Narrator: With two badges pinned to his jacket, our hero Ash and his sister Hayley, marches boldly along the path to, uh...the path to...
Hayley: Oh boy, both you and my brother's brains are starting to space out.
"Where are we going?" asked Ash.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Vermillion City." said Misty. "It's got a luxury cruise ship and I'm dying to see it."
"We won't have time for sightseeing." said Ash.
"We won't?" asked Hayley.
"Nope." he tells her.
"Why not?" she asked her brother.
"I've heard that there's a really great gym in Vermillion." said Brock.
"A Gym?" asked Ash. "All right! I'm going to win my third badge. Let's go!"
"Don't get your hopes up." Misty said after him. "There are a lot of tough trainers around here."
"Ah, bring them on!" said Ash. "I bet none of them has even one Pokémon badge."
"Riolu." sighed Meeko.
"That I can agree with, Meeko." said Hayley. "I live with a crazy brother."
Out in the air, Pidgeotto caws as it makes its way around. "Pidgeotto, finish it!" said Ash and Pidgeotto knocks back a Rattata.
"Oh, Rattata." said the boy.
"And I win!" said Ash. "That's number 10!"
"You're really a great Pokémon trainer." the boy said, shaking Ash's hand.
"Well, I guess I was pretty good there." said Ash, then shows off his badges.
"Wow! You've got badges." the boy said in awe.
"Oh, you mean these?" Ash asked in pride.
"You got two?" asked the boy.
"I think getting him those badges was a mistake." muttered Misty.
"Uh-huh." said Brock.
"I don't blame the two of you." said Hayley.
"Pika, Pika." said Pikachu.
"Riol, Riol." said Meeko.
"I bet you could even beat A.J." said the boy.
"A.J.?" asked Ash.
"Yeah, he lives over there." said the boy, pointing behind him. "A.J. trains savage Pokémon. He built his own gym. He's never lost a single match."
"Until now." said Ash. "He hasn't come against somebody like me."
"He's getting a big head." said Misty.
"And so is his ego." said Hayley.
"Yeah, but his brain's still the same size." said Brock.
"Pika, Pika." said Pikachu as he and Meeko nodded. Outside a fence, there was a sign that read, A.J.'s Gym, Undefeated! Note: Gym not sanctioned by Pokémon League. Next to it was the score of 98 wins and 0 losses.
"Look at that! This Gym isn't even licensed by the Pokémon league." said Ash. "Undefeated? Big deal! I can beat him."
"98 wins in a row." said Misty, then smirks at Ash. "You may have won ten battles, not he's won almost ten times more matches than you have."
"Yeah. You need to step up your came, big brother." said Hayley.
"I go for quality, not quantity!" said Ash.
YOU ARE READING
Pokemon: A Ketchum Journey. Vol 1
FanfictionAsh Ketchum is officially ten years old and is starting his journey to become a Pokemon Master with his eight-year-old sister Hayley, by his side. Will Ash finally become a Pokemon Master with Hayley following her own path or will he fail in his dre...
