Chapter Text
Pallet Town
-May 22nd
-Ketchum Residence
On the night he was born, the moon hung heavy and silver-blue in the sky, casting a celestial glow over the Kanto region. The stars didn't just twinkle; they pulsed with a rhythmic brilliance, as if dancing to the heartbeat of a new life.
In the tall grass surrounding the town, the Pokémon were restless. Their cries—usually silent in the midnight hours—rose in a harmonious, wild celebration that echoed through the hills.
Then, a sharper, smaller cry pierced the air. Inside the Ketchum household, the tension snapped into pure joy.
"What should we name him?" the mother whispered, her voice thick with exhaustion and awe. She looked up at the man standing over them, whose eyes reflected the moonlight streaming through the window.
"Ash," the man replied, his voice cracking as he touched the infant's tiny hand. "I want to call him Ash."
The woman smiled, pulling the fragile bundle closer to her chest. "Ash. A name for a spark that will light up the world."
Pallet Town
-4 Years Later
-Ketchum Residence
"Mom! Is it done yet? Gary’s gonna think I chickened out!"
Ashton Red Ketchum, a boy with hair as dark as a Murkrow’s wing and eyes full of lightning, bounced on the balls of his feet. He was a whirlwind of four-year-old energy, vibrating with an impatience that his mother found both endearing and exhausting.
"Ashton Red Ketchum!" Delia scolded, though the corners of her mouth twitched. "If you don't find some patience this instant, the only thing you’ll be 'meeting' today is the corner of your bedroom."
Ash’s shoulders slumped, his bottom lip trembling in a practiced pout. "But Mom... it’s been forever since I saw him."
Delia knelt, softening her gaze.
"I know, honey. But great things take time. Apple seeds don't turn into trees in ten minutes, and neither do Legendary Trainers. Sit still, or we stay home."
"Okay, Mom... I’ll try. Hehe!" The pout vanished instantly, replaced by a grin so radiant it seemed to brighten the kitchen.
Even at four, Ash possessed an uncanny magnetism—an intelligence that hummed beneath his hyperactive surface. It was the only reason he could keep up with the brilliant, if slightly arrogant, grandson of the Professor.
Pallet Town
-Oak Ranch
"Hey, Gary!" Ash’s voice rang out through the sterile halls of the Oak Laboratory.
"Finally, Ashy-boy! You're late!" A boy with chestnut hair and a confident smirk turned around. Gary Oak was only a few centimeters taller, but he carried himself with the weight of his grandfather’s reputation.
"My, my," Professor Oak chuckled, stepping out from behind a computer terminal. "The twin suns of Pallet Town have returned. You two certainly keep the energy levels high."
"Gramps, don't be weird," Gary snorted, though he didn't move away when the Professor patted his head.
The conversation drifted toward the upcoming Summer Camp—a prestigious event that drew children from across the globe. But while the boys argued about battle trials and the newly discovered regional variants, the adults shared a look of guarded concern.
"Hmmm Gary, didn't you said you have something to show Ash?" The Professor asked his grandson, remembrance dawned on his face.
"Oh of course! I almost forgot, Ash Come with me! There's some new Pokemon transferred from the Alola region!" The kid's face then lit up like sunshine as they both ran off towards the ranch.
In the kitchen, over a pot of tea, the atmosphere shifted.
"Any word from Red?" Oak asked quietly.
Delia sighed, staring at her reflection in the tea. "He’s busy. The KDA—the Kanto Defense Association—is taking everything he has. He and Green are practically living at the Victory Road HQ."
"Team Rocket is getting bolder," Oak muttered, sliding a newspaper across the table. The headline screamed: GIOVANNI ACQUITTED: LACK OF EVIDENCE.
"The corruption in the Kanto Republic goes deep, Delia. Deep enough to swallow the light."
Pallet Town
-Oak Ranch Pokemon Habitat
Down at the ranch’s lake, the air was humid. Standing near the water’s edge was a towering Alolan Exeggutor, its neck stretching toward the clouds like a biological skyscraper.
"It’s huge!" Ash gasped, his eyes wide.
"It’s a regional adaptation due to the intense Alolan sunlight," Gary explained, sounding like a textbook. "Watch out, Ash! They’re territorial!"
But Ash was already running. "Hey, big guy! You’re so cool!"
In his excitement, Ash stumbled, his hand catching the Exeggutor’s tail—the one with its own independent, snarling head. The tail reacted instinctively, a whip-crack of muscle slamming into Ash’s chest. The force sent the boy flying backward, crashing into the dark, churning waters of the Alolan habitat.
The splash disturbed a cluster of Bruxish. Their colorful, jagged teeth gnashed as they swarmed the intruder, their psychic fins glowing with predatory intent.
"ASH!" Gary screamed. He didn't think. He dove.
The water was a chaotic blur of bubbles and teeth. The Bruxish lunged, their sharp fangs grazing Ash’s arms. Seeing Gary dive in to save him—seeing his friend about to be torn apart—something inside Ash snapped.
It wasn't a physical scream, but a psychic one.
A blinding explosion of sapphire light erupted from Ash’s core. The water turned into a glowing blue nebula. The shockwave of pure Aura slammed into the Bruxish, sent them tumbling back into the depths in a daze.
Ash’s eyes went vacant as he lost consciousness, his body bobbing in the water. Gary grabbed him, gasping for air, but as he reached the shore, his own body began to hum. To protect his friend, Gary’s spirit flared—a Deep Violet shroud of energy enveloped them both, stitching together Ash’s wounds and stabilizing his breathing before Gary, too, collapsed from exhaustion.
From the treeline, two figures watched in stunned silence. Red and Green had arrived just in time to see the explosion of light.
"I told you, Red," Green whispered, his voice grim. "You can't hide him from the blood of Rota. The Aura is awake."
Red looked at his son—the 'unknown factor' in a dark future—and felt a chill that had nothing to do with the wind. The "Prince of Rota" and the "Scion of Oak" lay unconscious on the grass, their destinies no longer their own.
The world was changing. And the storm was just beginning.
And the Journey Continues...