Chapter 1 – Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon

This fanfiction is set around three or four years after the events of 'Memories are made of Bliss (DP191)'. At the start of this fanfic:

Ash – 17

Brock – 23

Dawn – 16

Gary - 17

Misty & May - 17

Enjoy!

Prologue

An aged man stumbled blindly into the heart of the temple. He had short, spiky white hair and grey eyes. An ugly scar ran down the left side of his face, a memory of a discarded foe. After his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he gave a shout of glee. Finally, after all these years, he had found what he was looking for. It was an aged statue of the pokemon Arceus, with a plaque below it. Slowly, the mysterious bent down and brushed the dust of the prophecy of the Pokemon universe, created thousands of years ago by the alpha Pokmon, was imprinted on the plaque before his very eyes, as he began reading it, memorising every finite detail.

When every life meets another, something new is born.

The two that are one, the one that is all.

One of emotion, one of will.

When will is distorted, emotion remains pure.

There comes a time when the segments are taken,

Then the Darkness will step out of the shadows,

And the light shall push back the darkness.

For the two that are one, the one that is all.

The man pulled out his Xtransiever. "Commander Stone, this is Murkspawn. I have the info. Prepare for stage 1."

"Yes sir, right away," The voice said and hung up.

Murkspawn rubbed his hands in glee. "Soon." He said. "Soon."

~0~

Pallet Town, Kanto Region

Ash Ketchum woke up to the familiar surroundings of his old room in Pallet Town. Ash spent the time looking around the room, to find that there were still the old pokemon posters on the walls of his room. It really had not changed that much since he started his adventure 7 years ago.

Ash POV

I sighed and lied on my bed, trying not to awaken Pikachu who was still fast asleep. I couldn't help but think of my recent loss in the Unova League. This time, I managed to get into the finals, where I faced Trip and managed to loose …again. I couldn't help but feel a bit down. Every time it was the same. I would get so close, only to have it all snatched away from me.

I sighed as I closed my eyes. It's been 3 long years since I had left for the Unova Region, and I was finally back. This is where it all started, and I couldn't help as memories of various people came flooding in…

The first of which was meeting Misty Waterflour, who was now the gym leader of the Cerulean Gym which specifies in water pokemon. I myself don't fancy being a gym leader, for it meant mainly working with one type of pokemon and I liked to work with a variety.

Misty was a stubborn tomboy, and the youngest of four sisters who live in the Cerulean Gym. I chuckled as he remembered her fear of bugs and the way she followed me around Kanto demanding that I replaced her bicycle that Pikachu broke, I mean it wasn't really my fault. Misty can be nice at times, but I remember her mostly of how easily she can be angered, crazy, or frustrated, and how loud and violent she can become in response, which I had more than a fair share of in my time with her.

Misty and I parted ways after she decided to take on the responsibilities as gym leader after she realised that if not, the gym would have to be shut down, but I was sad nevertheless as she was my first companion. People have said how Misty and I would be a great couple, but for me, she was just a good friend.

Next there was May Maple, from Petalburg City, or the 'Princess of Hoenn'. I recall how she had a certain fondness of food, especially noodles. She was a nice, nicer than Misty that is. She would sometimes have her 'moments' – especially when her food was deprived from her. We parted ways when I went to Sinnoh to participate in the Sinnoh League, while she decided to enter contests in Johto with Drew, who now was together. Well, they've been an item for a year now and I still don't get what May sees in him. When May left, of course I was crushed, but not because I loved her, well to be honest I did, but I loved her as a sister.

Then there was…Dawn Berlitz. Just thinking about her gives me knots in my stomach. I don't know why, but since we parted all those years ago, there hasn't been a second that I haven't thought of her. I missed the times when I would travel with her and Brock, and the adventures we had together. The way I would cheer her on in contests and in turn she would give me her support throughout gym battles. To be honest – I don't think that I would have even made it to the Sinnoh League without her there cheering for me all the way. Just imagining her in that cute cheerleader outfit bought warmth into my heart. After we parted ways, it wasn't long before I realised how much I actually missed her. From her bright bubbly smile and her sparkling sapphire blue eyes to the way she talks and the way she walks. I missed everything about her.

Unlike other girls I had travelled with, she took pride in her appearance, and wouldn't let anyone see her until she was perfect, just the way I liked her. We did have our arguments, but it was so much more infrequent then with Misty or May, and we would make up after a few minutes anyway since it pained me to argue with such a sweet girl.

Of course she was doing great. After I came back to Sinnoh after finishing in the top four of the Sinnoh League, she travelled to Hoenn where she won the Grand Festival beating none other than May. I heard that since they had been meeting a lot, they had become the best of friends. After winning the Hoenn Grand Festival, she went back to Sinnoh and won the Grand Festival there as well.

I couldn't wait to see Dawn again! Well, it wouldn't be long now, as I invited my old friends to Pallet Town for the annual Pallet Town Festival, but unfortunately Misty has been busy lately with challengers at the gym and couldn't make it, but May and Dawn should be arriving tomorrow.

As I finally got out of bed, I found that Pikachu was already awake and hopped onto my shoulder.

"Pika!"

"Hey buddy, you sleep well?"

"Pika, pikaka." It said sheepishly while rubbing its head.

I smiled and looked at my companion, "excited about seeing Dawn again too, eh?" To which the little rodent nodded its head vigorously. During our time in Sinnoh, Pikachu had become more attached to Dawn than any other of my companions, which I still couldn't put my finger on. He saw the bluenette as a sort of second trainer to me and loved her as much as any of her own pokemon.

"Morning dear!" came a voice from down the corridor, something I haven't heard since last year. I grinned and ran down the stairs and out of the door while shouting "Morning mum! Just going to check on my pokemon!"

Normal POV

"Are you having breakfast dear?" Delia asked as she saw a blob of colour flash in front of her before the front door slammed closed. Ash was off saying something about checking on his pokemon in Oaks Ranch.

Delia shook her head in an amused fashion, "No matter how old Ash is, he still has a mental age of a 10 year old."

A few hours later we find our hero walking back to his house in Pallet Town, the day of meeting his pokemon taking the toll on his now empty stomach. He was planning on how to tell Dawn his feelings. Dawn shouldn't be here until in two or three days' time, so he plans to head to the market tomorrow and buy her something that would tell her about his feelings. Two or three days should be plenty of time for Ash to gather his nerves and confess. As Ash got closer to home, he smelled his mother's cooking and ran over to the dinner table and immediately tucked into the dinner placed for him on the table.

"So Ash dear, how are your pokemon doing?"

"Great thanks mum," Ash said with a mouthful of food.

"Oh yes and by the way, Dawn will be here in a few hours."

Woo first chapter finished! :D Wow this is the first chapter of my first fanfiction, hope you enjoyed! Sorry about the lack of action in this chapter, I just had to set the scene, the next chapter would be more action filled – promise! The next chapter should be ready in at the most a month's time, so stay tuned!

Please Comment and Review!