Ash the Iron Trainer

by Mar 'Darry' Darren

It was a freak storm. One that separated Ash from Misty and Brock but not with Pikachu. And yet Ash was able to find an entire new region and be reunited with a friend that he never thought he will see again. With four young Pokémon found in a crate as eggs, Ash will take this new region and in the future, Kanto with skill and Mega Evolution!

5. The Straw Hat Girl

Ash, the Iron Trainer

The Straw Hat Girl

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

"Pokémon" – Normal Speech

'Pokémon' – Thoughts

Pokémon – Flashback

Pokémon – Move Names

{Pokémon} – Pokédex

Previously on Ash the Iron Trainer,

"Aren't they cute? I received them just yesterday and they are very well behaved." Ash and Pikachu was spooked greatly. They turned on a dime to see a tall and young adult wearing a lab coat standing behind them. "My name is Professor Augustine Sycamore, studying Pokémon here in Kalos."

"My name is Ash Ketchum and this is my partner and first Pokémon Pikachu." Ash introduced himself while shaking Professor Sycamore's hand. The latter then scratched Pikachu under the chin, causing the rodent Pokémon to purr and cry in pleasure.

"My, my you have such a well-groomed and powerful Pikachu. You must be a prodigy of such a young age." Sycamore said but Ash just looked down on his feet, "What's wrong?"

"I wasn't there when Pikachu was first born. We met because no other trainer will ever accept Pikachu at Professor Oak's lab in Kanto. I chose him simply because I overslept that very morning and missed the other Kanto Starters and Pikachu was also the only one left." Ash said in a very low and honest tone that made Sycamore raise eyebrows in sympathy.

"I am sorry to hear all that but I think that if fate was real, you two meeting together was what Fate wanted. I think that your Pikachu is the best Pokémon for your starter than any other." Professor Sycamore said and Ash just sighed before smiling. "That is more like it, no journey should happen all because of inconvenience or any nonsense like that. You should have fun on your Pokémon Journey. That is all we what from new trainers that travel our Pokémon Region of Kalos!"

"So why do you have the Kanto Starters in Kalos Professor?" Ash asked and Sycamore nodded.

"It seemed that when each of these starter Pokémon reach their final evolution, they can Mega Evolve!" Sycamore asked and noticed that Ash was between uninterested and frustratingly confused. "Mega Evolution is a process that we call because with it, a Pokémon can active and higher form if given the right circumstances exactly. They grow and mature, activate new Abilities and use their moves to a higher power. But it is simply a transformation."

"A transformation? You mean it is not permanent?" Ash asked and Sycamore nodded.

"Exactly Ash. So when a Pokémon under goes Mega Evolution, it can't keep that up forever and only for a given time. When they faint or run out of time, the Pokémon will revert back to their real form." Sycamore confirmed. "And that is why I want to give you all three of these Pokémon!"

"Why…" Ash said, "Why me? Anyone can have them for their starter so why me?" Sycamore smiled but a pity look on his face and it was all clear in his eyes too.

"Because I am aware of you already caught each of these starters." Sycamore said and Ash nodded. The poor trainer just couldn't believe that I was not outright rejecting the idea of being offered Pokémon he already caught. Just how will the Bulbasuar who looked to Ash, the Squirtle who idolized Ash and the Charmander who need Ash think of the trainer now if Ash had accepted another of each while he was in Kalos? They will be heartbroken and find barely anything else to trust about him. So all this will hurt both sides of this story. "You are the prefect for them since these starters are merely babies and they need someone with experience and you have it." Sycamore said with hopes that the answer for Ash to utter will be clearer.

"So you are asking whatever or not I will take them on my Kalos journey." Ash said and said nothing else to Sycamore and just walked over to the starters who were in both fear and suspense. They were just surprised when Ash just hugged them as if they were his children or younger siblings. "I am sorry that I can't take you on my journey…" The starters heard and were about to be heartbroken when, "But I will definitely think about it and this place is the center of Kalos so I will come back and when I do, seeing you will be the first thing I will ever do. So I will just capture you and let you play with any other Pokémon I catch so you can have fun every single day. I will even see to that those Pokémon will even help you learn the basics of battling. How does that sound?"

It was a tough choice and sounded no different than a parent neglecting his children. But this Starters types understand everything from Sycamore about how Ash will never be able to bring them along. They looked at each other and then hugged at Ash with tears in their eyes and uttered something in their own tongue about 'understanding' and 'thank you'. Ash then silently took our three Pokéballs only for each Kanto starter to tap at the very center; thus allowing themselves to be captured.

No one said a thing that moment until the sun went down. Sycamore showed Ash where some beds for him to sleep in since the raven haired trainer wasn't planning on leaving the lab and find a place to sleep. Still, Ash was in no hurry with only one Gym Badge obtained and Sycamore did say that the Kalos League was being held several months later.

XXXXX

And after a few days, a girl had had walked into the lab to get her Starter Pokémon. She seemed to be Ash's age and with blonde hair. She was wearing a style of clothing that seemed to be local with the other Kalos woman; with a black skirt, pink shoes, a red shirt and a straw hat on top her head. (1) After entering through the door, she had ran into Sycamore who was moving some papers and books around his place,

"Oh Serena! You are finally here for your first Pokémon!" Sycamore seemed to know her right on the spot and the girl nodded. Sycamore rushed to put his tuff away while Serena waited in the lobby until the professor returned with three Pokéballs.

Out came were the three Starter Pokémon of Kalos. But before she could get a good view, Sycamore gave Serena here Pokédex. "This will help identify any Pokémon you may encounter and even look one up if you have the need. Just remember that scanning Pokémon you have already caught will produce better results than wild Pokémon." Sycamore explained and Serena nodded and begun to scan the Pokémon in hopes of making her decision clearer.

Aside from Froakie, she scanned the other Starter Pokémon.

{Chespin, the Spiny Nut Pokémon. Chespin can flex the soft spikes on its head, making them so stiff and sharp that it can even pierce through stone.}

Chespin is a bipedal, mammalian Pokémon. It has a light brown front with dark brown arms and three triangular markings on its face. There is a tough, green shell covering its back, which extends from its head to halfway down its tail. There is a small, off-center hole in the shell on the back of Chespin's head. The shell can protect Chespin from powerful attacks. Around the face, the shell has four leaf-like spikes, and one split into three parts on the back of its head. These quills are typically soft, but Chespin can stiffen them and use them for attack as well. Chespin's oval eyes are brown, and it has a triangular red nose and rodent-like incisors. Its arms have three fingers, while its feet have two long claws. The visible part of its tapered tail is orange. Despite having a curious nature that tends to get it in trouble, Chespin keeps an optimistic outlook and does not worry about small details.

{Fennekin, the Fox Pokémon. Fennekin expels hot air that can reach nearly 400 degrees. It likes to snack on twigs.}

Fennekin is a quadruped, foxlike Pokémon. It is covered in pale yellow fur that is longer on its haunches. Tufts of dark orange fur cover the insides of its large ears, and it has a white muzzle with longer fur on its cheeks. Hot air is vented from its ears, reaching temperatures of over 390 degrees Fahrenheit. It has large, dark orange eyes and a pointed, black nose. When its mouth is open, two pointed teeth can be seen in its upper jaw. Fennekin also has small paws with no visible toes and slim legs. Its tail is fluffy with a dark orange tip. Fennekin chews on twigs instead of eating snacks. It can be temperamental, but it tries to do its best for its Trainer.

Still it was a tough choice because they all were cute to Serena's eyes until she noticed that out of all of these Starter types, Fennekin seemed to be the only one to actually approach her from the row they all formed. "I chose Fennekin! It is so cute!" Serena gave her typical reason for her choice as do most girls around her age group. Sycamore chuckled since he saw the better reason but decided not to say anything if it will damage Serena's ego; she is so excited to finally train a Pokémon and she doesn't need something like this to let her down.

"Professor! I am back!" A voice was familiar to Sycamore but it a lot more familiar to Serena as she froze when she heard that voice. It wasn't scary or stern or even like an angry judge sentencing her to fifty years in prison. It was just guilt that she thought she will never hear that voice again. She slowly turned to see a boy of her age with a Pokémon she never seen before on his shoulder and a sack over his other shoulder.

"Hello Pikachu! How is your trainer? Did he stay out of trouble?" Sycamore said as the yellow rodent like Pokémon jumped off they boy's shoulder, right in front of Serena's eyes, and ran into his arms as a sign of a greeting. But Serena did not notice because her eyes were more focused on the boy in front of her.

"Ash?" She said as if she knew the trainer in front of her. But how can that be if this is Ash's first time in Kalos and Serena was never seen before in Kanto?

Meanwhile, the trainer himself was still and silent himself. It was like the eyes of Serena was placing him under a spell. He couldn't move a muscle one inch until Ash saw tears in those eyes. Those broke him free, to walk over and hug Serena.

Serena was shocked that Ash was hugging her. Despite being only ten years old, Ash practically mounted over her by almost three inches. So her face was engulfed in Ash's neck and upper torso. To Serena, it was very warm and comfy; it was nearly putting her to sleep.

"You are her." Ash finally said, taking in Serena's local scent of her blonde hair which was addicting to his nose. "You are the girl from the forest. The one who wore a straw hat. The one who said that we were friends." Ash then gotten a lot louder as if he was slowly bringing his point across and it made Serena tear again. "You were hear all this time?"

"…yes…" She answered, "I did want to be friends but…" Tears were now flooding and were interrupting her speech. "My momma…she wanted a life in Kalos…and she pulled me…away from Pallet Town. I have wanted to go back there ever since." Serena then couldn't talk anymore as her vision was already blurred like a dirty looking-glass.

"I understand. All I wanted was to know your name after I told you mine. I never found out." Ash said while gently pushing Serena out so that they were looking at each other face-to-face.

Serena nodded while trying to no avail to dry her tears. "It is Serena. That is my name." She said like she was going to be yelled out for not trusting Ash with her name. But Ash just smiled and closed his eyes which made him look handsome to Serena's eyes, causing her to blush.

"Serena. That is a lovely name. What was so hard about it?" Ash chuckled playfully that made Serena blush redder and look down from his glaze. But Ash was able to see her giggling along on how silly it was. "Now that we are back together, I need someone to go with me and Pikachu throughout Kalos."

It was like on-and-off switch that Serena's mood switched in a very instant. "I will love to go with you!" She shouted and caused everyone to jump because of the silent and suspenseful atmosphere. "Or is that okay?"

Ash chuckled again when Serena responded to everyone's faces of shock and surprise for disbelief and reluctance. "What I was going to say…" Ash playfully let that hang to get Serena to peer in, since the suspense was growing to murder. "Will you show me around Kalos?" It made sound like Ash was being dense but somehow, Serena understood it perfectly. (Try and figure this one out if you can! )

"Sure Ash, just tell me where you are planning to go next." At the smiling couple, Sycamore and Pikachu looked at each other and chuckled. They were barely older than ten and yet they were acting like a couple who just got together. Just how strong is love in the air and especially in Kalos?

XXXXX

Later that day, on a bench on Route 5 or Versant Road which was south west of Lumiose City compared to Route 4 being south east,

"So that is the last Pokémon we can see on this route? Let's see what it is." Ash said and pointed his Pokédex at the new Pokémon.

{Scraggy, the Shedding Pokémon. The lower half of Scraggy's body is covered by a tough rubbery skin and when someone makes eye contact it responds with Headbutt.}

That could be cool to train, too bad that Ash had to see its Pokéball being sent back to Professor Sycamore's lab. He had to assure Serena that no one was stealing his catch of course. Right now, Ash was going over his Pokédex in order, Ash looked over the various Pokémon had had caught a good scan at.

{Doduo, a Twin Bird Pokémon. Once its heads begin to fight each other, Doduo becomes incapacitated.}

{Gulpin, the Stomach Pokémon. Gulpin is able to swallow items of its own size whole, as its stomach compresses most of its body. Its unique stomach acid allows it to digest almost anything.}

{Pancham, the Playful Pokémon. Though it tries to look tough, Pancham has trouble being taken seriously by opponents.}

Ash pushed all that aside and reviewed two of them which happened to be the Pokémon Ash had decided to add to his team because they had caught his interest.

{Abra, a Psychic Power Pokémon. It sleeps eighteen hours a day, but employs telekinesis even while sleeping.}

Abra is a bipedal Pokémon that is primarily yellow. Its face is kite-shaped, with a small, pale yellow snout and two short, pointed ears with pale yellow interiors. Its wide, narrow eyes are normally closed. Abra's body is segmented with black skin is visible between its joints and along its neck. It has two brown, pauldron-shaped extensions on its shoulders, as well as a brown, fauld-like piece around its chest. It has three fingers and toes, with its fingers considerably shorter than its toes. Its tail is thick and long, with a brown band located near the tip.

Abra can sense danger by reading minds. When it does, it teleports itself to a safe location so quickly that it creates the illusion of having made copies of itself. By hypnotizing itself, Abra is able to teleport or use any of its other extrasensory abilities at any time. Due to the strain of its telepathic powers, however, Abra sleeps 18 hours each day. If it fails to rest long enough, it will become unable to use its powers. Abra lives in urban areas, but has been observed to teleport to a different location once per hour.

And,

{Skiddo, the Mount Pokémon. Because of Skiddo's mild temperament, they're thought to be one of the first Pokémon to live in harmony with people.}

Skiddo is a quadrupedal, goat-like Pokémon. This Pokémon has a white face with a brown blaze going down its muzzle. The blaze ends at a round, black nose, and it has black, elliptical eyes. The back of its head and its ears are also brown, and it has a short, white beard. Skiddo has two short, black horns on its head. Both of these horns extend in opposite directions out to the sides, and they have dark rings around the middle. There is a leafy green mane around its neck that extends along its back. The mane ends at its tail, which is made up of three short leaves. Its body is primarily brown with white stockings on its legs. Each foot ends in a cloven, brownish-orange hoof.

Due to its close relationship with humans, Skiddo has developed the ability to read the feelings of its riders through their grip on its horns. Skiddo typically has a gentle nature and is said to be the first Pokémon to live alongside humans. Because of this relationship, Skiddo doesn't mind carrying people or supplies on its back.

Afterwards, Ash looked up to see the Skiddo and Abra happily playing with his other Pokémon with Pikachu and Froakie watching over like parents keeping an eye on their children in a sandbox. Ash just chuckled that the latter two are the most mature Pokémon on his team while the others are still childish out of battle and hardcore fighters in battle.

"They are so cute!" Ash was slightly stirred from his thoughts to see Serena having her own fun with her own Pokémon. She actually had a 'Horde Encounter' as it was called that had both a Plusle among the Minun. With her Fennekin and Furfou she had caught previously, she was able to catch one of the Minun and the sole Plusle to complete the pairing. "I just can't stop hugging them!" Or checking their entries in the Pokédex for that matter,

{Plusle, the Cheering Pokémon. Plusle loves to cheer for its fellow Pokémon, and it creates sparkling pom-poms by shorting out the electrical current released from its palms.}

Plusle is cream-colored bipedal Pokémon with red markings. It has a dot-like nose, and a cream-colored plus sign in the middle of its circular red cheeks. It has long, flat ears that are mostly red. Its limbs are stubby and digitless, and it has red front paws. Its short tail is tipped with a red plus sign.

Plusle can create sparkly pom-poms by shorting out the electrical current in its palms. It uses these pom-poms to cheer on its teammates, and will cry loudly if they lose. It climbs telephone poles to absorb electricity. It lives in grassy areas.

{Minun, the Cheering Pokémon. Minun and Plusle's electrical current promotes blood circulation and energizes their target.}

Minun is cream-colored bipedal Pokémon with blue markings. It has a dot-like nose, and a cream-colored minus sign in the middle of its circular blue cheeks. It has long, flat ears that are mostly blue. Its limbs are stubby and digitless, and it has blue front paws. Its short tail is tipped with a blue minus sign.

Minun cares more for its teammates than itself, sending off showers of sparks when it cheers for them. When its partner is in trouble, it gives off increasing amounts of sparks. It can create electric pom-poms for cheering. Its electrical current promotes blood circulation and energizes its target. It lives in grassy areas. However, it will hide under the eaves of houses when it rains due to its dislike of water.

{Furfrou, the Poodle Pokémon. Furfrou were assigned the task of protecting kings who ruled the Kalos region in ancient times.}

Furfrou is a dog-like Pokémon with thick, white fur that covers its black body apart from its paws and face. It has round eyes with blue eyelids and red irises, a pointed snout with a round nose at the end, and long rectangular ears. When its mouth is open, two pointed teeth can be seen on its upper jaw. This Pokémon's furry coat cushions it against physical attacks. Furfrou is known to be loyal to its Trainer. It used to guard the king in the ancient times of Kalos. Like some real-world poodles, some domesticated Furfrou are commonly seen with their fur trimmed into various styles.

Ash sighed, he never remembered being like that. Pokémon aren't dolls or pets, they are companions and they long to get stronger with the help of the trainer. "I am sure but did you feed them yet? Pikachu and I have already feed our team." Ash said to get Serena's attention and she froze with a shiver up her spine.

"W-well…" Serena trailed off with the glance of Ash and Pikachu as stiff as solid steel making her nervous. "I…I just thought…"

"What do you want to do Serena? They are three things you can be." Ash said, he had a lot learned from the professor in order to catch up on how advanced Kalos is in comparison to Kanto. "You can be a trainer and battle the Gym Leaders in hopes of challenging the Elite Four and the Champion. You can also be a breeder and raise Pokémon from birth to be fully evolved. Or you can be a coordinator and try out the Pokémon Show Casing. Choose."

Serena just sat there, releasing her grip enough to let her Pokémon free and join Ash's. "I…" She hesitated, an understandable factor since this is going to set the rest of her life straight. Once she made her decision, it will hard to back down from if she realized that she had chosen the wrong choice. Ash didn't care what she wanted to do, he will be there and see Serena pull through and make it to the top.

End of Chapter 5.

*This was really a big step since I had to choose to take a week long break from Fanfiction to play my video games. I just feel like I must take all this slow again and that is why I hope to pull through all of this. Wish me luck!*

1. There is a lot of debate as to the age of Ash and Serena during the XY saga. So I am going to have Serena in an outfit of her own around the year Ash first started his quest. I know that I haven't got the Serena in the anime series but this is my own story so I can do this.

Pokémon on Hand;

Ash – Pikachu (Male), Honedge (Male), Pawniard (Male), Mawile (Female), Durant (Female), Froakie (Female), Fletchling (Male), Ledyba (Female), Skiddo (Male) and Abra (Female).

Serena – Fennekin (Female), Furfrou (Male), and Plusle & Minun (Female)