A New Kind of Journey: Kanto (Inconsistent Updates)

Chapter 1: Homecoming

Ash looked out the window at his homeland as the plane landed. He looked down at Pikachu, who was sleeping on the seat next to him, and smiled. "Hey, bud," he said as he saw Pikachu wake up. "We're home." "PIKA!" he responded.

I'm going to apologize in advance before people start commenting that I just reused the Han and Chewie intro from The Force Awakens, I just couldn't help myself.

After the plane taxied to the boarding tube, Ash got up and grabbed his bag out of the overhead compartment, Pikachu jumping onto his shoulder as he did. He followed the flow of people down the aisle and exited the plane. He found Brock waiting for him outside and gave him a bro-hug. "Brock!" he exclaimed. "It's great to see you man!" "Likewise," Brock responded, patting him on the back.

They exchanged stories as they walked through the airport. Brock seemed interested by Ash's description of the rough-and-ready atmosphere of the Galar Region, and Ash actually stopped in surprise when Brock told him he'd gotten a girlfriend.

"Wait, seriously?" he asked. Brock nodded, and Ash started walking again. "Who's the lucky girl?" he asked. "Lucy," Brock responded. Ash stopped again. "Hold up. Lucy, as in Pike Queen Lucy?" Brock nodded again. "The same," he said. "How'd you guys meet?" Ash inquired, walking again. "I was doing research on Pokémon breeding in Vermillion City," he began. "Lucy and I met at a function for Kanto Labs. She saw me sitting alone and decided to come over and talk to me. Things just sort of went from there."

Ash shook his head in amazement. Brock turned to him. "How about you?" he asked. Ash blushed slightly. "W-what do you mean?" "Have you found anyone yet?"

Ash sighed. "Well," he began. "There is someone. I just didn't realize it until Alola."

Flashback

Ash laid awake in his bed at Professor Kukui's house. He had joined the Pokémon School last month, and was happy to have some new friends, but he felt like something was missing. He sat up in bed and turned to Pikachu, who was sleeping. He got up and, moving quietly so as not to wake Professor Kukui, left the house and stood on the beach. Watching the waves, he sighed sadly.

"Pika?" a voice said. He turned to see his friend, who looked worried. He sighed again. "What am I going to do, Pikachu?" he asked. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since that kiss. What am I going to do?" "Pika," his friend replied. "I don't know," Ash said. "She's following her dream. I can't take her away from that."

"Pika. Pikachu." "What do you mean?" Ash inquired. "Chu. Pika pika." Ash's eyes widened. "You really think so?" "Pikachu," Pikachu said, nodding. Ash smiled. "You're right," he said, turning back to the waves. "I'll find you, Serena," he said.

"I won't give up 'till it's over."

Flashback Ends

Brock stared at him for a moment, then asked, "Was I supposed to see something just now?" Ash shrugged and said, "I don't know. I don't have much experience with flashbacks." He then told Brock what happened in his flashback, and Brock smiled. "Nice," he said. "I hope you run into her again." Ash gave his signature toothy grin and said, "I plan to."

Brock finally registered how much Ash had grown. Brock had been two heads taller than Ash when they'd met, but Ash was now almost taller than him. He'd also clearly developed a lot of muscle, which showed on his arms and through his shirt. They continued to talk as they left the airport. As they got into Brock's car, Ash asked him if he could drop him off just outside Pallet Town, rather than taking him all the way to his house. He nodded, understanding.

Just before they came within sight of Pallet Town, Brock stopped the car and Ash got out. Brock told him he would drive ahead and let Delia know he was coming, and he nodded in thanks. As Brock drove off, Ash took a deep breath and walked to the top of the hill overlooking his hometown. He and Pikachu gasped as the town came into sight. Comprised of cheery cottages and lush gardens, Pallet Town was the kind of town you'd expect to see on a postcard. Ash sighed contentedly and said, "I never get tired of this." "Pika!" Pikachu shouted happily. "Well, standing here won't bring it any closer. Let's go!" "Pikachu!"

They ran down the hill and didn't stop till they reached his house. Ash saw Brock's car parked out front. He walked to the door and knocked on it, and it opened to reveal none other than his mother, Delia. "Oh my goodness, Ash! It's so good to see you! Look how you've grown!" she said, hugging him. He had to admit, she had a point. From his new point of view, she seemed much smaller. She let him go and said, "Come on in! You have a visitor!" He nodded and replied, "I know. I saw his car out front-" He stopped, puzzled, as Delia began to shake her head. "I don't mean Brock, dear," she said. Before Ash could register this, she turned and walked briskly to the kitchen. He began to follow her, thinking furiously. "Misty?" he thought, then discarded the idea. "No, she'll be busy at the Cerulean Gym. Gary? Maybe. He works at the Lab, so maybe he decided to drop by?" He continued to think of any potential visitors who might be there, of which there were a lot. He reached the kitchen and looked up to see the last person he expected to be there.

A young woman with shoulder-length honey-blonde hair stood at the counter, tossing a salad. She turned as he entered, and he looked into her deep, ocean-blue eyes.

"Serena?"

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Hello there, this is AmourFyre, here to thank you for reading the first chapter of my book.  This story is inspired partly by the book Alpha and Omega by @Azazel0886. It's one of the best Amourshipping fanfics I've ever read, which is saying something because I've read a LOT of the ones here on Wattpad. Also, this is not my only Wattpad account. As both an author, and a die-hard Amourshipper, I've been wanting to write this for a long time, but I've noticed that when Wattpad users write original stories as well as fanfictions, the original stories will usually be almost entirely ignored. The reason I made my other account was to write one of those original stories, so I didn't want to publish this book under that account. Which is why I made this new account to write the words you're (hopefully) reading now. And speaking of which, please remember to vote on my story and follow me for any updates. Doumo arigato.