Indigo wasn't known for being modest in scope. Consisting of the Kanto Region, Orange Archipelago, Johto Region, and Sevii Islands, it was quite possibly the largest banner in the Pokemon world by far. The massive scope of the empire was something to be revered.

By the next Indigo Conference, that empire would be celebrating its four hundredth birthday. The empire boasted an impressive history that only Sinnoh's own could match, and the Conference at the end of this upcoming season would mark four centuries of greatness. Though it was celebrated throughout all territories that made up Indigo, the enthusiasm was at its peak in Kanto, the region of the empire's birth.

Kanto was also home to the capital of it all: The Indigo Plateau, the centerpiece of the League that governed the empire, and the goal of every single trainer competing within Indigo's regions. Home of both the Indigo Conference and the Indigo Grand Festival.

The Plateau's name carried a weight becoming of its status as the expansive empire's capital, but the feeling of standing there in person exuberated that sensation far more so. The very aura of the Plateau screamed the word "Power".

Leading up to the Plateau was Victory Road, a location of terrible terrain and deadly wildlife to make for an immaculate training site that none but the most ambitious of hearts would dare step foot in. The Plateau itself was home to the Indigo League's main base, the centerpiece of the empire's government where the Champion and Elite Four assumed residence, along with the sites of the Grand Festival, the most beautiful stage for Indigo's Pokemon coordinators.

And then, there was the sites of the Indigo Conference. The ultimate goal for all trainers in Indigo. Pokemon League Village was big enough to house the massive number of competitors, which was often more than five hundred trainers. But, of course, the main attractions were the stadiums themselves.

Five stadiums in total. Four massive stadiums surrounding the main stadium. Individually, the main stadium was exactly twice as tall, and exactly twice as large, as any of the other four. The ratio was the same for the battle arenas that each stadium housed. These five stadiums were where Indigo's most prestigious and annually anticipated competition was held, and the main stadium was Indigo's ultimate battlefield, but it was reserved only for the toughest and most dedicated of trainers. For as many trainers as there were who would be competing within the Conference, they didn't even make up half of all trainers gunning for the Plateau. For as many trainers were good enough, and strong enough, to reach the Conference, there were many more who were not. Simply being a good Trainer wouldn't cut it. A placement in the Conference was a right exclusively granted to the absolute best.

The Indigo Plateau. Indigo's physical manifestation of the word "Power". The perfect throne for the League Champion and Elite Four. The five greatest, most powerful, respected, and feared trainers amongst the populace.

But for as indescribably grand as the Indigo Plateau is, and has always been, for nearly the past four centuries now, it is not where legends begin. A place so epic and grand, is not often where a tale makes its start, but rather, where they climax. Where everything culminates into the finale to end all finales.

This is a story that begins somewhere else; Peaceful, serene, and simple. Everything the Indigo Plateau's sheer, polar opposite. Not grand in the slightest, and completely unambitious. Everything that the Plateau is not, nor has ever been, for nearly the past four centuries.

A simple place called Pallet Town.

Aside from the bare essentials, restaurants, houses, markets, the school, among other things, nothing could be found here aside from Professor Oak's Main Laboratory. The place where one of the single greatest Pokemon Researchers alive, and to ever exist, resided and worked. And when he worked, he worked.

But the Lab is not where this story begins either. Instead, this story begins within the peaceful walls of a single, somewhat small, two story house that embodies the very thing that Pallet stands for: Sheer simplicity. Only just big enough to comfortably house the building's only two residents, along with any occasional guests who may visit.

One of those two residents was Delia Ketchum. A young, beautiful woman, far from intense in personality. An employee to Professor Oak, and teacher in training.

And the other…

/

Ten years old (as of a little less than two weeks ago). Average height. Average build. Black hair. He was an ordinary boy on the outside, but he would not remain that way. Pretty soon, his life would be changing.

Forever.

The couch he was sitting on in the living room was a light ocean blue. He stared intently at the flat screen as excitement filled his heart.

The Conference only took place once every year. Usually it lasted about three weeks or so. Before that, the Grand Festival was held, usually lasting about three days, where coordinators would compete for the title of Top Coordinator. The day before that somewhat acted as a sort of preparation for both events. The Gyms were closed during this time. After the Conference, another two or three weeks was taken, mostly as an intermission before the next season of Pokemon Training started. During this time, the winner of the Conference would challenge whoever the lowest ranked member of the Elite Four was, moving onto the next member if they were to win. Defeating an Elite Four Member granted that Conference winner their position. But even against the winner of a Conference, it was a rare occurence for any member of the Four to lose. Afterwards, the Elite Four would all be given the opportunity to challenge each other ( and the Champion) for their positions, depending on each member's current rank.

After that period was over, the Gyms reopened, new Trainers were given their Starter Pokemon, and a brand new season would finally begin. But the night before that, a special event was held by the League each year, in order to celebrate the grand beginning.

The Champion and Elite Four were all interviewed, and would take part in the League Rush.

In the League Rush, the Champion would battle all of the Elite Four in an exhibition match. The Champion was allowed up to three Pokemon, while the Elite Four were all allowed up to a total of five Pokemon. Each Elite Four member would initially use a single Pokemon, while deciding amongst each other who would use the fifth.

The match had no stakes, simply serving a ceremony to usher in the new season.

That ceremony was taking place now.

The boy grinned as the camera panned over to the man on the blue corner of the battlefield. He was tall and muscular, with spiky pink hair. His arms were crossed, but his expression was a wide smile. Lance lived for the crowd. He breathed for the crowd. He existed for the crowd.

The Champion of Indigo had a reputation matched by very few others. The current generation of Champions were considered insurmountable even by Champion standards, and Lance and Cynthia of the Sinnoh Region had earned their titles faster than any before them, at a pace that only Steven Stone from Ever Grande came close to. Among Indigo Trainers, even in the eyes of experts, Lance was just too good to be true. Known as the Dragon Master, he boasted an arsenal of Pokemon almost exclusively consisting of the Dragon Egg Group. Dragon types were traditionally amongst the rarest and most difficult Pokemon to find, not to mention what it took raise and train them, but they were nonetheless among the most revered for their immense power and versatility in battle. Dragons were some of the most sought out Pokemon to ever exist. Any Trainer with a well trained Dragon was practically a strong Trainer already.

But to have complete Mastery over the Dragons, to the point where your career had become synonymous with the category?

Lance was beyond description.

The boy's grinned remained as the camera panned over to the four people on the red corner of the battlefield.

The Elite Four. Lorelei, Bruno, Karen, and Agatha, all of whom the boy idolized every bit as greatly as the dragon-wielding Champion. Together, they were the five that all trainers in Indigo strived to one day become. A goal that very few could ever be capable of reaching, but pursued by thousands with heated intent.

The first to step forward was Lorelei, a cool looking, quite attractive woman with long, red hair tied into a ponytail. The lowest ranked of the four, she was a Master Ice specialist, with a knowledge of the typing not commonly replicated.

Lance and Lorelei each selected a Poke Ball, the Dragon Master releasing his teammate of choice first. The orb produced a brilliantly bright flash of light, which eventually materialized into a gigantic beast of a Pokemon.

It was a massive quadrupedal creature, primarily blue in color, and with enormous red wings, the massive Dragon-type towered above its already tall Trainer, raising its head proudly, as if to show off its presence to the world.

The audience cheered loudly as the massive Salamence reared its head back and ROARED. As if to announce its presence to the world, a ferocious sound, very akin to even the absolute loudest of thunderclaps, escaped the massive beast's mouth and filled the very air of the night.

Lance's Pokemon were just like their Trainer: They lived for the crowd.

Even among the rest of the Champion's Pokemon, however, this Salamence was not just another Dragon. Not only was it a part of Lance's main team that he normally used to defend his title, it was one of the three Pokemon of a trio widely considered to be the Champion's best, which he was most known and feared for. Dragonite, the Dragon Master's most famed Pokemon, was the frontrunner of the trio, alongside Lance's Charizard and Salamence.

Lorelei released her Pokemon next. In front of the calm woman emerged a large, blue creature. Her Lapras was the Pokemon that many often felt represented the ice master, being both her starter and cornerstone. Very much like its Trainer, and very unlike its opponent, Lorelei's partner looked on calmly, staring down its opponent without a single noise, awaiting orders as the match began.

The referee gave the signal, and Lapras made the first move. The large creature was quick to create a surge of water underneath its body, lifting it up slightly off the ground.

It was a common use of the Surf technique among high level Pokemon in particular. Pokemon such as Lapras were not typically able to maneuver well on land, so the utilization of this move was vital for land based combat.

Salamence flapped its gigantic, powerful wings and took to the skies, this act alone producing gales of wind.

Opening its maw, the draconic creature allowed a powerful blast of bright, orange energy to escape from it. The Hyper Beam, shining like the sun, flew towards Lapras at breakneck speeds.

Lapras immediately dodged to the left, leaving a large trail of water in its wake. The Hyper Beam smashed into the ground its target had originally occupied, producing an explosion that shook the stadium, as if creating a backdrop for the big escape that Lapras was making.

But Salamence was already acting again; charging forward faster than imaginable, it flew towards Lapras even as the large, blue Pokemon retreated. Its maw was crackling with the electrical aura of Thunder Fang as it roughly bit down on Lapras's neck, a wail of pain escaping from the water/ice type as the electricity made its way into the neck of Salamence's foe.

The blue Pokemon's horn erupted with lightning as it fired out a Thunderbolt, but Lance had seen the counterattack coming, and so did Salamence, as the massive Dragon immediately abandoned its grip on Lapras to retreat with no time to spare.

The boy watched eagerly as the battle unfolded, Salamence clearly with the upper hand. The Lapras, as powerful as it was, was soon overwhelmed by one of the most powerful Pokemon to ever be wielded by a Pokemon Champion, and Lorelei's star Pokemon lay defeated.

Not even its type advantage was enough to close the gap. Although typing had a very clear effect on beginner level battles, their relevance was usually known to decrease as a Pokemon and its trainer progressively grew stronger and more experienced. For elite level battles such as this, the effect that type matchups had on the outcome was just barely above superficial. By this point, most high level Pokemon and trainers had developed ways to reliably counter their weaknesses. It was rarely enough to make them go away completely, but it would, more often than not, ensure that typing would not immediately put a Pokemon in a bad place. As an acclaimed dragon specialist, Lance was no stranger to dealing with ice types.

It was something that Professor Oak and their teachers had all hammered into them very early on: When battling, do not rely on type matchups too much. Although they were a decent cushion, and especially great during beginner level battles, they would become much less reliable as time went on, so it was very important to never grow too dependent on them in the first place. Eventually, other factors would typically determine which Pokemon had the advantage, such as overall fighting style or physique. Many trainers, especially rookies, fell into the trap of growing far too complacent with typing, rarely learning to come up with other ways to turn a battle in their favor. Such a mindset was almost doomed for failure in pro level battles.

Lorelei recalled her defeated comrade and stepped back, making room for the next Elite Four member: A mountain of muscle, easily towering over his three teammates.

Bruno was both an expert fighting type specialist and a master of martial arts. Even outside of Pokemon battling, he was famous for both the talent and spiritual knowledge that he exhibited.

Taking out a Poke Ball, he released a large, bulky, humanoid Pokemon with four arms. Machamp, his main partner, and a Pokemon widely feared equally for both its ferocity and skill.

As the battle began, the boy looked up and smiled at the brunette-haired woman walking in. Delia returned the expression as at her son as she took a seat next to her son on the couch.

"Sorry I got here late, Ash. Had to clean up something that spilled in the kitchen."

The boy, Ash, nodded, but had already become fixated on the battle as it began.

Delia scratched her head. "So Lorelei already went down? That was quick."

Ash couldn't tell if he was giddy or intimidated as he responded, the adrenaline rush from the previous bout having not faded. "That Salamence is one of the strongest Pokemon ever used by an Indigo trainer. Lorelei's amazing, but Lance..." If the first round was any indication, the Dragon Master was approaching this ceremony with all of the non-existent mercy of an all-out war; even in friendly competition, he battled as he always did.

As Salamence and Machamp clashed, the Champion's behemoth once again with the clear advantage, Delia found herself looking at her son somewhat longingly on occasion.

Since Ash had turned ten years old just less than two weeks ago, and had passed the Indigo League Qualification Exam, he was going to be among the countless children throughout Indigo to receive their Pokedexes and starter Pokemon on Opening Day, the start of the next Indigo League Season. He and numerous others would officially become Pokemon trainers, leaving their homes to pursue whatever dreams and glory they intended.

That upcoming Opening Day was tomorrow. For however long she could imagine, this was the last night she had with her son in person, before he left Pallet for the first time and entered the outside world.

She could already feel the tears filling up in her eyes at the thought, but she did her best to hold them back and focus on the show for now. No need for Ash to see her crying on the eve of his big day.

With her attention back on the battle at hand, Machamp had just landed a desperate right hook to Salamence's chin. Although the massive beast recoiled quite visibly from the mighty blow, it wasn't enough to keep him at bay for long, almost immediately back on the offensive, depriving Bruno and Machamp of any potential breathing room.

After that, Machamp was defeated in a matter of minutes, Salamence still not looking much worse than when the battle had started.

After returning his Pokemon, Bruno stepped back, making way for the third member.

This one was an extremely beautiful young woman with silver-blue hair. It was Karen, a Pokemon Master specializing in dark types. At just the age of eighteen years old, she was easily the youngest of the Four, having obtained her position only three years prior after winning the Conference and claiming the position. She was notably tied with Steven, the former Ever Grande Champion, for being the second youngest to earn their way into the Elite Four, behind only Lance and Cynthia themselves. Her reputation as a prodigous trainer was widely famed, and if Lance didn't exist, she would very easily be labeled as Indigo's greatest prodigy.

Ash stared at Karen with somewhat more fixation than he had at the others, the slightest tinge of red slowly developing on his cheeks.

Delia looked over and smiled at the boy. Her son's "celebrity crush" on Karen wasn't unknown to her, although she still tried not to tease him too much about it.

"Tried", of course, being an important key word in that case.

Lance recalled his Salamence and released another creature. This one was a giant, orange lizard with big wings and a blazing flame at the end of its large tail.

It was Charizard. The next member of Lance's trio. And no Charizard in all of Indigo was more feared than the one commanded by the Dragon Master himself.

Much like Salamence, Charizard announced its presence to the world with a roar that shook the very earth. Lance's opponent was not intimidated by the theatrics; a small, confident smirk adorning Karen's features as she took out her Poke Ball, stretching her legs as she held the orb in front of the battlefield.

Much like Lance, Karen was known to revel in the attention that she received on the battlefield. Although far from modest in attitude, she was known for being a crowd pleaser, a big part of why she was such a fan favorite back in her days at the Conference.

A bright flash of light exited her Poke Ball as an enormous, dark looking dragon with three heads emerged from it.

Karen was notorious for having a dangerous team, more than typical for such a high level dark specialist like her. However, although she had many deadly Pokemon in her arsenal, Hydreigon was easily the worst.

Hydreigon were infamous for their bloodthirsty nature. The fact that Karen had tamed one in her childhood years was considered one of the greatest feats that a trainer could ever perform. This particular Hydreigon more than lived up to the name of its species, both in terms of battle prowess… and ruthless bloodlust.

Greeting Charizard with a mighty, earth shattering roar of its own, Hydreigon immediately readied itself for battle. Charizard was less than intimidated, but was quick to acknowledge its opponent, before taking to the skies and allowing a gigantic stream of fire to escape its mouth. Lance's Charizard was capable of producing some of the fiercest of firestorms just by opening its jaws alone.

As Hydreigon avoided the blast, the war between beasts commenced.

Although Lance's Charizard had a similar reputation to its trainer's Salamence, Karen's Hydreigon found itself fairing somewhat better than the previous two Pokemon had. The giant, three headed Dragon arguably had far more raw power than any other Pokemon in the Indigo Elite Four, and even Lance's team at least had to be wary of it.

In fact, Hydreigon eventually found itself receiving a moment of glory when it smashed Charizard into the protective barriers, proceeding to rip off a large chunk of the beast's shoulder. Despite the ferocity of his adversary, Charizard was as perserverant as he was dominant, and maintained the upper hand. Soon, Hydreigon was collapsed on the ground, defeated. Despite having a superior showing than the previous two of the Four's team, the end result had surprised few.

Returning her Hydreigon to its ball, a mildly dejected (but not necessarily surprised) Karen stepped back to make way for the final member.

Agatha, an elderly woman and absolute Masterclass of everything that was related to ghost types, stepped up next. She was by far the eldest of the group, and with age came experience, a philosophy that never failed to show for her.

She had held her position as an Elite Four Member for multiple decades up until now, and her team of ghosts inspired almost as much fear as as Lance's dragons purely from the terror they exhibited.

Much like with dragons, anyone who commanded a ghost, especially one of a high level, had already earned respect. Of everyone in Indigo's top five, Agatha easily stood tall as the one with the most knowledge of their respective typing, far surpassing even Lance's knowledge on dragon types. She may have been the most knowledgeable ghost specialist that there ever was, and a historic legend for her authoritative presence throughout multiple generations of Indigo's trainers.

From her Poke Ball, a Gengar appeared in front of the woman. Her own signature teammate, and apt representative of the horror that the eldest Elite Four member was capable of producing. Despite its immense shoulder wound, Charizard was more than battle ready.

As the battle began, not even Agatha's Gengar, itself known to possess a high quantity of raw power, could hope to match Lance's Charizard in a purely offensive contest. Thankfully, it had never needed to in the first place, as Agatha's Pokemon were famous for their deadly tactics, and it more than showed with Gengar.

About halfway through the battle, Gengar had managed to shoot a large blast of sludge right into the gaping shoulder wound that Hydreigon had left behind. Charizard's roar of pain had been positively deafening, and the poison had immediately begun to course through its system.

Pokemon battles were brutal by nature, but those this high-level caliber were exceptional even by those expectations.

The agony that Charizard suffered from would debilitate even some of the greatest in the profession, yet it wasn't enough to remove him from the fight. Even with the poison coursing through his body, even with the deadly toxins surging through his very bloodstream, Charizard still managed to persevere, finally defeating Gengar with a mighty Blast Burn that obscured the camera and shook the stadium.

Charizard was barely standing, but he was still standing. Even so, Lance recalled his fiery comrade immediately after Agatha recalled Gengar.

Agatha stepped back, and the Elite Four seemed to have a brief discussion, most likely to determine who would be using the fifth and final Pokemon.

After a few moments, Agatha stepped back up again, releasing a white Ghost that Ash recognized as a Froslass.

The crowd roared as Lance released his final Pokemon. A massive orange dragon that towered over its trainer. Dragonite was here.

Salamence, Charizard, and Dragonite, undoubtedly Indigo's ultimate trio. Lance was using all three of them today.

Even as Froslass whipped up an enormous Blizzard against the mighty Dragon, it was immediately clear who the victor would be in the end, as Dragonite countered with an equally big blast of fire. The frosty ghost perservered as the two traded attacks, holding its own better than most could.

That still wasn't enough to claim victory, however, and the battle eventually ended as Dragonite sent Froslass flying into the protective barriers with a mighty Dragon Rush. Although not one sided, the conflict produced an inevitable end result.

/

Ash's eyes stared aimlessly at the ceiling as he lay still in his bed. Thoughts of the battle still flooded his mind, but were overtaken by a sloppy collection of excitement and anxiety.

One of those moments in your life that you looked forward to without a shadow of a doubt, but still dreaded indescribably. A moment that filled you with invigorating joy and paralysing fear.

It was hard to sleep with such conflicting thoughts, but Ash's exhaustion eventually overcame him. As he drifted off, the same thoughts filled his mind, continuing to stir the mixed emotions that refused to go away.

Just tomorrow morning, he would become a Pokemon Trainer.

/

The sun rose high in the air as the morning light filled Ash's room. It was seven in the morning, the start of a new day.

And for countless kids throughout Indigo, it was a day that altered the course of lives.

Ash's awakening was practically automatic as his eyes slowly opened, greeted with a view of the ceiling. It took only a moment to process tha the was awake.

It only took a little bit longer for him to remember what that meant.

As though involuntary, his body jolted up.

He took in his room for a few seconds as the emotions came back, surging through his body like a fierce river.

He was getting his Trainer's License!

This was what he wanted! He had been ecstatic when he passed the Qualification Exam! But he had to leave home now that his journey was starting. What if he got killed by a wild Pokemon. Or crushed in an avalanche. Or-

He began shaking his head vigorously.

No time for doubt. He had already made up his mind, and couldn't start second guessing himself just because the moment had arrived.

He was going to do this. After spending years growing up with this dream, he wasn't just going to run away from it just because of the risks, right?

Did Lance run away? Or Agatha? Or Karen? Or Bruno? Or Lorelei? What about all the trainers who competed in the Indigo Conference throughout the years? Over five hundred incredible competitors from across Kanto, The Orange Archipelago, Johto, and The Sevii Islands who had risen above the rest.

All of them had accepted the challenges ahead.

All of them had overcome what awaited him.

What was his excuse? That he was scared?

Wasn't every trainer scared at one point or another? The best ones didn't become the best by running away.

Professor Oak, prior to being the renowned researcher that he was today, had also excelled as a trainer in his youth. Although research was always his goal, being a traditional trainer to start out had been an excellent foundation for where his career would take him. His reputation as a researcher had started out with him facing all of those hardships.

Ash wouldn't run away. It didn't matter how much it scared him, he had to remind himself that he couldn't let fear inhibit his goals.

Of course, he had to remind himself of that constantly.

How many times had he tired to give himself this inner pep talk? He had lost count ages ago.

Was every trainer going through this? Every trainer throughout history? Did even the best trainers go through this? Was Gary- he doubted that last one.

The thought of Gary made him grimace in recoil, but Ash tried to push those feelings aside for now.

He already knew from the beginning that Gary would be there. The grandson of Professor Oak. The brilliant prodigy who wouldn't stop bragging about his precious perfect score on the Qualification Exam.

It's not that Gary didn't have a right to brag about it, of course. Nobody had scored perfectly on that test before. Nobody until he came along.

And Gary was never humble.

Ash would cross that bridge when he came to it. He didn't want to see Gary. But he would. They would both be at the lab in two hours.

Pushing Gary away from his mind and ensuring that the mere thought of the other boy was as far away as possible, Ash looked around his room for what would most likely be the last time for months, if not more.

This was the room he had been in his whole life. Second story of the house. A window overlooking the front yard of his and his mom's home.

The room itself was pretty simple. Ash doubted it was uncommon for the average ten year old in Indigo.

His bed was against the wall with Poke Ball themed sheets. The pillowcase had pictures of the three Kanto Starters on it: Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. The typical Pokemon for any trainer in Kanto to start out with. To pay tribute to the historically renowned trio of Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise that had been famously wielded by the original Champion in the war against the usurper of Fuschia. There was a desk in front of his window that was currently cleared out for the most part, only holding a small case of erasers and marbles.

On the wall over his bed was a giant poster of a Wailord. On the other side of the room was a poster of Karen. She was kneeling down with a hand lightly resting on the head of her starter and signature, go-to teammate: an Umbreon, with her infamous Hydreigon towering above both of them in the background.

That poster was made shortly after Karen had won the three hundred ninety-sixth Indigo Conference just a few years ago. The final battle of that Conference was still Ash's personal favorite match to this day, and he still found himself rewatching it every now and then. The Conference itself was probably his personal favorite too; definitely one of the most acclaimed by experts and critics along with the training community alike. The Dark specialist was Ash's favorite Conference winner, and Delia had purchased the poster in recognition of that.

Not too far from it was a poster of Lance and the current Elite Four Members. Arms crossed fiercely, the Dragon Master stood above the others with his mighty Dragonite towering in the background.

Today, Ash found himself taking in both posters with a different context.

Although Lance was the Indigo League's greatest trainer, the young boy still had an equal amount of idolization for all of the Elite Four as he did for the Champion himself. All of these trainers embodied what he eventually wanted to be. Not to mention the destiny that most trainers strived for: Being a Pokemon Master. The thought was a lot more piercing today.

On the shelves were action figures of Lance and Bruno, a toy Pokeball, and a DVD row of the Conferences that Ash watched. Two Conferences, one of them being the one that Karen had won, were special editions that included exclusive interviews that took place after the Conference, not just the ones from before and during. They also contained a mini biography of each of the four top scoring Trainers. A bookshelf housed biographies for famous people in the Pokemon world, most commonly popular Trainers, including Ash's favorite book ever: Professor Oak's famed biography detailing his road from trainer to researcher. The biography was acclaimed on release, and even Professor Oak himself offered it high praise (along with viewing it as a great nostalgia trip), even exchanging autographs with the author. Ash had done a report on that book as part of the Qualification Exam, which involved doing a book report that covered a prominent topic in the Professional Pokemon World.

Some of these books were the professor's own works, however. A separate bookshelf housed some textbooks and poetry collections that had been written by Oak himself. The man was so widely renowned for both his knowledge of Pokemon and poetry skills that even some of his poems managed to be educational for aspiring Pokemon Trainers.

Finally, Ash gazed at the last of his posters on the wall: A poster of the three Kanto Region starters.

Truth be told, Ash didn't know who he was going to choose. He already knew who Gary had wanted, though. For the essay portion of the Qualification Exam, which involved the students writing a ten-page paper on any Pokemon related subject of their choosing, Gary had written a persuasive essay about why he believed Blastoise was the best Kanto starter Pokemon. Apparently, the essay had covered everything, from capabilities, to what it took to raise the starter and its respective evolutionary line, and even traveling. Although Gary had received a perfect score on the entire Exam, this was apparently the part of the Exam that the teachers were particularly astounded by. Gary's essay had blown all of them away. Apparently, it was going to be used as an example for future students moving forward.

Of course, it was obvious to Ash and everybody else that Gary was going to be choosing Squirtle, so Ash wouldn't even bother trying to pursue the water type. No need for them to have yet another thing to butt heads over. Gary's essay was merely subjective anyway; for as well put together as it was. There were just as many who viewed all three starters as equals, as there were who saw one as the definitive best of the trio. A Bulbasaur or a Charmander would do just fine for him.

Ash perhaps didn't realize it for himself, but he was a fanboy. Of professional Pokemon Training. Was it actually normal for people his age to have posters of famous Conference winners, a Pokemon themed bed, and essentially a room that had everything to do with Pokemon and little to do with anything else? Maybe to someone like Ash, but not everyone his age were as entrenched, even if most still had varying levels of passion for the field. For as many trainers as there were who were pursuing a professional career, there were just as many who merely went on a journey for the sake of the experience.

In terms of culture, Pokemon Training was viewed both by Indigo and most of the rest of the world, not only as a professional sport, but as a coming of age ritual. One that would set kids on their path in life. Very few children didn't at least find themselves attempting it. It was practically a fundamental part of society in every major Region throughout the world.

For Ash, it was both that, and the pursuit of his goal to become the next Champion.

One look at his room was all that someone needed in order to know that.

/

The scent of Delia's incredible cooking immediately assaulted Ash's nose as he opened the door. It was the kind of smell that would get just about any child bolting into the kitchen and rushing into their mother's arms. Ash had to be careful not to fall down the stairs as he desperately ran for the kitchen to see his mother's latest masterpiece.

Truth be told, Ash had fallen down the stairs at least a few times in his life, and the desperation to taste his mother's cooking had always been the reason for it.

Delia was practically a celebrity among the people of Pallet Town for such cooking skills. Even Gary of all people fawned over her culinary ability like no other, something that was very rare for a kid who usually spent most of his time praising himself, apart from the many, many times that he spent gushing over just how great of a man his grandfather was (not that anyone disagreed). Sometimes Delia would even be hired to help out with cooking for events or gatherings within Pallet. Despite not having a career in cooking, she was very clearly suited for it.

As Ash made his way into the kitchen, it suddenly occurred to him that this would be the last time he would ever taste his mother's cooking before he left, but he was desperate to shake those thoughts away, lest that feeling of dread return to him in full force.

It was just all the more reason to savor every last bite of it.

Ash and Delia were seated across from each other not too long after Ash had entered the kitchen. Ash had his plate stacked with pancakes and bacon. A bowl of cinnamon applesauce rested next to it, and a glass of chocolate milk was on the other side. Delia had a similar setup, but she had strawberries on her pancakes, while Ash had blueberries and whipped cream.

Delia was clearly still in turmoil over her son's upcoming departure, as she had been for the past couple of weeks now. Her stress had increasingly grown gradually yet noticeably as the days had gone by.

But she did what she could to hold back her tears, and enjoy one final breakfast with her beloved little boy, who she was so proud of.

"So…" said the brunette woman, sipping her drink slowly. "How much ground are you planning to cover on your first day?"

Ash tapped his fork lightly against the plate before answering. "I'm hoping to get to Viridian by tonight." he said. "Best case scenario, anyway. It's doable from here, but difficult."

Delia nodded. Viridian City was a decent distance away from Pallet Town, but it was most certainly possible.

"And you have everything packed?" she asked. She knew he did, but was desperate to make conversation with the emotions surging through her right now. Any distraction would be welcome. She knew she was only delaying the inevitable, of course. She'd be crying eventually.

The longer she held her emotions in, the worse it would be when they left her. She knew this, and yet, couldn't help herself. It was a dreadful feeling. The pride that she had for her son was matched only by the grief of losing him today.

Ash nodded back happily. "Yeah, I finished last night. Regardless of whether or not I make it to Viridian by tonight, it shouldn't take any more than a couple of days, so I packed lightly. I can restock when I get there."

Most of the remainder of breakfast was eaten in silence, the two just enjoying each other's presence for the time being. It was all that they could do at this point. And Ash felt the tears in his eyes towards the end too, just like his mother. This really was their last morning together for a while, and it was a thought that neither of them could escape despite everything.

A son who would leave his world behind to pursue a dream impossible to achieve by nearly all, and a mother who would be among those that he would leave.

/

The air of Pallet Town was crisp, clean, and perfect. As Ash stepped outside, he couldn't think of a better morning to start out for his adventure.

He had promised his mom that he would stop by one more time with his new starter before officially leaving. With some wetness in his eyes, he found himself procrastinating the moment that he said goodbye to her.

As he walked, he found himself slowly taking in his surroundings. Pallet Town was something that he had always taken for granted. Apart from Professor Oak's presence, it was nothing special, and even if it was a substantial place, he was perfectly used to it, having lived here his whole life.

In fact, Ash, and, to his knowledge, most of the other Pallet Town kids, had never actually set foot outside of Pallet's borders before. There was simply no need. Everything that they ever could have needed was right here, and he didn't have many loved ones elsewhere in Kanto; it was fairly commonplace for most Pallet Town kids to not leave until becoming Trainers. It was odd that the rest of Indigo was completely foreign to him, practically a completely different world, in fact, but the town being fairly isolated in its own, tiny corner of Kanto had caused such.

And yet, he found himself… noticing the surrounding area. Now that he was taking everything in, now that he was leaving soon… everything suddenly seemed so… different. He noticed his neighborhood in ways that he never had before. He appreciated the houses that he had spent his whole life taking for granted. Every tiny little detail suddenly became enormous, as though it was suddenly the most important thing in his entire life.

"Hey, Ash!"

The boy turned to see a small girl running up to him with a wave. His face immediately brightened upon seeing who it was.

"Trucy!" said Ash, kneeling down to ruffle her blonde hair with a smile. She and her grandparents were neighbors of Ash and Delia. The girl was only five years old, not that much older than Ash was when he first became obsessed with Pokemon. Ash mostly knew her family through his mother and her work, as working and training under Professor Oak often involved interacting with them, due to them being technicians who often helped the professor out with his maintenance for the complete multitude of gadgets in his lab. Nevertheless, Ash had developed a notable attachment towards her, although the reverse was probably far more true. She had even come over on the night of the final round of the previous Indigo Conference between Will and Tanner to watch it with Ash and Delia. A good match that they had all enjoyed together.

"She knew you were leaving today, so she wanted to catch you." Ash looked up at the source of the new voice, a somewhat elderly man approaching him and Trucy. Ash immediately recognized him as Trucy's grandfather.

"Hey, Mr. Gernin." He greeted with a smile. "Yeah, I was on my way to the Lab right now."

"You'll come back and visit one day too, right Ash?" Trucy asked hopefully. There was a small frown forming on her face.

Ash ruffled her hair again. "Of course. I'll be sure to show you my team too."

Ash still had roughly an hour before he needed to be at the lab, so he chatted with them for just a little while longer.

Pallet Town itself hadn't been the only thing he had taken for granted growing up.

/

Professor Oak's Pokemon Laboratory was probably the only grandiose thing about Pallet Town. It was the site of Indigo's greatest Pokemon Research, where the territory's leading Pokemon Expert lead a team consisting of gifted individuals who were making all of the biggest breakthroughs about Pokemon. The only other person in the Pokemon Research field that Ash could recall having a similar reputation that rivaled even that of Professor Oak was Professor Rowan of the Sinnoh Region, a former roommate, classmate, and colleague of Oak's who had studied with him at the International Institution of Pokemon Studies. The school was notoriously difficult to get into, but turned out some of the best and brightest minds of the whole entire Pokemon world.

The Professor's story? A glorious one. A legend. One of the greatest success stories of the Pokemon world. All detailed within the pages of the world famous biography book that Ash had done his report on.

A young boy coming from humble beginnings within the Kanto Region, Samuel Oak had always wanted to be at the forefront of Pokemon discovery, which he believed existed in science. Somebody who could lead the field of studies to new heights in the pursuit of knowledge. However, to start out, he wanted to become a great Pokemon trainer first. If he was going to help trainers with his research, then actually being a trainer would make his goal far more reachable with the added perspective.

And what a trainer he was.

One of the rare trainers in history to make it to the Conference in their first year. Not just in Indigo, but in the world. One of the few Trainers to make it to the six-on-six rounds in their second year. Once again, in the world. The runner up in his third year as a trainer. And finally, winning the Conference in his fourth year. One of the youngest Conference winners. Nobody had ever won a Conference before their fourth year. He then just barely lost to the first Elite Four member. Much like all Conference winners who lost to the first Elite Four member, he was immediately offered a position in the League.

But he hadn't forgotten his true reasons for becoming a trainer in the first place. It was to pursue knowledge. Knowledge that he now had. He politely declined the Indigo League's offer and pursued the International Institution of Pokemon Studies.

After being accepted into the school, he quickly befriended his roommate, a fellow Freshman who would later be known as Professor Rowan. The duo quickly became the two top students at the school. Samuel also became the head of the school's poetry club. To this very day, he is still a world renowned poet.

After graduating with numerous prominent degrees and returning to Indigo, Samuel joined the League as part of its research field. After quickly rising to the top of its research field, he chose to set up shop in Pallet Town. Nobody knew why. He had no sort of personal history with Pallet Town, which wasn't even built until just a few months after his Pokemon journey had begun, but he claimed to have been attracted to the town's much more simplistic atmosphere. the things about the town that could just as easily be viewed as boring or bland, he instead saw as quiet, relaxing, stimulating. A small town tucked away in a corner of the Region, minding its own business with little care in the world. To Oak, the atmosphere was a calling.

He had made multiple breakthroughs throughout his research. New discoveries on Pokemon biology. New ways for Pokemon to grow and learn moves. But his greatest achievement was a collaboration project after being reunited with his old schoolmate, Professor Rowan, who was now the head of the Lily of the Valley League's research field. Together, the two of them had led a genius team that eventually culminated in the creation of the Pokedex, a technoligcal encyclpedia and a marvel for the field; the goal of its creation being to compile all of the breakthroughs and progress made throughout the pursuit of Pokemon knowledge, and elevate them further.

A famous Pokemon trainer. A famous poet. And one of the single greatest Pokemon Researchers that the world has ever known. Professor Oak was many things.

And he was also in charge of Pallet Town's educational system. He had an overarching authority over education in Indigo in general, but since this was where he resided, this was also where his role was by far the most direct.

And this was his lab, where he ran everything from.

Taking a deep breath, Ash could still barely even comprehend the fact that he was actually here today. He had been projected to fail the Qualification Exam.

"You're a determined young man, Ash, and that's why I don't want you to fail. I know how much passing this test means to you, but you also know that I can't be lenient with any of you. That would defeat the purpose. The only thing I can ask is that you study extra hard in preparation. There have been times when even top students fail this on their first attempt, but I've also heard of the opposite happening on occassion."

The words of one of Ash's teachers, Mr. David Henrod, sounded in his mind once again.

"You really think YOU of all people have a place in the Pokemon training world, Ashy boy? A Ratatta with no legs and teeth has more potential than you!"

Gary's far less encouraging words echoed into the back of his mind at the same exact time, though.

Ugh, why did Gary always have to enter his mind like that? Everytime Ash tried to be optimistic, to think of the future favorably, one of Gary's stupid insults would always enter his mind and shoot down the mood.

It was always Gary. The popular one. The smart one. The gifted one. Gary Oak, Pallet Town's greatest prodigy. Destined to be either the next Professor Oak or the next Lance.

It was hard to believe that he and Gary were actually friends at one point. Back when they were children. Back before Gary turned on him. Back before Ash fell behind.

That was what happened, wasn't it? Ash was part of the group of kids just like everybody else. He and Gary got along just fine, and Gary, being the grandson of the Professor, was unsurprisingly the leader of the circle.

They had all gotten into the idea of Pokemon training at around a similar age. Perfect timing, too, because that was when the school had started prepping them. A bunch of small children striving to one day become the greatest. A common story in just about any one of the major Regions.

And of course Gary had excelled. Just like he did at everything else; just like how he was the best at playing tag. Just like how he was the best at playing soccer or tennis. Just like how he was the best at racing. Gary was the best at school.

Showered with praise by peers and teachers alike, Gary quickly ascended to something akin to godhood among the student body. Everybody knew about Professor Oak's grandson who was the best at everything.

It was all about Gary. Who came in first place in every game? Gary. Who scored the highest on every test? Gary. Who was projected to have a nearly flawless chance at passing the Qualification Exam? Gary.

Everybody wanted to be him. But you couldn't be Gary. Only Gary could ever be Gary. Only Gary could be the best.

And he would never let that be forgotten. Gary had always had an ego, but with all of the praise about how great that he was, the potential that he had, something in him changed. He wasn't just arrogant anymore. He was narcissistic. He was unbearable. He had a god complex. And those who idolized him ate that up, too. To most of the kids, Gary deserved his massive ego. Everything that he said about himself was completely true. He was the best. He was unbeatable. Nobody could ever be him. Only he could be him.

And that just made his ego even worse. The teachers didn't condone his arrogance, but that hardly helped when they still fed him the very same praise that fueled it in the first place. All of this talk about how Gary was destined for greatness, not just from his peers, but from his teachers too. It just made things even worse.

And then there was Ash. Everything that Gary wasn't, and not in a good way. Sure, he was just as determined, and just as obsessed with being the best. But Gary was the one with the capabilities.

Ash, in the meantime, had subpar grades throughout his school life. A difficulty in grasping even basic concepts at times. At times, he was at the bottom of his class.

To Gary, Ash was worthless. No potential for greatness. No worth to his name. Ash had fallen behind.

And eventually, some of the other students turned on Ash too. If Gary said that Ash was worthless, then Ash was worthless. Because Gary knew everything. Gary was right about everything; that's how he had gotten to where he was, after all. His word is law. He was the one that everyone followed. He could probably convince them that Rhydon were immune to water if he wanted. Gary said that Ash was worthless. Therefore, it must be true.

Encouraging, constructive criticism from his teachers clashed with the bombardment of bullying, mockery, mistreatment, and neglect from Gary and his followers. Ash was the loser, and represented what zero potential supposedly looked like. Any positive statements from his teachers were drowned out by everything else that Gary and the others had said to him all of the time. A good few in the circle weren't as harsh as Gary, but they certainly believed everything that Gary said about him.

Every time he thought back to somebody saying something good about him, the thought was immediately drowned out by a thing that Gary had said to him. Every time he had tried to encourage himself, a memory of Gary was always right there, ready and waiting to shoot him down. Gary ruined everything. Anything positive in his life was overrun by remembering something that Gary had once said. Every single time.

"Wow Ash, you're so cool! I can't believe you know all of this stuff about them!" The adoring voice of Trucy, after Ash had given her a brief history lesson on some of the last Indigo Conference's top competitors, was immediately drowned out by a memory of one of Gary's insults.

"Did you see Ashy boy's grades on that last test? I took a peak over at his desk, and you wouldn't believe it! A forty nine! And he wants to become a Pokemon Master? At this point, I think he's just messing with us and actually just wants to become a comedian. Not that it matters, because he isn't even funny!" Gary, after finding out about Ash's grades for one of the monthly evaluation quizzes.

It wasn't that Ash never improved; it was the rate that was the problem. To many, his performance wasn't improving fast enough, and passing the Exam would require an upset.

Come said Exam, and Ash wasn't even sure if he wanted to try. Not EVERYONE needed to take it. Just those who wanted to become Pokemon Trainers. Not that that didn't make up the majority, for obvious reasons. Especially with how excellent of a job the teachers had done at presenting the profession.

Of course, Gary had tried to talk him out of it. Telling him that there was no point in it. Ash was going to fail anyway. So why even bother.

Thankfully, Mr. Henrod had pulled Ash aside and given him words of encouragement to do his best.

Ash had studied more obsessively than he'd ever remembered leading up to the test, doing everything he could to memorize things he had been behind on throughout the past few years.

The Qualification Exam consisted of three difficult parts:

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

One was the bulk of the Exam, a series of questions relating to just about everything about Pokemon training. Travel habits, type matchups, biology, among various other things. Rookies weren't expected to know all of the complexities, but they needed to master the basics. It was difficult for new trainers, but experienced trainers would probably find it quite easy.

Then there was the book report, which Ash had done on Professor Oak's story.

Finally, there was the essay, the topic of which the Trainer could choose on their own. Ash had chosen to do his on taking care of Pokemon Eggs and baby Pokemon. For hands on experience, he helped take care of an Egg at Professor Oak's lab, which had recently hatched into a baby Heracross.

To pass the exam, you needed an overall grade that exceeded eighty percent. Most Trainers who passed just barely did so; with a score in the low eighties. Eighty one and eighty two were by far the most common.

Being a modest town rather than a big city, Pallet naturally never drew the numbers of the major cities when it came to passing students. They were their own, small community after all, and while the major cities took great pride in "competing" with one another to see who could churn out the most new trainers for the new season, Pallet's affairs were nothing such. There were only so many kids, and only so many who would be ten years old by Opening Day.

This year, four had passed. One of them was obviously Gary, which literally nobody was surprised by. Two others were two of Gary's friends, Angelina and Sarah.

The other one, to everybody's shock, was Ash.

What's more, Ash had scored far higher than any of his and Gary's classmates. While Angelina had scored an eighty one, and Sarah had scored an eighty two, Ash had scored a ninety. Most were jaw-slacked by the breakout performance, but nobody had been more floored than Ash himself.

The teachers were awed by Ash's performance, and wouldn't stop congratulating him for it.

"I knew you could do it, Ash! It was always within you, you just needed to find it!"

Gary and his friends, on the other hand, were convinced that Ash had somehow cheated on the Exam.

And of course, Gary still upstaged him by quite a bit. He had gotten a perfect score on the Exam. It was supposedly something that had never been done before in any Region, even if several had come close in the past. At the very least, it was the first time for Indigo.

It only further fueled the praise that Gary had been given. He was destined to either be the next Professor Oak or the next Lance. Both titles were equally huge honors, albeit for completely different reasons.

Ash held his breath as he approached the Laboratory. This was it. The very beginning of his journey.

/

Thoughts began to collect in Ash's mind as he ascended the steps to the lab.

Which Starter would he get? Part of him was glad that he didn't have a preference; it made choosing more difficult, yet it also meant he wasn't fully worried about what he ended up with. The thought of just receiving a Pokemon still felt unreal.

How was the Professor doing, anyway? He had shown up in person during the exam period,

Unfortunately, those thoughts were all interrupted by a voice. The last voice he had wanted to hear, but he knew it was coming.

"Nine in the morning, on the dot today. You actually made it in time, Ashy boy."

Ash whirled around and came face to face with probably the last person he wanted to run into, frusturation filling his chest.

Snarling through his teeth, a now angry Ash spoke the boy's name.

"Gary."

The other boy was smirking, although that was commonplace.

He was about Ash's height, maybe a little bit taller. His hair was brown and spiky. His facial features were sharp, with his smug grin practically being his default expression.

Gary crossed his arms and leaned against the railing, acting as if he owned the world. He probably thought that he did, at this point.

"Can't believe you're actually going through with this. I'm still trying to figure out how you cheated on the exam. I can't believe those teachers were all fooled into actually thinking that you could have gotten a ninety."

Gritting his teeth, Ash clenched his fists, but no words came out.

He was never good at comeback lines, especially with Gary.

Calm down, he told himself. You knew this wholetime that Gary was going to be here. You were prepared.

But being prepared for something was always different from it actually happening. Ash thought that he was ready to face Gary, but maybe he wasn't.

The other boy pushed past him. "Alright, clear the way. Future Champs first, you know?"

Still grumbling to himself, Ash followed Gary into the Lab.

/

Tailing behind Gary, Ash found himself in the massive main lobby of the lab, where he realized he hadn't been in a decent while.

The room was air conditioned, with a large flat screen on one of the walls. Potted plants were on the reception desk, occupied by a young, copper haired woman who looked like she was in her early to mid twenties.

She waved to Ash and Gary as two more people walked in.

One was an orange haired man in a blue suit.

David Henrod.

The other one was a pink haired woman wearing a bright red uniform.

Another teacher, Brittney Staridd.

Both worked directly under Professor Oak as teachers and research assistants. Viewed favorably by the professor, they were some of his most trusted people to work with, an immense honor that they were admirably humble about.

"It's great to see you two here!" Brittney spoke in a gentle, yet bubbly voice. She had always been the most gentle and easygoing of the teachers, making her beloved by the student body. David, while stricter and by the book, was still quite friendly outside of the classroom. "The professor should be ready to see you in a few."

A few minutes alone with Gary sounded insufferable, but Ash abided as the two teachers exited the lobby.

Gary looked around, likely for his friends. "I guess the others aren't here yet." annoyed, he scratched the back of his head. "Tch, not sure what they're up to." Clearly trying not to mind it, he headed off to a corner of the room. A poster of Lance rested proudly on the wall, but although the Oak boy spared it a fond glance, his attention was directed to examine another poster that depicted Indigo's gym badges, including descriptions of them.

Ash did his best to ignore him and wait. Maybe Gary would poof out of existence if Ash just pretended that he didn't exist..

/

"Can you believe the teachers are buying this crap? How could Ashy boy of all people get a ninety?"

Ash watched from afar as Gary, crossing his arms with agitation, conversed with a boy with blue hair.

He did his best not to be seen as he listened in on their discussion.

The boy that Gary conversed with huffed as he nodded in agreement. "True. I thought they were smarter than that too. The loser has been barely getting by these past few years and all of a sudden he passes the exam with flying colors? He excels at the exam just like that? Something is obviously suspicious."

Ash gritted his teeth. But he had studied HARD! He had half in mind to march right on up to both of them and give them a piece of his mind. Who were they to judge him? Was the class just jealous that the "failure" had outperformed most of them for once? He wanted to just vent to them right now. Tell them exactly what he felt. But he already knew that he wouldn't.

Nobody in the student body could ever hope to won an argument with Gary Oak. Especially Ash, and certainly with everybody else always backing him up.

"We'll find a way to out him eventually I am sure." said Gary reassuringly. "In the meantime, we should let the others know about this. I'm sure they are just as suspicious as we are."

The other boy nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. You're always on top of things like this, Gary."

As the two walked away, Ash found himself slumping on the ground. Was there no way to get respect in this world? He had rightfully EARNED that high grade.

He had… hadn't he?

/

Ash allowed himself to sink into the sofa as he examined the flatscreen. It was showing a news broadcast covering Opening Day.

All across Indigo, new Trainers were receiving their starters, Pokedex, and licenses from whatever lab they lived closest to. Professor Oak had labs in every major city and town, in addition to his main lab here in Pallet.

Most of the different Leagues ran on similar schedules, so new seasons began relatively close together in each region. Sinnoh and Kalos were ahead of schedule, however, having started over a week early this year.

Either way, a new season of Pokemon training had officially begun, and such an occassion was celebrated throughout.

"As stated before," said the news anchor that Ash was watching. "This season has had new rookie Trainers from Indigo at an all time high. Thanks to the Qualification Exam having the highest pass rate this year, many cities under Indigo's banner have produced record numbers. Johto has the highest turnout overall."

The screen switched over to an overhead view of a city, revealed by the news captions to be Ecruteak City.

A news reporter stood outside of the lab in that city. Ash could already see many soon-to-be rookies lining up outside at the door. "Here in Ecruteak, over two hundred new Trainers will be receiving their Starter Pokemon today. That's a record high for this city, and the second highest turnout for anywhere in Indigo this Season, behind only Celadon of the Kanto Region, which is experiencing its third highest turnout in history. The citizens of Ecruteak are celebrating the massive new generation trainers that this Season has spawned, here in the city alone."

Ecruteak, huh? That was surprising, but no wonder all of those people were celebrating so much. Ecruteak rarely ever got more than a hundred each year. Just two years ago, they had gotten less than one dozen. They had never even come close to two hundred before.

Celadon City was no surprise, however. That city was almost always at the top of the list. Their average success rate on the exam surpassed everywhere else in Indigo, apparently owed to their excellent schools. Not only that, but just over half of the rookie trainers who actually made it to the Conference in their first year throughout Indigo's history, had come from Celadon City.

It was crazy to think about, really. A rookie trainer making it to the Conference on their first year was fairly rare for any Region in the world. Even after passing the Qualification Exam, many trainers who had mastered the basics weren't able to go much further than that in their rookie years alone. Any rookie Trainer that did make it to the Indigo Confrence or any other Conference, for that matter, never made it to the six on six rounds, although some had come close. Even Lance himself had just barely lost in the first round of his rookie year. Although, according to interviews, he had often cited that one battle as one of his all time greatest experiences.

In short, getting to the Conference as a rookie was rare. But by those rare standards, Celadon City almost always excelled.

In fact, they held the record for most new rookie Trainers produced in a single Season: three hundred fifty seven. That had been set a couple of years ago. Prior to that, the record was two hundred twenty. Once again in Celadon. That had been about a year after Lance first started out as a Trainer.

Pallet turning out four would have felt abysmal in comparison had it not been for the town being so much smaller than a metropolis like Celadon. Granted, Ash imagined the numbers could have been slightly higher under different circumstances, as there were kids in his own class who had to wait until next season to take the exam, as they wouldn't turn ten until a few months after the season began. And unfortunately, the League was very strict about starter Pokemon distribution: It could only happen at the beginning of each season.

It was meant to keep things consistent and give every trainer an equal amount of time to collect the badges. It also ensured the calendar remained organized. It was still a controversial choice, however. Most people accepted it. Those who did not… were very vocal.

It wasn't the only controversy surrounding the League. Easily the biggest was their regulation of foreign Pokemon.

Ash felt bad for those who essentially had to wait an entire year. He had realized how lucky he was that his tenth birthday was so shortly before the Opening Day; otherwise, he could've been among them.

Ash heard Gary scoff as the other boy approached him from behind.

"Look at them celebrating like that. What's the point? It's not like many of them are likely to get to the Conference anyway."

Ash grimaced. It was true but…

"They have never gotten this many people before." He tried to say. "This is a historical moment for them."

"And what does that change? I'm glad I grew up here away from that nonsense. These big cities are just showboating arbitrary numbers, they put all this effort into 'shaping the next generation' only to get arrogant and forget quality over quantity just to make themselves look special. I guarantee you, most of those nobodies out there are going to get destroyed this Season. Maybe even quit. The Conference is reserved for the talented. Only a few have that potential. In other words, me."

So once again, everything was about him.

"Praise and adoration are reserved for those who deserve it. What's the point of being so excited about all of those kids getting their licenses, when the world probably won't even remember most of them? What do the numbers mean then? That they got more rookies than usual, but didn't receive any greater amount of actual talent than usual to go along with it? At that point, they are just getting excited at having even more expendable, no named trainers than usual."

Ash flinched at that. It was… true, wasn't it? Plenty of trainers became famous. Plenty were remembered. But those were only a fraction of the number that set out every season. Pokemon training was brutal, and a very difficult profession to genuinely be successful in. Most people who attempted it… didn't stand out. They were just another trainer among a seemingly endless sea of them.

"It'll hit them one of these days, Ashy boy." said Gary smugly with a smirk. "Those who are the best will always rise to the top. Anyone who doesn't have what it takes will inevitably fall to the bottom, just another name forgotten in history because they were never capable of making their name worth remembering. It's a fact of life, and always will be. I think you'd benefit from keeping that in mind, you know. Wouldn't want you getting too disappointed."

Ash clenched his fists. His body was trembling now.

Was he… doomed to become one of those trainers? Not somebody that history will remember, or appreciate, but… just another nameless face?

Was he going to… drown in that sea of trainers?

Gary's hand was placed upon his shoulder. It was not a comforting one.

"At least Pallet Town will remember you. But only for your failure."

The trembling increased-

The door suddenly opened, and Ash was so grateful for Brittany's sudden presence.

"Alright you two, the Professor's ready!"

Ash sprang up just a little bit too quickly as Gary marched on ahead. The Oak boy seemed to have completely forgotten their exchange as soon as it happened, mind completeley transitioned to the start of his career.

Walking through the hallway, slowly behind Gary as Brittany led the way, Ash had tried to keep their previous exchange out of his mind. But he found it hard.

Was this really what his start was going to be like? He couldn't let Gary ruin this for him. This was supposed to be his day, just as much as Gary's.

Why did Gary always have to make himself known whenever he was trying to be in a good mood? What did the boy have to gain from all of this?

Why was putting him down every day constantly on Gary's to-do list? What did Gary have against him? Was he really that worthless?

"Where are Angelina and Sarah?" he heard Gary blurt out. "I have a bone to pick with those two for being late."

"They are visiting family, so they will be receiving their Starters where they are right now." explained Brittany. "Angelina is in Cerulean while Sarah is in Viridian."

"Lame." Gary scoffed. "And they never even told me?"

What's the matter, Gary? Mad that your peers actually have their own lives outside of your sheer greatness? That was what Ash wanted to say. But he knew better.

Brittany clasped her hands together. She was positively glowing.

"But you two will do just fine! The Professor's own grandson, and the son of one of the teachers in training studying under him? This is such a great day for him! He's over the moon!"

Professor Oak was pretty close to Delia, Ash supposed. She was apparently his best trainee at the moment. She was certainly on her way to becoming an officially licensed teacher. She might even be one a year from now.

Due to Delia's relationship with the professor, Ash knew him more than the typical kid did. But it was still mostly through his mother. That was basically how he knew the majority of his more positive peers. He never would have known Trucy had Delia not been friends with her grandparents.

/

"Ash, the mail came in! Your exam results are supposed to come in today, remember?"

"Can you open it first, mom?" Ash was trying not to pay attention, but it was easier said than done.

"Don't you want to be the first to see-"

"PLEASE."

Silently nodding, Delia began to open the package with a frown.

It was better this way. That's what Ash thought. If he did fail, she could break it to him gently. Gently. Rather than him being slammed with disappointment upon finding out for himself.

Delia slowly took the envelope out of the package as she opened it.

Ash heard a gasp. Here it comes...

Suddenly he was pulled into a hug. He didn't know how long she held it, but when she let go, she was crying.

But she was… smiling?

"My baby boy…" the tears were streaming down her face like a waterfall. "I'm so proud of you!"

Ash's face went blank.

"What do you mean, Mom-"

"Ash, look now!" she shoved the envelope in his face.

Attached to it was a sticky note.

Congratulations, Ash. We never thought it was impossible.

~David Henrod.

Gasping, Ash looked at the grade.

It was a ninety.

"You're going to be a trainer now Ash." His mom was still crying at the news.

And now, so was he.

Part of those tears came from frustration, however. Of how difficult it was to process all of this at once.

/

The large room they entered was spacious and clean, housing a large computer monitor and various gadgets that neither Ash nor Gary got a close enough look at to know the purpose of. Their attention was fixed on the center of the room. Standing there, smiling proudly, was Professor Oak himself. David was standing next to him.

Sometimes the citizens of Pallet Town came dangerously close to taking the professor's presence for granted. For as famous as he was throughout the world, his contribution was an everyday part of Pallet.

A Clefable entered the room from the other side. She was a member of Samuel Oak's team way back when. To the Professor, his time as a trainer was practically a separate lifetime from where he was now. The presence of his team was a constant reminder, however. Of them, Clefable was the most involved in his post-trainer life.

And she had also accompanied him to the Institution, to happily assist him in his studies. Now, she was basically his number one assistant at the lab. She and the Professor both adored one another. Given how far they had gone back, Ash couldn't help but wonder just how many memories that they had together.

Memories that he hoped he would make with his own team.

Ash had grown to love Clefable. She was by far the most compassionate creature he'd ever met. On some occasions the fairy had even helped look after him when he was younger. Pokemon were just as capable of giving off a motherly aura as humans were. To Ash's knowledge, not a soul in Pallet Town didn't adore the Pokemon.

In Clefables hands was a tray of Poke Balls. Ash and Gary's eyes both lit up in greed.

That's when it hit them: The moment had finally arrived.

"Gary, Ash." said Professor Oak, stepping forward while beaming proudly. "It is my great pleasure and honor to be the one here to start your journey. I've watched you two grow for years, and it is all about to pay off now."

"First up," said David, approaching the two boys. "The Professor would like to present you with his greatest gadget: The Pokedex."

All trainers received one. The Pokedex was an incredible tool that stored information and data about Pokemon, and acted as a Trainer's ID. It even contained a digital copy of their Trainer's License. It basically represented who the trainer was.

"Alright!" exclaimed Gary with a grin as David handed him an aqua colored Pokedex. Ash was silent as he received a crimson one, but was still grinning every bit as widely.

Now it was Brittany's turn to step forward. "Don't forget the badge case! It's quite big, given the number of Gyms in Indigo, which just goes to show how many places you can visit!"

It was true. Since Indigo was made up of Kanto, The Orange Islands, Johto, and The Sevii Islands, trainers from all four were gunning for the Indigo Plateau, and any combination of eight badges from both Kanto and Johto would earn them their spot. That played a big role in why there were so many trainers competing in the Conference every year. They were coming from multiple parts of the vast empire.

Ash stared at his badge case for a few seconds after Brittany handed it to him.

Collecting eight badges and entering the Indigo Conference. Very few trainers in Indigo, or even the world, had achieved such a feat before in their rookie year. But Ash would be one of them. That was his goal.

Especially after he promised Trucy.

"When you become a trainer, are you going to be on there too, Ash?"

"Of course! Not many rookies do it on their first try, but I will! Come this time next year, you'll see me competing just like the trainers we are watching right now! It's a promise!"

He wanted to do it anyway. To be the best trainer in the world. To reach the Conference as a rookie would earn someone immediate recognition. No rookies had ever gotten far enough to compete in a Conference's six-on-six rounds before, in any Region, but for a first year trainer, just making it there was enough to earn fame.

A first-year who made it to the Conference was always talked about. They always stirred up a lot of conversation during the COnference itself, as it was viewed as a true sign of a prodigy.

But seeing Trucy's eyes light up at his declaration, and the sheer joy and excitement on her face had vindicated those convictions.

He wouldn't disappoint her, or himself. He would not drown in that endless sea of trainers.

"Hey Ashy boy, you're spacing out. Clefable's trying to give you something."

Ash blinked at the sound of Gary's voice and looked to see Clefable standing in front of him, holding the tray of Poke Balls. Somewhat embarrassed, he took his share.

Gary wrapped his hands around the back of his head. "This is great and all, but I think even Ashy boy knows what the best part of this little ritual is."

Professor Oak chuckled lightly. "Indeed. Come here, Gary. We already know who you have your eye on, right?"

Gary skipped on forward to his grandfather, who was holding a Poke Ball with a raindrop symbol on it.

Everyone in Pallet Town knew exactly what Pokemon Gary had his eyes on today.

Professor Oak released the Pokemon in a bright flash of light.

/

That irritating twerp just sat there, crying on the other side of the river, with his fishing rod.

Gary huffed as he held up the Poke Ball triumphantly, for all of his friends to see.

The tug of war that had taken place between him and Delia's son for the Poke Ball that they had both accidentally fished out of the river had been a difficult one. But in the end, the Poke Ball had ended up on Gary's side of the river.

Because he always won.

Now that he thought about it, that had been the day that Ash had… accepted it. The day that he finally stopped firing back at him all the time. The day that all of the lame comeback lines became less common.

Perhaps, in an alternate universe, the Poke Ball had broken in half, and it had been a tie. Maybe then, Ash would have continued to delude himself into believing that he could actually be on his level. Maybe Ash's misplaced confidence never would have died out. Maybe Ash never would have gotten the message, that he was incapable, a non-factor, and that he was only hurting himself by trying to prove otherwise. Setting himself up for disappointment again and again, chasing a destiny that could never possibly be fulfilled.

But there was no tying with Gary Oak. And tying with Ash? How was that any better than losing outright?

Those who had potential were always obligated to live up to it. It was their duty as the best. Those who didn't needed to accept it. It was something that couldn't be changed.

The world didn't have time for hopeless failures. Only those who were capable. That was what needed to be learned and understood.

Gary Oak would always win. And Ash would always lose.

Gary knew that he would always be on top. That's why, when the time approached for him to finally get his Trainer's License, he would research the perfect Starter Pokemon. A Pokemon partner that was worthy of his name.

A Pokemon that was always on the top. Just like he was.

/

The blue turtle emerged from the light of the Poke Ball, stepping out of the glow slowly but surely as everybody present watched.

Gary was grinning from ear to ear at his Starter Pokemon.

"Oh yes, now THIS is a Starter! I can feel the potential radiating off of you!"

Ash's face was slightly deadpan as Gary kneeled down and began abruptly inspecting the Squirtle.

"This is one strong shell." said Gary, running his hand across the shell. "And the front is pretty sturdy too." he tapped the Squirtle's stomach lightly.

Looking over at the Squirtle, Ash noticed that the starter wasn't all that bothered by Gary's behavior. It seemed very nonchalant.

Stereotypically, Water Type starter Pokemon were often known for being calm, but this Squirtle was something different.

It was the antithesis of Gary Oak himself.

Even as Gary began… pressing his hands against the Starter's cheeks… the Squirtle remained calm, barely even reacting. It was almost creepy to watch.

Gary stood back up and gave the Squirtle a thumbs up. "Alright little guy, you've passed my test!"

Test? What test? That was a test? It looked more like some sort of weird physical.

Brittany clasped her hands together. "And since Squirtle is already registered to you, you'll get extra information on it when you scan it with your Pokedex!"

Oh yeah, that's right. Normally the Pokedex only gives you information on a Pokemon's biology, typing, and qualities, but if the Pokemon is registered to you, you also get information on its gender, moves, and abilities.

"Thanks for reminding me." said Gary, holding his Pokedex up in front of the Squirtle. "Hold still there, little buddy." the Squirtle complied.

Ash felt a tad tinge of jealousy at the fact that Gary of all people was the one to receive his starter first, and use his Pokedex first, but he also understood.

He was the grandson of Professor Oak, the chief distributor, and the top student in Pallet Town. It made perfect sense for him to be the one who starts things out. As much as he hated to admit it, he had most definitely earned it.

The Pokedex scanned Squirtle, speaking in a robotic voice. Pokedex voices came in various forms, both male or female, and can be changed for preference. This voice was distinctly female with a bit of a high pitch to it.

"Squirtle, the tiny turtle Pokemon of the water type. They are known to swim fast due to their shell minimizing resistance in water, and are capable of squirting out water with vigorous force when retracting their long necks into their shells.

This Squirtle is male and knows the moves Tackle, Water Gun, Withdraw, Aura Sphere, Dragon Pulse, and Aqua Jet. Its ability is Torrent, which greatly boosts the power of water type moves after sustaining heavy damage."

Ash always thought Gary was disgusting, but the comical amounts of drool leaking from the other boy only furthered that opinion of him.

"Whoa, Gramps!" exclaimed the Oak boy. "This Pokemon knows three Egg Moves!"

Egg Moves were moves that Pokemon offspring could know if it was passed down by their parents through Pokemon Breeding. For certain species, these moves would be very difficult to learn otherwise. A Pokemon wouldn't be able to have mastery over them right away, but it was most certainly a start.

"Our distribution system has had excellent luck with breeding in the past few years." explained David. "Your Squirtle is the perfect example."

Gary kneeled down to pet Squirtle's shell proudly. "There's a future champ in this one for sure." standing up, he looked over to Ash, who had been silent for the exchange. "Alright Ashy boy, I was planning on battling one of the other two for my first ever Pokemon battle, but because they're not here, I suppose I'll have to settle for embarassing you. I'm sure you're not too scared to do it, right?"

Ash felt his throat lock up. What now? If he turned Gary down, he was a coward. If not, Gary would probably just humiliate him like always.

He had no other option, so Ash just nodded silently. 'Damnit, I'm screwed.'

"Good." said Gary. "See you outside. Come on, Squirtle, let's do some stretches. Ashy boy will come on out with a glorified punching bag for us in a few minutes." the blue turtle followed his new trainer outside as Ash gritted his teeth in frustration.

Professor Oak breathed a deep sigh as Gary and Squirtle left the room. Brittany took the initiative and placed a hand on Ash's shoulder.

"We'll be handing out your starter now, Ash. Although, things are a bit different."

Ash looked over at her, feeling his frustration deflate. Brittany had that effect on Pallet Town's student body. She had a reputation for being rather comforting, especially when a student was feeling frustrated.

"What do you mean by that?" Ash asked curiously.

Now David spoke up. "For the most part, distribution went off without a hitch this Season. However, a few… miscalculations were made, so Pallet Town only received Squirtle among the traditional starters."

"It's the real reason why Angelina and Sarah aren't here." explained Professor Oak, now speaking up. "Pallet and Viridian were behind schedule recieving their starters, only getting them in a few nights back, so unfortunately, not much could be done. So we contacted their families and asked them to stay where they were so that they would be able to receive their starters there."

Ash nodded in understanding. These types of problems were rare, but real. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be as widespread as the shortage that Team Rocket had caused three Seasons ago.

Not THAT, as he remembered Professor Oak talking about it, had been a real, complete mess. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be anything like that this time.

They didn't seem too worried about it, either. So it seemed like it wouldn't affect him getting a Starter Pokemon. It just might not be a traditional one.

Brittany folded her hands behind her head to stretch. "As you know, we try to get out as many traditional Starters as possible. Nevertheless, with the amount of new trainers that come with each Season, especially this Season, it's simply impossible to hand out a Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle to literally everybody. Even though Johto has its own set of starters, and the Orange Islands and Sevii Islands use both the Kanto and Johto lineups, it's simply not feasible."

David spoke up. "These problems normally aren't present in places with lesser rookie turnouts, such as Pallet Town for example. However, with our incident this season, we are going to have to do what the cities normally do, and provide you with a different starter as a substitute."

Ash nodded in understanding. Not having a chance to pick between the traditional three was slightly disapointing, but in the grand scheme of things, it really didn't matter to him all that much.

He hadn't even decided on his starter like Gary had. He was just planning on choosing in the moment, mostly just excited to be getting a Pokemon at all.

At the end of the day, a starter was a starter.

Professor Oak stepped forward with the starter's Poke Ball in his hand. Ash quickly took note of the lightning bolt on it.

"We are sorry you didn't get to choose, but-"

Ash raised his hand to politely cut him off. "It's fine, I don't mind, really. It's not like you guys are to blame, accidents always happen."

Brittany and David both smiled brightly at the now Rookie Pokemon Trainer.

Perhaps it was just because Ash was less combative than most, but he was always quite understanding.

Taking the Poke Ball in his hand, Ash pushed the button and it opened.

The feeling of holding a Poke Ball, a real genuine Poke Ball, right there in his hand, was practically unreal. How long had he dreamed of this? How long had he spent mimicking the motions of the expert trainers in the Indigo Conference throwing out their Poke Balls into battle, Trucy later picking up the habit after he met her? How many other rookie trainers had felt this same surge of excitement that he had, finally getting to release a Pokemon, and actually their starter, no less, for the first time?

It was like holding a simple, yet impactful ball made up of all your hopes and dreams, right there in the palm of your hand.

In that moment, Ash momentarily forgot all about Gary Oak.

All of his attention was fixated on the creature that exited the bright flash of light emitting from the orb.

It was a small, yellow mouse. It had a lightning bolt shaped tail, and round dots for cheeks. Specifically, its cheek sacks. Ash immediately knew what it was.

Nevertheless, he wanted his new Pokedex to do the honors. As he scanned the yellow mouse, the device's voice was identical to Gary's Pokedex.

"Pichu, the tiny mouse Pokemon. It is known for storing electricity in the sacks of its cheeks, and then releasing it from its tail. However, it has very little control over this electricity, and can exhaust itself very easily.

This Pichu is male and knows the moves Thunder Shock, Double Slap, Thunder Wave, Nuzzle, Nasty Plot, and Volt Tackle. Its ability is Static, which can inflict paralysis on enemies that it makes physical contact with."

Ash raised a brow. Volt Tackle? So Pichu had an Egg Move too. Not that they would be able to use it right away, of course. Volt Tackle was infamous for its immense recoil damage, being quite harmful to the user itself.

Not to mention, it was an incredibly powerful and advanced technique. Simply put, a beginner level Pokemon like Pichu wouldn't even come close to generating the amount of electricity that was necessary for using it. And at Pichu's current level, he wouldn't even be able to handle the recoil anyway. Even if he could produce enough electricity, it likely wouldn't be the full power of the technique, and he would probably just knock himself out.

Nevertheless, it was still one hell of a move to have. Mastering it would happen a long time for now; it'd be a good while before even starting practice it would be practical, but once they did, they would have one of the most powerful electric type moves at their disposal.

Looking down at his starter, Ash noticed Pichu looking at him with an… odd expression.

Ash wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Slowly but surely, he kneeled down to get in closer.

He wasn't planning on doing whatever it was that Gary had done to Squirtle, but he at least wanted to pat the Pichu's head.

The mouse in question flinched just before Ash's hand could touch him. Ash's heart skipped a beat for a second, but to his surprise, he didn't get shocked.

The Pichu was skittish, but not aggressive. The latter was a good sign, at the very least.

"Hey…" the boy spoke carefully. 'I'm not going to hurt you."

Pichu didn't seem very convinced.

Professor Oak sighed, before turning to the teachers. "Brittany, David, I can take it from here. Can you two call Professor Ivy back? She contacted me recently to report the starter count over at the Orange Islands. Just let her know that I got the message."

Brittany nodded. "Of course."

David followed her out of the room, but Clefable remained.

Professor Oak turned back to Ash. "I must apologize, Ash. I was warned that this particular Pichu was a little bit on edge about everything."

"Why is that?" asked Ash curiously. Pokemon personalities came in all sorts of forms, but there was usually a reason for a Pokemon being overly nervous about something.

"Apparently it had something to do with the environment." the Professor explained. "As you know, Pokemon handed out as starters are often bred at site sanctioned by the League, or supplied by breeders. I don't have all of the details, but a good deal of the Pokemon raised alongside Pichu were apparently very loud and aggressive. Some species of Pokemon have violent urges hidden underneath. It's likely that they picked a lot of fights with one another, and Pichu was likely caught up in it. It's especially effective on a younger Pokemon's psyche, and now Pichu has difficulty trusting people right away."

Clefable walked over to the Pichu and knelt down beside him, scratching behind the back of his ear gently. The Pichu closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, making a somewhat comfortable sound.

The Professor smiled. "Clefable helps look after all of the Pokemon here, so they all trust her, thankfully. It took coaxing from her to help me examine him when he first arrived."

That was no secret. Clefable was known for being a mother to practically all Pokemon at the lab. This apparently even stretched over to Professor Oak's days as a trainer, too. She was apparently an authority figure among the rest of his Pokemon, being one of his first captures and arguably the most mature out of all of his companions. Even his starter apparently obeyed her.

Professor Oak's biography highlighted Clefable a lot. In storytelling terms, she was practically the deuteragonist of Samuel Oak's story.

Clefable began to slowly and gently prod Pichu in Ash's direction. Kneeling down once again, Ash was sure to make eye contact with the young mouse.

"Hello, my name is Ash. I'm going to be your trainer."

The look in Pichu's eyes was somewhat calmer, but still uncertain.

This was going to be tough, wasn't it?

/

"It's about time, Ashy boy! What took you so long?! For a moment you had me wondering if you actually gave up like you should've, but you'd still be leaving me high and dry!"

Ash and Pichu were greeted by Gary's voice the very moment that they stepped out. And from the look on Pichu's face, he seemed to hate it just as much as Ash did.

Well, they were on the same page for at least one thing, it seemed.

"We were just… getting to know each other. That's all." Ash insisted nervously.

Gary scoffed. "Yeah right. Can you explain to me why that mouse is literally looking everywhere but at you, Ashy boy?"

Ash found himself gritting his teeth at that.

"Hey Squirtle!" Gary called out. "Our punching bag is here!"

Ash looked over to where Squirtle was, and noticed a few of Gary's friends huddled around him.

'Great, now he gets to embarrass me in front of EVERYONE, just like always.'

Squirtle made its way back over to Gary as the boy's friends looked on and watched him go. Standing in front of his trainer, he eyed Pichu with curiosity, his stoic expression seemingly bearing a hole right through the small mouse's forehead.

Pichu was already tensing up.

NOT a good sign.

/

A small crowd had gathered in one of the yards of the lab as Ash and Gary stood on opposite ends of the makeshift battlefield, both of their respective Starters standing in front of them. The battlefield in question consisting of mostly wet grass and dirt.

The crowd was made up of their peers, which of course, meant Gary's friends and Gary's friends alone. Nobody bothered placing bets on the battle, certain that Gary was going to win.

A good few of the spectators were already telling Gary to put Ash in his place.

Ash was trying to take a deep breath, but found that he couldn't.

Why did he have to agree to this?! Why did he always give into Gary's goading?! Why was he always so good at leading Ash astray?!

It was too late to back out now. Either everybody saw him get humiliated or everybody made fun of him for running away. At the very least, the former would be par for the course, given their history together.

What had started out as a great day had suddenly turned horrible. Gary was always good at doing that to him, just by being there.

First he and his Starter didn't get off on the right foot. And now, Gary was about to embarrass them in a battle. Did his first day as a Trainer really need to go like this?

He mentally shook his head. NO! He would not let Gary ruin this for him! If he could just beat him in this one battle-

"Hey Ashy boy! Are you done thinking to yourself yet? Some of us have places to be, you know?"

Gritting his teeth, Ash thought things over quickly.

Pichu has a type advantage against Squirtle, which, in beginner level matchups, would usually all but decide the match. But things were different this time. Squirtle's shell would most likely be strong enough to block Pichu's electric type moves, which would mean that they had to find a way to hit the blue Pokemon before he was able to retreat into his shell.

Pichu most likely has the speed advantage over the bulky water type Pokemon, but was also certainly much less durable. The evolution line as a whole wasn't known for its defense like Squirtle's was, but Pichu themselves were viewed as being quite frail.

Looking over to his Starter, Ash noticed Pichu eying the Squirtle nervously. While the water type remained as calm and collected as ever, Pichu was anything but, and Gary was obviously getting a kick out of that.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Hey look, everybody! An electric type that's scared of a water type!"

The crowd got a few chuckles out of that.

Thankfully, they shouldn't need to worry about Squirtle's Egg Moves. He likely wasn't skilled enough to use them yet.

"Alright," said Gary. "I'm bored, so I'm starting out now. Water Gun!"

The blue turtle opened his mouth, and a small, yet strong stream of water gushed out of it. Pichu yelped and ran to the side to dodge.

Ash immediately went on the offensive. "Thunder Shock!"

Pichu began gathering electrical energy in his cheeks, causing them to crackle with sparks, but Gary was prepared, and began speaking even before the small rodent had the bearings to respond to Ash's command.

"Squirtle! Pichu can't control their electrical powers very well, so it'll take him a while to gather enough electricity to use the attack! Every time you see sparks in his cheeks, use Withdraw!"

The Squirtle complied and began to retreat into his shell. Due to his inexperience, it took a little bit, but unfortunately, Pichu's own inexperience gave him just enough time.

After a few seconds, Pichu finally released the charged-up energy from his tail, sending a small bolt of lightning towards Squirtle.

But by then, Squirtle had already completely retreated into his shell. The electricity enveloped the exterior, but ended up bouncing off harmlessly, as though nothing had happened at all.

Gary guffawed. "Well, what do you know! It looks like that stupid mouse's inexperience with electricity makes up for the time that it takes for Squirtle to retreat into his shell!"

Pichu growled at the boy, but that just made him smirk even more.

Ash was gritting his teeth hard now. If Thunder Shock wouldn't work, they would have to go with Double Slap.

"Pichu!" Ash yelled. He could already feel himself getting frustrated. "Use Double Slap!"

Pichu looked back towards Ash with a shocked expression. Clearly, it didn't take kindly to the idea of getting up close and personal with the far bulkier turtle.

But Ash wasn't in the mood right now. "Do you WANT to lose this, Pichu?! JUST DO IT!"

Ash raised his voice too much, and, in a panic, the now startled Pichu yelped and began bolting off in the other direction…

...Only to find himself running right towards Squirtle.

Squealing in surprise, Pichu skidded to a halt, shivering a little bit at the sight of his opponent. Fists planted in his hips, the turtle towered over the mouse with his stoic expression, perfectly calm.

"Tackle!" Gary called out.

Squirtle rushed forward, and Pichu just barely managed to dodge out of the way. Squirtle then used this opportunity to fire off another Water Gun, with the stream of water just barely missing Pichu as the mouse swerved in the opposite direction, tripping over as a result.

Ash was growling now. What was Pichu even doing?!

"I said DOUBLE SLAP!"

Picking its head up quickly, Pichu began frantically looking around in a panic, only to stop and freeze as he suddenly saw Squirtle looming right in front of him again. The mouse yelped before quickly rushing forward, slamming his tail into Squirtle's front, but barely anything happened. With the turtle's bulky form, and durable front, the blue Pokemon was barely even pushed back, only lightly staggering. Pichu's attack had more force behind it than it seemed, but it was practically meaningless here.

Gary had often gushed about how great the Squirtle line was for defensive purposes.

"Water Gun!" Gary tried to counterattack, but at this point, Pichu had already sidestepped out of the way.

"Double Slap again, Pichu!" Ash called out. "Aim for the head!" The head would likely be a better target.

The mouse immediately bolted away to gain some distance, then turned around so he could build up speed for the attack. He seemed to agree with Ash's plan so far. Maybe if he could hit Squirtle on the head, after building up enough speed for a jump without losing momentum, it would do more damage.

But Gary was ready. Although Pichu's temporary retreat was necessary to gain momentum for the counterattack, it had also given the other boy enough time to react.

"Withdraw, Squirtle!"

As Pichu ran forward, Squirtle retreated into his shell. Pichu leapt up into the air in order to execute his attack, but by that point, Squirtle was already ready to block.

Pichu's tail clanged uselessly against the hard exterior of Squirtle's shell, and the mouse suddenly found himself in pain as he danced around the yard clutching his now aching tail. As he did this, Squirtle began to exit his shell again.

Ash could hear the crowd laughing now.

"Man, do you see that pathetic little mouse that Ash got stuck with?" a boy's voice.

"They're made for each other, you know. Now they can be useless together. A perfect match." a girl's voice.

Ash was grinding his teeth now.

Why? WHY did his first day as a Trainer have to go like this?! This wasn't supposed to be how things happened! A trainer's first day was supposed to be happy! And now…

"Water Gun!"

At Gary's orders, Squirtle allowed yet another stream of water to exit his mouth. With the pain in his tail, Pichu's mobility was limited, and he had to carefully duck in order to avoid the attack, but there was still some clumsiness to his movements, and the rodent nearly lost his balance whilst staggering forward.

However, Pichu was still wide open, and in his confusion, he had accidentally moved closer to Squirtle rather than farther away, and Gary quickly capitalised on this. "Tackle, now!"

Squirtle rushed forward again, his bulk slamming into Pichu. The mouse shrieked out loud as he was sent flying a few feet away, landing on his back and sliding on the wet grass for just a little bit.

As Pichu slowly got up, Ash noticed some dirt on his fur.

The attack had clearly hurt Pichu, but they needed to keep going.

"Double Slap again, Pichu!"

But Pichu didn't seem to agree, instead charging up a Thunder Shock. What?

Why was Pichu trying to use that? Squirtle would just block it again!

"Pichu, wait, I said-"

But Pichu was already firing, his small bolt of lightning again fizzling out upon making contact with Squirtle's shell, the turtle having remembered Gary's orders from the beginning of the fight, taking advantage of the time that it took for Pichu to charge up the technique to use Withdraw and retreat into his shell.

What's more, Pichu seemed to be panting now. Between his inexperience with electricity, and now the hard hit that Squirtle had dealt to him with Tackle, it didn't seem like he could go on for much longer.

But Ash wasn't thinking straight anymore. First Gary has to go out of his way to humiliate him, and now Pichu was disobeying him? Why couldn't he just listen? They were supposed to be a team for crying out loud!

"Pichu, I said DOUBLE SLAP!"

Pichu turned to Ash and began chattering angrily, stamping his feet in disagreement. What was his problem right now?!

"Hey Pichu!" called out Gary's INSUFFERABLE voice once again. "Do you mind if I record this with my camera? You two are hilarious!"

That had the mouse turning around again and angrily charging up yet another Thunder Shock. But this one took longer. And Squirtle blocked it. Pichu was having trouble breathing at this point. The world was starting to spin for the mouse.

Ash's panicked orders fell on deaf ears now. The next Thunder Shock took even longer, with the same results.

The next one didn't even come out. Just trying to use it was too much.

A huge surge of defeat overcame Ash as Pichu collapsed to his knees. Gary saw his chance.

"Okay, playtime's over. Squirtle, Tackle!"

Once again, Squirtle's bulked slammed into Pichu, sending the mouse sliding on his back over towards Ash. The mouse stopped just in front of the young boy, not getting up.

Ash felt more panicked than ever now.

No, no, no, no, NO NO NO NO! It could NOT end like this!

"GET UP PICHU!"

The exhausted mouth slowly lifted its head as the crowd's laughter continued, but was suddenly hit between the eyes by a Water Gun.

Pichu was knocked out immediately.

/

That was it. That was his first ever battle as a trainer. And it had been a complete embarrassment. Nothing else could describe it.

"Wow, did you guys see that? How did Ash even pass the Exam, anyway?"

"I knew that Gary was going to win, but that didn't even feel like a win."

"It's a shame Gary's first battle was so disappointing, he deserved better than Ash and that Pichu. What a joke."

"Wish Angelina or Sarah were here..."

Cradling Pichu's now unconscious body, Ash just… took it all in as his classmates walked off one by one.

There was no point in trying to refute them. Everything that they said had been right.

That battle had been a joke.

He should be ashamed, for how little control that he had over his own partner.

Pretty soon Gary was the only one left.

"Don't worry Ashy boy," the Professor's grandson said, condescendingly patting Ash's shoulder. "If you're that beat up about it, then maybe it's time to call it quits. Only way you're going to make it as a trainer is by wishing that you'll be more worth a damn in the next life." he began marching off. "However long that may take."

And with that, he was gone. Ash didn't even bother to look behind him as Gary went off on his own. He was probably leaving Pallet Town right now.

Gary's words were etched into Ash's brain, just as they always were. Maybe he should quit after this. Was there really any way to come back from this? There's no way Lance or any of the Elite Four started out this badly. At this point, what was he even doing?

"What did he say to you?"

Looking up, a surprised Ash realised he hadn't even heard Professor Oak approaching.

/

Professor Oak ran a hand through his hair as he looked at the dejected Ash.

Currently, they were back in the lab. Pichu was in his Poke Ball, being treated by one of the lab's healing machines. It was the kind of basic healing technology that Pokemon Centers used whenever something wasn't too serious, and shouldn't take too long.

Ash was sitting across from him, gaze fized on the floor.

The Professor had always liked Delia's child, for reasons beyond his respect and adoration for Delia as a pupil. But those reasons, the Professor could never quite pinpoint to himself. Ash certainly didn't remind Samuel of himself; they were two completely different people, with completely different goals and inspirations. And yet, for whatever reason, the Professor had grown quite fond of the boy.

Which is why Ash's relationship with Gary was so frustrating.

Competition was one thing. Rivalry was perfectly fine. But Ash and Gary went far beyond any of this. They were not rivals. They were childhood archenemies. There were no positives and nothing but toxicity in their relationship.

And, as much as the Professor loathed to admit it, he knew perfectly well that Gary was the one to blame.

Whatever he had tried to keep his grandson in line had obviously not worked. He loved Gary with all his heart, to the point where his rule of not ever showing favoritism often came dangerously close to being broken. But Gary's treatment towards Ash was unacceptable, regardless of the reasons Gary gave; they were excuses, nothing more. The fact that Ash fell behind did little to justify the treatment; if anything, Gary should have tried to help him catch up.

Whatever semblance of friendship that the two had in the past was obviously long gone by now. The Professor knew that there was next to zero chance of it ever being rekindled. At this point they were both in far too deep for any of that.

Gary had already left Pallet Town and was officially on the road to Viridian City. The only thing left for the Samuel to do was to try and restore whatever confidence that Ash may have had in himself before sending him off on his way.

It was his responsibility.

"Listen, Ash-"

"Why didn't he listen to me?" Ash abruptly cut in. Standing next to Oak's seat, Clefable frowned at the question.

The Professor sighed. "Ash, you knew your Pokemon was easily startled, and yet you lost your patience with Pichu far too quickly. You let your built up anger towards Gary get the better of you. I get it, trust me. But you have to consider Pichu's feelings too."

"But still," Ash thought, unable to look the Professor in the eye as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Pichu knew that Thunder Shock wouldn't work against Squirtle's shell. He also knew how exhausted he was getting. And yet… he didn't stop."

"Pokemon often don't think clearly when they panic." the Professor reminded him. "Just like humans. You're right, though. If Pichu hadn't given up on Double Slap so soon, you two undoubtedly would have had a much better showing. The only reason it failed before when Pichu tried to strike Squirtle on the head was because he had to run away and build up distance for speed. It gave Squirtle enough time to block. Afterwards, you and Pichu wouldn't have needed to do that in order to build up speed, because the distance would have already been there."

Ash nodded at the Professor's assessment. "I know, but…" he trailed off, instead deciding that it would be best to just soak up whatever Oak was trying to say. The man knew a lot more than he did, after all.

"Ash, I think you and Pichu are both quite similar. You're both lacking in confidence right now, and as the battle shows, you both panic easily. But that doesn't mean this is always going to be who you are. You passed the exam for a reason."

"Was it luck?" Ash asked honestly.

"I doubt it. Delia told me about your late nights studying for the exam. I know luck goes a long way, but the kind of studying you did was simply dedication."

"And what if that was just an outlier?" The question had been on Ash's mind for a while now, but he had the perfect person to ask it to.

"I'd like to think that it was a new beginning for you." said the professor. "An opportunity, if you will. Not everyone who becomes the best starts out on top. In fact…" he leaned forward. "Not many people know this, but I was a below average student growing up."

THAT jolted Ash out of his stupor. WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!

"Y-y-you were WHAT?!" Ash was dumbfounded.

"To be perfectly honest, it was one of the reasons why I chose to become a trainer first." the Professor admitted. "I had always wanted the hands on experience to aid with my research, so I may have chosen that path anyway, but my track record in academics undoubtedly influenced my decision. I was often at the bottom of my class in a lot of subjects. I just barely passed the exam with an eighty one, compared to your ninety, I might add, and that was despite all of the studying that I did." he reached over and padded Clefable's side. The large, pink fairy type made a joyful noise as she closed her eyes and leaned into the Professor's touch. "But I still lead a very sucessful career as a trainer, and, as you know, I've seen even more success since. When I tried to get into the Institution, everything I'd learned from my hands on time as a trainer made all the difference in passing the entrance exam."

"But… Why didn't your biography mention any of that?" Ash asked, confused. It was true. Professor Oak's biography was incredibly long and detailed. It was practically unrivaled in terms of just how much valuable information and insight that it gave on important figures within the Pokemon world. For some reason, the fact that Professor Oak had apparently been a below average student had never been mentioned even once within its pages.

Professor Oak sighed at the question. "I figured you'd ask something like that. I have a lot of respect for that book and the work put into it, I even exchanged autographs with the author, but that particular detail about me and my story flew under the radar; and if people had known that I was a below average student who still managed to rise to the top despite everything, then the message surrounding my career changes quite a bit. It proves that people who started out on the bottom can still rise to the top." he reached out and handed Ash a photograph. "They can become like this."

Ash took a look at the picture. It was from when Samuel Oak had won the Indigo Conference.

A young, teenage Samuel stood in the middle of the photograph, the tall, golden trophy held proudly in his hands. He was quite well built, and almost difficult to recognize given that he was both fully grown and much older now. With him, were his six main Pokemon who had taken the Indigo Conference by storm that year.

A fearsome looking Charizard, towering highly above its confident trainer from behind.

Clefable, who, even in the photo, managed to give off a very calm, and serene feeling to herself, standing off to the left of the trainer.

An Electrode, at the far right.

A Poliwrath, standing next to its Smauel, off to his right.

A Tangrowth, at the far left.

A Golem just behind Samuel's left shoulder, a stoic expression on its face.

They were a famous team that Ash knew all too well.

And they had all started out… from the bottom.

/

Although Ash had been planning to visit Delia at their house before leaving town, Oak had told him that he had already called her over to the lab to assist him with something, which meant that the two of them could say their final goodbyes without Ash having to backtrack.

Delia had managed to hold it in up until now, but now she was letting it all out. The tears streaming down her face were practically a waterfall as she hugged Ash close against her, her clothes blocking her son's own tears.

"My baby boy… you're all grown up now. I knew this day was coming, but I wasn't sure if I was ready for it."

Ash didn't even know what to say. Leaving his mother behind was his biggest, most unrivaled regret about becoming a trainer. He knew that she was fully supportive of his dream, not asking for much in return. No one he knew was nearly as selfless. He couldn't help but wonder how sad Oak was to see Gary go. The Professor was always good with his emotions, but it occurred to Ash that he was probably hurting too, just like Delia was.

"Mom… I'll come back, don't worry." The two were currently standing with Professor Oak at the gates to Pallet Town. Pichu was off to the side, watching the display with some curiosity. Delia had been quite friendly towards the mouse, but had kept her approaches to a minimum after seeing the electric type's nervous behavior.

"I know you will," said Delia. "Be safe until then, okay, and call me every chance you get."

Ash nodded. "I'll call you the moment I reach Viridian." The thought of being able to speak with his mother again tonight was all the more motivation for him to get there as soon as possible.

"Professor!" a woman's voice called out. The group turned to see an older woman walking towards them with Clefable. Ash immediately recognized her as Trucy's grandmother, Mrs. Gernin. With her and Clefable were two other Pokemon, and Ash's eyes were quick to light up when he saw them. "Brittany is ready with her report on Celadon, they just finished distribution." she offered Ash a smile, and the boy quickly returned it.

Professor Oak nodded. "I'll be there soon." as she walked away, he turned to the two Pokemon as they approached Ash with Clefable.

One of them was a baby Heracross, the same exact one that Ash had helped hatch. The other one was a small blue Pokemon that the Professor had told Ash was a Sobble, another baby Pokemon that had hatched around the same time as Heracross, and the two of them had quickly befriended each other. Both Pokemon were male.

Delia chuckled. "It looks like he wants to see you off, Ash."

Ash nodded happily and stroked the horn of the Heracross. It was small at the moment, but would eventually grow quite big as the bug-fighting type grew up.

The Heracross jittered happily at the contact. Ash had always enjoyed spending time with him.

As the two baby Pokemon huddled up around Clefable, Professor Oak faced Ash one last time. "Just remember everything that I told you, Ash, and try not to rush too much. You'll get to your goal eventually. I know that there is a strong trainer in both you and Gary."

Ash nodded. "Thanks, Professor." he still wasn't entirely sure, but the Professor's short story had been reinvigorating.

Oak crossed his arms. "Now then, just follow the road on each route and you'll be able to get to the places that you need to be. And remember that battling other trainers can get you extra cash if you win, along with being the best way to train.

Ash nodded. The League system involved trainers winning money from each other in battles, although it was lenient on those who were already short on cash. Thankfully, Pallet Town was good at providing plenty of money to starting Trainers, courtesy of Professor Oak himself, so Ash was leaving home in a decent position to start out. "Right."

The Professor smiled. "Good. I'll see you around."

Ash smiled back. "Thanks for everything.

As Professor Oak and Delia walked off with Clefable, Heracross, and Sobble, Delia sent Ash one last, tearful smile, which he returned with his own, before leaving.

Now, he and Pichu were all that was left.

Ash prolonged the time spent watching them leave, before locking eyes with his starter. No doubt Pichu's trust in him had been damaged by the battle, assuming that there was ever any in the first place. Guiltily, he bit his lip as the small mouse's eye contact faltered.

Turning towards the gates, he and his starter both looked uncertain.

Taking a deep breath, which still did little to actually ease his nerves, Ash took his first steps forward.

He had never left Pallet Town before now. Much like thousands of kids across Indigo, he was leaving his old life behind, doing his best to not look back.

It was all official the moment he stepped through those gates, into the outside world of Indigo.