Ash, Brock, and Misty were closing upon the familiar town of Pallet, and they were all excited to be back. “This is so cool!” Misty said. “Ash, your mom is the greatest!”

“I know, she’s always got food and shelter for us!” Brock exclaimed.

“Yeah. It’ll be nice to visit before we head off to the Silver Cup Conference,” Ash sighed.

“Which won’t be for another few months,” Misty giggled.

“Misty! Why must you pick on me?”

“Because you’re so pickable!” Misty giggled.

“Pikachu!” Pikachu laughed as they neared Ash’s house.

They heard a lot of commotion in the house. Mainly laughing and loud talking. They recognized Delia and Professor Oak’s voice, but the other was not familiar. “Hhhhmmmm…” Ash said as he opened the door.

“Ash? Is that you?” He heard his mom say.

“Yes, mom. It’s me!” He called

“Oh, Ash! A wonderful surprise showed up on my doorstep last night!” Delia seemed so excited.

“Really?” Brock and Misty asked.

“What’s that?” Ash asked.

“Pika?” Pikachu was just as curious.

“Come on out here, dear!” Delia called and Professor Oak…and a young lady came from the kitchen. Ash stared at the girl, in shock. She had elbow-length, brown, wavy hair. She was wearing a white tank-top and light blue jeans, and had a sling back pack in her hand, with a Pikachu on her shoulder. She seemed just as shocked to see Ash.

“Oh my…Ash?” The girl choked out.

“Wha…? What are you doing here?” Ash studdered.

“I came to visit who was, practically, my second mother!” The girl laughed. “How about you? How’ve you been?”

“Pretty good…I guess.” Ash said.

“Oh! Isn’t this cute?” Delia crooned. “Ash and his little girlfriend are reunited!” The girl’s Pikachu jumped off her shoulder and gave Ash’s a HUGE hug.

“Mom…” Ash and the girl said under their breaths.

“Ash, do you know this girl?” Misty asked.

“Yeah…”

“Wait,” The girl cut him off. “They don’t know about me…? I really wasn’t that important, then, was I?”

“No, Brittany, it’s not that…it’s just how we left that made me to not really want to bring you up…it’d bring back that bad memory.”

“So, Ash…” Brock cleared his throat. “Who is this lovely young lady?”

“This is my childhood best friend, Brittany…Brittany Firesten…”

“NO WAY!!!” Misty exclaimed. “Not THE Brittany Firesten! The singer?”

“Haha! Yeah, that’s me,” Brittany chuckled. “I kinda got drug into that business when I really wanted to become a pokemon master, along with Ash.”

“Well…What happened?” Brock asked.

“I think that we should leave these kids to themselves,” Professor Oak said to Delia, as he led her back into the kitchen.

“Do you want to tell them, Ash? Or should I?” Brittany asked Ash.

“Go ahead…You probably remember it better then I do…” Ash sulked down into a chair.

“Unfortunately…” Brittany said as she sat down on the couch.

“This must have been big…” Misty sighed. “How long had you two known each other?”

“All our lives…” They both answered.

“Wow!” Brock said. “Ash, why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because, if I did, I’d have to re-live what happened and I really don’t wanna do that!” Ash snapped.

“Sorry…”

“Don’t be…I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be like this. Brittany, just…Just tell them and let’s get it over with!”

“Brittany?” Misty and Brock looked to her.

“Well…”

*FlashBack*

Ash was sitting in his bedroom, when he heard and saw some pebbles hit his window. He knew instantly who it was. He opened the window, and Brittany climbed in. “You know, you really need to stop this habit of coming whenever you please,” Ash noted when Brittany was inside.

“I know, I know,” She murmured.

“Yeah, because my mom’ll kill me if she finds out that you’ve been coming up here. She loves you to death, but you need to cut the sneaking in to a limit,” Ash chuckled.

“Yeah, I know.” She chuckled.

“Ash?” They heard Delia coming up the stairs.

“Quick! In my closet!” Ash said as he shoved Brittany into his closet.

Just then, Delia opened the door. “What’s going on up here?” She was holding a basket full of laundry.

“Oh, nothing. Just watching Pokemon Time with Professor Oak.”

“Oh, well…That must’ve been what I heard. The TV”

“Yeah, must’ve.” Ash chuckled.

“Well, be sure to get a good night’s sleep. Brittany will be here bright and early tomorrow morning.”

“Why is she coming so early?” Ash asked.

“Her mom has a business trip tomorrow.”

“Will she be back before Wednesday?”

“I don’t think she’d miss seeing you two off for the world!”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Goodnight, sweetie.”

“’Night mom.”

Delia shut the door and Ash opened his closet door and Brittany came crashing to the ground with a bunch of Ash’s things on top of her. “Sorry,” Ash tried not to laugh as Brittany’s face was covered with his stuff.

“Stop it! Even though I can’t see you, I know that you’re smirking!” Brittany pointed a warning finger at him before attempting to get up.

“Here, let me help you.” Ash took a bunch of things off of Brittany and she got up and plopped down on his bed and sighed.

“I can’t wait until Wednesday!”

“Neither can I! Just think, our very first pokemon…In two days!” Ash was so excited.

“Well, we should probably watch the rest of this before I go…it’ll help prepare us for our journey.”

“I agree.”

Brittany and Ash kept watching Pokemon Time, until their eyes got droopy. “Well, I should probably start headin’ out,” Brittany said, getting up.

“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah…Hey, Ash?” Brittany paused right as she was about to go out the window.

“Yeah?”

“I have this weird feeling that something bad is going to happen…”

“Don’t have that feeling. In two days we will be on our pokemon journey together! Don’t let anything dampen your thoughts. I know nothing will dampen mine!”

“Good idea…thanks Ash. See ya!” Brittany smiled as she hopped out the window and Ash watched her run across the yard to her house.

*Interuppted FlashBack*

“Wait a second,” Misty interrupted. “You two had planned to travel together?”

“Yeah…we did…” Brittany said, sadly.

“What happened? So far, it seems as if you two were great friends!” Brock said.

“Will you two let us finish?” Ash asked, slightly annoyed.

“Oooo…Sorry…”

“I’ll take it from here, Brittany,” Ash said, as he started it up again…

*Continued FlashBack*

Ash awoke that morning to the bathroom taken. He could only guess that Brittany was in there, taking her “3-hour long Showers” as Ash called them. But it wasn’t three hours…It was more like three minutes! In a flash, Brittany was out of the shower, and walking around the house, brushing her teeth and her long, brown, hair. She plopped down at the table and started to eat her breakfast. Ash couldn’t help but just take a second to look at her. Then, he snapped out of it and sat down for breakfast too.

That night, Ash and Brittany made their plans for the morning. Brittany was to stop at Ash’s before going to professor Oak’s, and they would go there together.

“Well, I think that we have everything planned!” Brittany smiled.

“I think so, too. So…I guess I’ll see you in the morning, then?” Ash asked.

“You bet! Be ready bright and early! I’ll throw the usual pebbles at your window!” Brittany winked at him as she snuck out the window.

“All right. See you, Brittany.”

“Bye!” She waved as she walked down the road.

Ash sat back, until he thought of something and he poked his head out the window to say something, but only to see Brittany and Gary talking under a street light and she was laughing. He felt kinda sick, so he decided to just go to sleep.

The next morning, Brittany woke up, got ready, and rushed over to Ash’s house. She threw pebbles at his window, but nothing happened. She threw more, and called out his name…Still, nothing happened. She thought that he had already gone to Professor Oak’s. She was frustrated, but was all right with it. So, she went to Professor Oak’s lab, and got her starting Pokemon, Charmander. But, she was lucky and got an extra pokemon from Professor Oak…A Pikachu! The little critter was full of life and energy, and became quickly attached to her.

Then, all of a sudden, Ash bust through the doors, and he didn’t look happy. “Professor Oak! Where’s my pokemon?” Ash asked.

“Ash! Where have you been?” Brittany asked.

Ash glared at her. “I was still sleeping! Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“I tried, but you wouldn’t wake up!”

“Here Ash…Since there are no more pokemon left, you can have this one,” Professor Oak said, handing Ash a poke ball. It opened, and out came another Pikachu. Ash’s Pikachu and Brittany’s started chatting. “These Pikachu’s are best friends! Just like you two! Now, take these. Your pokédex and your pokéballs. You will need these on your journey! Now, good luck!”

Ash and Brittany left, but Ash sped out in front of Brittany. “Ash! What’s wrong?”

“Why don’t you just go with Gary! You like him more anyway!” Ash growled as he kept on walking away.

Brittany stopped short. “What are you talking about?”

“I saw you hangin’ around with him, last night! You can just go right along with him!” Ash started walking faster.

“Ash…Ash…Ash!” There was a catch in Brittany’s voice as she saw him walk away. Then, he started to run. She took off, what looked like, a bracelet and threw it on the ground. Ash saw this, and tears started to stream down his face.

“Don’t look back, again…” He said to himself.

Brittany started to walk away, but she went back, picked up the bracelet, and walked on towards her journey. He Pikachu was sad, but knew what had happened, and understood.