Obviously, I don't own the Pokémon franchise, which includes anime, but also the Pokémon games, movies, and manga series. Pokémon, its characters, logos, and related content are the intellectual property of Game Freak, Nintendo, Creatures Inc., and The Pokémon Company. I do not claim ownership over any official Pokémon material.


If I had to name one franchise that defined my childhood, the answer would be quick and obvious: between the games, the manga, and of course, the anime.

I think that, unconsciously, even after I stopped watching the Pokémon anime as I got older, the thought of creating something related to it always lingered in my mind.

And with the conclusion of Ash's journey, I realized just how many things I had imagined as a child about how it might end.

However, watching the finale, I could almost anticipate how my younger self might have felt. It wasn't disappointment that would have overwhelmed me, but rather a feeling of something left unfinished.

Why was that? After all, Ash had achieved his goal—he had become the world's greatest Pokémon trainer after a long journey.

Had I grown so much that I felt nothing, having become bitter about how long it took? Had I, as a kid, imagined a more spectacular end to his adventure? Or was it perhaps the flaws in the anime, especially in its final season, that tainted the experience enough to frustrate me? (I think that was part of it.)

Even though there were many theories about the cause, I couldn't quite put my finger on the discomfort I had with the ending.

That is, until I learned about the story of the late Takeshi Shudo, the original writer for the anime and the first three Pokémon movies.

His dedication, which helped shape an entire generation with the anime, his ambitious ideas for the franchise, and the tragic end of this brilliant creator—I encourage you to look into his story if you're curious, because with a few twists of fate, the trajectory of the Pokémon franchise might have been very different.

What stood out to me in understanding my thoughts was the original concept he had for the first season of the anime, particularly for Ash. His writings about what Ash's past in Pallet Town might have been like, and his relationship with his parents, made me realize something. I understood that the sense of something incomplete may have been tied to the very foundation of Ash's character.

I could then imagine the frustration Shudo must have felt, not knowing what to do with the character when he was essentially prevented from allowing Ash to grow in any way other than his journey as a trainer.

Of course, I'm not ignoring the fact that Ash evolved as a character throughout his many regional adventures. His personality changed somewhat, depending on the interpretation of each writer that followed Shudo, leading to versions of Ash that fans either liked or didn't like, though the core of his character remained the same. It was the same treatment for the other protagonists in the last season, even if some of them had special treatment outside of their original series.

That being said, despite many well-written episodes throughout the anime, it wasn't until I stumbled across an OVA that I felt like I rediscovered Ash in a new light—an angle that came closer to the more mature vision Shudo originally had for the anime and for Ash.

When I talk about maturity, I'm not saying that the story needed more deaths or realism. Rather, it could have provided deeper meaning to Ash's journey and the fulfillment of his dream.

The quest to become a Pokémon Master could have had a more personal significance for Ash, something more than just a goal to reach because it was his dream to be the best. Or, later, to just travel as an excuse to avoid staying home with his mom—*cough* I mean, to discover new regions and Pokémons, because the unclear adventure of a World Champion must go on... offscreen!

By staying too safe, always with the excuse of targeting kids, the intended audience, the show avoided taking risks by limiting creative choices for their characters. Even if Ash returns in the anime as an adult, I don't think it would solve most of the issues I mentioned before.

And it's through all these reflections that I found the motivation to try my hand at interpreting a sequel story of the anime in my own way, like many interesting writers on the site did before me!

Although this is my first fanfiction and English isn't my native language, I still hope you'll enjoy the ride as much as I did while creating it!

To be clear, here are a few guidelines I've set for myself:

This story is based primarily on events from the Pokémon anime.

While I draw inspiration from Mr. Shudo's ambitious vision for the franchise and some details from his drafts regarding the character's backstory, I don't intend to mimic or carry forward his ideas exactly as he envisioned.

The tone of the story will strive to stay true to the global spirit of the anime, as a tribute to all the writers who have worked on it over the years.

The main difference will be the new themes, evolutions, and a focus on human development rather than Pokemon teams becoming stronger. However,

I'm allowing myself to change certain details from the canon.

For the following reasons:

- If side characters have concepts that are too similar or inconsistent with the universe, I'll adjust their backstories to better serve the narrative without changing the core of the characters.

- If the main characters have personalities or physical traits that are too similar, I'll emphasize specific traits to avoid repetition and enhance interesting interactions, something that was sometimes lacking in the anime. For their physical appearance, I'll use references from other media.

(For example: Dawn's eyes will be darker, more like her in-game version or Akari from *Legends: Arceus*.)

- And to be honest, if I stuck 100% to the anime's logic, no one would age. Some characters would still look the same as they did in their first appearance (*cough* Dawn), and romance would remain a taboo subject for most characters, which would make it hard to develop teenage characters properly. While romance will play a bigger role, don't worry—it won't turn into a Netflix drama. It's Pokémon, not *Date-a-Mon*!

Lastly…

I will be drawing one or more illustrations for each chapter.

That's a personal goal of mine! There may be delays between chapter releases and illustrations if I feel the need to revise a chapter that I'm not satisfied with. For now, I'm aiming to release one chapter per month, with the hope of publishing more frequently in the future.

As for where I'll share the illustrations, I'll provide more information in the chapter notes if you're interested!

Thank you to everyone who read through this entire introduction. I hope you will enjoy this new adventure for me in the Pokemon World!

See yah later !