Hey guys, I just wanted to give you all a quick heads-up before the chapter begins. I'm not rewriting the first episode of Pokémon Journeys and instead using the second episode as the jumping-off point to the story. There just isn't a point since there would be nothing for me to add or rewrite.
Additionally, this will be written in the style of a standard Pokémon Journeys episode. It's in the sense that the narrator will be included and possibly, POSSIBLY, "Who's That Pokémon" segments in every chapter. I'm not going to add the theme song (though that may change in the future), but I will add a section indicating where the theme song would play for a sense of immersion. I will also be including title cards.
Thanks for choosing to read this story, and I hope you enjoy it.
Sleeping peacefully in his bedroom was a young Pokémon trainer, clad in a yellow t-shirt and khaki shorts. Curled up to the side of him with his Pokémon, Pikachu. Unfortunately for Pikachu, his peaceful sleep was interrupted by his trainer's new smartphone ringing on his dresser.
Pikachu groggily got up and rubbed his eyes so he could stay awake. Once he was fully awake, Pikachu went up to his trainer's face and began to squeeze his cheeks to wake him up.
"Pika-Pika," Pikachu urged his trainer to wake up, changing his tactic of squeezing his cheeks to slapping them.
"H-Huh?," the young trainer groggily muttered as he opened his brown eyes and began to wake up. "What's going on?"
Once he was fully awake, the Pokémon trainer couldn't help but notice how close Pikachu was to his face.
"Pikachu?," he yawned, having figured out that his first and only Electric-type Pokémon had woken him up. "What is it, buddy?"
"Pikachu," Pikachu pointed towards the vibrating phone on the dresser.
"Wonder who that could be?," the trainer wondered to himself as he got off his bed and walked toward his phone.
Upon picking it up from his dresser, he saw that the number calling him was labeled under the contact "Professor Birch." Tiredly, the trainer answered the call and greeted the person on the other line.
"Professor Birch?"
"Ash! I'm glad I could get a hold of you before your flight," Professor Birch stated.
"Why? Is there something wrong?," Ash asked worriedly.
"No, no, everything is fine," Professor Birch assured. "I just wanted to thank you again for agreeing to work as a research fellow at my laboratory."
"Ah, is that all?," Ash asked abashedly. "It's no biggie."
"Nonsense!," Professor Birch denied the young trainer his attempt at being modest. "You'll be making my job a lot easier. I truly can't thank you enough for this."
"No problem. I'm just happy I can help," Ash admitted sincerely. "Besides, it's Professor Oak that you should be thanking."
The memory of how he had heard about the research fellow position flashed through Ash's head.
Three weeks earlier, Ash was visiting the local Pokémon professor, Professor Oak, because he had requested to talk to Ash about something.
"Hey, Professor Oak!," Ash greeted as he and Pikachu made their way inside the lab.
"Ash! I'm glad that you could make it," Professor Oak welcomed the young trainer.
"What did you want to talk to me about?," Ash asked.
"Tell me, Ash, are you planning on journeying through another region anytime soon?," Professor Oak inquired.
"Nah. I haven't thought of anywhere yet," Ash admitted. "Why? Do you have somewhere in mind?"
"Not quite," Professor Oak confessed. "Actually, Professor Birch contacted me the other day requesting your help."
"My help? With what?," Ash questioned.
"You see, Ash, he wants for you to be a research fellow at his lab," Professor Oak revealed.
Ash looked at Professor Oak quizzically.
"What's a research fellow?"
"Why, it's a special research position, of course," Professor Oak smirked matter-of-factly. "It'll require you to be out on the field a lot, studying and meeting new Pokémon. So, what do you say? Does that sound like something that would interest you?"
"Studying and meeting new Pokémon!? That sounds awesome!," Ash exclaimed. "Alright, I'll do it!"
"Splendid!," Professor Oak rejoiced. "I'll be sure to contact him and tell him you accept."
"You're right, and I'll be sure to thank him for that," Professor Birch promised. "Oh, would you look at the time! Your flight leaves in an hour! I'll let you go so you can get on your plane uninterrupted. I'll see you tomorrow, Ash!"
"Later, Professor Birch!," Ash bid the professor farewell.
With nothing more to say, Professor Birch hung up the phone on his end.
Ash's face turned blank as he began to process what Hoenn's local Pokémon professor had told him. Once he processed his words, Ash's eyes widened in shock.
"My plane leaves in an hour!?," Ash cried out in shock.
Panic grew on his face as he began rushing around the room and gathering his things.
"Oh man, I've gotta hurry, or I'll be late!," Ash wailed.
Pikachu couldn't help but look at his trainer and tilt his head in confusion, wondering what he was doing.
"Pika?"
Having taken off his sleepwear and putting on his clothes, Ash now wore a blue vest with outlines, a white short sleeve shirt with a red stripe in the middle, indigo shorts with black lines down the sides, black sneakers with blue highlights, and a red cap with a black Poké Ball design that formed into the letter C.
With his clothes on and belongings in his green backpack, Ash quickly scooped up his Pikachu and put him on his shoulder.
"Come on, Pikachu, we've gotta go!," Ash told his Pokémon before rushing out the door.
"Pika-Pika!," Pikachu cried out in surprise as Ash made his way down the stairs to his house.
Once they made their way downstairs, Ash saw his mom, Delia sitting on her couch, watching TV with her Pokémon, Mr. Mime.
"Mom!," Ash yelped as he ran up to her.
"Ash? You're still here?," Delia asked rhetorically. "I thought you left for your plane hours ago."
"I slept in!," Ash confessed in a panic.
"Again?," Delia remarked chidingly. "Ash, you told me you could wake yourself up this time. You'll be late if you leave now."
Delia's reprimanding made Ash panic even more than before.
"Ah, man! What am I gonna do now!?," Ash wondered as both his hands gripped his head in panic.
Deliah sighed in exasperation and got up from her couch.
"I guess it can't be helped," Delia accepted before turning to Mr. Mime. "Mimey, I'm going to drive Ash to the airport. Please look after the house while I'm gone."
"Mime, Mime!," Mr. Mime responded, saluting Deliah to show that he understood her.
"Thank you, Mimey," Delia smiled, patting Mr. Mime's head in appreciation.
"Now, come on, Ash. Let's leave before you're late for your flight," Delia instructed as she made her way to the door and opened it.
"Thanks, Mom!," Ash cheered, thankful that his mother would drive him to the airport.
"You're welcome," Delia accepted the thanks as she and Ash made their way out the door. "But honestly, Ash, you should really be more on top of these types of things. You're almost sixteen years old; I can't take care of you forever."
"I know, I know," Ash admitted as he and his mom got into the car.
"What am I going to do with you?," Delia sighed in exasperation and a sense of fondness.
Once Delia began to drive, Ash plopped his Pikachu down on his lap, looked out the car window, and smiled brightly. Throughout the entirety of the ride to the airport, Ash and Pikachu couldn't help but admire all the places and Pokémon they passed on the way.
"Look, Pikachu, it's a Diglett!," Ash called out and pointed to a Diglett that passed by.
"Pika!," Pikachu cried, pointing toward the air.
Ash looked up and saw three Butterfree passing over them.
"Woah, Butterfree!," Ash pointed jovially.
Delia quickly glanced back at her son and smiled before turning back toward the road.
After thirty minutes, they finally arrived at the front of the airport. Once the car was parked, Ash quickly put Pikachu back on his shoulder, got out of the car, and raced toward the airport while waving his mom goodbye.
"See ya later, Mom!," Ash called out as he ran towards the airport's entrance.
"Take care!," Delia waved goodbye. "Make sure to eat your vegetables and brush your teeth before bed!"
Ash physically flinched and stopped, turning toward his mom with an embarrassed blush on his face.
"Mom!"
Delia giggled, finding amusement in embarrassing her son before driving off.
Shaking off his embarrassment, Ash continued running toward the airport's entrance.
"This young man is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. Together with his partner, Pikachu, he battles and catches Pokémon. It's all part of his journey of becoming a Pokémon Master."
"Alright, buddy!," Ash grinned at his Pikachu in excitement. "Next stop, the Hoenn region!"
"Pikachu!," Pikachu cheered.
Theme Song Break
"A Reunion After Eons!"
After getting off his plane, Ash made his way out of the Hoenn airport, with Pikachu running alongside him. Once outside, Ash saw someone waiting for him, standing in front of an SUV. Upon getting a better look at them, Ash smiled as he recognized them as Professor Birch.
"Professor Birch!," Ash waved at the regional Pokémon professor before approaching him.
"Ash! It's so good to see you!," Professor Birch greeted the aspiring Pokémon Master.
"It's good to see you, too!," Ash admitted. "I'm really excited to be working with you!"
"As am I," Professor Birch confessed.
Professor Birch took a good look at Ash and realized that despite his growth spurt and his change in apparel, he still looked like the same Ash. He smiled at the thought before deciding it was time to move on.
"Now then, we have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow, so we should start preparing right away," Professor Birch decided. "Are you ready to go?"
"Ready as I'll ever be! Let's do this!," Ash cheered.
"Pika-Pika!," Pikachu cheered alongside his trainer.
"I'm glad to see that you haven't lost your spirit," Professor Birch commented amusedly. "Alright, let's go then."
With nothing more to say, Ash, Pikachu, and Professor Birch got into the car with Professor Birch behind the wheel and Ash sitting in the passenger seat with Pikachu on his lap.
As Professor Birch drove away toward his laboratory, a blue and white Pokémon that bore resemblance to a jet watched them from afar before deciding to fly after them, turning invisible as it flew in their direction.
Docking in the Hoenn town of Littleroot was a boat holding foreigners who wanted to journey through Hoenn and locals that were returning home from their journeys abroad. One of the locals was especially excited to return home since she had been away on a journey of her own for a long, long time.
As soon as the boat was docked and the passengers could get off, a brunette girl with two long locks of hair rushed off.
"I'm home!"
Cheering in excitement after getting off the boat was May Maple, a Pokémon Coordinator who returned home to visit her family before going off on another adventure. She wore a red and white headband with a bow that resembled the ears of a rabbit Pokémon, a red tank-top with a black undershirt, white short shorts with black mini-leggings underneath, and yellow and black ankle boots with orange soles.
"Hey, May, over here!," a voice called out to her.
As she turned in the direction that she heard her name being called, May brightly smiled when she saw that it was her dad, Norman, who called her. May then noticed her mother, Caroline, was standing next to Norman, waving at her.
"Mom! Dad!," May called out to her parents before running over to them.
Once she got close enough to her parents, May's mom wrapped her arms around May and hugged her tight.
"It's been so long! We've missed you so much!," Caroline admitted.
"M-Missed you t-too," May grunted. "B-but could y-you please l-let go! Y-You're crushing me!"
Caroline then noticed that May was turning blue due to a lack of oxygen and simultaneously let go of her.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, dear," Caroline apologized. "I guess I got a little too excited to see you again."
"It's fine," May dismissed the apology while she tried to catch her breath.
"So, May, how was your journey through the Sinnoh region?," Norman asked his daughter.
"It was amazing!," May confessed happily. "It was the most fun I've had in a long time!"
"That's wonderful, dear," Caroline acknowledged. "Why don't we go home, and you can tell us all about it over dinner."
At the mere mention of dinner, May's eyes began to sparkle.
"That sounds like a great idea!," May cheered, eager to go home as quickly as possible. "What are we waiting for!? Let's go home right now!"
Without giving her parents a chance to respond, May ran toward the direction of her house.
"Wait a minute, May!," Norman cried out as he ran after her. "Your mother and I took the car over here!"
Caroline sighed in amusement as she watched her husband try to catch up with their daughter.
Unbeknownst to the Maple family, a red and white Pokémon that bore resemblance to a jet was watching over them from a great distance above them. The red jet-like Pokémon grinned as it set its sights on May before turning invisible and waiting for May and her father to return to her mother.
After a half-hour drive, Ash and Professor Birch were parked outside of Professor Birch's laboratory. Noticing that the research facility had changed since the last time he had seen it, Ash stepped out of the car to get a better look, with Pikachu following him.
"Woah!," Ash exclaimed. "When did this place get so big!?"
The moderate-sized laboratory Ash had expected to see had drastically changed from the last time he visited. Instead, the lab now stood one story taller than it used to be and was so outspread that it looked almost as wide as the corral his Pokémon in Professor Oak's laboratory lived in.
"I had it redesigned two years ago," Professor Birch explained, having gotten out of the car and stood to the side of Ash. "I needed more space to fit new equipment for an upcoming project."
"An upcoming project?," Ash repeated confusedly.
Professor Birch nodded in confirmation before turning toward his laboratory.
"You see, I'm working with a colleague of mine to gather as much information on Pokémon as we can. We want to uncover all the mysteries that revolve around them and to do that, we'll have to study and analyze Pokémon from all across the world. Which is what you'll be helping me with as a research fellow."
Ash's eyes twinkled in excitement at the prospect of uncovering certain mysteries revolving around Pokémon.
"Wow! That sounds so cool!"
"Pika-Pika!," Pikachu agreed.
"I knew you would think so," Professor Birch admitted after turning to Ash with a big smile. "That's why I knew you would be perfect for this job."
Ash became bashful due to the compliment he received from Professor Birch, rubbing the back of his neck while chuckling sheepishly.
"Now, let me show you around the laboratory," Professor Birch requested. "It'll be easier to explain what we'll be doing once we're inside."
Ash and Pikachu wordlessly complied with Professor Birch and followed him inside the lab. Once they were inside, Ash couldn't help but marvel at everything around him.
There were lots of computers and complicated machinery that decorated the room. Additionally, there were holographic screens that floated all around the lab with pictures and information on Pokémon that were not native to Hoenn.
"What is all this?," Ash asked, pointing toward the holographic screens.
"It's all the information I've gathered so far on Pokémon from a region known as the Galar region," Professor Birch explained. "One of the things I'm currently researching is a phenomenon exclusive to Galar known as Dynamaxing."
"Galar region? Dynamaxing?," Ash repeated, looking perplexed by the Pokémon professor's words.
"Pika?," Pikachu inquired, looking just as confused as his trainer.
"You see-"
Before Professor Birch could explain to Ash everything about Galar and Dynamaxing, a rabbit-like Pokémon clad in a red scarf came bouncing into the room with Professor Birch's assistant, Joshua, trying to grab hold of it.
The Pokémon was predominantly white with red and orange markings on its ears, toes, and neck, with the marking around its neck resembling a collar. It had an orange nose and orange irises, as well as a yellow band shape across its nose. It had long feet and legs with similar yellow bands underneath each paw.
"Come back here!" Joshua urged as the Pokémon continued to evade its capture.
"Scorbunn!," the rabbit-like Pokémon giggled, unaware that it was bouncing toward Ash.
"Hey! Watch out!," Ash cautioned the bouncing Pokémon.
Unfortunately for Ash, the Pokémon noticed at the last minute as it crashed into him, causing both Ash and the Pokémon to fall over.
"Pika-pika!," Pikachu exclaimed as he approached his trainer.
"Ash!," Professor Birch yelped before kneeling down toward Ash. "Are you okay?"
Ash was slightly disoriented for a moment before raising his head, shaking it, and regaining his focus.
"I'm alright," Ash confirmed before noticing the dizzy Pokémon sprawled out on his stomach. "Who's this Pokémon?"
"That's Scorbunny," Joshua revealed as he approached Ash and Professor Birch. "He's one of the Pokémon given out to trainers starting their journey in the Galar region."
Joshua bowed in apology, embarrassed that the Pokémon he was supposed to be watching and studying had knocked someone over.
"I'm really sorry about that, Ash," Joshua apologized. "Scorbunny didn't hurt you, did he?"
Ash sat up and smiled reassuringly at Joshua.
"I'm okay," Ash assured. "Besides, it was an accident; I'm sure Scorbunny didn't mean to knock me over."
Ash looked down at Scorbunny, who seemed to have recovered from its dizziness.
"Right, Scorbunny?"
Noticing everyone's attention on him, Scorbunny quickly got off Ash and looked at the floor guiltily.
"Scorbunny," Scorbunny meekly apologized.
Seeing the upset look on its face, Ash quickly held Scorbunny up and smiled at it.
"Hey, no need to worry. I'm not upset," Ash promised, surprising Scorbunny.
"Scorbunny?," Scorbunny questioned.
"Really!," Ash reassured. "And you know what? I thought your Bounce attack was awesome!"
Scorbunny was touched by Ash's compliment, smiling from ear to ear. Ash then put the scarf-clad Scorbunny back on the ground before putting Pikachu on his shoulder and standing up.
"My name is Ash," he introduced himself before gesturing to Pikachu. "And this is my partner, Pikachu. It's nice to meet you, Scorbunny."
"Pikachu!," the mouse Pokémon agreed.
Happy to have met new friends, Scorbunny excitedly bounced up and down in place.
"Scorbunny! Scorbunny! Scorbunny!," it cheered happily.
Before it could continue its jovial jumping, Joshua grabbed Scorbunny and held it in its arms.
"That's enough excitement for you today," Joshua informed Scorbunny, causing it to look shocked. "Now, come on, we still have research to do."
Scorbunny wasn't happy with Joshua's insistence on continuing doing research, as it tried to break free from his grasp. However, its efforts were unsuccessful as Joshua's grip on Scorbunny was strong.
"We're almost done for today," Joshua assured Scorbunny. "After that, you can take a nice long break."
Joshua couldn't help the unimpressed expression on his face as Scorbunny ignored him and continued to try to break free. Joshua then turned to Ash and Professor Birch and smiled.
"It's nice to see you again, Ash. If you ever need any help, feel free to ask me."
"Uh, thanks, Joshua," Ash half-heartedly acknowledged Joshua as half of his focus was on the struggling Scorbunny.
"No problem," Joshua replied. "I'll let Professor Birch continue your tour of the facilities. And this time, I'll make sure Scorbunny doesn't interrupt you."
Joshua then went to another room with Scorbunny continuing to fail its limbs to break free of his grip.
Ash looked in the direction left, confused by what had just occurred.
"What was that all about?"
"We're working with Scorbunny on a top-secret research project," Professor Birch confessed. "However, Scorbunny doesn't like staying in one place for too long, so it tends to go off on its own whenever it finds the chance to."
"A top-secret research project!?," Ash repeated with starry eyes, curious and excited to know what the project was about. "Cool! What's it about!?"
"You'll learn all about it tomorrow when my colleague and I publicly announce our collaboration."
Ash visibly deflated, upset by the fact that he would have to wait for a day to pass to learn about the research project.
"Now then, let me finish showing you around the-"
The sound of ringing interrupted Professor Birch and snapped Ash out of his sadness as they both turned to where it was coming from. They found that the sound was coming from the holographic screens floating around the lab, as the images and information on foreign Pokémon were replaced by a red exclamation point.
"Looks like we'll have to put the tour on hold," Professor Birch stated.
"Huh?," Ash uttered.
Professor Birch quickly rushed to one of his computers and began typing on it.
"Just one second."
Suddenly, the red exclamation points were replaced by a picture of the sky; A large smile appeared on Professor Birch's face.
"I can't believe it!," Professor Birch cheered. "I'm a genius!"
"What's going on?," Ash questioned.
"A few days ago, I heard rumors of a rare Pokémon flying over Petalburg City," Professor Birch revealed. "So I sent a Drone Rotom over there in case they were true so I could capture it on camera."
"So does that mean you were able to get pictures of a rare Pokemon!?," Ash asked excitedly.
"Even better!," Professor Birch corrected ecstatically. "I was able to get live footage of it!"
Pressing down on the spacebar, the picture of the sky on the holographic screens started producing audio, revealing that the image was actually video footage. The recording showed Latias flying over the city of Petalburg at high speeds before blasting past the camera's view.
"Wow! It's a Latias!," Ash exclaimed as he and Pikachu marveled at the video of Latias.
"Incredible, isn't it?," Professor Birch asked rhetorically. "Even if it's through a camera, seeing something as rare as a legendary Pokémon in action is breathtaking."
He then began rubbing his chin as he began to ponder something.
"Despite its playful nature, Latias tend to not like being seen by too many humans. So that begs the question: what reason would Latias have for being out in the open like that?"
"Professor Birch!," Ash called to the Hoenn professor.
Professor Birch snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Ash, who was close to the doors leading outside.
"I'm gonna go check it out!," Ash informed before rushing out the door with Pikachu, not giving him the chance to respond.
As Ash ran outside, he was quickly stopped when he bumped into something, knocking him and Pikachu onto the ground. Once they recovered from the fall, Ash and Pikachu got up quickly and saw that there was nothing in front of them.
"What...," Ash trailed off, confused by what had knocked him over.
"Pika?," Pikachu muttered, equally perplexed.
Just then, the blue Pokémon that followed Ash and Professor Birch turned visible and revealed itself to be what Ash and Pikachu crashed into.
"Oh, wow! It's a Latios!," Ash exclaimed, surprised and amazed by the legendary Pokémon.
Before Ash could talk to or approach it, Professor Birch ran out of the lab.
"Ash, wait! Let me come with you..."
The professor trailed off once he saw the legendary Latios right in front of him.
"Is that a Latios?," Professor Birch muttered to himself, not fully believing the jet-like Pokémon before his eyes.
Once it finally clicked in his head that Latios was right in front of him, a look of shock and excitement came on Professor Birch's face.
"I can't believe it! First, I get video evidence of a Latias flying over Petalburg City, and now I'm face to face with a Latios!"
Professor Birch tried to approach Latios but stopped when it looked like it wanted to attack him. He quickly took a few steps back and stood behind Ash.
"Hey, Latios, do you wanna have a battle!?," Ash asked.
Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and made electricity spark from his cheeks.
"Huh!?," Professor Birch uttered, shocked that his new assistant would casually request a battle from a legendary.
Without attempting to try and communicate with the young trainer, Latios used Psychic on Ash and Pikachu, lifting them into the air.
"W-Woah! What's going on!?," Ash yelled, confused as to why Latios was using Psychic on him and his Pikachu.
"Pika-Pika!?," Pikachu exclaimed.
Latios gently put Ash and Pikachu down on its back before it began floating farther and farther away from the ground.
"H-Hey! Wait a minute!," Ash cried.
The Eon Pokémon ignored Ash and took off at an extreme speed, causing him and Pikachu to cry out in surprise as they were whisked away from the lab.
"Ash!," Professor Birch yelled as Ash, Pikachu, and Latios were no longer in sight.
Inside the Maple Residence, May, Norman, and Caroline were all eating ramen as May recounted her time in the Sinnoh region to her parents.
"...it was close, but in the end, Dawn won," May finished, not too happy when concluding her story.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, sweetie," Caroline sympathized.
"It's alright," May assured with a smile. "Even if I lost this time around, I'll train harder and win next time."
"That's the spirit," Norman encouraged. "So, which region are you planning on competing in next?"
"Actually, I don't really have any plans to go anywhere for a while," May admitted meekly before slurping down some of her ramen.
Norman and Caroline looked at May with confused and surprised looks. Whenever their daughter came back from an adventure, she would rest at home for a few days before setting out to a new region she already had in mind.
"Oh? And why's that?," Caroline questioned.
"You see, the thing is, the Pokémon Activities Committee announced that all Contests are postponed indefinitely," May sadly revealed.
"Really?," Norman asked, getting confirmation when May answered with a nod and an 'uh-huh'. "But why would they go and do something like that?"
"They said it's because they're going to be working with the Pokémon League on something," May explained. "And that they won't be able to organize any Contests because of it."
"I'm so sorry to hear that, May," Caroline commiserated. "I know how much coordinating means to you."
"Hey, look on the bright side," Norman reasoned. "You have a whole year to prepare for the next Grand Festival."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," May agreed, although she still wasn't too happy.
'I'm glad I have time to train with my Pokémon...,' May trailed off in her head. '...But it won't be as fun as traveling to a new region, meeting new friends and rivals, and catching new Pokémon.'
Before the conversation could continue, someone from outside knocked on their door.
"Wonder who that could be," Norman pondered.
"Oh, maybe it's Max!," Caroline guessed jovially. "He did tell us he would come to visit us soon."
Whoever it was at the door, they began knocking on it very hard.
"I'm coming, Max!," Caroline yelled, already having in her head that it was her son coming to visit.
Once she got to and opened the door, Caroline let out a surprised yelp due to who had been knocking.
"Oh, my!"
"Caroline! What's wrong!?," Norman yelled before him, and May got up from the dinner table and rushed toward the door.
"Mom!," May called out as she ran to the door.
Once Norman and May made it, they were stunned to see what was waiting for them on the other side of the doorway: it was a Latias.
"It's a Latias!," Norman exclaimed, not expecting to see a Latias at his doorway.
"What's a Latias doing here!?," May questioned.
As soon as the Latias spotted May, it cheered, confusing the Maple family. It then used Psychic on May, lifting her off the ground and out of the house and removing the Poké Balls from her belt.
"H-Hey! What's going on!?," May yelped, scared and confused by Latias' actions.
"What do you think you're doing!?," Norman yelled, not caring that he was yelling at a legendary Pokémon. "Let go of her right now!"
Latias ignored Norman as it continued to bring May closer and closer to it.
"Norman! Do something!," Caroline pleaded as the Latias moved May over to it.
Norman hastily took one of the Poké Balls from around his belt and got ready to throw it.
"Vigoroth! Let's-"
Before he could throw his Poké Ball, Latias lifted it out of Norman's hand using Psychic.
"Huh?," Norman uttered, completely blindsided by what the Eon Pokémon did.
Latias giggled before tossing Norman's Poké Ball toward him using Psychic, causing him to instinctively reach out his hands and catch it.
Norman stared down at his Poké Ball, perplexed and shocked that Latias essentially played catch with him.
Latias put May on its back before dropping her Poké Balls to the ground and flying away from the Maple's house.
"Stop! Put me down!," May begged as Latias flew her farther and farther away from her house.
"May!," Norman and Caroline cried as their daughter and Latias disappeared from their line of sight.
Who's That Pokémon?
Hint: It's red and white, and is very excitable.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Reveal: It's Latias!
"Ah!," Ash exclaimed as Latios soared through the sky at an incredible speed. "Hold on tight, Pikachu!"
"Pikachu!," Pikachu yelped as it held onto its trainer for dear life.
Once Ash and Pikachu finally felt safe and comfortable on Latios' back, they looked around and admired how beautiful the sky was.
"This is amazing!," Ash admired the view before smiling and meeting his Pokémon's gaze. "Don't you think so, Pikachu?"
"Pika-Pika!," Pikachu agreed.
Latios turned its head at Ash and Pikachu and smiled warmly at the pair. Ash couldn't help but look back at it with confusion.
"Latios-," Ash began, about to ask why Latios abducted him and Pikachu.
Before Ash could continue speaking, Latios took a sharp nose dive, causing Ash to hold tightly onto Latios and Pikachu to hold tightly onto Ash.
"Ah!," Ash yelled as Latios dove down fast.
"Pika!," Pikachu yelped.
Latios stopped diving only to begin speeding forward. Ash looked up and noticed that Latios was pursuing what seemed to be a red and white flying Pokémon; he couldn't make out the shape of the red and white Pokémon due to his vision becoming blurry by how fast Latios was moving.
Once Latios got close enough, the red and white Pokémon seemed to slow down its flight and moved closer to Latios.
Now that Latios wasn't moving at the speed of sound, Ash's vision started to clear up. He saw that the red and white Pokémon was Latias.
"Hey, it's that Latias we saw back at Professor Birch's lab!," Ash pointed out to Pikachu. He then took notice of someone sitting on the back of the Latias.
"Who's that on Latias?," he wondered to himself.
Ash squinted his eyes as he tried to get a better look at the person on the back of the Latias. His eyes widened in shock when the person's appearance reminded him of someone he knew.
"Wait a minute. Is that..."
"Please put me down!," May yelled with her eyes shut, scared out of her mind due to being taken away and because she was so high up in the sky.
"May?," Ash called out to his friend.
Putting her fear aside, May turned in the direction her name was called. She saw that to the left of her was a Latios, and sitting on top of the Latios was her old friend, Ash, and his partner Pokémon, Pikachu.
"Ash!?," May called back, shocked to see her friend on a Latios of all places.
"What are you doing here!?," they simultaneously asked each other.
Before either of them could answer what they asked each other, Latias giggled before using Psychic on May again, lifting her off its back.
"H-Hey! Not again!," May shouted.
"May!," Ash cried out, scared Latias might accidentally drop his friend.
Luckily, Latias carefully and safely placed May down on Latios, right behind Ash.
"May, are you alright?," Ash asked, turning to May with a concerned expression.
"I'm fine," May assured, taking rapid breaths to recover from the anxiety she felt when she was lifted in the air. "I'm just a little shaken up is all."
"Hehehe"
Hearing the sound of giggling, Ash and May turned to where they heard it coming from. They turned to see Latias chuckling at them before it stopped to smile serenely at the pair. Ash and May looked at the red and white Eon Pokémon with baffled expressions before it decided to take a nosedive just like Latios did not too long ago.
Following its other half, Latios dived after Latias, causing Ash to hold Latios' neck tightly, Pikachu to hold Ash's head, and May to tightly hold Ash's chest as she buried her face into his back in fear.
"Woah!," Ash yelped while May and Pikachu screamed at the top of their lungs.
Once Latias stopped diving and started to soar across the sky, Latios copied its red and white counterpart before catching up to it.
Since Latios had slowed down, Ash decided to look around and enjoy the view. He smiled wide when he saw that they were floating above the ocean.
Ash enjoyed looking down at the beautiful body of water below him before taking in how magnificent the sky looked and how great the wind felt blowing against his face. Wanting to share this experience with his friend, he let go of Latios' neck and turned to look at May, who was whimpering in fear as she continued to bury her face into his back.
"May! You've gotta take a look at this!," Ash insisted. "It's incredible!"
May opened her eyes before slowly removing her face from Ash's back.
"Huh?," she uttered before looking around to see what Ash was talking about.
When she saw how beautiful the sky and the ocean looked, she couldn't help but look awestruck by it all.
"Wow," May breathed. "It's so beautiful."
"Right?," Ash agreed with a smile. "You don't get to see a view like this every day."
May quickly reached into her pocket and fished something out of them. She took out a red smartphone from it and began recording the pretty view.
"Welcome to another exciting episode of May's Expeditions," May narrated. "With everyone's favorite host, Mystery May! In today's episode, my friend and I get the chance to soar through the skies on the back of a Latios!"
A flock of Swellow flew between Latios and Latias in a 'V'-shaped formation, which Ash immediately noticed.
"Look, May! Swellow!," Ash pointed out to May.
May pointed her phone in the direction of the Swellow and stopped doing her bit so she could admire them.
As Ash and May cherished the experience of flying around on Latios, Latias once again dived down, heading straight toward the ocean. Latios followed its twin and dived toward it, causing Ash and May to scream in surprise.
Ash again held onto Latios' neck, Pikachu held tightly onto Ash's head, and May held onto Ash's chest as she buried her face into Ash's back while gripping tightly onto her phone.
To slow their descent into the ocean, Latios fired a Luster Purge at the ocean surface while Latias fired out a Mist Ball. This caused a wall of water to shape and a rainbow to appear over their heads.
The pair of friends and Pikachu looked at the sight in silent amazement, admiring the water droplets falling around them and the rainbow right above them.
They didn't have time to admire it for long as Latios followed Latias into the ocean, causing Ash, Pikachu, and May to quickly hold onto their breath as they began traveling through the seafloor.
Once he noticed all the water-type Pokémon they were passing, Ash nudged May, who had her eyes closed. When May opened her eyes, she admired all the Pokémon living in the sea, such as a trio of Sharpedo, a family of Crawdaunt and Corphish, a swarm of Barboach, and a single Milotic dancing in the water.
A school of Luvdisc swam between Latios and Latias, reminding Ash and May of a fond memory they shared from when they used to travel together.
May held out her phone and recorded the school of Luvdisc, grateful that it was waterproof.
Noticing they had the attention of the pair, some of the Luvdisc temporarily left their school to get closer to them. Once the Luvdisc got close to them, the heart-shaped Pokémon began nuzzling Ash and May's cheeks affectionately.
The Luvdisc's nuzzling tickled Ash and May, forcing them to hold in their laughs so they didn't lose their breath. Unfortunately, they couldn't hold it in for long as they began laughing before turning blue in the face due to a lack of oxygen.
Luckily for them, Latios came out of the water and took to the skies again, following Latias' lead.
Once they resurfaced, Ash, May, and Pikachu began inhaling and exhaling as they tried to regain their breath.
"That was close," May sighed once she could breathe again, putting her phone back into her pocket. "I thought that was the end of May's Expeditions and us along with it."
"Yeah, talk about a close call," Ash agreed, panting heavily. Once he recovered, he turned to May and smiled. "But you know what? It was awesome to meet so many Pokémon!"
May looked at Ash in surprise, marveling at how carefree Ash was at the chance of them dying just because of his love for Pokémon. She quickly recovered from her shock and smiled right back at him.
"Yeah, you're right," May admitted. "I feel like I fell in love with Pokémon all over again."
May then noticed how she had her hands around Ash's stomach and how close she was to him. Embarrassed that she was holding onto Ash so intimately, she speedily removed her hands from around him and looked down with a dust of pink on her cheeks.
Unaware of the reason behind his friend's actions, Ash looked at her in confusion.
"What's wrong?," Ash asked in concern.
"N-Nothing! Nothing at all!," May assured, waving her hands in front of her face.
"Are you sure?," Ash inquired, suspicious of May's jittery attitude. "You seem kinda nervous."
Fortunately for May, Latios interrupted Ash's attempt at interrogating her by slowly dipping down, causing Ash and May's bodies to jolt and let out surprised yelps.
Ash and May looked down to see they were passing over a wooded area filled with Pokémon such as Zigzagoon and Linoone, Poochyena and Mightyena, and Wurmple, Dustox, and Beautifly.
After quickly passing over the wooded area, they saw Professor Birch's lab below them.
"Look! It's Professor Birch's lab!," Ash pointed out.
Then, Latios and Latias began to dip more and more to the floor until they landed right in front of Professor Birch's lab. Using Psychic, Latios lifted Ash, May, and Pikachu off its back, causing them to once again let out surprised yelps. It then gently put all three of them on the ground before going up to Ash and nuzzling its face against Ash's.
"H-hey! Quit it!," Ash chuckled while Latios ignored him and continued to nuzzle the aspiring Pokémon Master. "That tickles!"
Latias decided to go up to May and copy its sibling by nuzzling its face against May's.
"Heh, heh, heh! C-Cut it out!," May laughed.
After nuzzling Ash and May for a few seconds, Latios and Latias stopped and smiled at the pair before flying away from the lab.
"Latios! Latias! Thanks a lot!," Ash yelled to the pair of Eon Pokémon while waving goodbye.
"Pika-Pika!," Pikachu cried out while waving.
"Bye! Take care!," May shouted while also waving goodbye.
When the Eon Duo were no longer in their line of sight, Ash and May stopped waving and starred in the direction they flew off to with tranquil expressions and smiles. They continued to do that for a few minutes, basking in the memories they made and the peace they felt. It wasn't until Ash decided to break the silence did May snap out of her trance.
"Pokémon are the coolest, huh?," Ash asked, though it sounded more like a statement.
"Yeah," May agreed. "I can't believe there was a time when I thought they weren't."
After that, they continued to stand in silence before May decided to break it when she came to a realization.
"Wait a minute, Ash," May began, getting Ash to turn to her in puzzlement. "What are you doing here in Hoenn?"
"Well, you see-"
Before Ash could continue, the doors to the lab burst open, revealing Scorbunny midway through using Bounce, with Joshua chasing after it. Noticing that Ash and May were right in front of Scorbunny, Joshua tried to warn it.
"Scorbunny! Watch out!"
After hearing Joshua's warning, Scorbunny saw that he would crash into Ash. In an attempt to stop from ramming into Ash again, Scorbunny tried to shift his momentum downward, but that only caused it to plunge right into Ash's stomach.
"Oh!," Ash groaned before falling over and onto the ground with a dazed look on his face.
"Ash!," May cried out in worry.
"Pika-Pika!," Pikachu yelped as it began to approach his knocked-down trainer.
"Are you alright!?," Joshua asked in distress
Once it processed what it had done, Scorbunny went up to Ash's face, afraid that he had hurt Ash.
"Scor! Scorbunny!?," Scorbunny exclaimed, hoping that Ash was alright.
Seeing Scorbunny and Pikachu so close to his face caused Ash to recover from his stupor and sit up.
"Hey, Scorbunny," Ash greeted the fire-type Pokémon with a smile. "Good to see you again."
Everyone smiled in relief, happy that Ash was uninjured. Suddenly, Professor Birch's SUV drove up to and stopped outside the lab. Once the car was parked and shut off, Professor Birch, Norman, and Caroline got out.
"Don't worry," Professor Birch tried to assure May's parents. "Once I pinpoint Latias' flight route on my computer, I'll be able to track it down and find..."
Professor Birch trailed off once he saw that May was right in front of him, alongside Ash and Pikachu. Once Caroline and Norman also noticed May, all three adults stared blankly at her for a few moments until Joshua decided to break the silence.
"Looks like we won't have to cancel our presentation tomorrow, after all."
After inviting everyone inside, Professor Birch immediately went to his computer to file a report of Ash's experience with Latios and Latias with Ash giving him all the details of what happened.
"...And then, we passed by this flock of Swellow before Latios dived into the ocean!," Ash explained while Professor Birch vigorously typed away at his keyboard.
"Fascinating!," Professor Birch exclaimed while he continued typing. "I never knew Latios was capable of moving underwater!"
"Me neither! It was so cool! Oh, and after that, we..."
While Ash continued his story, May was being crushed by her mother, who wrapped her tightly in a hug.
"Oh, I'm so happy that you're alright!," Caroline cried as she hugged her daughter more tightly, causing May to start turning blue. "You don't know how worried we were about you!"
"Um, Caroline, you might want to loosen your grip," Norman advised.
"Huh?," Caroline uttered before noticing the pigment of her daughter's skin had turned blue. She immediately let go of May, allowing her to regain her breath. "Oh! Forgive me, dear. I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"No, I'm fine," May assured, taking fewer and fewer deep breaths until she began breathing normally again.
"As soon as Latias took you away from us, we tried to follow you in the car," Caroline explained before giving her husband a pointed look. "But your father forgot to refill the tank with gas, so we had to follow on foot."
Norman had the decency to look embarrassed by his wife calling him out for being forgetful.
"Luckily, we passed by Professor Birch on the way," Caroline revealed. "Once we explained to him what happened, he offered to help us find Latias."
"It just doesn't make any sense to me," Norman began. "Why would Latias kidnap May just so she could go on a joyride on Latios?"
"I think it's a little more complicated than that," Joshua, who was watching Scorbunny and Pikachu pass a ball to each other, butted in.
"What do you mean?," Norman asked the professor's assistant.
"I'm not entirely sure if I'm right about this, but I think Latias sought out May so that she could reunite with Ash," Joshua theorized. "And I think Latios sought out Ash for the exact same reason."
Ash, May, Caroline, and Norman all looked at Joshua in surprise while Professor Birch seemed composed.
"My thoughts exactly," Professor Birch confessed once Ash was done retelling his adventure with the Eon Duo.
"But why would Latios and Latias do something like that?," Ash questioned.
"I don't know," Professor Birch confessed. "But after hearing both your and May's stories, I would be a failure as a Pokémon researcher if I chalked them up to happenstance."
A smile spread across the professor's face as he turned to his new research fellow.
"Another mystery that needs solving... it looks like we'll have a lot of work ahead of us."
"This is gonna be awesome! I can't wait!," Ash hollered with one fist raised in excitement.
"Wait a minute," Norman interrupted. "So that research fellow you mentioned hiring the other day was Ash?"
"That's right," Professor Birch revealed.
"Wait, so does that mean you're working as Professor Birch's assistant?," May asked Ash, confused as to why her battle-crazy friend would ever want to work as a researcher.
"Not quite," Professor Birch denied. "As my research fellow, Ash will travel worldwide to meet every type of Pokémon imaginable and uncover all of their mysteries."
"It'll be like an everyday adventure around the world," Ash added ecstatically before turning to Professor Birch for confirmation. "Right, Professor Birch?"
"Something like that," Professor Birch chuckled.
"An everyday adventure around the world?," May repeated before smiling. "That sounds like a lot of fun!"
"Right!?," Ash agreed. "Think of all the places I'll visit and all the new Pokémon I'll get to meet!"
The idea of traveling to new regions and meeting new Pokémon as often as possible really appealed to May. However, there was one thing about Ash's new job that bothered her.
"Hold on," May spoke up, halting Ash's excitement. "Won't this get in the way of your dream of becoming a Pokémon Master?"
"How do you figure?," Ash asked, confused by what his friend was implying.
"I mean, you won't be able to collect gym badges or battle in any League Conferences if you're traveling around the world," May reasoned.
"Well, yeah, I guess that's true," Ash acknowledged. "But being a Pokémon Master is more than just battling gyms and winning Pokémon Leagues."
May was shocked by Ash's response while Norman, Caroline, Professor Birch, and Joshua looked at Ash interestedly, wondering what he meant by that.
Ash smiled before Pikachu rushed over to him and climbed onto his shoulder.
"To me, being a Pokémon Master means knowing everything there is to know about Pokémon, becoming best friends with every Pokémon you meet, and being the strongest trainer you can be..."
Pikachu began nuzzling Ash's cheek as he continued explaining himself.
"...So even if I'm not battling, doing this will help me become friends with more Pokémon and learn all about them, and that'll get me one step closer to becoming a Pokémon Master!"
May looked at Ash in awe; while he wasn't eloquent, his passion and desire to understand and befriend Pokémon truly moved her.
"At least, I hope it will," Ash added while rubbing his nose with his finger bashfully.
May couldn't help but laugh at the slight bit of uncertainty that Ash had. She then sported a determined and confident look on her face.
"Alright then, I've decided," May vocalized, causing everyone to look at her in confusion. She turned to Professor Birch hopefully, ready to express her idea. "Professor Birch, if it's alright, could I become a research fellow too for a little while?"
Everyone, excluding Scorbunny who was mindlessly bouncing his ball, looked at May in surprise.
"Huh!?," they simultaneously yelped.
"W-Well, it would be helpful to have someone else help with my field research," Professor Birch considered, quickly recovering from his shock.
"Now, hold on a minute, May," Norman cut in. "Shouldn't you think this through a little bit more?"
"Your father's right, dear," Caroline agreed. "It's a big commute from here to Petalburg, especially if you go on foot. You'd have to wake up extra early in order to make it here."
The thought of having to wake up really early in the morning did not sound that fun to May, apparent by the look of horror on her face.
"That wouldn't be a problem," Professor Birch assured. "I've had bedrooms built into the lab for all my live-in researchers, such as Ash and Joshua. She could stay in one of the spare rooms."
May immediately perked up after hearing this, happy that she could work as a research fellow without having to deal with an abysmal early morning commute to the lab.
"But won't doing this get in the way of you competing in Contests?," Ash pointed out.
"Well, that won't be a problem because they're not holding Contests anywhere for a while," May revealed.
Ash was visibly surprised by the divulgence of there being no Contests held.
"They're not!?"
"Nope, they're postponed indefinitely," May confirmed. "And since I can't compete in Contests, becoming a research fellow sounds like the next best thing for me."
May's eyes shined in excitement at the thought of working as a research fellow.
"Traveling around the world, meeting new Pokémon, going shopping in foreign regions, and getting to try out new food! It sounds like a dream come true!"
Ash couldn't help but look at May with a deadpan expression, not at all surprised that buying new clothing and eating food was part of why she wanted the job.
"Please, let me be a research fellow here!," May begged Professor Birch, shopping and food still on her mind.
"Well... alright. I don't see why not," Professor Birch decided before smiling at the young girl. "Welcome aboard, May."
"Yes!," May cheered with her fist raised.
"I was hoping we'd have more time with you before you went off on another adventure," Caroline admitted, somewhat sadly. "But I can tell you're really passionate about this, so I won't try to stop you."
"Thanks, Mom," May replied before hugging her mother.
"Well, if you're going to do this, you'll need these," Norman interrupted, causing May to let go of her mother and turn to her father.
Norman reached into his pocket and pulled out six shrunken down Poké Balls that belonged to May.
"My Poké Balls!," May exclaimed.
"Latias dropped these before taking you away. So I decided to hold onto them until I could get them back to you," Norman explained while handing them to May, who quickly put them back around her belt.
"Thanks, Dad!," May cheered before pulling her dad into a hug.
Once the sun began to set, Professor Birch offered Norman and Caroline a ride home which they accepted. Ash, Pikachu, May, and Joshua waited outside the lab as Professor Birch turned on the car, and May's parents waited patiently in their seats.
"Can you drive a little more carefully this time?," Norman asked Professor Birch. "I swear, you came close to crashing five times on our way here."
"Heh, heh. My apologies," Professor Birch apologized sheepishly.
"Take care of yourself, dear," Caroline instructed her daughter. "Try to stay out of trouble and listen to whatever Professor Birch tells you to do. Oh, and make sure to eat all your vegetables, and-"
"Mom!," May yelled while her cheeks turned red. "I'm not ten anymore; I know how to take care of myself just fine!"
"I know, dear. I'm just teasing," Caroline chuckled before focusing on Ash. "Ash, it was great to see you again. Feel free to visit whenever you and May have the time. I'll be sure to prepare a nice dinner for you two."
"And if you get the chance, you should come by the gym," Norman added. "I'd love to have another battle with you again."
"Sure, that sounds great!," Ash accepted.
"Joshua, make sure to look after the lab while I'm gone," Professor Birch instructed before he began driving. "Oh, and please introduce Ash and May to Professor Cerise."
"Understood," Joshua acknowledged.
May waved goodbye to her parents as Professor Birch drove away with them, while Ash looked at Joshua in puzzlement.
"Who's Professor Cerise?," Ash questioned.
"Come, I'll introduce you two to him," Joshua replied, gesturing for Ash and May to follow him.
Using one of the computers in the lab, Joshua started a video call on one of the holographic screens. Once the call went through, Ash and May saw a lanky man wearing a white lab coat on the screen.
The man had light skin and green eyes that he wore a pair of brown glasses over. He had somewhat unkempt maroon hair with gray streaks, indicating he was middle-aged. The man sported a blue shirt with a purple color under his lab coat, a pair of blue jeans, and gray shoes with dark gray soles.
The man looked interested in the boy and girl standing in front of him from over the screen.
"And who might you two be?," the man asked.
Before either Ash or May could answer, Joshua came up from behind them and answered for them.
"Professor Cerise, I would like for you to meet Ash and May," Joshua introduced while gesturing to the pair. "They'll be working as research fellows for the lab."
He then turned to Ash and May while gesturing to the man known as Professor Cerise.
"Ash, May, I'd like to introduce you two to Professor Cerise," Joshua introduced. "We'll be working together with him and his team from Kanto for our new project."
"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Professor Cerise regarded the research fellows.
"It's nice to meet you, too," Ash waved.
"Ditto," May agreed.
"Pika, Pikachu!," Pikachu, who was sitting on Ash's shoulder, greeted the Kantonian professor.
"I'm looking forward to working with all of you to uncover the mysteries of Pokémon," Professor Cerise confessed with a smile before sporting a confused expression as he was seemingly looking for something. "I don't seem to see Professor Birch anywhere. Has he gone home already?"
"Not yet. He's occupied with something at the moment," Joshua revealed.
"I see," Professor Cerise stated, smiling again. "In that case, give him my regards."
"I will," Joshua promised before a thoughtful look appeared on his face. "By the way, professor, have you had any luck hiring a research fellow of your own?"
"Not yet," Professor Cerise informed Joshua. "However, I do have someone in mind who I think would be interested in the role."
Near the shores of Vermilion City in the Kanto Region, a teenage boy with dark skin stood overlooking the sea.
"It's my reality! My future!," the boy yelled before raising his fist to the sky. "And I can hold that future in the palm of my hand!"
A curtain is about to rise on a brand new adventure! So, let's go, as the journey continues!
...I can't believe how many words I wrote for this one chapter. Alright, hey guys, Phoenix here, and I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of "Pokémon Journeys Through Hoenn And Beyond".
I enjoy Pokémon Journeys, so I wanted to take a crack at writing a reimagining of it. While I'm working on this, I've been watching and plan to continue watching the Advanced Generation series, alongside the movies, so I can really do my best capturing Hoenn and its major characters.
While Ash and May are major characters in this story, so are Goh and Chloe, so you'll be seeing some chapters where they take the spotlight, such as the next chapter.
For this chapter, I tried to really make it seem like you were watching (well, in this case, reading) an episode of the Pokémon anime.
May will be in the story because it's been a while since she had a speaking role in the anime. There will also be Advanceshipping because I like Ash and May's friendship and dynamic. That being said, I didn't take away Contests for the sole reason of them working together. Trust me, there's a reason for this, and it will be revealed in time.
Make sure to review, give me your honest criticisms, and follow and favorite if you liked the chapter. Hope you enjoyed, and until next time, later!