Ash

  Cold. Dark. Wet.

Professor Oak

  "Oak!" Footsteps hit the wooden deck of the Pokémon center.

  "What's wrong Sycamore??" I turn to greet the Kalos professor.

  "We've discovered an interesting specimen in Area 549." He pants.

  "Bring it into my lab. I'll call the others." I command, already pulling out my cell.

  "Okay." he nods, sprinting off again.

A few minutes later...

  "We came as soon as you called." A pretty woman with brunette colored hair and blue eyes says.

  "Professor Juniper." I nod to the Unova professor.

  "Where is the specimen?" A tanned man with sunglasses, open tank top, shorts, a cap, and brown hair questions.

  "Professor Kukui." I greet the Alolan professor.

  "The specimen has arrived in Sector 3." A voice answers.

  "Shall we?" Professor Rowan grins. We nod and Professor Sycamore leads us back to where he came.

We march towards a block of ice that Sophie, one of Professor Sycamore's assistants, is holding a clipboard and making notes on it.

  "Any notable changes in the specimen Sophie?" Sycamore calls out.

  "Yes Professor, the ice has started melting thanks to the heat of the Kanto region, although Kalos heat is better, but the specimen has started trying to breath." she responds, clearly pleased. She pauses, "It's still covered in ice because the heat isn't enough."

  "Marvelous!" he exclaims, "We should move the block to the Kalos region, this specimen won't last long."

We all nod, this is serious now. If the specimen's ice prison doesn't melt fast, it'll die. The clouded ice is connected to a helicopter to carry to the Kalos region. Normally this would be a 10 hour flight, but the speed of the helicopter enables us to arrive only 4 hours into the flight.

We storm the lab, water puddling at our feet.

  "We believe the specimen has died sir."

A wave of disappointment washes over us like the tide on the beach at dawn.

Tears rolled down our faces in shame. We failed. We fail and a life was lost. We could have saved it.

Ash

I gasp as light scares away the darkness, blinding me. I blink rapidly, to adjust my eyes to the brightness. I hear small sobs. I stretch and look for May and Drew among the strangers. They're no where to be seen. I narrow my eyes, Team Rocket again... I return my Pokémon and sneak out the door while the people cover their faces as if they are ashamed. I look back at where I had came. A giant ice block was sitting on a device that looked like a giant stove. The bad thing was... Pikachu was still frozen. I ran over to him and started pounding on his frozen prison. The sound alerted the people sobbing on the other side. They started murmuring about a specimen and how Team Rocket might try and steal it. One of them hit a remote that was resting in his pocket. All doors shut and iron plating rolled over every window and door.

  "Who's there?!" a jolly man with brown hair called out.

  "You tell me, you kidnapped me!" I shout back.

There was some silence before the tall, blonde one responded. "My name is Professor Elm."

Then no one else spoke. "And..." I pressed.

The jolly man sighed and said, "Professor Birch."

(You know all the professors.)

  "Thank you." I smile.

  "Could you come into the light and tell us who you are?" Professor "Juniper" asks.

  "I should trust you why...?" My voice is hesitant.

  "We won't hurt you!"

Pikachu's paws touch the ground and he takes a wary step back. His legs wobble and he starts to collapse.

"PIKACHU!!!" I cry, lunging for my best friend as he hobbles closer to the boiling ice water. I catch him and roll to the right, away from the scalding liquid. I bury my face in his soft fur. "I was so worried about you bud." Tears stream down my cheeks dripping onto the floor. I stand up. I hear their feet shuffle to get a closer look at me. I look up them. They look friendly, somewhat. I glance around cautiously, after all, looks can be deceiving. Pikachu nuzzles me, assuring me that he's fine. I squeeze him tightly. He lets out a small 'Pi.' and I nod. I notice an opening. I'm about to run for it when...

BOOM!!!

  "Prepare for trouble!" a female voice calls, cutting through the white smoke.

  "And make it double!" a male voice cries.

  "To protect the world from devastation!" the female's voice rings out again.

  "To unite all peoples within our nation!"

  "To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

  "To extend our reach to the stars above!"

  "Jessie!" the female steps forwards.

  "James." the male turns, holding a rose.

  "Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!" "Jessie" announces.

  "Surrender now or prepare to fight!" "James" smirks.

  "Meowth! That's right!" a Meowth steps forwards.

The professors step forwards, about to say something when...

  "TEAM ROCKET!" I shout. Where's Giovanni? He normally never misses out on  messing with me!

   "Who are you kid?" Meowth asks.

  "First off, I'm 15. Second, where's Giovanni? He never EVER passes up a chance to steal Pikachu."

  "Look kid, we don't know who Giovanni is. We-" Suddenly Jessie stops and pulls out a small black box that has light blue circles on every face. A hologram lights up the room, revealing a face I haven't seen in ages. The Team Rocket trio kneel to the man I'd hoped to never see again.

  "What's up Giovanni?" I smirk, "To proud to show your face to me?"

He looks at me like I came back from the dead. "A-A-Ash?!?!?!" he spits out the word, shocked.

  "The one and only. I mean seriously, who else knows you and your stinking Meowth?"

He grins. "You mean this beauty?" A face appears, the face of a Persian. It glares at the Meowth standing with Jessie and James. It's head turns to me and growls.

I laugh. "You wouldn't be growling if Pikachu was there. Standing next to you. About to fire a Thunderbolt." It gulped and backed away. "Anyway... Nice to see you Giovanni. Wait. Is it Giovanni? I mean, the one I know had braces and glasses." He flinched. I smirk. "Knew it."

  "Shut up Ketchum. You've been assumed dead for what? 56 years?  Was that Snorlax really worth it?" he grinned.

  "Every hair." I growl.

A lady's voice sounds from the hologram. "Sir. Your tea." Then Giovanni picks a cup of tea up to his lips.

  "I'll be back for that Pikachu, Ketchum." He snaps. "Just you wait." the hologram disperses.

Everyone in the room stares at me. I glare at them all. Then walk out of the opening I found and those dolts made bigger. The sun blinds me and I fall onto the sidewalk. Shoes clomp over to me. Sneakers and a pair of buckled shoes stop in front of me.

  "What's wrong with him brother?"

  "I don't know. He's tan so it can't be the sun."

I stand. These people are so ignorant. "Go away." I growl. People have caused me nothing but trouble, I was kidnapped, Pikachu nearly got hurt, and Giovanni is acting like he's the boss of everyone. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" I shout to the open sky.

A blonde boy looks at me. There is intelligence and kindness in his eyes. A blonde girl, little younger than him (could be his sister) looks me up and down. "Where'd you get that old clothing?" I study them closer.  They are wearing different clothes than I.

  "What do you mean? These are common where I come from." I retort.

  "Not anymore." the blonde-gray haired man comes out of the building. "Those clothes were in fashion almost 60 years ago."

  "Fine. Where is the Herbal Center?"

  "Now called the Pokémon Center. This way." He beckons me down the road. I follow and people give me odd looks.

  "What's wrong with them?"

  "Not every day you see someone dressed as the heroes of the past."

  "I'm not a hero."

  "You are to Grace. You are to me. You are to May. You are to Drew. That's enough to be considered a hero."

  "May? Drew? How are they?!"

  "They're fine -I think-. Their son, Max is too." (I know he is May's brother, but he has a special role so please roll with it. Thanks!) Oh, here's a picture from 10 years ago. When we saw them last... They're explorers -I think- and part-time "

I touch the pictures. How I wish I was with them. Wherever they are. Tears spring up in my eyes. I wipe them away. "Let me go change. It'll only take a second. Where's the closest washroom?"

  "Left, right, right." The one with the triangle." He states.

  "I know." I report dryly. I walk to where he instructed. I step into a stall in the men's washroom. I use my aura to create an outfit like the one I saw other people wearing.

 "Nope."

  "Nu uh."

 "Where did I even get this?"

  "I look like Pikachu."

  "Pika..." Pikachu sweat drops an then sparks fly off his cheeks.

  "Okay. Okay. Not this one either."

  "Eh. This one is fine."

  "Pika-pi..." Pikachu nudged my hand, agreeing.

  "I know Pikachu. Let's go." I stepped out of the washroom. I look at my new PokeTech, the latest edition, about 43 years from now. I took barely a minute. I snap the locket closed and the hologram disappears. I shove it into my shirt, the cool metal, tingling against my skin. I storm over to the Professor. "What now?"

  "Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself." he looked at me curiously.

 I roll my eyes. "My name is Ash Ketchum. I'm 15, and I'm a trainer. I "died" saving a Snorlax from drowning."

  "Y-your name is Ash?!" he exclaimed.

  "Uh yeah..." I pause. Why does it matter?

  "You saved my Snorlax!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" he squealed, squeezing me.

  "You're welcome." I gasped.

 Then something hit me in the arm.

 It was a piece of concrete. I pulled it out as a unidentified Pokémon crashed through the lab's wall. "GARCHOMP!!!" he roared.

 I jump out of the way as he fires a dragon rage ahead of me. A flash of red catches my eye. A collar made of red plasma glistens on his skin. He's in extreme pain. He takes off and I sprint after him, dodging passer-bys and random Pokémon. He clumsily lands onto a tier of a 750 foot building. I run harder. Pikachu clings to my shoulder. I hear the faint sounds of a Pokémon following me. I see an open door and dash through. I run through the building, stopping at a door marked 'Roof'. I storm up the stairs. A trap door is covering a hole in the ceiling. I notice a ladder propped up against the wall and I climb up it. The Pokémon releases a shadow ball, which I swiftly dodge. I take the last step and creep towards it. I see a flying transport hovering in the air watching me. I promptly ignore it.

 Meanwhile... With a certain someone...

 "Mom!" a honey-blonde girl calls.

  "What's wrong Serena?!" Grace Yvonne calls from the kitchen.

  "Come look at this! It's unbelievable!" she shouts.

 Grace walks into the living room holding a cup of tea in her hands. "What is?"

 Serena looks at her with stars glistening in her gaze, "Some boy is trying to calm down Professor Sycamore's Garchomp!"

 A single thought passes through Grace's head; Could it be...? Is it Ash?

 Serena continues, "He looks about my age and he's so hot!"

 Grace shakes her head, "That's nice sweetheart!" Never mind. Ash is older than me... He would have a kid by now.

 Back to Ash...

I continue towards the sympathetic Pokémon. He shudders in pain. I nudge a piece of plaster, alerting him. He growls at me and flaps his wings up to the top of the tower. I groan and spot metal rungs pounded into the flattened corner of the tower. I snort and make my way over. I study them closely and when assured it's safe I start my way up. I feel a weight on my right shoulder (Pikachu is on my left), but I'm too concentrated to notice.  At the top, the pitiful Pokémon tries to shoot another shadowball at me, which I dodge by jumping over it. I proceeded my way closer, cooing at him, trying to calm it down. Unfortunately, he steps back. Ways to stop him fly through my brain but none of them are fast enough. The weight on my left shoulder disappears and bubbly substances hit the Pokémon's feet and seep onto the ground, securing it in place. A frog-like Pokémon lands in front at me and turns.

  "Froakie." he nods, confirming the other Pokémon's safety.

 I leap onto the large Pokémon, latching onto his neck. He tries to shake me off and I grunt when he elbows me in the stomach. "Pikachu," I cry, "Iron Tail!" He responds by plating his tail in iron and slamming it against the box securing the collar around the giant Pokémon's neck. It splits in half, the red plasma retracting into the evil device. Which is forgotten as I help the Pokémon stand. Pikachu, who was knocked back from the recoil, cheers along with 'Froakie'. Pikachu starts forwards, but steps onto a broken section of the building. It can't support his weight so it does the only other thing it knows how to do. It falls.

  "PIKACHU!" I cry, and without another thought, dive after him. Gasps sound from the crowd that gathered as I was trying to soothe the injured Pokémon. The ground rushed up at me as I caught Pikachu. I flipped, really to hit the ground. Of course I wouldn't because Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt causing a pillar of smoke spiraled up at me, exactly where I was going to land. I grinned and when we were hidden from prying eyes, I used my Aura. My eyes glowing blue, we landed softly on the ground. The smoke clears and I grin as people stood in front of me, looking unsure if I'm a projection or not.

 I clear my throat. "Could you be so kind to direct me to the owner of that Pokémon up there?"

 A roar interrupts my last words. The crowd surrounds me, starving me of air. "How did you do it?!" "Peculiar..." "EVERYBODY MOVE! THIS IS OFFICE JENNY!" The crowd parts and a single woman walks towards me. The scene reminds me of the legend of Moses. Waves parted to let him through. "What is your name young sir?" she leans close to me. She smells like rain.

  "Ash." I grin.

  "Thank you Ash. Professor Sycamore will be here shortly to hear of your heroic deed." she smiles.

  "No need to wait." the man with poufy black hair and blue eyes is walking towards us. I get into a battle stance. He sighs. "Calm down Ash. I won't hurt you."

  "Sure. Kidnap someone and then tell them you won't hurt them? Talk about cliché." A gasp ripples through the crowd and murmurs of disbelief swirl around me. His gaze sharpens, but I'm not scared.

  "We saved your life Ash. You were imprisoned in a block of ice!"

I growl, my eyes flashing blue. Power embedded in my words. "Are you challenging me?"

"If that's what it takes to calm you down, then YES! I challenge you Ash Ketchum!" he roared.

"Good. You can't believe how long I've been itching for a fight. GO INFERNAPE!!!"

"INFER! INFERNAPE!" my brave Sinnoh Pokémon screeches. I saw several people pull out devices and point them at Infernape. I glanced at the devices as voices rang out. I then looked at my PokeTech and pointed it at Infernape. It binged and a hologram filled the air,

Infernape, a bipedal, primate-like Pokémon that is primarily reddish-brown with sections of white fur on its chest, head, and lower legs. Several gold markings adorn its body: swirled, circular ones on its knees and shoulders flame-shaped ones on the back of its hands, and a stripe around its back that forms two swirls on its chest. On top of its head is a large flame, which is never extinguished. Infernape has an orange, rounded muzzle, long, round ears with blue inside, and a red ridge over its eyes. The eyes themselves are blue with yellow sclera. There are five blue digits on both its feet and hands, and it has a long tail. This quick Pokémon practices a unique kind of martial art that involves all of its limbs. This style uses fiery punches and kicks as well.

  "Woah, that's so cool Infernape!" I exclaim.

 He grins at me, showing most of his teeth. I give him my signature, goofy grin. Several girls around me pass out. What's wrong?! WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?!?!? The man I'm going to battle laughed. "I believe you have fangirls now." He took out a PokeBall. "Let's show Ash what we got! Go Froakie!" I pointed my PokeTech at the frog-like Pokémon. Another hologram forms over the screen.

Froakie, a quadruped, frog-like Pokémon. It has light blue skin, white hands, and a dark blue stripe from the center of its oval head to its nose. Its eyes, which have yellow sclera, black irises, and white pupils, protrude vertically from its head due to their size. Froakie produces a large mane of bubbles from its chest and back and has two small bubbles on its nose. The delicate yet flexible bubbles, called Frubbles, reduce the damage Froakie takes from attacks. It has three fingers and two toes on its hands and feet. Despite its carefree attitude, it is vigilant of its surroundings. Froakie is both light and strong, making it capable of jumping incredibly high.

  "Wow! So that's what Froakie used to stop that Pokémon from falling off the edge!" I note, nodding my head hesitantly. I grinned. That's not going to stop me! "Let's do this Infernape!" He looked back at me, the street lightsilluminating his face. A sly grin was plastered onto his face.  "Flame wheel!" He jumped and flipped, over and over. The flame on his head alight with power. The flipping, flaming Pokémon dashed forwards at an incredible speed. It seemed like it was going to hit until...

  "Use Frubbles!" Froakie reached into his mane and threw the frothy substance at the ground in front of my Pokémon. Infernape's speed was put to a halt when the Frubbles attached him to the ground. He let out a screech of outrage. He lifted limb after limb, but all of them were stuck to the ground.

  "Use Flamethrower on those Frubbles!" I commanded. Infernape's mouth opened and burning flames licked the Frubbles, causing them to pop and melt. Sycamore raised an eyebrow at me. I smiled in response. More girls fell, unconscious. Surprise and shock dulled my eyes. I swiftly glanced around me, making sure no damage was done, before returning to my battle.

  "Use Water pulse!"

  "Take it!" Several people looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe to them, but when the pulse hit Infernape he was still standing. Sure there were marks on his body, but I knew he could take it.

  "Water pulse again!"

  "Take it!" Infernape looked at me, unsure. When he saw the look in my eyes, he turned and braced for impact.

  "You're crazy Ash. Infernape might die."

 The pulse strikes.

  "See? I'll go get Nurse-..."

 Infernape is laying on the ground, eyes closed as if he's concentrating. A few people stumbled trying to find out what happened. Infernape hobbled up. Several gasps filled the silence. He opened his eyes. His red aura eyes.

                                    Blaze had been activated.

 Infernape roared, the white, orange, and red flames eloping his body flared up, responding to his rage. Sycamore took a step back, and several people sweatdropped. I smirked at them cheekily. "You were saying?" I mentally embraced the few moments of silence. "Use FLAMETHROWER!" Infernape growled, flames expanded, fire dripped from his mouth. Silence.

  "INFERNAPE!" He screamed, releasing burning hot flames the size of Mamoswine. My hearing seemingly strengthened and I could hear Sycamore gulp and Froakie's muscles stiffen.