Hey, everyone, this is the first Chapter of the Orange Islands Arc. If you're new to my stories, welcome, I suggest you read The Pokémon Master's Journey: The Journey Begins before reading this!

There are two stories in this; one from the past and one from the present, and they are both interconnected which will climax in the movie! I'm doing things differently this time. From now on all the movies will be written into these Arcs, instead of being separate. The first one was separate because Mewtwo had his own story in that, but I feel it will be easier to write them in the Arcs and build them up within the story.

This Arc will mostly focus on Ash and Misty learning about the difficulties of being a trainer and overcoming them to make themselves stronger.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

Chapter 1 – Adverse Celebration

The young boy sat quietly against a tree just outside the entrance to Mount Moon. With his eyes closed he was completely shut off from the rest of the world, lost deep in his own thoughts. Next to him, a young green Pokémon with a tiny bulb on its back rested sleepily as its trainer continued his meditation.

It had become the norm between Pokémon and trainer, as they would wake up shortly after sunrise and then immediately meditate. The young Pokémon didn't understand it though; it seemed quite strange to him.

As the wind picked up, the small Pokémon felt that something was clearly wrong. Suddenly, the boy and his Pokémon were both drawn from their respective worlds when they heard an earth-shattering scream.

Opening his eyes, the boy looked at his young Pokémon, simply nodding silently that they should go and investigate. Standing up, the boy placed his red cap on top of his black hair, allowing his red eyes to dart back and forth as tried to figure out which direction the scream had come from.

His questioning, however silent, were answered when an almighty roar echoed throughout the forest. Grabbing his bag, he raced towards the disturbance, coming to a stop when he found a young girl with red hair trying to fend off a raging Gyarados with a weak starfish-like Pokémon.

Without even being told, Bulbasaur raced into action, wrapping his vines around the enraged Pokémon to hold it still. In another flash, a tiny yellow Pokémon with a lightning bolt shaped tail popped free from its Poké Ball and launched a powerful Thunderbolt that severely injured the Gyarados.

Without a word, the young boy launched one of his empty Poké Balls at the water-type, encompassing the Pokémon in red light as it was captured. Both trainers and Pokémon watched with bated breath as the Poké Ball vigorously vibrated as the Pokémon tried to break free.

With a sigh of relief, the young boy picked up the Poké Ball when it signalled its capture, only to be confronted by the young girl. "Wah! Thank… Thank you." It was the first time the young boy got a look at the girl, and he guessed she was around his age; ten.

Not one for many words, the young boy smiled at the girl, looking straight into her viridian eyes. "Your welcome."

"I don't know what happened," the girl continued. "Gyarados was fine before we passed through Mount Moon, but when we made it to the other side he went berserk, destroying his Poké Ball in the process."

The boy looked at her for a second, reading her facial features, deciding she was telling the truth. Quietly, he handed the Poké Ball to her. "Here, it's your Pokémon."

"Thanks…" the girl paused, accepting the Ball.

"Red," the boy replied, understanding her unspoken question.

"Thanks, Red, I really appreciate it." The girl smiled.

"You're welcome," Red repeated. He suddenly glanced back towards the Mount Moon, his mind racing a mile a minute. "You said this happened after you went through Mount Moon, right?" The girl nodded. "Then I guess we should find out what's going on in there so this doesn't happen to anyone else."

"Sure!" the girl said a little too quickly, eager to tag along.

"Well then, lets head off!" He began to head towards the entrance, but stopped when he realised one important detail. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Oh, where are my manners!" The girl covered her mouth in embarrassment. "I'm Misty. Misty Williams."

Red glanced at the rusty, framed, photograph. He remembered the day it was taken, visualising the hall he was in twenty-three years ago. Currently, he was searching for something in the attic of his house in Pallet Town, rummaging through old items he'd long since forgotten he had.

"What are you doing?" Delia questioned, climbing up the small pull-down ladder.

"Looking for one of my old battle tapes," Red explained. "Ash is feeling pretty down at the moment, and I wanted to show him something important."

"All your old recordings are over there." Delia pointed to another part of the attic. "This is just stuff you collected during your journey."

"Thanks." Red sighed, lowering the framed photograph.

Just before it disappeared back into the box, Delia saw who was in the photo, and quickly glanced at her husband. "You know, I never asked, but when was that taken."

Red followed her pointed finger towards the photo, a smile forming on his face. "After Misty and I stopped Team Rocket in Mount Moon," he explained, showing her the photo. "She took me to this mansion that turned out to be her father's and we trained for a while, before I eventually defeated her and won the cascade badge."

"Yeah, but why was she wearing a beautiful gown, like that?" Misty was in a flowing full length, blue gown that accentuated her curves, while Red was in a flimsy suit that was clearly too big for him.

Red became embarrassed, realising he'd never told his wife about that day. "You know how she had a crush on me, right?"

Delia nodded; how could she forget? She remembered all the times Misty became jealous because of the attention Red gave her. "She didn't like me in the beginning."

"Yeah, well, she invited me to this massive gathering her father was holding, and we had to dress up. I think she was trying to impress me, but her father never liked me, so I only stayed there for a few days. We trained, and I learnt a lot before moving on."

"About how to become the little charmer you were?" Delia joked.

Red slyly smirked. "That, and that I needed to become stronger if I was ever to encounter Team Rocket again. Misty and I barely made it out of that mountain alive."

"Well…" Delia cut the conversation short with a yawn. "Don't be too long up here, we have a busy day tomorrow with the party."

"I won't be," Red assured, placing the photo down before heading towards the other end of the attic. "Once I find what I'm looking for I'll be right down."

Ash sighed as he sat down on one of the many couches inside the main room of Professor Oak's laboratory. The party was in full swing outside, with dozens of people from Pallet Town all there to celebrate the achievements of Gary, Leaf, and himself in the Indigo League.

While it had been a week since the last match of the Indigo League, with Leaf losing to the eventual winner, Rachel, in the round after she defeated him, Ash still couldn't bring himself to train.

He'd put on a smile immediately after his lose, but on the inside, he was drowning. Every day he questioned himself, questioned his tactics, questioned his own ability to make the right decisions. He couldn't for the life of him remember why he'd chosen Squirtle and Rhydon when he knew they both had problems he was still to take care of.

In the end he put it down to his own incompetence; his inability to see and address the problems he faced, some of which he'd created. No, he didn't want to celebrate. Celebration meant praise, and he didn't think he deserved it.

Lost in his own little world, he failed to notice the sole television screen flicker to life, at least until he heard the first scream. "Come on, Arcanine! Do as your told!"

Glancing at the screen, Ash was flooded with the image of Arcanine battling a powerful Dewgong. As the screen changed, it suddenly showed the image of a boy very similar to Ash, only he had a red jacket on instead of his blue one.

"You don't train your Pokémon very well, do you?" His opponent taunted. The camera, which had been focused on the boy, quickly travelled across the battlefield to his opponent; a teenage girl. "Did you really think you could challenge the Elite Four with a Pokémon like that?"

"I know what I'm doing!" the boy spat back. But alas, the Pokémon never listened to him the entire battle, and before long, the match was over.

"Come back when you've trained your Pokémon," the girl finished. "Then maybe you'll be able to beat me, Lorelei, Ice-type Master of the Kanto Elite Four." The tape stopped.

"Notice anything familiar?" Red asked, appearing next to the television.

"That was you?" Red nodded. "But how? I thought…"

"You thought of the illusion that is me," Red explained. "You thought of an image of a Pokémon Master that was set up by the League. Everyone thinks I just did it in a single go because I became League Champion when I was eleven. But the truth is it took me six months after this battle to eventually defeat the Elite Four, and then defeat the Champion, who was Gary's father; Blue."

There was a long pause as both father and son eyed each other down, until eventually the question on the tip Ash's tongue spilled from his mouth. "So, how did you go from there to here?" He emphasised by directing his hands from the television to Red.

"With lots of training," Red explained. "Like you, I questioned myself after that loss. I didn't train with my Pokémon for a while, but I eventually got back into it and we learned from our mistakes. I challenged a few more times before winning just before my twelfth birthday."

The next question wasn't a surprise for Red as he had been expecting it. "What should I do?"

"Take a break." It wasn't the answer Ash expected, or even hoped for. "Trying to train your Pokémon like this isn't going to help. Instead, refresh your mind, and remember why you decided to become a trainer in the first place."

"What's going on in here?" Misty asked, clutching Togepi as she entered the room with Brock. "The party's in full swing outside and you two are in here?"

"We're discussing what Ash should do next," Red explained.

"And?"

"And he's saying I should take a break," Ash added.

"That's not a bad idea," Brock agreed. "Even when I was a Gym Leader I needed time off. Every now and then I would close the Gym for a couple of weeks."

"Yeah, but where should we go?" Ash quipped. "I'm not going to sit here for the next few weeks."

"Head to the Orange Islands," Red stated. "It's where I used to go to have a break."

"Yeah? And with what money?"

Red stared at his son in disbelief; didn't he know how much money he won during the League? "Ash, haven't you even checked your Trainer Bank Account?"

"Trainer Bank Account?"

Red's slouched, shaking his head. "How'd you survive this long?"

"He had good friends," Brock stated. "Plus, we bought stuff from the pocket money we all received."

"Well, you're in luck." Red smiled, standing at his full height. "You're not going to need to live off pocket money any longer."

"How so?" Ash asked.

"Give me you Pokédex," Red cryptically replied, placing his hand out. Reluctantly, Ash placed his Pokédex in his father's hands. They watched for several seconds as Red fiddled with it.

"Trainer Bank Account; Ash Ketchum." The Pokédex sprang to life. "Current Balance, two hundred and fifty-seven thousand dollars."

"WHAT!" the three kids exclaimed. "How?" Was quickly added after.

"Because you finished in the final thirty-two trainers, your total prize money for the Indigo League was two hundred and forty thousand," Red explained. "Plus, the money you won for defeating the League Gyms added up to the final amount."

"I never knew that!" Ash exclaimed, snatching the Pokédex. "Does that mean I could spend all that money if I wanted to?"

"No," Red rejected. "Until you reach the age of sixteen, you can only access up to ten percent of your total bank balance per year, with the minimum being ten thousand."

"You know what that means, Ash?" Misty asked, walking towards them. Inwardly, Ash had an idea for what Misty meant, but outwardly he decided to let her explain. "We're going on a holiday!"

Hannah considered herself many things; courageous, intelligent, a well-respected leader, but a fool wasn't one of them. Leaning back in her chair, she waited for her next meeting to commence.

In her office there was very little to identify her personal life. No photos of family or friends, no heirlooms that weren't considered sacred to her organisation. No one knew who she was away from these walls, and that's how she liked it.

When the knock finally came from the door, she sat straight up, adjusting her blonde hair. "Come in."

"Sorry I'm late, Master," the first words came out of the mans mouth before he even entered the room. "I had some… unforeseen circumstances arise."

"No need to apologise, Joshua," Hannah replied, gesturing to the seat in front of her desk. "You're one of my most loyal officers, I know you weren't late because of tardiness or anything unbecoming of a man of your stature."

"Yes, well, I always feel the need to apologise in circumstances like this," Joshua explained, taking the seat. He removed the bag from around his shoulders and placed it on the ground.

"Nether the less." Hannah raised her hand to stop him. "I'm much more interested in the information you have for me."

"Yes." He nodded, grabbing a small file out of his bag. "This is the current report."

He slid the small file across the table. Grabbing it, Hannah opened it for a brief second before placing it back down on the table. "Give me an overview, I can read it in more detail later."

"There is still no information on the whereabouts of Ethan Danial Waterflower," he stated. "However, in recent months we believe that the followers of the Dark Domain may have taken him to Johto when they tried to kidnap you and your husband."

"Is that all?"

"It's at least something," he explained. "We haven't had any information in years, and we only received this because we managed to capture that man six months ago."

"It's still nothing, Joshua," Hannah countered. "My husband hasn't been seen in over six years, and you tell me that we only now know that they took him to the Johto region after they attacked us?"

"Hannah, may I speak freely?" Joshua asked.

"Go ahead." Hannah nodded.

"As you say, it's been six years, how long do you plan on using Legion resources to look for your husband?" he paused, choosing his next words wisely. "You know what the Dark Domain does to aura users like us. He's probably already dead."

"Until I see a body," Hannah explained. "Until I know he's dead, I will continue to search."

"Very well." Joshua nodded. "I will order the investigator to continue the search." He reached into his bag again, pulling out a different file. "This is the latest report on your family."

Joshua didn't need to push the file across the desk this time as Hannah leaned over and grabbed it. "How is my daughter, and what is she up to?"

Joshua knew she was only talking about one of her children, so he started there. "Misty's currently booked tickets to the Orange Islands with Red's son, Ash Ketchum, and the Pewter City Gym Leader Brock Slate. As for your other daughters, they're currently at the Indigo Plateau organising funds to rebuild the Gym."

Hannah leaned back in her chair, touching her fingers together as mused over the new information. "Good. Good. I need her with him if everything is to go according to plan."

Joshua's face scrunched up in confusion, wondering why Hannah was pleased. "What is this plan?"

"You'll know in time, Josh, but for now I have an errand for you." Pulling out a file from her desk, she handed it to him. Opening it, he saw the face of one of their low-level operatives. Glancing back at the woman, he silently asked what he needed to do. "This young man knows who I am," she explained. "Now, he claims his job is information and espionage, but I want you to look into him. If he found out my real identity when searching for information he was supposed to, I'll keep him on a tight leash, but if he's been snooping around where he shouldn't be, I want you to take care of him… You're dismissed."

"Yes, mam." Joshua nodded, placing the file in his bag. "I'll get right on it." He stood up, placing the bag back over his shoulder before heading to the door.

"Please send in the lovely lady in the hallway when you leave," Hannah added.

Joshua silently nodded, opening the door and gesturing the next person in. As the young girl entered the room, Hannah jumped from her seat to greet her. "Elisabeth Grace Cordo, how have you been."

"Good, Master." Elisabeth nervously gulped, accepting the hug that Hannah freely gave. "It's good to be free."

"I imagine it would be," Hannah agreed, returning to her chair. "I nearly didn't recognise you without your silver hair."

Elisabeth smiled, shying away slightly. "I washed it off. It's nice to have it back to its normal colour."

"I'm surprised to see you didn't dye it to be the same as your father's."

"He likes it this way," Elisabeth explained. "Says it reminds him of my mother."

"I imagine it would," Hannah agreed, taking a better look at her young operative. Her silver hair was gone, replaced with her natural brown hair. She looked incredibly like her mother, with her silver eyes being the only thing that was distinctly her fathers. "Now, enough chit-chat, I have a mission for you."

"Now?"

"Yes, now." Hannah growled; she didn't like the way Elisabeth spoke back to her.

"Sorry," Elisabeth sulked, shyly glancing towards her feet. "I meant no disrespect. It's just, I've only been back a month after infiltrating Team Rocket for nearly two years."

"I know you have," Hannah agreed. "But this mission is different, you'll be yourself." Elisabeth drew her eyes up as Hannah pushed a file in front of her. Placing her hands on it, she brushed her fingers over the edge before opening the file. "Tell me, Elisabeth, how old are you now? Twelve? Thirteen?"

"Still twelve, Master." Elisabeth couldn't believe what she was reading. She quickly glanced at the image of the young boy with black hair she'd had a few run ins; whatever it was Hannah wanted, it involved Ash Ketchum. "What would you like me to do?"

And with that, Hannah Smiled.

What is Hannah up to? When Will Ash train again? And what happened in Mount Moon? Find Out Next Time!

I know Pidgeotto evolves in the episode where they party, but I've decided to move that to when they return as Ash doesn't want to battle at the moment.

I'll be putting a bio with all the character details up when I get the chance. Other than that, I'll be uploading on a fortnightly schedule until I have a decent buffer. Lastly, there were no battles in this one, but I promise there will be ones in the future.

Any questions, Pokémon suggestions, ideas for the story, or OC's you have that you would like to see in the story, just PM me or send it in a review! All are welcome!

Ash's Pokémon:

On Hand:

Pikachu (Electric) (Male)
Pidgeotto (Normal/Flying) (Male)
Ivysaur (Grass/Poison) (Male)
Charizard (Fire/Flying) (Male)
Wartortle (Water) (Male)
Rhydon (Ground/Rock) (Female)
Riolu (Fighting) (Male)
Dragonair (Dragon) (Female)
Ralts (Psychic/Fairy) (Male) (Shiny)
Grubbin (Bug) (Female) (Shiny)

At Oak's Ranch:

Arcanine (Fire) (Male)
Nidorino (Poison) (Male) (Shiny)
Umbreon (Dark) (Male) (Shiny)
Raticate (Normal) (Female)
Butterfree (Bug/Flying) (Male)
Kingler (Water) (Female)
Absol (Dark) (Male)
Gengar (Ghost/Poison) (Male)
Primeape (Fighting) (Female)
Muk (Poison) (Male)
Tauros (Normal) (Male) (x23)
Ralts (Psychic/Fairy) (Male) (Shiny)
Grubbin (Bug) (Female) (Shiny)
Sandslash (Ground) (Male)
Gyarados (Water/Flying) (Male)

Departed:

Mew

Misty's Pokémon:

On Hand:

Starmie (Water/Psychic)
Seel (Water) (Male)
Feebas (Water) (Female)
Vaporeon (Water) (Female)
Psyduck (Water) (Male)
Togepi (Fairy) (Male)

At Oak's Ranch:

Kabutops (Rock/Water) (Male) (Shiny)
Seaking (Water) (Female)
Staryu
Tentacruel (Water/Poison) (Male)
Pelipper (Water/Flying) (Female)
Seadra (Water) (Female)

Brock's Pokémon:

On Hand:

Geodude (Rock/Ground) (Female)
Onix (Rock/Ground) (Male)
Zubat (Poison/Flying) (Female)
Marowak (Ground) (Female) (Shiny)
Vulpix (Fire) (Female)
Kangaskhan (Normal) (Female)

At Oak's Ranch:

Gengar (Ghost/Poison) (Male)
Honchkrow (Dark/Flying) (Male)
Magnemite (Electric/Steel)
Tauros (Normal) (Male) (Shiny)
Doduo (Normal/Flying) (Female)
Exeggutor (Grass/Psychic) (Female)
Aerodactyl (Rock/Flying) (Male)

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Until Next Time, AshleyH30 Out!