Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or any of the affiliates.

Savior, protector... hero. I had been called all of those things by many people at one point or another. I protected people and Pokémon, not for money or fame but because it was the right thing to do. I fought for them, bled for them and sacrificed everything for them. Most of the time it wasn't even people that I knew, just someone that needed help and I was there to do it. Granted, I never did all this alone, usually my current traveling companions helped too but I was the one who risked his very life for strangers. Saving the world had almost become a full time job since I, Ash Ketchum, began my journey all those years ago at the age of ten.

However despite all that I had accomplished for the world, I never accomplished my dreams, my goals, the thing that I set out to do the day I left Pallet Town with Pikachu. No, my dreams took a backburner so the world could be protected from the evil that plagued it. Don't get me wrong, I love this world and all the creatures and people in it and I'm glad I was able to help when I could, but it just bugs me that I HAD to save it. An eleven or twelve year old shouldn't have to bear the fate of the world on his shoulders while the so called good guys sat back and watched me sacrifice everything to keep the world safe. But as I would learn later life isn't fair and there are some people you just can't save.

There are many ways to torture a man that have been crafted over the many centuries that man has lived on earth. Some are violent and are meant to harm his body like lashings, beatings and electric shocks. Others are more subtle and are meant to harm his mind like depriving him of his senses, making him watch others be tortured and killing the ones that he loves. The torture I was being put through was a combination of the two making it that much easier to break my spirit, which is the point of most tortures in the first place. I had to go clothes shopping with my mom. Now I'm no stranger to women shopping having survived both May and Dawn's shopping sprees but this was far worse. Instead of just carrying the bags I had to actually try on the clothes. So after surviving four stores and thirty changes of clothes I was happy to be heading down toward the entrance of the Goldenrod Department Store. By the third floor my arms were killing me from all the bags that I was carrying so my mom and I sat down on a bench to rest. "Ash dear, could you go and get us some drinks from that vending machine over there please?" Delia, my mom, asked politely. "I'll watch Pikachu and the bags ok."

"Sure mom, no problem." I replied with a tired sigh as Pikachu hopped onto my mom's lap to take a quick snooze while I got the drinks. If I had known that was the last time that I would see them, I would have cherished that moment more. Taken in all the little details in their faces and told them how much I loved them and needed them in my life, but you never realize what you've got till it's gone.

BOOM! That was the last thing that I heard before the pain started. The explosion literally blew me out the third story window and landed me right in front of the Pokémon Center which was very lucky because I wouldn't have survived very long in the shape I was in. Most of my body was covered in burns from the blast, I had multiple broken bones from the fall and I was bleeding everywhere from the glass cutting me when I was forced through it. The physical pain was excruciating but what I would learn later would hurt me more than any injury ever could.

It's an unnerving feeling to wake up somewhere and not know where you are or how you got there. Your eyes open and it is different than when you closed them and you have no idea how you got there and you begin to panic. Then fear creeps up on you, your heart starts beating fast and your afraid until someone answers your questions. My answers came in the form of a Nurse Joy who calmly eased my worries and explained the situation of how I came to be in the Pokémon Center in the first place. I remembered bits and pieces of what happened but Joy helped fill in the blanks of the situation. After the first blast blew me out the window, a fire started and spread through the whole store in minutes. The entire store was ablaze in just fifteen minutes and collapsed before the fire department could put it out. "What about my mom and Pikachu? They were still in there! What about all those people? What happened to them? Tell me!" I shouted at Joy. She was surprised by my sudden outburst and backed a few steps away from me before lowering her and saying in just above a whisper "There were over three hundred people who never got out of the building. They are still clearing the building away to get to the bodies. I don't know about your mom or you Pikachu. I'm sorry"

I didn't know what to say or more accurately couldn't say anything. What do you say when someone tells you that two people who had been all the family you had in the world had died along with three hundred other innocent people? I felt numb, like staying outside in the snow to long without a coat. I must have looked upset because I felt myself being pulled into a gentle hug and held tightly by someone who smelled like disinfectant and vanilla. "Everything will be alright Ash. " Joy softly whispered in my ear as she slowly rocked me like a mother would an upset child to calm it down. I don't know how long we stayed like that but finally she stopped rocking and whispered "I have to go. Try and get some sleep and I will check on you later."

"I will try. Oh and Joy, thank you for everything." I said with as much gratitude as I could.

"You're very welcome Ash." Joy replied as she left closing the door behind her.

I laid there thinking about everything that was going on and what was I going to do about it. There wasn't anything that I could do now till Joy released me but after that I would try and find some answers to what happened and where Pikachu and my mom were. As my eyes began to droop I realized how tired I was and drifted into a fitful, nightmare infested sleep about my mother and best friend trapped in a burning building.

Waking from a nightmare is a relief but scary experience. You're relieved that it was only in your head but still scared from the experience and from the flashbacks that occur after you have woken up. I experienced all of that but with an added bit of shock to go with it. I was handcuffed to my bed and there were police all around my hospital room going through my tattered back pack that had survived the blast, examining the remains of clothes but the thing that bothered me the most was the were taking my poke balls. What happened in the next few minutes was in retrospect horrible and unbelievable. I of course began yelling and demanding to be released and to have my stuff back. The commanding officer, a Jenny with quite a bit of gray in her hair, told me to calm down and that she would explain everything. First she told me that my mother and Pikachu's bodies had been recovered from the building. I could feel the tears streaming down my face but nodded so she would continue. Then she went on to explain that the investigation had uncovered that a fire type Pokémon had caused the explosion. This confused me at first but she went on to explain that a few witnesses confirmed that my charizard had caused it under my command and that I was under arrest for the murder of over three hundred people.

Fuzzy blur. That's the best way to describe the next month of my life. Everything was happening so fast I could barely keep up; couple that with a severe lack of sleep and that made everything hard to follow. I was able to notice the important things happening or more like I was forced to see them. Confused? Let me explain, I was released from the hospital the day after I was arrested and taken immediately to a private holding cell, separate from the other prisoners. The main feature of my cell was a TV but strangely it was behind bulletproof glass. I understood later why it was behind that glass. They made me watch all the news coverage of the incident from the police saying that they apprehended the "suspect" to the family interviews. I HATED THAT DAMN TV! It reminded me that my mom and Pikachu were gone and never coming back but then it added to the weight on my shoulders when I saw all the families grieving for their loved they had lost. I felt for them I really did until they began calling me things that made me see red. Arsonist, killer, terrorist... murderer. There was no escape from it either. I couldn't sleep, the nightmares were worse than reality and when I was awake the TV was on that... garbage! Even when I didn't watch it I could still hear it. The crying of mothers, the angry yells of fathers calling for my head but the worst were the interviews. Not victims, no for these they went and found people who knew me and asked their opinion of me. I learned a lot about what people thought of me, it really cleared my eyes of any misconceptions I had of them and myself. Sure there were some who danced around the subject but they were few while others just denounced me as dangerous, reckless, and irresponsible. These were people that I had cared for, fought to protect and even loved, were throwing me under the bus so to speak. I had wondered why none of them had come to see in the hospital or here at the jail now. I understood crystal clear now. That was the last straw that broke the camel's back. I couldn't take losing my family and all my friends, I basically shutdown. "Seems like a zombie" one of the guards had said and he wasn't wrong. I held a permanent blank expression and hardly moved unless I had to and that's how my life went till the end of the trial.

My lawyer was a smart man who had worked many murder cases before but never one quite like mine. A minor killing over three hundred people isn't your run of the mill type of case. I had refused to plead guilty, which had frustrated him because the evidence and witness testimony against me was overwhelming. Everyone thought that I was guilty including the jury who were unanimous in their decision. All that was left to deal with was what to do with me. They seemed to be having a hard time deciding what to do with a sixteen year old who committed such an atrocity but that didn't stop them from dealing with charizard. The day after I was declared guilty they tried to execute the "dangerous beast", news papers words not mine. They made the unfortunate mistake in thinking that he would die quietly. Boy were they wrong, he was a proud and powerful dragon and wouldn't just lay down and die. He would fight for his life to the very end and I was so proud of him. Unfortunately for charizard, Lance and his dragonite were there to supervise and gave him the fight he wanted. The battle was brutal and lasted for more than an hour and nearly exhausted dragonite before charizard finally fell. You could see the deep respect in Lance and dragonite's eyes for the proud dragon that fought so valiantly for its right to live. A week after charizard's death they came to a decision which would benefit them greatly, exile. Exile out of the five regions, I'm out of their hair, they don't have to feed me for the rest of my life and the public is satisfied with my punishment, everyone wins.

I was told the day after my exile was announced that I would be taken to my exile in the morning. It didn't matter to me, I just wanted to get it over with and get away from that damn TV. Getting away from all these people and out by myself in the wilderness sounds very appealing compared to the last few weeks of my life. But my hatred of all people would be challenged later that night by two people that I didn't expect. Paul Ikari and Lily Waterflower came to see me at about eight o'clock and that shocked me out of my zombie like state. Paul was as serious as ever with the same no nonsense expression he always had. His clothes were the same as his attitude, they hadn't changed either. He didn't say anything as he came in, just looked me over as if trying to figure me out. Paul's companion was less composed than him. Lilly looked like she had been crying for days and hadn't slept very well recently but still looked as lovely as ever. She was wearing a dark blue dress that showed her figure and set off her bright pink hair that she wore down on her shoulders which were bare except for the thin straps of the dress. Once they walked in there was an uneasy silence that occurred while they were looking me over till it was broken by Paul. "Ash, we came to see you. The news said that they were shipping you off tomorrow and we needed to see you before you left."

"Why, so you can call me a monster, a terrorist and a murderer like all my other so called friends did!" I said with hurt and anger lacing my voice. "If your going to do it don't bother I've heard enough for a lifetime."

Paul was shocked by the outburst but it caused Lilly to react. "It's nothing like that Ash! We aren't like all those other guys, we really do care about you whether you believe it or not. But if you don't want us here we can go and leave you to..."

"No! Don't!" I interrupted. "Please don't leave me alone." I paused for a moment then continued. "I'm sorry if I was an ass. I've no excuse for it and you haven't anything wrong to deserve such contempt." I spoke in a low barely heard voice.

"Oh Ash." Lilly spoke "It's ok, after all you've been through it's understandable to be angry. We didn't expect you to trust us right away. I know you and I were never really close before and from what Paul has told me, you and him never saw eye to eye but we are here for you. We care about you and we know that you didn't do those horrible things. We believe in you and I uh we don't want you to go." Lilly finished with tears streaming down her face. Paul looked slightly uncomfortable but got over it quickly. "Listen Ash, we just want to let you know that you're not alone ok? And I promise to try and figure out who framed you."

"What? How are you going to do that, Paul?" I replied with surprise.

Paul smirked. "By becoming champion that's how. Champions are allowed to lead teams of G-Men. I will find the truth Ash."

My mouth was open in shock. Paul was willing to become champion, a public figure who had to be nice and communicate with people just for me. After I thought about it though my thoughts turned grim. "I appreciate that Paul, but it's unnecessary. I'm being exiled tomorrow and you will probably never see me again. So thanks but don't bother." I spoke as I turned to walk to the other side of the cell. Lilly started crying harder and that made me stop. My mom raised me too well to let a women cry for something that I did. But it raised some odd questions in my head. Why was she so upset about me leaving? Was I missing something? "Please don't cry Lilly. A beautiful girl shouldn't cry." I said in my most caring voice as I moved close to the bars of my cell. "I'm sorry Lilly I really am. I didn't mean to make you upset."

She had stopped crying and was looking at me with a look I wasn't familiar with. I was trying to figure out where I'd seen it when she rushed forward and gave me a hug. Well as good a one you can give with metal bars in the way. We stayed that way for a while till she started to pull back but just as our heads passed each other she came forward and caught my lips with hers. It wasn't long but it light my face up with a blush. As she pulled away she had a blush on her face as well. We looked at each other for a while before she finally said. "Please come back someday. Please." Before I could say anything she ran out of the room leaving me and Paul alone. Paul chuckled. "Well ladies man, I have to go. You take care of yourself out there ok." Then he turned to leave I called to him." Paul wait."

He stopped at the door and turned to me." Yes Ash, what is it?"

"You know why they choose exile. You're smart, you've probably figured it out." I stated calmly.

He gave a curt nod so I continued. "I'm not meant to survive and after all that's happened, I don't know if I want to."

He stood there letting what I said sink in, choosing his words carefully. "Don't let all the bad memories kill you Ash. Good memories can save your life. Goodbye, my friend." Closing the door behind him to let me think over all that happened by myself.

The ride was rough but quick probably because the helicopter was military and was meant for function not comfort. I spent the ride looking at my new "home" from above and wasn't impressed. It was just trees and more trees as far as the eyes could see. It was still better than the cell on the boat ride here that I was stuck in for a week. The cell didn't have a window so the only way I knew day from night was what food they gave me. Oatmeal for breakfast and ham and cheese sandwiches for supper. While I was looking out the window, I felt like I was being watched by someone. I ignored it for a while but finally I turned to see Lance looking at me with a curious expression on his face, like he was trying to see the monster that everyone else was calling me. He had been there through the trial so he knew that I had pleaded innocent even though I could have gotten a smaller punishment if I had pleaded guilty. He was starting to get on my nerves so I spoke with frustration in my voice." Will you stop staring; I've been treated like a caged animal enough without you doing that."

He blinked for a few seconds before starting "Sorry I'm just trying to figure something out."

"And what's that, Mr. Champion?" I stated dryly.

"What you're going to do when you get off this helicopter, Inmate Ketchum." he stated with sarcasm in his voice.

I grimaced slightly at the "inmate" remark but let it slide. "It doesn't matter, you won't see me ever again so what happens after you leave is none of your concern."

"Mmm Hmm, I don't believe that and neither do you." Lance stated in a confident tone. "I believe the world isn't done with you yet and you will overcome this. It will be damn near impossible but I've seen and heard you do amazing things. We are here Ash." Lance said as he opened the door. "Good luck Ash and goodbye for now that is." he said as he gave me my survival pack and climbed back in the helicopter as it took off.

I couldn't hear the helicopter anymore which meant that I was finally alone. I looked around and found a nice tree and sat down against it to gather my thoughts and check my pack. It didn't have much, just a few basics like water bottle, bed roll, a small tent and a knife. I stared at the knife for a long time looking it over. It wasn't anything fancy, just ten inch blade with a black handle and leather holster. I ran the blade along my finger as a trail of blood followed behind it. I then gripped it with both hands with the blade facing my chest and closed my eyes to wait for the end. But as soon as I closed my eyes images flashed before my eyes. Lance telling me good luck, Paul calling me his friend, Lilly giving me a hug and kiss, and finally my mom with Pikachu in her arms and they were smiling at me. I gasped as I opened my eyes and threw the knife down. Paul had been right about good memories saving your life. A low growl brought me back to reality as I looked around for the source of the sound. There were eyes in the bushes and the shadows of the trees all around me. I spotted at least five pairs of eyes and heard some more growls as they got closer. Just as the fear started to creep up on me a voice in my head said. "Please come back. Please" Then I knew what I had to do. Survive and to do that you had to follow the law of the jungle. Survival of the fittest. I grabbed the knife and got into a crouch as a small growl escaped my lips. Then a set of teeth and claws jumped at me and the battle began.