Hi guys! I didn't ever expect to upload this this soon but with everything going on related to COVID-19 and being quarantined, I've had the idea to maybe release a few of my drafts to help give people something to do! Maybe pass the time, check out my other stories, give you inspiration for that fic you've been wanting to write.
I hope you guys enjoy this story!
Also, I don't own Pokemon! This is just a non-profit story for funsies!
Survival Islands
Chapter One: A Dream Vacation
Ash seemed to wake up earlier than the rest of the world that morning in a cold sweat. He couldn't tell which nightmare it came from this time, but he was unwilling to think about it much further.
He got out of bed and looked around in the darkness, seeing nothing unfamiliar enough to make him wake up unprompted. Sure, he had been trying to wake up earlier for training ever since the Lumiose Conference but never on Saturday's. His Pokemon got one full day a week of freedom to do whatever they wanted all day as opposed to the other six, where they all trained from sunrise to sunset.
It had only been eleven months since the Kalos League and Kalos Crisis, but Ash felt like they had all grown leaps and bounds since then. He had opted not to travel straight away this time, instead deciding to train all his Pokemon like those he trained in Kalos after seeing the results it yielded. It seemed to do wonders for most of them and he could practically see the strength they had all gained. Eleven months of training in different environments, against different opponents, developing strategies, learning new moves, quite a few evolutions, reuniting with old friends and catching some new ones as well. Ash could say with certainty that the past eleven months were not wasted.
But looking down to the sleeping form of his partner and best friend Pikachu, Ash began to wonder if it was time to end. Were they finally ready to jump into another league? Another journey? He and all his Pokemon loved traveling, loved battling, but they all seemed to really enjoy this method and the peace it brought them all. No trainers infuriating them, no crisis to end, no Team Rocket interrupting them, or any other evil team bent on taking over the world for that matter, no legendary Pokemon in need of assistance and nobody else's safety to worry about. Just each other, their family, getting closer and stronger together.
It was nice like this, and they all felt the difference it made too. It wasn't until all forms of distraction were removed that Ash saw how much he had been hindered in the past in terms of his trainer career. If he had thought to do something like this sooner, there was at least three leagues he was confident he would've placed better in, if not won altogether, but that was neither here nor there anymore.
Just as Ash turned to look out his window, he noticed the sun creeping through in time with the neighbors Dodrio loudly announcing the morning on the roof. For whatever reason today, this seemed to be enough to stir Pikachu from his slumber. His eyes opened slowly and glanced around, searching for his best friends form beside him. When it wasn't there, his eyes opened wider and he sniffed the air, quickly turning to see Ash staring at him from the center of the room with a smile.
"What's up, Ash?" Pikachu asked, his voice scratchy from sleep. "Nightmares again?"
Ash shrugged, having long since gotten used to understanding Pikachu perfectly. One of the things he practiced with alongside his Pokemon with was the use of Aura, having forgotten all about it until he desperately wished he could fire Aura Sphere's like Sir Aaron and Riley during the Kalos Crisis. He still wasn't by any means an expert, but he loosely understood how to better manipulate it, and using it to connect himself to his Pokemon gave them all a deeper understanding of each other. In addition to the language barrier being gone, it was much easier to sense emotions as well. Still, he was unwilling to let the mouse know how well he knew him.
"Just thinking, buddy. Wondering if it's time to start traveling again and competing, you know? It's been almost a year of just training." Ash replied, starting to get changed. He knew there was no going back to sleep now, even on their day of rest.
"Maybe," Pikachu stood and stretched out his limbs and back. "There's nothing like the thrill of an official battle, as intense as fighting Charizard every day can be."
Ash chuckled as he finished throwing on his outfit. A white jacket with blue shoulders at the top, pockets to match, trimmed with red and yellow over top a simple black t-shirt. It was the usual from there; jeans, gloves and a hat colored grey, black and red with a white front respectively.
"At the same time, we've all been working so hard for so long. Even without traveling, these last few months were some of the hardest we've ever had, don't ya think?" Ash continued thinking, moving to exit his room.
"So, what are you saying? Take more time off and keep training?" Pikachu asked, leaping from Ash's bed onto his shoulders to nuzzle his face after. Then, the electric-type jumped down and bounded down the stairs just ahead of Ash's feet.
"Yeah, I guess. I just don't know what to do next, you know?" Ash shrugged his shoulders as they entered the kitchen.
The lights all downstairs were still off, so it was obvious his mom was still asleep. Even though she usually woke up around the same time he did on training days, she liked sleeping in on the weekends too. Ash absentmindedly made two large bowls of cereal, one for him and one for Pikachu, that didn't last a whole ten minutes against the hungry duo before speaking again.
"What d'ya think, go to Professor Oak's or try and go back to sleep on a full stomach?" Ash half-joked. Looking out the window, he could see Oak's house in the distance atop a large hill, the sun shining brilliantly on it this early.
"Might as well start the day, right?" Pikachu asked in response and Ash shrugged back.
With that, Ash and Pikachu took off running towards Oak's.
"Hey, professor." Ash greeted after hopping the fence to the backyard.
It was ridiculously early still so he didn't want to risk going through the house and waking anyone up. Besides, the purpose of the trip was to see his Pokemon, not interact with the professor or Tracey.
"Oh, hello Ash, Pikachu." Oak appeared only a bit startled at being called out to. "You two are up early this morning, hm?"
"Yeah, couldn't sleep." Ash told him. Oak raised an eyebrow to ask why, but Ash just shrugged. "Couldn't stop thinking about what to do next."
"Well, I believe I can help with that." Oak said with a chuckle, getting Ash's attention. "I was going to wait until a little later today to tell you and gather everyone, but I suppose there's no harm in telling you now. Come with me back to the lab."
Ash and Pikachu shared a glance as they looked away from the professors retreating form. They each cast a look out at the lab, spying most of their friends lazing about before Ash shrugged, careful not to disturb Pikachu too much before following Oak.
Once inside and upstairs in the professors workspace, Ash saw him rummaging through papers on his desk while mumbling to himself.
"So, what did you have in mind professor?" Ash asked, coming in and leaning against a table on the other side of the room.
"My cousin Samson, a fellow researcher, has invited me to speak at the first international research conference being held in his region! He works in Alola, which has only recently decided to align itself with the International Pokemon League, so this opportunity is huge! I know it's not typically your idea of fun, but I figured you'd be getting stir crazy of Pallet Town soon." Oak told him, turning to hand him a pamphlet.
Ash took the pamphlet as he considered Oak's words. This would be the third region that's wanted entrance to the International Pokemon League since he had become a trainer, after Unova and Kalos, which was a drastic change as it was made up of only four regions for the longest time. But the changes weren't unwelcome and both Unova and Kalos were accepted into the League with no problems, allowing them to have international Pokemon League's and compete in official international tournaments as well as the benefit of allying themselves with other regions. Not every region was a part of the League, as some regions like Fiore and Almia were adamant about remaining independent while others like Orre failed to meet the League's standards.
Alola looked like a paradise on the pamphlet. Sandy beaches, clear skies and calm oceans were on every page. Entertained citizens, a calm environment surrounded by the wilds of forest and sea. Tourist attractions like waterfalls and volcano looked almost too good to be true.
"Looks really nice there. Doesn't it, buddy?" Ash asked, showing the pictures to Pikachu. "But what does that have to do with me?"
"I was hoping that you and Delia would accompany me on the trip." Oak told him. "I know Delia's wanted a vacation for quite some time now and I know you'd just love seeing all the Pokemon you haven't seen before that are native to Alola. If it makes any difference, Daisy and Gary will also be joining me on this one. I want them to see how these research conferences typically work."
"How long would we be gone?" Ash asked, still looking through the images depicting life on the tropical region.
"Upwards of two weeks, most likely. Samson wishes for me to arrive before everyone else to help get things in order, this is going to turn into the biggest meeting of professors in quite some time with a lot of things to discuss. The sooner I turn up with more happy helpers the better." Oak told him.
"Hey, y'know what? This is a great idea! We can go out on a good note, take a nice break after training so hard. A few weeks of no worrying or training in a tropical paradise with loads of new Pokemon to see sounds great! What do you say, Pikachu?" Ash looked for affirmation from his partner.
"Yeah, just what we need to take the edge off! We'll come to a complete stop before we take off running again and take on another league after we get back!" Pikachu replied happily, having gotten what his trainer wanted to do.
"Exactly! Professor, do you think you could remove my carry limit for the trip?" Ash asked, moving across the room and handing Oak back the pamphlet of pictures. "I think all my Pokemon have worked hard enough to earn the same vacation me and Pikachu are about to take, don't you? I'd be nice if they could all be with me."
Oak sighed tenderly at Ash's question. The boy had caught even more Pokemon during his training spree and had nearly fifty Pokemon living on the ranch. No sane trainer would accept the responsibility of carrying around that many Pokemon at once and most wouldn't even be financially able to, let alone have the patience or ability to adequately care for them all daily. But this was Ash, and while he wasn't sane, he did love each one of his forty-seven Pokemon with every fiber of his body, mind and soul.
"I suppose I can just for the trip. If you can take care of them all through the duration." Oak said, putting a hand on his chin. He couldn't help but smile as Ash cheered loudly in celebration. "I don't have to tell you it's not an easy task, but I'm sure you're up to it."
"You bet I am! This's gonna be so much fun!" Ash pumped his fist into the air. "When do we leave?"
"Eager as ever, although I suppose I should've seen this coming." Oak muttered. "That depends, we're only really waiting on Gary now. I'm sure Delia can be ready very quickly when she wants to be, and Daisy's been packed for days. You, as low maintenance as you are, Ash, just being awake may have sped up the process already."
"Gary's coming? When?" Ash asked, feeling excitement at the thought of seeing his oldest rival and one of his closest friends again.
"About two minutes ago, Ashy-boy."
Ash, Pikachu and Oak turned to see Gary standing in the doorway of the lab, leaning on the door frame. He looked the same as the last time Ash had seen him in his black V-neck shirt and simple khaki pants.
"Gary!"
"Pi-Ka-Chu!"
"Of course, who else would be awake this early except for us crazies?" Gary asked rhetorically as he stepped into the room. He threw an arm over Ash's shoulder, smiling as Pikachu moved onto his head. "Long time no see, Ash. How ya been?"
"There will be time to catch up on the plane, you two. Now that the two hardest people in the world to get ready and together are mostly ready and together, we should start getting ready before this opportunity passes us by." Oak interrupted quickly.
Arceus knows when Ash and Gary would both be this close to ready to leave again. Gary wasn't due back for another few days, but Oak was never one to look a gift Ponyta in the fire. The boys only looked at each other with a shrug. Neither was about to complain about leaving so soon.
"Alright professor, I'll go tell my mom. I'm sure she'll be excited to go. Will you take care of my carry limit so I can start rounding everyone up when I get back?" Ash asked, and Oak nodded in response as Ash pumped his fists in excitement. "Alright, thanks! I'll be back soon!"
Gary couldn't help but roll his eyes at Ash's enthusiasm as his friend sprinted out the door.
"What's that about his carry limit, gramps?" Gary asked his grandfather.
"Ash wanted his Pokemon to enjoy the same vacation as him. They've all been training very hard these past few months, so I complied." Oak told him and Gary nodded, almost absentmindedly, before he hesitated.
"What'd you bump it up to? 10? 12?" Gary asked again. He watched as Oak turned away from him. "18?" Still no answer. "Did you really remove his carry limit altogether?"
"Well, not yet." Oak said, quickly continuing before Gary had a chance to speak. "Yes, I know how unorthodox removing a carry limit is, but Ash never was a very orthodox case, now was he?"
Removing the carry limit was nearly unheard of. Even the most seasoned of trainers had a hard time taking care of the needs of their Pokemon while traveling simply due to the unreliable variables that come with being a traveler. Everything from income to location to supplies mattered a lot more when you weren't somewhere with easy access to funds, food or supplies. Not to mention space, training and proper exercise. Pokeballs put Pokemon in states of suspended animation, but it was in their best interest to frequently let them out to train and exercise to keep their muscles in use. Otherwise, it would be like the Pokemon themselves were rusty in battle.
"That's still a lot of Pokemon to take care of." Gary noted, shaking his head.
"Answer me a question, then. If he asked you the same thing, would you have done the same thing?" Oak inquired.
Gary sighed deeply, running a hand through his mahogany hair.
"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I would've. There's probably nobody I know that would have the dedication to take care of that many Pokemon for so long, and properly." Gary relented.
"My point exactly." Oak agreed. "Plus, sometimes he's very hard to deny. I'm sure you've noticed that he's as stubborn as you are. Now, go tell Daisy to start getting packing. It would be nice if we could be ready to head out in the afternoon."
"Right, gramps. I'm sure it won't be a problem."
"Well, that was a problem." Gary lamented.
Getting Daisy ready to leave soon proved to be an even more difficult task than getting Ash and Gary together in the same place. At least the boys often wanted to be in the same place and tried to speed up the process, but it felt like Daisy was doing everything in her power to get them to miss their plane to Alola.
She succeeded three times before finally packing what seemed like her entire house, letting the group finally embark on the drive to Vermilion City, the closest airport, for their fourth scheduled flight to Alola.
It wasn't until now, safely seated on their flight, that the group relaxed again. Oak and Delia sat first class while Daisy, Gary and Ash were saddled with separate seats in coach due to the delay in getting to the airport. Luckily, Ash found himself seated by a window and he and Pikachu quickly drifted off to catch up on their missing sleep.
Black and purple. That was all Ash could see. He looked beneath him, there was no ground. He quickly spun in every direction, trying to locate the plane he was just on to no avail; everything was just black and purple as far as he could see.
He felt Pikachu on his shoulder but couldn't see him there. Still, the weight of his partner was comforting.
A bright light appeared on the horizon. Ash couldn't tell how far away it was. Could've been as far as miles or as close as yards and he wouldn't have known any better. It started as a dot, something he could've surrounded in his hands but the more he looked the bigger it got.
Was it moving? He squinted at it and felt Pikachu's weight shift despite his partners absence.
No, just growing! He realized as the light expanded and rushed past him so quickly it felt like he was thrust into a portal of light. Gone was the deep black, replaced entirely with a stark white. The invisible Pikachu scampered to his other shoulder as he turned wildly, trying to understand. In the nothing, Ash heard a sudden loud noise. A sound he knew better than nearly any other. The sound of electricity crackling. He felt Invisible Pikachu's cheeks release their own static in response as they both turned rapidly, now on edge.
Then, he heard it.
Help.
The white vanished instantly, replaced once again by the void of black Ash was previously in. He turned frantically around, trying to locate what was asking for help, trying to understand. In the distance, there was another bright light. Ash tried to run towards it, but it never seemed to get any closer despite how fast he felt he was moving.
Pikachu wasn't on his shoulder anymore, but he could feel him nearby, giving off electricity that made the hairs on Ash's body stand on edge. He was running too, Ash realized.
Help.
Ash pushed himself to run faster and harder than he felt like he ever had, still feeling like he was gaining no ground.
Then, there was a loud, deep screeching that shook the nothingness so hard Ash lost his balance and fell straight down into the black below.
Ash's head snapped up from its slumped over position rapidly, eyes open and hands balled into fists. Pikachu mirrored him, going from sleeping in his lap to standing on all fours. They looked at each other, each knowing what the other had experienced. He had to think, they had to talk, but he'd rather not do it here.
Ash stood up, Pikachu fluidly jumping to the floor in time with him, but the minute he was on his feet more problems arose. The plane jolted, experiencing major turbulence and jostling all the passengers. Ash managed to remain standing, but it happened again. Then again, and Ash was forced to lean on the wall behind him.
"What the- "Ash started to say, until he felt the wall screech and be ripped out from underneath him.
He felt Pikachu grab onto his leg, trying to keep him steady but it was to no avail; they both just ended up being dragged out of the side of the plane. The last thing Ash could see clearly was Gary, running towards him with his hands stretched out, before his view was entirely filled with the ocean below.
This is another idea I've had for a while! A bit of a slow start but this one has the potential to pick up REALLY quick if you'd want to see more. This is an AU after Pokemon XYZ and will basically be a re-telling of the Sun & Moon series. There's a lot of potential to go really dark with this story, so let me know what you guys would want to see if you want to see more! Yes, chapters will hopefully be longer in the future as they are for my other stories, this was just to kick off the story!
I will be updating "A Hero's Rebirth" soon, don't worry! I've just hit a big block in the story and up until recently I've been focusing on what was supposed to be my last year of university, but we'll see how that goes. Just keep an eye out for it and other stories to be uploaded soon!
I hope you guys are all staying safe and healthy! Best of luck to you guys, hope this helps keep anyone from going stir crazy! Don't hesitate to leave a review behind with your thoughts/feelings!
