Summary: An indifferent Ash Ketchum travels in Sinnoh by himself. After a heated argument with May, Ash believes that having companions will hold him back his true potential. Smarter Ash/Indifferent Ash/OOC Ash

Chapter 1: New Resolves

Ash Ketchum, a trainer from Pallet Town and striving to become a Pokémon Master witnessed his travelling companion May lose to Solidad, a Coordinator from Pewter City in the Semi-Finals at the Kanto Grand Festival. May never stood a chance due to Solidad having more experience in coordinating, thus her Munchlax and Combusken were defeated despite putting up a decent fight. She returned her Pokémon and ran off crying into the dress room, comforted by her friends. Ash felt sympathy for May and decided to console her as the group walked outside of the building. Too bad he won't know what's coming to him.

"May, I think you did great in this festival. Making it to the Semi-Finals and beating Drew is a good accomplishment. Not even I ever made it to the Top 4 and you did in your first year. I'm positive you will win the next one!" he said encouragingly. Brock and Max agreed and the former was about to add his two cents in but it was cut off by a pissed off May.

"Ash, the reason why I have lost is because of you holding me back with your useless gym battles! You have never trained your Pokemon that much and only made it to Top 8! Know what I think about you Ash Ketchum?! You are the WORST TRAINER EVER!" she screamed. Her rant caught attention from people walking by. Ash Ketchum reeled in shock at the backlash from his supposed friend. Sure, he loses his battles but he learns from them and he helped May become a good trainer/coordinator and this is the thanks he gets? Brock and Max were stunned beyond belief themselves, the latter shocked at how his older sister would talk to his idol like that. May walked to Max, forcefully grabbing his forearm and walked off, leaving Ash and Brock behind. The bystanders left shortly after. While Pikachu restrained himself from charging a Thunderbolt at May, Ash looked at the ground, the brim of his league cap overshadowing his upper face as his shoulders start shaking and his fists clenching and unclenching. Brock thought that Ash was crying and was about to comfort him until an emotionless laugh escaped from Ash's lips. He looked up to Brock, his eyes blank.

"So this is the thanks I get?" Ash quietly said, "Am I really a bad trainer Brock?" he asked his long-time friend since his Kanto journey. Brock looked at Ash like he grew a second head.

"No Ash, you are one of the best trainers and I know you will become the greatest trainer one day," Brock declared, "If May wants to ditch us, it's her loss. It doesn't change your goals in life Ash, and I'm sure you will pull through." It was true. He believed Ash will become the best there ever was. Deep down though, he had to agree with May that Ash hadn't trained hard enough but he hoped that Ash will use this as a motivation to get stronger. Indeed he was right. Ash's eyes were dancing in determination once again.

"Thanks Brock, I knew I could always count on you. If anything, May was holding me back," Ash said with a slight icy edge in his tone, "She had a point that I haven't trained my Pokémon much but that doesn't excuse her to criticize me," he finished. Brock smiled and nodded. "That's good Ash. I didn't want to smack some sense into you," Brock jested. They both shared a chuckle. Ash stopped as he looked at the sunset. Silence reigned except the people walking and chatting.

Ash broke the silence. "I guess I can start training tomorrow because I need to get prepared for my rematch against Brandon," Ash said. Brock nodded. "Good idea. We need to find a Pokémon Center. It's almost nighttime." Both trainer and breeder walked down the road to find the Pokémon Center.

30 minutes later…

Brock and Ash made it to the Pokémon Center just right before the sun came down. Brock went to a room on the left, but Ash could have sworn he had heard Brock exclaiming his love. Shaking his head from what he assumed Brock's doing, Ash walked to his bedroom. He brushed his teeth and changed into his pajamas, consisting of a white T-Shirt and lavender-like blue boxers. He laid down on his guest bed with Pikachu. Before Ash went to sleep he turned to Pikachu. "Pikachu, I'm sorry that I didn't bring out your full potential. I promise you that from now on, I will make you and our friends stronger," Ash silently exclaimed. Pikachu nodded with a 'pika' and raised his paw up. Ash chuckled and said good night to him.

Next Morning

Sunlight penetrated through the curtains and landed on Ash's upper face. Said boy stirring awake due to the irritable light. He carefully rubbed Pikachu awake to start a new day. Ash got up and took a quick shower, put his Hoenn attire on except the hoodie and walked off to find Brock. Ash and Pikachu looked around until they have found Brock on the floor, groaning. Ash sighed and helped Brock back up. Brock nodded and whispered a quick thanks before straightening himself up.

"You found some girls again?" Ash asked rhetorically. Brock nodded. "Yup. I can't help it Ash. They are just too beautiful to ignore. How come you're not looking for a girl Ash? Aren't you 13 already?" Brock asked. Ash's left eyebrow twitched while a slight vein popped in his temple. "No Brock, I don't have time for love right now and I've been pretending to be oblivious about love since Misty travelled with us," Ash said. Brock was a bit surprised at the new revelation. 'I guess I was a fool for believing that Ash was as dense as a rock.' Brock inwardly said. Ash, Pikachu, and Brock walked to a table after grabbing breakfast. As they were eating, Ash suddenly had a thought in mind. "Hey Brock, I think I know who to use for the battle against Brandon. I have no doubt he has a Regice and a Registeel and both types have a common disadvantage," Ash suddenly said. Brock rose an eyebrow. The only Pokémon types that could defeat an Ice type and a Steel type are Fighting types and

"You're planning to use a Fire type?" Brock asked. Ash nodded. Then a smirk appeared on his face. "Then you'll know who I am planning to use right?" Ash asked. It took Brock a couple of moments to catch on who Ash is using and matched his smirk. Both continued to eat their food silently. Ash had already finished his meal so he grabbed his backpack and jogged to find a clearing in the forest.

10 minutes later

Ash had finally found a clearing. It consisted of trees and stumps. It's perfect to train his Hoenn Pokémon. Before Ash could train them, Ash picked some Oran berries to give them breakfast - except Pikachu who ate back at the center - because Brock is still eating his breakfast. Ash grabbed all his 5 Pokéballs and out came Corphish, Swellow, Sceptile, Donphan, and his newly caught Aipom. All Pokémon were staring at Ash, wondering what their next agenda is today. Ash placed the Oran berries on the ground so they could have their energy filled up. Said Pokémon cheered while digging in their food. It only took five minutes for them to finish. Ash sat up and walked to them. The Pokémon gave him their attention.

"Alright guys, today I have some things to tell you. As of yesterday, May has left us, claiming that I am the worst trainer ever and I am the reason why she lost at the festival. She said I held her back," The Pokémon were shocked at first, then replaced with outcries of anger. 'How dare that witch tell Ash that he's the worst!' were their thoughts. Ash held up a hand to silence them.

"Anyway, I've been thinking now and I realized that I could have done a better job training you guys. If I trained you guys more, we would have won the Hoenn League. I promise that we will get stronger and the next league, we will win for sure!" Ash declared. His Pokémon chanted their names in agreement.

Late afternoon

Ash had been working on his Pokémons' strengths and weaknesses. Swellow has been doing resistance training from thunderbolts and ice beams. Ash also remembered the technique Winona the Fortree Gym Leader used with her Pelipper. Pelipper used Steel Wing on the ground as a conductor to not get hurt by Pikachu's thunderbolt. Conveniently, Charizard arrived and as usual, greeted Ash with a Flamethrower. He was shocked at what Ash told him and his dedication to training his Pokémon to the fullest. Ash asked his Charizard to help teach Swellow Steel Wing. Swellow had a little glow on his wings but he hasn't fully mastered it yet. Swellow also has increased his speed and strength and is now capable of performing a quick Aerial Ace.

Corphish has been practicing his Crab Hammer and speed. Ash used his Pokédex to look up possible moves Corphish can learn. It turns out Corphish could learn Dragon Dance because his mother is a Kingdra or a Dragonair and Metal Claws. Ash knew that it will be impossible for Corphish to learn it due to Ash having no Pokémon that could use those moves. Instead, Corphish practiced his Harden and it eventually turned into Iron Defense.

Sceptile began his own training exercise. It varied from speed increase to stamina increase. The speed paid off and Sceptile has learned Agility. Currently, Sceptile is working on learning Iron Tail. Pikachu came up and offered Sceptile to learn Iron Tail. Sceptile immediately accepted the offer because he likes to have a good surprise attack against Ice type Pokémon. Sceptile could only make his tail glow so far. Ash smiled in pride at Sceptile's progress. If Sceptile keeps up his training, he could definitely take on Regirock.

Donphan's progress didn't really change. The training spot Ash picked didn't have any big rocks or mountains to roll on. So all Donphan did was increase his power and speed on Rollout. While Donphan worked on his Rollout, Ash looked up in his Pokédex and smirked at the possible moves Donphan can learn. He is definitely going to find a rocky environment. Fortunately, Ash is going to the Fennel Valley for his rematch against Brandon and the valley has big rocks for Donphan to learn some Rock type moves.

Aipom was the most energetic and dedicated of all. She worked hard on her Focus Punch and can now do a quick one as a surprise attack. Aipom also learned a new move and it surprised Ash. She held up her hands and a familiar black ball with spinning sharp purple aura around it and threw the ball at the tree. Ash was proud of Aipom for learning Shadow Ball and decided in the future to buy treats for her the next time he goes to a town.

Pikachu seems to not have changed in progress but Ash knows his #1 partner better. Pikachu abandoned Quick Attack and picked up Agility again but this time, Agility was faster than ever, giving him the advantage to outdo huge Pokémon. Pikachu had also manipulated his electricity and created an electrifying Iron Tail. Ash kept it as an ace and didn't even tell Brock about it. Deciding to call it a day, Ash recalled his Pokémon except his Pikachu of course and walked back to the Pokémon Center to find Brock. As he walked in, he saw Brock attempting to flirt with a woman in her late teens who is wearing a Hawaiian outfit. Ash shook his head at his friend's antics. Nothing will ever change about Brock when it comes to women. Ash was shocked when the woman turned him down. Brock then went to a corner and broke down comically. Ash sweatdropped and shook his head and instead decided to go take a quick shower so he gave his Pokémon including Pikachu to Nurse Joy and went upstairs.

If not for the fact that the woman noticed him and ran up to him and poked him on the shoulder. Ash turned around and rose his eyebrow at what the lady needed. She smiled at him.

"I was wondering if your name is Ash Ketchum. Are you him?" she asked. Ash nodded. She continued. "Is it true that you are doing the Battle Frontier? I heard that you've beaten an Articuno," she said. Ash nodded again. "I thought no one would pay attention to that at all. And who are you miss…?" Ash asked. "My name is Phoebe and I'm part of the Elite 4 in the Hoenn region. The moment I found you here I wanted to battle you but since I saw you recalling your Pokémon, I assume they are all tired. So I guess I'll ask you tomorrow," Phoebe said. Before she turned, Ash called her back. "I have one Pokemon that isn't tired and I believe he is eager to battle," Ash said. Phoebe smiled at him and gestured him to follow her. Ash told her to wait while he called Professor Oak then called Brock to referee the match. Brock instantly broke his comical despair and followed his friend. Unknown to them, few people around them heard what they were exchanging and followed them with their friends, forming a mini crowd.

Grass Battlefield

After what seemed to be forever, Ash and Phoebe finally found a battlefield. The following crowd staying oblivious to the three trainers. Ash gave Pikachu to Brock, who allowed Pikachu to sit on his shoulder. Both stood on each platform with a Pokéball out. Brock walked to the center and performed his well-known referee skills.

"This is a 1 on 1 battle between Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and his opponent Phoebe. Call out your Pokémon and begin!" Brock exclaimed. Phoebe pulled out her Pokéball and out came a Ghost type Pokémon that has 1 horn protruding from the middle, three fingers, flat arms, and a zipper for a mouth. It was a Banette. Ash threw out a familiar Dual Grass/Poison type Pokemon. He has red eyes, blue dot-like patterns, and a green bulb on his back. It was his friend Bulbasaur. Brock raised an eyebrow at Ash's choice but he wouldn't judge so he raised his hand down to begin the battle.

"You can have the first move Ash," said Phoebe. Ash nodded. "Alright. Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!" Bulbasaur chanted his name and threw sharp leaves from his body towards Banette.

"Banette, dodge and use Shadow Ball!" Phoebe commanded. Banette formed the Shadow Ball in her hands and chucked it towards Bulbasaur. Ash grunted as the Shadow Ball comes towards Bulbasaur like a comet. Before it strikes, Ash yelled out a command.

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip to catch the Shadow Ball and throw it back!" Bulbasaur nodded and two vines stretched out from Bulbasaur's back, catching the Shadow Ball. With brute force, Bulbasaur pushed it back to Banette. Phoebe watched in awe as Banette's own attack strikes her. Banette was damaged but can still battle.

"Banette, use Will-O-Wisp!" Phoebe yelled out. Banette nodded and conjured a few balls of blue fire and threw it at her opponent.

"Dodge, then use Leech Seed!" Bulbasaur aimed his bulb like a turret and shot out a brown seed towards Banette.

"Banette, dodge with a Faint Attack!" Banette disappeared as the Leech Seed went past her and phased in front of Bulbasaur and rammed him. Bulbasaur grunted as the hit took a good amount of his health. Ash contemplated on how to get away from Faint Attack. Ash looked up at the sky and sees that the sun is shining brightly. That's it! He thought.

"Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!" Bulbasaur once again threw the sharp leaves at Banette. Phoebe chuckled. To her, it was over. "Banette, finish this with another Faint Attack!" Banette once again dodged the incoming attack and phased right in front of Bulbasaur. Before she could hit him, Ash yelled out another move.

"Use Vine Whip to hold Banette!" Bulbasaur used his vines to hold onto Banette by her arms. Phoebe was stunned at the bizarre move. "Banette break away!" she yelled. Ash smirked. It was over. "Bulbasaur, Solar Beam full power!" Bulbasaur chanted his name as his bulb began forming white energy. Due to the sunlight, the energy became full instantly and Bulbasaur launched his Solar Beam. Banette suffered severe damage and was pushed to the ground. She was struggling to get up but her trainer's chants encouraged her to get back up. Banette will not disappoint her trainer. She glared at Bulbasaur and smirked. Phoebe matched her Pokémon's smirk.

"Ash, you've amazed me. I've never been pushed this far in a battle. Too bad the match has to be over," Phoebe declared. Ash was confused until he heard Bulbasaur cry out in pain as fire surrounded him. Ash was shocked. 'But how?! Bulbasaur charged his Solar Beam and…' It dawned in realization to Ash that Banette used Will-O-Wisp to Bulbasaur as the Solar Beam was complete. 'Of course. I should have been more careful and Bulbasaur will suffer because of me.' Ash thought. Bulbasaur struggled to get up but fell down with swirls in his eyes. Ash sighed and recalled Bulbasaur in his Pokéball. "You did great buddy. Have a good rest," he whispered as he tucked the ball back in his pocket. Then Ash heard cheering. He paled. Ash turned to his left and saw a crowd of people clapping and chanting "ASH!" to him. Some guys ran to Ash and lifted him up. Brock smiled at this. Even though Ash lost, he did better than most. As the guys put Ash down, said boy looked to Phoebe walking towards him. She put her hand forward. "It was a great battle Ash. Never before have I seen a trainer go that far with his Pokémon and your style of battling intrigues me. You have some serious potential Ash and I know you can beat Brandon," Phoebe smiled. Ash smiled back and shook hands with her. "Thank you for the battle, Phoebe. I'm glad I've had this chance of battling an Elite. Next time you hear of me, I'm going to be stronger than before!" Ash declared. Phoebe smiled and did what caught everyone off guard and made Brock go into depression again. She walked up to Ash and kissed him on the cheek. Ash was slightly blushing and had a confused look. Phoebe smirked coyly. "If only you were five years older Ash. That's just my way of giving good luck to trainers. I'll be seeing you," she said and walked out. Ash then turned to Brock, who got out of his depression again and hugged Ash tightly. "I'm so proud of you Ash! Already having older women going after you," he exclaimed, comical tears rolling down his face. Ash sweatdropped.

Next Week

Ash and Brock began their journey onto Fennel Valley after Ash has trained up his Pokémon. Ash switched out his Hoenn team and brought his Johto team the second day. He was surprised that they were keeping up their own training and even more shocked when he saw a Quilava and a Croconaw. When evolving, Quilava learned Flame Wheel, Eruption, and Aerial Ace. Croconaw himself has learned Ice Beam from Ash's Glalie and replaced Bite with Crunch. Heracross didn't evolve but he learned Fury Attack and Focus Punch. Ash assumed that Aipom helped Heracross learn it. Then Ash brought his Kanto Team next and he was surprised at Tauros. He learned Solar Beam from Bulbasaur, Flamethrower from Quilava, and Ice Beam from Glalie. Tauros will be a surprising Pokémon in the future. Ash then randomly calls out any of his Pokémon by who needs the most training and improvement. Brock was amazed by Ash's work and has no doubt that Ash will show the world his very best.

As Ash and Brock finally make it to the Valley, they saw a familiar Pyramid landing.

Brandon has arrived.

And Ash is ready for the battle.

Chapter 1 already done! Since there isn't that much fictions that has Ash doing Sinnoh by himself, I figured I'll take a crack at it myself. And there are some things that will make this story different from the Anime.

1.) The movies where Ash has met legendary Pokémon are NOT canon except for Ho-Oh and Mewtwo. I don't consider Ash some prophecy because he is a normal trainer like everyone else. His game counterpart wasn't special either so why Ash?

2.) Ash won't travel with Dawn as the summary indicated that. I want Ash to go on a solo journey and improve himself without distractions.

3.) Sadly, Brock isn't here because technically he shouldn't have returned in Hoenn. If Misty is gone, why is Brock around? I think there should have been a new protagonist while Ash can be seen in cameos challenging Elites as he grows up in movies or specials.

4.) After Phoebe, Ash will not meet any Elite or even interact with Cynthia until Team Galactic becomes a threat. I want him to be his own character and not know everyone famous. Lance is an exception because he helps crime. G-Men I think? Ash wouldn't be surprised if he meets one as shown when he saw Phoebe. The reason why Ash lost to Phoebe is because I never recalled Bulbasaur training at the ranch so he couldn't possibly win that easily. I also don't want Ash overpowered especially when he uses his Sinnoh Pokémon.

Anyway, I don't know when I will work on Chapter 2, but I hope I don't get lazy like last month. Peace!