Pokémon Version Orange

[AnInnocentBystander]

Welp! How's that for the end of our first technical tournament?! Fun? Exciting? Wholesome? Lived up to the hype?! (I'm so dearly hoping, lol.)

Click to shrink...

All of the above and then some, thank you for that! As much as I want Travis to go on to live the power-fantasy isekai journey where he disappears into the woods and comes out capable of defeating legendaries, the interaction with the various cast members really made this arc.

 

[Lewdhandholding]

Glad pichu won. You had me on the ropes.

 

[manuelhwang99]

Honestly, whatever prejudice my brain had seeing orange island insert, this shit blew it out the water and blasted off into space like team rocket man, like holy shit.

for some reason i realized i was expecting another opposite of show dont tell fic going "yeah this and that happened, i did these things, oh the family gathering? yeah i worked my ass off for it! cant forget about that staff guy john! yeah the orange league doesnt have any wimps as leaders and are actually proper badasses, just trust me bro!". the alternative was a gramatically and structurally badly written fic despite an interesting concept.

this shit had quality writing down to even character interactions (with a smidge of stereotype protagonism but i doubt anyone could be that good to make it entirely seemless) and i fucking love it.

if i had to say something missing in my checklist is how the other orange crew leaders are like, but thats just a matter of me waiting till we get there.

i find it funny/interesting ash got a poliwag. congrats to pikachu on evolving. tyftc

 

[IcurasFallen]

Honestly, whatever prejudice my brain had seeing orange island insert, this shit blew it out the water and blasted off into space like team rocket man, like holy shit.

for some reason i realized i was expecting another opposite of show dont tell fic going "yeah this and that happened, i did these things, oh the family gathering? yeah i worked my ass off for it! cant forget about that staff guy john! yeah the orange league doesnt have any wimps as leaders and are actually proper badasses, just trust me bro!". the alternative was a gramatically and structurally badly written fic despite an interesting concept.

this shit had quality writing down to even character interactions (with a smidge of stereotype protagonism but i doubt anyone could be that good to make it entirely seemless) and i fucking love it.

if i had to say something missing in my checklist is how the other orange crew leaders are like, but thats just a matter of me waiting till we get there.

i find it funny/interesting ash got a poliwag. congrats to pikachu on evolving. tyftc

Click to shrink...

Thank you so much! Always a morale boost to see someone wholeheartedly enjoy my writing, lol.

Also as far as the "protagonism" goes...well, everyone is the hero in their own story, yeah? And you will be happy to know that the orange crew will be making an appearance in the next arc! So look forward to that, lol.

Till then though, cheers!

 

[IcurasFallen]

Pokémon Version Orange

Arc 2 - The Summer


Chapter 20
​

---

Apparently, declaring camp officially over and actually getting everyone to leave were two very different things.

Professor Oak had barely finished the closing ceremony before the counselors began gathering campers by group again for one final piece of business:

Returning the temporary partners.

Which predictably put a noticeable damper on the celebratory mood.

Some campers handled it well enough. Others were a mess, clinging to Pokémon they'd known for barely a week like someone was trying to separate lifelong partners. There were tears, hugs, promises to visit, and more than one counselor standing around with the awkward expression of someone who had absolutely not signed up to emotionally devastate children for a living.

Serena and Spearow, for instance, had never really clicked in the first place, something that had become more obvious as the week went on. Spearow needed someone firmer and more forceful than Serena naturally was, while Serena had never seemed entirely comfortable pushing back against the bird's more abrasive personality. Neither of them disliked the other, but there was a pretty obvious difference between getting along and actually meshing as Trainer and Pokémon.

Their goodbye reflected that.

Serena was a little sad, Spearow tolerated a final bit of affection with all the dignity of something pretending it hadn't enjoyed any of it, and then the two separated without much drama.

Goh, on the other hand, was a bit more emotional than I think even he expected.

He'd spent most of the week insisting that Caterpie was only a temporary partner and acting like everyone else was reading too much into the fact that he'd started checking on Caterpie before himself, letting the Bug-type crawl all over him, and generally behaving suspiciously like someone who had gotten attached.

In the end, he didn't make a scene, but he was quieter than usual. He lingered before finally handing Caterpie back, and afterward, he watched the little Bug-type disappear with the counselors for noticeably longer than necessary before shoving his hands into his pockets and pretending he was perfectly fine.

Chloe, to her credit, didn't tease him once.

Then there was Ash, who had apparently decided that if enough determination was involved, the concept of a temporary partnership could simply be ignored.

Poliwag was pressed tightly against Ash's chest while the Water-type clung back with his little forelegs and tail. Amber stood a few feet away with her hands on her hips, wearing the increasingly strained patience of someone who had already tried explaining the situation several times.

"Come on, Ash," she said gently, "you knew from the beginning that Poliwag was only your partner for camp."

Ash's grip tightened. "B-But we make such a good team!"

"Poli..." Poliwag somehow managed to look equally miserable despite having considerably less face to work with.

Delia stepped closer and rested a hand against Ash's shoulder. "Sweetie, I know you've both grown close, but Poliwag isn't your Pokémon. You're not even a Trainer yet."

"But he's my partner!"

"For camp," Amber reminded him calmly. "Poliwag belongs to Professor Oak's Laboratory. We can't just let every camper take their partner home because they got attached."

Ash frowned down at Poliwag. "What if Poliwag wants to come with me?"

"Poli!" Poliwag buried himself harder against Ash's shirt. His opinion was obvious.

I had to look away for a second before I started laughing at the sheer tragedy of it all.

Delia crouched beside her son. "Ash, honey, I know this is hard, but you can't keep a Pokémon that isn't yours. Especially when you're not old enough to be a Trainer yet."

Ash's face scrunched up. "Only by a year! And Travis already has a Pokémon! So why can't I keep Poliwag!?"

His mother could only shake her head sadly. "Oh, Ash. It's not a matter of you being old enough..."

"Then what's the problem?!"

"The problem is that what you're doing right now shows that you aren't ready yet."

Everyone turned as Professor Oak approached from behind Amber, his hands tucked casually behind his back.

Ash immediately looked hopeful. "Professor!"

Oak stopped in front of him and glanced down at Poliwag, who suddenly looked considerably more sheepish now that the Pokémon's actual caretaker had arrived.

Professor Oak smiled mildly. "Tell me something, Ash. If I allowed you to take Poliwag home today, how would you take care of him?"

Ash blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, let's consider food. Pokémon need to eat every day. Different species have different nutritional needs, and growing Pokémon tend to eat quite a bit." Oak nodded toward Poliwag. "How do you plan to provide that?"

Ash opened his mouth, paused, then glanced toward his mother. "Mom could..."

Delia immediately shook her head. "No, sweetie. If Poliwag was your Pokémon, then he'd be your responsibility. I'd obviously help if something happened, but you can't decide you're ready to care for a Pokémon because you expect me to buy his food, medicine, and everything else he needs."

Ash's shoulders slowly drooped.

Professor Oak continued gently. "Registered Trainers have ways of earning money while traveling. Prize money from sanctioned battles, League programs, temporary work, and quite a few other options. And while you could take a part-time job around town…well, are you truly willing to put in the work required?"

Ash looked increasingly miserable as he stared down at Poliwag. Then his eyes suddenly brightened.

"I could find food!" Ash perked up, apparently encouraged by having discovered a loophole. "We learned how to do that all week! I know which Berries are safe, and how to find clean water, and some Pokémon can eat plants and stuff from the wild!"

"Ash..." Delia began.

"And I could learn what Poliwag eats! Professor Oak has books about that, right? I could read them!"

Amber rubbed at her forehead. "Ash, that's not really the point."

"But I could do it!"

"Ash."

"I'd try really hard!"

"Ash!"

Poliwag chirped enthusiastically in support, which did absolutely nothing to help.

Delia closed her eyes tiredly while Amber's remaining patience visibly threatened to abandon her altogether.

Then Professor Oak chuckled, causing everyone to look at him in surprise. "I must admit, Ash, your persistence is impressive."

Ash immediately brightened.

"But that was not permission."

His shoulders dropped again.

The eldest Oak laughed softly before crouching down in front of him. "What it does tell me, however, is just how much you care about Poliwag. And that's certainly not something I want to discourage." Professor Oak nodded toward the Pokémon in his arms. "Poliwag may not be your Pokémon, but that doesn't mean the two of you have to stop being friends simply because camp has ended."

"You live in Pallet Town after all," the Professor continued with a growing smile. "My Laboratory is hardly on the other side of Kanto. You're welcome to come visit Poliwag whenever you have the time."

Ash's eyes widened.

"Really?!"

"Poli?!"

"Of course." Professor Oak's smile turned just a touch more mischievous. "Although, if you're going to spend so much time around the Laboratory, I imagine I could find a few chores for you to help with every now and then."

Ash's excitement faltered, and his expression twisted into something complicated as the words chores and Poliwag apparently went to war inside his head.

Poliwag, meanwhile, had no such conflict.

"Poli! Poliwag!" The Water-type practically bounced out of Ash's arms in excitement.

Ash looked down at him, toward Professor Oak, then at Poliwag again.

"...How many chores?"

Delia covered a laugh.

Professor Oak's eyes twinkled. "I'm sure we can negotiate."

I rather suspected Professor Oak had just found himself a very enthusiastic new helper.

After that, the rest of the evening began winding down fairly quickly.

Goh and Chloe were the first of our little group to leave, their families gathering together near Professor Cerise as a courier Alakazam prepared to Teleport them back to Vermilion.

There were the usual promises to keep in touch, though Ash naturally handled most of those at maximum volume.

"You guys better come back to Pallet sometime!"

Goh folded his arms. "Obviously. I still need to check the area around Professor Oak's Lab, after all."

Chloe gave him a flat look. "And actually spend time with our friends?"

"That too."

I snorted while Ash immediately started arguing that visiting his friends should come before Pokémon hunting.

Chloe ignored both of them and moved around the group, giving Serena and Ash hugs before surprising me with one of my own.

"You had better not ghost us," she warned as she stepped back.

I couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Wasn't planning on it."

"Good."

Goh was considerably less enthusiastic about physical affection, settling for an awkward wave before Ash grabbed his hand and turned it into something halfway between a handshake and a fist bump.

"Next time we meet, I'm gonna know way more about Pokémon than you!"

Goh's eyes immediately narrowed. "No chance."

There we go. The universe was back in balance.

A few minutes later, their glorified taxi service vanished with the Vermilion group in a flash of Psychic light.

Serena and Grace followed not long afterward, heading back toward Viridian. Delia made a point of telling them both that they were welcome to visit Pallet whenever they were nearby, while Grace received an enthusiastic wish of good luck in her upcoming Rhyhorn races. I wished Serena similar luck with all the training that would inevitably come with having a professional racer for a mother, earning me a tired pout in return.

"You're supposed to wish me luck, not remind her."

Grace barked out a laugh, the Rhyhorn that would carry them home snorting in amusement with her. "Too late, sweetie! I've already got some new training ideas~"

Serena groaned.

Ash, meanwhile, seemed far more concerned with making sure she actually came back. "You better visit too, Serena!"

Her annoyance instantly disappeared. "I will!"

Serena gave all of us one last wave before climbing onto Rhyhorn behind her mother, turning around twice more to wave before yelping as Grace sent their mount charging down the road with a gleeful shout.

I watched Serena and Grace disappear down the road before turning toward Mom. "So, are we heading out tonight?"

Mom froze before letting out a strangely strained laugh. "Haha, um, Delia actually invited us over for dinner!"

I stared at her. She seemed rather…flustered.

Before I could properly decide what to say, however, a loud growl came from my shoulder.

I slowly turned my head. Pikachu stared back at me with complete innocence.

Another rumble came from his stomach.

I snorted and reached up to scratch beneath his chin. "You are an absolute glutton."

"Pika." He didn't even attempt to argue. Considering what he'd put himself through today, though, I couldn't exactly blame him.

I sighed and looked back at Mom. "Fine. Dinner it is."

---

The Ketchum home wasn't large, but it didn't need to be.

The two-story house sat comfortably among Pallet's open fields, all pale siding, a red roof, and the sort of small front garden that looked like it had been maintained by someone who genuinely enjoyed doing it. Inside was much the same. Nothing was particularly expensive or extravagant, but everything felt warm and lived-in, from the family photographs scattered around the walls to the little signs of its occupants that had spread into practically every room.

Admittedly, it felt considerably less spacious once you added two guests and several Pokémon. Especially when one of those Pokémon was Momo.

Thankfully, the dining area opened into the living room enough that nobody was actually sitting on top of each other. Mom and I had joined Delia and Ash around the actual table while the Pokémon spread themselves around us, each with their own bowl or plate.

And somehow, Delia had managed to feed all of them, and not with the same generic Pokémon food tossed into seven bowls either!

Alakazam had been given something light and mildly sweet, while Momo's portion could probably have fed us four humans by itself. Bliss had gotten a softer mix with plenty of fruit, Marowak's meal had considerably more crunch to it, Farfy and Sandy had each gotten meals tailored toward their own preference for sour flavors, and Pikachu had been presented with a plate that leaned heavily toward the sharper, more bitter flavors he'd always preferred even before evolving.

Mom took another bite of her own meal before making a pleased sound. "Delia, this is really good."

Delia smiled brightly. "You think so?"

"Absolutely. And I'm not just talking about ours." Mom gestured toward the small army of Pokémon happily eating around the room. "You barely know most of them, and somehow you got everyone's preferences perfectly!" Mom's team obviously agreed as they gave Delia approving nods and pleased noises.

Delia flushed a bit at all the praise. "Well, you pick up a few things after cooking for so long. And I did study under Professor Oak for a few years before settling down."

"She's not exaggerating," I said, heaping in my own praise after swallowing a spoonful of stew. "I've eaten at the Seven Stars Restaurant before, and this could hold its own."

Her flush grew. "T-The Seven Stars? Isn't that one of the most famous restaurants in Sinnoh?!"

"Multiregionally famous, actually," Mom corrected with a grin. "It's family-run, so we've been more than a few times over the years. Means we know what we're talking about~"

"Well..." Delia tried and failed to hide how pleased she was. "Thank you."

Ignoring us all, Ash had apparently decided utensils were an obstacle rather than a tool and was tearing through dinner with the enthusiasm of a starving Poochyena.

His mother pouted at him. "Ash! Slow down, we have guests!"

He froze with his cheeks bulging before performing an almost anime worry swallow. He grinned sheepishly at her. "Sorry Mom! I just really missed your cooking!"

Delia's expression melted. "Oh, Ash."

I snorted.

Ash glanced toward me. "What?"

"Nothing." I took another bite. "Just enjoy it while you can. You'll have to get used to going without it when you start your Journey next year."

Ash froze, and I swear I could see a bit of horror enter his eyes as he realized I was right.

Not that I really had any right to judge. I'd been very spoiled when it came to food over the years.

Between the five-star resort of a home, family meetups, and relatives who considered gourmet cooking a competitive sport, my baseline for food had become embarrassingly high. The day I finally started traveling full-time and had to rely on whatever I could carry, cook over a campfire, or pick up in whatever town happened to be nearby was going to be a dark one.

Ash suddenly leaned halfway across the table.

"Wait! I start my Journey next year?!"

I leaned back at his excitement. Why did he seem so surprised? I would have figured someone like Ash would be counting down the days till his Journey.

Delia winced and quickly provided an answer for the confusion. "No, sweetie, you'll be waiting another two years."

I stared at her. Even Mom paused long enough to look at her in confusion.

Ash looked personally betrayed. "Two years?!"

Delia sighed. "Ash, you only turned nine a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, but Trainers can start at ten!"

"I know, sweetie. But you'll turn ten after the next League season has already begun. You'd have to wait until the following season to properly register and start since we're still planning for you to be one of Professor Oak's sponsored trainers."

Ash slowly deflated in his chair like someone had opened a valve.

I frowned. "Huh."

I'd always known Ash started his Journey at ten. It was the minimum age, and the series had made it a point of mentioning his near-immortal age-ten status a lot.

I'd just never considered exactly when during that year his birthday fell.

Ash turned to me. "When do you turn ten?"

I couldn't help the smug smile that spread across my face. "Next month."

His jaw dropped. "What?! That's not fair!"

I laughed. "How exactly is my birthday unfair?"

"Because you already have a Starter!"

At the mention of his title, Pikachu lifted his head from his food with several crumbs stuck to his cheeks. I chuckled and reached down to rub between his ears. "Yeah, well, I got lucky."

Pikachu chirped happily before immediately returning to eating. Normally I might have told him to slow down, but after everything he'd done today, he could eat until he rolled home for all I cared.

Ash slumped farther over the table. "That's so unfair. You get to start early, and you already have Starter..."

I shrugged and raised another spoonful of the frankly delicious stew. "Life's unfair sometimes, deal with it."

Ash pouted.

Mom suddenly clapped, cutting off Ash's pity party. "Oh! Speaking of next month!" I looked toward her, immediately suspicious of that level of enthusiasm. She smiled brightly across the table. "Ash, Delia, you two should come to Travis's birthday!"

I nearly choked on my food.

Ash perked up immediately. "Really?!"

"Of course!"

Finally clearing my throat, I gave her a half-lidded stare. "Mom, isn't the person whose birthday it is generally supposed to be the one inviting people?"

She turned toward me with an innocent expression that fooled absolutely nobody. "Were you not going to invite them?"

I opened my mouth, then stopped.

That was an annoyingly complicated question. Especially with said people sitting right there.

Mom's eyebrow climbed a little higher as my silence stretched, and I frowned at the increasingly smug look on her face. She'd raised a polite young man, and she knew it, dammit.

"Besides, it'd be pretty mean not to invite your brother," she added casually.

The words almost passed me by.

Then my brain caught up and stalled.

Across the table, Ash blinked before immediately blurting, "We're not brothers!"

He said it with the automatic exasperation of someone who'd already been forced to correct that particular misunderstanding far too many times. Mom's eyes flicked toward Delia, and that was when I noticed she was looking rather hesitant herself.

Ash pointed between the two of us. "People kept saying that at camp because we look alike, but we're not! Mom would've told me if I had a brother!"

Delia outright winced.

Ash noticed immediately, his hand slowly lowering as his expression shifted from indignant to confused. "...Mom?"

Delia carefully set her fork down. She looked first at Ash, then at me, and what I saw in her expression made me realize what she was about to say before she actually said it.

"Ash," she said slowly, "You two…you are brothers."

Silence settled over the table.

I looked at Ash.

Ash looked at me.

And for perhaps the first time since we'd met, we were on the same wavelength.

"WHAT?!"

Mom immediately burst into giggles.

Delia, meanwhile, winced at the combined shout and lifted both hands as though she could somehow calm us down before either of us started yelling again.

"Okay, okay," Mom managed between laughs. "Maybe we should've eased you two into that a little better."

"Ya think?!"

Ash was still staring at me like I'd spontaneously grown another head. "How are we brothers?!"

Mom finally got herself under control, although the smile stubbornly remained. "Half-brothers, technically. You share the same father."

My expression tightened before I could stop it.

That...yeah, I probably should have figured that was the case.

Trainer culture had always produced some...interesting family structures.

It wasn't exactly difficult to understand why. When entire regions were built around sending young people out to travel for months or years at a time, often with barely more supervision than the occasional Nurse Joy and whatever Pokémon they'd managed to catch, you couldn't realistically expect every relationship formed on the road to end cleanly. Older teenage Trainers especially spent enormous stretches of time moving from town to town, meeting people, falling in and out of relationships, and generally making the sort of decisions teenagers had been making since humanity figured out hormones.

Occasionally, those decisions came with consequences.

Single-parent households weren't exactly rare. Neither were children whose other parent had continued traveling, settled somewhere else, or simply never became much more than a name on a birth certificate. Add in the inherent dangers of Pokémon training and wilderness travel, and orphans weren't exactly unheard of.

I'd always known I fell somewhere in the first category.

Mom had already finished her own Journey by the time I came along and had apparently hit the stage in her life where the desire for a kid had gone from the occasional thought to actively trying to solve it. Then some stereotypical wandering Trainer blew through the area, the two of them hit it off well enough to spend a night together, and by morning he'd continued on his merry way without either of them apparently expecting anything more from the encounter.

Several months later, Mom got me out of the deal.

Considering how enthusiastically she'd thrown herself into motherhood, I suspected she considered that a pretty favorable trade-off.

I'd never been particularly bothered by it. Mom had never spoken about the man with heartbreak or resentment, and she'd certainly never acted like our family was somehow incomplete without him. She'd wanted a child; she had one, and everything I'd ever seen suggested she was perfectly satisfied with how things had worked out.

Admittedly, I'd never really considered the possibility that he'd left similar surprises scattered around the world. Which, in hindsight, was probably pretty stupid.

Or maybe I was focusing on all of that because it was considerably easier than properly processing the fact that Ash Ketchum was my fucking brother.

Across the table, Ash looked between our mothers with his brows furrowed. "Wait...Dad?"

Delia's expression softened. "Remember what I've told you about your father, sweetheart? That he was a Trainer?"

Ash nodded slowly.

"Well..." She hesitated, clearly choosing her words carefully. "Sometimes people who spend most of their lives traveling have a hard time settling down. Your father was very focused on being a Trainer, and that meant he wasn't really interested in staying in one place long enough to...well, help raise a family."

Ash frowned. "So he just left?"

Delia's smile turned a little strained.

Before she could answer, Mom leaned forward slightly. "Ash, can I ask you something?"

That earned her a confused look from Delia, but Ash nodded.

"Do you love your mom?"

Ash looked even more confused by the question. "Of course!"

"Would you say you're happy with her?"

"Well, duh!"

Mom smiled. "Okay, final question, and I need you to really think about it. Do you think having a dad would make you happier, even though your Mom is already so wonderful?"

That one actually made Ash pause.

He looked down at his plate for several seconds, his face scrunching slightly as he considered the question far more seriously than before. Eventually, he gave a small shrug. "I guess it'd be kinda nice."

"But I'm okay!" Ash added quickly, looking up at his mom, who was biting her lip with a complicated expression on her face. "I've got Mom, and Professor Oak's always around, and Auntie Owens and Uncle Tango help when Mom's working, and everybody else in town knows me anyway." His smile came back with typical Ash speed. "So if Dad wanted to keep traveling and being a Trainer, then...whatever! That's his dream. I'm gonna follow mine too someday!"

Something in my chest tightened.

"That's not really the same thing."

Everyone looked toward me.

Ash blinked. "Huh?"

I set my spoon down a little harder than necessary. "There's nothing wrong with chasing a dream, Ash, but that doesn't mean you get to ignore what happens to everyone else because of it."

Mom's expression turned complicated. She clearly understood where I was going with this.

I continued anyway.

"If he wanted to keep traveling, fine. But what about the people he left behind? What if Mom had wanted him around? What if your mom did?" I glanced briefly toward Delia and caught the small wince she failed to hide. "You don't get to hurt people and then call it okay just because you were following your dream."

"Travis."

Mom's voice wasn't loud, but the warning was obvious. A long-fingered hand briefly settled against my shoulder from behind, and I didn't need to look to know Al was giving me one of his irritatingly knowing looks.

I exhaled through my nose and leaned back.

I was mature enough to know I was projecting.

It wasn't as though I'd spent nine years staring longingly out a window wondering when Daddy was coming home. I'd never met the man. I didn't miss him because there was nothing there to miss, and Mom had given me more than enough love for several parents combined.

But there was still something fundamentally idiotic about not taking precautions to prevent this exact situation. That kind of protection was even more advanced in this life than in my last one!

Ash was quiet for a surprisingly long time as he mulled over my words.

Finally, he just shrugged again. "I dunno. I'm still gonna follow my dream."

I raised a brow.

Ash straightened in his chair, some of his usual energy returning. "I'm gonna become the best there ever was! A Pokémon Master! I wanna meet every kind of Pokémon and become friends with Pokémon all over the world!" His expression scrunched slightly. "So...I'd be a pretty bad friend if I let doing that make me hurt everybody I met, right?"

I blinked.

That was…huh.

A chuckle escaped me as I shook my head. Ash had managed to take something I'd been mentally dissecting from six different directions and reduce it down to the part that actually mattered.

"You know what? You're right." I shot him a crooked grin. "Guess that just means you're gonna have to be as good a friend as you are a Trainer."

Ash immediately beamed. "That's the plan!"

Still, after a moment, he looked between our mothers before glancing back at me. "And, even if it is a little sad Dad didn't wanna stick around...well, at least something good came out of it."

I tilted my head. "What?"

Ash's grin grew.

"I got a brother."

Something warm settled in my chest.

It wasn't dramatic. No sudden revelation that my life had secretly been missing something all along, and I certainly wasn't about to start getting misty-eyed over a kid I'd known for barely a week.

Still...

Ash was looking at me like he'd just discovered something genuinely worth being happy about, and despite everything else currently rattling around inside my head, I couldn't quite stop the smile that grew.

Click.

I blinked before slowly turning toward the sound.

Delia was sitting there with a camera and one of the brightest smiles I'd seen on her all evening.

"Did you just take a picture of us?"

"Of course I did!" She glanced down at the camera with obvious satisfaction. "It's your first picture together as brothers!"

My eye twitched.

Mom leaned across the table. "Oooh, let me see!"

"Mom," I groaned.

"Oh, don't be like that, babycakes. I just want a copy."

I shook my head in betrayal. "You're supposed to be on my side."

"I am on your side." Her grin widened. "That's why I'm getting it framed."

Pikachu burst into laughter. Many of the other Pokémon and Ash followed in the face of my exasperation.

I sighed into my palm, unable to completely suppress my own smile.

Yeah, this was going to take some getting used to.

---

Author's Note:

Welp, just about all of you called this, so congrats on being able to see the obvious. You may put the string boards away, lol.

And finally, we reach the end of Arc 2! Hope you all have enjoyed the story so far. I've got a few people who have admitted that they didn't enjoy the Summer Arc, but I felt it was a good way to help set up future events.

Until next time. Cheers!

Hope it's not too presumptuous, but I've got a up and running! If you want to read 5 chapters ahead or just support me in general, feel free to visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / IcurasFallen

 

[manuelhwang99]

Hell yeah

 

[Agnam]

Mom finally got herself under control, although the smile stubbornly remained. "Half-brothers, technically. You share the same father."

My expression tightened before I could stop it.

That...yeah, I probably should have figured that was the case.

Click to shrink...

I don't suppose the deadbeat in-question happens to wear a red cap and a name matching the color?

 

[GameJunkie999]

I don't suppose the deadbeat in-question happens to wear a red cap and a name matching the color?

Click to shrink...

Nah Red in any media isnt that slick.

 

[WanderingDragon]

So be honest with us, how many of the other Ash clones are actually related to him?

 

[IcurasFallen]

So be honest with us, how many of the other Ash clones are actually related to him?

Click to shrink...

I will neither confirm nor deny~

Let's it remain a fun little surprise for yall after all. Never know when he's gonna potentially run into another "clone" and deal with the inevitable question of "oh shit, is this another one?!"

 

[Lillie Jones]

thanks for the chapter
I Definitely didn't consider that of what Ash Ketchum cannon event birth date falls on ,which the series constantly emphasizes, despite Ash Ketchum losing canonical Pokémon competence during each reset in another region, besides pissed off long term fans across the seasoned Pokémon generations.
Although, Travis is going on his journey next week and Ash Ketchum is waiting another 2 years his to start.
The Journey continues
Cheers!

 

[marakag]

I am guessing that it is aranged this way so Travis can come to Kanto after finishing the orange league

 

[SpaceWhale]

Wasn't there Ritchie(who looked exactly like ash) I think his name was that beat Ash because his Charizard wouldnt listen to him.

 

[MarcusDeGabriel]

Odd thought, but have you considered having the pairing be Travis/Joy? We know all the Joy's grow up beautiful and it'd be interesting to see a young Joy travel with him, also it's only really a thing i've seen once where she wanted to be different from all the other Joy's and had a more tomboy personality.

 

[IcurasFallen]

Pokémon Version Orange

Arc 2 - The Beginning


Chapter 21
​

---

"Home sweet home~"

Mom's cheerful declaration came just as the doors opened, revealing the familiar front hall of the Kumquat Grand.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

Camp had been…okay. There had been a few fun events, good battles, several new friends I had acquired despite my best efforts, and only a moderate amount of physical and mental suffering.

But there was always something deeply comforting about stepping back onto familiar ground.

Pikachu seemed to agree. He shifted higher on my shoulder, bright blue eyes sweeping over the lobby before blinking in confusion at the staff lining the path from the resort's front entrance.

"Welcome home, Miss Cashion! Welcome home, Young Master Travis!"

Mom and I both snorted.

Waiting near the entrance with Chilton, looking as composed as ever, was a small collection of staff lined up beside him and wearing various degrees of barely concealed amusement.

Mom and I had both pointed out, repeatedly, that the owners of the resort did not need a formal reception every time we came back from a trip. Somewhere along the way, though, I'd become convinced that the staff kept doing it specifically because they found our reactions funny.

"Good to be back," Mom said with an amused shake of her head as we continued inside.

Chilton inclined his head. "I trust the trip went well?"

"Well enough," I answered, Pikachu giving a cheerful chirp from my shoulder and drawing a pleased smile from our Second as he clearly understood the meaning behind Pikachu's new form.

Mom's smile widened. "Travis made friends!"

I rolled my eyes. "I also won the camp's tournament."

"He did that too."

I sighed while Chilton's mouth twitched faintly. "Congratulations, sir."

"Thanks."

With the welcome-home ritual apparently satisfied, the staff returned to whatever they had been doing, while Chilton fell into step beside us as we headed toward the private elevators, our luggage already being whisked away by staff who knew better than to ask whether we wanted help. Momo followed beside us carrying the few bags that contained more personal belongings.

Mom glanced toward Chilton as we walked. "So, how bad was it?"

"Define bad."

She immediately groaned.

I snorted as the elevator doors opened. "You walked into that one."

Chilton waited until all of us were inside before pressing the penthouse floor. "The resort itself has operated without serious incident. Occupancy remained slightly above projections, the eastern pool filtration repairs were completed two days early, and the supplier dispute with the Mandarin South distributor has been resolved."

Mom visibly relaxed. "Good. I was worried I'd have to deal with that as soon as we got back."

"That was deemed unnecessary. Your attention was already occupied with the Kanto business interests."

That was putting it mildly.

Mom had somehow managed to turn what was supposed to be a week accompanying me to summer camp into an excuse to squeeze in meetings with practically every Kanto-based partner, supplier, property, and business contact she could fit into the week.

…well, in between going on a bit of a shopping spree. The half-dozen new suitcases stuffed with clothes and random memorabilia were proof enough of that.

Chilton continued as the elevator began climbing. "There were, however, several smaller incidents."

"There always is," I muttered.

"Huntail and Gorebyss have apparently taken your absence as an opportunity to expand their creative pursuits."

Mom closed her eyes.

At her lack of response, I asked the obvious, "How bad?"

"I've received reports of three stolen surfboards, one lifeguard chair relocated to the roof of the western cabana, and a quantity of seaweed somehow introduced into the third-floor indoor pool."

Mom and I both stared at the elevator ceiling. Hell, even Momo facepalmed.

"How?" Mom finally asked. "How did they get a lifeguard chair onto a roof?"

"We are still investigating."

Pikachu chirped in amusement while I glared at absolutely no one in particular.

Mom sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Anything else?"

"Six members of the extended family have returned to the island since your departure."

That got both of our attention.

I frowned. "Returned returned, or returned as in 'we're staying two nights' and then somehow remain here until winter?"

"Four have already departed."

"Better than expected. Still leaves two."

Mom nodded thoughtfully. "Who?"

Chilton listed the names, neither of which meant enough to me to cause immediate concern. One was apparently spending most of his time fishing, while the other had become obsessed with the resort's rooftop gardens and had so far resisted the urge to suggest renovations.

Frankly, that qualified both of them for sainthood by Cashion standards.

"And Aunt Wen returned three days ago," Chilton finished.

Mom deflated. "What did she do?"

"She attempted to organize a bingo night."

I blinked while Mom groaned into her hand. "At the Grand?"

Chilton huffed. "She attempted to."

Mom narrowed her eyes. "She knows she doesn't have authority to organize events here."

The head concierge nodded. "Yes, which is how I was able to prevent her from releasing any of the flyers she'd convinced some of the younger staff to make up for the event."

Mom made a strangled sound, and I bit down on my lip to stifle a groan.

"She also contacted several local businesses regarding prize donations and attempted to reserve the Grand Ballroom for Thursday evening."

Mom stared at him for a moment before tilting her head at his pleased expression. "Okay. What did you do?"

"Why, I allowed her to organize the event—"

We turned to him in shock.

"—at the Kumquat Community Center," Chilton finished calmly.

I snorted. Pikachu mirrored me seamlessly.

Mom's expression twitched before breaking into reluctant amusement. "You didn't kick her off the property, right?"

"I redirected her enthusiasm somewhere more appropriate." He adjusted one cuff. "I just so happened to bring up the community center as a possibility and noted that organizing an event there might prove more difficult due to its stricter requirements…"

I stifled a chuckle. "In other words, you pushed her attention towards a 'challenge', so she wouldn't focus on the fact that she couldn't organize events here."

"That is a rather cynical interpretation, sir."

"It's also correct."

Chilton did not dignify that with a response, which was basically confirmation.

The elevator finally chimed, opening directly into the penthouse, and whatever energy the trip had left in us disappeared almost immediately.

Momo deposited the bags beside the entryway and claimed one of the larger chairs with a satisfied grunt. Mom released the rest of her team, and Marowak made straight for his usual spot near the wall, Farfy fluttered toward the kitchenette, and Bliss disappeared with the luggage with the kind of purposeful stride that suggested laundry had already become her personal mission.

Pikachu launched himself from my shoulder onto the couch, and I followed him. A long sigh escaped both of us as we sank into the cushions. Pikachu sprawled against my side like he had personally crossed Kanto on foot instead of having used me as his personal transport all week.

Mom, because she was biologically incapable of relaxing immediately after arriving anywhere, remained standing with Chilton.

"Alright," she said, already pulling out her phone. "Send me the occupancy reports and whatever came out of the Mandarin South agreement. Push anything that can wait until tomorrow, and make sure somebody checks exactly how Huntail and Gorebyss got that chair onto the roof before we punish them. I almost respect the effort."

"I'll see to it."

Al floated over beside them, and the next few minutes became a rapid exchange of schedules, messages, and tomorrow's priorities that I made absolutely no effort to follow.

Eventually, Chilton tucked his tablet beneath one arm and gave Mom a final nod. "That should cover everything until morning."

"Perfect. Thank you, Chilton."

He turned toward me before leaving. "And once again, congratulations, Travis. You as well, Pikachu."

I waved half-heartedly from the couch. "Thanks."

"Pika!"

With that, Chilton disappeared back into the elevator, leaving the penthouse considerably quieter behind him.

Mom watched the doors close, checked something on her phone one final time, then finally let out a breath and dropped onto the couch beside me.

"There." She tossed her phone onto the nearby table. "Now I'm officially home."

I gave her a sideways look. "Pretty sure you said that downstairs."

"That was ceremonial."

Fair enough.

Before I could come up with anything else to say, Mom shifted closer and hooked an arm around my shoulders, pulling me against her side.

I grunted at the sudden affection but made no real effort to escape. Pikachu, already wedged comfortably against my other side, merely adjusted himself so he wouldn't get crushed in the process.

Mom rested her cheek against the top of my head. "I'm proud of you, you know."

I tilted my head enough to look up at her. "For the tournament?"

"That too." She squeezed me lightly. "But mostly for everything else."

She smiled softly down at me. "You actually put yourself out there this week. You met people, made friends, did things you normally would've found three different excuses to avoid, and from what I saw, you even enjoyed yourself."

I squirmed at the sudden outburst of maternal pride. "I feel like 'put myself out there' is a generous way of saying they repeatedly ignored my attempts to be left alone."

Mom laughed. "And yet you kept hanging around them."

"They were persistent."

"Mhm."

"Annoyingly persistent."

"Mhm."

I narrowed my eyes at her smile. "You're enjoying this."

"Very much."

I huffed and let my head fall back against her shoulder. She hugged me a little tighter, clearly deciding that counted as surrender.

For a few moments, the room settled into an easy quiet. Somewhere down the hall, Bliss was no doubt already sorting clothes while Farfy rummaged through the kitchenette for anything to snack on. Pikachu had closed his eyes against my side, his flicking ear the only sign he wasn't outright asleep.

Mom's fingers idly combed through my hair before her voice softened.

"So...how are you doing?"

I had to fight down an urge to stiffen. "You're gonna have to narrow that down."

"You know what I mean."

I did.

My gaze drifted toward the far wall as I considered the question. "Honestly? I think I'm more annoyed that the possibility never occurred to me."

Mom blinked. "The possibility of Ash?"

"The possibility of having a half-sibling somewhere." I frowned. "Considering everything you've told me about Him, Trainer culture, and the general tendency of young Trainers to make questionable life decisions while traveling, it really should have crossed my mind at some point."

Mom winced. "When you put it like that..."

I sighed and rubbed at my forehead. "I spent years accepting that I didn't know the guy and probably never would, but somehow the idea that he might've had other kids never made it onto the list." I shook my head. "Then one of them gets dropped practically into my lap."

Mom smiled. "At least he seems fun."

I huffed before letting my head burrow into her side. "There is that, I guess."

Silence reigned again for a moment before Mom quietly whispered, "I'm sorry."

I frowned and pulled back enough to look at her properly. "No, don't even try that."

Her brows shot up at the immediate response, but I was already shaking my head. "You don't get to apologize for this like you did something wrong. You didn't know about Ash either, and even if you had, none of this is your fault."

Mom sighed, her hand slipping from my hair to rest against my cheek. "I know that, sweetie. I just hate seeing you stressed over something I helped drop into your lap."

I immediately tried to pull away. "I wasn't stressed—"

Mom leaned down and kissed my forehead, cutting me off.

"Baby, I know you are," she said softly.

There wasn't any teasing in her voice this time. No knowing smile or exaggerated motherly smugness. She just looked at me with that gentle expression that always made it annoyingly difficult to lie to her.

I bit my lip and looked away.

"…Okay, maybe I'm a little…overwhelmed." I sighed and let myself settle against her again. "It's just weird. I'm not upset about Ash being my brother. I don't think I am, anyway. It's more everything around it."

Mom stayed quiet for another moment before asking, "Are you sure you actually want to keep reaching out to him?"

I blinked and looked up at her again. "What?"

She shrugged slightly. "Being related doesn't mean you have to force a relationship. If you decide you like having Ash around, great. If you decide you'd rather just leave things where they are, that's okay too."

I stared at her for several seconds before huffing in annoyance. "That sounds a little hypocritical coming from the woman who announced he was my brother over dinner, leaving me no time to really even process."

Mom's expression immediately flattened. "If I had given you time to process it first, you would have spent the next three days overanalyzing every possible negative outcome and ended up doing nothing about it."

"I would not."

"You absolutely would."

I opened my mouth, thought better of it, and frowned.

Mom's lips curled upward. "Then you would've hyperfocused on every reason it could go badly and convinced yourself that keeping your distance was the responsible choice."

"That is an unfairly specific accusation."

"It's also correct, sourpuss."

Before I could defend myself, her arm hooked around my neck.

"Wait, don't you dare!"

She did.

Her knuckles dug into my hair as she pulled me into a noogie, and whatever dignity I had left immediately abandoned ship.

"Mom! Ow! Hey! Stop!"

"Oh, such suffering!"

"Pika-pika!"

"Don't encourage her!"

Pikachu was openly laughing while I struggled uselessly against a woman who had spent most of her adult life physically wrangling Pokémon and rowdy guests alike.

Eventually Mom took pity on me and released her hold, though by that point my hair was a disaster and I had somehow ended up half sprawled across her lap.

I glared up at her.

She smiled sweetly.

I hated how little effect my glare had on this woman.

With a tired groan, I gave up and let my head rest against her leg. Pikachu immediately took advantage of the new arrangement by crawling closer and curling up across my stomach.

"…Fine," I muttered.

Mom glanced down. "Fine what?"

"You were right."

Her smile widened.

"Don't make me regret saying it."

"I would never."

"Liar."

She giggled and went back to running her fingers through my thoroughly ruined hair.

I stared at the ceiling for a while before finally sighing. "To answer your earlier question…I think I want to keep reaching out to him."

Ash was annoying. Reckless. Loud. Probably destined to find himself at the center of more disasters than any sane person should encounter in one lifetime.

I also knew just how badly that statement undersold things, but this was Ash Ketchum.

Future Pokémon Master, professional magnet for criminal organizations, Legendary Pokémon, ancient conspiracies, world-ending phenomena, and whatever other nonsense the universe decided to throw at him.

But knowing all that didn't mean I had to get involved. Ash could go off and carve out his own path. He could chase League titles, make friends with every Pokémon he stumbled across, and somehow end up saving the world every other Tuesday. I could do my own thing.

After all, there was no rule saying being his brother meant I had to become part of his story.

I could just be someone in the background. The brother he called once in a while, showed up for a cameo here and there, and maybe trained with whenever our schedules happened to line up.

Ash could have his adventure. I would have mine.

Mom gave my hair one last pass with her fingers before leaning back. "Well, that settles that."

I snorted. "Glad one of us thinks so."

She laughed and gently nudged me upright before standing with a long stretch. Pikachu protested the movement from where he was still sprawled across my stomach, but only enough to make his displeasure known.

"Come on, babycakes. We still have to unpack, sort everything out, send the laundry down, figure out what stays up here, and deal with the six suitcases I absolutely did not overfill."

Mom turned back toward me with a bright smile. "And your birthday is next month, so you should probably start thinking about what you want to do for that too!"

I stared at her in silence.

She just wiggled her fingers cheerfully and continued down the hall.

I groaned and dropped my head back against the couch.

"Can't I catch one damn break?"

Pikachu patted my arm sympathetically. "Pi Pika Chu."

Yeah.

That made two of us.

---

Getting back into the usual rhythm of the Grand and Gym didn't take long. For the most part, everything was exactly as I remembered it. Mom bounced between the Gym and the resort. I helped where I could while avoiding becoming too useful, and the Grand continued being the barely controlled ecosystem of guests, staff, Trainers, and Pokémon it had always been.

The biggest difference for me personally was currently standing across from an Exeggcute.

Evolution had opened quite a few doors for Pikachu. More strength, better control over his electricity, and enough raw power and speed that several ideas we'd been playing with as a Pichu suddenly had a lot more potential behind them. Naturally, we needed practice, which was why, a weekend after getting home, we'd found ourselves on one of the Grand's public Battle Courts against a guest looking for a Bet Battle.

"Barrage!"

The Exeggcute bounced forward as another wave of projectiles flew across the field.

"Quick Dodge left!"

Pikachu vanished in a burst of white energy, Quick Attack sending him racing toward the left side of the court as the Barrage crashed down behind him. One projectile after another struck the reinforced floor, sending chips of stone outward and leaving shallow craters scattered across that half of the battlefield as the Egg Pokémon attempted to track his rapid movements.

Exactly what I wanted.

I focused on Pikachu, pushing the familiar feeling forward.

Wait.

One ear twitched, but he kept juking around the left side of the battlefield. I shifted my attention sharply toward the opposite side of the field and followed it with another simple thought.

The last projectile slammed down.

"Quick Attack!" Right!

Pikachu changed direction instantly, leaving the damaged half of the court behind as he exploded across the relatively clear ground on the right of the field.

The other Trainer's eyes widened. "Dodge Exeggcute!"

Before the Egg Pokémon could follow through, however, Pikachu slammed into the mass shoulder-first and sent the entire cluster tumbling backward.

"Follow up with a Nuzzle!"

"Pika!"

Electricity sparked across Pikachu's cheeks as he darted in after them, catching Exeggcute before they could properly regroup. The contact sent another pulse of electricity through the cluster, their bodies jerking as paralysis took hold while several of the eggs tried to move in different directions at once.

"Dammit, Exeggcute! Try and use Confusion!"

"Exegg...cute?"

The cluster shuddered. One egg turned toward Pikachu while another seemed to focus somewhere several feet to his left.

Yeah. That was about what I expected.

Exeggcute already relied heavily on working together. Throw paralysis into the mix, and getting six separate semi-minds to properly coordinate became considerably harder.

I smiled. "Charge into Thunder Shock!"

Pikachu planted his paws as electricity began crawling across his fur.

The opposing Trainer grimaced. "Come on! Confusion Exeggcute!"

The poor Exeggcute tried, but the weak shimmer that formed around Pikachu sputtered apart almost immediately as the Charge protected him against the weak Psychic force.

"Now!"

The electricity Pikachu had gathered erupted outward, swallowing Exeggcute in a bright flash. When the brightness finally cleared, it revealed a thoroughly downed, and mildly cooked, cluster of eggs.

Big Wayne raised one thick arm from his place along the sideline. "EXEGGCUTE IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! Victory goes to Travis Cashion and Pikachu!"

Pikachu immediately spun toward me with both paws raised, and I grinned as I returned the gesture with a double thumbs up. "Nice!"

"Pika!"

Across the field, the other Trainer groaned as he recalled Exeggcute. A moment later his phone buzzed, and his expression soured further when he looked down at the Challenge Credit receipt.

I pulled out my own phone as Wayne finished logging the result. "Hey, don't worry about it!"

The teen glanced up at my shout. "Huh?"

"We were mostly looking for battle experience." A few taps sent the winnings straight back to his account. "Here ya go."

His phone buzzed again. He stared at the new notification, then at me. "Seriously?!"

I nodded in amusement. "Seriously."

His disappointment vanished so fast it was honestly impressive. "Thanks!" He turned and hurried away before I could say anything else.

I watched him go with a chuckle as Pikachu made his way over and took his customary spot. "Guess he thought I might change my mind."

Big Wayne barked out a laugh from beside the court. "Kid's smarter than he looks!"

"Thanks, Wayne."

"Wasn't talking about you!"

I gave him a flat look while Pikachu snickered beside me.

"Oh hush you," I muttered even as I dug my fingers into the fur behind his ears. He practically melted into the scratches, eyes closing as a pleased chuuuu escaped his throat.

"You did good," I murmured, giving him his just dues before starting to make my way off the court. "Quick Attack's looking a lot better too."

"Pika!" Pikachu chirped, sounding entirely too proud of himself.

Not that he hadn't earned it.

Quick Attack had taken little effort to learn on his part and had started as little more than another tool for his speed training, but he was getting increasingly comfortable using it for more than simply slamming headfirst into something. Dodging, repositioning, sudden changes in direction. There was still plenty of room to improve, but we were getting somewhere.

I glanced at him as we left the courts. "Might be time to start working on something stronger for your Electric moves too. Thunder Shock's reliable, but we could use something with a little more punch."

His ears shot straight up, and I immediately regretted my wording.

"Pika?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, something that lets you shock people harder."

"Pika!"

"Why must that be what gets you more excited than training?!"

Pikachu merely grinned at me, little psychopath that he was…not that I was much better, admittedly.

Still, that was a problem for another day. We'd gotten several battles in already, and while Pikachu still looked ready to go terrorize another unsuspecting guest, I was perfectly happy calling it there.

By the time we reached the penthouse, I was already mentally debating lunch versus shower when the elevator doors opened and immediately derailed both plans.

Mom was both present and not alone.

A familiar blue-haired young woman was sitting across from her, one leg crossed casually over the other while a grumpy Toucannon occupied a nearby perch. Said birb turned one sharp eye toward us first, followed almost immediately by his Trainer.

Kahili grinned.

"Well, look who survived summer camp."

I couldn't stop myself from smiling. "Kahili!"

"Good to see you too, Trey." She stood and opened her arms expectantly. "Come on."

I sighed like the put-upon child I absolutely was not and walked over anyway. Kahili promptly pulled me into a tight hug, laughing when I returned it after only the slightest delay.

"There we go." She ruffled my hair as she released me. "Congratulations, by the way. Heard you won your first tournament."

I rolled my eyes. "It was a kiddy tournament. It's not that big a deal."

She rolled her eyes right back. "You won it, didn't you? Then it counts." She turned her attention to the rat on my shoulder. "Still, I'm guessing that wasn't your favorite part."

Kahili reached over to scratch between his ears, earning an immediate pleased chirp. "I'm guessing this little guy was the highlight for ya, huh?"

I folded my arms. "The gold medal doesn't occasionally electrocute me when I wake him up, so it's a close competition."

"Pika."

"You know it's true."

Kahili snickered and gave Pikachu one last scratch before flopping back down on the couch. "He looks good. Evolution suits him."

"His ego certainly thinks so."

Pikachu gave my head an offended little swat while Mom laughed from the couch.

Rubbing my head and giving the sparkplug a glare, I took a seat for myself. "Not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing here?"

She put a hand against her chest. "Wow. Can't a woman visit her loving family without being interrogated?"

I raised a brow. "You have three tournament circuits fighting over your calendar at any given moment."

She preened. "Four right now, actually."

"That is not helping your case."

"Fair." She gave an easy shrug. "I've got a break between tournaments and my current flight routed through the Orange Islands anyway, so I figured I'd take advantage of it."

That explained the visit, but something in her expression made me pause.

Kahili scratched lightly at her cheek. "Especially since it looks like I won't be able to make it back next month."

My good mood stumbled.

"You won't be at my birthday?"

"Yeah."

I winced despite myself, and Kahili did the same when she caught the reaction.

Tenth birthdays were a little different in the Cashion family.

Most birthdays were an excuse for cake, gifts, and whichever relatives happened to be nearby making entirely too much noise. Ten, however, meant Trainer eligibility. Your first real step toward adulthood, where the High Table was expected to make an effort for anyone in the immediate family circle.

Nobody was unreasonable about it. Prior commitments happened. They just needed to be actual commitments.

There were stories about relatives missing tenth birthdays for reasons deemed insufficient and the resulting offense lingering for years afterward. One branch of the family had apparently spent most of a decade refusing to stay at another branch's properties over something involving a missed birthday, a yacht auction, and an excuse everyone agreed had been wholly insufficient.

We were a healthy family like that.

Still, Kahili was different.

"Well." I tried not to sound as disappointed as I felt. "That sucks."

Her expression softened. "Yeah. I know, Trey. I'm sorry."

I shrugged, although the movement probably wasn't fooling either woman in the room. "You wouldn't miss it without a reason."

"That's why I wanted to come by now since I've got the time." Kahili leaned back with a sigh. "Alola needs me home for a meeting right in the middle of everything."

I frowned. "League business?"

"Unfortunately." Her mouth twisted. "One of the Paldean corporations that's been pushing abroad wants a sit-down, and apparently having one of Alola's more recognizable Trainers in the room will make everybody feel better."

That got my attention. "Paldea?"

"Yep." Kahili leaned her head back against the couch. "They've been coming out swinging ever since the main borders came down last year. Companies expanding, investors throwing money around, representatives trying to get their fingers into every market they can reach."

Mom hummed beside her. "They have been rather aggressive about it."

"That's the polite word for it." Kahili gave her a tired look before turning back to me. "And this particular group has decided Alola should be near the top of their list."

I frowned as I settled farther into the couch.

Paldea had been sealed off from the rest of the world ever since the last major war left the region more interested in protecting what it had than getting involved with anyone else.

I couldn't exactly blame them.

From what I remembered of Paldea's particular brand of regional insanity, invading the place on its own soil had probably been a nightmare. Terastallization alone could turn an already dangerous Pokémon into something an invading force wasn't prepared to deal with, and Paldea had access to it practically everywhere within its borders.

Buttoning themselves up afterward made a certain amount of sense.

Staying that way for nearly thirty years was where things had apparently gotten complicated.

The bits and pieces I'd seen through my League access painted the last few years as something close to a cultural coup. The older leadership had increasingly treated isolation as some new tradition worth preserving, while the younger generation had started arguing that Paldea was slowly choking itself by refusing to change.

Then Geeta happened.

Long black hair, a permanently serene expression, and enough battling talent to become the eighth Trainer formally recognized as a World Champion. She'd become the face of the new Paldea almost overnight, pushing the belief that preserving your culture meant very little if you allowed it to stagnate around you. From everything I'd read, she'd bullied, argued, negotiated, and battled her way through enough of the old guard that she eventually brought the League entirely over to her side.

A year later, the borders started opening, and Paldea apparently intended to make up for lost time.

I'd gotten a taste of that personally.

One of Geeta's biggest passion projects had been Naranja Academy, which she'd practically shoved onto the world stage by opening its doors to foreign students. Invitations had gone out to hundreds, if not thousands, of children from prominent League, political, academic, and business families across nearly every region.

Including me.

The invitation was still sitting in one of my desk drawers.

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been tempted. An entire region that had effectively been locked away for decades, suddenly opening itself back up to outsiders? A region where I knew about Area Zero, Paradox Pokémon, Terastallization, and several other things that most of the world had barely begun hearing whispers about?

Yeah. That had adventure written all over it.

But not yet.

I had my own journey coming up, and there were already enough places I wanted to see without abandoning my plans to chase every shiny mystery waved in front of me.

Paldea could wait.

Mom apparently decided we'd spent long enough talking international business because she clapped her hands sharply. "Alright! That's enough depressing work talk."

Kahili looked over at her. "I thought we were explaining why I'm missing his birthday?"

"You did. Very responsibly." Mom smiled before turning toward me. "Now we get to the good news."

I narrowed my eyes. "Why do I feel like you've been waiting to say that?"

"Because I have." Her smile widened. "Kahili's staying for the week!"

I immediately looked toward my cousin.

Kahili laughed at whatever expression crossed my face. "Happy to see you're excited, Trey!"

"You're really staying the whole week?!" No, my voice did not squeak in excitement, and anyone claiming otherwise is a filthy liar.

"Flight isn't until next weekend." She stretched one arm across the back of the couch, looking entirely too pleased with herself. "Figured if I'm missing the big day, I might as well make the visit count."

"So..." Her smile grew. "You want some help training?"

I sat up so fast Pikachu nearly flew off my shoulder. "YES!"

Kahili burst out laughing.

Yeah, maybe missing my birthday wasn't going to sting quite as much after all.

---

Author's Note:

Arc 3 has officially begun! By the time this Arc really gets up and going, we will officially be beginning our Journey!

Still, like the Summer Arc, I hope y'all will be a bit more patient with me as we get through his Birthday, as it will occupy a few chapters as I do final introductions for a few characters and interesting little tidbits of information.

Also! Kahili returns! I've loved how Kahili's character grew in my writing, and I just had to let her have her own private little chapter or two before moving on to a massive chunk of the story where she just won't be a thing, lol. Hope y'all are as excited as I am!

Till next time! Cheers!

Hope it's not too presumptuous, but I've got a Patreon up and running! If you want to read 5 chapters ahead or just support me in general, feel free to visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / IcurasFallen

 

[MarcusDeGabriel]

Almost time for his Journey and I'm interested what his Trainer outfit is gonna be.

Also wondering if he'll grow his hair out so he can tie it back and look different than Ash, dunno why, but I've always liked the simplicity of it.

 

[BismuthBorealis]

A paldean corp? squinting suspiciously in exceed's direction.
Also interesting that it looks like paldea's events are probably gonna go down in the near future (tbf they do happen prior to the paldea anime) and alola has a league so their events already have? (Then again alola's anime was weird and so maybe they did set up their league years prior to the anime events, I can't remember for sure. But I'm pretty sure they still kept the 'aiming for first champion' thing even if they changed the journey parts, so, we'll see)
Deffo some neat plot hooks/potential forshadowing here!

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter
The Journey continues
Cheers!

 

[SpaceWhale]

Time to see karp again

 

[Kencord]

Nice story, wanna follow.

Also, too late, need sleep, but someone let me know. Did we ever confirm if Camp Councilor Amber was Amber Fuji or just a name from a hat?

Cause that seems like a "Mewtwo shows up, scans your whole life and goes "You Knew Her"".

 

[manuelhwang99]

Holy shit its kencord and with a brain nugget