Phoenix Academy - The Stray Pokémon

by AmourshippingCanon

When Ash Ketchum is surprisingly admitted to the prestigious Phoenix Academy, his dreams seem closer to reality than ever before. However, admission is only the first step, as Ash is forced to navigate many new challenges as his journey begins. From new Pokémon, friends and rivals, to a resurgent criminal organization, just what awaits this aspiring Pokémon Master?

Author's Note:

HELLOOOOOOO! I'm baaaaacccckkkk! Long time no see my little Poliwags! And boy do I have a little surprise for you all. But first, some stuff to explain.

It's been nearly 9 years since I started Gotta Catch That One.It's been...what...four years since I finished Lumiose University. Lots has happened, hasn't it? Well, some of you may also know I wrote a Bonnie adventure story, too. Unfortunately, that never took off. Whether due to lack of consistency or lack of interest in the character I don't know. I think both from reader's end and my end it just wasn't working out. So update on that...Generation Z is on an indefinite hiatus. I've also dabbled in some original story writing. For those on Wattpad, you can check out my early original works on this account (and my previously mentioned fanfic works on AmourshippingDude for the record). For those reading on FanFiction, you can check the original work out on FictionPress, Royal Road, or, again, Wattpad through the name KPWrites22.

Anyway, I've come to realize I need to get that spark from a few years ago back. Ideally, I'd love for you all to check out my original work, but I realize I've gotta continue building my writing skills and my overall consistency and get the audience built up as well. So that's why we're here. We've got...a brand new Pokémon fanfic series here! And yes, it's another school one. But of course, this one's going to be quite different from Lumiose University. I'd say this is more like a...Pokémon meets Harry Potter kind of thing. Essentially, Ash's journey starts from zero here and I'll be doing my own thing with it from the school perspective. But of course...a more fun school. And if you find yourself enjoying this series, I hope you check out my original work. I'll be working on two original stories alongside this one. One will be a fantasy reincarnation series titled, Threads of the Chosen, and the other will be a rom-com slice of life story titled, Better To Be Loved Than Lost. Threads will be a slightly more consistent update, while the other will be more occasional. Phoenix Academy, though, will be the most consistent. My ideal schedule will be Friday updates for "Fanfic Fridays", and Wednesdays for original works with Thursday as a bonus day if I'm having a good week. Original works may not come every week, but fanfics will be close to weekly if not definitely weekly. But consistent updates will not begin until March 8th! We're going to have a special celebration for the anniversary of Gotta Catch That One which will then kick off the hopefully exciting new era of my writing.

But enough about that. Please enjoy chapter 1 of...Phoenix Academy.

Chapter 1: A Cliffhanger

The crowd roared in excitement, the cheers and screams echoing like thunder around the stadium as Nidorino charged forward, a large horn protruding from its head as it did so, aimed straight for the dark, ghostly Pokémon ahead of it. It thrust its horn forward, its light, purple body carried by the momentum of its attack, sliding just underneath the Gengar it was aiming for, the Ghost and Poison-type Pokémon easily jumping over, landing a small kick on Nidorino's head as it avoided the strike.

"And Nidorino begins the battle with a Horn Attack!" the announcer shouted, his voice ringing throughout the arena as he commented on the battle. "But Gengar bounces right back!"

"Gengarrr!" the Shadow Pokémon then called out, its menacing eyes locking on to Nidorino as it turned around. "Garrr!" it then hissed, smirking as it raised its arms up, a dark aura surrounding it. Immediately, Nidorino's eyelids began to grow heavy, the Poison Pin Pokémon stumbling as its knees buckled underneath it.

"And there it is! A Hypnosis from Gengar!" the announcer informed the crowd, the gasps heard around the stadium as the attack landed fully. "This could be the end of Nidorino!" A moment later, however, a red beam shot out from one side of the field, Nidorino's Trainer recalling the hypnotized Pokémon back into its Poké Ball. "Wait! Nidorino has been recalled! Who will be next?" came the question, just as the Trainer threw out the next Poké Ball, the light flashing brightly before a massive, serpentine Pokémon emerged, its body appearing like a chain of boulders, with the largest as its head. "Oh, it's Onix! Now this giant Pokémon is on the attack!"

Onix wasted no time in lunging forward, crashing its head towards Gengar, who swiftly jumped out of the way. "Owarrr!" it cried out, rearing its head back as Gengar glared up at it in challenge.

"Gengar is moving beautifully today!" the announcer stated, he and the crowd in awe of the Shadow Pokémon's speed. "Its training is top notch!"

Once more, the two Pokémon charged towards each other, the crowd roaring again in approval for the two high level battlers. The stadium appeared to shake with the thunderous applause as each side exchanged blows. With each and every hit, the announcer grew louder and louder with his own cries of excitement.

And sitting at home, watching on the television in his room, Ash Ketchum, a boy of ten, imagined that he was in that stadium.

"Yes!" he whispered to himself, pumping his fist in excitement as he watched the battle, thinking of how one day soon, he would be one of those Trainers, battling it out in that packed stadium. "I'll get my Junior Trainer's Permit, I'll study at one of the top schools in Kanto, I'll earn my League Trainer's License and I'll become a Pokémon Master!"

Suddenly, there was a noise outside of Ash's bedroom, and he turned in surprise as the door opened, his mother, Delia Ketchum, standing there with wide, angry eyes. "Ash!" she snapped, her eyes going to the baseball cap on his head, his raven-colored hair poking out from underneath it. "Get to bed! It's eleven o'clock and you should be asleep!"

Ash dropped down, folding his arms onto a Snorlax pillow that was lying on the ground in front of him. "But tomorrow I get my Junior Trainer's Permit at Professor Oak's Junior Trainer Camp," he said sulkily. "I can't sleep."

Delia sighed, glancing at the TV, before reaching over to where the remote was resting on a nearby shelf. "Well, if you can't sleep, you should at least get ready for tomorrow." She clicked the remote, and the station immediately changed from the fierce battle between Gengar and Onix to an instructional video of Professor Oak, the famous Pokémon Researcher discussing the three starter Pokémon most commonly given to new Trainers in the Kanto region. "Here, watch this."

With that, Delia left the room, closing the door behind her with one last plea for Ash to get ready for bed. He was immediately engrossed in the video of Professor Oak, however, too excited about going to the famous Researcher's lab the next morning and being properly introduced into the amazing world of Pokémon. He would even get to meet those starter Pokémon that were given to young trainers in the Kanto region, something which Professor Oak was actually talking about at that very moment.

"Good evening, Trainers," the elderly Pokémon Researcher greeted, his program just beginning. Or, more likely, repeating from its earlier broadcast. "Just a friendly reminder, tomorrow is the big day for the newest class of Pokémon students. The Junior Trainer's Camp, run at my very own lab in Pallet Town, will be open to those ten year old prospective Trainers who wish to earn their Junior Trainer's Permit on route to being granted a Junior Trainer's License at one of the many schools offering a Pokémon education. This camp will expose students to many kinds of Pokémon, including the common starter Pokémon for Kanto Trainers. I would like to introduce you to Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle."

Ash could feel his body shaking with excitement as he listened to Professor Oak speak. He couldn't wait for the day he got to receive his starter Pokémon. He would have to wait until he passed Professor Oak's camp of course, but assuming he could do that, he would be able to get his first Pokémon as soon as school started and his Junior Trainer's Permit became a Junior Trainer's License. He couldn't believe some people waited an entire four years to get a license! He wasn't exactly the kind of person who liked school, but even Ash could see the merits in it if it meant getting his Pokémon journey started right away.

As he fell into bed a few minutes later, Professor Oak's words about Pokémon still clear in his head, Ash dreamt of the day he was so looking forward to. He dreamt of throwing out a Poké Ball in his first battle, a Bulbasaur emerging as he shouted, "I choose you!" Bulbasaur was perfect for beginners after all. His dreams also led to him using Squirtle. "Choose it or lose it!" he told himself as the Water-type emerged. And, since many would say it was the way to go, Ash also dreamt of calling out the reliable Fire-type, Charmander. "I choose you! Charmander!" he shouted, a crash reaching his ears at his shout.

"Ahhh!"

Ash jumped up immediately, looking across his room at the sunlight streaming in, and the shattered alarm clock on his bedroom floor, just under his trusty Poliwag pencil sharpener. "Oh no!" Ash's eyes widened, realizing what must've happened. Forgetting his clothes, he shot out of bed. He didn't care if he was in his pajamas. He had to get to Professor Oak's lab right away!

Darting down the stairs and towards the front door, Ash ignored the sight of the breakfast his mom, who would have left for work already, had left for him in the kitchen. He hated skipping a meal, but this was his future at stake. He needed to hurry.

After slipping on his shoes, Ash was out the door in a flash, darting past the small, white fence that separated his house from the main road. His gaze locked onto the windmill at the top of the hill at the edge of town and he picked up his pace. At least Professor Oak's lab wasn't too far away.

"Doesn't matter what Pokémon I'm gonna get if I can't even get my Junior Trainer's Permit!" Ash muttered to himself between gasps as he ran.

Fortunately for Ash, the streets weren't too busy as he ran. Most people would be at work by now. The problem for him was that it meant that the camp would have already started. If he was too late, he would have to wait a whole year before he could try to join again. That would be a disaster.

Finally, he managed to reach the bottom of the hill, looking up the steps to see the lab next to the windmill. He was pretty sure he heard the sounds of kids and Pokémon in the distance. Ash wasn't sure if that excited him or scared him. He picked up his pace even more, shutting his eyes as he strained himself.

THUD!

"Oomph!"

Ash suddenly saw stars as he found himself on his back, staring blankly up at the sky. What had he just run into? A brick wall?

"Heh! Well, if it isn't Ashy boy? Surprised you actually showed up!"

Ash blinked as he gathered himself, slowly getting up and looking at the boy ahead of him. "Huh? G-Gary?"

The boy, Gary, smirked, running his hand through his spiky brown hair and adjusting his blue shirt. "Dressed for success, I see, eh Ashy boy?" he sneered, glancing at Ash's pajamas. "Do you really expect to become a Pokémon Trainer looking like that?"

Ash narrowed his eyes. "I just slept in, okay? Get out of my way. I have to get to the lab."

Gary smirked again, slipping something out of his pocket. It was some kind of red device. "Looking for one of these?"

Ash's eyes widened. "Wait a minute…is that…a PokéDex?"

"Just a demo version for campers, but Gramps will hook me up with the real thing soon enough," Gary said, tapping away at the Pokémon identification device. Ash looked on enviously. He'd heard of these devices and wanted one desperately. "First task of camp is to use these to find and identify three Pokémon. I guess you're already behind, Ash."

"I can do that. I just need to find-"

"Gary? What's going on here?"

Ash looked up in surprise at the new voice, eyes lighting up as he recognized the famous face in front of him. Professor Oak, dressed in his white lab coat, stood a few steps up, watching the two boys curiously.

"Ah, hey Gramps," Gary answered. "I was just following a Pidgey down here and ran into Ashy boy here."

"Oh my," Oak said, taking his first good look at Ash. "I certainly hope you don't plan on becoming a Pokémon Trainer walking around in your pajamas, Ash."

Ash grimaced. "No, it's not like that, Professor. I just slept in and I…" Ash looked down in shame. "Please, Professor Oak. I know I'm late, but I've been looking forward to this camp for a long time and I won't be able to go to the Viridian Trainer's Academy if I don't participate in this camp."

Gary laughed at that. "Viridian Trainer's Academy? Ha! Gramps is getting me into Phoenix Academy."

"That's enough, Gary," Oak snapped quickly. "That very much depends on you doing well at this camp. I won't play favorites, and Junior Professor Cerise has a say in our recommendations as well."

Ash watched the interaction in amazement. Phoenix Academy was as prestigious a school as you could find. Champion Lance himself graduated from there, among many other prominent Trainers. Their graduates were guaranteed entry into League competitions of their choice. Ash could only fantasize about going there. Even Viridian's school was somewhat of a longshot for him.

"Anyway, that aside," Professor Oak then said, bringing Ash's attention back to him, "Ash, if you promise to focus hard and make sure this doesn't happen again, you are welcome to participate. You've missed the initial introduction, but we'll do a recap later on. For now, as you can see, we are giving campers the chance to work with a demonstration PokéDex. Would you be up for giving it a try?"

Ash's eyes lit up. "Yeah! Of course! Thank you, Professor Oak!"

"Hmph!" Apparently deciding this wasn't worth his time anymore, Gary turned and started heading back up towards the lab, presumably to the field or forest beyond it. "See ya later, Gramps."

Professor Oak waved him off with a somewhat apologetic look to Ash, before taking a deep breath and gesturing for him to follow. As Ash caught up, Professor Oak pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to him. It was a PokéDex!

"Awesome!" Ash almost shouted. "So I can scan any Pokémon, right?"

"That's partially correct," Professor Oak answered with a small smile. "These aren't fully operational PokéDex models. They provide a more basic explanation of the Pokémon and are equipped with data on Pokémon only known to be in the general area. Should you get into a Trainer's school and be granted a Junior Trainer's License, you will be given a fully operational PokéDex."

Ash nodded, opening up the device and giving it a look. There was a small screen and a number of buttons that made little sense to him. It looked cool, though.

"Your task for today is simple enough," Oak continued as they reached the lab and looked out to the forest nearby. A few kids were nearby searching through the bushes. "Simply find three Pokémon and scan them." He quickly showed Ash what to do with the PokéDex. "I've had the word spread among the Pokémon to make it a little more difficult, but you should be able to find enough."

"More difficult?" Ash asked, tilting his head curiously.

Oak chuckled lightly, patting Ash on the shoulder. "Don't worry, they won't attack you. They just might not sit still for you kids trying to scan them for information."

Ash grinned. "Well, we'll see about that!" He then started moving towards the forest. "Thanks again, Professor! See you later."

Oak nodded. "Good luck. You have approximately two hours remaining before meeting back here. Don't be late! We'll be meeting the Kanto starter Pokémon!"

Ash grinned hearing that, remembering his dreams. He didn't want to distract himself with those thoughts any further, though, quickly rushing into the forest where a few other kids had disappeared into moments earlier. Once he was under the cover of trees, he held up his temporary PokéDex and began to search for Pokémon.

He quickly realized what Professor Oak had meant when he'd mentioned the Pokémon making things a little more difficult. Within a couple of minutes, Ash did find a couple of Pokémon fairly easily. Unfortunately, however, once he'd held up his PokéDex to scan them, they'd darted away in a flash.

"Aw man," he muttered, glaring after a little Pidgey that had taken off into the air when he'd come across it. "This is a lot harder than I thought it would be."

Things did improve after a bit more searching, though. Ash came across a small berry tree after seeing a couple of other kids trotting away happily and he spotted a small, green caterpillar-like Pokémon. He quickly scanned it, identifying it as a Caterpie, a common Bug-type.

"Hey Caterpie!" Ash greeted the small Pokémon as it looked at him in surprise. It was nibbling on a small berry. Ash had always liked Bug-type Pokémon. He often saw them when exploring near the woods around Pallet Town.

The Caterpie didn't seem to be threatened by him and continued eating as Ash wandered over and observed for a moment. After a couple minutes, Ash collected a couple of berries for himself and set off again. He still had to find two more Pokémon and time was running out a little faster than expected.

After searching around for about the next half hour, though, Ash was finding things to be more and more difficult. It seemed many of the Pokémon had wandered to more difficult terrain and it was requiring a bit more exertion to search. Wearing his pajamas wasn't exactly helpful either.

Eventually, Ash decided to take a small break. He'd eaten one of the berries he'd gotten earlier and felt like having the other, so he settled down in a small clearing and pulled it out. He set it down next to him for a moment, wanting to make sure his PokéDex was ready, though, and got the device positioned so he could scan a Pokémon if it came by. That moment actually came sooner than anticipated, though, and Ash glanced to the side as he saw something purple darting away from him.

"Huh?" he blinked in surprise as a small rat-like Pokémon scurried to the edge of the clearing, pausing as it looked back at him, the berry in his mouth. "Hey, that's mine!" Ash yelled.

Instead of chasing after it, though, Ash held up the PokéDex, scanning the Pokémon. The voice from the device quickly informed him it was a Rattata, another common Pokémon in the area. Ash was a little puzzled when the PokéDex mentioned that it liked to stay in bushes or covered parts of the forest.

"Huh? But this is an open clearing!" he complained out loud, glaring after the Rattata, now upset that his berry was gone.

"Rattata will sometimes come out into open areas to steal food from stupid travelers," the PokéDex then continued.

"Huh? So I'm…I'm stupid?" Ash murmured slowly, tilting his head.

"Pffft!"

Ash jumped at the sudden noise, hearing leaves rustling behind him. He turned, noticing two kids about the same age as him emerging, one of them looking amused as he looked at Ash. He was a boy with dark hair and slightly darker skin. There was a girl with him, her maroon-colored hair in a long braid. She seemed fairly uninterested in the situation.

"You shouldn't leave food lying around when there are hungry Pokémon all over the place," the boy said, grinning as he looked in the direction the Rattata had gone.

"I just put it down for a second," Ash muttered, feeling embarrassed. He stood up nonetheless, though, happy to finally interact with a couple of fellow campers. "I'm Ash by the way. I got here late so I missed the start of the camp."

"Oh, that's why I don't recognize you," the boy said, nodding. "I'm Goh. And this is my friend, Chloe!"

"...Hello," the girl, Chloe, said, averting her eyes. "Are you…are you wearing pajamas?"

Ash grinned sheepishly. "Ah…well…I woke up late, so…"

Goh laughed at that. "You couldn't sleep because of how excited you were, right? I know how you feel! I couldn't wait for this camp!"

Ash nodded, getting the sense that Goh was just as excited about getting this chance as him. "I'm hoping to do well at this camp and get into Viridian Trainer's Academy. What about you guys?"

Goh actually hesitated for a moment at that, glancing awkwardly at Chloe. "Oh, well, I'd like to go to Phoenix Academy if I could. And Chloe…"

"I'm…I'm not sure," she whispered in response.

Ash gaped at the two of them. "Aww man," he said in disappointment. "Phoenix Academy, huh? Everyone seems to be going there."

Goh looked confused at that. "What do you mean?"

"I ran into Gary earlier. He's Professor Oak's grandson. He says he's going there." Ash had a hard time keeping the bitterness out of his voice as he spoke about Gary.

"Those connections come in handy," Goh said with a nod. "Chloe's dad is Professor Oak's assistant. Junior Professor Cerise."

"Really?" Ash looked at Chloe excitedly. "That's awesome! No wonder you came to this camp! I bet you want to be a Researcher, too, huh?"

Chloe frowned at that, looking away. "I…I think I'm going to head back, Goh. We're already done, so…"

"What? But we were gonna look for Mew, weren't we?" Goh asked. Chloe didn't answer, merely taking the nearby trail and walking away in silence. Goh watched her for a moment, looking back and forth between her and Ash. "Agh, I don't know why she's doing that. Sorry, Ash, I'll see you later."

"See you," Ash said with a wave as Goh took off after Chloe. He hoped he hadn't upset the girl with his statement, but it seemed he might have. Maybe he could apologize later.

Ash decided he might as well get going to look for his third Pokémon when he paused for a moment, thinking about Goh's last words. Did he say…Mew? Ash was sure he'd heard that name before, but he couldn't think of what it was. It must've been important, though.

Deciding to forget about it for now, though, Ash took off once more. He wanted to make sure to finish the task. He couldn't afford for Professor Oak to think he wasn't serious about this. And if he could find better Pokémon than Gary, it would be even better!

As that thought crossed his mind, Ash noticed some movement up ahead by a small stream. A small, blue Pokémon with black swirls on its white stomach seemed to be playing in the water. Ash knew it was a Poliwag right away, remembering his favorite pencil sharpener back home. He quickly ran forward, hoping to scan it before it noticed him.

Unfortunately, as Ash picked up his pace, a stick broke underneath his foot and Poliwag looked up immediately. Seeing Ash running towards it, it started hopping away to the bushes, disappearing quickly. Ash groaned in frustration but picked up his pace, not wanting to lose too much ground.

Then, just as he reached the stream, he heard a sound up ahead past the bushes where Poliwag had disappeared through. It was almost like a scream. He wasn't sure if it was a person or if it was Poliwag, but Ash hurried forth, worried regardless. He hoped nobody was hurt.

"Poliwag?" he called out, pushing through the bushes and emerging in a small clearing. "Huh?"

Ash blinked in surprise, seeing a girl in a straw hat lying next to a tree. She was shaking in terror, appearing as though she thought she was about to be attacked. Ash took a tentative step forward. The girl's eyes were shut tight, but she opened them when she heard him move.

"What's up?" Ash asked, trying to be as friendly as possible. "I'm Ash, what's your name?" She didn't answer, though, still looking terrified. "What's wrong?"

The girl finally squeaked out an answer, looking at her leg. Ash could see it was a bit scraped up. "I…I hurt my leg."

"Are you all right?" Ash said, quickly kneeling down to look. He breathed a sigh of relief as he got a better look, though, seeing it wasn't too bad. It was just a light scrape. He remembered he had a handkerchief in his pocket from when he'd been polishing some of his Pokémon memorabilia the night before and he pulled it out. He reached out and began tying it around the girl's leg, tightening it triumphantly at the end. "There we go!"

The girl still seemed to be upset, though, wincing as she tried to move. "Ow!"

Ash tilted his head, wondering what to do. He had a feeling this girl was upset about more than just her leg, so he wanted to try lightening the mood. He grinned. "I'll put a spell on it!" he announced, before suddenly waving his hands in front of the girl. "Pain, pain, go away!" He raised his arms in celebration, as though he actually had accomplished eliminating the girl's pain.

It was to no effect, though. She winced again. "Ow! It's no use!"

Ash didn't want to let her down, though, so he stood up proudly and held his hand out. "Don't give up till it's over!" he told her confidently. She looked up blankly, apparently surprised by his persistence. Slowly she raised her own hand, but not far enough to take Ash's. "Here!" he then said, reaching forward a bit more and taking it. Then, he pulled.

"Ah!"

Ash felt a little embarrassed, realizing he'd pulled a little hard. The girl managed to stand up, but she fell into him and he needed to catch her so they wouldn't both fall. After a moment, she stepped back a bit, a surprised look on her face.

"See? You did it!" Ash told her, smiling brightly.

"I…yeah." The girl blushed a little, looking down at her leg. "I…"

"What's your name?" Ash asked, hoping to get the girl to forget about her injury.

"S-Serena."

"I'm Ash!" Ash said again, in case she had forgotten him telling her before. "Are you okay to walk? You should probably get back to the lab."

Serena looked uneasy. "I don't know the way back."

"That's okay, I can help you!" Ash said. "Are you done with your PokéDex?" she nodded, pointing to her pocket where the device presumably was. "Cool, then you're all done. We can make it back in no time!" Without waiting for an answer, he pulled her along behind him, trying to be careful, though, because of her leg.. "Here, it's this way."

Ash was a little disappointed he wasn't going to be able to find a third Pokémon, but he knew it was much more important to make sure Serena was okay. He held her hand as he led the way back through the bushes and onto the path that led back to the lab that Goh and Chloe had taken. They were still a fair ways into the forest, but once on the trail it wouldn't be too difficult to find their way back.

"Th-Thank you for h-helping me," Serena said quietly, sniffing a bit as she walked. Her leg was probably hurting a fair bit despite Ash's handkerchief.

"It's no problem!" Ash said happily, turning back to smile at her. Her straw hat was tilted over her eyes, though, so she didn't see. "It was probably my fault, actually. I was trying to scan that Poliwag for the task."

"Scan it? Wait! Y-You're not done?" Serena asked in surprise.

"No," Ash said, a little less enthusiastically. "I got here late so I was a bit behind."

Serena was quiet a moment, but after a few seconds, Ash felt her pull her hand away. He looked back in surprise. "I…I think I can make it back on my own. You should finish. You seem to be really excited about this, anyway."

Ash looked uneasily at Serena's leg as she took a step. She did seem to be walking okay, but he still didn't feel right about leaving her. "It's okay," he assured her. "I'll just finish later if Professor Oak says it's okay."

Serena looked flustered, but she eventually sighed, looking away. "But you actually want to be here…" she whispered, barely audible.

Ash tilted his head in surprise. "You don't?"

"My mom wanted me to come. She wants me to become a Rhyhorn Racer like her so she wants me to learn all I can about Pokémon so I can train better. I managed to get out of Professor Sycamore's camp, but then this one opened up…" Serena sighed again, looking at her feet as she kicked the dirt. Her injured leg didn't seem to be bothering her as much. "I did think maybe I could use this to get into Phoenix Academy, but I don't think I can do that."

Ash grimaced at the mention of the prestigious school once again. Ignoring that for the moment, though, he looked curiously at Serena. "What would you do at Phoenix Academy?" he asked.

"Well…I do love Pokémon," Serena admitted. "This was kind of scary, especially being alone, but…I'm sure I could find something that would be interesting. And if I could go to a school like that, maybe my mom wouldn't mind if I found something else that interested me.."

Ash grinned, nodding at the idea. "I'm sure you can do it, Serena! Go for it!"

Serena adjusted her hat, her blue eyes peering at Ash in surprise. "You think so? You don't even know what I might do."

"Whatever it is, you can do it!" Ash said with a laugh. "Just don't give up!"

She smiled slightly at that. "Y-Yeah. I guess."

Serena looked as though she was going to say something else, but in that moment, a piercing shriek cut through the forest, causing both of them to jump. Ash whipped around, looking up to see a couple of flying Pokémon fleeing from something further into the forest.

Ash looked back to Serena. "You should wait here. I'll go and see what's happening."

Serena stared at him in stunned silence. He took off before she could say anything, though. He was already running through the woods when she finally called out, too far away at that point to be heard clearly.

As Ash ran, he heard another shout. It sounded like a person. He was pretty sure it wasn't whoever had made the noise before. That must've been a Pokémon. A scared Pokémon.

The trees thinned out fairly quickly, and Ash realized he was heading towards a cliff. He quickly came to a stop and then looked around, trying to pinpoint where the trouble was. He noticed it right away, seeing the familiar faces of Goh and Chloe up ahead, looking on in terror as a small, yellow mouse-like Pokémon was clinging desperately to a tree hanging over the cliff's edge.

"Pichu!" Goh called out in worry. "Hold on! We'll get help!"

Ash ran forward, coming up next to the edge of the cliff where the Pichu was crying out in fear. Nearby, a young, two-legged Pokémon was looking on in fear, presumably a companion of the Pichu.

"What happened?" Ash asked.

"Ash!" Goh looked over in surprise. "We were heading back and then I thought I saw…well, never mind that, but we then saw this Pichu and that baby Kangaskhan playing. Pichu ran up the tree and then a branch broke."

"That other branch won't hold much longer!" Chloe said fearfully, pointing as Pichu clung to the thin branch. Ash could see how strained it was.

"I'll get it!" Ash then said, narrowing his eyes and moving to the tree. "I'm sure I can do it."

"What?" Goh looked at him like he was crazy. "There's no way-"

Ash didn't listen, though, quickly running forward and wrapping his arms around the hanging tree. It wobbled immediately, and Pichu briefly opened its eyes, looking further terrified. Ash simply smiled at it, though.

"Don't worry, buddy. I'll get you back safe," he promised.

And then, ignoring the surprised gasps from Goh and Chloe, Ash began inching himself upward, slowly getting himself level to where Pichu was. He didn't dare look down, knowing he was now hanging over the edge himself.

"Piii!" Pichu then cried out, clutching tighter to the branch as it cracked a little.

"Hang in there, Pichu!" Ash called out. "I'm gonna get you!"

"Don't move forward!" Chloe shouted suddenly, surprising Ash a bit after her quiet demeanor earlier. "The branch is-"

Crack!

Ash's eyes widened, seeing the thin branch in front finally beginning to give way. He grabbed it, thinking he could hold it up, even if it broke off. For a moment, he was able to steady it, but even though it was thin, it was long and awkward, and Pichu was desperately trying to scramble upwards. He couldn't hold on, and the branch slipped from his fingers. Ash looked on in terror as his eyes locked with Pichu's.

"Piii" the young Electric-type cried out.

"No!" Ash didn't think. He just acted. He kicked off from the tree and aimed himself down, launching himself towards the now plummeting Pichu.

Ash heard the cries of Goh and Chloe, as well as another voice. He couldn't think of them now, though. He just had to get Pichu. Fortunately, he was able to reach the small Mouse Pokémon quickly, his kick off from the tree having given him the necessary momentum. He wrapped his arms around Pichu and shut his eyes and tried to hold it tight. If he could take the worst of the fall, maybe Pichu would be okay.

But suddenly, Ash noticed the wind wasn't rushing in his ears anymore. Goh and Chloe had stopped shouting, too. Even Pichu in his arms was no longer tense. Ash's eyes had been shut tight, but he opened them.

He was floating.

"Huh?" Ash looked around. There was some kind of pink aura surrounding him and Pichu. It felt warm and comforting, and Ash immediately felt safer.

A moment later, though, he blinked, and suddenly found himself landing hard on the ground in front of Goh and Chloe. They both jumped about a foot in the air, their gazes going from the tree Pichu had been trapped on, to the ground in front of them.

"Pi!" Ash felt Pichu squirming in his arms and loosened his hold. As soon as he did, the Mouse Pokémon scurried away, immediately going to the baby Kangaskhan. They both made their way to the bushes right away, Pichu only pausing briefly at the edge to glance back at Ash.

And then, it was gone. Ash smiled sadly. He would've liked to spend some time with that Pichu, but he understood it was nervous. Maybe they would see each other again, though.

"Ash! Ash, are you okay?"

Ash looked up in surprise at the voice, seeing Serena coming up to him. She was limping a little bit, but otherwise looked okay. She just looked worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said with a grin. "I…I guess I got superpowers or something."

"I don't think that was it…" Chloe murmured.

"I think I know!" Goh whispered, his gaze wandering around as though trying to spot something.

Ash looked up at him thoughtfully. "You saw something?"

Goh grinned, pumping his fist excitedly. "Ash, I think you and Pichu were saved!"

"Saved?" Ash tilted his head curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I think you were saved…by Mew!"

Author's Note:

And so it begins! As you can see, I blended a lot of canon events here. We have essentially the original anime opening with Ash in his room, we had a bit of Goh and Chloe's camp outing, Ash and Serena's camp meeting and even the event with Pikachu...er...Pichu. And in all that, we've found out a few things about this version of the Pokémon world. At 10, kids can get a Junior Trainer's Permit and participate in a special camp to then be admitted into a school. This is the fastest way to get a Junior Trainer's License. There are also different schools, with this one school in particular mentioned many times...Phoenix Academy. I wonder what it all means...I suppose we'll find out.

Anyway, as mentioned in the note above, the plan is to more consistently update beginning in March, specifically March 8th, the anniversary of Gotta Catch That One. I will also be posting original work once consistent updates on this story begin. Again, for those reading on FanFiction, my original works can be found on FictionPress, Royal Road and Wattpad under the name KPWrites22. I may post another couple chapters of this between now and March 8th, but look forward to then for a big day! Also, the prologue for Threads of the Chosen will release soon as well, so keep an eye out for that. You can also find updates for all this on my Twitter account KingPoliwag or also KPWrites22.

I guess that's all for now! Glad to be back, and I'll see you all with the next update!