Hello, Fanfiction! Xtreme Gamer here with something new down the pipeline. A few early notes as bout story. It takes place roughly five years after Black and White, so the characters featured are aged from late teens to early twenties. And as usual I don't own Pokémon.

Chapter 1: A Sorrowful Gathering

At first glance Pallet Town resembled any small town found in the Pokémon world. Friendly townsfolk went about their daily lives, always willing to offer assistance with a smile. No one could ever imagine anything tragic befalling this peaceful town.

And yet those who were familiar with Pallet Town knew nothing could be further from the truth.

Though it appeared to be peaceful and carefree the town itself was recovering from a great tragedy, all the while hiding a devastating secret, a secret known to a few outsiders. One of the outsiders in question happened to be visiting a very special place in town that day.

"Coming back here never gets any easier," a young woman commented. She was standing in front of what used to be a house, but had since been destroyed. Down by her feet a Marill stood. The Aqua Mouse Pokémon looked at the house remains, a sad forlorn look on her face. A sad squeak escaped her lips.

"I know. I miss them too," the woman said.

"We all do, Misty," someone said. The woman turned around, brushing some of her orange hair out of her eyes. She smiled slightly as she saw who had called to her.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, Brock," Misty said. The former Gym Leader of Pewter City turned Pokémon doctor approached his friend and the two shared a brief hug before turning their attention back to the destroyed house.

"I can't believe it's been five years," Brock commented.

"I know, but the pain is still as fresh as it was back then," Misty added. She walked up to the house remains and knelt down in front of a small moss-covered stone. She then brushed the moss away, revealing an inscription on the stone.

Delia Ketchum

Devoted friend. You shall be missed.

RIP

A few tears fell from the corners of Misty's eyes as she read what was written on the tombstone. Brock could tell seeing this was difficult for her as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I can't believe she's gone," she said, doing her best to fight back the tears. "She was like… a second mother to me."

"Trust me, I feel the same way," Brock agreed.

"Damn Team Rocket. I never thought they'd stoop that low," Misty swore. Five years ago Giovanni lead a Team Rocket assault on Pallet Town. After Ash brought an end to his takeover of the Unova region Giovanni sought revenge, and what better way than to strike Ash's home. The attack was brutal with many people suffering severe injuries. But what hurt the most was when Giovanni turned his rage on Delia, Ash's mother. When the woman refused to reveal the location of her son Giovanni had her killed. Thankfully the organization hadn't been seen since that day, but the damage had since been done.

"I just wish there was something I could have done. Maybe if I were here I… I could have stopped him," Misty said.

"You don't know that. For all we know you may have ended up another casualty," Brock refuted.

"Yeah… you may be right," Misty relented. The two of them remained silent for a while before Misty spoke again.

"I wonder… do you think he's been back here since that day?" Misty wondered.

"If he has no one knows," Brock replied. "I can't begin to imagine what he's gone through."

"I know. I just… it's hard to believe that all of Pallet Town would just turn on him like that… especially when he needed them the most," Misty said. "Poor Ash." The attack left everyone looking for answers, as well as someone to blame. Unfortunately the blame fell all on one person… Ash Ketchum. Because of his history with Team Rocket everyone saw his ongoing battle with them as the main reason Giovanni targeting them, and so he was vilified in the eyes of his own hometown. Because of that he left and had not been heard from since. No trace of him remained in Pallet Town, not even his Pokémon.

"How could they do that? Don't they know it wasn't his fault?" Misty questioned.

"In their eyes it is, and to them that's all that matters," Brock explained. "It's not fair, but that's how it is."

"We thought you two would be here already." Brock and Misty turned around and spotted the rest of Ash's former traveling companions. First was May, a Pokémon coordinator from the Hoenn region, and her brother Max. Second was Dawn, also a Pokémon coordinator. She hailed from the Sinnoh region. Finally, from the Unova region, was Cilan, a Pokémon coinsurer, and Iris, a Dragon master-in-training. Misty and Brock greeted them with warm smiles.

"Thanks for coming, everyone," Misty said.

"Max and I may not have known her as well as you two did, but we felt it was only right if we came a paid our respects," May explained.

"Same for us," Dawn agreed, speaking for herself, Iris and Cilan. "We only got to know her through stories Ash told us."

"I know Ash would appreciate it if he were here," Brock said.

"Speaking of him, has anyone heard from him?" Iris asked. Her question was met with saddened eyes, giving her the answer without the need for words.

"So he hasn't even been allowed to come back and mourn his mother?" Iris questioned.

"As far as we know he hasn't," Brock replied.

"The bitter sting of loss only made worse by the abandoning of those he grew to love and trust. I can only imagine what he must be going through," Cilan stated.

"But it wasn't his fault! Why can't they see that?!" Max yelled.

"Things like this take time," May told him.

"I'm actually with Max on this one. It's been over five years since the attack. It's time for them to realize Ash is just as much a victim as they are," Iris said.

"That's easier said than done. Many people here believe Ash doesn't deserve any forgiveness," Misty said.

"Well if you ask me they're acting like a bunch of kids," Iris spat. That comment was followed by silence. Eventually Max spoke up.

"Has anyone thought about looking for him?" he questioned. In truth this was something everyone considered doing, but with no leads it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

"Believe us, Max, we'd love to go out and look for Ash, but there's too much ground for us to cover," Brock explained.

"We have no idea what region he's in. For all we know he could have fled to Sinnoh or Hoenn, or maybe he's still somewhere here in Kanto. Or maybe he's gone to a region we've yet to discover. Any way you look at it there's too much space to cover and not enough time to cover it," Misty added. Max hung his head. As much as he hated hearing it he knew they were right.

"Do you think… we'll ever see him again?" Dawn wondered.

"I don't know, but I hope we do," Brock answered. Right then Misty's phone started ringing. She grabbed it and looked at the caller ID.

"Damn. It's the Gym," she swore. "No doubt wondering when I'm coming back." She excused herself from the group and answered her phone.

"I thought she had sisters to help run the Gym," Iris assumed.

"She does, though only one helps with the Gym," Brock stated.

"What do you mean?" Iris questioned.

"Misty is the youngest of four sisters. The oldest, Daisy, helps out as best she can, but the other two, Lily and Violet, spend more time at the beauty salon than the Gym," Brock explained.

"Oh man, that's messed up," Dawn commented.

"Indeed. My brothers and I make sure to share the Gym duties equally between us. I can only imagine what it must be like for Misty to only have one sister out of three assist with Gym duties," Cilan said. By now Misty's phone call was coming to an end.

"Fine. I'll see you when I get home." And with that she hung up and rejoined the group.

"Sorry about that," she apologized.

"Let me guess… Daisy, right?" Brock assumed.

"Yeah. As usual Lily and Violet are busy wasting their damn time at the beauty salon and Daisy is having a hard time keeping up with the number of challengers we've got coming through," Misty sighed. "I swear those other two are about as useless as they come."

"Do they just not know what being a Gym leader means?" Cilan questioned.

"At times I don't even think they know what being a trainer means," Misty replied. "If they would spend half as much time training their Pokémon than they do prettying themselves up they'd be halfway decent Gym Leaders."

"Have you considered forcing them to stay at the Gym and train?" Dawn suggested.

"We've done everything outside of locking them in the Gym and throwing away the key," Misty said. "And before you ask, yes, we have considered that as an option."

"So, now what?" Iris inquired.

"I have to head back and help Daisy. I just wouldn't feel right leaving her back there to deal with all this by herself," Misty responded.

"Don't sweat it, Misty. We understand," Brock assured her. Misty felt bad about having to leave so suddenly, but she was glad they understood.

"Say hi to Professor Oak and Tracey for me, okay," she requested.

"You got it," Brock said. After saying goodbye to everyone Misty walked back to the road in front of the remains of the Ketchum house. There, sitting by a lone tree, was her bike. She carefully placed Marill in the basket before climbing on and pedaling away. Before getting too far away she stopped and looked back.

"Ash… Where are you?" With that thought in her mind she continued on her way back home, hoping that Daisy had managed to keep things somewhat under control during her absence.

A gathering of friends has revealed a painful past incident that has left them with a feeling of emptyness. Just where is Ash, the energetic and head-strong Pallet Town trainer that binds them together? Find out in the next chapter of Regrets & Redemption!

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