Hey everyone, this is my first fanfiction so I want to do an Introduction.
My name's naakrA(or at least my username is) and I've been reading fanfiction for only around a year. I've always liked reading and I decided that I would like to try and write my own fanfiction. Though be warned that:
1. I haven't watched a lot of Pokemon
2. English is NOT my first language so there might be some grammar mistake
3. My parents have really tight schedule on when I'm allowed to use gadgets, that coupled with school means that I don't have any real schedule and I might take a long time to update.
Anyway, on to the story information
-naakrA
Title : Starting Anew
Genre : Adventure
Rating : K/T
Pairing : aureliashipping (ashxlillie)
Summary :
After losing to Alain in the Lumiose Conference and stopping Team Flare, Ash had said goodbye to his companions and went back to Pallet Town.
However he wasn't expecting to see his friends there, nor he expected them to start telling him to give up on his dream.
Feeling hurt by what his former friends did, Ash embarks on a new journey in the Alola region to achieve his dream to become a Pokémon Master.
Disclaimer : I don't own Pokemon or any of the character
A raven-haired boy sighed as he walked out of Viridian City's Pokémart. He looked up towards the sky as he held Professor Oak's package in his hand.
This was Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Trainer, and one of the people who helped save Kalos. The now 15, nearly 16, years old boy was running an errand for Professor Oak. But his thoughts were on another matter entirely.
"I can't believe that it's already been a month," Ash muttered to himself. It all still felt unreal. It was only 2 months ago that Ash lost to Alain in the Kalos League. 2 months since Team Flare tried to 'change' the world. And 1 month since he said goodbye to Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont.
After Team Flare's attempt to destroy the world, something that people have started to call the 'Kalos Crisis', Ash had stayed in Kalos for another month as he waited for the airport to be opened again. During his stay there, he had provided whatever help he could give to restore Lumiose city to its former glory.
After 1 month of waiting, the airport was finally opened once more, and before Ash knew it, it was time for him to go back to Kanto. Back to Pallet Town, where he had grown up and where he had first decided to become a Pokémon master.
"So, this is it huh?" Ash said as he looked at his friends, on his shoulder was his first pokemon, Pikachu. He was in the newly rebuilt Lumiose Airport. In front of him stood his friends, Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont. He had already said goodbye to Sawyer, Alain, and his other friends from Kalos at Professor Sycamore's lab. Only his closest friends, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie came to see him off at the airport.
"Do you have to go Ash?" Bonnie whined. She ran forward and hugged Ash tightly. "Why can't you just stay here? You can live with me and Clemont and you can help me when I become a trainer and we can enter the next League Conference together."
"Bonnie, stop it," Clemont said. "You can't just expect Ash to stay here. He has a life of his own too you know." He pressed some buttons on the strap of his backpack and robotic arms came out and grabbed onto Bonnie's shirt.
"Why?" Bonnie whined as she held on tightly onto Ash.
Ash smiled sadly at Bonnie. "Bonnie, I'm glad that you want me to stay. But I can't." He said softly to her. "It's not that I don't care about you. I mean, I'm going to miss you so much." Ash glanced at Serena and Clemont. "All of you. But I can't stay here. My dream is to become a Pokémon Master and I can't do that if I just stayed in one place. I want to travel the world, meet all kinds of Pokémon, battle strong trainers, and keep on challenging leagues until one day, I'll become a true Pokémon Master."
Bonnie looked at Ash with teary eyes. "Well, can't I come with you?" Bonnie said. "If you can't stay here then I want to come with you. I want to travel the world too."
"I'm sorry Bonnie but you can't," Ash said softly. He then noticed that Bonnie was about to start crying. "But," Ash added quickly. "Maybe in the future when you're a trainer and you already have a Pokémon."
Bonnie looked at Ash, her eyes gleaming with hope. "Really?" Bonnie said. "You mean it?"
Ash grinned at her. "Every single word."
Bonnie released her hold on Ash and stepped back from him. "You'll let me come with you? You promise?"
Ash smiled at her as he crouched down to her level. "I promise," Ash said as he held out his right hand, with his pinky finger pointed out. "Pinky promise?"
A huge smile instantly grew on Bonnie's face. She held out her hand and interlaced her pinky finger with Ash's. "Pinky promise," Bonnie said. "And don't you forget it, Ash. My tenth birthday is on the 17th of December this year. You better be there alright."
Ash chuckled at Bonnie's statement. "I'll be sure to remember it," Ash said.
Bonnie's smile grew even bigger as she stepped back and let her brother walk forward to say goodbye.
"It's been one amazing journey huh?" Ash said.
"Yeah." Clemont smiled. "So, you're going to keep on traveling?"
Ash nodded. "Yeah. Doesn't matter how long it takes, one day, I will be a Pokémon Master."
Clemont looked at Ash. "Even if it takes years?" He asked. The sunlight that came in from the window was reflected on his glasses, hiding his eyes from Ash.
"Even if it takes decades or even centuries," Ash said.
Clemont looked down for a second before smiling up at Ash, his eyes closed. "Alright," Clemont said. "But know that I'll miss you Ash." with that, he stepped back and let the final person from their group step up.
Serena stood in front of Ash and looked into his eyes. The two of them stayed silent for a couple of minutes until Ash decided to break the silence.
"So, Hoenn?" Ash said to Serena.
Ash's words caused Serena to wake up from her trance. "Y-yeah," Serena said. "I wanted to see Pokémon Contest for myself and maybe learn a few things from it."
"Good idea," Ash said. "I think-"
Attention to passengers of Altaria Airlines Flight 1910 to Kanto, boarding has started at Gate 2.
Ash looked up towards the schedule board and saw that it was indeed almost time for him to leave.
"I guess this is goodbye," Ash said. "I'm sorry we weren't able to talk more but I should get going."
Serena didn't say anything. Instead, she suddenly walked forward and hugged Ah tightly. Ash awkwardly hugged her back.
"We're going to miss you, Ash," Serena said as he let go of Ash. Ash looked behind her and saw Bonnie was nodding in agreement while Clemont had an unreadable expression on his face.
"I'll miss you guys too," Ash said. "Well, this goodbye I guess," Ash said as he turned around and started walking. However, he stopped in his tracks when he heard his name being called.
"ASH!" Ash turned and saw Bonnie waving at him "YOU BETTER NOT FORGET ALRIGHT!" Bonnie yelled at him while extending her right hand with the pinky finger pointing at him.
Ash smiled and extended his right arm towards Bonnie, pointing his pinky at her.
Bonnie grinned and nodded at him. Ash looked at his friends and gave them one last smile before turning around and walked away.
Ash missed his friends. Not only Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie but all his friends from his different adventures. It had been so long since he had last seen them. He wondered about how they are doing. He wished he could see all of them again.
He was broken out of his daydream when he bumped into someone. Fortunately, both managed to steady themselves before they fell.
"Sorry about that." Ash apologized. "I wasn't paying attention."
"It's fine." The other guy said. "I wasn't paying attention either." Ash studied the person he bumped into. He seemed to be only a little bit older than him. He had messy black hair that seemed to change to blue under the sunlight. He was wearing a dark blue hoodie with a strange symbol on it. He was also wearing a pair of jeans along with a pair of dark blue sneakers with white lightning stripes on them.
The guy looked at his watch and his eyes widened. "Well, again, sorry about that. But I have to get going or I'm going to be late." The guy said. "See you around." He then walked away with his hands in his hoodie's pocket
"What an interesting guy," Ash muttered to himself. He was about to continue his journey when he was stopped by a voice that Ash recognized.
"Ash!" Ash's eyes widened when he heard the voice. He turned around towards the source of the voice and sure enough, there, running towards him was none other than one of his best friend Dawn.
"Dawn!" Ash said as Dawn hugged him. Ash responded instantly and hugged her back.
"What are you doing here?" Ash asked as they separated from their hug.
"I heard about you getting runner-up in the Kalos League," Dawn said. "I thought I would come and congratulate you in person. So, Congratulations! You're one step closer to your dream! And I'm sure you'll win the next league."
Ash smiled at Dawn. She was a key part of his journey in Sinnoh. She would always be there to cheer him up and she would always support him in his gym battles. He never told anyone this but to him, Dawn was his sister in everything but blood.
"Thanks, Dawn," Ash said. "That means a lot to me."
"'No need to worry!', right?" Dawn said, quoting her catchphrase.
"Pip-plup!" Ash turned and saw Dawn's partner, Piplup, next to her on the ground.
"Sorry about that Piplup" Dawn said as she picked her partner up and held him in her hands.
"Plup!" Piplup cried out happily.
Ash smiled at Dawn and Piplup's interaction.
"So, how have you two been?" Ash asked.
"We've been fine," Dawn said. "We've been training hard to make sure we win the next Grand Festival. Unova's going to have its first Grand Festival this year, so I'm to go there and I'm going to win!" She exclaimed with determination while Piplup copied her.
She then looked at Ash and noticed that something, or rather someone, is missing.
"Hey, where's Pikachu?" Dawn asked while looking around in search of the yellow mouse.
"He's not here," Ash said with a frown. "He's back at my home at Pallet Town. I don't know why but he seems to be a little bit distant this past month. I think he's disappointed that we didn't win the Lumiose Conference" It hurt Ash to say it, but it was true. Pikachu had been acting distant from him. He would often stay at home when Ash leaves the house, and he didn't seem to be as cheerful and energized as before.
"I'm sure that's not it, Ash," Dawn said trying to cheer Ash up. "I'm sure that he's just tired."
Ash smiled gratefully at Dawn. "Thanks, Dawn," He said. "I'm sure you're right"
Dawn smile at Ash. "'No need to worry!', right?" Dawn said, quoting her catchphrase. "Also, what are you doing here, in Viridian City?" Dawn asked.
Ash lifted Professor Oak's package. "I'm helping out Professor Oak," He told her. "This is an important package and he asked me to get it for him. He would have done it himself but there's a trainer that's coming here to grab his Pokémon and he must be there to wait for him. Of course, Gary's out of town doing his research"
Dawn nodded in understanding.
"Well, can we come along?" Dawn asked. "I did come here to spend time with you after all"
"Sure," Ash said. "The more the merrier right?"
Dawn smiled. "What are we waiting for then? Let's go!"
"All 8 gym leaders?" Dawn asked. During the journey, the two of them had decided to share stories of what they've been doing, and Ash was currently telling her about the Kalos Crisis.
"All 7 gym leaders, since Clemont wasn't with them," Ash said. "Along with Diantha, the Kalos Champion"
"Wow," Dawn said in amazement. Doesn't matter how many times she heard it; she could never wrap her head around Ash's crazy luck.
"Well, we're here," Ash said. Dawn was broken out of her thoughts and she looked around. Sure enough, they were right in front of the entrance of Professor Oak's lab.
"That was quick" Dawn said.
"Time sure flies when you're having fun," Ash said. "Come on"
Ash and Dawn climbed up the stairs up to the entrance. They stopped in front of the door and Ash knocked on the door.
"Come in!" A voice came from inside. Ash opened the door and He and Dawn then walked in. There, they found Professor Oak along with a familiar purple haired trainer.
"Paul!" Ash and Dawn exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?" Ash asked.
Paul looked at them with a blank expression. "I'm here to collect my Pokemons," He said simply.
"Ash, my boy!" Oak greeted. "I see you managed to get the package with no problems"
Ash smiled at Professor Oak. "Yeah," Ash said as he handed over the package. That was when Professor Oak noticed Dawn.
"And I see you brought Dawn along with you," Professor Oak said. "A pleasure to finally meet you in person Dawn" Professor Oak extended his hand to Dawn, who took it.
"The pleasure is all mine Professor," Dawn said as she shook Professor Oak's hand.
"Say, Paul, I didn't know you've been to Kanto before," Ash said.
"I've been here once before when I challenged the Kanto League," Paul said. "Unfortunately, I lost. But I came back here this time to challenge the Battle Frontier"
"Did you win?" Dawn asked.
Paul shook his head. "I lost to Brandon again," Paul said. "Right now, I'm planning to go to another region to challenge another league and get stronger. One day I'll come back here and challenge the Battle Frontier again"
Professor Oak chuckled as he approached them. "It seems that to this day you are still the only trainer who managed to beat the Battle Frontier," Oak said to Ash. He then turned towards Paul. "The transfer station is set up and ready to go," Oak said.
"Thank you, Professor. Just give me a minute." Paul said. He then turned towards Ash. "You've defeated the Battle Frontier?" He asked.
Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah," He said. "A few years ago. Just before I went to Sinnoh."
Paul looked at Ash with respect. "Impressive," Paul said. "It seems that you truly were the better one between the two of us."
"It's, not that big of a deal honestly," Ash said.
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Ash, no one else has managed to beat the Battle Frontier even to this day," She said. "Besides, you managed to get the Runner-Up position in the Kalos League 2 months ago. And you saved the world, again." Dawn made sure to emphasize 'again'.
Ash blushed a little at the praise before giving Dawn a mock glare. "You didn't have to tell him that." He said.
Dawn grinned. "What? It's true." She said.
Paul chuckled lightly at their antics. "So, what are you going to do now Ash?" He asked.
Ash turned to him and thought about it. "I think I'm going to go to a new region and challenge the League there," Ash said. He then asked Paul. "How about you?"
Paul looked thoughtful. "I think I'm going to do the same. But this time, I'll do it the way you do it. By starting from scratch" He said. "I think I might go to Kalos or Unova"
Ash nodded. "Alright. It's your decision" He said.
"Yeah" Dawn added. "And I'm glad you're no longer the same jerk from 2 years ago"
Paul nodded. "Me too," he said. "I guess I'll see you around." He then walked over to the transfer station.
"Yeah!" Ash said. He then turned towards where the Professor was. "Professor, me and Dawn are leaving, alright?" He spoke.
"Alright, Ash" Oak said. "Thank you for helping me get the package. Oh, and before you go, I just remembered that Misty and Brock were here earlier today"
Ash looks surprised. "Misty and Brock?" Ash asked. "What were they doing here?"
"I'm not sure," Oak said. "They just said that they wanted to visit the ranch, so I let them."
"Speaking of Misty," Dawn said. "She called me a few weeks ago. She asked me some questions about you winning the league."
"Weird," Ash said.
"Yeah, but I'm sure it's nothing. They're probably here for the same reason I am" Dawn shrugged. "You know, to congratulate you."
"Maybe," Ash said. "Well, we should get going now. Bye Professor!"
"Goodbye Ash" Professor Oak said as Ash and Dawn went out of the lab.
"So, where to now?" Dawn asked.
"Now, we go to my house," Ash said. "I'm sure my mom would love to meet you"
Dawn chuckled. "Alright then, lead the way"
The two of them started to walk in the direction of Ash's home, blissfully unaware of what's happening there.
"Come on Dawn!" Ash said as he ran the final length towards his house.
"Ash, wait up!" Dawn said as he followed behind Ash. The two of them stopped in front of the Ketchum's house. There, Ash went to the door and opened it.
"Mom! I'm home!" Ash said as he entered. "And I brought a friend!"
The first thing that Ash noticed was that there were many different pairs of shoes, and he knew for a fact that they weren't his or his mother's.
"Welcome back Ash," Delia said as she walked up to greet Ash. She then turned towards Dawn. "And you're Dawn right?" Delia said.
"Yeah," Dawn said. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Ketchum."
Delia smiled at Dawn. "Please, dear, just Delia is fine," Delia said.
"Thank you, Delia," Dawn said.
"Hey mom," Ash said. "Do we have guests?"
Delia's smile wavered for a second. "Yeah." She said. "This is something important concerning you."
"Me?" Ash asked.
Delia nodded. "Come on," She said. She then walked away towards the living room.
Ash exchanged a look with Dawn before following his mother. As they got closer to the living room, they could hear a conversation going on inside.
"It's for the best!" A voice that Ash recognized came from the living room.
"Is that Misty?" Ash muttered to himself.
"How is it for the best?" Another voice came from inside. Ash recognized it as Iris's voice.
"Yeah!" A childish voice shouted. "Ash shouldn't just stop because of a few losses!"
At this point, Ash and Dawn had already arrived in front of the living room. They stopped at the entrance and surveyed the room. The people inside didn't seem to realize that they were there.
Ash looked around the room as he saw that many of his friends were there. On the right side of the room, there were Misty and Brock, who were sitting on one of the sofas. Misty looked annoyed while Brock has a blank look on his face. Next to them was Tracey, who was also sitting on the sofa. He seemed to be uncomfortable being there.
On the left side of the room, also sitting on one of the sofas were May, Serena, and Clemont. Serena had a faraway look on her face, which Ash thought was weird. May seemed to be as annoyed as Misty while Clemont seemed to be downright angry.
The object of Clemont's anger was standing in front of the third sofa in the room. Bonnie was looking at Misty with even more anger than Clemont. Behind her, Iris and Cilan sat on the sofa. Iris seemed to also be angry while Cilan had a dumbstruck look on his face.
On the table in the middle of the sofas was Pikachu, who, like Tracey, seemed uncomfortable.
Ash then turned towards the corner of the room. There, standing with a blank look on her face, was Ash's mother, Delia.
Ash once again exchanged a look with Dawn before entering the room. The moment they entered, silence spread across the room. Everyone, except Delia, was surprised. It seems that they didn't hear Ash's yell earlier.
Ash smiled at them. He might not know what is going on but seeing all his friends again really made him happy.
"Hey, guys," Ash said. "What are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you, it's just, surprising"
"Yeah," Dawn said. "I thought you were going to go back to Hoenn, May"
Misty sighed. "Ash, there's something we want to talk about," She said.
"NO!" Iris said. "There's nothing to talk about!"
Misty glared at Iris and Iris glared back.
"It's for the best!" Misty said. "And besides, the decision should be on him. So, shut up!"
Iris looked like she was about to strangle Misty but contained herself. "Fine," She said. "But I'm telling you now, there's no way Ash would ever even think about doing it"
Ash grew even more confused. What were they talking about?
"Umm, sorry to interrupt," Ash said. "But what's going on?"
Misty turned towards him. She stared at him for a while before turning towards Clemont.
"Clemont, you do it," She said.
"What?" Clemont exclaimed. "Why me? You're his oldest friend here."
"But you were the one that came up with this!"
"But-"
"Enough!" May interrupted Clemont. "I'll do it" She took a deep breath and looked directly into Ash's eyes. "Ash," She said softly. "We think you should stop"
Ash didn't think he could get even more confused. "Stop?" Ash said. "Stop what?"
"We think you should stop trying to become a Pokemon Master" This time it was Brock who said it.
Ash was speechless. Stop trying to achieve his dream? Why would they even suggest that?
"W-what?" Ash finally managed to say. "What do you mean? I can't do that. It's my dream!"
Clemont sighed. "Ash you've been doing this for 5 years now. Nearly 6. Don't you think it's time you sit down and start considering your future?"
"I've already decided my future," Ash said. "I'm going to become a Pokemon Master."
"Ash," Misty said. "I know that your dream means a lot to you but think about your future. You can't spend your entire life like this."
Ash stared at her. "What do you mean my entire life?" Ash asked. Misty didn't answer and looked away. Ash turned to look at the others but most of them just looked away. The only ones who were different were Iris, Cilan, and Bonnie. Iris and Bonnie were glaring at Misty while Cilan gave him a sympathetic look.
Ash looked next to him at Dawn and saw her thoughtful look. Her eyes then widened in realization and she joined Iris and Bonnie in glaring at the others.
Ash thought hard about it. What did Misty mean by his entire life? So far, he's been challenging Leagues and going to another region when he loses. "Oh," Realization dawned on Ash's face. Ash looked down at the floor.
"You think I can't win a league, don't you?" Ash said, still looking to the ground. Dawn stopped glaring at Misty and looked at Ash in worry.
"NO!" Misty said. "O-of course not," Misty said.
"Y-yeah," Clemont said. "It's just that, even if you do win a league, you still have to face the champion, who is on another level entirely"
Ash looked at Clemont, then Misty, then everyone else. He saw Cilan gave him a supportive look, along with Bonnie, showing that they still believe in him. Iris was still glaring, only she was now glaring at everyone else, not just Misty. Ash felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Dawn giving him an encouraging smile.
Ash then looked at the table, where Pikachu was standing. "What about you Pikachu?" Ash asked. "Do you agree with them?"
Pikachu looked at him with a pleading look. "Pika," Pikachu said. "Pika-Pika!"
Ash didn't say anything. He knew what those words meant. He had learned to understand Pikachu during their five years together. So, he knew that Pikachu agreed with Misty.
Ash then turned towards Serena. "Serena, you too?" Ash asked.
Serena just gave him a blank look. "I'm sorry Ash but it's for the best," She said in a flat tone. Ash had no idea what to make of Serena. He had never seen her act like this before, but he ignored it for now.
Ash then turned towards the corner of the room. "Mom," Ash said. "Please don't tell me you agree to this"
Delia looked at Ash with the same pleading look as Pikachu. "Ash, please," Delia said. "You're always away from home getting involved in dangerous situations. I think this is for the best Ash"
Ash looked down towards the floor. He couldn't believe that this was happening. He felt Dawn's hand squeeze his shoulder and he looked towards her. Dawn gave him a sad yet supportive look. Ash then turned towards Iris, Clemont, and Bonnie. They were looking at Ash with the same expression that Dawn was. Ash felt happy that some of his friends still believe in him.
Ash took a deep breath and looked towards his other friends. "No," Ash said. "I'm not going to give up. I'm going to keep on traveling the world and challenging the leagues in various regions. One day, I'll become a true Pokemon Master!" Ash declared.
"WHAT?" Misty said. "Ash listen to yourself! You're just chasing a childish dream" Misty exclaimed as her anger rose. "Look, even some of your Pokémon agree!" She and Brock then took out some Pokeballs and released the Pokémon inside. Much to Ash's horror, Muk, Heracross, and Kingler came out of the Pokeball.
"Wha-what?" Ash said. "You guys agree with them?"
"Muk," Muk said in a pleading tone.
"Cross" Heracross followed. Kingler also joined in. It hurts Ash to see his Pokémon losing faith in him, but he can't fault them.
"Muk, Kingler, Heracross" Ash said. "I'm sorry but I can't just give up. I understand if you don't want to stay with me anymore. I hope you have a good life."
The others were shocked. Did Ash just let his Pokemon go?
"And Pikachu," Ash said as he turned towards the yellow mouse. "I understand that you're disappointed and I'm sorry I wasn't good enough for you" Ash took out a Pokeball from his pocket. A Pokeball that he has barely ever taken out but always carries with him. The Pokeball had a yellow lightning pattern on it, right above the button. This was Pikachu's Pokeball.
"I truly hope you can find someone better than me," Ash said as he pressed and held the button on the Pokeball. The ring around the button then glowed red as Ah pressed the button again, releasing Pikachu. He then tossed the Pokeball on the ground before turning around and leaving.
Everyone was shocked. Ash released Pikachu. No one could have ever predicted this.
Dawn was the first to break out from her shock. She didn't waste any time and went out after Ash immediately.
"So," Clemont said when he got over the shock. "What should we do now?"
"Leave him be" Misty said. "Sooner or later, he would realize that we're right and he'll come running back to us"
That was when Iris snapped.
"I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!" Iris yelled. She stood up from the sofa and glared at pretty much everyone in the room. "How could you all do that!? Ash has helped all of you and this is how you repay him. Me and Ash might argue a lot, but we care about each other and we will always support each other in everything we do! I left my village to prove that I can be a Dragon Master and Ash has supported me all the way through. He didn't even care that I always insulted him"
Everyone was shocked by Iris's outburst. They knew that Iris gets angry easily, but they didn't know she cared that much for Ash. They were so shocked that they didn't notice Bonnie take a Pokeball from Clemont's bag and left.
"That's right," Cilan said "Ash's battling has the most unique flavor to it than any other trainers I've seen. If anyone can become a Pokémon Master than it's Ash"
"I hope you're all happy with this cause if I was Ash then I wouldn't anything to do with any of you people!" Iris said before turning around and leaving to follow Ash. Cilan threw the others one last disappointed look before following her.
"Iris is right," Tracey said as he stood up. "Ash is a wonderful person. We had no right to decide his future for him" He didn't say anything as he left the room.
Ash was confused. He felt as if someone just took every information in the Pokédex and placed it in his brain.
'Why?' Ash asked himself. 'Why don't they think I'm good enough?' He kept on repeating this question as he walked. He didn't know where he was going, he only knew that he had to clear his mind.
He might not show it but what Misty and the others said did affect him.
"ASH!" Ash turned his head to the side and saw Dawn next to him.
"Are you alright?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, why?" Ash asked.
Dawn sighed. "Ash, I've been calling your name for the last ten minutes. It's clear that you're not fine." Dawn looked at Ash with worry in her eyes.
"Listen, Ash," Dawn said. "What Misty said… You shouldn't worry about it. They don't know what they're talking about. They're wrong cause I know you. And I know that you're a great trainer. A trainer who will eventually become a Pokémon Master."
Ash looked at Dawn with sadness. "How can you be so sure?" Ash said. "You heard what they said and it's true. So far I've never beaten any league whatsoever and maybe I never will."
Dawn looked at Ash for a second before doing something unexpected. She slapped Ash. "Ash listen to yourself!" Dawn said angrily. "Are you going to give up just because those jerks said that you can't do it? The Ash I know wouldn't care at all. The Ash I know will do everything to prove them wrong."
"B-but I-"
"No buts" Dawn interrupted Ash. "Answer me. How far did you get in the Kanto League?"
"I got to Top 16," Ash said.
"Now what about the Johto League?"
"Top 8 but-"
"How about Hoenn" Dawn once again interrupted Ash. "How far did you get?"
"I got to Top 8," Ash said.
"Now Sinnoh"
"Top 4," Ash said.
"Unova?"
Ash sighed. "Top 8"
"Now your most recent League, Kalos"
"Runner-Up" Ash answered. Seeing that Dawn was done with the questions Ash decided to ask his own. "So, what does this have to do with anything?"
"Can't you see?" Dawn said. "In every league that you enter, you always go up the rank. Of course, Unova was an exception but still!"
Ash thought it over and realized that Dawn was right. He had been getting better.
"And not to mention Orange Islands and the Battle Frontier as well!" Dawn said. "For a trainer, your achievements are incredible Ash."
"Yeah," Ash said. "Yeah, you're right. I can't give up because of this. I'm going to keep on moving forward and one day I'll become a Pokémon Master."
"Now that's the Ash I know," Dawn said.
Ash turned toward Dawn. "Thanks, Dawn, I needed that," Ash said. "You have always been there for me. I don't know how I can repay you."
Dawn grinned at Ash. "Don't worry about it," Dawn said. "You have also been there to cheer for me and besides, I consider you the brother I never had, so It's part of the job to cheer you up."
Ash smiled at Dawn. The fact that Dawn thought of him as a brother brought joy to his heart.
"Thanks, Dawn," Ash said. "You know, I consider you a sister too you know."
Dawn grinned as she raised her hand above her head. Ash understood what she was doing and raised his hand. The two of them did their signature high five and laughed.
"Hey what about me!?" A voice called out next to them. The two of them turned and saw Bonnie standing there.
"I want to be Ash's sister too!" Bonnie said as she hugged Ash tightly. "Please Ash, can I be your little sister?"
Ash smiled at Bonnie's antics. "Of course, Bonnie!" Ash said with a laugh.
"Really? Yay!" Bonnie let go of Ash and started jumping up and down in joy.
"You know, we came here to cheer you up but it looks like Dawn beat us to it," Iris said as she walked up to them with Cilan following behind her.
"It's alright," Ash said. "Just, knowing that you guys still believe in me is enough for me."
Iris smiled at him. "Shuckles," Iris said. "You're all grown up now so I guess I can't call you a kid anymore"
Ash laughed. "Annoying till the end," Ash said.
"Hey, Ash" A voice called out. Ash and the others turned and saw Tracey walking up to them.
"I wanted to say I'm sorry," Tracey said. "Sorry for not believing in you. I should have known better." Tracey then looked down to the ground in shame.
Ash smiled at Tracey. "It's alright Tracey," Ash said. "No harm is done right?"
Tracey looked at Ash and saw that he was being sincere. He then smiled in gratitude. "Thank you, Ash," Tracey said.
"Don't mention it" Ash said. Dawn, Iris, Cilan, and Bonnie smiled, knowing how kind Ash is.
"So, what are you going to do now Ash?" Dawn asked.
"For now I'm going o look for someplace to stay," Ash said while looking upwards. The sky was already turning orange as the sun had already started setting.
"You can stay at Professor Oak's lab," Tracey said. "I'm sure he won't mind"
Ash smiled at Tracey. "Thanks, Tracey" He then turned towards his other friends. "What about you guys?"
"I need to leave soon," Dawn said. "I'm going straight to Unova and the flight is scheduled for tonight"
Iris blinked. "Really?" She asked. "It wouldn't happen to be Dragonite Airlines Flight 0106 would it?"
Dawn looked surprised. "It is," She said. "How did you know?"
"That's the same flight as ours!" Iris said.
"Then we can go together," Cilan said.
"Good for you guys," Ash said. He then turned towards bonnie. "What about you Bonnie?" Ash asked.
"Can't I come with you?" Bonnie said.
Ash sighed. "You can't Bonnie," Ash said. "You're not old enough yet but remember" Ash pointed out his pinky finger to her as he crouched down. "I'll come to get you when you turn ten"
Bonnie brightened up immediately before frowning again. "But I don't want to go back with Clemont," Bonnie said.
Ash thought about it and an idea came to him. "I think I have a solution," Ash said. "But we should hurry up"
"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now," Dawn said.
"Yeah" Iris agreed.
"Of course, goodbyes aren't forever as we will see you again Ash," Cilan said.
Dawn hugged Ash one last time, a hug that Ash returned. "I love you brother" Dawn whispered so only Ash could hear.
"I love you too sis" Ash whispered back. Dawn let go of Ash and with one last smile, she left alongside Iris and Cilan.
"So, where are we going now?" Bonnie asked.
"Professor Oak's lab," Ash said.
"Wait, what about Bonnie?" Tracey asked.
"Trust me," Ash said. Bonnie and Tracey didn't say anything and just followed Ash.
"Professor Oak!" Tracey called out as he entered the lab. "I'm back! And Ash is with me!"
"Welcome back!" Oak greeted. "And welcome to you too Ash! And who might this young lady be?" Oak asked, looking at Bonnie.
"I'm Bonnie!" Bonnie introduced herself. "And this is Dedenne!'
"Denene!"
"What an energetic Pokemon!" Professor Oak said.
"Ash needs a place to stay Professor," Tracey said. The Professor looked at Tracey with a questioning look. Tracey sighed and explained everything to him.
"So that's why Muk, Heracross, and Kingler went missing," Oak said.
"Yeah" Ash sighed.
"Tracey, go make sure that no other Pokemons are missing," Oak told Tracey.
"Are you alright?" A voice came from behind them. Ash jumped and turned around quickly, only to find Paul standing there.
"Oh, it's you," Ash said. "And yeah, I'm fine. Dawn and the others helped."
Paul nodded. "Good," Paul said. "I've battled you multiple times and you've earned my respect. I know that you can be a Pokemon Master one day" Paul then smirked. "Though I won't just step down and let you through easily"
Ash grinned. "I would be mad if you did," Ash said. "But right now, I need your help."
Paul raised an eyebrow. "What kind of help?"
"You said you were going to challenge the Kalos League right?" Ash said.
"Either Kalos or Unova yeah"
"Well, I need you to get Bonnie home," Ash said. "She refused to go back with Clemont."
Paul looked at Bonnie. "Are you sure you're willing to trust me to take care of her?" Paul asked.
"I'm sure you'll do fine," Ash said. "Just like how I have your respect, you also have my respect"
Ash then smirked. "Besides, we're friends, right?"
Paul raised an eyebrow at Ash before chuckling. "Whatever you say, Ketchum," He said to Ash. He then turned towards Bonnie. "You there kid, if you want to come then come on. I won't stop just to wait for you" Paul said before he walked towards the door.
Bonnie grinned. "YES SIR!" She saluted. She said a quick 'bye' to Ash before running to follow Paul.
Ash grinned at bonnie's antics. "Paul's in for one heck of a ride with Bonnie along," Ash said.
"So, you need a place to stay Ash?" Oak said.
"Yeah," Ash said.
"Of course you can stay here," Oak said. "And before I forget, here" Oak took something from the table and gave it to Ash.
Ash took it and saw that it was a kind of phone. It was red and it was small enough for him to keep it in his pocket.
"What's this?" Ah asked.
"That is a Rotom Phone," Oak said. "It is the new generation of Pokedex that isn't released to the public yet. I was given one early to give to someone because I helped create it. That was what the package you retrieved for me earlier contained."
"Woah," Ash said. "What does it do?"
"It is, of course, a Pokedex. However, since it uses the new online database, you can easily get information on any pokemon from all around the world. Aside from the Pokedex feature, it also has many other features such as a camera, a call function, a net browser, and many other functions. To top it all, it, as the name suggests, has a Rotom in it that will help you in managing everything. It will also prevent anyone other than you and the people you trust from using the phone. Of course, it also has all your identification installed on it and it is linked with your trainer account"
"I-I don't know what to say Professor" Ash said in awe. "Thank you"
"Don't mention it Ash" Oak said. "It is my pleasure o help you. Especially seeing how much potential you have."
"Still, thank you," Ash said.
"I'm guessing you want to take some rest now?" Oak asked.
"Yeah," Ash said. "But first, I need to see my Pokemons"
"Of course!" Oak said. "Just let me gather them up"
Fifteen minutes later, Ash was standing in the middle of the ranch. In front of him, All of his Pokemon except for Muk, Heracross, Kingler, Pikachu, and a few others, were gathered.
"Hey, guys," Ash said. "I'm sure you've noticed that some of you are missing right?"
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur said.
"Well, here's what happened," Ash said. He then proceeded to tell them everything that had happened earlier that day. After he was done, he sighed and looked at the ground.
"If any of you agree with them, and if you don't want to stay with me anymore, then I understand," Ash said, still looking at the ground. "I will release you if you want" It hurts him to say it but it was true. If his Pokemon weren't happy with him then he would release them in the hope that they can find a better trainer.
Ash didn't know what he was expecting, but he wasn't expecting to almost get crashed in a dogpile of Pokemon. It was only because of Bulbasaur who stopped most of the other Pokemons that he was still alive.
Once he was out of the dogpile, Ash looked at his Pokemons. "You guys," Ash said. "You want to stay with me?"
All the Pokemon cried out happily. Ash felt tears came to his eyes. Almost all his Pokemon still believe in him, and it made him happy.
"Thanks, guys," Ash said. He lifted his arms and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I'm planning on going to a new region. I want to prove the others wrong so I can't bring you with me"
The Pokemon all look at him questioningly.
"But don't worry alright," Ash said. "One day, when I've become the champion, and I will be, I will come back for you and then we'll all get stronger, together"
The Pokemons all cried out in joy. Ash sat there and watched his Pokemon. He then looked up towards the sky. The skies were covered in stars that glittered like diamonds.
'One day' Ash thought to himself. 'One day, I'll prove to everyone that I can do it'