Chapter Text
"Yow." - Human Speech
'Wazzup.' - Thoughts
"Pika!"/"Where my Ketchup at?!" - Pokespeech/Translated
'What is this shit?' - Pokethoughts
Author: "Surprise Motherfuckers!" - Author doing his bullshit.
Ash Ketchum wasn't doing too well.
As he set foot on Pallet Town's grounds, he kept staring at the ground, lost in his own thoughts, wondering where he went wrong in the Unova League.
Among all of the region he's traveled in so far, in his honest opinion, this latest one was by far the worst Pokemon Leagues he's had.
Yes, he's made some great friends.
Yes, he's made a lot of great memories.
Yes, he reunited with some of his old friends.
And yes, he fortunately didn't have to die... again.
But he was frustrated with how he went from being Top 4 in the Sinnoh League to being Top 8 in the Unova League... and to a trainer, as much as he respects him, who thought that a full battle needed only five Pokemon instead of six.
In short, he lost to an idiot because the idiot in question was lucky enough to have had his Riolu evolve mid-match. Otherwise, things could've ended differently... at least, that's his opinion.
He still couldn't believe that he lost a 6v5... how embarassing was that.
The other Leagues, his performance was great, but ultimately, he still lost in all of them.
And don't even get him started on Tobias. That dude was using cheat codes. Nobody uses Mythical or Legendary Pokemon in Leagues unless they wanted to flex, or just make the other trainers who were unlucky enough to face him feel like their entire journey was for nothing.
Bro just showed up with his Darkrai and chose the flex route.
Looking back at it now, he still had a lot to thank his Sceptile for once he got back to the ranch. After all, he was the one to take out Tobias' Darkrai.
But then Tobias sent out Latios, and... well, we all know the rest.
After all, if you show up to a Pokemon League with a Darkrai and a Latios, and possible even more Legendary or Mythical Pokemon, then of course you're gonna win.
Seriously, the mere fact that Tobias even competed in the Sinnoh League to begin with was just downright insulting to the other trainers who worked their asses off to grind through all eight gyms just to get there.
Though... as much as Ash disliked how he lost the Sinnoh League, it doesn't compare to the humiliation in the Unova League.
The look on Ash's face worried Pikachu and Alexa, who were with Ash as they walked along the road.
Pikachu was concerned for his trainer and long-time friend. One moment, Ash was happily recalling some events that happened in Unova, like that time Dawn showed up unexpectedly.
Then, by the time he got to the part in the Unova League... the mood around him changed.
It's like Ash went from cheerful to depressed real quick.
Alexa asked Ash what was wrong, but Ash just shrugged it off and said it was nothing.
With that, the rest of the walk back was just in silence. Other than the occasional Pokemon popping out of nowhere, the walk was... uneventful. And that was saying something, considering Ash was here.
...
Before they knew it, they were already near Ash's place, the boy having to point it out beforehand.
Alexa went on ahead to Professor Oak's lab since she had that interview she had to get done, so Ash and Pikachu went the rest of the way by themselves.
As expected once they were near, Mr. Mime was outside sweeping the front yard...
But they weren't expecting the other Pokemon that were there.
Namely, a Charizard, a Blastoise, a Venusaur, and a Snorlax. The last one being asleep, blocking the road. That Snorlax was a bit bigger than Ash's, no doubt.
Ash was familiar with what kind of Pokemon they were, of course, but not THESE specific Pokemon.
Both of them initially grew wary, but seeing as Mr. Mime was happily conversing with said Pokemon, they calmed down...
Still, seeing home... it lifted Ash's mood, even by just a little.
"Hey, Mr. Mime!" Ash called out to their home's keeper.
Mimey! Over here!" Pikachu waved to the Barrier Pokemon.
Immediately, Mr. Mime's attention was drawn to the boy and his Pikachu fast approaching.
Seeing them brought an even bigger smile to Mr. Mime's face.
"Holy Miltank, Ash and Pikachu are back!" Mr. Mime exclaimed. Immediately, Mr. Mime placed the broom against the wall, right beside the doorframe, and went inside to inform Delia of Ash's return.
Though, the other Pokemon in the yard simply gave a surprised look as Ash and Pikachu were quickly approaching the yard.
"Holy crap, it's him." The Charizard said as he watched the two approach.
"I can see the resemblance..." The Blastoise stated.
"I'm worried... for what his reaction might be..." The Venusaur said with his eyes closed.
"Snooorrrr..." The Snorlax was still asleep.
To nobody's surprise, Ash and Pikachu stopped right where the fully-evolved forms of the Kanto Starters were. They were curious as to who these Pokemon were, and why they were in front of their house...
More importantly, why did the Snorlax choose to sleep in the middle of the road instead of anywhere else that had grass? There was pretty much an open field here!
"So..." Ash started, he and Pikachu looking at the Pokemon as if sizing them up, but not looking for a fight. "Where'd you guys come from?"
No answer at first, but the Pokemon were visibly sweating.
"Why the hell am I getting nervous... I'm not the one having a reunion, damnit!" The Blastoise exclaimed, turning away awkwardly.
"Oh no, you don't!" The Venusaur stopped the Blastoise with his vines, making him face the two.
The Charizard simply sighed and puffed out some flames out of his nose.
Ash and Pikachu blinked, Pikachu being more confused about what this 'reunion' was about. And why they looked nervous, minus the sleeping giant on the road.
"Ash!" Ash heard his mother call him from inside the house.
This snapped Ash and Pikachu out of their thoughts. Maybe Ash's mother knew where these Pokemon came from, they thought.
Immediately, Ash bolted to the door and finally stepped back into his house after a long-long time.
He expected his Mother to be here to greet him, and she was, that's for sure... so who the heck was the other guy in the house?
Near the dining table, he could see an Espeon eating some Pokefood, while on the mystery man's shoulder... was a Pikachu... one that had a red scarf around its neck.
Ash blinked in surprise, as did his own Pikachu. They did not expect this when they got home.
"Uh... Hi, Mom!" Ash greeted his mother.
"Hi, Ash. Welcome home!" Delia went over to hug her child. She missed him so much every time he's been out in the world on his journey.
Ash hugged her back, then they separated after a few seconds. Then Ash turned to the man in the room.
Now that he had a good look, the man did share some resemblance to him. And no, he wasn't talking about the Pikachu perched on his shoulder.
Other than some of their facial features, minus Ash's lightning-bolt-like markings on his cheeks, which the man didn't have, they looked somewhat alike.
Much more with their attire.
The man's attire reminded Ash of the clothes he wore back in Sinnoh. Only, this one was Red, Black, and White. And then there was the red hat on his head.
The man, however, looked pretty nervous for some reason the moment he and Ash had locked eyes... was that regret in his eyes? Or was it... something else?
Ash had a feeling he knew who this was, but he didn't wanna embarass himself by making the wrong assumption.
After all, seeing that, it didn't take a genius to find out.
"Uh... Mom?" Ash turned to his mother, giving a silent question to address the Donphan in the room.
"Ah, right..." Delia chuckled nervously, before walking over beside the mystery man, who was growing more and more nervous by the second.
The Pikachu on the Man's shoulder hopped off and went to the Kitchen, wanting to hide behind the Espeon. Ash's Pikachu did the same, but his reason being that he wanted to ask what the hell was going on.
"Ash, you see... Oh gosh, how do I say this..." His mother was nervous, Ash could tell. Equally as nervous as the man.
"...It's ok... I'll tell him." The man said, putting a reassuring hand on Delia's shoulder. At that, Delia sighed and let him handle the rest. The man nodded, then approached Ash.
Ash could tell something was amiss... something he would either feel happy or mad about, and it didn't help his case since he was still a bit down after reminiscing about the Unova League.
"First off, I would like to say... it's good to see you again, Ash... Though, you probably don't remember me since it's been a very long time... Longer than you could remember, in fact... Give or take... a little over a decade or so..." The man said, sounding rather apologetic for some reason.
Ash was confused. He doesn't recall any memory of meeting this man before... so what was he talking about? A part of his mind already knew, and he didn't like it.
"Second... I wanna apologize for... y'know... not being there for most of your life... Damnit, I think even an apology won't be enough to make up for what I failed to do..." The man said, lowering the visor of his cap ever so slightly to hide his eyes.
"Uh..." Ash was now sure of it... From their resemblace to one another, to the choice of wardrobe... this man was his-
"Ash... I'm your father." The man stated, now looking right into Ash's eyes. "Red Ketchum."
Yeah, that makes sense.
But Ash, he was in a mix of emotions right now. At first, he was confused... Then he was happy, angry, sad, it was all mixing up.
However... on instinct, or maybe because of the fact that he missed him so much despite his supposed anger towards the man... Or probably some other factor...
He cried.
"Dad..." Ash said, nearly crying.
"In the flesh." Red said, smiling. "But looking pretty good for Thirty eight." He joked.
"Oh, dad..." The water dam finally broke, and Ash cried as he went forward to hug his Father who he hasn't seen since... when was that again? "Where have you been all this time...?"
Red blinked for a few seconds, processing this. He half-expected Ash to punch him in the face and berate him, and the other half... the same, but in the opposite order. That joke he did... probably wouldn't have done him any favors.
He wasn't expecting this to happen. Needless to say, he was happy with it.
He hugged Ash back, as any good Father would after they came home from a long business trip away.
Delia smiled, seeing that Ash accepted his Father back despite the latter's absence all these years. Well, it was pretty understandable, really. After all, Ash was rarely ever home since his journey started 8 years ago.
But... Red hadn't been home in... probably ever since after Ash came home after he went to that one Summer Camp.
"Chu..." "Huh... I wasn't expecting this." Said Red's Pikachu, drinking some Ketchup.
"Pika?" "What do you mean?" Ash's Pikachu asked the older Pikachu, also drinking some Ketchup.
"Pikachu... Pika-." "I was expecting him to punch my boi Red for being missing all these years and just showing up now." Red's Pikachu admitted. "Actually, I think this went far better than I-"
But the mood changed almost immediately. The Pokemon sensed it, the Espeon especially since it was a Psychic-type.
"Pika..." "I spoke too soon..." With that, the Pikachu with the scarf took another sip of the Ketchup bottle.
Also sensing the mood change, Ash's Pikachu decided to change the topic. "Pika... Pika?" "So yeah, cool scarf... where'd you get it?"
"Chu? Pi-Pika!" "Oh, this old thing? I got it off another Pikachu that my buddy Red and I encountered. And damn, that dude was annoying as hell. He's been causing us trouble, mind you." Red's Pikachu exclaimed, a mix of amusement and annoyance in his voice. "But I beat him with a Volt Tackle to the face, and... the rest is history. I even took his scarf as a bonus."
"...Pika... Chu!" "You have some serious problems... We're gonna get along just fine." Ash's Pikachu exclaimed happily.
Back to Ash a few seconds ago, when the Pokemon sensed the mood change...
Ash, realizing something he forgot to address, he let go of the hug and said "Wait..." He narrowed his eyes at his Father, who began sweating.
That look was something he only saw from Delia, after all... and since he was sort of a Mother's boy... Then the look meant that Ash was pissed.
"Where have you been... ALL THIS TIME?!" He yelled, not as a question, but as a demand.
Yep, Ash was pissed.
"..." Red gulped down a lump in his throat. He shouldn't have celebrated too early about his son NOT being pissed at him. He was expecting this to happen, after all.
Still, this caught him off guard.
And he could only utter one thing in response.
"... Shit." Red cursed under his breath.
This was gonna be a long day, and needed an even longer explanation.
LATER...
As expected, Ash wasn't gonna allow his Father to walk his way out of this, so he downright demanded that his Father explains where he's been the whole time.
And, Red did just that, leaving only some minor and insignificant details aside since... that'll take an entire day or two to explain if he included that.
Turns out that Red was actually working WITH the International Police, but not working FOR them. It's sort of like a partnership, so he says.
But for a little over the last decade in which he was absent, Red... he went on a journey to some regions afar, which was more of a job he took as a favor, and it took longer than expected since the regions in which he went to were a lot farther from the Kanto Region, and they were Larger so it took longer to traverse them on foot.
Apparently, for some odd reason, Red can't have any of his Flying-Type Pokemon fly him from one place to another without having been to that location beforehand, so it took longer. What's more, he had to go back and forth between places.
Author: "The Regions Red went to were from Pokemon fan games, Rom Hacks, and Galar and Paldea."
Before he knew it, over a decade had already passed since he started. Plus, he had no signal over there, and his phone was destroyed after a fight with a bunch of Legendary Pokemon one after the other, so he had no way of calling back home other than a Pokemon Center.
The more Ash listened, the less pissed he was. Though, his frustration was still there. He missed his dad, after all. It has been... over a decade.
Though, Ash couldn't exactly be mad at his Dad since he was also on the move the entire time for the last 8 years. And with his Dad's phone destroyed because of non-stop battles with Legendary Pokemon, the less reason he had.
Still, he could've at least called HIM when he was at a Pokemon Center. But he was glad that he at least checked on with his Mother.
One of them could've included him in their conversations, though... or at least his Mom could've told him about it! Why she didn't, Ash wouldn't question it. It didn't matter anymore... not to him, at least.
Before they knew it, a lot of time had passed, but it was still the middle of the afternoon.
Ash decided that he's heard enough to know that:
One, his Father wasn't a deadbeat, and he actually cared deeply about him and his Mother.
Two, the dude had a long-term job/journey that made it difficult for him to return until now.
Three, he was willing to reconnect with his Father after all this time. It was only right, after all.
And Four, his Father had apparently been watching some of the live broadcasts of the Pokemon Leagues he's competed in, so that's one point for him in Ash's book.
Still, he could've at least sent a gift card or a message, Ash thought.
But he'll have plenty, or at least, adequate time for him to reconnect with his Father now that they were BOTH in pallet town, and probably be there for a while.
And that's how they found themselves walking side-by-side talking like a proper father-son duo would, with both of their Pikachus perched on their shoulders.
They were heading to Professor Oak's lab for pretty much the same reason... to see some Pokemon. Ash wanted to see his, and Red, he wanted to see what kind of Pokemon his son caught.
Sure, he saw the League broadcasts, but he wanted to see them in person.
"... So you're telling me you saw two different Mewtwo?" Red asked, rather amused.
"Yeah. One in Johto, and one in Unova." Ash said with a nod. Even though he was still a bit mad with his Dad, he was enjoying this chat with him. "Wait, how do you know about Mewtwo?"
Red sweatdropped. "Trust me, you ain't seen nothing yet."
"Huh?"
"This place called Rhime City had one hell of an... incident, so to speak." Red admitted.
"What kind?"
"Imagine having your soul being transported into the mind of a Pokemon... That Mewtwo was all over the news in Rhime City..." Red said, shivering from the memory. "My buddy Pikachu and I needed some time to recover after that whole incident... Pretty sure that part of the city needed some time to recover."
"... Oh." Ash blinked in surprise. "That makes two of us, then."
Red also blinked in surprise at Ash. "Same thing happened to you?"
"Yep. Got turned into a Pikachu after a girl named Lily did some magic." Ash laughed. "So how'd everything go back to normal?"
"Funny story, actually. Some kid and his Pikachu, who was actually his Dad's PIkachu... Who was actually his Dad."
"... What?"
"Basically, from what I heard from their conversation, Mewtwo put the Kid's Dad's soul into the Pikachu to save the Dad, and they had a reunion... I'm not explaining the rest. Trust me, it's already much of a headache remembering it as it is experiencing it."
"Yeah, I can agree."
"Then Mewtwo fixed everything, and everything was back to normal after that... After that, I left the city."
"These two are definitely Father and Son... Trouble magnets..." Red's Pikachu sighed.
"Legendary-Level Trouble Magnets..." Ash's Pikachu added.
Before they knew it, they've already reached Professor Oak's lab.
They went through the back part of the Lab which lead to the Ranch just to make their lives easier, and sure enough, they could see Professor Oak being interviewed by Alexa.
And with them, was Ash's Bulbasaur.
"Professor Oak! Bulbasaur!" Ash called out to them.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu did the same.
"Well, would you look at that." Professor Oak smiled as he saw the pair, not noticing Red yet. "Ash and Pikachu are back!"
Bulbasaur, seeing his trainer and old friend back home, quickly jumped off the rock he was sitting on to reunite with his trainer.
Ash jumped the fence, and the moment he did, he got ran over by his herd of 30 tauros, who were just as excited to see him back home.
After that, Ash was seen lying on the ground, not expecting to get ran over so soon... He expected it five minutes after he arrived, in fact.
"Holy crap!" Bulbasaur cried in concern.
"Don't worry, he's fine." Pikachu reassured. "Nice to see you again, bud."
"Yeah, same." Bulbasaur agreed. "But you sure Ash is alright?"
"He's been through worse and still alive." Pikachu pointed out.
"Hey, Ash, you alright?" Red said, hopping over the fence to help Ash up.
Ash sat up and dusted his hat. "Yeah, all good. Happens all the time."
"What's with those Tauros, anyway?" Red asked, looking at the herd that was charging through the place, Mooing as they did.
"Oh right, I forgot to mention." Ash chuckled nervously. "I may or may not have captured thirty Tauros."
"... Of course you did." Red sighed. "Well, nothing I haven't seen before. Besides, I caught every Pokemon in Kanto when I was Eleven."
Bulbasaur raised his front legs on Ash's side, wanting some attention.
Ash smiled and pet Bulbasaur on his head. "Great to see you too, Bulbasaur."
"Bulba!"
Ash laughed, happy to see one of his oldest Pokemon again. Then he realized something. "Wait, were you guys in the middle of an interview? Was I interrupting, or...?" He asked the Professor and Alexa.
"It's no problem, really." Alexa told him. "As a matter of fact, Professor Oak just finished inroducing me to your Bulbasaur."
That was when Professor Oak noticed the familiar face that was with Ash. Even though it's been over a decade since they last seen each other, the Professor could recognize one of his favorite trainers anywhere. Still, he couldn't believe it.
"Red?" Professor Oak called, making sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.
"Hey, Professor... It's been a while." Red smiled warmly, giving a small wave.
"Oh my, you hardly aged a bit since I last saw you." The Professor said in disbelief. "How have you been, my Boy?"
"Never better now that I'm home." Red said with a small laugh.
Ash then stood up. "Oh, that's right! Professor Oak said you were the one who filled up the Kanto Pokedex all those years ago!"
"Hell yeah, I was." Red said with pride. "Took me over a year to do it, but I did it... Should've seen the look on your Uncle Blue's face when he found out..."
"Don't remind me, Red." Professor Oak deadpanned. "Blue was in bandages when it happened."
Red laughed awkwardly at the reminder. "Yeah yeah, I know." Red then took in the sights of the ranch. "I like what you did with the place, Professor. Way different from when Blue and I started our journeys."
"Indeed it has, Red. Indeed it has." The Professor said, feeling nostalgia. "It's like it was only last year that you and Blue set out on your journeys with Charmander and Squirtle."
"Yeah..." Red left it unspoken that he lost to his first battle against Blue. "Anyway! Ash, I'm interested in seeing what kind of Pokemon you've caught these past few years."
"Oh, right." Ash realized.
In truth, Red wanted to steer the topic away from his first days as a Pokemon trainer. It was... awkward for him.
"Bulbasaur, you know what to do." Ash instructed.
"Bulbasaur!" The Seed Pokemon saluted and complied, charging up and firing a solar beam into the air, which exploded, sending a signal to a large number or Pokemon who knew what that meant.
Alexa watched awestruck at the colorful display.
"It's like fireworks!" She remarked.
"That's Bulbasaur's Solarbeam. He's using it as a signal meant for Ash's Pokemon." The Professor told them.
Red nodded with a smile. "Impressive."
That was when they realized that the ground started to shake, and rocks started to jump around wildly.
And a large number of Pokemon stampeding their way to where they saw Bulbasaur's Solarbeam.
"Uh..." Red sweatdropped. "Is this normal?"
"Oh, don't worry, Red. Those are all of Ash's Pokemon." Professor Oak said, placing a reassuring hand on Red's shoulder. "Kind of reminds me of you back in the day."
"I don't remember a stampede every time I went to the lab!" Red retorted.
"Everyone!" Ash waved, running straight for the stampede.
At the very front of the stampede, Ash's Bayleef leapt forward to her trainer's embrace. It's been a long while since she's last seen him, after all.
The other Pokemon very much agreed, as they all surrounded Ash, also wanting to greet him back home.
Ash brought out the Pokemon he had on hand, which were Charizard, Pignite, Scraggy, Oshawott, and Snivy, who also joined in.
Pikachu and Bulbasaur stood back, sweatdropping at the scene. They couldn't find a window for them to slip in, so they waited patiently... No way they wanted to get ran over by a Tauros herd, so it's a no-brainer that they didn't want to get stepped on by one of the bigger Pokemon.
It's a good thing Ash finished quickly with greeting everyone back, that way he could finally introduce everyone to the new face.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet my Dad, Red Ketchum." He said, walking over to his Father and introducing him. "Dad, meet my Pokemon."
"Yo." Red waved at them. His Pikachu doing the same.
As expected, all Ash's Pokemon took his greeting well.
Ash gave a speech to his Pokemon, specifically those from Unova, about appreciating all their work in Unova... though, he was still a little depressed about his loss against Cameron, which was shared by his Pokemon.
That was when Red decided to clear the depressing vibe and introduce some of his own Pokemon... the ones that weren't anything anyone could've expected.
"Hey, Ash. Now that I've seen your Pokemon, wanna see mine?" Red asked, though already knowing the answer.
Ash nodded excitedly. Red chuckled and dug his hands through his backpack and took out another set of Pokeballs. This left Ash a little confused.
"Wait, you have more Pokemon on you? I thought having six was the limit?" Ash asked.
Professor Oak decided to answer that. "Not entirely. You can have more than Six Pokemon on you at a time. But if you got your first Pokemon at a Pokemon research lab like mine, and got your Pokedex there, then by default, the Pokemon you caught that exceeds six is sent there." He explained.
"But I'd like to keep these ones with me just to be safe. Never know when they could be of big help." Red said with a chuckle as he prepared to let the Pokemon out.
"I see..." Ash somehow understood all that. "So what's Pokemon do you have?"
With a smirk, Red threw all the Pokeballs he had on hand up in the air and yelled. "Come on out!"
The Pokeballs opened, and what came out made Ash's eyes bulge out of their sockets.
From the Pokemon he saw earlier, which were Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Snorlax, Espeon, and his Pikachu, he knew for a fact that his Father was a strong trainer.
...
But he couldn't help but shout a "Holy Mother of Arceus!" as he saw the other Pokemon his Father brought out of the Pokeballs.
Articuno.
Zapdos.
Moltres.
The Three Legendary Birds of Kanto came out, but that wasn't all.
His Father had a Mew and a Mewtwo with him!
Professor Oak didn't look too surprised since he already knew this, but Alexa nearly fainted on the spot.
Ash's Pokemon were just as shocked as their trainer at the sight.
Red's Pokemon all landed on the ground behind Red and stood there magestically.
"Dad... just one question... How?" Ash couldn't help but ask.
"Gotta thank my Charizard for that." Red chuckled, and his Charizard huffed proudly. "He's stronger than these guys."
Red's Legendary Pokemon all nodded in respect at the memory of how Red's Charizard beat the crap out of all of them. Red's Mewtwo had it worse since it took quite the beating before Red captured him back in Cerulean Cave.
Hearing that, Ash's own Charizard eyed Red's Charizard, impressed. Having beaten Legendary Pokemon in the past, he wanted to see what this other Charizard's about.
So, stepping forward, Ash's Charizard and Red's Charizard locked eyes with smirks on their faces.
This didn't go unnoticed by Red and Ash, who knew the look on their Charizards' faces better than anyone.
"You wanna battle?" Red and Ash asked their Charizards, which they nodded.
That gave enough reason for them. Red and Ash locked eyes, knowing what comes next. If their Pokemon wanna battle each other, then they had to oblige them.
They smirked knowingly and excitedly. About time they had a battle.
Seeing this, Professor Oak sighed. "If you want to have a battle, there's an empty rock field over there. I'd rather your two not burn the greenery around here."
Hearing that, they immediately went to the field, with all their Pokemon following behind, wanting to see this go down.
That only left Professor Oak and Alexa and her Pokemon.
Again, the Professor sighed again before heading back into the lab.
Hopefully, it won't end as bad as he expected.
MEANWHILE...
Ash and Red stood a great distance from one another, as did their Charizard.
Red's Charizard was a bit bigger than his own, but he and his own Charizard didn't let that intimidate them.
All their Pokemon watched this about to go down, and the bigger ones had the smaller ones hold onto them in case they get launched into the air.
Ash examined Red's Charizard more, and only now did he notice the Accessory on his wrist. It had a stone on it with a DNA-like symbol colored in Black and Blue. He noticed that his Father also had the same thing, but it was colored differently, and it was smaller.
"Hey Dad, what's that on Charizard's and your wrist?" Ash couldn't help but ask.
"You'll find out soon enough, son." Red told him. "Let's begin."
With a nod, Ash and Charizard got ready for battle.
"You can have the first move." Red offered.
Ash nodded, then commanded his Charizard. "Charizard, use Flamethrower!"
Charizard let out a mighty roar and fired a blast of flames that aimed right for the other Charizard.
"Counter it with your own Flamethrower!"
Red's Charizard did the same attack, and both attacks met in the middle, colliding and exploding on impact.
Both trainers smirked, impressed at the other's power.
"Alright, Charizard, up in the air!" Ash commanded.
Charizard did as told and took to the skies, and Red's Charizard did the same.
Both Charizard's raced after the other, attempting to get the jump on the other, but both were far too persistent and couldn't.
"Use Slash!"
Ash's Charizard's claws glowed and extended, then he flew straight towards the other Charizard in order to strike him.
"I don't think so! Dragon Claw, go!"
Red's Charizard's claws glowed green and he blocked the other's Slash, then countered it, hitting the other Charizard right in the face with Dragon Claw.
"Charizard!" Ash called out in worry, but Charizard seemed fine. "Use Wing Attack!"
Charizard's wings glowed white, and as the other Charizard was still distracted with hitting his face with Dragon Claw, he slapped the other with his wings, sending him back a few.
"Quick, Flamethrower, now!"
Charizard once again used Flamethrower, and this time, it hit the other Charizard directy, scoring a critical hit...
But Red's Charizard, having had nearly thirty years of experience, wasn't one to be taken out so easily.
Red's Charizard recovered quickly, but because of the smoke, Ash didn't see it in time.
"Fire Blast!"
Red's Charizard fired a blast of flames shaped in a star, and Ash's Charizard didn't react in time, and got a direct hit, as well.
Ash gasped in surprise, but he didn't let it distract him.
"Charizard, slam him down to the ground! Dragon Tail, now!"
Charizard roared and flew right towards the other Charizard with his tail glowing green, then slapped him with it, sending him flying to the ground in front of Red.
"Alright!" Ash cheered. His Charizard flew down and landed right in front of Ash, crossing his arms, proud of himself.
"Heh. Gotta say, that's one strong Charizard you got there, Ash. I can tell he's been well-trained if he did some decent damage to my Charizard." Red commented.
"My Charizard's been training in this place called the Charicific Valley, and he's beaten Legendary Pokemon in the past." Ash told him, and Charizard nodded in confirmation.
"I see... So both of our Charizards have tussled with Legendary Pokemon in the past..." Red uttered, impressed upon knowing this. "But you still have yet to weaken my Charizard enough."
"Huh?" Ash blinked in surprise.
It was then that he noticed that Red's Charizard had stood up once again. He had a few scratches, but that was it. It didn't look like it was affecting him at all.
"Say, Ash... you asked about the thing on our wrists before, yeah?" Red asked, and his son nodded. "Here's your answer."
Raising his hand to the stone on his bracelet, Red touched it, and it glowed brightly. The Stone on his Charizard's own wrist had also glowed the moment Red did.
Ash, Charizard, and all of Ash's Pokemon stared in awe at what was happening.
"Feast your eyes, son! Charizard and I are about to show you the depth of our bond! Now, Charizard, Mega Evolve!"
Red's Charizard roared and his body began glowing as he started to change shape.
After the light died down, Red's Charizard emerged looking stronger than ever, letting out an ever louder roar than before.
He looked different, bigger even. Red's Charizard now had a Black and Blue color scheme, as well as Red eyes, and Blue Flames coming out of his tail and either side of his mouth.
Ash's eyes widened in awe. This was his first time seeing something like this. He never knew Charizards could do this.
His Pokemon shared the same look of surprise, definitely not expecting something like this to happen.
Red's own Pokemon all smirked seeing this... But Red's Mewtwo, for some reason, sweated upon seeing it.
"What just happened?" Ash asked in awe.
"Mega Evolution. I'll tell you later after we finish this." Red told him.
Ash's Charizard chuckled nervously upon seeing the other Charizard change form. But it made him all the more excited.
So this was the Charizard that brought down more Legendary Pokemon then he did, Ash's Charizard mused to himself.
Well, he wanted to see what he could really do.
"Shall we continue?" Red asked politely.
Before Ash could respond, Blue Flames came out of nowhere and surrounded them all in groups.
"Will-o-Wisp?!" Red exclaimed.
"Don't tell me..." Ash grit his teeth, already knowing who was responsible for this.
Much to his frustration, a familiar Meowth Balloon descended from the sky.
"You gotta be kidding me..." Ash said in exasperation. "Team Rocket!"
Author: "I miss these guys..."
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!"
"To protect the world from devastation."
"To unite all people within our nation."
"To denouce the evils of truth and love."
"To extend our reach to the stars above."
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now and prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!"
As the fandom's favorite trio descended from the sky, Ash grit his teeth in annoyance. These guys always come out of nowhere at the worst possible times.
Red, however, his eyes began to be shadowed by his hat as he glared menacingly at the mention of Team Rocket.
"Team Rocket? As in that evil organization dating back to even before I began my journey nearly thirty years ago?" Red said.
"Hmm?" James raised an eyebrow. "Who's that guy?"
"No idea, but more importantly!" Meowth pointed at Red's Mega Charizard, not knowing what Pokemon it was. "Who's that Pokemon?"
"I don't know, never seen anything like it." Jessie said... then she noticed the other Pokemon with Red. "Holy Arceus, Legendary Pokemon!"
Meowth and James also caugth sight of the Legendary Pokemon with Red, and their stars had Sevens in them, like they hit the jackpot.
"We came for Pikachu, but guess we'll bag 'em, too!" Meowth said.
"Yamask, turn them into goo!" James commanded. "Use Shadow Ball!"
Yamask did as intructed and sent a Shadow Ball towards them.
Ash was about to tell Pikachu to counter it with Electro Ball, but Red stopped him, giving him a silent sign that he'll handle it.
Ash did that, and just let his Dad do the work. It seems like Red still has some beef with Team Rocket, but he didn't know what.
"Mew." Red said simply, and Mew immediately stood to attention. "Use Psychic on the Will-o-Wisp."
Mew's eyes glowed blue and the Blue flames of Will-o-Wisp were bent to Mew's will.
"Block that Shadow Ball!"
Mew redirected the flames in front of the incoming Shadowball and blocked it.
Now that the flames around everyone were out of the way, they can now move freely.
"Hey, what gives?!" Meowth complained.
"I can say the same to you!" Red wasn't all too surprised by the talking Meowth. Blud's seen enough already. "Charizard, Fire Blast." He whispered, barely audible to Team Rocket who were in the sky.
Red's Mega Charizard did as told and launched his attack right to Team Rocket's balloon, making it explode on contact, sending the balloon's occupants flying.
"Oh... and here we were trying to get a gift for the Boss." Jessie sighed.
"And what do we get? The toss..." James added.
"Damnit, another loss!" Meowth complained.
"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"
With that, Team Rocket disappeared like a shooting star.
"And I thought Team Rocket was disbanded..." Red sighed. "Looks like they're back."
Red's Charizard nodded, then to Ash's surprise, he reverted back to normal.
"Hey, Dad. What was that just now?" Ash asked as he went over to his Dad. "The Mega Evolution thing you said." He was now more curious about it, seeing that Red's Charizard returned to his original form.
"Well, I did say I'd tell you after battling you and your Charizard, but..." He pointed his thumb at the two Charizards, who looked frustrated. "Looks like those Rockets killed the mood, and now they're not up for battling. The excitement's gone now."
"Yeah, I can see that..." Ash said with a sigh. Then his Father's Mew floated over to him. "Hey, Mew. You were awesome up there."
Mew... uh... mewed happily.
Author: "How am I suppose to say that without making it sound like a pun!"
Ash's Charizard approached the other Charizard and gave a nod of approval.
"Gotta say, you're stronger than me." Ash's Charizard admitted. "That much, I can tell. From our quick battle alone, it's clear that I'd lose against you."
"Oh please, don't be so humble." Red's Charizard scoffed. "I had fun, you know. I fought Pokemon and Legendaries in the past, and compared to them, you're one of the better ones... Stand proud. You are strong."
Ash's Charizard smirked back, and both of them gave a silent declaration to each other that they'll have another battle another time.
"So, Dad... what's Mega Evolution?" Ash asked.
"You might wanna sit down, son." Red chuckled. "It's gonna take a while."
PROLOGUE END!