Author's Note: This is an idea that is being bounced around my head. So finally decided to put it down in paper. One thing to remember I stopped seeing the canon after the Trip's battle, so this is definitely not following the canon. If you don't like it stop reading now. And this will be a betrayal fiction. I'll try to stick within the four moves but I may change it if needed. The current ages are

Ash – 15

Misty – 16

Jesse and James – 18

Cynthia – 17

Lance – 22

Brock – 20

May and Dawn – 13

Max – 10

[Revision – 17/01/2016: Cleaned up some grammatical errors and punctuation problems. With minute changes in the story]

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon franchise. It belongs to Nintendo.

Chapter 1: Fruits of Past Endeavours

"We are finally near home buddy!' exclaimed an exuberant voice. "Pi pikachu" came an equally excited reply. The voice belonged to ever-travelling young man called Ash and his best buddy and first pokémon Pikachu. After a gruelling defeat in the Lily of the Valley Conference against Tobias he is on his way home for some much needed rest and recovery from his travels.

After bidding farewell to his companions Dawn in Twinleaf Town and Brock near the crossroads of Viridian Forest, he wanted some time to introspect himself and overcome his flaws. 'I need to know what I must do. Being in the top 4 is not enough. I need to reach the level of champion like Lance, Steven and Cynthia. I owe to not only to myself but my friends and my pokémon too' he thought while he was on Route 1. So caught up in his thoughts he never realised that he reached the hill overseeing Pallet Town until his partner jumped from his shoulder and started sprinting towards his house calling back "Pika pi" as if issuing a challenge.

"Oh no you don't. It's cheating. We're supposed to start at the same time" Ash complained before chasing his companion. Quickly catching up to Pikachu, Ash sent out an excited cry "Here we come!" before both travellers started running. Reaching his house he quickly silenced his partner "Shush Pikachu. We are gonna give mom a surprise". Stopping before the front door he knocked on the door and waited for some time.

"Coming" called a voice from inside the house and slowly the sound of footsteps could be heard coming near the door. Suddenly, the door was opened a woman wearing a white skirt and maroon blouse. Upon seeing Ash and Pikachu the woman quickly hugged Ash saying "Oh Ash! It's so good to see you. Come inside and tell me all about your adventures" and showed him in.

After being seated on the table Ash had some sandwiches set down by his mother and gave Pikachu a packet of ketchup. After settling down on a chair opposite to Ash, Delia asked the most difficult question "You had a safe journey didn't you?"

Thinking about the fight to free the lake trio, the events of Spear Pillar with Cynthia and Team Galactic, Ash replied with a forced smile "Yes Mom. Stop worrying" feeling guilty about lying to his mother.

"So tell me. How was the league this time?" asked Delia.

"Got till the Top 4 Mom" he replied with downtrodden tone. Hearing this Pikachu patted on Ash's arm trying to cheer him up.

Delia comforted by pulling him for hug across the table saying "Don't worry. You reached the top 4 this time next time you may win the league. Just keep trying."

Hearing his mom still believe in him Ash gained a small smile knowing that his Mother will always support him. Shaking away bad thoughts that were plaguing his mind Ash soaked up the love his mother had for him. Breaking the hug and sitting back Ash said "Yep! Next time I will win the league, then become a champion and then a pokémon master" getting his spirit back.

"So how long do you think of staying this time?" Delia asked hoping to spend some time with her son.

"Should be a month or two. Don't know where I am going to go. Hoping something will turn up. Don't worry Mom even if something turns up I will probably stay till the end of the two months. So you are stuck with me and my buddy whether you like it or not" told Ash playfully while Pikachu shouted "Pi pikachu" showing his support.

Giggling at their action Delia asked "So what do you want for dinner?"

"Anything. I just want to eat something made by you. I missed you and your cooking mom" Ash told her truthfully. Hearing his words Delia felt happy that her son still thinks about home on his journey.

"OK. So simple macaroni and cheese it is for dinner," hearing a "Pika" she amended "and some ketchup and pokéfood."

For an hour both mother and son were talking about the Sinnoh region and the pokémon Ash caught there. He talked about Torterra, Infernape, Buizel, Gliscor, and Gible. He also talked about Dawn and her contests. Delia sat there listening to him talk about his adventures and it made her feel proud about him meeting and helping new people. She thought 'Ah! How much he has grown. Always making new friends. I just wish that he wasn't so dense about the opposite sex. Wait that may be because I never taught him about such things. But seriously I need to have the talk with him he is going to turn 15.' So engrossed with her thought she was suddenly brought back by Ash waving his hand in front of her.

"Hello. Are you listening Mom?" asked Ash.

"Yeah. Just thinking that it is getting late and I must prepare dinner" she replied.

"Anything I could help with?" Ash inquired.

"Nope you are not entering the kitchen without getting cleaned up young man. I will not serve you dinner if you don't take a shower right now" she scolded him.

"Yes ma'am" he replied before hurrying to his room to drop his bag and take a shower to get rid of the dirt. Stripping his clothes and dropping them in the laundry basket he entered the shower. As soon as the hot water hit him he relaxed knowing the luxury of a proper hot water that he missed during his travels. He enjoyed his shower before getting dressed and coming down only to find his mother setting the table with the help of Pikachu. Feeling something amiss he looked around before realising that Mr. Mime was nowhere to be found. He asked just as his mother looked up "Where is Mr. Mime Mom?"

"Oh! That's right I didn't tell you did I. Mr. Mime has gone on an errand for me to Celadon City. Since he has not ever been to Celadon he couldn't Teleport. So, he won't be back for a few weeks. You just missed him" she replied. Satisfied with the answer the trio sat down and had dinner.

After finishing dinner Ash got up and was moving towards the door when Delia demanded "Where do you think you are going young man?"

"Just going to the lab to see my pokémon" he replied.

"Na hah! You can go to the lab tomorrow. You need to sleep" she commanded. Ash groaned but complied thinking that he sure didn't miss his mother being overbearing.

Waking up in the morning to the Voltorb alarm Ash quickly went into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, took a shower and proceeded down. Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder as he exited the room. The duo sat on the table and eagerly awaited for the food to be served. As soon as his mom laid the plate full of pancakes Ash started gorging the food, his partner following the example did the same for his pokéfood. After finishing he quickly grabbed his cap and rushed out of the calling "We're going to the lab" without waiting for a reply.

He greeted the Professor who answered the door "Good Morning Professor. How are the pokémon doing?"

"Good Morning Ash. It is a surprise to see you. The pokémon are fine. Bulbasaur should be in the backyard taking in the sun. He can help you call your pokémon" Professor Oak replied.

"Sure thing. Thanks Professor" he answered before going to the backyard to find Bulbasaur where Oak said he would be.

Hearing footsteps coming towards him Bulbasaur opened his eyes to find Ash smiling brightly at him. "Hi Bulbasaur. What do you say about informing everyone that I'm home" said Ash.

"Bulba bulba bulbasaur" replied Bulbasaur conveying agreement before firing a Solarbeam towards the sky as a beacon for everyone to assemble.

Seeing the beacon all of Ash's pokémon hurried towards the beam while Ash had released his Sinnoh team outside and was waiting for rest of his pokémon to appear. When the pokémon arrived to find Ash they rushed over and piled over him showing him their affection. It soon settled down as the pokémon formed a circle around him and he allowed Pikachu and Bulbasaur to make the introductions while he dusted himself.

As soon as Sceptile's and Infernape's eyes met they showed defiance and challenge to each other that he was better than the other, a rivalry of sorts. While the others like Staraptor flew away with Swellow and Noctowl. Whereas Buizel was having fun with Corphish and Totodile. Gible went to explore the forest on Torterra's back with Bulbasuar and Bayleef as guides.

Ash rested on a stump with Pikachu resting against his thigh. Infernape chose to sit next to Ash and Sceptile just leaned against the lab. Looking to the sky "What did I do wrong? I gave it my all and I still lost. I don't know what to do." spoke Ash releasing all his woes. Infernape just gave him a light knock to the back of his head to remind him to think about the future instead of wallowing in the events that have passed.

Suddenly Professor Oak could be heard shouting "Ash, your mom is calling you home for lunch". Hearing the word lunch Ash started to drool and raced out of the lab with Pikachu overtaking him. Seeing the duo, Sceptile smirked whereas Infernape laughed but stopped to glare at each other. Still they chose to stay in the same positions.

Reaching his home Ash called out "I'm home" when Delia replied "In the kitchen Ash". Seeing the sandwiches on the table Ash tried to take one when his hand was slapped away. Looking at the owner of the hand, Ash saw Delia's scowling at him "No touching before washing your hands mister." and looked at Pikachu to convey the same message

"Yes mother" he drawled out before washing his hands along with Pikachu. The family had their lunch in silence. Sitting on the couch watching the battles playing out Ash was back to pondering about his latest loss. When he brought out by an advertisement about a new trade route between Kanto and a region called Unova. It said that it was the first trade route between the continents and there was no sure communication means between the continents except via pokémon.

Coming in after drying the laundry outside Delia heard the heard the end of the commercial and so sadden to know that Ash would want to go there. But she hid her emotions before going inside to start preparing dinner.

During dinner Ash and Pikachu were in their own world while Delia was watching the interaction between the two with a wistful smile. Thinking about her son about to leave again always brought her down but she will never stand in the way of his dreams but she hoped that one day he will settle down. She heard Ash talking to her about something but she didn't hear it due to her thoughts. "Sorry Ash. What did you say?" she asked.

Ash huffed and Pikachu smiled at the action before he said "Well I was telling about travelling to Unova…" trailing off in the end. He saw a sad smile in Delia's face before it was replace by a smile and she asked "So when are you planning to go?"

"Don't know but definitely not for a while. I need to learn to camp on my own since I'm sure Brock won't be able to come with me. I do need to think of what pokémon I will take with me or should I just take Pikachu. Moreover I must learn to cook with berries and how to make pokéfood. There is so much I need to know before I'm ready" he rambled on while Delia smiled a true smile knowing that she her son will stay at home for some more time even if he eventually leaves on a journey.

"So, how about I teach you to cook starting tomorrow?" she asked happy to spend some time teaching him something useful.

"Sure" he agreed eager to learn something new that helps him. Getting up he helped Delia clean the table. Both of them retiring for the night thinking about their plan for tomorrow.

For a week and a half, Ash helped his mother with cooking with her giving hints and tips that he made sure to commit to memory. He followed the same routine every day for time period. In the morning getting up early to help his mom, then go out and run a few miles before coming home and cleaning up, followed by preparing and having lunch before going to the lab to spend some time with his pokémon and lastly coming home around dusk to once again help cook dinner.

Thinking that he had enough cooking skills to at least duke it out for a week outdoors he wanted to test himself. Deciding that he will tell Delia during dinner about his decision he went to his room to pack his backpack. During dinner he brought it up "Mom I'm thinking of camping out for a week in Route 1 just to know whether I can do it or not" he said.

"Ok Ash just make sure you have everything you need. If you missed or want something just come back home. No need to try too hard you can just try after gaining more experience" she said knowing that she will worry no matter what.

Getting early next day Ash cleaned himself before rushing out to the lab to inform his pokémon about his plans for the week, saying "Guys I will not come to see you for a week because I am going to do something I should have done before. This will ultimately make us stronger and help me win the league next time."

His pokémon cheered loudly before going back knowing that Ash will keep his promises. Seeing that done Ash left for his home to do the finally checking before leaving towards Route 1 with Pikachu on top of his hat.

One week later…

Delia was excited for no reason other than that her son would be coming back from his short camping trip without anyone's help. So to celebrate she was making a huge feast. Just as she finishes setting everything on the table there was a knock on the door and there stood Ash all dirty, with little twigs and leafs stuck in his spiked hair and Pikachu with some ruffled fur.

"Hi Mom!" he shouted. Delia smiled and silently let him in. As soon as Ash entered he went to his room to get a nice hot shower. After donning a fresh set of clothes, he came down with a brush to smooth Pikachu's fur.

He sat down on the couch after switching the TV on and started brushing the tangles formed in his partner's coat. Mewls of "Pika pika pi" from his partner showed the approval, he reminded himself to pack a brush next time since his pokémon seemed to appreciate the gesture. Slowly the waft of food entered his nostrils and he placed Pikachu on his shoulders and walked towards the kitchen.

"So you finally came inside the kitchen. I started to wonder if I had to call you" Delia said with her back facing Ash working on the stove.

"Yeah. Just wanted to clean Pikachu's coat. It got tangled so decided to that while watching TV. Anyway what's special? Are we having anyone over?" Ash spoke.

"No. Just wanted to celebrate your week alone camping without any help" she cheered.

He rubbed his nose bashfully saying "You didn't need to do that mom. It was just a week, that too on Route 1".

"Anyway sit down I'll switch off the TV and join you. Wait for me alright" she commanded before going to the lounge. She looked up on the TV and it suddenly flickered to flash news about a robbery with Ash's photo displayed. "Ash, come here and see this" she shouted rattled. An announcer was reading

We have just heard from the Saffron City Police Department about a break-in in the Sliph Co. building about yesterday midnight. The theft was discovered just now. The prototype of the ultimate Pokéball called "Master Ball" was stolen. This item was supposed to be heavy guarded with high tech security measures in place. Scanning the security camera footage during the break-in helped find the face of the thief. Running it through the system, the police found the culprit to an illustrious trainer from Pallet Town by the name "Ash Ketchum" as shown on your screen.

This illustrious trainer is known to have participated in leagues from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and was even victorious in the Orange League. Having recommendations from various Professor and Gym Leaders, one must wonder why this person as committed this crime. The Police are checking for tampering of evidence in the insistence of Saffron City Gym Leader "Sabrina" but the Police are sure that Ash is responsible with such concrete evidence available. The current whereabouts of this Trainer is unknown. But the police have contacted the Viridian City's Jenny to bring in his closest relative "Delia Ketchum", Mother of the suspect, for questioning. In case you know any details about this trainer please contact the number displayed on your screen. This Jane Journa from Pokémon League News.

Delia and Ash both stood still in shock but the silence was broken by Delia when she pleaded "Please tell me that it is not true Ash."

"Of course it is not true. I never went to Saffron City and even if I did, how can I come home today if I was there yesterday midnight" he replied trying to reassure her. Delia pulled him into a hug just to reassure herself with Pikachu jumping onto her shoulder to calm her down. Amidst this commotion both Ash and Delia smelled smoke in the air but neglected it thinking that it was just the burnt food. But the crackling of wood drew there attention to the ceiling just to see it fall down with embers flying in the air.

As the smoke and ash ascended towards the sky, the smoldering fire illuminated the smirks on a pair present in the mob surrounded by fire-type pokémon. None in the mob lifted a finger to put out the fire before dispersing into the cloudy night muttering among themselves that a black mark on their town was removed not caring about taking a life. The fiery beacon slowly winded down to give way to the darkness.

Done. See you guys next time with a new chapter of Endeavour to a New Destiny. With that said the Storm falls.