Author's Note: Coming back to the Pokémon stories after the disappointment I felt in watching Journeys feels right...in all the wrong ways. Who's the cabron that decided that Ash never gets a legendary Pokémon(I'm not forgetting Melmetal)? Or la moza amiga? Seriously, how many chicas from Ash's past adventures turned up?!

So, with this storying being rewritten from my previous World Coronation, I'm gonna try to make it more satisfying.


1: Home Is Where the Trouble Starts!


It felt strange to be back in his old room again. The walls were adorned with pictures of his past adventures, as well as cases containing each and every Gym Badge, and Frontier Medal he had ever earned. Three trophies decorated his shelves. One trophy was from his first great achievement of becoming the Orange League Champion.

The second was a runner up plaque from the Kalos League after losing the final match to Alain. And finally, his crowning achievement, a trophy for becoming Alola's first and reigning Regional Champion. He was an official League Champion.

Alola: his second home. He had spent so much time in Alola that he honestly felt cold in the spring-like weather of Kanto. Spending so much time in the balmy region had changed him from the pudgy teen he had once been. Looking down at his old bed, he remembered with slight embarrassment how short he had been. Now at age eighteen, he stood a proud six feet even and weighed a healthy one hundred and fifty pounds.

His skin had grown dark with his time in the Alolan sun, and his body had grown muscular throughout his years of traveling the world and challenging Pokémon Leagues one after the other. His childhood dream of becoming a Pokémon Master, i.e., the very best trainer in the world, seemed...incomplete.

"Ash, dear," he heard his mother call from the door. A moment later she opened up the door and saw him sitting there on the edge of his bed. At her feet was his long-time partner Pokémon, Pikachu. "Oh, dear, I'm sorry about this." She sighed, "I really should've had this room updated before you had your match with Kukui."

Ash shook his head as Pikachu bounded up onto the bed with him, "It's fine, Mom," he smiled, "This is the first time I've been home in a really long time, so - "

"That's no excuse," she sighed whilst cupping her cheek in distress, "You spent so much time away, yet I haven't changed a thing in here." She looked around the room, noting that it was slightly cluttered with how many awards and Gym Badges decorated the walls and shelves. She smiled proudly, "You done so much in the eight years that you've been traveling." She said as she picked up one of the frames that was lining the shelves. "You were so eager back then. I remember you being so excited the night before setting off that when you did fall asleep, you overslept and arrived too late for the standard starter Pokémon."

Ash grinned and reached down to pet Pikachu, who purred under his touch, "Yeah, but you know what?" He laughed, "I wouldn't change single thing."

His mother laughed, "Still though, why don't we move you into a bigger room?" She asked, "Your father's old study's been locked up so long that maybe I could clean it out and - "

Ash shook his head, "Honestly, Mom, I think it might be time for me to get a home of my own," he said, gaining a look of distress from her, "I mean, I am eighteen, now, plus I'm kind'a used to being on my own."

"That doesn't necessarily mean you have to be on your own," she fretted, "True that you're able to fend for yourself, and you've won quite the nest egg from all of your travels, but I still worry...though, I wouldn't worry as much if you had someone with you: a lovely young lady friend, perhaps?" She giggled as Ash gained a light blush on his face, "Oh, you don't have to be embarrassed, honey, you're well passed the age that you should've taken an interest in someone special."

"Special, huh?" Ash grumbled.

When Ash tried to think of a girl like that, two possibilities came to mind. One was his friend, Dawn Berlitz from the Sinnoh Region, and a aspiring Coordinator. From what he heard through the PLA News Network, she had made quite a name for herself, even winning a Champion's title. She had stiff competition, so one title under her belt was no small feat.

He would know: he had been a trainer for a while by then. While he thought of her as a friend, he knew that there had been something special between them that hadn't been there for him when it concerned other girls. Not even his oldest friend, Misty, and she had grown pretty over the years. He and Dawn had supported each other during their time together. He could still remember the first time she had cheered for him during a Gym Battle, cheerleader outfit and all.

Then there was someone else.

Concerning Serena Yvonne, he felt a sense of guilt. When he thought back on his journey through Kalos, he felt that he should have seen the signs that she was practically throwing in his face. And then she had made it so glaringly obvious that even he couldn't miss it. A kiss from someone like her was not something he was soon to forget.

Some girls had been obvious in their affections for him, and he wasn't blind, or stupid enough to completely miss that some girls had taken an interest in him. The problem wasn't them, none of them had been had been bad and they had been very pretty each and every one of them. No, the problem was with him. He had been so focused on his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master that the thought of romance had been completely pushed out of his mind and filled with Pokémon.

Now that he had become an official League Champion, those thoughts were beginning to invade his mind.

"I can see the gears in your head turning, dear," his mother said, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Is there something you'd like to talk about?"

Ash just chuckled as Pikachu climbed onto his lap and fell asleep. "No, just thinking about some...mistakes I made." He sighed before looking up at her, "And yeah, things would be nice if I...met someone special."

Now if you knew Delia Ketchum, then you would know that she had high hopes of becoming a grandmother at a young age. Most women wanted to be thought of as young and vibrant well into their later years, but not Delia. The idea of becoming a grandmother delighted her. "That's wonderful to hear!" She practically squealed, an act that woke up Pikachu and scared him out of the room, and nearly had her son suffering a heart attack, "I know of some lovely young girls over in Viridian City! Oh, and there's my old friend's daughter, she should be right about your age! And I think that - "

"Mom, calm down!" Ash shouted over her exulting, "First thing's first, I need to find a home of my own." He reminded her before adding, "And I think I'd like to find Mrs. Right on my own."

His mother huffed while putting her hands on her hips, "If I let you do that, I'd be dead and buried before you found yourself a girlfriend, let alone a wife, Mister!" She said, but smiled a moment later, "But I suppose that you're right." She giggled, "You tend to attract young girls like a magnet, so it might not be that long of a wait."

Ash had a lopsided grin on his face, "Just don't do anything kookie, alright?"

His mother thought for a moment, "Then I suppose I should take that add out of the paper, shouldn't I?"

Ash looked at her like he'd just been Thunderbolted, "Mom, please tell me you didn't!"

She giggled, "Oh, please, Ash, I'm not so desperate for grandchildren that I'd do something like that!"

Ash sighed in relief, "Good."

"At least not yet," Delia added as her son's head dropped.

"Great!" He stood up, "I'm gonna head over to Professor Oak's." He said while grabbing his belt that held his Pokeballs on them. "I should introduce my Alolan Pokemon to the rest of the family."

Delia was still laughing as he brushed by her, "You might take a look around the town while you're at it, dear," she advised, "Since you've been away so long, you might notice a few changes."

"Like what?" Ask asked curiously.

Delia smiled and walked with him down the hall, "Well, a family from Johto moved in recently." She said, "They seem like a nice bunch, though the head of the house is a bit grumpy from time to time, his granddaughter is very nice." She explained as they came down into the main room, "They started a large orchard as soon as they settled in, but it's the strangest thing. I've heard of people drinking apricorn juice, but the scale of their farm seems much too large for such an unpopular drink."

Ash stopped dead in his tracks causing Delia to bump into him, "Sorry, but the old man's name wouldn't happen to be Kurt, would it?" He asked, "And the little girl's name is Maizie?"

"Why yes, that's them!" She beamed at him, "So you've met before. How nice!"

Ash had a smile on his face as well, "I think I'll stop by there and say hello." He looked over to where Pikachu had curled up on the couch and fallen asleep while Mimey was doing some cleaning around the living room. "If Pikachu wakes up, just let him know I'll be back soon, okay?"

Delia nodded, "I'll keep him company." She promised, "And tell Kurt that he and Maizie should come over for dinner some time."

Ash nodded and quietly walked outside and stepped off the front step into a full sprint.


ポケモン


Pallet Town hadn't changed much at all as he ran down the dirt path. Which meant that he found the home of the old Pokeball smith easily. No homes around the sleepy little town were built in a traditional shinto style during his last visit, afterall.

The person he wanted to see just so happened to be sitting on the front porch when he reached the fenced in yard smoking a pipe. The moment he saw Ash, he held a smile on his face, "All these years have finally turned that green little boy that came bumbling into my shop into a fine young man it seems?" He said as the young man hopped over the fence. "It's good to see you, Ash."

Ash, instead of greeting him his usual boisterous way, gave a polite bow toward the man, "It's good to see, too, Kurt."

Kurt laughed, "It seems that time has finally pounded some manners into that thick skull of yours," he joked as the young man just rubbed the back of his head bashfully, "And what, pray tell, brings the young Champion of Alola to my humble forge?"

"Can't I just be excited to see an old acquaintance that I grew fond of?" He asked as Kurt gestured for him to sit next to him, "I think of you every time that I use Totodile's Lure Ball."

"So you caught something rare with that ball I made for you," he took a drag from his pipe and blew out a smoke ring, "That makes me proud." He admitted, "A smith like myself is always happy to find that his works are appreciated."

Ash chuckled, "You also taught me to work harder to reach my goals." He told the man, "That apricorn you had me fetch was not easy to get my hands on."

"Well, you wanted my best work, didn't you?" He chuckled, "Besides, this old man's back was in a bad way at the time." As Ash settled himself beside him, the man gained a frown, "You once told me that you wanted to be a Pokémon Master, did you not? Why do you look like a youth stumbling around in the dark?"

Ash looked at the ground, "That obvious, huh?"

"A fellow like you that has won a Championship title at such a young age would normally be like the Mankey that held the moon in the palm of its hand," he said, "Yet you seem more like too little butter spread over too much bread."

The young man let out a chuckle, "You know, that sounds just about right?" He admitted to himself with a nod, "I thought I'd be happier after finally becoming a Champion, but it feels like I haven't achieved my dream, yet." He looked down at his hands, worn and weathered as they were and clenched them tightly, "And that's not even the worst part of it."

"Hoh?" Kurt looked at him with a little surprise. "I would think that feeling unfulfilled would be a most terrible feeling, and yet it isn't?"

Ash shook his head, looking at the older man with a small smile, "I think you'll laugh at me when I tell you."

"Never." The man promised.

Ash sat back, sighing, "I'm sorry," he started out which surprised the old man, "I came here to see an old friend, and here I am venting."

Kurt shrugged, "I don't mind so much." He said, "My storehouse is so full of my work that I feel as though making more would only hurt me." He said, "And my granddaughter is in the midst of filling up her own storehouse with her own wares." He took another long drag from his pipe and let the smoke out through his nose, "Unfortunately there seems to be no one that favorites my family's work as they did when you were a mere child."

Ash frowned, "That's terrible. You make such beautiful Poké Balls."

"Yes, and my son tells me that my work is superior to mass produced Poké Balls." He said before turning to the young trainer with a grin of his own, "So you see? It's good that you've come, so I can vent, too!"

Ash chuckled, "I think your worries are worse than mine."

"Nothing that a Tv commercial wouldn't fix if I had the money for it." He chuckled, "However I put everything I had into this new plantation in hopes that young trainers from this town would come to me, but that has yet to happen." Another drag from his pipe, "But tell me what could possibly be ailing you, Ash?"

Ash sat back, "Honestly...I'm lonely."

"Lonely?" Kurt asked, "Quite the affliction for someone your age."

Ash thought for a moment as he tried to think how to explain himself. "It's not...just the romantic kind'a loneliness," he said while Kurt listened to him, "When I was off in Alola, I wasn't really just there to compete, I was there to learn. The League came second for once."

"A rarity." Kurt nodded in understanding.

Ash chuckled, "Not just that. The people there...the people that I stayed with..." he sighed loudly and rubbed the back of his head, "I hate to say this, but they felt more like my parents than my mother did at times."

"I've met your mother, and she seems a wonderful woman," Kurt said, "She spoke of you often, though I never heard your name mentioned until now. Though with her family name being Ketchum, I suppose I should've realized it."

"And I feel so guilty about that much," Ash said with a frown, "But it felt nice...having two parents."

Kurt chuckled, "Ah, now I see the problem, or part of it." He said as Ash looked at him with interest, "Was your father not around when you were growing up?" Ash shook his head, "Then I believe what your missing is the man that became like a father to you after going so long without that sort of figure in your life."

Ash shrugged, "Probably. I don't even know what my dad looked like," he said, "But Professor Kukui was..."

"He was what you wished for in a father," Kurt nodded, "And coming home, you feel like you're missing something important."

"But I feel like I need to start my own life now." Ash said, "Even if I feel like I haven't accomplished what I feel I want."

Kurt chuckled, "Being a Pokémon Master, right?" Ash nodded, "Tell me, what do you think it means to be a so-called Pokémon Master?"

"I always thought it meant being the very best trainer in the world," Ash said while leaning back on his hands. "But I don't feel like the best out there."

Kurt tapped the ashes out of his pipe and set it down, "Opportunities such as the ones that you have had do not come often, yet you seem to have luck in spades." He said, "My advice is that if you want to be the very best, then you have to beat the very best." He thought for a moment, "Perhaps your opportunity will come quicker than you think." He said with a smile, "But you also seem to be lacking something else."

"I messed up something before going to Alola, and probably back in Sinnoh, too." He hung his head and explained about Dawn and Serena.

Kurt felt a smile tugging at his lips, "You'll feel much better after resolving this matter," he told the boy as Ash blushed. "Are either of these two young women more important than the other?"

"How would I know that?"

Kurt chuckled, "Which one do you feel as though you can't live without?"

Ash frowned in thought, "When I try to think of it that way, I can't stand the thought of losing any of my friends," he shook his head, running his hand down his face, "Maybe I'm still not mature enough for this sort of thinking?"

"The fact that you're thinking about it at all shows how much you've changed throughout the years," Kurt complimented him. "But enough woe. You should be enjoying your life right now, not worrying for the future."

Ash smiled at him, "And what about your future? If you can't promote your Poké Balls, then - "

"Now, now, not to worry, I'm sure I'll think of something," Kurt said.

Ash frowned before an idea struck him, "How about I help?"

"How?" Kurt asked.

Ash took out his old Kalodex, and brought up his trainer's account, "Kurt, I'm not exactly rich, but I think I can afford a few crates of your apricorn Poké Balls." He said, "One crate of each kind should be more than enough to get some advertising out."

Kurt looked at him, "Ash, that's very kind of you, but you know I've never charged - "

"Grandpa, take it!" Kurt jumped clear to his feet when Maizie suddenly slammed the screen door open, "You know we need it!"

Kurt grumbled as he clutched at his chest, "Maizie are you trying to scare me to death?!"

"If I wanted to do that, I'd show you a picture of Grandma," she smirked at him before turning toward Ash. When the young trainer had seen her last, Maizie had been an absolutely tiny little girl with her hair tied up in little braids. Now she was nearly up to his chest, and hair her hair tied up in a tight bun behind her head. "Hi, Ash!"

"How long were you listening?" Ash had to ask with a large amount of blood rushing to his face.

Maizie giggled, "Around the time you figured out that you've got two girls you're in love with." Ash's face went nuclear red while the girl just laughed, "Oh, come on, it's not that strange! Lance has three women he sees on a regular basis!"

"Lance is a womanizing cad!" Kurt put in while grabbing his pipe to stuff full of tabaco right before Maizie took it from him, "Young lady -!"

Maizie tucked it into her pocket, "The doctor said to lighten up on the pipe, Grandpa," she reminded him, "I'd rather you outright quit, but the doctor's being pretty lenient with you, so you're down to just one smoke a day."

Kurt looked comically horrified, "Ash! Do you hear this insolent child!?" He said with mock outrage, "You want to do me a favor and find someone special? Marry her and get her out of what's left of my hair!"

Maizie now looked completely embarrassed, "Grandpa~a~a!"

Ash played along a moment later, "She's very pretty, but she might be a little young for me, Kurt."

"I'm twelve," she pouted.

Kurt just chuckled, "My late wife and I were several years apart in age when we married." He grinned as the girl threw him a dirty look, "Age is an unnecessary barrier passed a certain age."

"Or a one-way ticket to a nursing home," Maizie snarked right back and turned to Ash, "The crates you want each have forty Poké Balls each, and I'm pricing them at forty thousand a crate, that's a thousand per ball." She belted out, making Kurt blanch while Ash just checked the math on his Pokedex, "And we have eight different varieties of specialty apricorn Pokeballs. So the roundabout number comes to three hundred and twenty thousand."

Rather than be surprised by the price, Ash seemed more taken by the variety, "I thought that there were only seven types?"

Maizie looked at her grandfather proudly, "The G.S. Ball that you brought to us turned out to be a very specialized type of apricorn that used a white an yellow apricorn as its base." She explained which made her sound like she was making a sales pitch. "After Grandpa got it open, he reverse engineered it, and made it more powerful than Papa's Silph Corporation-made Master Ball!"

Ash gave the old man a look of awe, "Wow, it was that strong?"

Kurt shrugged, "It wasn't the apricorns that made it special, it was the ingredients that did that." He said, giving his granddaughter a pointed look.

Maizie just shrugged, "The smith that created that little masterpiece thought to use a feather from both a Ho-Oh and a Lugia." She said, "While it was nearly impossible to find a live one from those species, we did find their nests." She sighed as though the whole ordeal drained her, "And let me tell you, those Pokémon do not nest in people-friendly places!"

Ash nodded in understanding: he had been to some of those places, more than once in fact. "So I'll be the proud owner of forty Master Ball-grade Poké Balls?"

Maizie bit her lip, "Well, technically there's only twelve of them," she said with a bit of a blush, "I only belted out that price because it's what we need to keep this place going...so I padded the price." She sighed, "Sorry."

"Don't be," Ash said, "I'll have the money in no time, and it's not like that'll put a dent in my accounts." Ash said, feeling glad that she hadn't seen his reaction when he first learned of his trainer's account, then he remembered what his mother had asked, "Matter of fact, my checkbook is at my house, and Mom wanted to have you two over for dinner. Why not eat with us tonight?"

Maizie beamed at him, "That sounds great!" Kurt grumbled incoherently, "Grandpa, one night away won't kill you!" She huffed at the man and turned back to Ash, "I'll load up the crates you wanted, plus all of the G.S. Balls that we've managed to make, and we'll be at your house right around seven-ish!"

"I'll see you then," Ash smiled and got up to leave, shaking Kurt's hand as he went.

"I hope you figure out your romance problem!" Kurt called after him loudly with the young man praying that no one was close enough to have heard him.


ポケモン


As the sun was still far from setting, Ash continued on to Professor Oak's ranch/lab. He would most likely be anxious to see his Melmetal seeing as it was one of the few Mythical Pokemon that evolved. He also wanted his newest Pokémon to get used to life at the ranch. He knew that Incineroar would get along well with Charizard and Infernape.

His Lycanroc was going to cause a stir, that much he knew since it was the only one of its kind (the only one that had been documented), and Rowlet he knew was going to be snoozing away in the nearest tree right beside Noctowl.

[I wonder if Pidgeot is still around?] He thought idly as he gazed off toward the forests surrounding Pallet Town. Out of all the Pokemon he had released, Pidgeot had hit the hardest of them all. She was one of his first Pokémon, and had been with him all throughout his journey through the Kanto Region. And then there was the promise of coming back for her.

He decided that if that evil-tempered Fearow was still around, he would deal with him, and ask if Pidgeot still wanted to be his Pokémon. Thinking of her, however, brought his mind back to all the other Pokémon spending time at the ranch. During his journeys, he made it a habit after the Battle Frontier to take on each region with Pokémon he had caught while there.

Thinking about it now he felt it could be unfair to the rest of his Pokémon to just use them, and then leave them behind. In the last Leagues, Kalos and Sinnoh, the only Pokémon he had called upon had been Charizard.

[I bet if I'd had him during the Kalos League, then Alain's Charizard would've been easier to deal with,] he thought somewhat bitterly, but banished those thoughts from his head. His team had done their best, and that was all he could have asked of them.

"Hey, Ash!" His head snapped up and a smile grew across his face as he spotted a familiar face. "Long time, no see!" Gary Oak waved from up the road outside the lab.

"Gary!" He burst into a jog up the path and right up to the lab. Gary raised his fist to knock against Ash's as the two rivals greeted each other, "It's great to see you again!"

Gary nodded, "Same here! I saw your match," he shook his head, "Man, that was one of the closest battles I've ever seen since you took on Tobias in the Hoenn League!"

Ash hissed a little, "Ooh, ouch, no need to open up old wounds, Gary!" He laughed and slugged his friend in the arm, who yelped. "Oops, sorry?" He thought it had just been a tap.

Gary had a wincing grin on his face, "That is one department that you've always had me beat in, you know?" Ash looked at him with a little curiosity, "Brute strength."

Ash chuckled bashfully rubbing the back of his head, "Well, when you spend as much time as I do out in the wild, you tend to go a little wild yourself."

Gary smacked him in the chest, wincing again as he waved his hand smartingly, "You went more than a little wild, Ashy Boy, you went full native!" He laughed, "I barely recognized you. Then I realized that only one person my age would be around the lab aside from Tracey." He then frowned as he gave Ash a serious up and down look that made him a little uncomfortable. "Wait! When the hell did you get taller than me!?"

Ash chuckled, "Hey, if you count the hair, you're still taller than me," he said while turning toward the lab, "Is the professor in? I wanted to let him check my Alolan Pokémon over."

Gary was following along behind him with a pout on his face while fiddling with his hair, "My hair's not that big, is it?" He mumbled to himself, "Uh, yeah, Grandpa's here," he said after a moment, "He and a friend of his are working on some kind'a new app for those Rotom Phones every started carrying around."

Ash turned to him with his brow raised, "Rotom Phones?"

"Yeah," Gary fished something out of his pocket, showing him a small device that had the face of a Rotom on the back of it. "It's the next big thing in Pokedex technology." He said as he pressed the face of the phone, showing him various images of Pokémon. "Not only will it catalog Pokémon you've already caught, but it also keeps a record of what Pokémon are in certain areas."

Ash seemed impressed, "Huh, and I thought my Rotom Pokédex was impressive."

"I saw that thing once, and I gotta say, it looked and sounded super annoying," Gary frowned as he remembered seeing someone from the Alola Region using one of the living Pokedexes. "I don't know how you stood it."

Ash just grinned as they reached the lab, "I dealt with way worse on daily basis whenever Team Rocket decided to butt in." He reminded him, "A living Pokédex is one of the many things I'm able to tolerate."

"You've got a point there," Gary laughed, "Are those three idiots still after your Pikachu?" He asked, "You'd think they'd go after some of the stronger Pokémon in your arsenal."

Ash and Gary entered the lab, greeting the lab assistants around the front area, "Hey, Pikachu's one of the toughest Pokémon I've got," he said in his partner's defense, "But it does get old with how often they try to take him." He said with frustration in his voice, "Anyway, what's that about a new app for your Rotom phone?"

Gary shrugged, "Not just mine, everyone that uses one would get it," he explained, "It's an app that predicts the appearance of certain Pokémon, including the really rare ones."

"How's that possible?" Ash asked, "Most of the seriously rare Pokémon are Mythical and Legendary Pokémon, and they're about as predictable as a gust of wind."

Gary nodded in agreement, "I get what you're saying, Ashy Boy, I do, but Grandpa's friend says he can use this app to help pinpoint exactly where they could appear at any given time." He laughed, "I remember all the trouble we got into when we went looking for Pokémon like that."

"That's where all the fun was," Ash grinned, "My Talonflame and I battled a pretty powerful Moltres while we were in Kalos."

Gary nodded, "I heard about that. Something about diving into a volcano?" He smirked at his friend.

Ash just laughed at the reminder as the came into the main laboratory. "Is that Ash and Gary I hear?" They heard the aforementioned professor call out softly while the man himself peeked from behind a bookshelf, "Why yes it is!" He beamed happily, "How are my two favorite grandsons doing?" He moved forward to give them a hug.

"Aw, c'mon Gramps, you saw me just a few hours ago," Gary smiled. "You're not getting senile already, are you?"

The professor just chuckled, "No, I remember, my boy, but I never tire of seeing either of you," he said as Ash returned the hug, "After Ash's father left, it was like having two grandchildren growing up together, even if you two butted heads at every turn." He patted the boys on their backs, "And now one of you is a fine young Pokémon Professor," he smiled at Gary, "While the other is a newly crowned Pokémon League Champion. I couldn't be prouder!" He said while looking at Ash.

Ash and Gary grinned at each other.

"Now, what may I ask brings you two back here?" He asked, looking at his grandson, "I thought you'd already set out, Gary?"

Gary just shrugged, "I was gonna, but I bumped into Ash just as I was leaving, and I told him about that new app you and your friend were working on." He explained as he gestured to Ash, "He was just wanting to know more about it."

"Ah, yes," the professor nodded happily, "Unfortunately the good Professor Cerise has already left and gone back to his lab in Vermilion City." He said much to the boy's disappointment, "However, I can give you a new Rotomdex that has the app installed in it." He offered, making both of them smile.

"How does it work, anyway?" Ash asked, "Gary said that it could detect when really rare Pokémon show up."

As the professor turned to retrieve the phone he explained, "It uses specially designed orbital satellites to detect spikes in energy around the world that some Pokémon give off naturally, usually those of the rare variety such as what we call Mythical and Legendary Pokémon," he went on as he pulled a drawer open on his desk and removed one of the phones, "It was quite by accident that he discovered that it could detect any Pokémon with such energy signals, which is how the base models are able to tell the user what Pokémon are in certain areas if they are close enough." He handed the device to Ash, "Press the button on the side to switch it on, and then place the pad of your thumb against the screen to register it to your biometrics."

"Bio-whatz-zits?" Ash asked with a look of confusion.

Gary whispered, "It means it'll only work for you."

"Indeed," the professor nodded, "Now, as I was saying, the app and satellite were designed, at first, to study deep space Pokémon such as Deoxys, and Rayquaza." He said, "The app sent a signal to his terminal indicating that there was a very faint signal coming from the surface of the moon. And you do know what he found?"

"Clefairy?" Ash asked, remembering that the small Fairy-types used Moon Stones to evolve, and were thought to come from the moon.

The professor proved him right a moment later with a beaming smile of approval, "Exactly!" The man exulted, "It was the scientific discovery of the century." The man was going into full on lecture mode, "While there were no living Clefairy on the moon, their fossils were found, as well as those for the entire evolutionary line! Which means that some Pokémon did migrate to Earth from other planets!"

"And this led to finding out that the app could find Pokémon anywhere on Earth," the professor went on, "Granted that the app that's soon to be distributed to the public is a bit limited given that it only shows what Pokémon are in proximity to the trainer, but still it is a revolutionary way for trainers to catch their Pokémon." He said while Ash was turning on the phone and pressing his thumb to the screen. "And the app will send any and all reports of the appearances of Mythical and Legendary Pokémon that have been detected by the satellite. This will encourage more regional travel from younger trainers."

{Hello, I am Dexter, your fully functional Pokémon Trainer Identification Device} Ash's Rotom Phone said.

Gary smirked at him, "These things also function like those old Pokénavs from Johto, so you can make calls with them, too."

Ash smiled, "That'll be nice since I've barely kept in touch with anyone whenever I'm on the road," he said.

Suddenly the phone screen lit up, {Alert: Rare Pokémon detected. Species: Tyranitar. Approach with caution.}

Gary frowned, "Looks like it's back again," he said while his grandfather nodded.

"So it would seem," he said as Ash looked at them both with curiosity written all over his face, "Recently, a wild Tyranitar has been milling around just outside of the ranch area of my lab."

Ash looked concerned, "It hasn't attacked anyone, has it?"

"Actually, no," the professor said, "In truth, it's been quite gentle for a member of its species." He explained, "This one generally keeps just out of sight in the treeline, yet it does interact with some of the Pokémon residing here," he looked at Ash, "Mostly yours, my boy."

"Mine?"

Professor Oak nodded, "Indeed, particularly those that you captured during you journey through the Johto Region," he said, "The problem is that such a large Pokémon not only frightens the other Pokémon around the ranch, but also the staff. Aside from Tracey, none of the staff want to get near a fully grown wild Tyranitar."

Gary scoffed, "People still have this bad image of rampaging Tyranitars in their heads," he explained, "One aggressive individual, and the whole species is marked as bad as Gyarados."

Ash shrugged, "I'd take an angry Tyranitar over an angry Gyarados any day," he said, "At least they give up after a while if you hide from them, but a Gyarados will have its whole pod after you." He said and Gary couldn't help but agree. His Gyarados had given him trouble in the first few weeks after evolving from a Magikarp.

"And I quite agree with you as both wild and captured Tyranitar I've worked with in the past have been very gentle creatures," the professor said before shaking his head sadly, "However, the stigma remains." He continued as he stepped over to the sliding glass doors that led out into the ranch area, "This Tyranitar is, partially why I asked Gary to come and investigate." He went on, "If I wasn't well passed my prime, I'd have attempted to capture it myself, however the simple act of capturing my Rotom left me with many days of aches and pains, and taking on something as powerful as a psuedo Legendary Pokémon isn't something that I'm feeling up to."

Gary looked at his grandfather with worry, and Ash couldn't blame him. Professor Oak was quite old, well into his seventies, and even though he was healthy, time was taking a toll on him. "Come on, Gramps, you're still as spry as ever!"

Professor Oak chuckled, "Now, no need to sugarcoat it." He smiled at the boy, "Either way, this Pokémon needs to be dealt with. I hate the idea driving off something so gentle out of misguided fear, but capturing it should be just the thing." He turned to the boys, "Which is why I'd like one of you to handle it for me. I know that both of you would make wonderful trainers for it, no matter who catches it."

Ash looked outside toward the trees and saw for a moment a large shadow moving through the bushes before disappearing from sight. "Looks like it's already leaving," he said as Gary looked for himself.

"You can see that far?" He asked as he couldn't see passed the fenceline. "You really are a wild one."

Ash just shrugged, "I'm just used to looking for Pokémon," he said, "There's probably a cave nearby, or a cliff that its burrowed into for a den."

Professor Oak nodded, "As a matter of fact there is," he said, "When I was out walking the forest I happened upon it while it was digging it out."

"You're lucky it didn't take offence," Ash said with concern, "Tyranitar may not be as aggressive as people think they are, but they don't much care for humans coming too close to their nests!"

The professor smiled, "Which is why I didn't linger for very long." He said, "But I think you'll find this Pokémon is far more gentle than what rumors are going around about the species."

Ash smiled at the man, "I can handle it if Gary's too busy with his work," he nodded to his friend and former rival, "But for now, I want to introduce my new Pokémon to the rest of the family." He said as he opened the door and stepped out into the ranch, "And then why don't you two come over for dinner? I've already invited Kurt and Maizie to eat with us, so might as well make it a party!"

The two professors nodded, "A splendid idea," Professor Oak nodded, "I had heard that Kurt had taken up residence in Pallet Town, and I have been meaning to visit with him."

"Your mom's cooking is always a great way to get people together." Gary smirked, "I'll definitely be there."

And so, after introducing his new team from Alola to the rest of his Pokémon, Ash used his Rotom Phone to call his mother and let her know that there would be guests at the table that evening.


ポケモン


When Ash phone his mother and told her who would be coming over, the woman had been delighted, and flown right into preparing the meal. Ash arrived back home just as she was setting the table, the aroma of her cooking making his mouth water. Pikachu was sitting on the counter happily sampling some of her food when he walked in, and sprang to his shoulder.

"Hey, buddy," he chuckled as his partner greeted him, but also sparking at him for being left behind, "Ah, c'mon, you were asleep!"

"Pika," Pikachu scowled at him, but relented when his trainer tickled him under the chin where he liked it.

His mother came into the room laughing, "You should've seen him when he woke up," she giggled as she reached out to stroke the little Pokémon behind his ears, "He was in a full panic for a while until Mimey calmed him down."

"I wouldn't leave you behind," Ash said, Pikachu loving the attention he was getting, "But maybe you do need a break every once in a while." He said to his partner, who gave him a small look of complaint, "I'm serious, bud, you could use a little vacation."

Delia giggled again as she returned to the kitchen, "I will admit, it was nice having him with me," she said, "Almost like when your Litten before he evolved." She smiled fondly when she remembered holding the little Pokémon in her lap.

Pikachu huffed, springing from his shoulder and returning to the couch where he curled up and went back to sleep. Ash laughed at his partner before heading into the kitchen to help his mother with dinner.

A scant few hours later saw the arrival of Professor Oak and Gary, both of them holding a bouquet of flowers for Delia. Not long after that, Kurt and his granddaughter arrived in a beat up truck hauling the eight crates of apricorn Poké Balls that Ash requested.

Delia greeted the pair happily, with Kurt being his usual polite, crusty self, and Maizie as positively beaming as she and Ash unloaded his order while Pikachu perched on the younger tween's shoulders.

Around the dinner table, Kurt's crusty exterior seemed to melt away as he watched his daughter listening to Ash and Gary's stories of all the trouble they would get into in their first days as trainers. "The worst experience I remember having was when I went ot the Viridian Gym," Gary recounted, "I'd already earned ten Gym Badges, but I figured one more was just more experience - "

"Right, and you didn't want to rub my face in it?" Ash grinned at him.

Gary glared at the interruption, "Anyway, I faced the Gym Leader right away, and he told me to use my strongest Pokémon," he went on, "So I sent out my Nidoking and my Arcanine."

"At the same time?" Maizie asked, "I thought two on one battles weren't allowed?"

Gary shrugged, "I thought they were, too, at the time, but this guy pretty much demanded it." He said with a frown, "But he sent out something I've never seen before and haven't seen since then." He sat back with a thoughtful look on his face, "I can tell you it was some sort of Psychic type, but other then that, I never saw it."

"Was it using Acid Armor, or some such move?" Professor Oak asked.

"No, it was wearing some kind'a armor," Gary said, "But the attack was definitely Psychic, because my Pokémon were lifted and thrown against the Gym walls before they got halfway across the stadium floor."

Ash was thinking about it, and remembered something, "You said the Viridian Gym?" He asked and Gary nodded to his question, "Then the Pokémon you lost to was probably a Mewtwo."

"Mewtwo?" Professor Oak asked, "I've never heard of such a Pokémon."

Ash frowned, "Viridian City Gym is run by Team Rocket," he explained, causing shock to run around the table, "Jessie and James are the ones that I had to battle to get my badge, so there's no doubt that the real Gym Leader is either their boss, or someone high on the chain." He said.

"Oh, dear!" Said Delia.

Professor Oak frowned, "That is quite something to hear, my boy," he said, "The League associates have been told that the Gym Leader there is very heavy handed at times when he battles, but to think that he would be involved in Team Rocket!"

"What does this have to do with this Mewtwo Pokémon you mentioned?" Kurt asked, "From what it sounds like, Mewtwo is related to Mew, am I right?"

Ash nodded, "It's a clone," he said and he saw Professor Oak grow very pale while Gary looked sickened, "An enhanced clone. Genetically engineered to be superior to Mew in terms of power."

"You fought one, too?" Maizie asked.

Ash shook his head, "I've encountered two of them," he said, "This is why I think the Gym Leader is the head of Team Rocket. While in Johto, we came across the first one on Mt. Quena, and we ran into a lot of Team Rocket thugs there. I ran into their boss, too, a guy named Giovanni."

The professor stood up from the table, outraged, "That is the name of the Gym Leader of Viridian City!"

"Gramps, you blood pressure!" Gary warned him as he got up to settle the man down, "Ash, what happened with the Mewtwo?"

Ash continued with his story, "Well, the Giovanni wanted his Pokémon back, but Mewtwo wasn't just an ordinary Pokémon, it was smart. Smarter than any human gave it credit for." He said, "It could talk using telepathy, and it could understand reason." He said, "But it hated humans for what was done to it. Created to fight and nothing else."

"Good heavens," Kurt muttered, "And I was upset when those bumbling idiots were selling roasted Slowpoke tails."

Professor Oak, having calmed down a little, gave the man a nod before looking over at Ash, "How did it all turn out?"

"I managed to free Mewtwo, and it made everyone that knew about it except for me, Misty and Brock forget about it," He said, "So Giovanni was never able to find him again."

"But that's not the end of the story," Maizie said, "You said there were two of them."

Ash sighed, looking tired, "When I was traveling through Unova, I ran into another one." He said, "This one was definitely a female. And she could Mega Evolve without either of the stones needed for it." Gary and his grandfather exchanged worried looks, "When we ran into this one, it was obvious that it wasn't near as strong as the male, so this one was either created as an experiment, or was just a leftover from the original experiments that survived."

"That's enough," Professor Oak said, "Please, no more...I'm not sure I can stomach anymore of this."

Ash looked apologetic, "Sorry, Professor."

Gary knocked him in the shoulder, "Hey, don't apologize," the younger professor said, "If you hadn't said anything, we'd never know what that guy's done." He sat back in his chair, "It might take some time, but me and Grandpa can raise a real stink with the Pokémon League Association. He won't be Gym Leader for much longer after all that you've told us."

"And that will be the end of Team Rocket," Kurt nodded sternly, "Got it coming to 'em, you ask me."

Delia nodded, "I agree, but please, let's have a few stories that don't turn everyone's appetite, please?"

"What about that time you were kidnapped by an Entei?" Ash grinned as his mother glared at him, "What? It happened!"

"Ash Ketchum!" Delia shout brought laughter back to the table while Ash recounted the tale. The laughter was so loud that none of them noticed the sound of heavy footfalls outside of the house, or see the large shadow passing by the window while two glowing eyes peered in from outside.


ポケモン


Author's Note: Si I'm redoing my Pokémon story. Si, two girls are catching Ash's heat. Si, I hate Goh :p Ya wanna see what happens next, right? :p

Ya know what to do! Adios Pokéfans!