Sins of the Fathers: A mixed continuity Pokémon fanfic

Okay so first of all a fair bit of warning. This whole thing started as a random one shot I did for fun picking two [SIZE=11pt]Pokémon characters completly at random and writing a story about them. I chose anime Dawn and Silver. The one-shot that followed made no sense in any continuity but it was a one-shot so I didn't much care.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Then the Unova League in the anime and Ash's horrendous defeat at the hands of Cameron. I wanted to write a fic where Ash actually used everything learned to actually achieve his dream, and I figured hey I have that one-shot I can build off of, and I could make it Pearlshipping, so that one shot became chapter 1. Then I had to blend the anime and game continities together as best I could, with a little bit of Origins.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]So here are the basic things you need to know I put these as warnings so that anyone who has a problem with these can tun away:[/SIZE]

1. [SIZE=11pt]In the case of ant contradictions between anime and game continuity anime trumps game as my maun characters are anime characters.[/SIZE]
2. I reiterate this is a Pearlshipping story.
3. [SIZE=11pt]Giovanni is still leader of the Viridian City Gym despite not being so in any continuity for the sake of plot, but Ash still battled Agatha in Viridian City and took on the Battle frontier[/SIZE]
4. [SIZE=11pt]Steel, Dark, and Fairy types have always been known.[/SIZE]
5. [SIZE=11pt]Blue has been changed to Professor Oak's son, with Gary taking the grandson slot as the son of Blue. Delia Ketchum has been merged with Daisy from the games and is Blue's older sister.[/SIZE]
6. [SIZE=11pt]Red is Ash's father.[/SIZE]
7. [SIZE=11pt]The games that have taken place in some form or another before the anime are Yellow and SoulSilver.[/SIZE]
8. [SIZE=11pt]Gold/Ethan lost his battle to Red.[/SIZE]
9. [SIZE=11pt]This story follows anime canon with minor tweaks up until the episode New Places.. Familiar Faces.[/SIZE]

Sorry for that long preamble. I'll answer any questions you may have Now on with the story.

Sins of the Fathers​

​

Chapter 1: The Red Haired Stranger

Silver walked in silence. He knew had to hurry if he wanted to meet her, after all, she was only here in Johto for a little while. In all honesty he'd just gotten really lucky, he wanted to meet this girl for a long time but she'd had no reason to come to Johto. That all changed with the Wallace Cup being held here.

He'd watched her win the Wallace Cup, putting his training in the Dragon's Den on hold just to come here to Goldenrod City, just to meet her. He hadn't even known if she would be here. Some of the female trainers in the Blackthorn Gym had been talking about it and he overheard. He'd just hoped she couldn't ignore the allure of a Pokémon Contest. Lucky for him that had been the case.

Finally he reached his destination outside the Contest Hall, having made it through the throng of excited fans who were on their way out. He waited just as he walked, in silence. After a few minutes she stepped out, her Piplup in her arms.

"Dawn Berlitz?" he asked, he had to be absolutely sure that this was who he was looking for. He knew this girl was from Twinleaf Town and he figured the girl he was looking for would be too. That was where she'd lived last he knew. The first name and hometown were the same but that didn't mean he was correct in assuming this was the one he was looking for.

"Yeah that's me," she said with a confused look on her face, "but not many people know my last name. Do I know you?" Silver smiled at her.

"No, you don't know me," he said, "My name is Silver, I guess you could say I'm a fan of yours." Dawn brightened up immediately even though his voice never lost its trademark serious tone.

"I have fans here in Johto? Wow. I guess you want an autograph or something right?" she asked. Silver's smile widened and took on an almost predator like quality. There wasn't any malice or hatred there, like there would be for say Team Rocket but it was still quite chilling if Dawn's worried face was anything to go by.
"No, I want to battle you." Silver declared.

"You want to battle me?" She asked. Silver nodded.

"There's a battlefield behind the Pokémon Center. We can use that one, that is if you're interested." He said.

"I'll be there, no need to worry!" Dawn said with confidence shining in her eyes. Silver looked forward to seeing if that confidence was justified. He knew she was good, but was she good enough to face him? He nodded once more and made his way to the battlefield behind the Pokémon Center. He waited a full ten minutes before she joined him.
"Glad you decided to join me." he greeted.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Silver," Dawn said, "I was having Nurse Joy check out my Pokémon."

"That's not a problem Dawn, it's always good to make sure your Pokémon are in good health," Silver assured her, "Now I know you're a busy girl, you probably want to get back to your Contests in Hoenn so here's what I propose for this battle. We each use one Pokémon each: our starter. I feel this is the quickest way to gauge your strength as these Pokémon have been with us the longest and therefore best reflect our styles."

"Alright, sounds good to me, you ready Piplup?" Dawn asked. The little penguin Pokémon voiced its agreement and hopped down on the ground from Dawn's arms. Silver smiled to himself, how ironic that they would both pick Water type Pokémon as their starters. He grabbed a Pokéball and enlarged it.

"Feraligatr, come on out!" Silver threw the Pokéball and with a popping noise and a brilliant white light the aforementioned Pokémon appeared. Every time Silver saw his starter he was reminded of how far he'd come. He hadn't acquired his oldest and dearest friend in the way most Pokémon Trainers did. He'd actually stolen Feraligatr from Professor Elm's lab back when it was still a Totodile. Back then he hadn't treated his Pokémon very well at all. It had taken a defeat from Lance of the Elite Four and his continued losing streak to Gold to turn things around for him.

"Oh wow, a Feraligatr." Dawn pulled out her Pokédex.

"Feraligatr, the Big Jaw Pokémon. The final evolution of Totodile. Once a Feraligatr has clamped its powerful jaws around an opponent, it won't let go until the opponent is defeated." He heard the Pokédex say.

"Looks like this is going to be a tough one." Dawn mused aloud. Piplup chirped in a reassuring manner.

"I'll let you have the first move Dawn."

"Alright Piplup use BubbleBeam," Dawn ordered. The penguin Pokémon let out a large stream of bubbles that raced toward Feraligatr. Silver gave no order. The attack connected dead center, kicking up dust. When all was said and done Feraligatr looked perfectly fine, "No way!" Silver smirked.

"Feraligatr, use Slash." The claw of the alligator like Pokémon glowed and it charged toward the much smaller Piplup.

"Dodge it quick Piplup," to the creature's credit did try to dodge but Feraligatr was just too quick for it. The attack sent Piplup flying across the room, "Piplup are you alright?" The penguin got up and nodded,

"Impressive, your Piplup is quite strong; I haven't met many Pokémon who weren't fully evolved that could take a Slash from Feraligatr." Dawn smiled at him.

"Piplup's been tough since the day I met him. Now use a spinning Headbutt!" Piplup launched itself into the air headfirst at Feraligatr. Again Silver didn't order his Pokémon to dodge and the attack connected. This time Feraligatr stumbled backward and displayed some small amount of pain but Silver was still stone-faced.

"Grab it and use Crunch," Feraligatr did as it was told and poor Piplup found itself in between its powerful jaws, "Now throw it." Feraligatr jerked its head around quickly while releasing its opponent from its jaws. Piplup went flying into the wall behind Dawn.

"Piplup!"

"Is this really the best you can do Dawn, I'm disappointed," he said, "If this is all the challenge you can offer me then we might as well just end this here." Silver had truly hoped she was stronger than this. The whole reason he'd even come out here was to test Dawn. He'd been hoping she would be able to do what he couldn't and defeat him. Once again Piplup stood up but looking like he'd seen better days. The penguin had a defiant look in its eyes.

"Piplup, do you want to continue, we'll go with whatever you decide," Dawn asked. The Pokémon nodded, "Alright then we'll keep going and we're going to win. No need to worry, when we work together there's nothing we can't do!" Silver smiled. She reminded him of Gold. Always peppy, dedicated to her Pokémon like they were her family, and never giving up, every quality a great Trainer needed.

"Are you sure, I mean it's plain your Piplup can't beat my Feraligatr, not as things are. I don't want to hurt it." Silver said. Then Piplup dropped something on the ground it looked like an everstone.

"Oh, Piplup, you didn't have to do that... I gave you that because you didn't want to evolve." Dawn said as her Pokémon began to evolve.

"It looks like he changed his mind. Your dedication to him made him want to do everything he could to help you win Dawn," Silver explained, "but now back to our battle. Feraligatr, Aqua Tail." A spiral of water enveloped the Pokémon's tail and in charged the newly evolved Prinplup.

"Prinplup, counter with Hydro Pump!" Dawn commanded. Prinplup let a stream of high pressure water loose from its beak that hit Feraligatr in the face and managed to make Silver's Pokémon fall on to its back. Feraligatr got back up with a slight sluggishness.

"Feraligatr return!" Silver returned his starter to its Pokéball.

"What are you doing," Dawn asked, bewilderment etched on her features, "The battle's not over Silver."

"It is for me, I saw what I came to see. I just wanted to meet you and test you." He told her.

"Why?" she asked. That made Silver pause. He could tell her his reasons outright but she'd never believe him. He'd have to go with his original plan and hope for the best.

"Challenge the Kanto Pokémon League," Silver instructed, "When it comes time to get your eighth badge in Viridian City ask the Gym Leader about me. Then all will become clear."

"But I'm a Pokémon Coordinator, my love is for Contests, not Gym battles." she protested.

"That's a shame," Silver said with a shrug, "If your Prinplup is any indication you would do quite well in Gym battles, and if you don't take the Gym challenge you'll never know who I am. However if you do decide to do as I ask and wish to find me when all is said and done, all will be in the Dragon's Den in Blackthorn City here in Johto." With that he began to walk away.

"Well what's going to stop me from just following you and making you give me the answers?" she asked.

"I won't speak to you again until you have defeated the Viridian Gym Leader. Until them I'm just the red haired stranger you met in Goldenrod City." He answered simply as he kept walking.

"I'm sorry Dawn but this is the way it has to be," he thought, "I already failed miserably, now you're the only one who can beat him and make him come back to his senses. You must defeat our father." With that he left his sister's sight, hoping against all hope that she would do as he asked. Hoping that she would do what he couldn't and defeat Giovanni.

 

Chapter 2: The Crossroads of Pallet

Dawn Berlitz took a breath of the salty sea air as she sailed along Route 21 to Pallet Town on a ship that barely qualified for the name, Pallet wasn't exactly a popular destination, even with the world famous Professor Oak living there. She'd been in Kanto for a few days now, first arriving in the tourist trap that was Cinnabar Island. She'd heard there was a Gym there but it turned out the place had shut down years ago. Honestly she didn't even want to be here, but for some reason she'd decided to put her career as a Pokémon Coordinator on hold just to figure out who the enigma known as Silver was.

Silver, he was just some red haired guy who challenged her to a battle in Goldenrod City after the Wallace Cup. She probably should've left it at that and not thought about him again but she felt an odd attachment to the older boy. Silver had left very implicit instructions: Challenge the Kanto Pokémon League and when she battled the eighth Gym Leader in Viridian City to ask about him. That was why she was in Kanto.

Dawn sighed, Gym battles weren't her cup of tea, and if she hadn't felt that weird attachment to Silver she would've blown of his request and gone back to Hoenn to get the remaining ribbons she needed to compete in the Grand Festival. Instead she was here on this ship. She just hoped this was worth it.

"Prin Prinplup." Prinplup trilled in concern next to her. Dawn couldn't exactly understand what her newly evolved starter had said but she knew him well enough to get the gist of things. She rubbed the top of Primplup's head lovingly. She'd gotten some odd looks for keeping him out of his Pokéball, something she'd picked from Ash and Pikachu, but it was nice to have the constant companionship.

"No need to worry, I'll be fine; I just wish we were going back to Hoenn is all." She said. Prinplup seemed to nod in understanding. Humans might not be able to understand Pokémon speech but Dawn was convinced that Pokémon could understand people. She smiled reassuringly at her partner and went back to watching the horizon.

She could see Pallet Town coming up now. The sight made Dawn think of Ash, this was his home, she was going to be traveling through the region he'd grew up in and challenging the Gyms just as he had. She wished that Ash could be here with her as it would make the journey easier but he was still in Unova. Come to think of it the Unova League would be starting soon, if it hadn't already. No doubt Ash's mom would be watching; there was no harm in staying in Pallet for a few days and watching Ash compete.

It wasn't long before they made landfall and Dawn being the only passenger on the ship disembarked. The young Coordinator took a look around and smiled, Pallet Town seemed like a nice quiet place. Prinplup seemed to be enjoying it as well.

"It's pretty nice here isn't Prinplup; it reminds me of Twinleaf Town." Her partner voiced his agreement to that sentiment. Dawn began walking around town looking for Professor Oak's Research Lab, which in all honesty wasn't that, hard to find being the biggest building in town. She didn't really need to come here, her Pokédex didn't need upgrading. She probably could've just passed through Pallet without anyone noticing but she figured it was bet to at least let Professor Oak now that she was in the area. Once she found the lab Dawn waked right up and knocked on the door. It opened almost immediately to reveal a black haired boy in a green shirt, red shorts, and matching sweatband.

"Hello can I help you?" The boy asked. Dawn could've worn she saw the faintest of blushes on his cheeks.

"Hi I'm Dawn, I'm from Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh region and I wanted to let Professor Oak I'd be traveling through Kanto. He knows me I traveled through Sinnoh with Ash Ketchum."

"Oh! Professor Oak has mentioned you. I'm his assistant Tracey Sketchit. I traveled with Ash when he was in the Orange Islands. Please come in," Dawn followed Tracey into the lab with Prinplup trailing behind her, "Dawn I'm a Pokémon Watcher, that means is I draw Pokémon. I was wondering if I could draw your Prinplup some time; I've never seen one up close before." The Coordinator looked over at her starter Pokémon; she didn't want Prinplup to be uncomfortable. He didn't seem to have any objections.

"I think that would be alright." She said.
"Actually, Professor Oak, Mrs. Ketchum and I were all about to sit down and watch some TV. Ash has made it to the top eight in the Vertress Conference, Unova's Pokémon League and we were all going to watch his battle together. Would you like to join us? I'm sure neither of them would mind." Tracey said.

"I'd love to; I'll always take the chance to cheer Ash on." Dawn replied. Tracey led her and Prinplup into the lobby where Professor Oak and Mrs. Ketchum were waiting.

"Why Dawn, this is a surprise," Oak said, "What brings you to Pallet Town?"

"I'm going to be challenging the Kanto Pokémon League and I thought I'd stop by and let you know before I did with you being the Kanto region's Pokémon Professor an all." Dawn said as she sat on one of the couches.

"Well that's just splendid!" Oak declared.

"That's strange," Mrs. Ketchum, this was her first time meeting Ash's mother Dawn realized, "Ash told me about you. He said you were a Pokémon Coordinator like May, why would you be challenging Gyms?"

"I am a Coordinator but I met someone on my journey that convinced me to challenge the Indigo League." She explained.

"I hate to interrupt but the match is about to start." Tracey said. That got everyone's attention and the group was soon enraptured by the match. Dawn was more confused by the match than actually enjoying it. Watching Ash struggle with Cameron who was so scatterbrained that he didn't even know a full battle was a six on six was such a stark contrast to the Ash who had done better against Tobias, a Trainer who seemed to have a team full of Legendary Pokémon, than anyone else in the Sinnoh League was so eye twisting that she could hardly believe what she was seeing.

This couldn't be the same Ash that she had traveled with across her home region. The Ash she knew would have realized that his team wasn't ready for the higher levels of the Pokémon League. The Ash she knew would have used the many powerhouse Pokémon he had acquired over the course of his journey.

The one glimpse of the Ash that Dawn knew came in the form of a small electric mouse. Sadly even Pikachu was a shadow of its former self. She had seen the little mouse go toe to toe with an undamaged Latios, a Legendary Pokémon and a Dragon type besides meaning it resisted Electric type attacks like the majority of Pikachu's best moves. True Pikachu hadn't won but it had forced a draw. Now it was wind after a brief tussle with a Samurott and an easy win against a Swanna? It just didn't add up.

As she watched Pikachu fall to Cameron's newly evolved Lucario one thought echoed in Dawn's mind: "What happened to you Ash?" It was a question he intended to get the answer to.


Ash Ketchum was in a rare pensive mood as he, Iris, and Cilan walked back to Professor Juniper's lab in Nuvema Town. His loss to Cameron kept replaying in his head. Top Eight, he'd only made it to the top eight in the Vertress Conference. He'd made top four back in Sinnoh what was different here?

Was it that he'd used Pokémon from other regions in Sinnoh? Maybe that could be part of it but that didn't seem like that was all of it. After all he'd done the same in Johto, still using his Kanto Pokémon. Did he try harder, he didn't think so, he couldn't think of a reason he would try harder.

Maybe it had something to do with his traveling companions. Ash stole a glance at Iris and Cilan, he hated to think that his present company had something to do with his loss; they'd been great traveling through Unova. So maybe it was somebody who wasn't there for his battles in the Unova League but was in Sinnoh. Brock was the first one to come to mind but sadly as had to rule out his old friend rather quickly. After all Brock had been with him through Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh and Ash hadn't really done anything that stood out until Sinnoh in any of the Pokémon Leagues. He'd even won the Orange league when Brock wasn't around; of course he'd won the Battle Frontier while traveling with Brock. Ash didn't really count either of those; they felt more like glorified Gyms than Leagues. That only left...

Dawn. The realization hit Ash like a one of Pikachu's Thunderbolts and he wasn't sure what to make of it. Sure he'd done better in the Pokémon League while traveling with Dawn, that much was true, but did it really men her performed better when she was around? It seemed like a stretch at first but then he remembered the Junior Cup. Sure Ash had taken part in smaller Tournaments during his time in Unova and done well in them but then he always had, though only being in the top four in Clubsplosion was a bit of a sore spot. The Junior Cup had been something special though. A chance to battle the Unova Champion, it wasn't like the local tournaments where you got some useful but ultimately negligible prize.

Dawn had been there for the Junior Cup and Ash had come in second place. It seemed, to Ash anyway that he performed better in the clutch when Dawn was around. This could all be coincidence of course, and it probably was if he was truly honest with himself but could he really take that chance?

He was drawn out of his introspection when they finally arrived at Professor Juniper's lab. Not hesitating he walked up and hit the button on the intercom, "Professor Juniper its Ash." He said. The doors opened quickly to reveal a smiling professor.

"It's so good to see you again, please come into my lab." She said. Ash, Iris, and Cilan eagerly took the invitation, the latter pair sitting on the couch while Ash went to go use the videophone to call Professor Oak.

"Why hello Ash," Oak greeted when his face appeared on the screen, "Great job in the Unova League."

"Thanks professor but if you saw me compete you know I only made it into the top eight."

"I watched the whole thing on TV and you did just splendid," Oak assured him, "Actually there's someone here who would like to talk to you Ash."

"Who? My mom or Tracey?" Ash asked thinking those were the two most likely options. Oak just smiled and shook his head. Ash gasped when another person came into view. One of the last people he ever expected to see again: Dawn. Her presence brought an involuntary smile to his face.

"Hi Ash." She said beaming back at him. Ash had to take a moment to collect himself as he found the object of his previous musings on the other end of his call.

"Dawn what are you doing in Kanto, I thought you'd be back in Hoenn competing in Contests by now." Ash said.

"Well when I was in Goldenrod City for the Wallace Cup I met a Trainer named Silver who seemed to know me as more than just a fan. I don't know who he was but he did feel familiar. He wouldn't tell me who he was though, he told me to challenge the Kanto Gyms and ask the Viridian City Gym Leader about him," She explained, "So here I am. I was actually wondering if you'd like to come back to Kanto and travel with me. It would be nice to have someone around who knows the region."

Ash froze for a second when Dawn mentioned the Viridian Gym. He hadn't forgotten his battle for the Earth Badge or the revelation of the Viridian Gym being owned by Team Rocket. He also remembered running into their leader, and the probable Gym Leader back in Johto and just narrowly saving Mewtwo from falling into Team Rocket's clutches, and of course more recently, the incident with Meloetta and the Kami Trio. If Dawn was going to get mixed up in that he didn't want to leave her alone.

"Of course I'll travel with you, but there's something you should know about the Viridian Gym. I would rather tell you in person. It'll take a couple of days for me to get to Kanto from Unova because I have to get to the airport and take a plane, so just sit tight in Pallet town for now."

"Alright, I'll be waiting Ash." Dawn said before hanging up. Well now that that had been taken care of he just had to tell Iris and Cilan.


Pallet Town, home sweet home, he hadn't been here since... his wife died in childbirth. It had been a long time since Blue Oak had been here. He probably should come home more often but his duties as Champion of the Kanto region kept him away. It was a shame really; becoming Champion had made him a hometown hero, but sadly not the hometown hero.

Even Blue as Kanto Champion lived in someone's shadow. In his case that person was Red Ketchum. The two of them had been rivals since they were little and it was no different when his dad the ever famous Professor Samuel Oak had given them their first Pokémon.

He'd always been one step ahead of Red, but his rival had always managed to top him in the end. It was like the old children's story the Torterra and the Bunnelby now that he thought about it. Slow and steady did win the race it seemed.

Blue smiled wanly as he remembered how impetuous he'd been when he was younger. On his first day as a Trainer he'd taken Red's intended starter, an Eevee, leaving his rival with a Pikachu his father had only caught a few minutes earlier. Red had paid him back for it by defeating him in their first battle and every battle after that.

He didn't regret it, far from it he loved his starter, now a Jolteon, dearly but it was the perfect example of what he'd been thinking about. It had been about two decades since that day and his life hadn't been all bad since then. After all he was still the Kanto Champion, the second strongest Pokémon Trainer in the world. Second best, second to Red. That thought still burned him up sometimes.

Oh well, there were worse things. At any rate he'd reached his destination. He knocked on the door tree times and waited for it to open. Thankfully it was answered by just the person he wanted to see, "Hello Delia," he said with a smirk, "It's been a long time sis."

"Blue! What are you doing here; you hardly ever leave the Indigo Plateau." Delia said.

"Well the Pokémon League is closed for now, we have to give the rookie Trainers that are just starting time to get their Gym Badges before we start the next tournament and I realized it had been far too long since I visited my big sister. May I come in?" He asked.

"Of course." She replied. With that said Blue stepped into the Ketchum household; that was another thing Blue could never forgive Red for, marrying his sister. True Delia was the older of the two Oak siblings but he was still protective of her nonetheless. He saw a Mr. Mime sweeping the floor and smiled slightly.
"Well this is a surprise I thought you'd given up Pokémon after Red left." He said.

"I had but this Mr. Mime has been very useful around the house and I guess the wounds have healed some over time. Besides it gets lonely here now that Ash has left on his journey."

"Ah yes, my nephew, I've been watching his progress since he showed up at the Indigo League, top sixteen, not bad for a rookie. Not as good as his father but then I doubt there's ever been anyone as good as him," Blue made his way over to a glass case on the wall containing many Gym Badges, he counted a full set of eight for four regions: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh as well as four for the Orange League. Along with them were the seven Frontier Symbols of the Kanto Battle Frontier and next to the case was an Orange League trophy, "These are all his, impressive. Though I have to admit I'm surprised you let him go on a journey."

"I didn't want him to at first but I realized it was the only way he'd ever get to meet Red." Delia's voiced cracked. The pain in her eyes at her husband disappearing was evident, not for the first or even millionth time Blue cursed the name Red Ketchum.

"I'd drag him back here if I could Delia, you know that, but I'm just not strong enough."

"I's not like you're any better," She snapped, "You left Gary to be raised by Dad, not even knowing who his father was."

"It was what was best for him Delia, the Indigo Plateau is no place to raise a child and this way he didn't have to grow up in the shadow of his father. How is Gary doing?"

"He's doing well; he's become a Pokémon Researcher like Dad." Delia said.

"Good, I never wanted the life of a Trainer for him; it's not an easy one. I think he'll be much happier as following in Dad's footsteps rather than mine."

"Team Rocket's back you know."

"Yeah I know. I'd hoped they were gone for good when Red defeated Madame Boss in the Viridian Gym and Gold playing mop up duty. The Pokémon League wants to take action against Team Rocket but it has to be decisive action, without knowing who their leader is there's not much we can do."
"So does Ash know who his father is? I'm just curious."

"No I never told him. He would've just focused on finding his father instead of focusing on actually learning from his journey." Blue nodded in approval.

"Does he know about your past as a Pokémon Coordinator?"

"It never seemed important." Delia said shaking her head.

"You were a Coordinator Mrs. Ketchum?" A new voice asked. Both Oak siblings turned to see a blue haired girl in a black mini dress, white undershirt, pink skirt and pink boots, with a white beanie with a pink Pokéball print on her head.

"And who might this be? Don't tell me you had a daughter while I was away Delia." Blue joked.

"This is Dawn she's a Pokémon Coordinator from the Sinnoh region, she's a friend of Ash's," Delia said before addressing Dawn, "Yes I was a Coordinator, a very long time ago."

"You weren't just any Coordinator sis, you were a Top Coordinator," Blue said with a wry chuckle, "Delia Oak, the greatest Pokémon Coordinator in all of Kanto. They called you a prodigy."

"Wait you're related to Professor Oak?" Dawn asked.

"Yes I'm his daughter and this is my little brother Blue Oak." Delia said. Dawn, the poor girl seemed absolutely star struck.

"So Dawn what brings you to Pallet Town?" Blue asked.

"I'm actually going to challenge the Kanto Gyms. I'm staying here for a few days while I wait for Ash to get back from the Unova region because I could use someone who knows the lay of the land." So Ash was coming back to Pallet. Well this trip could turn out to be more interesting than he'd hoped.

"So Dawn, you've traveled with Ash. What do you think of his skills as a Pokémon Trainer?" He asked.

"Well Ash isn't the strongest Trainer I've ever seen but he certainly comes close. He's got an amazingly strong bond with his Pokémon; I have no doubt that he'll reach his goal and become a Pokémon Master, he's the most determined person I've ever met." Dawn answered. Blue smiled to himself the way the girl described his nephew reminded him of how his sister had described Red when they were younger. If he were a betting man, he'd have put money on her having more than friendly feelings for him.

"Thank you, that's all I needed to know, I think I'll stick around for a bit and have a battle with my nephew."


Ash ran into Pallet Town with no one but his Pokémon by his side. Iris and Cilan were originally going to come with him but Professor Juniper had gotten a call from her father about how the White Ruins had been discovered. The White Ruins were said to hold vital clue to the Legendary Pokémon Reshiram and Iris and Cilan had wanted to see. Ash would've gone with them but he didn't want to hold Dawn up, she was waiting for him so she could start her journey through Kanto after all.

Ash loved his hometown. As fun as traveling all around the various regions was there was something about Pallet that had always felt right. Not to mention the smell, it just smelled like home. He knew that sounded silly but was true.

He was looking forward to seeing his mother again to, even if it would be brief, he and Dawn would most likely leave in the morning. At least he'd get a good home cooked meal. His mom had probably made all of his favorite foods or was going to make them in order to celebrate his homecoming.

Strangely he was looking forward to seeing Dawn most of all. He'd just seen her not that long ago for the Junior Cup so this anticipation seemed just a little out of place. Yes he missed her but he missed all his friends that he didn't travel with anymore. Maybe there really was something special about Dawn like he thought. Something that no only seemingly made him perform better in big competitions when he was around but also made him miss her more when she wasn't. Though Ash didn't have the foggiest idea what it could be.

As he rounded the last corner to his house Ash was forced to stop short. There was someone standing in front of the door. Was it Gary? It looked like Gary. Not this man seemed like an older version of Gary. This was really weird. Ash continued toward his house.

"You're Ash Ketchum right?" The man asked.

"Yeah, can I help you?" Ash asked. Why would this man be looking for him?

"My name is Blue; you probably don't know who I am so I'll tell you. I'm the Kanto Champion," Blue said, "And I challenge you to a Pokémon battle Ash Ketchum." Ash blinked in surprise. The Kanto Champion was challenging him to a battle? He had to resist the urge to pinch himself. To say that Ash had dreamed about this day was the understatement of the century. Could this really be happening?

"I accept your challenge Blue." Ash said more excited than words could say. Of course he was also a little intimidated, but he'd faced opponents on roughly this level before and won. That said pulling a victory here wouldn't be easy, but that was half the fun.
"I knew you would Ash; you're a lot like your father that way." Blue said with a smirk.

"You knew my dad?" Ash asked. This was a big surprise, Ash knew next to nothing about his father. His mother barely talked about him. All he knew was that his father was on a journey as a Pokémon Trainer like he was. Ash always held out hope that they would cross paths one day but he knew that was unlikely.

"Yeah I know him and he's the strongest Trainer I've ever met, if you're anything like him Ash you'll go far," Blue said, "but I didn't come here to talk I came here to battle. Professor Oak has agreed to let us use his garden for this. He, your mom, and your friends Tracey and Dawn are waiting, let's go."

"Yeah!" Ash followed Blue eagerly into Professor Oak's garden where indeed his friends and mother were waiting. He wanted to say hello to them so badly but he knew the Kanto Champion didn't want to wait any longer so he took his place on the battlefield. Professor Oak moved to the referee position.

"This battle between the Kanto Champion Blue and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town will be a six on six battle with no substitutions. The first Trainer to make all of his opponent's Pokémon unable to battle will be declared the winner." Oak said. Both Trainers nodded in acknowledgement. Ash didn't see what choice he had in the matter as these stipulations had likely been set up by Blue in advance.

"Well Ash, I think I should let you have the first move," Blue said, "A Trainer is truly put to the test when he is at the disadvantage." Again only nodding in acknowledgement Ash picked a Pokéball.

"Snivy, I choose you!" Upon being thrown the Pokéball opened with a pop, to reveal the small Grass type Unova starter.

"A Snivy huh," Blue mused, "Then I guess I'll use this, go Ninetales!" A Fire type Ash had known something like this was coming ever since Blue had told him to go first. He was at the disadvantage and there were no substitutions. Blue had planned this from the start. Oh well, nothing he could do about it now.

"Begin!" Professor Oak declared. Ash could hear the others cheering for him on the sidelines but he tuned it out, he had to focus on the battle.

"Snivy use Attract," Ash called. Snivy winked and several pink hearts flew toward Ninetales encircling it and shrinking into its body. This didn't seem to affect Ninetales in any way, "Oh no, Ninetales must be female!"

"Three out of every four Ninetales is female Ash, and seeing how Attract didn't work your Snivy must be as well," Blue said with a chuckle, "Anyway Ninetales use Quick Attack." The fox Pokémon rushed forward with a white streak trailing behind it.

"Snivy dodge it!" Snivy never got the chance. Ninetales was simply too fast and slammed right into Snivy, sending the poor thing flying and knocking it out.

"Snivy is unable to battle Ninetales is the winner!" Professor Oak declared.

"Alright Snivy come on back, you deserve a good rest," Ash said softly as he recalled his Pokémon, "Let's fight fire with fire go Pignite, use Flamethrower!" Pignite appeared on the battlefield ready and raring to go. It immediately spewed fire from its mouth but once again Ninetales seemed utterly unharmed.

"Ninetales has the ability Flash Fire Ash, not only is it unaffected by Fire type moves but every time it's hit by one the power of its own Fire type moves increases. Show them a real Flamethrower Ninetales!" Once again the attack came too quickly to dodge and Pignite was floored.

"No Pignite!" Ash knew this was bad he was already down two Pokémon and he hadn't even touched Blue's first one yet.

"Is this really all you've got Ash," Blue asked in a bored tone, "I heard such good things about you from Agatha, but this is just pathetic. Maybe I have the wrong Ash Ketchum." Ash growled in frustration he'd show Blue he wasn't pathetic!

"Go Oshawott!" Unova's water type starter appeared next. Now Ash had type advantage, hopefully that would even things out a bit.

"Going for type advantage won't help." The Kanto Champion mocked.

"Oh yeah? Oshawott use Razor shell!" Oshawott picked up its' scalchop which began to glow and rushed Ninetales.

"Dodge it Ninetales," No matter how many times Oshawott lashed out with its attack its graceful opponent stayed just out of reach and made it look easy, "Smack it with your tails. Oshawott was sent flying but since it wasn't an actual attack it wasn't very damaging.

"Hydro Pump!" Ash commanded as soon as his Pokémon had gotten back up.

"Dig." Blue ordered lazily. Ninetales easily dodged the highly pressurized jet of water by burrowing underground.

"Oshawott, fire Hydro Pump into the hole!" Ash said. The Water Pokémon did so.
"You don't really think a paltry trick like that is going to work on a Champion's Pokémon do you Ash?" Blue asked with a sigh. Just then Ninetales finished its attack, coming up from the ground under Oshawott. That was three Pokémon down.

"Maybe if I attack from the sky," Ash muttered after recalling yet another fainted friend, "Go Unfezant!" With the flying Pokémon out Ash hoped he could finally wipe that smirk off the Champion's face.

"Flamethrower." Blue said. Ninetales obeyed once again firing a stream of flame at its opponent.

"Dodge it Unfezant!" The Flying type being a good bit speedier than most of Ash's current team and being in the air was able to comply but Ninetales was pressing the attack poor Unfezant could barely stay ahead.
"Aerial Ace!" Ash shouted and his Flying type Pokémon started to glow some and dived down toward Ninetales.

"Confuse Ray," Blue said. Ninetales' eyes began to glow red and a red orb shot out of them. Unfezant, committed to attacking as it was couldn't dodge and was thus hit by the red orb. The resulting confusion caused Unfezant to veer off course, "Fire Blast." A giant kanji made of fire issued form the fox's mouth and slammed into the confused bird. That was four Pokémon down.

"What am I going to do?" Ash mused aloud.

"Might I suggest giving up because this is just sad," Blue said, "If these are your best Pokémon and this is all you can do then you'll never become a Champion. In fact I can hardly believe you're related to your father. If he saw you he'd be ashamed, your battling skills are pathetic."

"Go Boldore!" Ash threw out another Pokémon in defiance.

"Dig," Blue said. This time the move was much faster. Boldore never got the chance to do anything, "Stop wasting my time Ash, if this is all you have then there's no point in finishing this battle."

"These aren't my strongest Pokémon," Ash said with his head hung low as he called back his fifth Pokémon in a row, "These were just the Pokémon I competed in the Unova League with and I just got home; I had them on hand. The ones I caught there. I like to start fresh when I go to a new region."

"That's really dumb of you Ash, catching new Pokémon is fine but most Trainers quickly figure out which group of six is their strongest and stick with it. If you don't do the same you'll never become one of the best. Now you have one Pokémon left, is it worth my time?" Ash wasn't sure at this point if could Pikachu even beat Blue's Ninetales.

"Don't give up yet Ash, I know you and Pikachu can show this guy what you're really made of!" Dawn's voice cut through the funk he was in. Ash looked up with a smile on his face.

"Oh this last one is more than worth your time. He's been with me since my first day as a Trainer and I can always count on him in the clutch. Go Pikachu!" Pikachu hopped off of his shoulder with sparks flying from the little mouse's cheeks. Even as this was happening Ash turned his baseball cap backwards.

"So this is you ace in the hole huh," The Champion was actually smiling good-naturedly now, "Maybe you're more like your father than I gave you credit for. Flamethrower Ninetales!"

"Dodge it and use Quick Attack Pikachu," Unlike all of his other Pokémon who fought on the ground Pikachu was actually able to dodge the attack and the follow up attack even struck home, "Now Iron Tail!" Pikachu's tail glowed silver and it turned smacking Ninetales in the face with it. The fox went flying.

"Now that's more like it," Blue said as Ninetales got back up, "This will be fun. Use Dig Ninetales!"

"Stay calm Pikachu and get ready to jump," Ash kept his eyes closed and listening for the rumbling, "Now Pikachu!" Pikachu jumped just in time as Ninetales popped up right where it had been standing. "Now Electro Ball!" Pikachu charged up the ball of electricity and let it fly from his tail.

"Fire Blast!" Ninetales tilted its head slightly to get a clear shot at the still airborne Pikachu and fired. Both attacks hit their marks. When the dust cleared Pikachu was back on the ground still standing but clearly worse for the wear and Ninetales had finally been defeated.

"Yes we beat Ninetales!" Ash cheered with Pikachu joining in the celebration. He knew he wasn't going to win this battle, Blue still had five more Pokémon, all of them just as strong or stronger than the one he'd just taken down but he could at least enjoy this small victory.

"Good job Ninetales, take a good rest," The Kanto Champion recalled his old friend, "Well now Ash that Pikachu is really something I think you deserve to be shown my oldest and dearest partner. Jolteon, come on out." A Jolteon well this was a problem. He was more familiar with the Electric type Eeveelution than he was with Ninetales and was well acquainted with its Volt Absorb ability. Pikachu's Electric attacks were useless against this opponent.

"Quick Attack Pikachu!" Ash called. Pikachu charged his opponent at top speed.

"Dodge it and use Pin Missile Jolteon." Jolteon dodged Pikachu's attack its fur becoming spiky as yellow needles were fired from it.

"Pikachu Counter Shield, now!" Ash hoped his partner still knew how to do this, at the very least the command wouldn't make any sense to Blue. Luckily it seemed Pikachu hadn't forgotten as he dove to the ground and started spinning while using Thunderbolt. A wall of electricity blocked the Pin Missile and sent them back to Jolteon.

"So that's the Counter Shield, I remember seeing you use it in the Sinnoh League. It's a clever little trick. Why haven't you used it in this battle before now?"

"Pikachu is the only one of my Pokémon that I have with me that is trained to use the Counter Shield."

"I see. Quick Attack Jolteon!"

"Counter with your own Quick Attack Pikachu!" The two Pokémon ran headlong into each other, both taking damage.

"Jolteon flip Pikachu into the air," Blue said. Jolteon managed to get its head under the electric mouse and flip it airborne like a pancake, "Now use Thunder!" Jolteon's body glowed with power before it unleashed the powerful attack at the falling Pikachu.

"Use Iron Tail Pikachu!" Pikachu's tail once again glowed silver and he oriented himself so his tail would slam into Jolteon's spine. The Thunder hit first but Pikachu fought through the pain and landed his iron Tail. The combined impact of the two attacks kicked up a large plume of dust and knocked Ash off his feet.

It took several seconds for the dust to clear but when it did it revealed a battered but still standing Jolteon and an unconscious Pikachu.

"Pikachu is unable to battle, the victory goes to Blue!" Professor Oak declared. Ash immediately ran over to his old friend and scooped him up in his arms.

"Are you okay buddy?" Ash asked.

"Pika pi." Pikachu said weakly.

"That Pikachu of yours is really something Ash, get six Pokémon like that and I'd have my hands full," Blue said as he recalled his Jolteon, "Come challenge me when you're ready. Smell ya later." Without another world Blue departed.

Ash spent the rest of his day catching up with his friends; the highlight of it was of course hearing the story of how Dawn had met this Silver person who had brought this all on and of course finally having Piplup's evolution explained. When night came however Ash couldn't sleep. He kept thinking about what Blue had said. If he had six Pokémon as strong as Pikachu he might've been able to win.

Did he even have five other Pokémon that were as strong as Pikachu? Honestly he didn't think so. Maybe he had one or two Pokémon other than Pikachu that were on that level but not enough to make a full team. Charizard was definitely up there, having beaten an Articuno in the Battle Frontier. Come to think of it Sceptile defeated Tobias' Darkrai back in the Sinnoh League so that made three Pokémon that would be on his best team. The others were a bit harder to call. He'd have to try out a bunch of different ones. With that settled Ash went to sleep.


Dawn stood outside the Ketchum house with Tracy, Professor Oak and Mrs. Ketchum. Everyone was waiting for Ash to come out of his room. He'd said something about changing his clothes. Finally the door to the house opened. Ash stood in a doorway in an outfit Dawn had never seen him in before.

He now wore a blue jacket with gold trim and white collar and sleeves, worn open over a dark cyan t-shirt, green fingerless gloves, jeans with light blue cuffs, black and white sneakers with red dots on both sides, and a brown belt. Of course he also had a hat; it was red and white with a stylized green L on it.

"I remember that outfit," Tracey said with a smile, "It's what you were wearing when we first met."

"What can I say I was feeling a bit nostalgic." Ash said.

"It looks good Ash." Dawn said giving the outfit a once over.

"Thanks Dawn." He said.

"So Ash have you decided what Pokémon you'll be taking with you?" Professor Oak asked.

"I've decided to take Sceptile, Swellow, Totodile, and Muk for now. If you could call Liza and have send Charizard over I'd appreciate it." Oak nodded and brought him the Pokéballs.

"Good luck honey." Mrs. Ketchum said seeing them off. Before they could leave Tracey approached her.

"Dawn, I want you to have this." He said handing her a sketch of her.

"Uh thanks." She said. With that she and Ash set off.

The pair walked in comfortable silence for some time. Dawn hadn't realized how much she missed traveling with Ash. She'd come a long way in her journey thanks to him and Brock. It was a debt she didn't think she was ever going to be able to repay but he'd try anyway.

"I wonder why Tracey gave me this sketch?" Dawn asked.

"Tracey tends to sketch girls he thinks are pretty." Ash explained.

"Oh," Dawn aid blushing faintly, "You mentioned you knew something about the Viridian Gym." She stopped dead.


"Yeah I do, it's run by Team Rocket." Ash said.

"Why would Silver want me to go there?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know done but we're going to figure it out. We have time; you need the other seven Badges before you can challenge the Viridian Gym."