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I want to be the very best,

Like no one ever was...

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Chapter One

Beginning of Part I: The Spark

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Ash's sigh was long and lonely.

The Kalos League was over and he needed somewhere to go. Something to do. A new journey, a new challenge. Maybe a new region.

He itched to battle, to compete, to adventure. He yearned for the excitement and uncertainty that came with a Pokémon journey. For a few weeks now, he had been at home, resting up and spending time with his mom. It was nice, but every once in awhile, there were moments when Ash just ached to be on the road again.

And as the new Pokémon League season approached, those moments had been occurring much more frequently.

Ash gazed out the window, affectionately scratching Pikachu behind the ears. The sleeping Pokémon was snuggled comfortably in his trainer's lap, his little body rising and falling gently with each breath.

As for Ash, he was waiting now. His mom was out grocery shopping, and with nothing to do and no one to talk to, he could only wait for the one thing he'd been looking forward to for days now: Misty's arrival.

A group of trainers had come by about a week ago to challenge her, so when Ash had called asking her to visit, she'd been forced to decline. She had promised to visit once she had handled all of the challenges, but considering the need to fully rest her Pokemon between battles, Ash was waiting for awhile.

Regardless, Misty was eventually able to travel to Pallet, and today was the day she'd finally arrive. So there Ash sat, drumming his fingers on the windowsill and staring out at his quiet, drowsy hometown.

He smiled softly.

However much he loved to travel around the world with his Pokémon, Pallet Town would always be home. And Ash loved it here.

He had just begun to doze off when it caught his eye: a speck of motion in his peripheral vision. Ash eagerly pressed his face against the glass as a very familiar redhead walked down the little dusty road to his house.

"Pikachu." Ash gently shook the sleeping Pokémon. "Pikachu, c'mon, Misty's here!"

Pikachu yawned and gazed up at Ash with a dazed, groggy look in his eyes.

"Misty's here," Ash repeated excitedly, picking his partner up and spinning him around the room. "She's really here!" Ecstatic, he set Pikachu back on the window seat and rushed upstairs to his room. He halted at the doorway for a moment, considering.

Then, quick as a flash, he grabbed a hat off his dresser and bounded back down the stairs.

As Ash tugged his shoes on, Pikachu finally seemed to be waking up. Now fully aware, the little Pokémon was just as excited as Ash was, bouncing around the room and nagging Ash to hurry up.

"Pikachu pika!"

"Okay, okay! I'm almost ready. Just gotta tie my other-"

"Pika!" Unwilling to wait any longer, Pikachu grabbed Ash's hat and scampered out the door.

"Whoa! Pikachu, wait!" Abandoning his half-tied shoelace, Ash leaped up and dashed after Pikachu. The yellow mouse darted across the yard before racing down the dirt road, not slowing down for a second. Ash was hot on his tail.

Pikachu finally stopped just in front a familiar pair of pink tennis shoes. Ash skidded to a halt. He looked down at the shoes, then up at the person to whom they belonged.

"Misty," he whispered.

She didn't speak, only staring at him silently. They held each other's gazes for several long moments, and then she lunged at him.

"Ash!" Misty cried, throwing her arms around him. Startled, Ash stood rigidly at first, before returning the embrace with equal vigor.

"Aw man, Mist', it's been too long." Ash pulled back and grinned.

She bit back a smile of her own and opted instead for a playful shove. "It certainly has been! How many months were you gone this time? And you never even called to say hi!"

Ash's cheeks heated up as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I know, I just... got busy."

"Right." Misty rolled her eyes, then cast him a coy smile. "Well, I guess now's our chance to make up for lost time. What do you say?"

Ash nodded excitedly, but before either of the two could say anything else, Pikachu leaped up onto Misty's shoulder, determined not to be ignored. "Pikachupi!" it cried, nuzzling Misty happily.

"Pikachu!" Misty said, eyes lighting up as she hugged the Mouse Pokemon. "Is it just me, or have you gotten cuter?"

Pikachu blushed at Misty's comment, then held up Ash's hat. "Pika pika!" The yellow Pokemon then reached up and placed the cap firmly on Misty's head.

"What's that, Pikachu?" Misty pulled the hat off with a frown. It took her a second to register what she was looking at, and once she had, her breath caught in surprise.

"It's... the hat," Misty said, swallowing, after what felt like ages. She hadn't seen it in so long- the hat Ash had worn during their journeys through Kanto and Johto.

"Yeah..." Ash looked away. "It's been awhile since I've worn it, and I figured-"

Interrupting him, Misty reached out and placed it on Ash's stark black hair. "Back where it belongs," she said softly. "I missed seeing it on you. Remember how you used to talk about it? You would go on and on about how important it was..." She glanced away. "And then you just..."

Ash nodded. His cheeks heated up, though he didn't fully understand why. "Uh-huh. I kept it safe in my room, I just..." He shrugged. "Got a few new ones."

Misty dug her nails into her palms. "Why don't we go back to your house?" she suggested, her voice tight, not quite able to pin down the reason why she was now blinking away tears.

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Bonnie banged her little fist on the door to her brother's workroom. "Are you coming or not?"

"Alright, alright, just a few more minutes... there's one more adjustment I have to make!"

The little lemon-haired girl scowled as she called, "You said that last time, and it's been ten minutes! Dad's special dinner is gonna get cold!"

"Okay, fine, I'm coming..." The door swung open, and a tired and sweaty Clemont stepped out. "Sorry about that, Bonnie. I was just-"

"Working on another invention of yours," Bonnie finished with a giggle. "I know. Now come on! You have to wash your hands before you eat." Clemont glanced down and realized she was right. His palms were covered in black grease.

"Right. Give me a second." Clemont started to adjust his glasses, stopped himself, and hurried down the hall to the bathroom.

While she waited for him, Bonnie's eyes drifted to the door on her right, which Clemont had left ajar. She stepped over to close it, but she couldn't resist a little peek.

There were spare parts and electrical wires strewn all over the place. It looked like a mess, but Bonnie knew it was very organized—in a way that only Clemont could understand. In the center of it all was an unfinished machine that, so far, looked like a cross between a bubble blower and an assault rifle.

Bonnie grinned. Her brother's inventions were usually a lot of fun—well, if they didn't explode.

She heard footsteps coming through the hallway and quickly shut the door. "Are you ready now?" Bonnie said cheerfully.

"I certainly am," Clemont replied, pushing up his glasses. "I can't wait to see what Dad made this time."

"I hope Blaziken helped him with the cooking. Last time he tried the oven, it exploded almost as badly as one of your machines!"

"Hey! I take offense to that remark."

"Well, it's true. You can't deny that most of your inventions blow up. Um... ninety percent of them, probably."

"What? Ninety percent? You're overestimating," Clemont complained. Bonnie laughed.

They continued to bicker good-naturedly as they walked, finding comfort in the easy relationship they shared. Once they reached the kitchen, however, the smell was enough to stop them both in their tracks.

"Oooh, yummy!" Bonnie squealed, jumping up and down. "That looks so good, Dad!"

It was a modest meal, certainly nothing like the lavish displays you'd see on cooking channels, but the lemon-haired siblings knew that their father's cooking was every bit as delicious as any five-star restaurant.

"Dig in, kids," Meyer said, eyes twinkling.

Bonnie and Clemont didn't wait. Bonnie generously heaped food onto her plate, and while Clemont was a bit more conservative with his food, he was no less eager. It had been awhile since their father had been able to make a genuine home-cooked meal.

"Thanks, Dad," Clemont said with a smile as he watched Meyer take a seat at the table.

His father grinned, playfully tousling Clemont's hair. "You're welcome, son."

The blonde woman yawned. "Man, that does smell good," she mumbled. "I want some... hey, are you sure we can't just take the kid now and grab some grub while we're at it?"

Her comment was met with a sigh. "You know we have to wait," her silver-haired partner replied, rolling her eyes. "We need more information first. Plus, it's better to nab him while he's alone."

"But Domino's group has already started! It's not fair," the blonde bemoaned loudly. "She's getting all the glory, and we haven't caught a single trainer yet-"

The silver-haired woman elbowed her. "Hush up or they'll hear us!"

The blonde scowled, but she reluctantly obliged, lowering her voice. "I heard they're getting another one tonight—some coordinator girl."

"Really," she replied, uninterested.

"Uh-huh. One of Domino's lackeys was bragging earlier today."

Her partner sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "Don't worry about it, okay? Our hit list is longer anyway. Gio trusts us more, and we're going to follow through." The silver-haired woman smirked. "We just need to time it right. And you know we're getting those researchers tomorrow, so stop complaining."

"That's right! I almost forgot." The blonde laughed. "Things'll get really interesting then, won't they?"

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"Hey, Ashy-boy, check this out."

Gary pulled a small cardboard box out of his pocket and slid it across the dinner table. Much to Ash's delight, Gary and his grandfather had decided to join them for dinner. (He was slightly less delighted when Gary started up with the usual teasing remarks, but I digress.) The five people were now gathered in the dining room, all enjoying a wonderful home-cooked meal courtesy of Ash's mother.

Ash frowned and picked up the box, examining it. "What's in there?"

"You're supposed to open it," Gary replied dryly, resting his chin in his hand. Ash scowled at him and did so, muttering "I know that" under his breath. Curious, Misty leaned closer and peered at the box as well. The moment Ash pulled off the lid, both pairs of eyes widened.

"No way..." He looked back up at Gary. "This is a Mega Stone, isn't it? That's so cool! I didn't know you had one of these!"

"Yep." Gary smirked. "It's Blastoisinite. I don't have a Key Stone yet, but I was at a big archaeological dig with Professor Rowan when we found this. We sent it to Professor Sycamore to study it-"

"You know Professor Sycamore?" Ash exclaimed, slamming his hands on the table. "That's awesome! So do I! Hey, Mom, remember that time I jumped off the Lumiose Tower? You know, my first day in Kalos?"

At this, Delia and Professor Oak laughed nervously, while Gary and Misty stared at Ash, dumbfounded. "You what...?" Gary muttered under his breath.

"I was up there because I was helping out Professor Sycamore's Garchomp," Ash continued, completely oblivious to their reactions. "He's a really cool guy! He was the one to teach me about Mega Evolution in the first place." Ash snapped the lid shut and handed the box back to Gary. "So how do you know him?"

Gary recovered from his shock—we are talking about Ash, after all; jumping off a building isn't exactly the crazing thing he's done—and raised his eyebrows at Ash. "Don't you know? Gramps and Sycamore know each other pretty well. We sent him the stone, and when he figured out it was for Blastoise, he sent it back and told me to keep it."

With another smirk, he added, "It's good to have a grandfather in the Pokemon business, isn't it?"

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May hummed to herself as she doodled in her notebook. She wasn't the best at drawing, but several years of coordinating had served to develop her artistic skills. At the moment, she was sketching some ideas for the contest she'd be competing in soon.

Most coordinators would have their appeals and battle strategies worked out and practiced at least three or four days beforehand—May giggled as a certain name came to mind—but the brunette had never been one for meticulous planning or preparedness. She was gifted at improvising, and she used that to its full advantage in her performances. She and her Pokemon planned and practiced, sure, but things usually didn't go as expected, and that often worked out for the better.

So here she was, just three nights before the contest, with only a few rough sketches of possible appeals. Tomorrow, May decided, she'd really get down to business. She wondered briefly if she should use her Skitty or her Wartortle for the appeal round—Skitty was adorable, of course, but she had an idea for Wartortle that could turn out beautifully—when she noticed the clock hanging on the wall of her room.

It was ten minutes to midnight.

"No!" May yelped, scrambling to her feet. "No way! It's almost midnight?" She groaned and smacked her forehead. "You've got to be kidding me... Why does time pass so quickly? It's not my fault I can never keep track when all the minutes run away like that..." She pouted. "And I promised I'd meet Drew for coffee at eight tomorrow..."

May paced for several minutes, muttering to herself, before slamming her notebook shut. She quickly threw on her pajamas and climbed into bed.

"Well, if I go to sleep now, I can still make it..." She set her alarm and placed her phone on her bedside table. "Eight hours is almost enough, I think." The coordinator yawned. She rolled over and tried to get comfy. She couldn't look tired in front of Drew in the morning; that was just asking for a snide remark.

She and Drew were staying in the same Pokemon Center while they trained for the upcoming contest. They didn't technically travel together, but they were often in the same place at the same time, and this happened to be one of those occasions. Earlier that day, to her surprise, Drew had asked her to join him for coffee the next morning, and May was more excited about it than she was willing to admit.

Though they were rivals, May tentatively considered him a friend, and she hoped upon hope that he felt the same way towards her.

Fall asleep, she willed herself. Fall asleep, fall asleep, fall asleep...

She had just begun to drift off when a gloved hand clamped over her mouth.

May let out a startled mmph. She heard hushed voices, but she was hardly able to make out what they were saying. What was this, someone's idea of a prank?

"... to kill her?"

"No, he wants her alive..."

Out of the corner of her eye, May saw a knife holstered in the belt of one of her captors. The pieces fell into place, and she realized what was happening in the next second. This was no prank.

May lashed out in all directions, kicking and punching, but several more hands grabbed her by her wrists and ankles. Moments later, coarse rope dug into her skin, binding her. Terrified, May bit down hard on the hand covering her mouth, provoking a pained hiss from one of her captors. But her triumph lasted only a moment before a strip of duct tape replaced the hand, and May was suddenly helpless.

Panic set in.

She struggled and thrashed, bumping into furniture and slamming into her captors. Things fell. Something crashed on the wooden floor. She made all the noise she could, desperately hoping for someone to hear her and come to her rescue.

Then something small and sharp sank into her arm. She was overcome by an intense drowsiness, and suddenly she was barely able to keep her eyes open. The last thing she remembered was the sound of high-pitched laughter before she lost consciousness entirely.

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Well, of course there's a cliffhanger at the end of the first chapter. How else would I get you to stick around? ;)