"
Professor Sycamore stared at the boy before speaking. "What might your name be?"
"I'm Ash, sir, from Pallet Town in Kanto," Pikachu squeaked up furiously, sending out a chatter of mixed parts of his name. "Oh, sorry, and this is my starter and best friend, Pikachu… well best Pokémon friend… Pikachu, don't give me that look. I can have more than one best friend."
"You seem very close," Sycamore noted, before smiling at the group. Froakie seemed to have picked, or seemed to have the same aura as, a rather unusual trainer. There weren't many people who included their Pokémon into their introduction, especially introducing them as their best friend. "I can see Froakie reaching new heights with you via Bond Phenomenon."
"Excuse me, the name's Brock and I hate to be rude but," The ex-Gym Leader decided to make his voice heard, and to get an answer to Ash's earlier question. "What on earth is Bond Phenomenon?"
"Sorry, I lost track there. Bond Phenomenon is a rare occurrence where a fully evolved Pokémon and their trainer can unlock a transformation that goes beyond the power of the final evolutionary stage," The Kalosian Professor explained simply. Unlike he was, the trainers weren't well versed in scientific language. "It happens when a trainer and a Pokémon have a similar aura and their bond is really strong. Not every Pokémon has this power, so it's rare to find one that has."
"Wow! That sounds so cool!" Dawn's eyes sparkled as she leaned in closer, not noticing the worried glances of Brock and Ash. The last time they had heard of the word aura, they almost died and an ancient habitat for Pokémon was nearly destroyed… oh and yeah, a Lucario from the past gave his life so that they could live. It wasn't the best adventure and Brock was sure Ash had nightmares for weeks afterwards due to the fact it was revealed he had the power as well. "You said Ash and Froakie could do it, does that mean Froakie is one of those Pokémon?"
"Yes, he is," Sycamore nodded at her enthusiasm. "I'll tell you more about it when Froakie becomes a Greninja, since the power won't manifest until Froakie is fully evolved. However, I'm guessing you want to learn more about Froakie, am I right?" Three heads nodded, giving him his answer. "Ash, was it? Can you slot your Pokédex into the flashing area and I'll update it for you so you can have the information on Froakie's line, okay?" Doing as he was told, Ash slotted his Pokédex into the computer shaped device below the screen from which they were communicating with. A few seconds later, it was released and – once opened – revealed to have a page on Froakie ready to read.
"Thank you."
"It was no problem at all," the younger professor smiled. "Anyway, I best be off, I have a meeting in a bit apparently. Oh, and by the way, take good care of Froakie for me. I'm looking forward to hearing from you when Froakie fully evolves, okay?" Before anyone could answer him, a woman shouted at him from offscreen and Sycamore quickly ended his half of the call. Rowan's face quickly took over the entire screen, sighing as he did so.
"That boy never changed," he turned his attention back to the group. "I hope that's given you some information towards Froakie and its rare ability. If you have any more inquires then please contact me at the earliest convenience. I too must be leaving, and good luck with your next Gym match and your next contest." With that, he too ended the conversation, leaving the trio to stare at a blank, black screen. As they turned to each other, still taking in all that had been given to them, a certain group of semi-villainous creeps peeked their heads around the corner.
"So that Pokémon is called a Froakie huh? It must be very rare if it's a starter Pokémon from a far-off region!" Jessie smirked from her upper head position from behind the wall.
"Didn't you hear them Jess?" Meowth hissed up at her from the bottom with furrowed brows. "When that Froakie fully evolves, it's gonna have this weird transformation thing with the twerp! We can't get that rare power without needing the twerp for it."
"For now, we should just stick to aiming for Pikachu until we can figure out a way to make that rare power work for us," James spoke from in-between the two. "At least then we can track this Froakie's power in the hands of the twerp."
"That's a clever idea, James." The female thief spoke up, rubbing her hand against her chin. "And when the time is right, we can get that super rare Pokémon for the boss. Meowth, do your thing!"
"With pleasure, imagine this…" Meowth dived into the realm of the 'Boss Fantasies' where he imagined what could happen if the trio caught a specific Pokémon for their boss, Giovanni. "The Boss is sick of losing time and time again to rare Pokémon that could be caught for the power of Team Rocket, that is until our Bond Phenomenon Froakie… or whatever its final evolution is, hops in to beat all of the other Pokémon until they can be captured with its more powerful transformation and you know what the Boss will say? 'I have to thank Meowth and friends for helping me solve my issue, they deserve everything they desire in life!' Dig it?" As this was going on, the three were imagining their boss actually going through this issue, trying desperately to figure out what this rare form might look like based on the tiny blue frog on the twerp's shoulder.
"We'll be in the green!" Jessie squealed happily, imagining herself sitting on a throne made out of wads of cash, being served by hot men in speedos.
"And be in the best ranks of Team Rocket!" James added, seeing the three of them as executives next to those like Ariana, Petrel and Archer.
"Soon I'll be the top cat of the organisation, not that pampered Persian!" Meowth growled at the thought of his evolutionary form, who was lording it high and mighty on Giovanni's lap like a pampered princess. Unlike the Persian that was the sole being of which Meowth's hatred was born from, Meowth actually was a part of helping to make Team Rocket an organisation that could be able to take over the world one day, out in the field instead of being constantly groomed without the need to lift a finger. The scratch cat Pokémon scoffed at the idea of the Persian being involved in a battle, he believed that Persian had never battled in its life.
"Let's get the plan ready for the future, and whilst we're at it we should really plan another Pikachu capture!" The three bumbling idiots cheered and rushed off to form their next big scheme to capture the yellow furred rodent who was blissfully unaware of their position at the moment as he was more worried about his trainer, who had gone scaringly quiet in the last few minutes.
~0~o~0~
Dawn was training with Aipom on the battlefield outside the Pokémon Center and, immediately Ash realised he made the right choice in handing her over to the coordinator. Aipom was thoroughly enjoying herself in showing off her moves, creating sparkles as the normal type pranced across the field. He was sitting at the side, taking the time to get to know Froakie better whilst Pikachu oversaw the training for his team. They had all met Froakie and had immediately welcomed him to the team, with Turtwig being especially kind to the newest addition. Staravia and Turtwig learnt of Aipom's trainer switch but, once they knew the reason for it, didn't mind at all and congratulated Aipom on her new path in life, wishing her luck for her contest debut.
Brock was cleaning his egg for the thirty fifth time when he noticed the forlorn expression on his best friend's face as he stared at the Pokédex entry for Froakie. What Professor Sycamore had told them must have left a lasting impression on Ash, who had stated outright he wanted nothing to do with aura after their adventures in the Kingdom of Rota. When Max had stupidly asked about the whole aura power thing, both he and May were surprised to hear Ash snap at them before running off. Brock, being the more responsible member of the group, went after him and found out everything.
Especially everything to do with Lucario's death.
Lucario had overexerted his aura, every last drop pulled from his body to heal Mew until he was nothing but a glowing, shaking mess as his end drew closer and closer. Brock remembered holding his friend in a hug, feeling Ash's tears dampen his shoulders as the boy cried, cried for Lucario's loss and the fear that he could do the same thing one day if he ever went down the path of aura. No matter how many times that the duo had faced life threatening experiences, they both didn't want to die that young with so much to live for. The power of aura frightened Ash, who didn't want to wield it for fears that it could be used to kill and could, in turn, kill him as well.
The two males had practically buried all thoughts about aura, until that morning when the word came back up again. From what the Kalos region professor had told them, it seemed the life force was a key player in this transformation. Of course, they didn't know the details but it didn't seem as if Bond Phenomenon could end up being anything like the Lucario Incident, especially if there were documented cases of it somewhere in the world. The professor was studying it as a part of the thesis he was writing, meaning he must have had a few cases up his sleeve surrounding the ability.
"Are you okay?" Brock watched as his younger friend jumped at the sound of his voice, before giving him a half-hearted smile back.
"Yeah, nothing to worry about here, Brocko!" Whilst the usage of the nickname was a bit uplifting, the rewording of Dawn's signature catchphrase instantly made the response lower in credibility.
"You know when someone says that, it's when I worry the most," The breeder put his egg gently back into its incubator and edged closer to Ash on the bench. "So, spill the beans. You're thinking about what that Professor Sycamore guy was saying about aura, weren't you?"
"Yeah," Ash sighed, putting his Pokédex back into his pocket so he could use his hands as rests on the bench as he leant backwards, staring at the sky. "I just don't want anything bad to happen, you know? I mean, I don't wanna end up like Lucario did. I know he died as a heroic sacrifice to save the Tree of Beginning but, I… I don't think I could be a hero if it means that I'm constantly on the edge of dying."
"I understand," Brock said, not used to seeing this side of Ash often. Normally, he kept it bottled up as to not upset anyone else but, for some reason, he let everything flow out around Brock and the breeder was highly grateful for that little piece of mercy. "You're scared about it, and I have a feeling that everything's going to be okay. A qualified Pokémon Professor wouldn't be allowed to study a subject which equated in the harming of either trainer or Pokémon. Evil organisation doctor? Yeah, they could study that stuff as much as they wanted but professors like Professor Rowan who could have their licence revoked at the slightest hint of any damage? I don't think this Bond Phenomenon thing could hurt you or Froakie, or anyone around you."
"But it's a Phenomenon… Oh not again!" Ash's childlike pout did nothing but make Brock laugh harder than before. "Look, just because I left home at ten doesn't mean I didn't know what a dictionary was! I know what Phenomenon means too! It's an extraordinary occurrence that happens not very often!" His argument wasn't helping much as Brock was still laughing with the image of the pout in his head. "Urgh, seriously, and I'm the younger one of the two of us?"
"Sorry, I couldn't help it…" After wiping a tear or two from his eyes, Brock motioned for his friend to continue.
"As I was saying, Bond Phenomenon is exactly that, a Phenomenon! I didn't even know it existed until a few hours ago, I'm sure Professor Oak and even Lance don't know it exists and yet I'm supposed to be the other part of Froakie's ability when aura is involved and I have no idea what it means or anything." Another sigh, a longer one this time, escaped the thirteen-year-old's lips. "That Professor Sycamore said he'd give us the full info once Froakie fully evolved or something like that."
"Which means you don't need to worry about it right now," Brock spoke up with a reassuring tone. "In between now and Froakie's final evolution into…?"
"It's says it's called Greninja."
"Greninja, the professors' have time to study this thing even further than they have now, meaning we will know everything by the time Froakie has fully evolved." He placed a hand on the younger trainer's shoulder. "I get that this frightens you and it kinda does for me too, but we have to look at the positives right now. Aipom is doing amazingly with Dawn and Froakie already really seems to like you." Their heads turned to the sleeping figure of the water type, who was curled into Ash's leg with a smile of content of his face. "If there is anyone I know that could master this power of Bond Phenomenon, then it would be you. After all of our crazy shenanigans then something like this which could be really useful in battle would be a breeze for you."
"You think so?" As he asked, Ash gently began to stroke Froakie's head, who leaned into the touch automatically. "I guess you're right. No one knows what the future truly holds so we should just take every day as it comes and make the most of it."
"Now you get it," Brock stood up, picking up his incubator as he did so. "I'm going to set up for lunch, if you need anything I'll be over there okay?" When he received the nod of dismissal, the eighteen-year-old turned to leave the bench area until a call of his name made him turn back around. "Yes, what is it?"
"Thanks for talking to me," For the first time since this morning, Ash gave him a proper smile with his teeth showing slightly. "I really needed the support."
"No problem, what are friends for?" Brock sent one last supportive grin back towards his friend of three years before he turned back and made his way off to get lunch ready for the group. For a while, Ash just stared up at the sky, mulling over everything that had happened that morning before coming to a conclusion. Nothing was going to make him give up Froakie, he vowed that with any type of promise that he could viably do, and if this Bond Phenomenon was truly a power that could make Froakie even stronger than ever, he would do anything in his power, aura included, to help Froakie reach it. That meant Froakie would have to train with his other Pokémon, train as hard as he could to defeat Gym Leaders and from there, beat the league.
During this self-reflection, he didn't notice that his other Pokémon had sauntered over and curled up with him too, now snoring their heads off in a blissful sleep. Ash couldn't help but laugh and smile at them. After lunch, the training for Gym badge number two would begin and he would not be holding back, especially with what happened to Turtwig only a few days ago. The comfort of his Pokémon surrounding him, and the support of the wall against his back felt reassuring in a way, so much so that he too fell asleep were he sat.
And that was how Brock and Dawn found them when lunch was ready, and neither of them had the heart to wake them up. Luckily, the smell of good cooking did it for them.
One last thing, a reminder of the teams thus far.
Ash: Pikachu, Staravia, Turtwig, Froakie
Dawn: Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, Aipom
Brock: Sudowoodo, Crogunk, Egg
