Hello everybody! Well, this is my first fic, and it promises to be a long one. The first and second chapter of "A New Journey" will really be meant to catch y'all up to speed, then the real story begins. However, even though it is necessary, I am trying to make these first couple of chapters as exciting as I can, and I think I did well with this first one. I just finished all my AP exams and the SAT this last week, so hopefully I will be able to update weekly. Sometimes, just to divert my energies momentarily, I will not work on this story, but instead something simpler like a quick one-shot, but rest assured this story will be my main focus while it is yet unfinished. As mentioned, this is gonna be a looooong story, but it should be worth it. And yes, by the way, it is really a pokeshipping fic, but I promise that along with that (in case you're not interested in pokeshipping) there will be plenty of funny, dramatic, happy, sad, and scary subplots throughout the fic. Thank you so much for reading, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any of its affiliated companies including, but not limited to, 4Kids, The Pokemon Company, Game Freaks, or Cartoon Network. The characters written within this fic are soley based upon the fictional characters created by these companies, and the story is not meant to, nor will it, receive any monetary funding.

Characters' Ages:

Ash: 16

Brock: 21

Misty: 17

Dawn: 13

Delia: 40

Oak: 55

Gary: 16

"What a great job Ash!" yelled Brock at the new Sinnoh Champion. Ash had just defeated the now-former Sinnoh Champ Cynthia for the title.

Truth be told, Ash couldn't quite believe it himself. "Just a few moments ago, you were the most powerful challenger. And just now, you became the most powerful of all trainers. You are now our newest Champion!" Cynthia cried into the microphone more to the audience than to Ash. The crowd itself appeared to be split between celebration for Ash, and mourning for Cynthia. It was to be expected though, since many did not like an outsider (from the Sinnoh region) representing their most powerful of trainers. However, many from Kanto had come to see the match, and were now proudly waving flags of their country, and of Ash's face in the air.

Cynthia actually seemed to be very happy, although Ash couldn't imagine why. He knew she had been champion for three years, so maybe she had grown tired of the responsibility. However, he had heard he was only the third person to ever receive all the Sinnoh badges, win in the regional championship, defeat the Elite Four, and Challenge Cynthia throughout her reign. Maybe she was just glad to have the pressure of being the best off of her, even at the price of her renowned title.

Whatever the reason, Ash simply shrugged and went to greet Dawn and Brock who were both leaning over the railing to high-five him. He had not felt this great in…well, forever! The stress of the four hour long battle had taken its toll on his appearance, however. After the second hour he had thrown his hat aside, showing a mess of black hair flying in every which way as he masterfully commanded his well trained creatures with grandiose gestures, as if he himself were trying to use thunderbolt, or water gun. He had also thrown his jacket aside, as it was May, and too warm for his body which steadily became warmer as the battle intensified.

"So what are you gonna do now, Mr. Sinnoh Champ?" asked Brock as he handed the deliriously overjoyed teen a bottle of water. He felt immensely proud of his best friend, in no small part due to the fact he had coached this once overly-arrogant kid himself.

"I'm going to Disneyworld!" Ash exclaimed more to the video cameras around him than to his best friends.

"Well, that's good to hear, but first you may wanna get up on the stage to accept the new title," replied an amused Dawn. She too was very happy for her friend. She inwardly very much regretted the fact that she only had another week to spend with him and Brock, before they had to part ways. They had already discussed it, and despite their greatest efforts, they simply could not find a way for Brock and Ash to continue his journey, and for her to become a master coordinator. After weeks of arguing, and at one point crying (Dawn, of course) they agreed that the split was inevitable, so after their amusement park vacation they decided they would disintegrate the group at the Johto-Kanto border, where Dawn would continue her contest career, and Ash could return home for a few weeks.

"Oh yeah!" Ash cried, happily bounding towards the stage to receive the Champion cup, which was as tall as he and Cynthia. It was a beautiful gold trophy, decorated with diamonds and pearls, and the base itself was made of platinum. Although he did not really understand the reasoning behind the decoration, he gladly accepted his prize, and Cynthia began a small speech.

"I just want to say that I cannot help, but smile after such a wonderful battle. The truth is, losing is somewhat a good thing for me, since I can now focus more on what's important in life. During my time as Champion, I obviously received a great sum of money from the interviews I've done, the articles that were written about me, and the books I wrote, and I plan on using these funds to start my own charity offering premium health insurance for families who have none in our great nation. Please visit my website to read the details, and donate if possible. However, tonight's not about me. Tonight we crown the new champion of the Sinnoh region! This is a cause for celebration, and I want all of you to join me in welcoming our new representative!" She screamed the last part into the microphone, and everyone cheered.

Ash nervously walked to the podium, where Cynthia struggled, but was able, to hand him the trophy which he found fairly light, and then bowed out of the way to allow the trainer to speak. "Hey everybody," he slightly mumbled from nervousness. He had completely forgotten the speech he had written in the hotel room. He had written it on the off-chance he actually won the battle. "Well, I'm not a man of many words - ".

"LIAR!" Ash distinctly heard Brock jokingly yell from the audience. Many began to laugh, and that eased Ash's nerves as he continued.

"Well, okay, I'm not a man of more than a couple million words," he once again could have sworn he heard Brock jokingly mumble a "thank you" in the audience as he said this, "but I just want to say that I will do my best to represent the Sinnoh region in my new title. I have no intention of letting your reputation of having the toughest trainers slip through my grasp, and that is what I guarantee as your new Champion. Now, LET THE CELEBRATION BEGIN!" As he hollered this into the microphone, balloons fell from nets being held up by low flying Pokémon, and the crowd roared back into action after having been momentarily silenced by his speech.

He began to walk off the stage with the trophy when he suddenly felt someone grasp at his shoulder. Turning around, he saw it was Cynthia. Looking around quickly, she handed him a small lock box from under the podium. She then took a key off of a necklace she was wearing and handed it to him. In barely above a whisper, she ordered him, "You must read this, but not until you are alone. Understand?"

Confused, Ash simply nodded and continued down the stairs with the trophy in one hand, the box in the other, and the key in his pocket. He wondered what that could have been about, but the issue quickly slipped from his mind as Dawn came and gave him a hug, causing him to slightly blush, while Brock slapped him on the back. Suddenly, reporters came from everywhere, and he smiled to the camera and said hi to his mom and Oak, and Gary, and May, and Max, and Misty, and even Drew (although he didn't know why). He then proceeded to spend the next two hours answering rushed questions, and explaining his strategy throughout the battle.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he, Brock, and Dawn were alone in the 17th floor of the Anthony Deluxe Resort Suites and Spa, in a small city outside of Sunyshore. As they stood there, the excitement began to erode into exhaustion, and the effects of the night began to take their toll on the young trainers.

"Well, I still can't believe how well you did!" Exhaustedly, but enthusiastically, cried Dawn.

"I'm just glad I can tell all the ladies that I coached the Sinnoh Champion!" Eagerly screeched Brock for about the fortieth time that night.

"I just can't believe it's 3 o'clock in the morning and we're still standing," replied a bleary-eyed Ash. "Let's hit the hay!"

Quickly agreeing, they all said their goodnights and slugged their ways to their respective rooms. As soon as Ash entered his Presidential Suite (which was free of charge, of course) he kicked off his shoes and jeans, and climbed into the warm bed in his t-shirt and boxers. As he began to drift off however, he noticed a red light on the answering machine on his telephone. With a grin, he realized who that must have been calling him. He quickly sprang up, showing no signs of the exhaustion that had nearly arrested him into deep slumber just moments ago, and went to the phone. He dialed the lobby and asked if there had been any calls for him.

"Finally! Yes, I have about a million messages for you Mr. Ketchum," replied the woman wearily. "Let's see, there was one from a Mrs. Ketchum, not your wife I presume. There was one from a Ms. Waterflower, who seemed very eager to talk, also a Gary, a Tracey, a Professor Oak, and a Ms. May from Hoenn called you."

"Wow! Thanks a lot!" Ash nearly screamed. "I'll call them right away."

"Yes, well I personally thank you for that Mr. Ketchum. By the way, I watched your performance tonight, or should I say last night, on the television, and I must say that was quite a spectacle. You're not from Sinnoh, but I think you'll do."

"Um, thanks," Ash said, wondering if she were simply playing with him, or was serious, "have a good night."

"You too Mr. Ketchum."

Quickly Ash hung up, turned on the video monitor and dialed his mother's house. It was four hours earlier in Pallet, so he hoped they were still up.

Author's note: Wow! What a rush. I honestly wasn't sure if I would enjoy this or not, but I gotta say it was a great experience! I am already preparing the second chapter. I plan on using whatever free time I have to working on the story, so if it happens that I am too busy to work on the story one week, I'll already have a couple in the reserves waiting to be called on so it doesn't mess up my weekly deadline. Please tell me what you think, cause if you don't I won't really know if this is worth my dedication. As I mentioned above, the story's gonna take a while to write, and if I don't think anyone's listening, then why bother, right? Also like I said, these first couple of chapters are just gonna be to catch you up to where I want to be in the fic, so the real fun, and sadness, can begin, so be patient if it seems a little slow at first.