The Journey Begins

The incredible world of Pokémon: a world filled with mystery and wonder, teeming with creatures that never cease to amaze and delight – Pokémon, who sore through the air, swim the world's oceans, and populate the entire planet, expressing life in all of its abundance.

In the strange and wonderful world of Pokémon, it is every 11 year olds dream to receive his or her first Pokémon partner at their respective Professor's lab. This coming-of-age ceremony is a big step in their lives, as it means they can now head out on an epic journey of adventure and self-discovery. To meet and battle new people, to find and capture new Pokémon, and to form bonds of friendships that will last the rest of their lives.

Truly, it is a time that all adults longingly look back upon, and children longingly look forward to.

This tradition however doesn't have a set time limit – anyone at any point in time can set out on their Pokémon journey at any point in their lives. 11 years of age is simply the earliest one can start. For many, there is no rush.

For some however, time is of great importance. Every year, there is a tournament that is held, where trainers from all over the region compete to earn the right to call themselves Pokémon champions. These tournaments – known as Pokémon leagues – are annual, time sensitive events. They are held at the same place, at the same time every year. In other words, if a newly fledge trainer wishes to enter one such tournament, they have to hurry.

Luckily for most, the organisers of these events that this into consideration, and as such host the tournaments exactly one year after new trainers begin their journeys, giving them just enough time to prepare. That is, if you started your journey at the correct date.

For Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town however, this was a different story. A week before his eleventh birthday, when he would officially receive his trainer's license, he came down with a terrible cold that lasted over a month and a half. His mother had forbid him from going on his journey, saying it was too dangerous.

This was devastating to Ash. Ever since he was big enough to walk, his mother – an assistant to the famous Professor Samuel Oak – would bring him to the lab where she worked so that he could observe the different Pokémon that lived there. Since then, every day, nonstop and without fail, Ash would turn up at the ranch to play with the Pokémon, causing him to form a fascination with these amazing creatures.

It wasn't all fun and game for him though. There was the issue of the professor's grandson, Gary Oak. At one time Ash's best friend; now turned rival and a complete and total jerk, they have been going against each other ever since they were old enough to have a sense of rivalry, and both of them wanted to become the very best Pokémon Master there ever was. His mother would always sigh nostalgically when they fought, saying that they were just like their fathers – best friends and rivals at the same time.

That was his dream – to become a Pokémon Master and sit atop the world with his powerful team of fantastical beasts. All of that had to be put on hold because of a stupid little cold. What made it worse however wasn't the fact that he could very well not make it in time for this year's tournament: that was just the icing on the cake; a bitter and disgusting cake that left a sick feeling in his gut.

No, what made it worse was the fact that both he and Gary's birthdays was two days apart from each other. So when Gary heard the news that Ash was sick and couldn't make his journey on time, he had made a trip to his room, with the sole intension of poking fun at him. He could still remember the look on that jerk's face when he look down at the bedridden Ash and said to him, "Well Ashy boy, it seems to me that you won't get to see me dominate the Indigo League this year. Too bad. I was really looking to personally pummel you into the dirt."

Ash remembered feeling like a herd of Rhydons had just used him for a trampoline, and he had really wanted to punch Gary in his smug little face right then and there, but another one of his coughing fits chose that moment to start, and Gary just smirked at his pathetic state.

"By the way, I know you've always wanted a Charmander as your starter. Hah! What a loser of a Pokémon that is. A fitting Pokémon for you I guess. Now, let me show you a real Pokémon looks like." He continued as he took out a red and white plastic ball the size of a ping pong ball – a miniaturized Poké Ball – and pressed the button in the centre, expanding it into the size of his palm. It then opened at the top, a white beam shooting out of it that coalesced into a form in front of his bed. Looking down, Ash was greeted by a small blue turtle smirking arrogantly at him with an equally arrogant gleam in his eyes.

"Squirtle and I are going to take Kanto by storm. You will just have to wait another year. That's just too bad Ashy boy. Well, I guess I'll go and start collecting those badges now. Smell you later… not! Ha ha ha!"

He left soon after that, and it took all of Ash's self-control to stop himself from giving into the urge to just clock him in the noggin. After a few moments, his anger turned into determination. There was no way he was going to miss this year's Indigo League, and more importantly, there was no way he was going to lose to Gary.

With that goal in mind, Ash spent the remainder of his sick days reading from Professor Oak's collection of books on Pokémon. Everything from types to egg groups to how to take care of them; he had even read up on trainer advice books like [Beginner's Guild to Outdoor Survival] and [Tips on how to start your Pokémon journey].

Now, at long last, Ash was feeling more like himself again. As soon as he felt his strength return, he knew that he had to head to the lab to obtain a Pokémon partner, no matter what. He got dressed and grabbed his backpack – he had already filled it with everything he might need while he was bed-ridden – and ran downstairs without pause, almost running straight into his mom's Mr. Mime who was in the middle of psychically organizing the living room.

"Whoops! Sorry Mr. Mime, but I have to run!"

Leaving a waving Mr. Mime behind, Ash smiled as he rushed towards Professor Oak's lab. He arrived twenty minutes later; a little out of breath but grinning nonetheless.

Inside, lab researchers were buzzing to and fro, checking up on experiments completing various errands around the lab. Several of them grinned in amusement and gave him a friendly wave as he walked passed – it was pretty easy to figure out his purpose for coming here today, the bag pack and travel clothes kind of giving it away. As he walked, Ash tried looking around for either his mom or the Professor, but couldn't see either of them.

Seeing his inquisitive gaze, one of the assistants decided to lean him a hand and called out to him, "Hey Ash, your mom and the Professor are out back in the ranch. Some idiot decided it was a good idea to catch over 30 Tauros for himself, and they been butting heads with the Rhyhorn herd we have here ever since they arrived."

"Oh, I see. Thanks Jane." He nodded to her and ran towards the ranch: an outdoor area build next to the lab where a vast number of Pokémon made their home. As he emerged from the lab, a large Charizard – most likely Professor Oak's starter – flew over heard at amazing speeds, causing a huge gust of wind to pick up and blow his hair about. Shutting his eyes instinctively to protect against flying debris, Ash opened them to find himself in a field surrounded by Pokémon. All manner Pokémon of various types, shapes, and colours, dotted the landscape. Some floated, some walked, some swam, some just laid about; but wherever he looked, there were Pokémon.

Snapping himself out of the wonder and joy he felt whenever he visited this place, Ash started looking around for his mom and the Professor. He found them by a herd of Tauros and Rhyhorn, apparently talking to the leaders of said herds. The ranch was several hundred acres, but disputes like these still sprung up from time to time.

As he headed their way, the Professor had apparently managed to resolve the situation as the herds started to go their separate ways. His mom was the first to notice his approach and turned around towards him. He could tell the exact moment she laid eyes on his backpack – it was the instant she gave him a concern smile – before the Professor turned around and smiled at him.

"Ah, Ash my boy. It is good to see that you have recovered. Your mother had just inform me about how your recovery this very morning."

He smile in return, "Yes professor, thank you for the medicine and for always stopping by to check up on me…"

He paused for a moment, unsure of how to continue. At this moment, his mom decided to speak up, "Ash dear, it's good to see you up and about. But I'm afraid I'll leave you two to talk alone, I have some work to do with Alakazam." She then stepped forward to give him a hug. As she did, she whispered gently into his ear the words, "Good Luck," before going about her way and leaving them alone.

Spurred on by the encouragement, Ash gathered his courage and continued, "Professor…" he began, but paused a second time. It wasn't that he didn't know what to say – he'd practice this speech thousands of times for just time moment, but now that it was here the words just kept getting stuck in his mouth. He wasn't sure if the professor would even allow such a thing. And what would the professor think of him, making such a selfish request? What if he was turned down? What then? Would he really have to wait for a whole year before starting his journey? Such questions and uncertainties stayed his tongue, freezing him in place with doubt and fear.

Perhaps sensing thing, the professor spoke up instead, "You want to start your journey right now, am I right Ash?" he asked with a kind smile firmly on his wise old face as he turned towards a large Oran berry tree and sat down underneath it, beckoning Ash to join him.

Ash sat down in front of him on the grass and nodded, "Yes professor, I do. I know that I'm late, but it has always been my dream to become a Pokémon master. And just when my journey was supposed to begin… getting sick wasn't part of the plan. I, I know the road is long and hard but this is something I need to do – no, it's what I want to do!"

Professor Oak smiled and looked around at the Pokémon in the ranch as he replied, "Ash, I know that you have big dreams, dreams that are bigger than you even realize. The road of to becoming a great Pokémon trainer is hard, but it is also filled with excitement and adventure. When your mother told me you were better, I knew in my heart that you would rush here as soon as you could."

A couple of Oddish stopped by their sides and looked at them inquisitively. Smiling at them, they both picked up the Weed Pokémon and started massaging their dark blue bodies, causing the Oddish to cry out in content. The conversation entered a short lull, their focuses trained on the Pokémon in their hands.

After a moment, Ash let go of the Oddish and continued bitterly, "Then you know I need a partner as soon as possible. I have to start right away – I've already loss so much time."

The Professor let go of his Oddish, and watched for a moment as he went along with his friends before speaking up, "Ash, I know you want to compete in this year's Kanto Pokémon league. However, it won't be easy. First off, you only have a week to register yourself at the nearest Pokémon centre before registration closes for the year. Secondly, the league is only 9 months away. That means that you would only have 9 months to capture and train your team. Normally it would take beginning trainers an entire year's worth of diligent training just to have even a slight hope of making it into the top 32. And that's just against the new trainers. In the league, you will be competing against both beginning and experience trainers; trainers who have participated in previous years and have a lot more experience than you currently do. It isn't strange for trainers to travel years before participating in their first tournament. Given all that, tell me: Do you still wish to compete this year Indigo League?"

Ash could tell by his tone and face that the professor was asking him a serious question. No, not just a serious question, it was a Serious question – he could hear the uppercased 'S' on the word. Instead of hurryingly answering on impulse, he took a moment to think. He thought about everything the professor had said and everything he knew. About every reason he had heard of or read about or even thought of while in bed. Every sound reason why not to participate in the league until he was more experienced.

After a period of silence, he looked up at the professor and gave his answer.

"I know all. I know it won't be easy, or even simple. I know in my heart that it was going to be very tough, and I know that I might not even manage to get all the eight badges that I need to qualify for the league. But even if the odds are against me, I will give it my all and make you and my mom and dad proud. Even if the whole elite four goes against me I won't turned back. I want to at least try."

As soon as he finished, a smile appeared on Professor Oak's face as he laughed, "Spoken like your father's son… no; Spoken like a true Pokémon trainer. Very well. I will permit you to go. However, I currently have no Pokémon fit for a beginner, and the next batch of Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur are still in their eggs, which won't hatch for another six months."

Those words hit Ash like a hammer. After all that, after almost losing all hope and regaining it with the professor's approval only to loss it now, like this… Ash could feel himself succumbing to despair. Almost as if he had planned for this, Professor Oak laughed strangely at the sight, "Ash, walk with me for a moment." He said after a minute of silence.

Ash didn't know what to do but to follow. They walked to the eastern part of the ranch – passing herds of Pokémon going about their day. Amides this beautiful chaos, on a hill just up ahead, he could see two massive Pokémon, their orange body furs with black stripes almost hidden by the crown of beige fur around their heads. He knew these Pokémon of course, just as he knew that the professor had an Arcanine that he used to keep the order in the ranch. He had never, however, seen him up close before. It was a massive specimen with scars dotted around his fur, and he had an air of royalty and grace that made him almost indistinguishable from a king. The other Arcanine next to it was smaller, and didn't have any scar; instead her coat was shiny and beautiful. Ash though for a moment that there was something in between both Arcanine, but their sheer bulk hide it from view.

As they approached, the professor started talking, "During my years as a trainer, I have met many interesting people. One of them just so happens to be the current matriarch of the Jenny clan. Back when we first met, she had run into a spot of trouble. You see, she had been out training with her two Growlithes when they had accidentally upset a very nasty Onix. To make a long story short I helped her out, and one of her Growlithes the saw something in me that eventually convinced it to travel with me. We made a pact back then that once both of our Growlithe evolved into Arcanines, they would meet up once a year to mate, and that the offspring would go to the next generation of Jennies."

Ash scratch his chin, completely clueless as to where this was going, but he didn't want to interrupt the professor. Besides, he had always found the stories about how the professor met his Pokémon partners to be both amazing and fascinating.

"And as promised, we have done just that every year, for quite a few years now. You have to understand Ash: Growlithes and Arcanine are amazing Pokémon. They can judge a person's character with but a glance. And once earned, their loyalties remain for the rest of their lives. The reason I'm telling you this Ash, is because this year, Arcanine didn't just give birth to one Growlithe. No, she gave birth to twins – a truly rare occurrence for a Pokémon. We had originally thought to give both to the Saffron city Police chief, as she will be receiving a promotion soon. However, if you can pass their test, I'm sure that one of them would like to accompany you on your journey."

Just as he said that, he stopped suddenly, and Ash realized that they were several feet before the Arcanine family, "I have already talked to them. From this point on, you need to go alone."

Eyeing the creatures that were at least 3 times his weight up and down, Ash suddenly felt the bottom of his stomach turn to lead. He swallowed hard to calm his nerves and walked towards the Pokémon. Professor Oak's Arcanine reacted to him first and raised his massive body to sit on his hind legs, his dark eyes seemingly peering into his soul; like getting pierce by a spear of fire. The other Arcanine moved next to him and looked at him intently, the weight of those eyes appearing to judge him. This went on for a while, before he noticed something happening to Professor Oak's Arcanine.

The colour of its eyes changed – the darkness suddenly igniting into a burst of mysterious fire. Flames that made him feel warm and safe, yet held the potential to turn into a raging inferno. The professor's Arcanine gave a low growl and turned to his mate, the other Arcanine, and nodded once before standing up. It was then, with both of them up, that Ash was finally able to see what it was he had noticed earlier.

Previously nestled between the two huge Legendary (not really) Pokémon were two Growlithes playing some form of tag with each other. As soon as they felt their parents gaze however they looked up and barked playfully before noticing Ash and sitting on their hind legs, their puppy eyes staring at him intently.

Professor Oak's Arcanine looked at Ash and gave him a low growl before nodding towards his pups, once. Understanding, Ash knelt down in front of the two Growlithes under the watchful eye of their parents and looked into their clear grey eyes.

Immediately he felt the same judging force that had radiated from their parents, albeit somewhat lighter and less intense. As this continued, he felt his gaze being pulled towards the larger of the two Puppy Pokémon. He was bigger than his sibling, and just slightly bulkier, and as they gazed into each other, he could feel a connection being made.

Without warning, the Growlithe barked once and leaped into Ash's arms, the momentum causing him to fall on his behind, laughing all the while as he felt the canine nuzzled against him. He rubbed the Growlithe's fur, savouring its warmth and softness. The Growlithe licked his face before turning over to his parents and sibling and barked joyously as he returned to them, the Arcanine giving their son a soft nip and a few good licks while the sibling tackled him to the ground to resume their game.

As Ash got up from the ground, he could hear the footsteps of Professor Oak as he approached and gave Arcanine a reassuring pat on his head, "Don't worry, he'll take care of your son, just as I'm sure he'll take care for Ash in return. Thank you old friend." The Arcanine smiled at his trainer's reassuring word and nodded, before sitting back down with his mate.

Professor Oak turned around and had a smile on himself, "You are an outstanding young man to have past the inspection of not just the Arcanine, but that Growlithe as well. You will go and do many great things, I'm sure of it." The professor then reached into his lab coat and produced a small red and white ball which he handed to Ash.

"Here, you're going to need this."

Ash nodded and enlarged the Poké Ball before kneeling down in front of the Growlithe. He smile and said, "Well Growlithe, my name is Ash Ketchum, and I would be honoured to have you as my partner. What do you say? Want to travel the world with me?"

Growlithe barked happily and pressed his nose to the middle of the Poké Ball, prompting the device to open and a beam of red light to encircle Growlithe before pulling him inside.

The Poké Ball shook once, twice, three times, before the middle button flashed red. Ash gently picked up the Poké Ball and released Growlithe in a beam of white light.

The fire puppy yipped and wagged his tail happily to and fro as Professor Oak came up to Ash, "Congratulations Ash, you have just captured your very first Pokémon. Quite an accomplishment, if I do say so myself. Now, come inside with me. We need to get you ready."

Ash felt a fire blaze inside of him at those words. Finally. After one and a half months, he was finally going to start his very own Pokémon journey. 'Just you wait Gary,' he thought, 'I'll catch up to you soon. And then, I'll surpass you.'

He looked back down at his partner walking right beside him and smiled. Growlithe looked back with his grey eyes and turned around towards his family. He barked a few times in their direction, stared at them for a little longer, before following Ash and Professor Oak inside.

The scene inside the lab hadn't changed at all to when he had left it – just a bunch of researchers going about their business. He spotted his mom through the crowd of white coats talking with an Alakazam while looking at some maps. As he approached, the psychic-type Pokémon looked towards him and smiled, and a soft female voice floated gently into his mind, "Hello Ash-brat. It seems that your journey has begun. I do sincerely hope that you do not dump buckets of paint on to your Pokémon"

Ash smiled at that particular memory. It had happened when he was five. One morning, he and Gary where arguing over which water-type Pokémon was the best: Blastoise or Poliwarth. The argument go so heated Ash started getting so irritated (a common emotion that one feels, he discovered, when one spends any amount of time around Gary) that he took his frustration out on a bucket of bright pink paint. In his anger though, he had not though to check if the path was clear, and thus the kicked bucket landed on top of Alakazam.

From that moment on, no matter how many times he apologised, she had always referred to him as 'Ash-brat'.

His mom noted the Growlithe walking next to him and her smiled grew wider, "Oh Ash, I knew you could do it. I'm so proud of you. I'll call your father tonight and let him know. That is if he bother to even pick up the phone." She said, murmuring out a grumble at the end.

He laughed at that. His dad was always away; his job took him all over the world. While there, he either did odd jobs for the League, or was cooperating with the other Leagues and doing more odd jobs. Right now he was in the Kalos region, working on a research project with Gary's dad.

"Don't worry mom," he said while smiling reassuringly at her, "you know dad picks up whenever he can."

His mom smiled back at him, "I know that Ash, I know," she said. Shaking her head to clear her thought, she then kneeled down to look at his partner, "Now then Growlithe, I need you to do me a favour. I need you to take care of my son for me, okay?"

At Growlithe's bark of affirmation she started to rub at Growlithe's fur, which made the young puppy Pokémon very happy, as evident by the wagging tail, "Good boy. And as treat I've packed those fire cakes that you love so much. You can eat them on your journey."

Growlithe barked happily at the mention of the confections, then walked away to sit by Ash's side. At this point, Professor Oak came back with 5 extra Poké Balls in his hand, as well as a rectangular red device.

"These are some extra Poké Balls for you, as well as your very own Pokédex. The Pokédex has all the knowledge about Pokémon that my fellow colleagues and I across the different regions have acquired over the years, as well as information on the regions themselves. This will serve also as your license and credit card. Your mom has already deposited 6,000 Poké dollars into your account, so you should be good. It is wise however to be cautious and careful with how you spend your money."

At the sight of Ash smiling while nodding his head excitingly, Professor Oak smiled, satisfied, "Now then, return Growlithe back in his Poké Ball. Once you're done, aim the Pokédex at him and press the green button at the bottom."

Ash did as Professor Oak instructed, causing a pale white beam to lance forth from the Pokédex and hit the centre of the Poké Ball, after which a cool metallic voice was heard.

[Growlithe, the Puppy Pokémon. Growlithe are very loyal and won't move unless their Trainer commands it. Growlithe have a superb sense of smell. Once it smells anything, this Pokémon won't forget the scent, no matter what. It uses its advanced olfactory sense to determine the emotions of other living things.]

[This Growlithe is a male, and knows the moves: Bite, Ember, Roar and Morning Sun. This Growlithe has the ability Justified.]

Ash smiled at the Pokédex entry for his partner. As he kept it in his pocket, his mom came up to him and gave him a proud smile, "Ash honey, I know you will be a great Pokémon trainer just like your dad and grandpa. Now you need to hurry up, the nearest Pokémon Centre in Viridian city, and that's roughly a week away. You'll need to cover a lot of ground if you want to make it in time to register for the league. Now you take care of that Growlithe. And be sure to eat three times a day and change your underwear every day. Oh, and call me as soon as you reach Viridian, you got that?"

The whole lab busted out laughing at this point and started giving him sly looks. Ash felt his face heat up intensely as he attached the Poké Balls to his belt, "Mom could you be a little louder, I don't think Dad heard you."

His mom pinched his arm painfully before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and a hug, "Do your best Ash."

He hugging her back before turning to Professor Oak, "Thanks professor. I will make you proud. I'll make all of you proud."

Professor Oak smiled, "Just do your best, my boy. And remember: The life of a trainer is a never ending journey. Have fun, and take care of your team. Oh, and one more thing. If you ever pass through Saffron city, make sure to convey my greetings to the new chief of Police, plus I'm sure Growlithe would like to see his sister again. They are coming to pick up both the mother and pup next week."

Ash nodded excitingly, "Sure Professor, I'd be sure to make a lot of visits to Saffron city just for Growlithe's sake. Well, I'd best be going now. Thanks for everything!"

He then turned and ran out of the lab. In his excitement, he tripped and started to fall atop a piece of lab equipment when a strange unsettling sensation which started in his stomach gripped his entire form, and in the blink of an eye he suddenly was outside the lab puking his breakfast out.

A soft feminine laughter broke into his mind, and he knew that Alakazam had just teleported him outside; no doubt just to enjoy his current predicament. The fact that she was laughing only served to cement the thought.

"I hate teleporting," he murmured to himself before running off to the entrance of Pallet Town.

Once he got there, he took a deep breath and called out Growlithe. The fire puppy gave a happy bark when he saw Ash and started wagging his tail expectantly.

"Hey buddy. So, before we leave, I'd like you to know my motivations for going on this journey. I going to become a Pokémon Master, the greatest there ever was. The journey will be tough, and I'm sure we'll fail many times, but with you by my side I'm sure there's nothing we can't do."

Growlithe barked happily in agreement, causing Ash to beam in excitement, "I glad you agree. So, since we are about to start on our journey together, what do you say we take these first steps side by side and run all the way to Viridian City?"

Growlithe wagged his tail and gave him a determined look accompanied by a resounding bark. Ash laughed and knelt down while extending his right hand to Growlithe. After a moment, he lifted his right paw and placed it into Ash's awaiting hand. They shook hands (paw) before Ash stood back up.

"Okay Growlithe, listen up. We don't have much time, so we're going to run to Viridian city as fast as we can for as long as we can. At that rate, it should take us around five to six days to reach. And along the way, let's test our prowess by battling any Pokémon that we encounter in the forest. What do you say?"

Growlithe barked once in reply, and together they started running, leaving Pallet Town behind and stepping out into the wider world beyond.

Hello guys Harlequin K here with the edited version of Chapter 1 of Titans. I would like to give a very big thank you to Aureolegends who took the time and dedication to polish this chapter and the next one. Thanks man your the best.

I also like to thank all those who have favorite and review this story. I would like to know your thoughts on this version as well as the next chapter. Any and all reviews are welcome.