Whoever has decided to click on this story, and if you do read it, and finish this chapter, and actually somewhat liked it, then please read the author's note at the end. Thank you and enjoy!

"Latios! Luster Purge!"

"Pikachu! Use Volt Tackle!"

The stadium was quiet as they watched intensely at the two Pokémon, attacking each other at full force. The attack hit the Pikachu in midair, but gasps were heard when they all saw the Pikachu continue its charge towards the Latios, through the Luster Purge.

Pikachu was starting to close in on Latios. That was when Pikachu's trainer gave a sudden command.

"Now! Use Iron Tail!"

The Latios noticed Pikachu a second too late and soon there was an explosion. Smoke everywhere and the crowd was silent, wondering the outcome. The smoke cleared and in the center of the battlefield were both the Latios and Pikachu, unconscious.

There was only silence until everyone realized what this meant.

"Pikachu and Latios are both unable to battle! All 6 of Ash's Pokémon have been eliminated! So moving on to the finals is Tobias the victor!"

"Ash? Are you awake?" Ash opened his eyes and found himself staring at himself. It had been a whole month since the Sinnoh League. He was currently wearing a dark blue and white hoodie and black jeans. He also had a red and white cap that was somehow able to contain the messy forest of hair he had on his head. He hadn't worn a hoodie since he travelled through Hoenn and Kanto. His mother had told him that today was an exciting new day and made him a new set of clothes for today.

"Yeah, I'm awake!" Ash replied to his mother and opened the door of his room to see his mother standing in front of the door. In his mother's arms was Pikachu, his best friend ever since he started his Pokémon journey four years ago. Pikachu jumped out of his mother's arms and onto his shoulder.

"Ash sweetie! That looks so good on you! Hold on, let me get my camera!" In an instant Ash's mother was gone. Ash and Pikachu sweat dropped as they shared a glance. Before they knew it, Ash's mother returned and had her camera. "Alright, now both of you look at the camera!" Ash and Pikachu shared another glance and looked at the camera lens, smiling. The two were soon blinded by the sudden flash of light. "Aww, my sweet little Ashy boy and his Pikachu. You both are growing up so fast."

After rubbing his eyes trying to get rid of the flashing spots, he looked at his mother. "So what's so special about today mom?"

Ash's mom turned around and started to leave. "You'll have to find out."

Ash turned his head towards Pikachu while following his mother. "Do you have any idea of where we're going?" Pikachu simply shook his head. Ash smiled and exited his house, making sure to lock the door. He was surprised at what he saw in front of his house. "Mom, when did you get a car?" In front of Ash was a car. As if you expected something else.

"I bought it a few days ago. I don't use it much though. I prefer walking but for days like today it's useful," Ash's mother walked to the driver's seat and entered the car.

Ash walked to the spot next to the driver's and entered. "You still haven't told me where we're going or what we're doing."

"So impatient. Just wait Ash." Ash's mother pressed the pedal and soon they were off. Ash recognized the route they were going through. It was the road to Viridian City, except for vehicles. The route Ash took when he started his journey was Route 1, where there were wild Pokémon and it was more forest-like. Soon they were in Viridian City which had expanded ever since Ash visited it last when he travelled through Kanto for the second time.

Ash took the drive to reflect on his journeys, or rather his most recent one. Sinnoh. Sinnoh was his longest journey and by far the biggest region he's been to. He also met so many people and gained plenty of rivals. He also made it to the Top 4 in the Sinnoh League, the farthest he has ever gotten in a Regional League. He triumphed over the harmonious Nando, the perfectionist Conway, and his greatest moment: his rival Paul.

That battle was considered to be the biggest battle of the entire Sinnoh League. It was a battle Ash had been fighting for months, both with Pokémon and beliefs, losing every time. So to finally come out on top, Ash felt like he achieved more than just a placement in the brackets. But the next battle was against a trainer with a Legendary Pokémon. The Pokémon that creates nightmares, had crushed his hopes and dreams right then. But when Ash along with Sceptile had broken through the nightmare and defeated the Pitch-Black Pokémon, the thing that came next surprised every person in the stadium. He had a Latios.

"Ash! Hurry or you'll miss your flight!" Ash's mother's distressed voice rang out, snapping Ash back to reality.

"Flight?" Ash looked around and noticed they were at the new Viridian airport. "Wait, mom, where am I going?"

Ash stepped out of the car and to the back of the car where his mother was. "Here Ash!" She tossed him a black and blue messenger bag and a wallet. "That wallet has your plane ticket. Now go quickly!" Ash's mother was now pushing him towards the airport.

Ash was just confused. "Wait, mom what's going on!?"

"Your flight is going to leave soon Ash! Just go and you'll find out!" Ash's mother hugged him and rubbed Pikachu's head. "Pikachu, take good care of Ash okay?" Pikachu let out a cry and Ash's mother quickly entered her car and drove off.

Ash stared at where his mother drove off then at Pikachu. "What just happened?" Pikachu shrugged. Ash placed the messenger bag's strap around his right shoulder so the bag was hanging on his right side. Ash then checked his wallet. It had cash, a debit card, some id, and a ticket.

Ash inspected the plane ticket. It had a number on it, his seat number, and his name. But nothing about the location he was going to. "Well Pikachu? Should we go?" Pikachu nodded and Ash shrugged. He entered the terminal and found his plane. "Wonder where mom is sending us." Pikachu replied with his usual cry.

When they found their seat, Ash decided to see what his mother packed for him in his bag. "Let's see. Some Pokémon food and a recipe book. Probably courtesy of Brock. Um, what is this? 'Trans-Coupon'? Looks like a coupon for a watch. Looks like a Poketch. Some clothes, some potions, a map!" Ash flipped open the electronic map, and finally found out where he was going. "We're going to Unova Pikachu."

Pikachu tilted his head. "Pika?"

"I have no idea. But we'll be landing in a place called Nuvema Town. My mom marked a place .on the map so I think that's where we should go." Ash put the map back into his bag and continued to look through it. There was nothing else in his bag so Ash closed his bag and looked outside the plane window. The plane started to ascend into the sky.

"Wow Pikachu! Look at all the flying types!" Ash and Pikachu stared in awe at all the flying type Pokémon that were in the sky. Ash had been to many places, underground, inside volcanos, deep forests, even underwater. But he has never been above the clouds before. He's flown on different flying type Pokémon, but never above the clouds. Above the clouds was a flying type paradise.

"I wish I could join them," a Starly flew by his window. Ash and Pikachu waved. The Starly opened its mouth and said what Ash presumed as hello, though Ash and Pikachu couldn't hear it because of the window. The Starly soon flew away to its flock. "I wonder what the Unova Region is like," Ash wondered, looking at his buddy.

Pikachu only shrugged before snuggling into Ash's lap, falling asleep. Ash let out a chuckle before going back to looking outside the window, amazed at all the flying type Pokémon. He could even see a Dragonite in the distance.

It was a couple of hours until the plane landed. Ash carefully scooped up Pikachu and exited the plane. Pikachu started to stir by the time Ash stepped out of the terminal. "Awake?' Pikachu stretched and nodded before climbing up back to his place on Ash's shoulder. "Great. Now then," Ash pulled out his electronic map. "There's a place that mom marked not too far from here. So let's go there." Ash blinked as he saw something fly by him. It was a Pokémon, a small grey bird. But Ash can't remember ever seeing a Pokémon like it before. It kind of looked like a Starly, though more grey and had a smaller beak.

Ash decided to continue towards the destination, noticing more of the birds. He was no certain that he had never encountered a Pokémon like it before. It wasn't long until he made it to the marked destination.

"Juniper Laboratory," Ash read aloud. He looked at Pikachu before entering, as the doors were glass and he felt knocking wasn't the best idea. Besides, if it was a laboratory, then there was no need to knock.

"Hello?" Ash called out. There was no one in sight. Ash was about to leave until he heard a voice.

"Oh I'm sorry! Can I help you?" Ash turned around and saw a young-looking woman. She was wearing a white shirt and a green skirt with a long lab coat.

"Ah, sorry. I was just wondering, um," Ash had no idea how to say this. He just decided on introducing himself. "I'm Ash Ketchum from Kanto and I was wondering-"

"Oh! You're Ash? I'm sorry, I forgot you were arriving today!" Ash blinked. Apparently this woman knew he would be here before he did. "Please, follow me." Ash shared a glance at Pikachu and followed.

They entered a room with a bed and a desk. That was all the room had to offer. "Here, you can stay here for the night. I know it's not much, but it's all I have right now." The woman turned towards Ash and gave him a smile. "Anyways, I am Aurea Juniper, the Professor of the Unova Region. It's nice to meet you Ash."

"Same here. Um, if you don't mind, can you explain to me what's going on? My mom just sent me here without telling me anything." Ash was really hoping to get some answers at last.

"Of course, follow me," Ash followed Juniper to another room. This room had a lot of monitors in it. "I think it's best if you hear everything from the perpetrators themselves." Juniper pressed a button and soon two familiar faces were on the main monitor.

"Mom! Professor Oak!" Ash exclaimed. The two chuckled at his expression.

"Hello Ash. How are you enjoying Unova so far?" Oak asked.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Everything's great Professor. So mom, can you tell me what's going on?" His mom and Oak looked at each other.

"Ash, sweetie. Every time you come home, what do you do?"

Ash thought about it. When he returned from the Indigo League, he immediately went to the Orange Islands. When he returned from that, he went to Johto immediately after. After Johto, he went to Hoenn about a week after. Then a day after he returned from Hoenn he left for the Battle Frontier. Then to Sinnoh almost immediately after. And after Sinnoh…

"I leave for my next journey," Ash answered.

His mother nodded. "You're always so happy when you go on your journey. While I sometimes wish you would stay a little longer, it makes me happier to see you happy. But after you returned from Sinnoh, you stayed for over two weeks."

Ash frowned. He realized that. It was because he was still trying to get over his crushing defeat. It wasn't the loss itself, but rather the fact that he fought so hard, fought with everything he had. And lost it all. He returned home so he could recover.

"And that's why we thought to get your spirit high again, we would send you on a surprise journey! Juniper, if you will," Oak looked at Juniper who nodded. Ash turned towards her to see her holding a tray.

"Unova is filled with Pokémon that aren't found anywhere else in the world. What you may consider common in your world, like a Pidgey, would be really rare here. And the other way around. So this is a Pokedex for this region." Ash looked at the rectangle device in surprise. The five Pokeballs were self-explanatory. "I have also signed you up for the Unova League, per Mrs. Ketchum's request. Ash looked back at the monitor.

"Before you say anything Ash, just know that I will always be proud of you. And you are my son, so you're going to get back up no matter what."

"Thanks a lot mom, Professor Oak, and Professor Juniper. I'll give it a shot. I've been out of it for too long. Time to win the Unova League!" Ash exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air with Pikachu mimicking his action, shouting a 'Pika!'

The three adults smiled and Ash said goodbye to Professor Oak and his mother. "Alright Ash. I have a few things for you from your mother." Juniper handed Ash a duffle bag. "There's a tent and sleeping bag in there for you."

Ash graciously took the bag. He then bowed. "Thanks so much Professor Juniper."

"That's not all Ash." She picked up a watch from the table. "You should have a coupon for this Xtransceiver." Ash nodded and pulled it out of his wallet and gave it to Juniper. "This is kind of like a PokeGear, where you can talk to people through it. Only difference is that it has video chat. I've already token the liberty to register myself, Professor Oak, and your mother."

"Wow, thanks so much Professor!" Ash was admiring the small piece of technology.

"I should also let you know, once you catch more than 6 Pokemon, any other Pokemon you catch will be sent to me instead of Professor Oak. It will make things simpler for you."

"I…I don't know what to say. Thanks for all this Professor!" Ash thanked the Professor once again.

Juniper chuckled. "Well it's getting late. Tomorrow three new trainers will be here so I will have to give them their starter Pokémon. If you want, you can check them out tomorrow."

Ash's eyes sparkled. "Really!? I can!? Thanks Professor!"

Juniper laughed at Ash's sudden change when it came to Pokémon. "It's getting late. You should probably get some rest." Ash was about to nod when a sound was heard in the room. Ash rubbed the back of his head while Juniper laughed. "After dinner of course."

Ash yawned as he stepped out of the room Juniper leant him. It was the next day and Ash was ready to start his new adventure. Ash suddenly felt something hit his leg. Looking down, Ash saw a little Pokémon. It had a shell on its chest and its head reminded Ash of ice-cream. Ash pulled out his new Pokedex from his pocket and faced it towards the Pokémon.

Oshawott. The Sea Otter Pokémon. Oshawott is a Water Type Pokémon. The scalchop on its stomach isn't just used for battle-it can be used to break open hard berries as well.

"So its shell is a weapon? That's pretty cool!" Ash put away his Pokedex before crouching down. "Hey there. So you're Oshawott, huh? I'm Ash. You look like a strong Pokémon!" Oshawott was surprised but then put its hands on its hips and posed in a prideful pose. Ash patted its head and Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder to greet Oshawott.

"Ash, have you seen-oh I see you've met Oshawott," Ash looked up to see Juniper walking towards him.

Ash picked up Oshawott. "Yeah, he's a really cool Pokémon!"

"This Oshawott is a real troublemaker. He likes to leave his Pokeball whenever he feels like." Juniper shook her head, seeming to recall previous experiences with Oshawott.

"This cute guy is a troublemaker? Huh." Ash looked at Oshawott smiling before placing him back on the ground.

"Oshawott, return," Juniper said, pointing a Pokeball at Oshawott. The Oshawott was sucked into the Pokeball. "Well Ash, would you like to see the starter Pokémon?"

Ash's eyes lit up immediately. "You bet I do!"

They were now in front of the entrance. Professor Juniper was holding a capsule that had three Pokeballs in it. She released each of them and three Pokémon were on the ground.

One was a green snake of sorts. It looked very serious. Another was an orange and black pig. It looked very excitable. And the last, was an Oshawott.

"This is a different Oshawott, right?" Ash asked, crouching to get a better look at the three Pokémon.

"I'm impressed you can tell Ash. Yes, this Oshawott is a different one. Doesn't cause that much trouble," both Juniper and Ash chuckled at that. Ash pulled out his Pokedex.

Snivy. The Grass Snake Pokémon. Snivy is a Grass Type Pokémon. Being exposed to sunlight makes its movements swifter. It uses vines more adeptly than its hands.

"Wow, you're a really cool Pokémon!" The Snivy looked away with a small smile on its face, making Ash smile. He moved on to Tepig.

Tepig. The Fire Pig Pokémon. Tepig is a Fire Type Pokémon. It loves to eat roasted berries, but sometimes it gets too excited and burns them to a crisp.

"Haha, you're a real fun one!" The Tepig grew a big smile on its face and wagged its tail faster. "And you're really calm and cool." Ash said to the Oshawott. The Oshawott pounded its chest with pride. Ash stood back up. "They're all awesome Pokémon."

"I'm glad you think so. The three new trainers should be arriving soon," Juniper said, looking towards the door. "I hope they aren't late for their first Pokémon." Ash and Pikachu shared a glance at each other and chuckled.

The two turned towards the door, waiting for the new trainers to make an arrival. It wasn't long until three figures started to make an appearance. Soon the glass door opened.

"So-oooo-orry we're late Professor!" The first person to enter was a girl. She had blonde hair, had a white skirt, an orange jumper, a green beret, and orange tights. She was currently bowing to Juniper.

"Thanks to you Bianca, we're all late," the next person to enter was a tall boy. He had black hair, had glasses, a blue coat, a white shirt with a Y-shaped pattern, and black dress pants.

"Don't blame it all on her Cheren. You know how her dad is," the next, and final person, to enter was a girl. She was Ash's height with long brown hair. She had a white hat with a pink Pokeball symbol on it. She was wearing a tank shirt underneath a black waistcoat and a pair of denim shorts.

"Bianca, don't worry about it," Juniper said, making the girl stand straight again. "Here you three," Juniper walked over to a desk where there were three trays, each of them holding 5 Pokeballs and a Pokedex. "This is a Pokedex. Do any of you know what the Pokedex does?"

Cheren answered in an instant. "The Pokedex is a device that can give you information about a Pokémon, even more information if you catch a Pokémon."

"Correct Cheren! Now then, I think it is about time you all choose your very first Pokémon," Juniper gestured towards the starter Pokemon

The three didn't seem to even notice Ash was there as they all looked between themselves. "Who should choose first?" Cheren asked, glancing over at the starter Pokémon. He seemed to have his eyes on Snivy.

"I think Hilda should choose first!" Bianca declared. This surprised the two.

"Me? Are you sure Bianca?"

Bianca gave her a bright smile. "Of course! After all, it was my fault you were late."

"I was late too," Cheren mumbled.

Hilda smiled and nodded. She walked over towards the starter Pokémon, holding her Pokedex. She was about to scan each of the Pokémon before shaking her head and putting her Pokedex in her pocket. Ash was slightly surprised. Didn't she want to know about the Pokémon?

Hilda looked at all three of them. Snivy didn't seem to necessarily care too much, Tepig was wagging its tail, and Oshawott had a blank expression. Hilda picked up the Oshawott. "Hey, want to be my new partner?" Oshawott seemed surprised before giving a nod. Hilda turned towards Juniper. "I choose Oshawott!"

Juniper smiled. "Oshawott is a good choice. Here is her Pokeball." Juniper handed Hilda her Pokeball before turning towards Bianca and Cheren.

Bianca ran up to the two remaining Pokémon and picked up Tepig. "Alright, I choose Tepig and you get Snivy Cheren!"

"What? Why do you get to choose my Pokemon?" Cheren sighed and looked at Snivy. "Well, I wanted Snivy in the first place so I guess it works out." The two received their Pokémon's respective Pokeballs. The three then bowed to Juniper.

"Thank you so much!"

Juniper seemed surprised but smiled nonetheless. "I take pride in being able to send young trainers like you into the world of Pokémon."

The three nodded and looked at each other, but it was then that Hilda finally noticed Ash. "Hey, who are you?" Everyone looked in his direction.

Professor Juniper walked over to Ash. "Everyone, this is Ash. He's a trainer from the Kanto Region and he's going to challenge the Unova League."

"Hi there," Ash said. "I'm Ash Ketchum. And this is my partner Pikachu."

"A Pikachu?" Cheren asked. He pulled up his Pokedex and held it up in front of Pikachu.

Pikachu. The Mouse Pokemon. Pikachu is an Electric Type Pokémon. It occasionally uses an electric shock to recharge a fellow Pikachu that is in a weakened state. It is uncommon in the Unova Region.

"The Unova League?" Hilda asked, also looking at the Pikachu, though unlike Cheren she was directly in front of Pikachu who was on Ash's shoulder.

"That's right. If you sign up at the Pokemon Center in Accumula Town, you can enter the Unova League. It is a challenge to become the strongest trainer in the region," Juniper explained.

"Hm, I may take on that challenge," Cheren said.

"I'm not interested in becoming the strongest trainer, but maybe I'll give it a shot," Bianca said, hugging her Tepig.

"I'll think about it as well," Hilda said, now rubbing Pikachu's head.

"By the way Ash," Ash looked to Cheren. "Is your Pikachu strong?" Ash looked at Pikachu and grinned.

"You bet!"

"Then how about a battle?" Ash was a bit surprised. Cheren had only just received his started Pokémon. Ash looked at the Snivy next to him and was surprised to see it so determined.

"Our first battle in Unova…You're on Cheren!" Something just sparked in Ash, something he hadn't felt since his battle with Paul.

"If you both are sure, then let's go to the battlefield outside," Juniper said, exiting the lab with all four trainers following.

They were soon in an outside battlefield. Juniper was the referee while Ash and Cheren were standing across from one another, their Pokémon already on the battlefield. Hilda and Bianca were standing at the side.

"This is a one-on-one battle between Ash from Pallet Town and Cheren from Nuvema Town! The battle ends when one Pokémon on either side is defeated! Battle begin!"

Cheren pushed up his glasses. "Snivy, Vine Whip!" Vines sprouted from Snivy's back and started to go straight towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Pikachu's tail glowed and Pikachu did a spin and knocked both of the vines away, surprising Cheren.

"Both of the vines? I thought you would be able to knock away only one," Cheren said, still slightly surprised.

"That spin Pikachu did was able to knock away both vines with just one hit. Pikachu spun around twice really fast. That's something we learned in our previous journey. Now it's my turn, Quick Attack!"

Pikachu suddenly gained a burst of speed that surprised Cheren. "Snivy, meet it with a Tackle!"

Snivy also charged at Pikachu, much slower though, which ended up causing Snivy to be knocked back. Snivy got back up, though had sparks flying around his body.

"What are those sparks around Snivy?" Bianca asked. "Is Quick Attack an electric type move?"

"No, that's Pikachu's ability. If a Pokemon makes physical contact with Pikachu, they may be paralyzed. Their movement will be slower and they may not be able to attack," Juniper explained.

"Do our Pokémon also have abilities like that?" Hilda asked.

Juniper nodded. "Every Pokémon has a special ability. Some are only activated in certain circumstances however."

Cheren was analyzing the situation. He had used all of Snivy's moves, which were currently only two. If he wanted to turn this around, he would have to think about Ash's next move. It was clear to Cheren that Ash is holding back, which is understandable considering this is not only his first battle, but it was also Snivy's first battle. But he will make him regret underestimating him and Snivy.

"Snivy! Vine Whip! But use only one Vine!" This surprised everyone but Snivy did as told.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Pikachu knocked the vine away with Iron Tail.

"The other vine!" Cheren called. Snivy's other vine appeared and grabbed Pikachu. "Toss it!" Snivy raised Pikachu into the sky and slammed him on the ground.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out, worried for his friend. He saw Pikachu get up with some bruises, but was fine. Ash let out a sigh of relief before grinning at Cheren. "You're pretty good Cheren! Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

No one noticed the clouds in the sky as Pikachu started the attack. "PIKA-" Cheren had no idea what he could do against the attack. "CHU!" Pikachu unleashed the electric attack, but to everyone's surprise, the attack was redirected into the clouds.

All of a sudden a blue lightning bolt struck Pikachu, surprising everyone even more. "PIKACHU!" Ash called out as he raced to his friend. The lightning bolt disappeared but Pikachu was now unconscious with smoke around his body.

Ash lifted up Pikachu. "Ash! Bring Pikachu to my lab now!" Juniper called, rushing inside. Ash nodded, racing inside after the Professor. Hilda and Bianca decided to follow, worried about Pikachu. Cheren gave a quick glance at the clouds, wondering when they appeared before following the others.

Juniper placed Pikachu on a bed and hooked up some machines to him and started to analyze what had happened. She was looking back and forth between different monitors, punching keys in order to get results. Ash was just sitting by Pikachu's side, worried.

A gasp made everyone in the room turn towards Juniper. "Professor? What's wrong?" Hilda asked.

Juniper turned towards Ash with a frown. "Ash, I'm afraid that lightning bolt had drained all of Pikachu's energy."

Ash was confused. "Can't Pikachu regain his energy?"

Juniper shook her head. "I meant, Pikachu had all of his electric energy drained. Meaning Pikachu can no longer use electric type moves."

Ash stared at Juniper as he started to comprehend what she just said. His mind went back to an event similar to this all the way back in Hoenn. Except then it was the opposite: Pikachu had stored too much electric energy. Now Pikachu was drained of it all.

"Why…? Why did this have to happen!?" Ash placed his head on Pikachu's bed. It was Pikachu's Thunderbolt that had allowed them to have the bond they had.

Just then the power in the lab turned off. "What's this? Did a something short-circuit?" Juniper asked, inspecting various devices. "You all wait here, I'll be back." Juniper left, leaving the four trainers in silence.

"So Ash," Bianca said, trying to start a conversation. "How long have you had Pikachu?"

Ash raised his head from the bed and looked up. "…I guess 4 years now."

"Really? You're from Kanto right? Which Pokémon was your starter?" Cheren asked.

Ash smiled as he looked at Pikachu. "It was Pikachu. I overslept the day I had to get my first Pokémon and I ended up with this guy." Ash was now rubbing Pikachu's head.

Hilda was curious about Ash and his bond with Pikachu. It was clear that bond seemed to be a part of his strength. "What about you Ash?"

Ash looked at Hilda quizzically. "What about me?"

"Tell us about you! You are clearly a good trainer and you said something about journeys earlier, which was plural so you must have had plenty of adventures!" Ash was surprised by Hilda's excitement and sharpness.

"You'll get used to it," Ash looked at Cheren confused. "She can pick any sentence to pieces in order to get the information she wants."

"I see. Well I've been to Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. I've had too many adventures to even count," Ash said rubbing the back of his head. It sounded like he was gloating.

"So you've met many kinds of Pokémon then?"

Ash grinned. "Lots. I've met just about every Pokémon in each region. And the fact that there's a whole region of Pokémon I've never seen before is awesome!"

Before Hilda could say something, a sudden movement cut her off. The trainers stared at Pikachu who stood up on the bed. "Pikachu! How are you feeling?" Ash asked. Pikachu didn't respond, but only jumped out of the bed and made his way towards the window. "Pikachu, where are you going?" Pikachu jumped towards the window but Ash quickly caught him. "Pikachu, what's wrong?" Pikachu tried to use Thunderbolt but failed. So instead he pointed outside. "You want to go outside? Why?"

"Pika!"

"That's not a good enough reason!"

"Pika!"

"…Alright, I trust you Pikachu." Ash opened the window and jumped out. "You guys wait inside!" Ash said before letting Pikachu out is his hands. The three new trainers just watched from the window as Ash and Pikachu stepped into the middle of the field.

Pikachu suddenly stopped in the middle of the field and looked up towards the sky. Ash stopped next to him and did the same. His eyes widened as the cloud started to cackle with electricity and soon there was a bright flash, blinding him for a moment.

When Ash opened his eyes, he was no longer standing on solid ground. "Where…am I?"

Around him was darkness, with sparks flying occasionally. Pikachu was next to him and seemed to be back to normal. "Pika?"

Something flew above him, making Ash and Pikachu look up. They're eyes widened as they saw a giant black creature, blending in with the darkness. It would have completely blended in if it weren't for the blue electricity around it.

"What are your ideals?" Asked a loud, deep voice.

"Ideals?"

The black creature now flew below Ash and Pikachu.

"Will you fight the truth?"

"The truth?"

The creature landed in front of Ash and Pikachu, causing a wind to blow, nearly making the two stumble and fall. The only thing Ash could see was red, glowing eyes. The creature let out a roar and the world flashed brightly once again. Ash closed his eyes and crossed his arms in front of him to shield himself from the light.

When Ash opened his eyes, he was back on the field. He looked around, then at Pikachu who had sparks flying around him. "Pikachu?"

Pikachu looked at Ash and tilted his head. "Pika?"

"Was that…a dream?" Ash wondered as he looked up at the sky, that was now as clear as day. Ash then glanced at Pikachu who still had sparks flying around his body. Ash crouched to touch him but felt a shock. "Pikachu, can you use electric moves again?" Pikachu tilted his head, looking for something to use a Thunderbolt on. "Just use Thunderbolt on me!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu blinked before nodding.

Ash screamed and sparks were now flying around his body as he was now charred. "Yep…you're just as strong as ever…"

"Ash!" Ash turned around and saw his friends run over to him. "Are you alright!?" Hilda asked worriedly.

Ash got up and dusted himself off before giving everyone a thumbs up. "I'm fine. But better news, Pikachu can use electric type moves again!" Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder and gave out a happy cry.

Hilda was surprised. He was just hit by a Thunderbolt but was happy simply because his Pokémon was feeling better. Hilda looked at Oshawott who was in her arms, wondering if she'll be able to bond with Oshawott like Ash and Pikachu. Oshawott seemed to have sensed her thoughts and met her gaze, giving her a smile. "Osha!" Hilda responded with a smile.

"Yeah," she whispered. "We'll be best friends, and become the very best." They were all going back to the lab.

Ash noticed Hilda wasn't with them and stopped and turned around. "Hilda! You coming?"

Hilda nodded and ran up to him. They all walked back to the lab to talk for the rest of the day.

"A large black Pokémon?" Juniper asked, surprised. They were all at the dinner table eating dinner. Ash had just described what had happened when he went outside.

"Yeah, it was such a huge Pokémon! Do you have any idea what it could be Professor?"

"I…think you may have met the Legendary Pokémon Zekrom." Everyone at the table stopped eating and looked at Juniper with incredulous expressions on their faces.

"The Zekrom from the legend? How could that be?" Cheren put a hand under his chin, thinking.

"It is the only explanation I have at the moment. It could be that it drained Pikachu's energy in order to get your attention, Ash."

Ash blinked before pointing towards himself. "Me? Why would it want my attention?"

"I do not have all the answers, but maybe it wanted to make you aware of its existence."

Ash looked at Pikachu, both sharing a smile before looking back at Juniper. "Well that's fine with me! I would love to meet Zekrom!"

Cheren pushed up his glasses. "To meet the legendary Zekrom…"

Hilda looked outside and noticed it was getting late. "Professor, do you mind if we stay overnight? We did not expect such to stay here for so long."

Juniper smiled at Hilda. "Of course! I'll show you where the rooms are."

"I'll pass," everyone looked at Cheren. "It's better to get used to sleeping in the outdoors. And I would like to get started on my journey sooner rather than later."

"Eh? Are you sure Cheren?" Hilda asked.

Cheren nodded. "The next time we meet, we'll have a battle Hilda."

Hilda nodded with a smile. "I'll get stronger, I won't let you down Cheren!" Cheren smiled before bidding everyone farewell and leaving.

"I'll show you two girls the guest room," Juniper said, and with that they all went to sleep, all excited for the next day.

Ash stepped outside the lab and both he and Pikachu stretched their arms. "I guess we should get going, huh Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered.

Ash had already said goodbye to Juniper, and Bianca had left early. Meanwhile Hilda was still in the lab. "Let's get going then!" Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder and as Ash started to head off to Route 1, he was stopped by a voice.

"Ash! Wait!" Ash turned around and saw Hilda running towards him.

"What's up Hilda? You need something?" Ash asked. The girl looked away, trying to gather her thoughts.

"Can I…" Ash tilted his head, waiting for her to continue. "Can I travel with you?" Hilda blurted, her face turning red after. Ash opened his mouth to speak but Hilda cut him off. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It's better if you travel alone, right? In order to get stronger, travelling alone is the best thing to do. I'm sorry Ash."

Ash blinked as he remembered his old friend May. She had left after his second journey through Kanto, claiming that she will be stronger if she travelled alone. He knew that it was not true, after all May lost to Dawn, a new coordinator while May had nearly 2 years of experience.

"Hilda, I don't mind," Hilda looked up in surprise. "Travelling with someone doesn't make you weaker. You get stronger and the journey's more fun. More the merrier as I always say!" Ash gave her a thumbs up while Pikachu cheered as well.

"Thank you so much Ash and Pikachu!" Hilda exclaimed before hugging Ash, catching him off guard.

When they separated from the hug, Ash was curious about something. "But why do you want to travel with me?"

Hilda looked down. "I…I'm scared. I'm afraid that I will be hurt by a Pokémon, or Oshawott will be really injured, anything can happen and there may be no one to help me. But you and Pikachu are strong, and you're really brave! So I thought if I stuck around you, I'll be fine. I'm pretty selfish, huh?"

Ash shook his head. "It's natural to be afraid. Pokémon are awesome creatures, but they can be scary at times as well. You chose the right person to travel with Hilda. I promise that you won't get hurt with me around!"

Hilda looked up at Ash in surprise who had a smile on his face which was contagious as she also smiled. She will finally enter the world of Pokémon.

So…how many stories do I have that are In Progress? But seriously, this is something I have always wanted to do: rewrite Ash's Unova Journey. For those who do like Cilan and Iris, well they won't be Ash's companions. Iris annoyed me until probably around Castelia City. And Cilan, his connoisseur stuff was interesting at first, but got old and repetitive. (This is just my personal opinion by the way).

I wasn't actually planning on making this story until recently where I read Epsil0nCha0s story: Champion's Revived Glory. It was an AshxLeaf fic, which I'm pretty neutral with. Epsil0nCha0s has written some amazing stories so I decided to read this one, and I don't regret anything. But what really stood out to me was the character development of the characters, specifically Hilda. While the fic was AshxLeaf, it actually made me like AshxHilda more. I never really considered the pairing and thought it was just fun to pair Ash with Hilda [who really should have been Ash's travelling companion instead of Iris (again, personal opinion)]. But now I really do like AshxHilda more and this fic may turn out to be an Othello fic...

I also plan on including stuff from the anime too, like Ash's Pokémon. Except some will evolve. Normally I don't really care if Ash evolves a Pokémon or not, but the fact that certain Pokémon never evolved kind of annoyed me. *coughSnivyandScraggy* So for example, sunglasses Sandile will be in this. Some events will end up being different of course. And Ash won't lose as much! And he won't have amnesia! He's coming to Unova with his skills from Sinnoh. I will be going off the game a lot though. Team Plasma, certain events, etc.

I was actually not planning on releasing this chapter for a loooooong time. As in, probably when I've finished Deadly Pranks and Oblivia Battles.

The reason I am releasing it is because I want anyone who (for some reason) decides to read this to suggest Pokémon for Ash and Hilda to catch, as I don't have a set team for Hilda. I only want Unova Pokemon suggestions because I am going off of Pokemon Black and White, not Pokemon Black 2 and White 2. So only UNOVA Pokemon.

Also, if Team Rocket should appear, should they be their usual idiotic selves or should they be smart like in Best Wishes anime? I'm not really expecting anyone to read this story, considering it has an unpopular pairing choice and is a rewrite of the anime but whoever does, please leave any suggestions! Thank you for reading!

(Title will change at some point btw)