New Bark Town

New Bark Town was simplistic in its design for homes and shops. Honestly, it was like Pallet Town with the main difference being wind turbines located around it. Given the wind that often blew through, that made sense.

It didn't take the group long to discover Professor Elm's lab as it was much bigger than any of the other buildings in town. That said, it did seem smaller than Professor Oak's. In the long run, which didn't really matter.

"So, should we knock?" Serena asked uncertainly.

This lab seemed a little off to her given how quiet it was in comparison to Professor Oak's. Whether it was the pokemon, resident assistants, or guests, their professor's lab was lively all through the day. This lab was just quiet, but there was a note on the door.

"Welcome to Elm's Pokemon lab." Ash read. "Please feel free to come in and hear about my research anytime."

"I think with that in mind, as well as the book, this should be fine." James noted.

Although she couldn't argue with that, Serena still didn't feel right entering another's premises without permission. Of course, they technically do have permission from the note on the door, but it just doesn't feel right. Ash had no such reservations as he opened the door.

Professor Elm's Lab

Upon entering the building, the trio noticed different gadgets and papers lazily scattered over desks. This place was clearly not as neat or organized as Professor Oak's lab. They soon noticed someone reading a book at a desk across the room.

It was a young man with medium length light brown hair and glasses. He was wearing a lab coat and seemed invested in abook. He hadn't even noticed the group as they entered. Perhaps this was Professor Elm?

Ash cleared his throat in hopes of getting his attention before speaking. "Excuse me.

"Huh?" Professor Elm turned towards the group. "Oh, you must be the trainers who are here to start your journey. Though Danielle told me it would only be two of you. The fact that three came might be a problem considering I let Silver have Totodile yesterday.

"No, were not them." Serena jumped in before the Professor could get the wrong idea. "My name is Serena, and these are Ash and James."

"Oh, none of you are Jimmy or Marina?" Professor Elm questioned with a puzzled expression. "I could've sworn those were who were meant to start their journey."

"Oh no, were not here to get starter pokemon." Ash tried to explain this time. "We're already trainers and simply arrived in Johto. We stopped by because the guide book our friend here has said professors wouldn't mind it."

"Oh, you're already trainers." Professor Elm sighed in relief. "I thought my research caused me to mess up something important again." He nodded. "Well, it's nice to meet you all. As you may have guessed, I'm Professor Elm and I run this lab. How could I help you today?"

"Well, could you help me register for the Johto League?" Ash asked.

"Of course, follow me." Professor Elm replied before leading the group deeper into his lab.

The group were quick to follow and ended up passing a window. Within the trio could see a small grass type walking around a grassy area. Ash made sure to scan it with his pokedex:

Budew, the Bud Pokémon. In winter, it keeps its bud closed to survive the cold, but then opens it again in the spring.

"That is a pokemon not native to Johto as it actually belongs to another." Professor Elm informed. "It's owner actually found her as an egg the same day the pokemon that would become her pokemon found her."

"So, you look after trainer's pokemon if they start here?" Serena questioned.

"While that is something I do, that pokemon's owner actually did not embark on a journey." Elm informed. "She actually became a sort of assistant not long after I found her on a visit to the Sinjoh ruins found in Sinnoh."

Hearing about this assistant of his was interesting, and it was clear Elm cared about her.

"Is this assistant you're speaking of Danielle?" Serena asked. "Whether or not she is, where is this assistant?"

"She is indeed." Elm nodded. "She is currently in Cherrygrove City spending time with a couple of twins, Jimmy, and Marina, who I confused you for. She has formed a good relation to them, and given they start their journey tomorrow, she wishes to spend time with them now."

The gang looked at each other a bit stunned since Elm might be a bit more disorganized than they thought. It was one thing to confuse them for these trainers if he didn't know them well. To learn his assistant had a relation to them, and that they were twins was a whole other level.

"So, you're just like Professor Oak in that you take care of a lot of pokemon?" James questioned to move away from the present topic.

"Ah, you know Professor Oak?" Professor Elm questioned.

"Yeah, Ash and I actually started our journey at his lab." Serena explained.

"As for me, Professor Oak was kind enough to let me keep my pokemon at his lab as well." James added. "You were his student, right?"

"His student…" Professor Elm uttered before a light gleamed off his glasses. "Yes, at one point in time I was his student, but I like to think I have surpassed him in terms of knowledge when it comes to our respective fields.

I'm always submitting my articles, with each new discovery. Though, Professor Oak never seemed to praise my genius properly. I remember a paper I wrote at university about how civilization can adjust a pokemon's habits, and he only gave me an A minus."

The group didn't quite know what to say since it was clear Professor Elm gets hot-headed when it comes to Professor Oak.

"Oh well, not much I can do to change it now." Professor Elm sighed as they reached his computer, and he put in a few keys causing a flap to open. "Okay Ash, I just need your pokedex to complete your registration."

While a pokedex isn't required, it is the fastest method as the registration has tons of questions which a device like this could simply fill out. Ash happily slotted the device into the flap. Professor Elm typed more things into the computer before a check mark appeared.

"Alright, you're now registered to take part in the next Silver Conference." Professor Elm informed before handing the device back. "Although, you still need to earn eight Johto gym badges before it starts."

"Thank you, Professor Elm." Ash stated.

Before anyone could say anything else, a beeping noise went off like some sort of alarm clock. Professor Elm reached into his pocket and pulled out a hand-held pager which was the source of the beeping. He turned it off with a button at the top before standing up.

"This is fantastic!" Professor Elm exclaimed before bolting towards another room.

The others looked at each other, shocked for a moment, before running after the professor to see what got him excited. The group gasped upon entering the room as there was a light green egg in some sort of incubator. It was glowing white indicating it was close to hatching.

Professor Elm stood in front of the egg writing notes. Walking up behind him, Professor Elm glanced at the group. He quickly ignored them and returned to making notes on the hatching of the egg. While this might seem rude, he did speak to them while writing.

"This should be a treat for you all." Elm informed. "Normally, these eggs hatch underground so hardly anyone has had a chance to see one hatch."

"How come this one isn't underground?" James asked interested.

"It was rescued when the authorities took down a poacher's hide out and we don't know where it came from." Professor Elm explained. "It was sent to me to hatch in a safe environment. Once I learnt what species it was, I knew this would be a once in a life time opportunity."

"So, this pokemon is an orphan?" Serena asked sadly.

Professor Elm sighed. "Unfortunately…"

Despite loving the opportunity to study this species hatching, Elm took no pleasure in how it fell into his lap. He'd personally prefer never getting this opportunity if it meant he could undo what happened. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible.

While no one in the trio particularly liked hearing that, Ash took it the hardest. Between Team Rocket, Snagem, and those pirates, he had developed a lot of sympathy for pokemon like the one within this egg. Because of people like them, these poachers, this little one had no one.

"It just stopped." Serena commented.

Ash looked and saw that the egg had indeed stopped glowing and returned to a normal state. This shocked the group since they didn't know what could've stopped it.

Elm sighed. "Yes, it has been doing that a lot lately."

"What could prevent the pokemon from hatching?" Ash questioned concerned.

"The only thing capable of such an act is the pokemon within the egg." Professor Elm replied. "An egg is due to hatch once the baby has reached a certain size, but it is possible for the pokemon to resist hatching even once it has physically developed."

"Why would it do that?" Serena asked.

"Pokemon inside eggs can hear and sense things around them." James had read about this in his books on breeding. "Like the professor said, this egg was stolen by poachers. I wouldn't be surprised if that experience scared the little guy into not wanting to hatch."

"That can't be good." Ash commented worriedly.

"It certainly isn't." Elm replied. "While in the egg, the pokemon will continue to grow and eventually break the egg…whether it wants to or not. Even though both do end in a hatch, hatching when they don't want it can have negative repercussions on the pokemon."

With nothing else to do, the group, along with Professor Elm, walked out of the room to leave the egg alone once more. After a little chat, the professor offered them a guest room with three beds for the night. The group accepted the offer with gratitude.

Outside: Evening…

It was soon time for Professor Elm to check on the trainer's pokemon, so the trio went outside to partake in a bit of training while he did that. Ash released: Pikachu, Wimpod, and Teddiursa. Pikachu worked on his speed while Wimpod and Teddiursa spared.

Serena released: Sylveon, Rhyhorn, and Caterpie. Sylveon began sparing with Rhyhorn while Serena directed Caterpie through her training. She felt her bug type was relatively close to evolving any day now. James released: Croagunk and Spheal who began sparing with each other.

This left James to focus on Togepi who, ever since seeing the various battles at the Indigo League, had been eager to train. Rather recently, James found he could train his little guy like any other pokemon which certainly made him proud to have brought him to this point.

Although James and Serena were training their pokemon like normal, Ash wasn't. Everyone took note of this including his two newest pokemon. Rather than train with his team like normal, Ash was off to the side in deep contemplation.

"Hey Ash, what's the matter?" Serena asked while walking up to him.

While Ash was normally aware of his surroundings during training, the guy was surprised to hear her. "Oh, it's nothing."

"You sure?" Serena asked concerned. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Of course, Serena." Ash smiled at her girlfriend before planting a small kiss on her cheek. "I just need to clear my head." He started to walk off. "I'm going for a little walk."

"Okay." Serena called after him. "Just know I'm here if you want to talk.".

Ash smiled back at her sincerely. "I know."

Ash then headed off knowing he was lucky to have such a concerned girlfriend. As he walked, Ash's mind began to fill with weird images of things he'd never seen before. They felt like memories, but he knew they couldn't be his.

He saw an old, run-down room filled with cages. It was cold. Soon, three shadowy figures appeared over him with wide, greedy smiles and piercing red eyes. Soon, several figures ran in accompanied by canine pokemon.

Pokemon Lab

Suddenly, the images disappeared, and Ash realized he'd ended up walking back to the room with that egg. He noticed a soft blue glow coming off him which resonated with the egg. There was fear radiating from within.

"My aura is…at work again." Ash approached the egg and gently put a hand on it. "No wonder you're scared to enter this world with memories like those. They don't exactly give you any incentive, but the world is better than what you've see."

Suddenly, the egg began to glow and crack. Ash gasped as he realized what was happening. The egg began to vanish leaving behind a green reptilian like pokemon who was looking directly into his eyes.

"Lar…" It muttered.

"Hello, little guy." Ash greeted with a smile.

The young pokemon continued to look at him and suddenly more memories flashed through the Pallet native's mind. It was those three shadowy figures laughing menacingly. There were also several other figures of all different shapes and sizes trapped in some sort of cage.

Suddenly, everything went black before a new memory appeared. The cages were still present but now they were in some sort of vehicle. Ash looked at the green pokemon as tears welled up in the young one's eyes. In a surprising move, the newly hatched pokemon jumped at Ash.

The Pallet native caught him. The little green pokemon buried his head into Ash's stomach sobbing. If those images and emotions are anything to go by, then this little guy had every right to do this.

If Ash had experienced that, he might have done the same. While some might think it weird that he attached to Ash after experiencing all that, his presence was calm and relaxing. He felt safe with this boy.

"It's okay, little guy." Ash soothed. "You're in a much better place now."

Some Time Later…

Ash let the pokemon cry until he got it all out, and while that did happen, the newly hatched pokemon wouldn't let Ash go that easily. Through this whole ordeal, both failed to notice someone else enter the room.

"What an interesting discovery." Professor Elm spoke allowed as he jotted down several notes on a notepad. "Despite being a newly hatched Larvitar, it is showing an abnormal level of attachment not regularly seen in any pseudo legendary."

"Huh?" Ash questioned as he turned to the professor.

Professor. Elm took a closer look at the newly hatched pokemon. He knew it would hatch into Larvitar, but they're meant to be tough straight out of the egg. Seeing one emotionally vulnerable is a surprise.

"Based on what happened to the egg before I received it, and how Larvitar is acting now, I can only assume it is evidence to prove my hypothesis. Pokemon inside an egg know what is happening around them." Professor Elm explained.

This wasn't sitting well with Larvitar. He doesn't know who this guy is, and he could easily be one of those shadow figures. Ash saw his discomfort, so he ran his hand down the newly hatched pokemon's head, catching his attention.

"Hey, it's alright." Ash soothed. "Professor Elm is just enthusiastic, but he won't hurt you."

Larvitar had immediate, immense trust in Ash, so he could believe that; however, it didn't mean he liked what was happening.

"Oh dear, I should have considered…" Professor Elm shook his head. "Perhaps it would be wiser for you to take Larvitar outside. Being stuck in the egg for so long, and now the lab, isn't exactly healthy for a young pokemon."

While some might think he missed his chance to see how it hatched above ground, Elm had planned for this. He knew Larvitar could hatch at a time he was busy, so he placed a camera in the incubator to film the moment.

Despite taking on the egg for a research project, Professor Elm does care for all pokemon. Now that the egg has hatched, his next call of business is to find him a good trainer to go with. Of course, he can't be a starter since he becomes a pseudo legendary.

That would be difficult for any new trainer to handle. He would have to investigate further, but it is likely the perfect candidate was right before his eyes. Upon Elm's suggestion, Ash did head out with Larvitar. As he walked, worrying for what would happen when he had to leave settled in.

Outside

Upon reaching the others, they took notice of the pokemon in Ash's hands. While all their pokemon continued their training sessions, Serena and James approached.

"Hey Ash." Serena greeted. "What's up with this little guy?".

"This is Larvitar." Ash introduced. "He hatched from the egg we were shown, and Professor Elm thought it would be good for him to experience the outside."

The Pallet native set the unevolved pseudo on the ground only for him to hide behind Ash's leg while peeking out at the two newcomers. Ash seemed to like them, but even with that assurance, it didn't mean he would.

"Well, he is certainly a handsome little guy." James commented.

He knelt on one knee and slowly reached out a hand. The unevolved pseudo flinched and closed his eyes only to feel a soothing hand rubbing along the top of his head. Larvitar looked up and noticed the purple haired man wasn't hurting him.

"Lar?" Larvitar questioned.

Ash got on one knee next to him with a smile. "It's okay little guy." He nodded. "James and Serena here are good people who wouldn't dream of hurting you."

"Maybe we should try a game to help him open up." Serena suggested. "Back when I was shy and scared, playing with you, Michael, Pikachu, and that Growlithe really helped me."

"That's a good idea, Serena." James smiled.

With the plan made, Serena and James gathered the pokemon together while Ash got a play ball out. Soon, they gathered in a circle, but Larvitar was hiding behind Ash's legs even more. James thought about this and decided to start. Hopefully seeing the fun would encourage him to join.

"Okay, this game is pretty simple." James began. "Keep the ball in the air as long as possible, but this will be done in teams which means you need to hit it to someone on a different team."

The teams were simply each trainer's respective pokemon making three teams of three with the trainers intending to coach their respective sides. Ash received the ball and tossed it into the air. The ball went to Caterpie who wacked it across the circle to Togepi.

He happily wacked it back to Ash's pokemon with Pikachu using his tail to knock it away. Larvitar slightly peaked out from behind Ash watching the fun around him. He saw Spheal leap up to hit the ball which made Larvitar chuckle lightly. It does look fun.

Knowing he was almost ready to take part, Ash knelt by his side once more. "You can join in on the fun too. All you need to do is call out, and the next one will come towards you."

Larvitar didn't say anything immediately, but the more he saw the ball bounce around, the more he wanted to. Eventually, it became too much for him as he really wanted to play too.

"Lar!" Larvitar called out.

The ball had been heading to Croagunk who now batted it towards Larvitar. He hit the ball with his fist sending it back towards Serena's pokemon. The rock/ground type smiled at this and laughed.

"That's the way Larvitar." Ash praised.

From there, Larvitar fully participated, and they ended up playing for hours until the sun had fully set. Once they were done, the gang returned their pokemon and reentered the lab with Larvitar who was in much better spirits than he had been upon hatching.

Pokemon Lab

"Now that Larvitar is in a good mood, I think we should consult Professor Oak." James suggested. "His specialty is the relationship between people and pokemon, after all."

Knowing it couldn't hurt, the group set off to make the call. After greeting the professor, they showed and explained everything about Larvitar.

"So, what should we do professor?" Ash asked.

"Well, it sounds to me Larvitar has chosen his trainer." Professor Oak smiled. "When that happens, there really isn't much that can be done. Isn't that right, professor?"

"I must concur with your sentiment." Professor Elm replied as he walked in and up to Ash. "What do you say, Ash? Will you allow Larvitar to join your team?"

"You're probably right in that it's what he wants, but I still want to ask him." Ash looked at the rock/ground type. "What do you think Larvitar?" He smiled. "Would you like to be my pokemon? We'll travel, play, and train. It'll be a lot of times just like earlier this evening."

Larvitar looked up at this boy and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that staying with Ash is all he wanted. He didn't quite understand everything he was being told, but he rock/ground type did understand enough to know that all of it meant he could stay with Ash.

Larvitar smiled. "Lar!"

"Hold on, I still have some things to explain." Ash took out a pokeball. "Larvitar, this is a pokeball. I am a trainer. A trainer is someone who works with pokemon. If you want to be part of my team, you need to go into this to make traveling easier.

As my pokemon, I would never ask you to do anything you didn't want, but I will inform you that my dream is to be a pokemon master. That means training to battle. While you would be with us, training yourself can make you strong enough to ensure we aren't separated."

Larvitar looked at the item in Ash's hand as he now understood what was being said. The pokeball would make Ash his trainer. He'd get to remain with this group and be made strong enough to protect himself. He'd also get to help Ash fulfill his own dreams.

With all that in play, the answer is obvious. Without any second thoughts, he hit his hand against the ball and was sucked inside. There was an immediate ding signifying a successful capture. Ash scanned him with his pokedex:

Larvitar, the Rock Skin Pokémon. Larvitar generally hatch deep within the earth and take a long time before coming to the surface.

Type: Rock/Ground

Ability: Guts

Gender: Male

Current Moves: Leer, Tackle, Assurance

"I just caught a Larvitar!" Ash declared excitedly.

Pikachu jumped up in celebration. "Pika!"

It was certainly a full day as the trio saw a legendary pokemon, reached their first settlement in Johto, and Ash added another new pokemon to his team. So far, their Johto Journey was off to a great start. After seeing Ash's successes, James and Serena were eager to have their own.

With this chapter, I establish that Jimmy and Marina will be twins in this. That is for the simple reason that I've already established Ethan as a character, and I intend for him to be married to Kris(Crystal). Given Jimmy and Marina were meant to be standins for these game characters, I have to tweak some things to allow them into this story at the same time. Making them twins, which will come with slight changes to appearance, was the way I saw to do it.

As for Silver, no matter how much Totodile may want to stick with him, he simply would not get away with stealing pokemon for long. Not with Ash, Serena, and James around. The first time they meet under those circumstances, Silver is facing three on one odds against experienced trainers. Even with some inexperienced pokemon, they got enough experiance and experienced pokemon to ensure he doesn't get away.

If I went full on game route with him, his trainer career would end at the first meeting. If not then, it'd be over at the second. Considering I still want to use Paul in Sinnoh, what is truly left for Silver? Well, I've already set him up. Here, Silver is focused on being the best alone. He doesn't want any hand outs and will work to do what his father couldn't. Being the true, undisputed best trainer. He will show up his father by making those words a reality for himself.

He'll do it by not relying on anyone hence why he ended up actually working for Elm here. He earned his starter and starter kit through hard work over simply being handed a starter. As for Danielle McIlreavy is an OC from Nightshadegirl. For those of you worried that she'll take the main character slot from Ash, this is still his journey, and I'd like to think my experiance utilize the OC Lock Jackson should speak for itself in this regard.

Nightshadegirl: I mean not every journey needs to contend with an evil team. The new trainers do not appear until next chapter.

Vital Info: By proxy of the multiverse existing within the story of pokemon, every possible idea you could concoct exist, and every story is theoretically canon. As for the Eevee, most people wanted to give Ash an Espeon to go against Gary's Umbreon. Since my Ash has Umbreon, you can imagine which Eeveelution Gary will get. I'm glad you liked that battle. I couldn't exactly do the whole Pikachu vs Eevee thing here given time frames.

By proxy of the Orange Archipelago already being done, there was little time for Gary to train his Eeven comparatively leading the necessity for a closer opponent. As for Azelia Town, you can imagine how that might all end up considering I do like to utilize game and manga to help bolster my story. Of course, I might as well lean into the legends angle of this story to.

Just as with Kanto, I decided to introduce the 'bad guy team' early. Of course, this is only part of the problem as our young heroes will come to learn. You also do make some good points on What James can do with his breeding knowledge. I'll keep it in mind. As for Entei, you also make good points there. I'll be sure to keep them in mind...whenever James sees Entei. Again, if you think to the games, that might be where it happens.

Hydreigon662: Oh, you have a good memory for potential ideals I've put into place with my prior story. All I'll say further is that you have an eye for arcs. Thank you for the review.

The trio's on hand pokemon-

Ash's Pokemon

1. Pikachu

2. Wimpod

3. Teddiursa

4. Larvitar

Serena's Pokemon

1. Sylveon

2. Rhyhorn *Pink

3. Caterpie *Pink

James' Pokemon

1. Croagunk

2. Togepi

3. Spheal