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Chapter Text

It was time.

Ash's eyes began to close for what he knew would be the final time. He felt no fear about dying, nor did he feel any regrets regarding the life that he lived. Ash met a lot of wonderful people and Pokémon. He fulfilled all of his dreams and goals. Most importantly, he loved a lot, and was loved in return.

Ash was surrounded by his friends and family, both humans and Pokémon. Their voices telling him that they loved him was the last thing Ash heard. None of them shed tears, just as he'd asked them beforehand. His death shouldn't be a sad affair. He wanted them to remember him and smile, not cry.

Ash smiled as he felt a numbness overcome his body, and spoke his final words out loud.

"Thank you. Goodbye."

Before the end, Ash had a brief flashback of his life. He thought of all the people and Pokémon that he met. At the center of it all was Pikachu, his buddy that he missed dearly. He hoped to finally see him and everyone else again in the afterlife.

Ash let out his last breath, and his life ended at that moment.

His eyes closed.

There was darkness.

His eyes opened.

He blinked slowly, staring at a ceiling that he instantly recognized. How could he not? He spent the first ten years of his life looking at said ceiling every night and morning. He was in his old room.

Ash felt a small smile form on his lips. If this was the afterlife, then this sense of nostalgia seemed like a pretty good start. He stood up from his bed, and looked around the room slowly, taking in every detail. It really was a perfect recreation of how he remembered it from before he began his Pokémon journey.

Looking down at himself, he was surprised to realize that he was... ten-years-old once again. A quick look in the mirror confirmed it. He hadn't looked so young in centuries.

One single look at the calendar made him release a chortle of laugther as he saw the date.

It was the day that his Pokémon journey began! Oh, this was amazing! If this was the afterlife, then it was awesome.

"Arceus, did you do this?" Ash wondered out loud. He recalled the last time that he saw Arceus. Their final friendly spar was titanic. Ash had asked Arceus to not hold anything back, and to use as much of the true power of Origin as possible. Ash didn't just send his Pokémon against the gargantuan entity that Arceus became, he himself led the charge to throw down with the Original Pokémon one last time.

Elemental storms, never-ending meteors raining down from the sky, punches and kicks that could have destroyed planets. Their final bout had that and more. It was an event that could have only taken place inside a pocket dimension provided by Arceus. And in the end, Ash and his Pokémon were barely standing, but they were standing nonetheless. The same couldn't be said for Arceus, who accepted its defeat with joyous laughter.

After that, Ash, his Pokémon, and Arceus, partied like crazy. Ash drank and eat like he was about to die. Which, yeah, he'd known his end was approaching, so he made sure to enjoy himself as much as possible. Ash shared one last drink with Arceus, who had looked at him fondly and proud like always, but also with a sadness present in its eyes.

"Ash... thank you, my Chosen One. For everything. Existence will be poorer without you, my friend. I truly wish that this wasn't the end..." Arceus told him. They were powerful words, spoken by grateful Origin to its beloved Chosen.

"Aw, thanks Arceus! I'm gonna miss you!" Ash said, grinning towards the deity that he'd called friend for over a millennia. There was love and fondness in his voice as he spoke, "But don't be sad! I want you to smile when you think about me, you hear, old friend? No tears allowed!"

As he looked at the recreation of his room carefully, Ash wondered it this was a gift from Arceus now that Ash was dead. He walked towards the closed window of his room with curiosity. When he opened it, and took a look outside, he felt his heart swell with multiple emotions while tears of happiness fell from his eyes.

It was Pallet Town. Good old Pallet Town in the early morning. How had he missed this view! Ash never regreted that his fame eventually turned Pallet Town into the bustling metropolis of Pallet City, but there was something so genuinely charming about seeing Pallet like he remembered from his childhood.

If this was a gift from Arceus, then it was one gift he will gladly take! A recreation of Pallet Town and his old house! All for him to enjoy now that he was dead.

Ash gasped as he thought about something. He bolted out of his room, confirming that the inside of the house looked identical to how he remembered. His eyes saw the door down the hallway from his room. Ash was standing in front of that door in the blink of an eye, and he slowly opened it.

His mother was there, sleeping peacefully on her bed. Ash shed more tears as he looked at Delia Ketchum for the first time in more than one-thousand years. He placed a hand on his mouth to supress the sobs that threatened to escape him, and he quietly closed the door.

He wanted to tell her how much he loved her.

He wanted to tell her how much he'd missed her.

He wanted to tell her that he had a good life, just as she made him promise before she died.

However, Ash barely stopped himself from doing all of that. Even if this was a recreation, it was still his beloved mom, and he would never wake her up from her well-earned rest. Surely Arceus gave his mom all of her memories, right? When she wakes up, Ash will tell her everything that happened after her death. They had time, after all. A lot of time, now that Ash was dead and this was his afterlife.

Ash returned to his room, and chuckled when he saw the broken alarm clock on the floor. Man, this really was just like the day he began his journey! He looked outside the window again, but this time, his gaze turned towards the sky as the first rays of sun broke through the clouds.

"Thank you, Arceus. Truly... thank you..." he spoke with gratitude. He stood there for a minute, before a wide grin formed on his lips. If his mom was here, then...

"Pikachu!"

He looked down at himself. His old green and yellow pajamas were comfortable, but the clothes that awaited in his closet were almost calling to him. The black shirt, the blue vest, the blue jeans, the sneakers, the fingerless gloves, the green backpack, and the red cap that was precious beyond words. Ash couldn't stop smiling as he changed into his attire for traveling. After he was done, he looked at himself in the mirror, almost feeling like he was ten-years-old once again.

At that moment, everything just felt right.

Without hesitation, Ash jumped from his window, landing without any trouble or pain on the soft grass. He grinned as he closed his eyes, and looked inwards to find his Aura. It was a tiny star compared to the infinite galaxy of Aura that he'd been accustomed to before dying, but it made sense. If this was a recreation of his ten-year-old body, he would not have the same ammount of Aura as his adult self. His younger body would have exploded if he'd tried to fit that much Aura inside of it.

Still, even this ammount of Aura should be enough. It's not like he would need more now that he was dead. He expertly wrapped his body in a layer of bright blue Aura before he rocketed forward towards the Oak Laboratory.

Ash ran faster than a Rapidash, and he whooped in delight as the wind hit his face. On his way to the laboratory, he was surprised to see that the inhabitants of Pallet Town were also here in his afterlife. Neighboors and their Pokémon that Ash hadn't seen in centuries looked startled as he passed them, running faster than their eyes could track. Wow, Arceus had outdone itself with this level of detail!

He saw the windmill of Sam's old lab. Instead of veering towards the stairs, Ash simply leaped towards the wall and ran upwards, defying gravity and other normal conventions that he'd long since left behind. Once he reached the top, his feet hit the ground, forming a small crater. He was in front of the door in the next second, and it took him no time to find Sam inside. His old friend turned towards him with surprise and shock in his face.

"Ash?! What are-"

Ash didn't let Sam finish speaking. In an instant, he was engulfing his old friend in a hug. He laughed as he heard a spluttering noise coming from Sam.

"Sam!" Ash greeted him with a big smile, "How's it goin', old friend?!"

He tilted his head in confusion when Sam looked at him with shock. His friend's face paled completely.

"Ash…" Sam looked at a loss for words, "Wh-What did you just call me...?"

"I called you Sam, Sam!" Ash laughed. Why was his friend acting so weird? "Don't you remember when you travelled to the future and we met in Johto?"

Much like his mom, Ash was confident that Arcues had made it so Sam remembered him in this recreation. Maybe he needed to jog Sam's memory a bit for it to work?

"Remember the masked idiot that tried to steal Celebi? Suicune? For that matter, do you remember Misty and Brock? Pikachu? By the way, where is-"

Ash was cut off from speaking when Sam grabbed his shoulders. His friend looked at him with a bunch of complicated emotions on his face.

"H-How do you know that, Ash?" Sam's voice was almost a hoarse croak, "It… those events have not happened yet! How did you…" Sam trailed off, looking lost.

Ash supressed a frown.

"I already lived through them, Sam," Ash spoke with confidence, "Don't you remember our talks? You and I, man. We talked a lot after I became the World Monarch."

"World Monarch?" Sam looked confused, "Ash, are you… did you time travel or something?"

"Time travel?" Now Ash was the one feeling confused, "Nah, Sam. I haven't time travelled in one hundred and fifty-one years."

"One hundred and fifty-one years?!" Sam exclaimed with shock, "Ash, what-okay, look. Just... just tell me what you remember."

Now Ash did frown.

"Well, I died, and-"

"You what?!" Sam looked stricken, and he clutched Ash's shoulders, as if he needed to reassure himself that Ash was standing in front of him, "How…

"Well, I just simply reached the natural end of my life," Ash said quietly as some anxiety began to bubble in his gut, "Even if it took me quite a long time to die. I lived over a millennia."

Sam looked at him with focused eyes. Ash could practically see the gears in his friend's head turning, thinking of possibilities and explanations.

"Ash, are you sure that… that you aren't simply back in time? That your consciousness wasn't transfered to your ten-year-old body?"

Ash felt cold, and he opened his mouth to instantly deny Sam's words.

"No! I mean... no!" He shook his head, "I can't be back at the beginning, Sam! This is only a recreation, right? Are you pranking me? Did Arceus put you up to this?"

"Arceus? I have only ever heard that name in some of my talks with Rowan," Sam was speaking the truth. Ash didn't even need to use his Aura to know.

Ash closed his eyes, reached towards his Aura, and sent nearly all of it around him to expand his field of observation as much as possible. He gasped when he saw what was beyond Pallet's borders. With this much Aura, he was able to see all of Kanto, and some parts of Johto.

There were hudreds of thousands of humans and Pokémon. And they were all alive! Ash hadn't bothered to check earlier because he'd thought… he'd truly thought that all of this was simply a detailed recreation in his afterlife.

Ash channeled aura into his left index finger and sharpened it into a small blade before making a small cut on his right index finger. He choked when he saw a few drops of blood coming out before the cut closed immediately.

He took a step back, staring at Sam with wide and panicked eyes. For his part, Sam looked back at him with confusion and worry.

But how?! How could this- wait! Oh, no... no way...

" Existence will be poorer without you, my friend.  I truly wish that this wasn't the end..."

Stupid! Freakin' stupid rookie mistake! He was so happy and laidback at that moment that he didn't realize!

Arceus was the Origin! The one who controlled the universe! And if even one tiny part of Arceus truly wished for something… then the universe was going to answer to its wishes.

It was at that moment that Ash understood. He was alive again.

And he was several centuries in the past.

Ash screamed.

For the first time in one hundred and fifty-one years, Ash very nearly lost control of his Aura. Even as his emotions raged, the safeguards that he spent his entire lifetime creating in his mind kept a firm hold on the power that was inside his body. If they didn't, Pallet Town and its surroundings would end up as a smoldering crater devoid of all life.

As it was, Sam's lab wasn't entirely unaffected. Glass instruments shook wildly and nearly fell over. The machinery emmited whirring sounds as sparks flew out of them.

"Ash!"

The panic in Sam's voice managed to cut through the panic setting in his mind, and Ash nearly choked on a breath as he felt Sam engulf him in a hug.

"Ash, calm down! Please!" He'd never Heard Sam's voice filled with so much worry and fear. Ash wanted to kick himself for being the cause of that. He needed to pull himself together, or else he would end up hurting Sam!

Ash closed his eyes, and every single control technique that he spent decades learning began to kick in. His breathing evened, his heartbeat slowed down, and his mind slowly but surely began thinking clearly again.

"Ash?"

He slowly opened his eyes eyes, and looked up to see Sam's worry-filled eyes.

"Sam..." His voice was a hoarse croak, "I'm alive again..."

Abstently, he felt Sam guide him to a nearby table, and he helped him sit. Not a second later, a glass of water was placed on his hand.

Ash wanted to ask for a stronger drink so badly.

He took a shaky gulp of the water. It was fresh, and the sensation left his lips feeling cooled. Ash blinked when he remembered that the last time he drank plain water had been around twenty-five years ago.

Or several centuries in the future...

Ash placed the glass on the table and buried his head on his hands.

"Ash?" Sam' voice was tinted with heavy worry. Ash looked up to stare at Sam.

"Are you okay, Ash?"

"No, Sam, I... I am ten-years old. Again. I'm back..."

Sam's expresion went through multiple complicated emotions. Ash felt bad for dropping this on his friend's lap. And on today, which was supposed to be a special day.

"Do you... want to talk about it, Ash?" Sam offered, clearly looking for a way to help him.

Ash chuckled without thinking. He supposed that was for the best. He nodded gratefully to Sam, and took a deep breath before he began speaking.

"Well, it's exactly like I said, Sam. I died. More than one-thousand years in the future. And now I'm back," just saying that simple explanation began to clear some of his thoughts.

Sam remained silent for a long moment, and Ash could guess what Sam was going to say to him next.

"I have questions. Several questions, if it's okay with you," Sam said. Ash laughed softly. Goold old Sam Oak.

"Ask away, Sam."

"Well, my first question is, how did you live for that long?" That was the question Ash expected, "Is that a thing that happens to everyone in he future, or something exclusive to you?"

"It's a me thing, yeah..." Ash trailed off, thinking of how to best explain his longevity, "Three factors made it happen, to be honest. However, the main one is this power I have inside of me called Aura."

"Aura..." Sam wondered out loud, "Rowan has also mentioned that term to me. And I believe the ancient Rota warriors were practicioners, correct?"

Rota. Lucario. Aaron. Mew. The Tree of Life. He couldn't have known at that time just how much those events would eventually dictate his future.

"Yeah, and there's still practicioners scattered all over the world. I learned about Aura during my third year as a Trainer, and dabbled here and there for some time, but I didn't begin to truly train my Aura until I turned twenty-five years old."

"And practicing this Aura allowed you to live for so long?" Sam was in full researcher mode. Ash had dearly missed this sight.

"Well, yes. Aura is, in essence, life. Every Pokémon has it in some form, but Riolu and Lucario are the Pokémon who can harness it the best," Ash explained. Talking like this with Sam was doing wonders for his emotions, "With enough Aura, one can live well past the normal lifespan of human and Pokémon."

"Not only was my Aura a special kind, but I had a lot of it," Ash said with a small smile, remembering the feeling of being connected with the entire universe through his Aura simply because of how much Aura he had. Some of the feats he achieved thanks to Aura earned him various sacred names like Aura Deity, and he'd been worshipped like one as well. Ash had told those people, time and time again, to just call him Ash, and to treat him as any other person.

They never listened, sadly.

"Incredible..." Sam whispered. "I... do you mind if take some notes, Ash?"

Ash thought about that for a moment.

"Sure, Sam," Ash answered, not seeing a problem. He knew Sam. His friend wouldn't talk about this to anyone, and he trusted him to not write anything he disclosed that was too personal.

After Sam grabbed some nearby papers and a pen, he jotted down some notes before looking at him again.

"Do you know how or why you are back in your ten-year-old body?" How very like Sam to try and pinpoint the source of the problem.

"I do," Ash released a long sigh, and his heart felt heavy at that moment, "Arceus. The Origin of our Universe."

"That's exactly what Rowan has theorized. I guess he'll be happy to have his research confirmed," Sam muttered, "Do you know more?"

"Arceus... I am its Chosen One," Ash said with a smile that was only a tad bit sad. He'd never felt that his title was a bother. But now... "If there was a threat to the world or even to the universe, I took care of it."

"Really?" Sam asked with wonder. Ash could guess what Sam was thinking. He, Ash Ketchum. Chosen by the one who created the universe to protect it all. Those who knew him when he was ten would have laughed. Ash wouldn't have blamed them.

"Anyway, Arceus..." Ash looked for an easy way to explain this, "We knew each other for more than one-thousand-years. We were close friends. I don't think Arceus meant for this to happen."

Ash dearly hoped that Arceus didn't mean for this to happen. He dearly hoped this was a mistake that Arceus made during a fleeting second of wistfulness. Ash could forgive that. Eventually.

He waited, watching with some amusement as Sam muttered rapidly as he scribbled like crazy on various sheets of paper.

"Do you know what you are going to do?" Sam asked seriously.

Ash knew exactly what he had to do. But he'd rather mull things over in his mind for a moment. He was still coming to terms with everything.

"Ask me about something else, please. You are probably curious about a lot of things, Sam. Don't be shy."

Sam looked at him sharply for a moment, but looked like he'd allow the deflection and let Ash stew in his thoughts for a moment. A hesitant smile formed on Sam's lips.

"Very well.. tell me about Gary, please."

Ash felt his smile widen. Of course Sam would ask about Gary.

"Oh, Sam, you are gonna love this!" Ash said, making Sam's eyes lit up with anticipation, "Gary becomes a researcher. And he totally leaves you in the dust, old friend!"

Sam's eyes widened, and his mouth opened in surprise before a smile so big it threatened to split his face formed on his lips. He looked, happy, overjoyed, and so proud. Just as Ash remembered he looked when Gary became known as the number one authority of Pokémon research in the entire world.

"And that's not the end of it," Ash's lips twitched upwards when Sam looked eager to hear what came next, "Gary's own daugther eventually surpassed him, and from then on, there wasn't a generation without someone from the Oak family holding the mantle of Top Pokémon Researcher."

"Amazing..." Sam whispered, "That is genuinely amazing to hear…" Small tears of happiness fell from Sam's eyes, and Ash scooted closer to put a supportive hand on his friend's shoulder. Sam looked grateful back at him.

"Now, getting back to you," Sam continued, wiping the tears from his face, "How long did I wait to tell you the truth?"

Ash hummed out loud, thinking back to the past. Or future, he supposed.

"After I became World Monarch on my eigth year of being a Trainer. Part of me was always sad about not getting to see that boy I met in Johto during the whole Celebi and Suicune thing. When I spoke to you about it, you looked me in the eye and told me that you were said boy. Honestly, you and my friends never allowed me to live that down."

Sam chuckled slightly, but he also looked guilty all of a sudden. Ash could guess why.

"Ash, I'm sorry, I-" Ash held a hand in front of Sam to stop his words. Sam owed him no apology.

"I know, Sam. I know that events in your own life led you to become a bit jaded, and that you had little trust in me up until... what, some minutes ago?"

Sam nodded, looking apologetic.

"It's still not right, Ash. Yes, up until some minutes ago, I was... desilusioned, you could say. I've known for a while that you were the same boy my younger self will meet in about two years, and yet I..."

"You expected more from the ten-year-old me," Ash said with a nod of his head, and Sam gave one of his won.

He understood. Sam had been a young boy when they met. Even if Ash didn't show mind-bogling skills during the Celebi and Suicune situation, Sam grew up thinking highly of him. But as Sam watched Ash grow up, well...

Ash had no shame in admitting that he'd been really rough around the edges when he began his journey. He wasn't particularly book smart about Pokémon, and his knowledge of basic things about Kanto, his home region, had been lacking.

This wasn't to say that he hadn't felt hurt or angered when Sam explained the truth to him. Sam's high expectations hadn't been completely fair to Ash.

"I must have said some harsh things to you in your rookie year," Sam sounded sure. And he was.

"Yes," Ash confirmed, watching as Sam flinched, "But it's okay, Sam. I promise."

Ash was always forgiving. Way too forgiving, a lot of of his friends and loved ones liked to tell him time and time again, even when he was a man who'd lived several centuries. Ash liked to counter by saying that he'd seen what holding onto bitterness and hurt feelings could do to someone, and he wanted none of that.

"But let me tell ya, Sam..." Ash said with a confident grin, "I became pretty awesome, if I do say so myself."

Sam laughed happily, and he was smiling again. Ash knew that a metaphorical weight had just been lifted off from Sam's shoulders.

"Ah, you mentioned becoming... World Monarch, you called it? I suppose the title explains it all, yes?" Sam asked.

"Yup!" Ash said with a proud smile, "World Monarch. The strongest Pokémon Trainer in the whole world."

"How was a title like that decided?" Sam asked fascination in his eyes.

"It was an event called the World Coronation Series where Trainers all over the world battled each other for points in order to climb the rankings," Ash smiled, thinking of those battles, "The eight Trainers with the most points then battled in a Tournament to coronate the World Monarch."

"Fascinating. The money, time and other resources that must have went into something like that..." Sam was probably calculating the logistics of it all in his mind, "I'm guessing Regional Champions were part of these eight Trainers you mention?"

"Champions, Elite Four, Gym Leaders, or strong Trainers who simply saw no need to ever hold a title, it varied each time the WCS happened."

"Speaking of Champions... did you ever become one?" Sam asked with curiosity.

"My first Championship was in the Orange Islands, roughly a year from now, but I didn't take the mantle of Supreme Leader of the Orange League," Ash explained, "As for my first Regional Championship, I became the very first Champion of Alola."

"Alola?!" Sam looked surprised, "My cousin Samson lives there! I would have never guessed..."

"Ah, Alola..." Ash sighed wistfully. He'd liked the Region from the very first second his feet touched the land. After that year, he loved Alola, and he never stopped loving it. Alola changed him the most, "It's a beautiful place, and I was always happy and honored to have been the First Champion."

"Oh, man!" Ash said, a half groan, half laugh coming out of his mouth, "Even when I passed the title, people still called me First Champion Ash, Lord First, The first, take your pick!"

"I bet Samson was happy!" Sam laughed, "He's mentioned a young man who wants to establish a Pokémon League. Do you know him?"

Ash smiled, even as some tears stung his eyes when memories of Kukui flashed through his mind.

"I do know him. He meant a lot to me."

Sam looked at him with... well it wasn't quite worry, but Ash knew that Sam was concerned. That's why he was letting Ash talk about good things to take his mind off his current situation. It was working rather well. For now.

"Did you achieve your dream, Ash?" Sam looked eager at this question.

"Of becoming Pokémon Master? Yes, I did. The very first one in History," Ash sighed happily, thinking about trials and years of searching what it meant to be a Pokémon Master.

"So... what is a Pokémon Master, Ash? I've waited decades to know," Sam looked at him with eagerness.

"A Pokémon Master is one who understands all Pokémon."

Sam's eyes widened ever so slightly at his answer. Ash knew it sounded somewhat simple, but the reality was more complicated. Still, that was the gist of it.

TO BECOME A POKEMON MASTER, UNDERSTAND ALL POKEMON!

Those were the words that he carved with his own hands at the base of Mount Master, the mountain range that he bought in order to establish the Master Order, the only place that taught how to become a Pokémon Master. His disciples were diligent even after learning that becoming a Master took years. Ash watched generations of students join him in becoming Masters, and then those students took students of their own. The cycle of Master and student had been wonderful to experience.

"I see," his friend had a contemplative look in his eyes for a moment as he digested Ash's answer. Sam could most likely guess that there was more to becoming a Pokémon Master than that, but Ash's simple answer was enough for now.

"Congratulations, Ash," Sam looked happy and proud. Ash knew Sam had wanted to say that to him in regards to his dream for decades.

"Thank you, Sam," Was all that Ash could say. All he needed to say, really.

A comfortable silence settled between them before Sam looked at him with playful eyes. His sly expression told Ash what was about to be asked.

"Did you and Misty ever... you know..."

"Yeah, we did," Ash answered even as his heart felt a pang of nostalgia and love as he thought of Misty.

"I had a feeling," Sam said with a chuckle, "You two seemed like you would make an interesting couple. I'm so happy for you, Ash."

"Well, thanks. Misty… yeah, she and I loved each other dearly. She was the mermaid of my heart and soul. And she never minded that I had other wives."

A moment of silence passed as Sam looked at him with a blank expression.

"Sorry, what was that, Ash?"

Ash laughed out loud.

"I don't mean to brag, Sam, but I was popular with several women. Took me a painfully long time to realize. When it finally dawned on me, I simply chose to love them all equally."

Sam opened his mouth but then closed it immediately. He was visibly looking for what to say.

"You... had quite a life, Ash."

Despite how he was feeling, Ash smiled.

Yeah, he did.

After some seconds of silence, Sam became serious, and Ash sighed instinctively.

"Your mother?"

"I saw her sleeping," Ash closed his eyes, "I was so close to waking her up, you know? Now I'm glad I didn't. I would have said something, and she would have been confused."

It only took him a second to reach a decision regarding his mom. Ash opened his eyes.

"I can't tell her. Not right now."

Sam didn't tell him that perhaps he should tell his mom the truth. Sam knew her very well.

"Just think about it, Sam," Ash said, thinking of how poorly that conversation with his mom would go right now, "You know mom already worries about me a ton. If I told her that I lived for centuries, died, then came back to life…"

They both shuddered in unison.

Another moment of silence settled before Ash sighed again.

"I'll tell her before the Indigo Plateau Conference," Ash promised, making several decisions at that moment, "I'll return to Pallet briefly after getting all the Kanto Badges. I'll tell her then."

Sam smiled, probably already getting an inkling of what Ash was planning. Ash huffed slightly. The Oak family. Always so smart.

"The Indigo Plateau Conference," Sam gave an aproving nod of his head, "You have made your decision."

He'd decided several things, as a matter of fact. Part of him still couldn't believe that this was real. That after living for over one-thousand years, he was supposed to live life all over again.

But Ash was this world's Chosen One, and this was his reality. In light of that, there was really only one option for him.

Ash's eyes became resolute, and he straightened from his slight slouch. His voice had the weight of more than a millennia of experience as he spoke.

"Sam, give me Pikachu's Pokéball, please."

Chapter Text

Sam assessed him with sharp eyes for a long moment. Their brief talk had done wonders for Ash's state of mind, but he could guess that Sam knew how Ash just… wasn't fully done assimilating this whole thing. That was going to take some more time.

But Ash is Chosen One, Grand Master, and many other titles that were of importance to the safety of the world. He knew of future dangers, and he had the power and ability to stop them and help others. He couldn't stand still. He needed to move forward.

And if there was a silver lining to all of this, it was that Ash could once again see the friends he'd not seen in centuries.

Sam saw the resolution that Ash showed in his eyes, and eventually nodded. A moment later, Sam stood in front of him, holding a Pokéball that had a lighting bolt sticker on his hand.

Ash felt his heart beating faster. Inside that Pokéball was Pikachu, his precious buddy.

"You know, Ash, during our meeting in Johto when I was a kid, you never explained why Pikachu was your Starter," Sam mused out loud as he observed Pikachu's Pokéball for a moment, "It made me wonder for years if things changed in the future. Perhaps, I thought, new Starter Pokémon outside of Kanto's Main Three of Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle were given out."

"When that clearly didn't happen, well..." His friend fixed him with an amused smile. Sam's amusement only grew when Ash's expression turned blank.

"Forgive me once again, Ash, but before you barged into the lab, I'd calculated a ninety-six percent of probability that you wouldn't arrive in time to pick one of the regular Starters."

"..."

"Well, Ash?"

"... Yeah, that's what happened originally, Sam."

Sam released a chortle of good-natured laughter. Ash tried to not show any emotion for a moment before he snorted and joined Sam in laughing.

"You can imagine the shock I felt when you did arrive before anyone else," Sam chuckled, "For the one second you gave me before lunging towards me, my mind went through some scenarios about how to guide you towards Pikachu instead of the Main Three."

"Really? I'm grateful, Sam," Ash answered with a friendly smile. He truly was.

"No problem. However, it's curious, you know? When I saw him, I instantly knew that he was the same Pikachu I met at that time," Sam's eyes were filled with nostalgia, "Before I knew it, I'd thrown a Pokéball at Pikachu, and captured him. When I realized what I'd done, it made me feel as if I was partaking in some grand event."

"You are, Sam. Trust me. And hey, I'll forever thank you for that, even if Pikachu doesn't really like being inside his Pokéball," Ash chuckled as he took the Pokéball from Sam's hand almost reverently. Once it was in his hand, Ash held it close to his heart for one moment before he opened it.

Pikachu materialized, shaking himself slightly with a frown on his face before he looked at Ash. For his part, Ash felt time stop around him as he looked at Pikachu for the first time in more than one-thousand years.

His buddy had a long life, way beyond the lifespan of his species thanks to the bond that Pikachu shared with him. Their bond had been so strong that a small part of Ash's own longevity was shared with Pikachu. He and Pikachu had many adventures for nearly two centuries before Pikachu eventually died of old age with a peaceful smile on his face.

Ash remembers that day very well. How he held Pikachu's body close to him as tears fell from his eyes, and his mind kept repeating Pikachu's final words to him.

After that, Ash just… left. All off his duties, all of the projects that he'd been working on, all the students under his care, all his friends and family. Ash left them all as he secluded himself away from the world. Somehow, in the grief-induced haze that had clouded his mind, Ash ended up at the highest peak of Mt. Silver. He spent a long time there with only six Pokémon to keep him company. It was completely irresponsible of him. He'd known that every second that he stayed at Mt. Silver.

But Ash simply couldn't go on right after Pikachu died.

To Ash, Pikachu had been starter, companion, buddy, brother, guide, home and a lot more that just couldn't be explained with words. Pikachu had truy been a part of him, and that's why Pikachu's death hit him so hard. A part of Ash's heart and soul had died as well.

Everyone he knew at the time was incredibly supportive of him. When Ash finally felt that he could breathe properly again and returned to civilization, his friends, students and family told him that he'd done more than enough to deserve a break. They even took care of his duties as best as they could while he'd been away, for which Ash was forever grateful.

Pikachu left quite the legacy.

Pikachu had already had several statues and monuments in his honor all across the world before his death. After Ash returned from Mt. Silver, he found that there wasn't a corner of the world that hadn't paid tribute to Pikachu. Some places built new statues, while others named buildings of all kinds after Pikachu. Some, like Pallet City, outright erected temples in honor of his buddy. Ash spent years visiting every single one of those places.

His buddy held many titles for which he was remembered by the world at large. The Sparkling Thunderstorm, the Guiding Thunder, and many other monikers. However, his most important title was the one that made Pikachu be remembered for centuries.

The strongest Electric-Type Pokemon of all time.

Much like Ash, Pikachu loved a lot. Much like Ash, Pikachu became father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and so on. Pikachu's offspring and eventual descendants were all put under the care of the Ketchum Family, and a tradition began. Every Ketchum received a Pichu when they were young. It was a tradition that was still going on even at the time of Ash's death.

With Pikachu gone, Ash could have trained one of the many Pichu of the Ketchum Family. Oh, it would have been so easy.

Even if none of the Pichu ever surpassed Pikachu's power, they were all born with great potential. Those young Pichu went on to help their trainers achieve great things. Like Ash's great-grandaughter, June Ketchum, and her Ace Pokemon, a female Pikachu that had been so much like Ash's own buddy. June became Hoenn Champion at an impressive twelve-years of age with her Pikachu by her side.

But Ash never trained any of the Pichu, even though he never hesitated to train the offspring and descendants of his other Pokémon. Ash trained many Bulbasaurs, Charmanders, Squirtles, and others. Trained them fom the ground up, and made them into legendary powerhouses that conquered the world of Pokémon Battles time and time again.

He showered all the Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu that were part of the Ketchum Family with love and care… but just the thought of training them always left him feeling as if he was drowning at the pitch-black bottom of an ocean. So, he left them to the young ones of his family, and a small part of Ash always wondered...

Was it wrong of him? Was it selfish of him? If that was the case, well… Ash never professed to be perfect. There would only ever be one Pikachu for Ash Ketchum.

The very same Pikachu that was currently standing in front of him.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried with happiness.

Much like with Sam, Ash lunged towards Pikachu to engulf him in a hug. He'll never forget meeting Pikachu, and his buddy was as he remembered from the day his journey began. Pikachu was rounder thanks to the laidback life that he had before being captured. His buddy will begin to slim down after some battles and life on the road.

He felt Pikachu squirm for a moment, and Ash smiled as he knew what was about to happen next. He used his Aura to protect his clothes, but not his body.

"Pi-ka-chu!"

Pikachu released a point-blank Thundershock at him, and Ash endured it. Ash knew that Pikachu expected him to release him from the hug and to writhe in pain on the floor. That's why, when he didn't do that, he felt Pikachu's surprise and shock.

Ash couldn't help it, he laughed. For the first time in centuries, he'd felt Pikachu's electricity course through him, and it tingled in the best way posible. He looked at Pikachu, smiling at him warmly.

"Hi, Pikachu! I'm Ash. Ash Ketchum! Pleased to meet you!"

It wasn't the first time Ash met Pikachu, but it was Pikachu's first time meeting Ash. He would need to remember that.

Pikachu gaped as Ash completely ignored the Thundershock that he'd just released. Oh, maybe this was all worth it, if only to see that expression on his buddy's face.

Ash closed his eyes before wrapping Pikachu in another hug. His Aura stirred, and Ash created an Aura Connection with Pikachu.

He heard Pikachu gasp loudly.

Of all the things that Ash could do with Aura, transferring memories was not one of those things. Memories were… unique, he'd learned, in that they could be preserved, but not fully passed or transfered. No, Ash couldn't transfer all of his memories to Pikachu to instantly win over Pikachu's trust.

But he could share his feelings and emotions.

Through his Aura, Ash showed Pikachu his love, his understanding, and a bond that will endure countless trials and adventures. A bond that promised a home, eternal friendship, and anything that Pikachu could ever want.

"Pika…" The sound that left Pikachu was quiet, and Ash lifted Pikachu up. Their eyes met.

"Pika… pi. Pikapi."

Ash cried, but there was a smile on his face.

"Pikachu, this will be difficult to understand since, from your point of view, we only just met, but… I'm your friend, and you are my buddy," Ash spoke with resolution in his voice.

"Pikachu, I... don't have a dream," And Ash really didn't. He'd fulfilled them all already, "But I do have a goal. Several goals, in fact. Will you accompany me on my journey and help me with those goals?"

Pikachu looked surprised due to everything that Ash had just shown him through his Aura and at his words. His buddy looked thoughtful for a moment before he looked at Ash with wonder.

In that moment, Ash's Aura felt Pikachu accept his offer... tentatively. It wasn't complete acceptance, but Pikachu had just done the equivalent of taking a step forward towards Ash instead of backing away.

Ash couldn't help the loud sob that left his lips as he felt their bond spark once again. It didn't posses the same intensity like in the future, but it was a start. Ash could feel from the connection that it was a sign that Pikachu was willing to test the waters and accompany this very strange human kid who'd shrugged off his Thundershock.

Pikachu was willing to see if the friendship and everything else that Ash promised could be real.

"Thank you, Pikachu..." Ash said with heartfelt gratitude as he met Pikachu's eyes, "I promise that I will be your friend, always," he chuckled when Pikachu nodded with slight hesitation and a curious expression on his face.

Ash felt Sam's supportive hand on his shoulder, and turned to look at his friend who'd remained in silent respect as Ash met Pikachu again. There was a happy and proud smile on Sam's face as he took a Pokéball from his belt. Ash's smiled widely when Sam opened it.

Sam's own Starter, Charizard, looked at Sam with curiosity before Sam pointed at Ash.

"Ash knows, old friend," was all that Sam needed to say.

Charizard's eyes widened, and he looked at Ash with happy eyes and a swish of his tail that nearly broke several lab instruments. Ash chuckled as he held out one hand in front of Charizard, who looked back at him with curiousity as he held out one of his claws. Ash took it, and started an Aura Connection with Charizard.

Ash showed Sam's starter his feelings of a friendship that started thanks to time travel, and was eventually rekindled. He showed his feelings about his childhood days playing at the corral, overjoyed because Professor Oak's cool Charizard was there! And he was always so kind to Ash! It made him feel special because Charizard was only ever kind to the Professor, Gary, and Ash!

As a kid, Ash never questioned why. But he knew now.

When Ash ended the connection, Charizard was crying, and he looked at him as if a long gone friend had returned.

"Hi, Charmeleon!", Ash greeted the friend that he met centuries ago, "You grew up into a great Charizard! Thanks for taking care of Sam! Look! Pikachu's here!" Pikachu waved hesitantly towards Charizard, clearly not understanding much. He will, in time.

Sam huffed slightly, before smiling brightly. Charizard looked at the three of them with the softest expression that Ash had ever seen on a Charizard. Not even Ash's own Charizard, at his most mellow, could have looked as soft as this.

The four of them. Two humans and their respective Starter Pokemon. Forever friends.

Ash wished that they could have stayed like that for some more time, but the doorbell ringed, bringing him back to reality.

Sam sighed, looking equally wistful, but he smiled as he returned Charizard, but not before the friendly Fire-type gave Ash and Pikachu a hug. Ash laughed merrily, and Pikachu grumbled, but there was a small smile on his face.

"It's open!" Sam called out.

"Gramps!"

Ash felt his breath hitch.

He watched in a sort of daze as Gary Oak barged into the lab. He didn't notice him, as his focus was on his Grandfather.

"Hey, Gramps! The whole town's talking about some blue blur that was heading this way! Do you know anything about that?"

"A blue blur..." Sam wondered out loud, looking past Gary to fix Ash with a blank stare. Ash winced slightly. Right, he'd raced all the way here with a layer of visible Aura around his body. Everyone who saw him must have only caught a blue blur speeding past them. Whoops...

Sam snorted slightly before he smiled at his Grandson.

"I'm afraid I don't know anything about that, Gary," Sam answered before he pointed at Ash, "Perhaps Ash knows?"

"Huh? What are you-what?! Ash?!"

Ash couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips at the expression of pure shock on Gary's face. Oh, that face had to be committed to memory. It was too funny!

"Wh-what are you doing here?!" Gary jabbed a finger towards him, still looking incredulous, "There's no way you arrived before me!"

Well, to be fair, Gary wasn't exactly wrong. Ash had only arrived here before Gary due to his situation. But Ash'd didn't focus on that. Instead, he focused on the fact that he was looking at Gary for the first time in more than a millennia.

For the third time this day, Ash lunged towards a friend that he'd not seen in a long time.

"Gary!"

"Wha the-"

Unlike with Sam and Pikachu, Ash put more force into the hug that he gave to Gary, taking the air out of Gary's lungs. He laughed when he heard the wheeze that Gary let out. Gary pushed him away, and Ash allowed it with a cheerful laugh, even though he could have used his strenght to hold Gary in place.

"What-" Gary said, gasping slightly, "What are you doing?!"

"Giving you a hug, Gary, duh!" Ash smiled cheerfully at him, "Good morning, by the way!"

"Shut it!" Gary growled, "What, did you camp outside the lab? That's the only way I can see you getting here before me!"

Huh, now there was an idea. Why didn't Ash do that originally?

"Nah, that's not it, Gary. I simply woke up early and made my way here!" Ash replied with a small smirk as he turned towards Sam, "Isn't that right, Professor Oak?" Ash was very careful about using his friend's title instead of his given name. At least in front of Gary.

Sam looked at him with a hint of mischief in his eyes, and he was very visibly trying to not laugh out loud.

"Ash speaks the truth, Gary," Sam confirmed with a nod of his head. His lips were somewhat quivering, "Good morning, by the way!"

Gary was looking with incredulity at the both of them. He grumbled a good morning towards Sam before focusing on Ash again.

"Fine! So you arrived here first! Don't let it get to your head!" Ash resisted the urge to guffaw. That warning was precious coming from Gary.

"So, what Starter did you pick, Ashy-boy?" Gary made that question trying to look aloof, masking his curiosity. Ash knew better.

"I chose Pikachu!" With Pikachu still in his arms, Ash showed him to Gary with a proud smile, "Isn't he so cute?! Gary, meet my Starter, Pikachu. Pikachu, this is Gary. He's a handful, but he means well."

"Pikachu..." Gary looked unimpressed as he stared at Pikachu, "Why a Pikachu? Why not one of the Main Three? And who are you callin' a handful, Ashy-boy? If someone's a handful, it's clearly you!"

Again, Gary wasn't wrong. He really, really wasn't.

"There's nothing wrong with Pikachu, Gary!" Ash grinned, feeling Pikachu's annoyance towards Gary because he was dismissing him, "He's going to be amazing! He's going to be so strong in the future, that a massive thunderstorm will occur simply because Pikachu yawned!"

Gary released a chortle of mocking laughter, clearly not seeing anything special about Pikachu, and definitely not believing Ash's boast. Oh... if only Gary knew that a feat like that was only a fraction of what Pikachu was going to be capable of. That was just what happened when Ash's buddy was lazy about keeping his power in check.

"Yeah, sure. Keep dreaming, Ashy-boy," Gary rolled his eyes before smirking, "Now watch what a true Pokémon Trainer does. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two."

Oh, Gary was annoying. Again. Ash had missed that so much.

Ash smiled, allowing Gary to chose his own Starter. Gary walked without hesitation towards the Pokéball with the water sticker and picked it up before releasing the Pokémon inside of it.

"Squirtle!" The tiny turtle Pokémon materialized with a cheerful smile, looking curiously towards Gary. Ash's eyes softened as he looked at yet another good friend for the first time in a really long while. A loyal companion that had watched after four generations of the Oak Family.

"Hi, Squirtle," Gary smiled, "I'm Gary Oak. I'm gonna go out and become the number one Trainer! You wanna be my Pokémon?" Squirtle assesed Gary for a few seconds before nodding.

"Squirtle!" the water-type jumped happily towards Gary, who laughed more genuinely as he hugged his Starter. Gary turned towards Ash, looking rather smug.

"See, Ashy-boy? This is how a real Trainer looks like! I bet your Pikachu didn't like you immediately."

Wow, Gary was on a roll. That made three things he'd guessed correctly without even meaning to.

Ash didn't mind that Gary was an arrogant jerk once again, because he knew Gary really well. In the future, Gary did a lot of great things during his life aside from surpassing the world-famous Samuel Oak.

When Serena gave birth to Ash's first daughter, Gary was Ash's only option to become the Godfather of his precious baby Melia. Likewise, the day Gary became a father, he immediately asked Ash to be the Godfather of his daughter.

The day Gary died was a really sad day for Ash. He cried that day because Gary was gone. He laughed that day as he remembered every significant moment that he shared with Gary ever since they were kids growing up in Pallet Town. Honestly, Gary had been his brother.

But that was the future Gary. Right now, Gary was an arrogant jerk who needed to be schooled.

Well, it just so happened that Ash was very good at schooling arrogant jerks. He wrote a book all about it.

Ash walked calmly towards Gary and stood in front of him with a grin on his face.

"Gary, I challenge you to a Pokémon Battle!"

Chapter Text

Upon hearing Ash's challenge, Gary stared at him in surprise for a moment before a cocky smirk formed on his lips.

"You are challenging me, Ashy-boy?" Gary laughed, "Well, if you want to lose your first battle so quickly, then by all means!"

"Ahem!"

Ash turned towards Sam. His friend looked at both of them with slight exasperation, although the look was more directed towards Gary. In Sam's hand were two devices that Ash knew very well.

"Before you go about having a battle, please be so kind as to scan your Pokémon with the Pokédex so you can learn their moves," Sam sighed, "You can do that first, right?"

Gary looked a bit sour at the admonishment, but Ash simply smiled as he approached Sam, and observed the Pokédex that his friend had in his hand. Instantly, he knew that neither of the two were the Pokédex that he'd own originally.

"Mine has a really small scratch at the front," he whispered quietly to Sam, whose eyes widened slightly.

"Ah... on second thought, one of these units needs a checkup," Sam said out loud, "Give me one second."

Sam went to the back of the lab. A moment later, he returned with a different Pokédex on his hand.

"Here you go, Ash. This unit should work perfectly," Sam smiled as he handed him the Pokédex.

"Thanks, Professor!" Ash gave a nod of gratitude, accepting the Pokédex.

He looked carefully at the Pokédex. The very first one that he ever had.

It was such an important piece of history to Ash that he put it inside a display, alongside his other Pokédex. And that display remained exclusively in his main house.

Sam really outdid himself with this model. With proper care, it could surprisingly work decades in the future. It only had acces to Kanto Pokémon, and couldn't scan Pokémon with the same detail as the newer models, but Ash showed this wonderful device to many generations of Ketchum children so that they could learn about how things were when Ash was younger.

The day he showed this Pokédex to his grandchildren, they said that it was outdated compared to their shiny new toys. Yeah, Clemont's latest Pokédex model was really cool. Ash liked to play with the one Clemont gifted him a lot. That didn't mean the little tykes couldn't appreciate what was cool during Ash's youth, right?

He pointed the Pokédex towards Pikachu, and a beep was emitted before the artificially-generated voice of the device spoke out loud.

"Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon. It can generate electric attacks from the electric pouches located in both of its cheeks."

"This Pikachu knows the following moves: Thundershock."

Just as he remembered. Pikachu only had Thundershock available to him right now. He'll learn Thunderbolt and Quick Attack very soon, and Ash can get Pikachu started on learning Iron Tail once they hit the road. He resisted the urge to sigh wistfully at the thought of those three attacks. They were Pikachu's most iconic moves, and the base for some massively powerful attacks in the future.

Ash knew how to teach his buddy a lot of different moves, so for Pikachu's fourth slot, he was going to have Pikachu rotate through different moves so that he could be ready for a variety of opponents.

Gary smirked at him as he took the other Pokédex before pointing it towards Squirtle.

"Squirtle. This Tiny Turtle Pokémon draws its long neck into its shell to launch incredible Water attacks with amazing range and accuracy. The blasts can be quite powerful."

"This Squirtle knows the following moves: Tackle, Tail Whip."

"Very nice, Squirtle!" Gary smiled at his Starter, "Two moves compared to the single one of Ashy-boy's Pikachu. You are clearly the superior Starter."

Squirtle smiled at the praise, and the Water-Type looked at Ash and Pikachu with a bit of smugness on his face. His buddy scowled back at Squirtle, but Ash smiled kindly, and waved in a friendly manner at Squirtle, who looked a bit confused as he returned the greeting with some hesitation.

"Hey, Gramps, we'll be using your field," Gary smiled arrogantly, and Ash snorted as that smile was instantly wiped off from Gary's face when Sam looked at his Grandson sternly.

"... Gramps, can we please use your field?" Gary amended.

Sam kept his stern look on Gary for another moment before smiling.

"Very well. I hope you both don't mind if I serve as an observer," When Sam's gaze drifted towards Ash, his friend's eyes looked eager at what was about to happen. Gary walked out, and Squirtle followed him. Sam nodded once towards him and Pikachu before he followed his Grandson.

Ash turned towards Pikachu, who looked back with a pensive frown. Ash knelt down in front of him, and smiled at his buddy as they made eye contact.

"Pikachu, I know we only just met, and that you have a lot of questions, but I'd like you to work with me in this Battle," Ash requested to Pikachu, "Let's win this together, buddy."

His buddy looked thoughtful. Pikachu was understandably confused with everything that Ash had done so far.

"I'll explain everything in more detail soon, buddy. I promise," Ash said resolutely. Pikachu observed him carefully. His buddy made a decision, and nodded once towards Ash.

"Thank you, Pikachu," Ash said with heartfelt gratitude, "Get ready to move at any time, and listen closely to my commands. We are gonna win this."

"Pika!" Pikachu gave a positive nod of his head, and grumbled slightly as Ash patted his head. The two turned in unison to walk outside. Gary and his Squirtle were on one side of the field. Sam, who was hanging outside the field, smiled before he released his own Starter.

"Huh?!" Gary looked surprised as Charizard let out a small roar before the Fire-Type's eyes lit up, recognizing what was about to happen. He waved at both Gary and Ash.

Ash laughed amicably, and waved back. Gary returned the greeting as well, even though he looked dumbfounded.

"Gramps?! Why are you bringing Charizard out for?!" Gary questioned with wide eyes.

"Why, to let him watch your and Ash's first Pokémon Battle, of course!" Sam smiled kindly, "Charizard is very fond of both of you. I wouldn't let him miss this for the world!"

Gary flushed, visibly fighting a pleased smile because, in his mind, it would have been uncool or something dumb like that. Ash wanted to sigh. Gary and his act of superiority...

Ash, with Pikachu by his side, positioned himself on the opposite side of the field. As he faced Gary, a thought occurred to him.

Before his death, the last human opponent he ever battled had been an Oak. And now, in his first battle of this... second life, he was battling an Oak. How ironic.

"Are you ready, Ashy-boy?" Gary spoke out loud, regaining some of his cocky attitude as he focused on him, "You'll be the first stepping stone on my way to the top!"

"If you want to win this, Gary, you are going to have to work together with Squirtle!" Ash responded with seriousness, "If you don't, you'll never stand a chance!"

"Ha! That almost sounded wise, Ashy-boy! I'll give you that!" Gary smirked before he pointed towards Pikachu, "Go, Squirtle!"

Squirtle cheered, and began moving towards the middle of the field.

"Pikachu," Ash said quietly, but his buddy's ears perked up, and he sprinted to meet Squirtle head on.

"Tail Whip!" Gary called out the first move of the battle. Squirtle's tail began to glow as he channelled Normal-Type energy into it, ready to lower Pikachu's defense.

"Get behind Squirtle, Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

Just as Squirtle was about to land his move, his eyes widened when Pikachu was no longer in front of him, but behind.

"Thundershock!"

"Into your shell, Squirtle!"

"Pi-ka-chu!" His buddy launched the Electric attack towards his opponent.

Squirtle wasn't quite fast enough to dissapear into his shell, so even though the damage was lessened, Pikachu's Thundershock still rattled him.

"Not bad at all, Gary!" Ash smiled as Gary narrowed his eyes.

Too bad Squirtle didn't know Hydro Pump in order to move, defend, and attack while inside his shell. Right now, Squirtle was just a stationary target.

Pikachu could have blasted Squirtle with a few Thundershocks in order to draw him out of his shell. However, that would only tire Pikachu more than Ash would prefer.

Time for some good old Ketchum improvisation.

"Pikachu, begin storing electricity in your cheeks!"

Pikachu's cheeks began sparking with electricity. On the opposite side, Gary seemed wary, and called out to Squirtle. However, Ash spoke faster.

"Jump, Pikachu!"

"Tackle!"

Pikachu leaped into the air, dodging Squirtle's attack as it passed below him. Thinking that Pikachu would follow up with another Thundershock, Gary called out to his Starter.

"Into your shell again!"

Squirtle did just that, which was a bad call on Gary's part. He should have had Squirtle put pressure on Pikachu to distract him from charging up electricity. Rookie mistake to just let your opponent do what they wanted.

When Ash calculated that Pikachu had stored enough electricity inside his cheeks, he spoke out loud.

"Pikachu! Nuzzle against Squirtle's shell!"

Pikachu, Gary, Sam and Charizard all looked taken aback upon hearing his words. Still, Pikachu recovered first, and he pressed one cheek against Squirtle's shell before he began nuzzling against it rapidly, sending the stored electricity through Squirtle's shell, and into his body. Gary looked perplexed at what he was seeing, and it cost him precious seconds to react.

"What in the world?!" Gary yelled, "Squirtle, now! Tackle!"

Squirtle reappeared from his shell with a cry of his name, and prepared to launch himself at Pikachu. His buddy hadn't moved away, and from that close distance, Squirtle had an easy shot at him that would deal good damage.

Squirtle only managed to move a bit before he let out a small yelp of pain as sparks visibly coursed through his body. He'd just been paralyzed.

Ash grinned widely. The pseudo-Nuzzle had been a success.

"Thundershock!"

"Pi-ka-chu!"

"Squir-"

Gary couldn't finish speaking before Squirtle was hit directly by Pikachu's attack. Squirtle tried to move, but the paralysis that Pikachu's pseudo-Nuzzle inflicted didn't allow him to. Ash allowed the attack to continue for several seconds.

"That's enough, Pikachu!"

Pikachu stopped his attack, and Squirtle fell to the ground. His buddy was focused on Squirtle, watching the Water-Type whrite in pain.

"Squirtle!" Gary called out with wide eyes and worry in his voice, "Are you okay?! Can you move?!"

"Squi..." Squirtle clearly struggled to move as electricity continued to flow through him, but he eventually managed to stand up with exhaustion visible on his face as he focused on Pikachu. Suddenly, a blue shine appeared through Squirtle's body. Squirtle's Torrent Ability had activated.

Sam's eyes narrowed in speculation, while Gary looked confused. Both reactions made sense. Sam was already researching about the natural abilities that Pokémon displayed. His friend published his research about Pokémon Abilities before Ash left for Hoenn, and that's how Abilities became well-known across the world.

It was just too bad that Squirtle didn't know any Water-Type attacks. It would have given him a boost in power.

Pikachu was relatively fresh since he hadn't been hit yet. On the other hand, Squirtle was paralyzed, and had just taken a direct, super effective attack. Torrent's activation meant Squirtle was low on health, but Squirtle's eyes were narrowed, refusing to give up. Still, Ash saw that Squirtle was trying to move without success thanks to the paralysis.

Ash looked at Squirtle, thinking back to the Blastoise that had always been a delight to face in battle. Dutiful, and unwilling to fall down until his body had been thoroughly battered. When Gary and Blastoise used Mega Evolution, and fought together as one, they were some of the toughest opponents that Ash could face at the time.

That was in the future. Today, Gary and Squirtle were just starting.

Ash felt proud for Squirtle before he smiled towards Pikachu.

"Nice job, Pikachu!" he congratulated his buddy, who looked surprised for a second before a pleased expression passed through his face as he realized he'd won.

"Pika!"

"Huh?!" Gary looked stupefied, "What do you mean?! This battle ain't ov-"

"It is, Gary."

Ash didn't speak out loud, but his voice easily carried across the field. Gary flinched, and looked at him with disbelief in his eyes.

"Squirtle cannot move due to the paralysis, Gary. Just take a good look at him," Ash spoke firmly, "Continuing battling would only needlessly hurt Squirtle. As his Trainer, you need to understand that."

Gary visibly deflated as he realized he'd just lost to him, and his gaze turned downwards. Ash felt a small pang of pain in his heart as he saw the utterly lost expression on Gary's face, but he hardened his emotions a moment later.

This was neccesary, the part of him that was Pokémon Grand Master Ash Ketchum thought with unyielding resolve. Gary's current attitude was only detrimental to himself.

Ash walked towards Pikachu, and scooped his buddy up in his arms. He made eye contact with him.

"Congratulations, Pikachu!" he smiled proudly, "Our very first win! You were amazing, buddy!"

Pikachu's face twitched slightly, and Ash knew Pikachu well enough to understand that his buddy was trying to not show how much he liked the praise. Ash chuckled.

In time, he reminded himself. In time, Pikachu will open up.

They both watched quietly as Gary pulled himself together before he walked towards Squirtle.

"Squirtle..." The Water-Type looked down towards the ground, clearly sad at the outcome of the battle. When Gary stopped in front of him, he knelt in front of Squirtle. They both looked at the other without knowing what to say.

Ash walked towards them with Pikachu on his arms. When he reached them, he placed Pikachu on the ground before he too knelt in front of Squirtle.

"Hi, Squirtle!" Ash greeted the Tiny Turtle Pokémon, who struggled to meet his gaze, "I'm Ash Ketchum. Pleased to meet you! That was a great battle!"

Squirtle clearly looked like he disagreed, and his eyes remained sad.

"Losing is part of the journey, Squirtle," Ash spoke with confidence, fully believing in the words he was about to speak, "You lost this time, but you can learn from this defeat for the next battle."

Ash had the full atention of both Trainer and Pokémon. Good, his words were for both of them.

"What are you going to do, Squirtle?" Ash asked with seriousness, "Will you allow this defeat to make you fall and stop? Or will you stand up and move forward?"

"Losing once doesn't mean you will lose again next time, Squirtle. Learn all you can. Improve, even if it's little by little each day. Face the next challenge with your head held high, and the determination to win burning inside your heart."

These were words he'd said to many people and Pokémon over a millennia. Family, friends, students, opponents, strangers on the road. They were the ideals that Ash held in his heart, born from every single defeat he ever experienced.

Squirtle was looking at him with wide eyes, while Gary...

Gary looked at him as if he was seeing Ash for the first time.

"Don't falter, Squirtle," Ash continued with a kind smile, "You and Gary are only just starting your journey together. Stay by Gary's side, and listen to him. He's pretty smart."

Gary looked taken aback because he was speaking nicely about him. Ash couldn't blame him. At this point back then, Ash would have rather jumped off a cliff than ever compliment Gary.

"Ah, but don't let his smart side fool you, Squirtle," Ash grinned playfully, and Squirtle answered with a small grin of his own, "Gary's a real handful. Keep an eye on him, yeah?"

Squirtle let out a small laugh, looking at his Trainer with amusement. Gary looked slightly embarrassed as he looked back at Squirtle.

"Be ready, Squirtle. Pikachu will only continue to grow stronger after this!" Ash patted Pikachu's head. His buddy looked less grumpy with the action now, and Ash fought down a goofy grin.

Pikachu moved closer to Squirtle, and looked at him for a moment before he held out his hand.

"Pika!"

Squirtle smiled, and held out his own hand. Both Pokémon shook hands.

"Squi! Squirtle!"

Ash could understand, without even needing Aura to do so.

"Nice battle! "

"Yeah! It was!"

Ash chuckled, watching as Gary straightened. He did the same, and made eye contact with Gary.

"You won," Gary said quietly. He looked pained admitting the outcome of their battle, "I lost. Badly. Couldn't land a single hit on your Pikachu."

"My words weren't just for Squirtle, Gary," Ash said bluntly, "Understand them, and learn."

Gary looked back at him with confusion and wonder in his eyes.

"What happened to you?" Gary asked with seriousness in his voice, and a pensive frown on his face. Like this, his resemblance with Sam was uncanny, "You are different."

Oh, Gary had no idea just how true those words were.

Ash remained silent as he debated with himself about telling Gary the truth. Much like with his mom, it didn't take him longer than a second to decide.

"Who knows, Gary?" Ash mused out loud, and a lazy smirk formed on his lips, "It's been a while since we've really talked without insulting each other."

Gary flinched slightly, which was as good an acknowledgement that Ash spoke the truth as it could get. Gary visibly struggled for words before he sighed and looked at Ash.

"Squirtle and I won't lose next time... Ash," Gary vowed with challenging eyes.

Ash smiled. Across the centuries of his life, he saw that same look of challenge on the faces of many generations of the Oak Family.

"Pikachu and I will be ready any time you want, Gary."

Gary nodded once to him, and turned around to leave.

Ash could have let him go, but he wanted to say something else to Gary. The words he spoke were born from a heartfelt desire to rekindle yet another bond.

"I'd like us to be friends again, Gary."

Gary froze completely. Since Gary was facing away from him, Ash dearly wished he could have seen the look on his face.

Slowly, Gary turned to look at him with a neutral expression. Ash said nothing as he looked for something in his backpack. It took him no time to find a tiny broken object.

He showed one half of a broken Pokéball to Gary, watching as Gary's eyes widened. Gary's gaze remained on the broken object in his hand before he turned to look at Ash.

"You carry it with you," Gary's voice was quiet. It was a statement, not a question.

"Of course. To me, this is a reminder," Ash said in a similar quiet tone.

"A reminder of what?"

Ash grinned.

"Of the friendship that we used to have."

Gary closed his eyes, and looked away from him. Ash waited with patience.

"... I don't have my half with me right now..." Gary said quietly as he opened his eyes. They looked slightly sad.

"Ah, let me guess!" Ash chuckled, "You put it inside the bottom drawer of your closet, alongside the other things you think are too valuable to have on display in your room."

Valuable objects to Gary, like pictures of his parents. He'd always refused to show them to others. Sam was an exception, of course, since he was Gary's only family.

When they'd been kids, Gary showed those pictures to Ash without hesitation.

"You remember that," Gary spoke quietly, "Yeah, I put it in there. I was gonna pick it up before leaving."

A moment of silence passed. Then, Gary sighed out loud before speaking.

"We are rivals."

"That doesn't mean we can't be friends as well!" Ash grinned, speaking from experience, "Those are the best kinds of friendships!"

Gary scoffed, but there was no malice in his action. Ash knew Gary well. For all his smarts, Gary could be awkward when emotions were involved. Especially at this age.

Ash held out one hand, and let it hang in the air as he mirrored Pikachu's action from some moments ago.

"Friends?" He asked.

Gary observed him quietly for a second before a small but genuine smile formed on his lips. He held out his own hand, and both of them shook hands.

"Friends. But also rivals. Don't forget that, Ash."

Ash laughed, happy, filled with joy, and with memories worth decades of Gary passing through his mind as another bond was rekindled.

"You bet!"

"Okay," Gary nodded, "See you later, Ash."

"See you, later, Gary," Ash answered with a grin.

Gary turned around once again. He stopped, and then he looked back. Not at Ash, but at Pikachu.

"You won this time, but Squirtle will defeat you next time," Gary promised before he turned around and began walking with Squirtle on his arms.

"Pika! Pikachu!" His buddy declared back towards Gary. Ash understood what his buddy said.

"Bring it! We won't lose!"

Pikachu spoke in plural. Ash closed his eyes. If he let out a yell of happiness at that moment, it would have been heard through all of Kanto and beyond.

"Gramps, I'm going back to the house to heal Squirtle. I'll be back in an hour or so. Bye, Charizard, see you later," Gary spoke to them. Sam and Charizard noded towards Gary, and the four of them watched Gary and Squirtle leave.

Ash grinned towards Pikachu.

"Ain't that great, Pikachu?" Ash asked, "We've got friends! And they are also our rivals!"

"Chupika..."

"Whatever..." Pikachu tried to play it cool, but he couldn't fool Ash. His buddy had a small smile on his face.

A moment of silence passed before Sam and Charizard joined them. Their eyes were shining, and they both looked very pleased with what they'd just seen and heard.

"Those were some nice words you said to both of them," Sam commented quietly. Charizard nodded his aproval.

"His current attitude is holding him back." was all Ash said as Gary and Squirtle dissapeared from view, "I simply gave him an early push towards a better path."

Ash had helped countless strangers on the road change their lifestyles, guiding them towards a better life simply by helping them change their attitudes. It was a given that he'd do the same for Gary.

"I agree," Sam sighed ruefuly, "I tried many times, but..."

"I understand, Sam," with his smile, Ash showed Sam that he truly did understand, "We can be too soft on family. "

When his first daughter, Melia, was born, Ash was over the moon. Melia grew up without lacking anything. His mom, Grace, Serena, and Ash spoiled her rotten. There wasn't anything Ash wouldn't have done for his precious Melia, and she grew up knowing, and taking full advantage of that fact.

"I believe Gary will begin to change for the better now. Thank you, Ash," Sam spoke with inmense gratitude in his voice, "I cannot thank you enough."

"There's nothing to thank me for, Sam," Ash smiled warmly, "Gary is my friend. One of the many people that I view as brothers."

It went unsaid that Sam and Charizard were included on that list. However, they both knew, if the small tears forming in their eyes was any indication.

Sam smiled before he looked at Ash with curiosity.

"By the way, Ash... what was that blue blur Gary spoke about? If he is to be believed, the entirety of Pallet is talking about this."

Ash suddenly found a nearby tree to be the most interesting thing that he could focus his eyes on. Sam laughed good naturedly.

"I do have to ask about your strategy during the battle."

"If you are referrering to how I had Pikachu paralyze Squirtle, it's based on an Electric-Type attack called Nuzzle. It deals damage and leaves the opponent paralyzed," Ash explained, "Pikachu simply made electricity flow through Squirtle's body, forcing the paralysis."

"Interesting," Sam looked like he wanted to reach for pen and paper so he could write, "It took us by surprise, that's for sure. Gary didn't react, and that sealed the battle."

"It was a much safer option than having Pikachu willingly take a hit from Squirtle, just so to see if Pikachu's Static Ability would activate," Ash decided that Thunder Wave will be the first move that he will teach to Pikachu aside from Iron Tail. Nuzzle could also paralyze and deal damage, but he preferred the long range that Thunder Wave provided.

"Ability?" Sam's eyes widened. "You mean that-"

"That your research is correct, Sam?" Ash grinned, watching as a grin formed on Sam's own lips, "Yup! It sure is, old friend!"

"Oh, that makes me happy!" Sam laughed with joy. Charizard shook his head, watching Sam with amusement, "I'll have to focus on publishing those papers as soon as possible, then!"

Sam chuckled before he hummed out loud.

"A firm command of the entire match, short as it was. Wise advice, kindly given to defeated opponents so that they can improve..." Sam spoke out loud. Both he and Charizard were looking at him with wonder.

"Ash, you mentioned becoming World Monarch, but... how far did you go after that?"

Ash thought back to the battles that followed his ascension to Monarch. He didn't remain undefeated, but each time he lost, he moved forward. He looked at the mistakes he made, and improved himself and his Pokémon.

One day, Ash simply stopped losing, and no human opponent managed to match him ever again.

"I was the best, like no one ever was."

Sam and Charizard looked beyond proud towards him.

"You know, before the battle began, a thought occurred to me," Ash spoke, gaining their attention, "Before I died, the last human opponent I faced in a Pokémon Battle was an Oak."

"Really?" Sam asked with slightly wide eyes, "You mentioned that the Oaks became renowned as the Top Pokémon Researchers."

"Yeah, and at that time, Ciel Oak had the title of Top Researcher," Ash smiled as Sam looked eager to hear about the Oaks of more than a millennia in the future, "But her niece, Antonia, was a Trainer with a once in several generations talent."

"Oh, Antonia was a talented child from a young age," Ash mused, thinking back to that little blonde girl with fierce red eyes, "She remained undefeated as she collected the Kanto Badges, and she easily won the Indigo Plateau Conference at the age of ten in her Rookie Year. That's no small feat in the future."

Ash chuckled, seeing Sam's proud gaze for a member of his family that wouldn't be born for over a millennia.

"She only began struggling when she battled the Elite Four, but she still defeated them one by one. It wasn't until Antonia reached the Indigo Champion that she lost soundly for the first time. Antonia didn't manage to defeat even one of the Champion's Pokémon.

A moment of silence passed. Sam and Charizard looked pensive before they looked at him.

"You were that Indigo Champion," Sam said for the both of them.

"Correct," Ash smiled, "I took the mantle for a while as a favor to a good friend. My Champion Team was strong," he smiled proudly as he recalled how his Pokémon took down Antonia's team.

Incineroar leaped into the air, and sent Antonia's Charizard towards the ground with a single flick of his wrist. Charizard made the grave mistake of trying to out-muscle an Incineroar whose idea of fun was to lift several Golem stacked atop one another.

Feraligatr had always been a playful soul, much like her ancestor. She laughed off Alakazam's attempt to hypnotize her before a tidal wave appeared out of thin air and submerged Alakazam.

Venusaur used his baffling yet effective gentlemanly fighting style to nullify Antonia's own Venusaur at the same time that he flirted with the female Venusaur. Ash always wondered if Brock had somehow reincarnated as his Venusaur.

Swellow flew circles around a Dragonite that had taken out entire teams, leaving injuries all over the Dragon's body. She'd always had a temper, and Dragonite didn't realize until he was down on the ground, that trying to taunt Swellow by calling her names was a terrible idea.

Scrafty looked bored as the enourmous fist of a Gigantamax Machamp hurled towards him. He dodged the attack before sending the titanic Machamp flying towards the sky with a kick.

Garchomp, always one to be swift and efficient, defeated Antonia's Blastoise with a single hit, ending the battle. Ash walked towards Antonia to congratulate her on making it so far in just her first year as a Trainer. However, Antonia's eyes were looking at him in anger.

"Antonia was so angry with me!" Sam and Charizard looked a bit taken aback when Ash released a bark of loud laughter, "Yeah, my Champion Team was strong. But they weren't my strongest Pokémon, and she told me that I was insulting her by not using my best lineup against her."

Sam and Charizard snorted, looking amused at the thought of the future Oak girl clearly punching above her league. If Antonia hadn't defeated a single member of Ash's Champion Team, what had made her think she'd stand a chance against his best lineup?

"I didn't want her mad at me, so I made a deal with her. Go to the other Regions, and conquer all their Trainer challenges. Then I'd use my best against her."

"How long did that take her?" Sam asked as he and Charizard were fully engrossed with Ash's tale.

"Six years. In the future, that ammount of time is beyond impressive considering all the challenges that were available by then. Like I said, she was talented."

"So, she earned the right to face my strongest Pokémon."

"How strong are we talking about here?" Sam asked. His eyes were speculative, trying to imagine the scale in power of Pokémon Battles in the future.

"They were far stronger than Regional Champions and Legendaries," Sam and Charizard's eyes widened, "I used them to keep the entire world safe," Ash explained with a small smile, "I stationed one of them in each Region, and they maintained peace on their respective Regions by themselves."

And when Ash called them to his side, they arrived looking grim, thinking that a full team assembly meant a universe-ending threat was happening. Ash told them why he summoned them, and with the exception of the member of the team who was always by Ash's side, they all looked at him with incredulity.

"You must be aware, Sam, that there's ways to power up Pokémon or their attacks."

"I know some small details here and there, yes. And Samson has spoken about that in his letters," Sam smiled, "Alola has Z-Moves, correct?

"Yeah, and there's more things like that in other Regions. Anyway, I told Antonia to use every single one of those power ups against my Pokémon."

When Ash remained silent, Sam and Charizard chuckled, wincing in sympathy for Antonia.

"How long did the battle last?" Sam asked with his lips twitching upwards.

"Six minutes."

Typhlosion had been really smug, laughing in Antonia's face after she single handedly defeated Antonia's strongest lineup. Ash half-heartedly told Typhlosion to not be too mean, but Typhlosion only giggled, knowing that Ash loved her far too much to ever make her change her attitude.

"After the battle ended, Antonia just stood there on the opposite side of the field, looking similar to Gary just now after losing. I walked towards her, and there were some adjustments, of course, but I basically told her what I just told to Gary and Squirtle."

When she heard his words, Ash could see the determination burning in her eyes as she asked for a rematch. She asked about the following year, if possible. Ash gently told Antonia that it wouldn't be possible.

Ash already knew that he would be diying in less than two weeks.

"Ash, I..." Sam looked and sounded wistful, "... I truly wish that we had the time so that you could tell me about more than a millennia of experiences."

"Same, Sam," Ash would have loved that as well. However... "But I need to get on the road again. Tell you what, after I collect the Kanto Badges, you and I can sit down and talk with some tea and rice crackers as snacks."

"That sounds really nice, but... tea and rice crackers?" Sam raised an amused eyebrow at him, "I like those two things well enough, but you sound like an old man, Ash."

"I am an old man, Sam. Older than you," Ash laughed, and both Sam and Charizard joined him.

An amicable silence settled between them. Ash looked at Pikachu, whose gaze was focused on him. Through Ash's tale about Antonia, Pikachu had been looking more and more confused. He owed his buddy a lot of answers.

Eventually, Sam broke the silence.

"What are you going to do, Ash?"

Sam had already asked that question, but Ash didn't answer. His friend wasn't going to let him deflect or ignore the question now.

"Go out there. Start meeting the friends that I made. Maybe even meet some new ones."

Sam looked quietly at him. Ash sighed.

"Make a name for myself. Again. Build back everything I spent decades constructing."

If Sam heard the annoyance in his voice, he didn't comment on it. His friend looked concerned as he sighed morosely.

"It's a mess out there, Ash. I'm sure you know this well."

"Are you talking about the current state of Kanto? Come on, Sam! That's no way to talk about our home turf!" Ash tried to speak in a joking tone, but a grimace formed on his face that was mirrored by Sam, and even Charizard looked grim.

Sam was being generous by calling Kanto a mess at that moment.

No Indigo Champion.

Lance was the only Elite Four working full-time to keep some semblance of peace.

The Gym Leaders... by the current standards, Ash will only give full credit to his brother Brock, and to Koga. Maybe some partial credit to Surge, Erika, and Blaine, if Ash felt generous. As for the remaining Main Gyms of Kanto...

The Cerulean Gym... will only improve with Misty in charge.

The Saffron Gym... Sabrina had been a good friend to him, but right now, she was a danger to anyone who entered the Gym.

The Viridian Gym... it was only considered a shining example of what a good Gym should be because people didn't know the truth about the current Gym Leader.

But Ash did, and he had some plans already forming just for Giovanni.

Kanto's economy was barely stable thanks to Charles Goodshow, who was another good friend that Ash looked forward to seeing again .

Communication with other Regions, including Kanto's sister Region of Johto, was severely limited. Kanto only established video communication with Johto while Ash was travelling through the Orange Islands, but it took more time to be able to video call the rest of the world. As for planes, they were also limited at the moment. Ash would be lucky to find a flight to Hoenn, let alone the more distant Regions.

Ash resisted the urge to tear his hair out, because Kanto's current lack of inter-Region communication was a big problem to him. It was the only thing stopping Ash from immediately calling Serena. As it was, he'll need to wait until he reaches Vermillion, the main port City of Kanto, in order to enact a half-planned idea brewing on his mind.

He felt a pang of yearning in his heart just thinking about Serena being so far away in Kalos. Ash loved all his wives equally, and wanted to see them all again, but right now, Serena was the only one he could more easily talk to because they'd already met.

"Does Kanto get better?" Sam questioned quietly, wanting to hope for a better Kanto.

"Eventually," Ash conceded. By the time Ash was in Hoenn, Kanto was already on its way back to true stability. The Kanto Grand Festival became a thing, bringing a lot of Pokémon Coordinators from different Regions. The Indigo Plateau Conference remained popular as well, but it only became a real point of interest to foreign Trainers when Lance took the mantle of Indigo Champion while Ash was in Kalos.

"Did you have a hand in that?" Sam inquired with curiosity.

"Directly? Only after I became World Monarch," Ash laughed, remembering the masses of Trainers and other people who arrived to Kanto looking for a chance to see World Monarch Ash Ketchum. They'd been really good for the local economy, and Ash had made sure to be spotted at small Towns or Villages that could use the influx of money.

"Now, as for indirectly helping Kanto..." When Sam looked at him with a raised eyebrow, Ash could only sigh at what he was about to tell his friend.

"Remember the Chosen One thing I mentioned?" Sam gave a wary nod of his head, "I start saving the world not even a year from now. That counts as indirectly helping Kanto, right?"

Ash kept direct eye contact with Sam. His friend looked serious and concerned towards him.

"If you need any help, call me. Charizard and I will be there, no matter what," Sam promised with resolve that was mirrored by a rumbling Charizard. The flame on his tail flared, showing his determination.

Ash couldn't help the few tears that formed in his eyes. Sam was never a full Trainer. He currently only had Charizard, who'd not seen a serious battle in years. And yet they were still willing to stand firmly by his side during a crisis.

"Thank you both. That means a lot to me," Ash said gratefully, "Don't worry too much, though. Believe me when I tell you that I know how to deal with these situations by now."

Honestly, Ash felt more indecision than concern about Shamouti. His indecision was about how he should deal with the Legendary Birds.

Should he wrestle them into submission with his own hands before sending them back to their respective islands like a bunch of misbehaving children? It'd be pretty funny to see their shocked faces as they try to pulverize him with their respective elements, only for him to shrug off their attacks before he punches them.

Should he use Aura to make them stop moving mid-flight so they fall into the ocean? Hmm, perhaps a bit too mean. Especially for Moltres. He'd need to consult with Lugia first. Lugia had little patience for the antics of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, but he had a soft spot for them.

Oh, so many possibilities. No, Ash wasn't concerned about Shamouti. His mind was more focused on someone else.

Mewtwo. Both of them.

"No problem," Sam nodded, "But you know I also meant that offer for anything that happens on your journey. Don't hesitate to call."

Ash smiled softly.

"I won't, Sam. I promise. As a matter of fact, there's one thing you can help me with. It's really important."

"What is it, Ash?" Sam and Charizard looked serious instantaneously. Ash kept his expression neutral as he spoke next.

"I need a loan."

Sam and Charizard looked blankly at him for several seconds.

"A... loan..." Sam repeated quietly, as if he'd misheard Ash.

"Yup! A loan," Ash confirmed with a nod "I was kinda destitute through my Rookie Year, and I don't want to go through that again."

"How so?" Sam asked after he processed what Ash was asking of him.

"Eh, I won a decent number of battles during my Rookie Year. I even got all the Badges of the Main Eight Gyms," Ash explained, "The pay just sucks, especially for a Rookie Trainer. You know the economy is barely stable at the moment."

"I do know," Sam sighed, "Very well, Ash. How much money are you thinking of?"

"One-hundred thousand Poké," Ash replied instantly. Sam's eyes looked at him sharply.

"That's quite the sum in today's economy, Ash," Sam said seriously. And it really was. If Giovanni payed that good, Ash had no doubt that a good chunk of Kanto's population would have already joined Team Rocket.

"I know. I'll pay you back in a few months," He promised resolutely.

"Hmm... One-hundred thousand Poké is an interesting ammount of money," Sam looked amused, and his lips twitched upwards, "Why, Ash, isn't that the first place prize for the upcoming Indigo Plateau Conference?"

"It is," Ash confirmed with a smirk.

"I'll have to clear my schedule for the entire duration of the Conference, then," Sam mused out loud before he nodded at Ash, "Good thing I've been saving for a rainy day. Very well. I'll wire the money to you before the end of the day."

"Thanks, Sam. You are a lifesaver," Ash spoke with heartfelt gratitude. He was already thinking about Brock's famous stews. They'd been delicious, even when they only had ingredients bought at bargain sales. With some quality stuff, they were heavenly.

Another amicable silence settled before Ash sighed.

"I should get going. See you later, Sam. Bye, Charizard. Come on, Pikachu. Time to leave."

He gave a hug to Charizard, who returned it warmly. He shook hands with Sam, and turned away.

He only walked a few steps before Sam spoke.

"I have three last questions I'd like to ask you, Ash."

Ash stopped, and turned towards Sam to observe his friend carefully. He nodded once towards Sam.

"My first question is..." Sam began quietly, "Did I make a change in the world?"

"Your research is already world-famous, Sam. And you never stopped innovating," Ash said with a smile, "You left advancements in all fields of Pokémon Research that were still being studied centuries in the future. Believe me when I tell you that you didn't make it easy for Gary to surpass you."

Charizard placed a hand on Sam's shoulders, looking proud. Sam closed his eyes, and his lips quivered slightly.

Two questions remained.

Ash knew Sam very well. Presented with the fact that Ash knew what the future held, Sam wanted to know one thing.

He wanted to know how long he will live.

"You mentioned that Gary had a daughter," Sam spoke after a moment, "Did I get to meet her?"

Oh, very smart. Sam had just asked two questions disguised as a single one. Ash decided to partially reward that.

"You did, Sam. And you were part of her life for many years," Ash answered kindly. However, his answer wasn't the full one Sam wanted to hear.

One question remained.

If Sam asked him how many years he had left, Ash will tell him. However, there was another question that Sam could ask, and Ash waited, believing in Sam.

Sam opened his mouth, and Ash's faith on his friend was justified.

"That girl... what was her name?"

Ash smiled warmly. Memories danced at the front of his mind of a little girl who was like a tempest, and incredibly bright. A girl that Ash saw as another daughter.

"Her name was Samantha Oak. Gary named her to honor the smartest man that he knew. The one who raised him ever since he was a baby."

Sam took a step back, and there was so much raw emotion reflected in his eyes, which instantly became full of tears. His friend sobbed loudly, and Ash rushed to his side as Sam knelt on the ground, crying.

Ash wrapped one arm around Sam's shoulder. Even Pikachu, who was somewhat annoyed with Sam for capturing him, gave some silent support. Charizard knelt by Sam's side, crying as well, and he wrapped the three of them in a warm hug.

The four of them remained like that for some time.

Chapter Text

Ash walked quietly with Pikachu by his side, thinking of how his day had gone so far.

From his point of view, he died some hours ago. Then, he woke up, believing that he was in the afterlife. As it turns out, he was wrong about that. Really, really wrong.

He was alive again. Back at the start of his journey, with more than a millennia of memories and experiences in his mind.

Ash could run all the way to Johto to find Celebi. He could swim all the way to Sinnoh to find Dialga. All he needed to do was find a way to time travel to the Michina of the past, punch Marcus through several walls of his stupid palace, help both Damos and Arceus, and...

And then what? That was the main problem. Ash explains his situation to Arceus. Then what?

Does Arceus grant Ash his more than earned eternal rest? As good as that sounded... Ash couldn't rest anymore. Or, more accurately, Ash didn't want to rest anymore.

Seeing Sam, Charizard, Gary, and Squirtle again made him happy. Having Pikachu by his side again made him feel like his heart was going to burst out with joy.

Now that Ash can see his family and friends that he hasn't seen in centuries, he doesn't want to let that go. Sure, being ten-years old once again sucked. Being a Rookie, at least officially, sucked as well.

If the price to see those he cherishes the most is that he has to start again from scratch... then so be it. Ash will climb to the top, and shoulder the safety of the world once again.

But why do everything the same? That wouldn't be any fun. Ash can see his old friends, and meet some new ones along the way. In fact, he already knew of a potential new friend who was currently just outside of Pallet Town.

"Good mornin', Ash! How are you doin' today?!"

Ash turned, seeing Mr. Montgomery waving at him from outside his porch. He was a middle-aged man of average height, and an expert carpenter. He built the frame of Ash's bed, and a few other pieces of wood furniture in Ash's house. Then again, there wasn't a house in Pallet Town that didn't have something built by Mr. Montgomery.

"Morning, Mr. Montgomery!" Ash returned the greeting, "Just returning from picking my Starter! How are you?!"

"Ah, very well, lad!" Mr. Montgomery said cheerfully, "There's always work! I'm really grateful, though!"

"Say, Ash, did you see the blue blur that was heading towards the Oak Laboratory?" Mr. Montgomery asked, scratching his head, "I was outside when it passed here, and I only managed to catch a glimpse. Whole of Pallet's talkin' about it."

"Can't say I have, Mr. Montgomery," Ash shrugged.

"Oh, well..." Mr. Montgomery sighed, "Who knows? Maybe it was some Pokémon?"

"Maybe," Ash answered with a kind smile, "Anyway, remember to take a break every now and then, sir!"

"Haha! Thanks for the advice, Ash!" Mr. Montgomery laughed good naturedly, "I'll keep that in mind, lad. Good luck on your journey, by the way!"

"Thank you, sir! Have a nice day!" Ash waved before he continued walking alongside Pikachu.

"How much longer do I gotta walk..."

Ash turned towards Pikachu. His buddy looked somewhat grumpy.

"Want me to carry you in my arms, Pikachu?" Ash offered to his buddy. Pikachu scowled slightly at him.

"Come on, buddy. We still have some road to walk before reaching my house," Ash said as he scooped Pikachu up in his arms. Pikachu let out a sigh, but didn't protest. They both remained silent for a few minutes before Ash spoke.

"Pikachu, I know you have a ton of questions."

"You bet!"

Ash waited until he reached a part of the road without houses before coming to a halt. His Aura saw no around them. He held Pikachu in front of him so that they faced each other.

He would have liked to wait until they were out of Pallet Town to have this talk, but he could feel Pikachu's eyes focused on him during the entire time he talked with Sam. Pikachu listened attently to everything Ash said, and was understandibly perplexed.

Ash made eye contact with Pikachu, and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Pikachu, today wasn't the first time I met you. I first met you more than one-thousand years ago."

Pikachu looked back with a blank stare on his face for a couple of seconds before snorting loudly.

"Sure, and my uncle's a Geodude..."

"You don't believe me," Ash said. Pikachu simply snorted before his buddy began to laugh.

"Of course I don't! Who'd believe that?!"

Ah, well. In that case...

"Okay, Pikachu. Hey, before we leave Pallet Town's territory, do you want to go visit your Ma Kanga?"

Pikachu's laughter stopped instantly, and he went completely still. His buddy could have passed for a statue at that moment. Then, Pikachu looked at him with a very serious expression.

"Explain... now..."

"I've already lived a long life, Pikachu. And after I died, I woke up as a ten-year-old kid once again," Ash spoke with honesty, "I met you centuries ago, and we had many adventures alongside other friends."

"And believe or not, Pikachu, but you and I were brothers. We faced many challenges together, and you stood by my side through thick and tin. You and my other Pokémon helped me climb my way to the top."

Pikachu looked back with disbelief across his face. Ash couldn't even blame his buddy.

Ash sighed morosely, hating what he was about do. He was was going to have to make it up to Pikachu later. Ash hardened his emotions, and spoke.

"You grew up with your Ma Kanga and her offspring," Ash spoke, watching as Pikachu's expression turned stony, "You were a tiny Pichu, but you and her child eventually grew, and she couldn't carry the both of you in her pouch anymore."

"Shut up!"

Ash was faster than the first spark that Pikachu generated. He used Aura to completely negate the Thundershock that his buddy released. Pikachu put his all into the attack, and kept it going for several seconds. Any normal person would have been put out of commision for at least a day or longer if they'd taken this attack.

Pikachu eventually tired himself, and he was panting with exhaustion from the effort. His eyes looked raw with emotion.

"How... how do you know that?!" Pikachu demanded with anger.

"I know that because you told me, Pikachu," Ash said, looking into Pikachu's eyes with honesty, "It took time, but you eventually opened your heart to me, and you told me about the first years of your life."

"No way... That's impossible..."

"You told me about how it pained you to leave your Ma Kanga. It hurt beyond belief to leave. But you didn't want to burden her any longer. Ma Kanga was your everything."

Pikachu began crying. Something inside of Ash was screaming to stop this, but he didn't.

"After leaving, you remained alone. It wasn't difficult living on your own... but you felt lonely. So very lonely. And yet, you told yourself that it was worth it. For the sake of your Ma Kanga."

"I understand your pain, Pikachu," Ash said with quiet honesty. Pikachu looked at him with a small glare on his face, "I understand because I'm the same with my own mom. I don't want to burden her, and that's why I can't tell her the truth about what has happened to me."

"If I told her..." Ash trailed off, shuddering just from thinking about it, "She'd believe me. That's the worst part, you know? She'd believe me, and she wouldn't allow me to leave her side. Then, I'd break her heart when I disobbey her and leave anyway."

Because Ash had to. He couldn't remain in Pallet Town at the moment.

Both of them remained silent for a moment. Ash was grateful that no person passed by.

Pikachu frowned at him, and Ash held out his right hand as Pikachu released another Thundershock. The attack was stopped entirely by his hand. The Thundershock was weaker than the previous one, but that didn't mean much to Ash. Pikachu was a long way from being able to even dent his Aura Shield.

When Pikachu stopped, he looked more curious than angry or sad.

"How are you doing that?"

Ash chukled at the... not quite change of topic. Just a slight detour from it.

"What, this?" Ash said with a lazy smirk as he waved his right hand in front of Pikachu, "It's called Aura. Wanna see more?"

Pikachu nodded hesitantly. Ash took a look around with his Aura, and found something at a slight distance from them. He placed Pikachu on the ground, and the two walked in silence, until they came across some Rattata. Three of them, all playfully chasing each other.

"Watch this, Pikachu," Ash said as he focused his Aura on the Rattata, scanning them. Two of them were male, and the third was female. They were siblings, hatched on the same day, and barely a year old. Their parents told them to be careful where they played, and to return soon for lunch. They didn't listen, and kept playing.

Ash sent his Aura towards the Rattata as they kept playfully chasing each other. In less than a second, he imposed his will on them.

"Sleep," Ash said quietly.

One of the male Rattata jumped, and froze completely in the air before he fell asleep on the ground. The same happened with his brother and sister, who collapsed as if they were puppets whose strings had been cut.

It happened so fast that Pikachu didn't react for a moment. When he proccessed what he saw, he looked in shock at the Rattata before staring at Ash with wide eyes, and his mouth was hanging open.

"Pretty cool, eh?" Ash mused out loud, "I can do quite the number of things with Aura."

"Wanna see them all?" He grinned at Pikachu, and his buddy couldn't contain the excitement that passed through his eyes.

Ash laughed, feeling a bit better. He walked towards the Rattata, and gently scooped them up in his arms. He sent his Aura around him. In the nearby forest, there was a female Raticate worriedly looking for her children. Ash sent a pulse of Aura through Raticate, gently nudging her towards him. It didn't take her long until she ran out of the forest. Her eyes instantly locked onto him.

"Hi there, Raticate!" Ash smiled amicably towards her, "These are your children, right?"

Raticate looked wary at him. She looked ready to attack, if neccesary. Oh, she was somewhat strong. If they battled, Pikachu would land a hit, maybe two, but his buddy would lose. That is, if Pikachu fought alone. Ash was there with him, after all.

Honestly, Ash would have liked to invite this Raticate on his journey. Raticate seemed like she would be a good friend, but his Aura told him that she would decline his invitation, since she had her family to look after. They were her priority, and Raticate had Ash's full respect for that.

"Don't worry, Raticate!" Ash smiled soothingly as he walked towards her, "The little tykes just tired themselves. You should have seen them chasing each other!"

Some of the wariness dissapeared from Raticate's expression, and she snorted loudly, as if she was used to hearing that about her children. Ash stood in front of her before he gently lowered her children in front of her. Raticate gave them a look over, and she sighed in relief as she confirmed that they were sleeping peacefully.

Ash met Raticate's eyes, and she looked gratefully back at him. Ash gave her another smile.

"Do you need help carrying them back?" He asked earnestly. She politely declined, and in the next second, she secured her children in her arms. Raticate gave him another look of gratitude before going back into the forest.

Pikachu had remained silent during the whole thing, and they both watched Raticate dissapear back into the forest.

Ash turned towards Pikachu, and Pikachu looked back at him like Ash was a puzzle that his buddy needed to decipher.

Ash observed the front door of his house blankly.

"This is your house? Looks nice."

Despite everything, Ash smiled.

"It is. This is the home where I spent the first ten years of my life. You and I stayed here every time we needed some down time after travelling through a new Region."

And, eventually, when Pallet City was being developed, Ash simply bought the entire plot of land, and kept this house intact for centuries.

Ash sighed. He was stalling the inevitable. He took a deep breath, and with Pikachu in his arms, he walked inside his house.

"Ash?! Is that you, sweetie?!"

Ash had expected it, and yet his breathing stopped for a second as he heard his mom's voice.

"Ouch!"

Ash blinked, realizing that his hold on Pikachu had been a bit too strong.

"Sorry, buddy," he apologized before he mentally berated himself. He needed to get a grip.

Ash gulped fore he walked into the kitchen. There, working around it as she prepared a meal, was Delia Ketchum. When she saw him, she smiled at him.

"Good morning, Ash!" his mom greeted cheerfully, "I went to to your room, but you weren't there. I figured you went to Samuel's lab, right?"

Ash managed a smile with some herculean effort.

"Morning, mom," He kept his voice as steady as possible, "I... yeah. I went to Professor Oak's lab."

Ash wondered what to say next, until Pikachu grumbled quietly at him. Oh, right.

"Mom, meet my Starter Pokémon. This is Pikachu. Pikachu, this is my mom," Ash showed Pikachu to his mom, whose eyes widened slightly before she gushed over Pikachu.

"Aw, he's so cute!" His mom gently took Pikachu from his hands, "Aren't you the cutest thing?! Look at your cute little cheeks!" His mom cooed, carressing Pikachu's cheeks.

"Nice..." Pikachu sighed contently as he welcomed his mom's compliments. Ash felt his mood go up a bit at the sight.

"But, Pikachu?" Her mom tilted her head to the side in confusion, "You left very early, didn't you? Don't tell me others arrived first and took the regular Starters?"

"Ah... I arrived to the lab first, mom," His mom perked up, looking pleased. Ash fought back a wince, "I just..."

"I just chose Pikachu, mom. He's my Starter," Ash said with confidence. It was the truth, after all.

His mom looked at him carefully for a moment, and Ash resisted the urge to look away.

"Well, if Pikachu was your choice, then things should work out," His mom smiled kindly.

A small smile formed on Ash's lips.

"Yeah, things will work out, mom," Ash answered.

"Well, you must be hungry, right, sweetie?" His mom pointed at the table, where a meal was already plated up, "I know it's early, but since you are leaving today, I made your favorite!"

Croquettes. Not just any croquettes... his mom's croquettes.

"Thanks, mom. I just need to go the bathroom real quick. Be right back."

Ash hurried to the bathroom. When he was inside, he closed the door before he knelt on the floor. He buried his face on his hands.

Getting rid of Team Rocket once and for all had not been as difficult as this.

Preventing countless wars from happening had not been as difficult as this..

Surviving inside a black hole had not been as difficult as this.

Dying had not been as difficult as this.

Oh, if only his detractors in the faraway future could see him now. Many Trainers across generations had hated his guts. Hated him because no matter what they accomplished, Ash had already done it before. Multiple times. They'd laugh mockingly if they saw him like this.

Ash stood up, and looked at himself in the mirror. His features were that of the ten-year-old kid that he was supposed to be.

But his eyes looked as if they'd seen more than a millennia of life.

Ash opened the sink's faucet, and splashed cool water on his face. After closing the faucet, he dried his face with a nearby towel, and took a deep breath.

He could do this.

He had to do this.

Ash returned to the kitchen, and saw his mom already sitting on the table. She'd put Pikachu on a stool so he could reach the table, and his buddy was eating half-heartedly from his plate.

Ash observed Pikachu for a moment before he walked towards the pantry. He opened it, and looked to where his mom usually stored the condiments. He took out a red bottle, and made his way towards Pikachu. His buddy looked curious at the object in his hand.

"What's that?" Pikachu asked.

Ash smiled as he poured a generous ammount of ketchup over Pikachu's meal. His buddy smelled the ketchup, and his ears perked up.

Three.

Pikachu took a bite out of the food.

Two.

Pikachu's eyes widened in a comically large way.

One.

Pikachu buried his face on the food, and Ash couldn't help it. He laughed loudly as he watched his buddy stuff his face full of food.

"Uh... Ash?" He glanced at his mom, who was looking at Pikachu with shock as his buddy devoured his meal.

"He won our first battle, mom. This is a reward," Ash smiled kindly at her. He didn't mention that this was also to make up for the fact that he'd made Pikachu cry.

His mom turned her look of surprise from Pikachu, to him.

"You've already battled?!" His mom asked with wide eyes, "Who did you battle?!"

"Gary and his Squirtle. Pikachu won without taking a hit," Ash's smile was mirrored by his mom, who looked delighted. She stood up from her seat, and walked towards him before hugging him.

"Congratulaions, Ash! Your first day as a Trainer, and you've already won your first battle!" His mom looked over the moon.

Ash could only focus on the fact that this was the first time his mother hugged him since before her death all those centuries ago. Or, he supposed, decades in the future.

He returned the hug somewhat awkwardly, feeling his mom's love towards him, and he barely managed to prevent tears from welling up in his eyes.

"Thanks, mom."

"Well, eat up, Ash!" His mom laughed merrily, "I made them just like you like 'em."

Ash nodded, and he took the seat opposite to Pikachu. He watched with amusement as Pikachu finished his meal, and his buddy was now looking morosely at the empty plate.

He let out a quiet sigh, but there was a small smile on his face as he took some croquettes from his plate. He leaned over to place them on Pikachu's plate, and also poured more ketchup on them, albeit not as much as before.

Pikachu's eyes were impossibly wide as he stared back at him. Ash simply smiled at his buddy before he sat properly again. He blinked when he noticed his mom looking at him in alarm.

"Mom?" Ash questioned, thinking for a moment that something was wrong.

"You've never shared your croquettes with anyone else..." His mom sounded astonished.

Ash nearly guffawed. Sheesh, mom...

"Well... Pikachu is my Starter. And I care about him a lot," Ash said before he took a bite out of a croquette.

An amazing flavor instantly filled his mouth. The croquette was heavenly. His mom was an expert at seasoning them, and she fried them perfectly so that they were crunchy, but not dripping with oil.

Serena, Mallow, and Katie, his wives that liked to cook the most, learned this very recipe from his mom. They served him plate after plate of them, and Ash had felt like the luckiest man in history as he enjoyed the divine food that his wives cooked just for him.

Eventually, Ash himself learned to make croquettes just like his mom. He made them for every single member of the Ketchum that had ever lived. It was the most popular dish at family meetings. When the young ones of his family asked him how he'd learn to cook such a delicious dish, Ash always smiled, and told them that it'd been his mom who'd created this magnificent recipe.

And now, here he was again, eating the croquettes made by his mom. The croquettes that had a mother's love for her son present on them.

"Hey, Ash..."

"Ash?! What's wrong?!" His mom's voice was beyond worried. Ash turned, seeing the panic in her eyes. Even Pikachu was looking at him with concern in his eyes. Ash blinked, feeling alarmed by their worried looks. When he felt something dripping down his cheeks, he realized.

Oh, he was crying.

Ash swallowed his food before he spoke, barely preventing his voice from shaking.

"Sorry. Nothing's wrong, mom," He smiled at her, but it didn't seem to do much to soothe her worry, "It's just... I'm going to miss your croquettes! They are the best in the world!"

"Aw, Ash..." His mom stood up once again to engulf in a hug. This time, Ash returned it without hesitation, hanging onto her for as long as he could, "I'm going to miss you as well, swetie. Thank you for your kind words."

"It's the truth mom," Ash said with confidence, "Seriously, the fanciest restaurants in the world would stomp over each other to have this recipe!"

His mom giggled at the compliment. If only she knew Ash's words were actually true.

"You are gonna make me blush, Ash!" His mom laughed, "I'd pack some so you can take them with you, but it's not the same when they aren't fresh."

"I know. And thank you..." Ash said as he continued eating. He watched with amusement as Pikachu sat lazily on his stool. A content sigh left his buddy's lips now that he'd eaten well. Pikachu noticed Ash's eyes on him, and he stared back with a small smile on his lips.

"That meal was amazing!

"Glad you liked it, buddy," Ash said with a smile of his own. He finished another heavenly croquette when he noticed his mom looking at both of them with wonder.

"You two seem to get along well," His mom smiled with aproval, "That's great, Ash. I thought I'd need to pack you some rubber gloves, but I guess that won't be necessary."

Ah, the good old rubber gloves. How nostalgic.

"Yeah, that won't be neccesary, mom," Ash nodded, "Pikachu likes me well enough to not try to electrocute me. Right, Pikachu?" He smiled widely towards Pikachu, who looked back with a slight twitch in his eyes.

"And you called that Gary kid a handful."

His mom giggled at both of them.

When they were finished with their meal, Ash stood up. He walked towards Pikachu's stool so he could pick him up.

"I'm gonna show Pikachu around my room, mom. Be right back."

"Sure, Ash," His mom nodded, "Go ahead. Have fun."

Ash smiled before he walked out of the kitchen. In no time, he was inside his room. As soon as he closed the door, Ash placed Pikachu on the floor before he jumped into his bed, and buried his head on a pillow.

How sad. Pokémon Grand Master Ash Ketchum, founder and leader of the Master Order, unable to handle a simple talk with his mom. If only Marcine and Carmelo could see him now. Of all his students across the centuries, those two were the ones that had admired him the most. Their devotion to him had been unyielding, truly believing that Ash was flawless, despite the fact that they once saw Ash trip and fall down an entire mountain.

"You okay?"

Ash turned his head. Pikachu had climbed onto the bed, and was looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm okay, buddy."

He kinda wasn't. But he will be.

He had to be.

"Pikachu, I wanted to apologize," Ash said quietly. When Pikachu looked at him with some confusion, Ash explained, "For making you cry earlier."

"Well... I guess you made up for it with that thing you put on my food. We are even," Pikachu said quietly.

"Thanks, Pikachu..." Ash whispered, glad that Pikachu didn't harbor ill feelings towards him, "That's called ketchup, by the way."

"Ketchup? It was awesome! When can I have more?!" Pikachu looked very eager. His eyes were shining.

"How about..." Ash mused out loud, "A portion per day during lunch. I'll keep you to a middle-sized bottle per week."

"Huh?! Oh, come on!" Pikachu pouted. Ash couldn't help laughing. His buddy really was cute.

"What can I say, Pikachu?" Ash grinned, "I do have to moderate your diet for now. But as you become stronger, I will increase your portions of ketchup. How's that sound, buddy?"

Ash chuckled, watching in amusement as Pikachu grumbled. Still, his buddy eventually nodded, accepting Ash's deal.

"Hey, Pikachu... I'm asking you again. Do you want to go visit your Ma Kanga?" Ash asked earnestly, not minding if he needed to do a detour.

Pikachu frowned. He looked pensive before he sighed, and looked away.

"I don't wanna."

Ash patted Pikachu's head. Pikachu grumbled a bit.

"Okay, Pikachu. Maybe the next time we are on Pallet?" Ash offered kindly.

Pikachu shrugged. Then, his buddy tilted his head to the side.

"How are you doing that?"

"Do you mean how I can understand what you are saying?" Ash asked for clarification. Pikachu nodded, "You are only just asking that now?" Ash teased Pikachu a bit. He chuckled when Pikachu growled quietly.

"I was kinda distracted by everything else about you that's weird!" Pikachu complained. Ash put his hands in front of him in a placatting manner.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Sorry. Well, one of the many things I can do with Aura is understand the language of Pokémon," Ash explained, "But in your case, buddy, I don't need Aura to understand you."

"Why's that?" Pikachu asked with confusion.

"Because I know you too well, Pikachu," Ash smiled "I knew you for quite a long time. It would have been sad if I hadn't managed to understand you completely in all that time."

Pikachu remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Then... all you've said so far... it's the truth?"

"I'll never lie to you, Pikachu," Ash promised with resolve. Pikachu's eyes widened before he looked away.

"You said we already met, huh? Bet we had a rough start..." Pikachu mumbled.

"You've no idea, buddy!" Ash laughed, a bit more cheerfully. "You wouldn't listen to me one bit for the first hours after we met!"

Pikachu snorted.

"I electrocuted you, right?"

"Oh, like you wouldn't believe..." Ash sighed, thinking back to that day, "I didn't know how to use Aura at the time, so yeah, I went through a few of your Thundershocks."

Pikachu laughed. Ash snorted before he joined in as well.

When he finished laughing, his buddy remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

"What changed?"

Ash closed his eyes for a moment, thinking back to that day. The flock of Spearow chasing them. How Ash was willing to sacrifice himself to save Pikachu. Pikachu jumping in front of him, releasing a massive electric attack to fend off their attackers.

When Ash opened his eyes, they reflected his feelings about the day his life changed thanks to Pikachu.

"We saved each other's lives."

Pikachu remained still. Kinda eerily, to be honest. Then, he nodded once.

"Okay."

"... Okay?" Ash asked with a bit of confusion before he gasped as he felt something in his bond with Pikachu change.

"I now think that you are telling the truth, Ash" Pikachu clarified with a roll of his eyes, "It's either that, or you are the world's best liar."

"Well, I did live for centuries," Ash mused out loud, "I don't lie often, but I learned how to do it convincingly."

He had to, in order to keep peace and order in the future. Not all of his battles were in broad daylight. Some, he had to fight in the shadows.

"Yeah, well, I don't think you are lying, Ash," Pikachu snorted, looking amused, "How long did I wait to tell you about Ma Kanga?"

"Oh, that happened on the first anniversary of our meeting," Ash smiled, "We had a small party during our journey through Johto. That night, you told me all about her."

"A year to talk about her, eh?" Pikachu mused with a pensive look, "And how long until I went to see her again?"

"That only happened in our eight year, just after we became World Champions," Pikachu had a shocked look on his face.

"Eight years?!" Pikachu nearly yelled, "Aw, man, I'm such a jerk..."

"Ah, don't worry about it, Pikachu," Ash smiled soothingly, "Ma Kanga understood, and she welcomed us with open arms."

Something like relief passed through Pikachu's face, and he sighed.

"That's nice to hear," Pikachu nodded, "Ma Kanga liked you too, eh?"

"You could say that," Ash grinned, "She asked me to capture her."

"She what?!" Pikachu did yell this time, "She's like, the sweetest soul in the world! She wouldn't hurt anyone!"

Ash was confused for a brief moment before it dawned on him that Pikachu thought Ash would only ever capture Pokémon so that he could use them in battles.

"Pikachu..." Ash said quietly, "I captured Ma Kanga so that she could live in this very same house. I didn't capture her to use her in battles."

Pikachu looked incredulous.

"You would... capture a Pokémon, and not use it to battle?! But you are a Trainer!"

Ash sighed. What Pikachu said was sadly a pretty common line of thought among many wild Pokémon.

"I admit, all of my Pokémon before becoming World Monarch were battlers. But after becoming Monarch, I began to shelter a few Pokémon, simply so that they could live a quiet and happy life," Ash explained with a smile as his mind thought back to some friends that had simply needed a place to call home.

A tiny Poochyena. The smallest of her siblings, and too weak to fend for herself.

A heartbroken Natu, who didn't know what to do after losing his parents.

A kind Tentacruel, who only wished to look after others. The Oak corral had been perfect for her.

They, alongside others, became Ash's Pokémon because Ash offered them a place to be happy. And Ash made it very clear that they wouldn't ever battle if they didn't want to. A few eventually took a liking to training and battling, but it'd been their choice to follow that path.

"Huh," Pikachu sounded astonished, "That's... actually really cool of you, Ash. Was Ma Kanga happy here?"

"Very happy!" Ash confirmed, "Ma Kanga got along really well with my mom. You have no idea what a dual scolding from both of them feels like."

Pikachu shuddered, clearly thinking back to many scoldings from Ma Kanga. Add in another angry mother, and yeah, it was something to be scared of.

Pikachu remained pensive for a while before he asked another question.

"Was I strong?"

The smile Ash gave his buddy could have fueled entire cities, if such a thing was possible.

"Pikachu, not only were you one of the strongest Pokémon to ever live, but you were the strongest Electric-Type Pokémon in all of history."

Pikachu's jaw was hanging open. Ash laughed at the funny sight.

"Remember what I told Gary?"

"Uh..." Pikachu scratched his head, "Care to be more specific? You told him a lot of things."

"When I told him that one day, you will yawn, and a massive thunderstorm will occur from that simple action."

Pikachu's eyes widened to a near impossible degree. Ash grinned.

"But let me tell you, buddy... that is but a fraction of the power you will have one day."

"That sounds crazy..." Pikachu said quietly, "I've always been content being like I am."

"I know, buddy," Ash said in an equal quiet tone, "But you found a reason to become stronger."

Pikachu looked at him with intense focus.

"You," Pikachu stated simply.

"Me," Ash nodded with a smile on his face.

Ash patted Pikachu's head. This time, Pikachu accepted the gesture without complaint.

"All done, Ash?" His mom smiled as both he and Pikachu arrived back to the kitchen, "It's about time we get going. Here, I packed you some sandwiches, sweetie!"

His mom passed him a stack of sanwiches wrapped in a red cloth. Ash accepted them with a grateful smile. He put them carefully inside his backpack before he turned to face his mom.

"Mom..." Ash trailed off, and she looked back at him, patiently waiting for him to speak.

"Mom, there's... something that I need to tell you. It's very important."

"What is it Ash?" his mom asked with some confusion.

Ash took a deep breath.

"Mom, I wanted to tell you that..."

Ash wanted to tell her that he grew up to be the strongest Pokémon Trainer ever.

Ash wanted to tell her that he found the love of many women.

Ash wanted to tell her that he named his first daughter Melia to honor her.

Ash wanted to tell her that she loved every single one of her grandchildren, and had spoiled them rotten.

Ash wanted to tell her of the private conversation that they had before her death.

Ash wanted to tell her that he watched her die of old age, surrounded by her loving family.

Ash wanted to tell her how much he cried with sadness after she was gone.

Ash wanted to tell her how much he cried with happiness each time a baby born in the Ketchum Family was named Delia or a similar name to honor her.

Ash wanted to tell her so much.

But he didn't.

"Mom, I wanted to tell you that... that I know you worry about me a lot!" Ash nearly yelled, taking his mom by surprise, "And I know that telling you to not worry would be useless. You are my mom, and you love me too much to not worry about me!"

"But, mom, I'm promising you this!" Ash put all the weight of every title that he earned into his next words, "I'm going to win! I'm going to win every battle! Every challenge! No one is going to defeat me!"

"I'll become the very best Trainer ever! And you'll be so proud of me!"

Ash's voice had continued to rise. Not with false bravado, but with the iron-clad resolve of the greatest Trainer that had ever lived.

His mom's eyes had widened more and more as he spoke, and tears were falling from her eyes by the time Ash finished speaking. She was quick to engulg him in a hug.

"I'm already so proud of you, Ash..." His mom said. Ash hugged her back, holding her close, "Don't ever doubt that."

"Thank you, mom..." Ash said quietly, closing his eyes, letting his tears fall freely.

"Ash... did something happent to you?" His mom asked with a serious tone in her voice, and a sharpness in her eyes, "I just..." She visibly struggled with what to say.

"I just get the feeling that something's changed about you, Ash."

Ash smiled.

"Guess I just grew up a bit, mom. Kinda had to, now that I'm a Trainer."

There was a glint in her eyes that told Ash she felt something else was going on. A parent's intuition was nothing to scoff at. Ash knew that very well..

"I'm glad to hear that, Ash," His mom smiled brightly, "And as for your promise... when we next see each other, I'm looking forward to seeing a perfect record on your Trainer's License."

"You will mom," Ash promised with resolve. His mom nodded, smiling kindly.

"Okay. I'm just going to lock up the rest of the house. I'll be right back."

Ash watched her go. He remained silent for a moment before Pikachu spoke.

"Never losing a single battle, eh? That was quite the boast."

"It wasn't a boast, Pikachu. It was a promise. One that I won't break. Ever," Ash spoke with firm resolve. He hadn't lost a battle in more than one-thousand years, and he was going to keep it that way.

Pikachu observed him carefully.

"Guess I'll have to do my part, then. It would be uncool if I didn't help you keep that promise."

Ash smiled, and picked up Pikachu in his arms to hug him closely.

"Thanks, Pikachu."

"Ouch! Watch it, Ash! You are freakishly strong!"

Ash chuckled quietly.

"That's nothing, buddy. Wanna see me lift this entire house with only one hand?"

"The worst thing is... I get the feeling that you can do even more than that."

"It was so fast!"

"I blinked, and it'd already passed by!"

Ash smiled as he walked with Pikachu in his arms, and his mom by his side.

"Oh, my. Whatever could have happened?" His mom wondered out loud, watching most Pallet residents out of their houses, discussing with one another.

"Was it a Pokémon?"

"If it was, then boy, it sure was a fast one."

"I've seen Rapidash run, and they weren't as fast as that!"

Ash began whistling a merry tune. He looked down towards his buddy, and sure enough, Pikachu was giving him a flat stare.

"I just know this has to do with you. Is this going to be the norm with you, Ash?"

Ash grinned instantly, and that was enough of an answer. Pikachu shuddered before sighing.

Ash felt happy as they eventually arrived to the stairs that led to Sam's lab. A sizeable portion of Pallet's population was gathered here. A large banner wishing good luck to Pallet's new Rookie Trainers had been erected.

Ash smiled as he saw Gary already waiting there with Squirtle by his side. He was making small talk with his cheerleading squad, and the car Gary used to travel was already waiting. Ash had to admit, his friend knew how to travel in style.

"Hey there," Ash waved a hand as he approached Gary.

"What's up?" Gary returned the greeting with a small smile on his face.

His mom looked confused since he was being amicable with Gary, and it took Ash a moment to remember that he hadn't mentioned how he was friends with Gary again.

"Gary and I are friends again, mom," Ash smiled widely. His mom's eyes widened before she looked towards Gary.

"Good morning, Mrs. Ketchum," Gary greeted his mom politely, "Yeah, Ash and I are friends again."

"Oh..." his mom brought a hand to her mouth, "I'm... I'm so glad!" she smiled, and some tears formed in her eyes.

"I'm glad as well," Ash spoke with honesty, and he chuckled slightly when Gary's cheeks reddened.

Ash's gaze drifted towards the two kids who were a small distance away. Pallet's other two Rookies, Maria Summers, and David Carlson. Both of them were good kids. Nice enough to Ash, at least.

David was lanky, with short brown hair, and blue eyes. He liked Pokémon battles well enough, but he quit his journey when Ash was in Johto. David returned to Pallet, and remained there until the Kanto Grand Festival became a thing, which is when David decided to become a Coordinator.

Maria was short, with long red hair, and amber eyes. She finished on the Top Sixty Four of the Indigo Plateau Conference in her Rookie Year. Much like David, she also quit her journey for a while before she tried again. She made a name for herself by entering the Indigo and Silver Conferences for a number of years, placing very high each time.

"Good morning, Maria. Good morning, David," Ash waved a hand towards them as he approached them. Both returned the greeting.

"Hi, Ash!" David, ever one to be cheerful, seemed to be in a good mood with his Bulbasaur by his side. The Seed Pokémon looked somewhat sleepy, which was a trait that Ash knew will continue even when he evolves into Venusaur.

"Mornin', Ash," Maria was a tad bit quieter. Her Charmander was a quiet, almost aloof Pokémon. Still, Ash remembers how Charmander, as a Charizard, helped Maria win many battles. In the future, they both became a really good team.

"You aren't gonna believe this, but Gary greeted us. And he wasn't a jerk..." Maria muttered in a flat tone.

"Took us by surprise!" David laughed.

"I believe he's changing for the better," Ash gave them a friendly smile.

"I'm not gonna hold my breath..."

"Haha! That'd be good!"

"So... Pikachu, huh?" Maria observed his buddy with a small smile, "Its cute. But didn't you arrive before us? What gives?"

"Not that we are complaining, mind you," David smiled widely, "Maria and I sighed in relief when we saw that Charmander and Bulbasaur were still available. No offense, of course."

"None taken, David. Well... Pikachu was my choice," Ash wasn't lying entirely. It just wasn't the whole truth, "I honestly would not have any other Pokémon as my Starter." Ash spoke proudly as he held Pikachu in his hands.

"Hey, buddy. Say hi to David and Maria. They are Rookie Trainers, just like me."

Pikachu gave him a side look when he refered to himself as a Rookie. However, Ash just smiled back at his buddy. At this moment, officially, it was the truth. Ash Ketchum was just another Rookie Trainer. Ash had to focus on not letting that fact annoy him.

"Hi there, fellas," Pikachu spoke quietly, but only Ash could truly understand his words.

"Heh, so cute..." Maria giggled quietly.

"I agree! Say, can we pet him a bit?" David asked, looking eager.

"I don't see why not," Ash grinned, "Pikachu is very friendly. He gets along with others really well!"

Ash resisted the urge to laugh when Pikachu looked at him with some annoyance.

"There'd better be a double portion of ketchup on my next meal..." Pikachu grumbled as Ash handed him to David, who patted his head, while Maria gently pressed a finger against his cheeks.

While David and Maria interacted with Pikachu, Ash decided to do the same with their respective Starters.

"Hi, Bulbasaur. Hi, Charmander. My name's Ash Ketchum. Pleased to meet you both!" He smiled at the both of them.

"Huh, uh, hi there, kid," Bulbasaur greeted before letting out a big yawn.

"Greetings, Ash Ketchum," Charmander's voice was quiet, but her eyes assesed him carefully.

"Are you two excited about starting your journeys?" Ash asked with a grin.

"Eh, as long as I can take naps, I'm fine with whatever David does," Ash thought Bulbasaur seemed happy just by imagining about a nap. How funny.

"Maria seems like a nice child," Charmander looked at her Trainer for a moment, "I'll do whatever she asks of me."

"That's the attitude," Ash said with an approving nod of his head, "Work together with your Trainers, and you will both go far."

Bulbasaur seemed surprised by his advice, but Charmander nodded her head once, acknowledging his words.

Ash blinked when he felt Pikachu jump into his shoulder.

"What's up, buddy? You done socializing?" Ash smiled when Pikachu looked a bit grumpy.

"Ugh..." was all Pikachu said. Ash laughed quietly.

Ash took a deep breath before he walked over towards his mom, who was talking with some of the other residents of Pallet Town.

"I'm telling you, Delia! We oughta be careful about that blue blur!"

"I don't disagree, Harold, but-"

"Who knows if there's more, Delia! Professor Oak hasn't answered our questions!"

"Isabelle, you know that Samuel is-"

"Hi, mom!" Ash caught her attention, "It's almost time."

"Ash," His mom sighed in relief, glad to be able to escape the conversation she'd been having. She looked at him with slightly sad eyes.

"I can't believe this day has finally come..." She whispered, "You are already leaving on your journey."

"I'll be careful, mom," Ash promised, "I'm going to call you each time I'm near a phone."

Ash decided to buy a Pokégear at the soonest opportunity. It was a more easily available option than ordering a PokéNav all the way from Hoenn.

"I'll be close to the house's phone, then," She smiled, "Now, remember to brush your teeth, and change your underwear each day."

"I will, mom," He smiled kindly, allowing her to speak instead of interrupting like he once used to do. He didn't mind when some of the people around them chuckled or snorted. Ash had long since abandoned the ability to feel embarrassed.

His mom gave him a hug, and Ash returned it, trying to bask in his mom's love for as long as he could.

"Good day, everyone!"

Ash watched in amusement as Sam walked down the stairs that led to his lab, only to be instantly swarmed by most of the people who were gathered there. Each was talking over the other, asking questions, and demanding answers.

For a single second, Sam's eyes met Ash's, and he instantly knew what his friend was thinking.

Seriously, Ash? Come on...

Ash smiled apologetically.

Sorry, Sam. I'll owe you one, old friend.

Sam's lips twitched upwards before yelled over all the people.

"All right, calm down! Everyone, just calm down!"

Ash whistled quietly. Sam sure knew how to make people shut up and listen.

"Now, I have it on good authority, that Pallet is not in any danger," Sam spoke in a serious tone, "This blue blur, whatever it was, clearly didn't mean any harm to Pallet."

Sam was very good at this, Ash mused. His words weren't the full truth, but they weren't a full lie either. That was the best way to deceive and keep things to yourself.

The people gathered murmured quietly with each other. Some accepted Sam's words at face value, and instantly relaxed. Others weren't quite convinced. Ash couldn't help but notice that his mom observed Sam carefully. She'd known him for a long time, and had most likely guessed that there was something Sam wasn't saying.

Ash sighed quietly. She didn't show it often, but his mom was no slouch when it came to being smart. When he was getting his butt kicked by the mandatory two years of school that were required for a Trainer's License, his mom had been the one to help him.

"But enough of that. Let's get on with the reason we've all gathered here today!" Sam smiled, "Today, four of Pallet's youth depart on their Pokémon journey!"

The cheers from the crowds were instantaneous. Ash smiled as the people gathered gave him pats on his back at the same time that they gave words of encouragement to all four of them.

Ash had missed this small celebration the first time, so he was happy to be here now. Truly, there was nothing like the spirit of community that Pallet Town had.

He walked towards his mom, and hugged her again.

"Bye, mom. I'll see you in a few months," Ash said quietly.

"Goodbye, Ash. I'll miss you, sweetie. Be careful out there."

In a few months, Ash promised to her with silent resolve. When he returned to Pallet, he will tell the truth to his mom.

Ash nodded, and waved goodbye to her as he went to join the other three Rookies. When he got near Gary, his friend looked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey... you want a lift to Viridian?"

Ash was pleasantly surprised at the offer.

"Thanks, Gary, but I wanna see some of the scenery along the way. How about just outside of Pallet?"

"If that's what you want," Gary shrugged slightly before he turned towards his cheersquad, "Hey, girls! This is Ash. He's a friend."

"Hi, Ash!" The entirety of the cheersquad said in unison.

"Hello!" Ash greeted them back with an amicable smile. Gary hired their services for a year, but asked them to end their contract after his loss at the Indigo Plateau Conference. They were good girls, as far as Ash knew, since they remained good friends with Gary.

Ash stood to attention when Sam approached the four of them. Even Gary straightened from his slouching position as Sam smiled at them.

"Ah, what a wonderful day. I'm truly happy that I get to see this day every year. Go out there, you four. Meet people. Meet Pokémon. Find whatever it is that your hearts wish to find."

Ash had to give it to Sam. His friends had a way with words. Ash was almost never here in Pallet each time new Rookies departed, so seeing his friend like this made him smile.

Sam approached him with a smile and an extended hand. Ash returned the smile, and took Sam's hand to shake it.

"Good luck out there, Ash," Sam spoke, and in his eyes, Ash saw words that went unsaid.

Be careful.

Don't hesitate to ask for help.

"Thank you, Professor Oak," Ash did the same for his friend.

Thank you for everything.

I'll take care of myself and my Pokémon.

Take care of yourself, old friend.

Sam closed his eyes for a brief moment before he nodded at Ash. Ash saw Sam wish David and Maria good luck as well. When Sam stopped in front of Gary, he hugged his grandson. Sam said something in a quiet tone, meant only for Gary. Ash could have enhanced his ears, but he refused to eavesdrop.

Whatever it was that Sam said, it made Gary's shoulders shake slightly before he returned the hug.

Ash smiled as he saw the bond between Grandfather and Grandson.

"Amazing! Try a Psyduck next!"

Ash chuckled as he watched Pikachu imitate a Psyduck. The cheerleaders laughed instantly. When Ash showed Pikachu to them, they instantly cooed over Pikachu. Ash suggested that Pikachu imitate a Squirtle, since Pikachu was really good at imitating other Pokémon. So far, Pikachu had also imitated a Bulbasaur, Charmander, and even Ash.

"What the heck..." Gary muttered, "How's he doing that?"

"Pikachu is just that amazing, Gary."

"Whatever you say, man."

The car ride was brief, but enjoyable. When they reached the outside of Pallet, the car stopped. Ash took Pikachu in his arms, and got out of the car.

"Well, see you later, Ash," Gary waved lazily at him.

"Bye, Ash! Bye, Pikachu!" The girls said in unison.

"Take care! See you!" Ash and Pikachu waved at them as the car continued down the road towards Viridian.

"That was rather nice."

"Heh, admit it, buddy. You like being the center of attention of a bunch of cute girls," Ash smiled at Pikachu. Pikachu shrugged.

"What can I say? I'm a hit with the ladies," Pikachu looked a bit smug.

Oh, Pikachu had no idea how true those words were. Much like Ash, Pikachu eventually had quite the number of wives.

"So why did we stop here?" Pikachu asked with curiosity.

"To meet a potential new friend. Follow me, buddy."

They walked in silence for some minutes, until Ash stopped in front of some trees.

There, clearly looking for something to eat, was a Spearow. Not just any Spearow. The Spearow that Ash failed to catch on this very same day, all those centuries ago.

After Pidgeot defeated her, Ash never saw this particular Pokémon again. Once, after becoming World Monarch, Ash was feeling rather nostalgic, and tried to find her. He never did. Maybe she moved away from Kanto, and being a Flying-Type, she could have been anywhere in the world.

But here she was once again. Ash wanted to befriend her properly this time, and take her on his journey. Only one single thought made him hesitate ever so slightly.

If Ash captured Spearow, Butterfree, who was currently a Caterpie, wouldn't be the first Pokémon that he captured. Butterfree had always been special to Ash because of that. It's why he went back for him, after trading him in a moment of naivete.

Ash thought about it for a few seconds. In the end, Ash already knew what he wanted to do.

Ash saw the Spearow that had caused one of the most crucial moments in his life. A smile formed on his lips before he raised his voice.

"Hey, you, Spearow!"

Spearow's eyes sharpened as she turned to look at him and Pikachu, instantly assesing the both of them as possible threats. She tensed when she saw Ash reach into his backpack.

Ash took one of the many sandwiches that his mom had packed him, and held it high in the air so that Spearow could see it.

"How about a deal, Spearow? Battle my buddy Pikachu, and you can have this sandwich all for yourself!"

Spearow's eyes widened ever so slightly at what Ash was offering. She observed the sandwich with hunger before her gaze switched towards Pikachu.

"Really, Ash?" Pikachu grumbled, "Give me a warning, at least..."

"You want more ketchup on tomorrow's lunch?" Ash asked quietly. Instantly, Pikachu began warming up for the battle ahead. His buddy grinned, and looked at Spearow with challenging eyes.

"Bring it on! My ketchup is on the line!"

Spearow scoffed, and looked back at Pikachu with some disdain.

"Foolish," she said out loud, making Pikachu growl, "If I lose, then what happens?"

"Then I invite you to accompany us on our journey!" Ash said with a smile. Spearow looked surprised. Not only because of what Ash said, but also because Ash could understand her words.

"Invite? If I lose, you'd invite me to go with you instead of capturing me instantly?" She asked for clarification.

"Yeah, it'll be your choice!" Ash promised with honesty. She looked carefully at him for a couple of seconds before she nodded once.

"Okay!" Ash grinned "Go, Pikachu!"

"Let's do this!" Pikachu smiled as he began running towards Spearow. She instantly flew upwards, and began circling Pikachu from above.

"Pikachu, start preparing a Thundershock," Pikachu's body began sparking with electricity.

Spearow began flying around, and she was doing it in alternate patterns, not giving away where she would be next. Not too bad, as far as tactics went. Right now, Pikachu wouldn't be able to pin down her next position by himself. Good thing Pikachu wasn't alone.

"Climb to a tree branch and jump, Pikachu!"

His buddy rapidly climbed a nearby tree, and leaped from a branch. Ash calculated the peak of Pikachu's jump, and the way Spearow was flying.

"Fire to..." Ash trailed off.

Spearow moved.

"The left!"

Pikachu fired his Thundershock, faster than Spearow could react. She was hit directly.

"Grah!" She yelled in pain. However, she charged towards Pikachu.

"Take the hit and hold onto her!"

"Guh!" Pikachu grunted as Spearow hit him head on, but he did as Ash said, and held onto Spearow.

Spearow tried to shake Pikachu off, but in the next moment, sparks coursed through her body. Pikachu's Static Ability had paralyzed her.

"Thundershock!"

Pikachu zapped Spearow while they were both in the air. Spearow fell, and Pikachu fell as well.

Ash jumped, and wrapped both of them in his arms. He landed with ease on the ground.

"Are you okay, Pikachu?"

"Fine, I guess," Pikachu scratched his belly, "Only a small scratch where I was hit."

"Good to hear that, buddy," Ash smiled before he turned to look at Spearow, "How about you, Spearow?"

Spearow grunted quietly. She flinched when a few sparks ran through her body. Ash focused his Aura, and gently tapped Spearow's head with his finger. The paralysis faded instantly, although the damage from Pikachu's attacks remained.

"Feeling any better?" he asked gently.

Spearow sighed before nodding her head once. Ash smiled before he sat down on the ground. He placed Pikachu and Spearow in front of him. Then, he reached towards his backpack, and pulled out one of his sandwiches.

"Here you go, Spearow. Hope you like it!"

"What?!" Spearow was somewhat angry, "What is the meaning of this?! I lost!"

"Win or lose, this sandwich was always going to be yours," Ash stated simply, surprising Spearow, "You haven't eaten in some hours."

"And how do you know that I haven't eaten?" Spearow sounded suspicious, but she was looking at the sandwich with focus.

"Ah, that's a pretty neat ability of mine," Ash smirked, "It's called Aura. But I won't bother you with long details for the moment. Now, eat up!"

Spearow sighed, but she took the sandwich in her beak, and began eating. Her eyes widened.

"Delicious..." Spearow whispered before she began eating more quickly.

"Heh, I'll pass your compliments to my mom," Ash smiled before he turned towards Pikachu, "How about you, buddy? You want a sandwich?"

"Nah," Pikachu yawned, "I eat very well at your house. Maybe later."

Ash nodded, and the both of them watched Spearow finish the sandwich. She had a look of delight on her face.

"Did you like the sandwich, Spearow?"

"I did," Spearow answered quietly, focusing on him.

"Glad to hear that. By the way, my name is Ash Ketchum. Pleased to meet you," Ash introduced himself, smiling at Spearow. He pointed towards Pikachu, "This is my buddy, Pikachu."

Spearow nodded at both of them.

"Spearow, do you have any dreams?" Ash's question took Spearow by surprise. Even Pikachu looked surprised at him.

"... I want to be strong," Spearow answered after a moment.

"You want to be strong, huh?" Ash mused out loud, "Do you want to be a strong Spearow? Or perhaps a strong Fearow?"

"A strong Fearow!" Spearow answered instantly. Her eyes were bright at the thought of her evolved form.

Ash remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"You are thinking too small, Spearow."

"What?!" Spearow sounded somewhat offended. Pikachu snorted at her. Spearow shot Pikachu a slight glare before focusing back on Ash, "Explain!"

"You want to become a strong Fearow," Ash gave her a small smile, "That's nice, but you can aim higher than that."

Spearow narrowed her eyes.

"How?"

"Hmm..." Ash hummed quietly, "How about aiming to become the strongest Fearow in the entire world?"

Spearow looked taken aback for a moment.

"I... I've never considered such a thing..." Spearow admitted quietly. She looked to be deep in thought.

"Becoming the strongest Fearow in the world would be a nice goal... but would you believe me if I told you that you can still still aim even higher than that?" Ash couldn't help the chuckle that left his lips as both Spearow and Pikachu gaped at him.

"What could possibly exist beyond becoming the strongest Fearow?!" Spearow asked with astonishment. Pikachu nodded in agreement to her question.

"It's very simple. You aim to become the strongest Flying-Type Pokémon in the entire world," Ash smiled. Spearow's eyes widened almost impossibly.

"Simple?!" Spearow shrieked, "You call that simple?! Do you have any idea what kind of monsters rule the skies?!"

"I do," Ash answered so fast that Spearow looked somewhat dazed, "And you are correct. You'll need to defeat a lot of truly strong opponents to gain that title."

"I promise that I'll help you fly towards the heavens, Spearow. If that's what your heart wants."

Spearow's eyes looked thoughtful.

"How can you speak with such confidence?" She asked quietly, "You are a child."

Ash snorted, and Pikachu outright laughed at her, causing Spearow to snap her beak angrily at his buddy.

Ash could make that promise because he'd been a Trainer for over a millennia, and he helped many of his Pokémon become the strongest of ther species and Types several times across the centuries.

A chuckle left his lips as he extended his right hand towards Spearow.

"Place one of your talons on my hand."

Spearow hesitated for a moment, but she did as he asked. A gasp left her lips as Ash began an Aura Connection.

Ash showed Spearow his confidence. The confidence he'd gained after standing at the top of the world for over a millennia. What Ash offered to her wasn't a boast, but a promise. A promise that by Ash's side, Spearow will find strength, friendship, and a place to call home.

He ended the Aura Connection, and watched quietly as Spearow took a deep breath. Then, Spearow looked directly into his eyes.

"I'd like you to be my friend, Spearow," Ash smiled kindly at her, "I'll help you achieve whatever you wish for."

Spearow closed her eyes, and bowed her tiny head.

"I accept your invitation, Ash," Spearow gave him small but genuine smile.

Within the depths of Ash's Aura, he felt a new bond form. This bond was fresh, and one that Ash had not known before.

Ash smiled as he presented Spearow with a Pokéball. He gently tapped Spearow's forehead with it, and she instantly dissapeared inside the device. The Pokéball shook only once before it stopped completely, and the sound of a succesful capture was heard.

"Nice," Pikachu said with a smile, "Did you capture her before?"

"No. I tried, but I failed," Ash reminiscended, "Do you remember how I told you that we saved each others lives?"

"Yeah," Pikachu nodded.

"Spearow was the cause of that," Ash chuckled, while Pikachu's eyes widened, "You wouldn't listen to me, so I tried to capture her on my own. I made her angry, and she called her entire flock towards us."

"Sheesh..." Pikachu muttered. His buddy looked at the Pokéball in his hands, "Is that why you captured her now?"

"Well, that, and I do want to make new friends," Ash laughed quietly, "If I have to go through everything again, I want to make as many friends as possible."

"Friends, huh?" Pikachu said quietly, "Just how many friends are we going to have?"

"Countless friends, buddy. I promise. Now, let me introduce you to a tradition of mine."

Ash stood up, and raised Spearow's Pokéball into the air. He smiled widely as he spoke.

"All right! I caught Spearow!"

There was silence for a brief moment. Then, Pikachu snorted.

"That's really goofy, Ash," Pikachu chuckled.

"Ain't no shame in being goofy, buddy!" Ash laughed, "Now, this ritual won't be complete without you, so join in!"

Pikachu sighed, but smiled as he jumped and cheered as well.

"All right!"