AN: Great news everybody! My copyright finally went through so this mega update is to celebrate! My short story is called 'The Stranger' and you can find it on amazon. There will be a link to it on the Facebook page for my stories. I want to thank everyone for supporting as I write and for anyone who ends up getting my story. This is hopefully the latest step to becoming a full-time writer.

A moment of Clarity 1

Chapter 1

-Ash-

Frowning, Ash Ketchum sat in the windowsill of his room in Viridian City, lights easily spotted in the distance as the police did a final sweep of the wreckage of the Pokémon center that had been damaged in the Team Rocket attack. With the center being out of commission the various trainers were being hosted in a hotel, the league covering a portion of the prices. In all honestly Ash was just grateful that he and Pikachu weren't being punished as it was Team Rocket's fault, both for attacking and having a poison type fill the building with easily combustible smoke. Either way though, they had won the day not because they were stronger than the Team Rocket duo, not because they were smarter than the two criminals, but because they got lucky.

"Pika." Hearing the soft voice of his starter, Ash looked down to see the moues Pokémon looking up at him in concern.

"Hey pal," he rubbed the pokemon's head as Pikachu smiled and leaned into the affection, "I'm just thinking. We got pretty lucky there earlier, didn't we?" his starter gave a small frown but nodded reluctantly. The sun slowly began to rise in the distance, painting the Viridian forest in a hue of brilliant gold, the light reflecting in the fallen rain. In that sunrise, a moment of clarity struck him. He wanted to be a Master trainer, but he had never really worked for it. Gary had at least studied before they began their journeys even if the guy was an ass.

"Come on Pikachu," he got up, packing up his bag, brimming with energy despite the early hour "we have work to do."

"Pika?" the little mouse tilted its head in confusion but jumped up on his shoulder anyway. Getting down to the lobby he walked over to the concierge.

"Leaving already sir?" the man asked, surprised at him departing so early.

"Yeah, I've got to get going." He passed they key over "I have work to do." Shouldering his pack, he departed the hotel, heading back to the forest between Viridian and Pallet.

"Pi Pika." His starter frowned confused pointing towards the opposite end of the city.

"We'll go that way in a bit." He assured his starter "For now, we have something that needs to be done." At the confused head tilt, he clenched his fist "We're finding that spearow from earlier and catching him."

"Pika?!" the small moues Pokémon let out a startled cry and almost fell of his shoulder, before regaining his balance and sent him a questioning look.

"That spearow was strong and a sign that this journey isn't going to be easy. I'm thinking we catch him and actually take this seriously. We beat him and that should hopefully earn us some respect from him and we can try to get a strong friend out of it."

"Cha." Pikachu looked nervous and didn't quite believe him but didn't argue as they entered the woods once more.

Following the path, they had fled upon the day before, Ash kept his eyes and ears open, seeing the signs of their frantic run. Parts of the path and the trees on the side still scorched from lightning strikes, "Think that was you or the storm?" he joked, bumping Pikachu when they passed a very charred tree only to get slapped by Pikachu's tail "Ow!"

"Row!" the familiar cry had them both on edge as Pikachu instantly leaping down and looking about for any sign of attack. At the sound of rustling leaves Ash leapt back and dodged a divebombing spearow, an angry gleam in the pokemon's eyes at the sight of them.

"Wondered when you'd find us." He never took his eyes off the Pokémon, noting the bump on its head from when it got nailed with a rock as he tried to catch a Pokémon without Pikachu's help. "I came to do a battle properly this time." He told the spearow who paused, eyeing him warily "No rocks from me and no flock from you."

"Row!" the idea of payback overrode any hesitation of fighting an electric type as Spearow got into a ready stance.

"Pikachu, agility!" he ordered, starting the battle as Pikachu let out a cry and began shooting about the road, building up his speed and reflexes to avoid any coming attacks.

"Row row row!" Spearow goes airborne and flaps its wings hard, whipping up a swirling flurry of sand that filled the road.

"Pika!" his starter stumbled when the flurrying sand filled the mouse's eyes, blinding the Pokémon.

"Pikachu hit the deck!" he yelled out, the sand having not reaching him, so he was still able to see. Pikachu didn't hesitate and dove to the ground, Spearow, going right over top of the small mouse Pokémon. "Thunder shock, ten o'clock!"

"Pika!" a small bolt of lightning was sent at the Spearow who barrel rolled to the side, dodging the blast with ease.

"Spearow!" the bird pokemon's wings started to glow before taking a metallic sheen, swinging them at Pikachu like spears with each swooping strike. Directing his blinded partner to avoid each attack from the bird Pokémon he suddenly came up with an idea.

"Pikachu, do what we did at the center!" he called out with a smirk as Pikachu matched it, eyes still closed as the small Pokémon began to build up electricity. Again, and again Spearow swooped down to try and attack Pikachu as Ash directed his starter to avoid the strikes, timing each swoop. "Now fire straight up!" he yelled, Pikachu managing to catch Spearow directly in the gut with a thunderbolt.

"Row!" the surprised bird Pokémon slams down into the ground, twitching from the powerful point blank lightning attack.

"Quick attack into headbutt!" Ash called out, "Three o'clock!" with a yell Pikachu charged towards where he directed and slammed into the Spearow, ending the battle. Seeing the spearow no longer fighting he threw a Pokéball, the orb sucking the bird Pokémon inside and shaking for a moment before clicking shut. "Way to go buddy." he grinned, going over to Pikachu and pouring water from his canteen to wash the sand from the electric mouse's eyes, "We got a new partner now."

"Pika!" his starter cheered, running over to Spearow's Pokéball and bringing it back over.

"Come on out." He tossed the Pokéball to reveal a conscious but very surly spearow, "Now hold still, this'll sting a bit." Pulling out a potion he sprayed the confused bird.

"SPEAROW!"

-Misty-

Yawning, the youngest Cerulean sister got out of bed and got ready for the day, determined to get a new bike from that idiot who blew up the Pokémon center. Fully dressed she threw open her door and walked to the one across the hall, banging her fist hard on the dor. "Ketchum!" she yelled, her pounding rattling the door in its frame "Get your skinny ass out here and pay for my bike damnit!" there wasn't any response which only served to piss her off more "I know you can hear me you idiot!"

"What's all this racket?" a sleepy voice from down the hall questioned irritably as some brunet trainer poked his head out, "You said something about Ashy-boy?"

"You know that moron?" she demanded, wondering if this guy was a friend of the bike destroyer.

"You certainly do if you're calling him that!" the brunette laughed "Dude's been an idiot since the day he was born. Honestly I'm surprised he managed to get to Viridian."

"Well he did, and he BETTER OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR!" Misty resumed pounding on the offending barrier.

"Excuse me, but I'm going to have to ask you cease this action immediately." A stern voice scolded from the elevators as she and the amused brunette turned to see a hotel employee, "Mr. Ketchum is not even in this room at the moment."

"Did I get the wrong room number?" she asked confused, wondering if she just ticked off some other random stranger.

"No, that was Mr. Ketchum's room, but he checked out a few hours ago and went to the Viridian path to Pallet Town, saying he had some work to do."

"What?!" she screamed out, outraged at the little shit trying to skip out on what he owed her. Grabbing her bag from the floor she shoved past the hotel worker and stormed off back towards the path to Pallet, determined to find the moron.

-Ash-

"You two ready?" Ash asked Pikachu and Spearow, both on his shoulders although the latter was still cranky from how painful the potion spray was. They were currently in the Viridian path to Pewter city, having left the pallet path just after he caught Spearow.

"Pika!" "Row!" they called out in tandem, both looking forward to more battles. Spearow had made it clear that he wouldn't be buddy buddy instantly, but the small bird Pokémon was willing to train after seeing how well Ash and Pikachu had battled to defeat him.

"Good, because we've got a lot of training to do." Ash's eyes burned with determination as they entered the forest, his two Pokémon giving battle hungry smirks to match.