The
Path of Aya: Kanto
Aya looked around the ancient stadium.
This was the place where all the battles were held for potential Masters and
where, if they won, they were sworn in. She had defeated her father the
previous day upon the battlefield below, and now she was ascending the steps to
the highest point of the colosseum, to where he stood, Pikachu upon his
shoulder, the Elite Four by his side.
The stadium was crowded with gym
leaders from many regions, all of whom she had defeated in her eight year
career. There was also a long line of fans and TV reporters recording the
event, a fact that just added to her nervousness.
She turned around to look at the four
people who stood at the bottom of the staircase. Her mother, nana, Kai and
little Bri gazed back, proud smiles upon their faces. She returned the grin,
feeling some of her apprehension drain away.
She continued up the timeworn stone
steps towards her father, her treads the only sound in the entire amphitheater.
After a few more agonizing paces, she reached the end of her journey.
Ash gave her a heartwarming smile as
she approached. She kneeled before him, gazing up at the man who had raised
her.
Ash took his eyes from his daughter
and regarded the crowd. "Today, one Master must step down and allow
another to succeed him, to hand down the title to another generation, and
create a new legend."
He brought his attention back to the
teenager, gazing deep into her bright eyes. "Aya, from now until the day
you are defeated in battle, you will be the leader of all trainers out there;
their teacher, their hero and their idol." He looked down upon his own
kimono, unpinning the symbol of the Supreme Master, before leaning down to
attach the badge to the fabric of hers.
"I give you Aya Ketchum, Supreme
Pokemon Master." The crowd broke into a ruckus at the announcement,
hundreds or thousands of clapping hands and cheers producing an almost
overwhelming din.
She arose from her position and bowed
to her father, unsure of how to treat him in such a formal situation. Ash
didn't seem to care though. Sacred ceremony or not, he enveloped her with his
arms. She couldn't help but return the tight embrace.
"I'm so proud of you, Aya,"
he spoke into her ear, his voice full of emotion. "Everyone is."
She felt a few tears fall, sinking
into her father's clothes. "Thanks, dad."
After a moment, she felt a hand settle upon her back. Instantly recognizing the
touch, she pulled herself from him and gave her mother a hug with as much
intensity.
Aya
felt ready now. Her new life had just begun and she knew she would be able to
make the best of it. As long as she had those that she loved by her side, she
could do anything.
“…And now you shall take the first steps, into your new life.”
Professor Oak smiled at Aya as he finished his speech, and he gestured to the dome behind him.
“Now that we have all that talk behind us,” Oak said, a grin flitting across his features, “Let’s get down to business.”
They were standing in the Professor’s Lab, a place that had become so familiar to her over the years, although at the present, it felt stiff and formal.
Oak’s office was crammed with machines, including his ridiculously large computer. Aya could see a worn and beaten Pokedex hooked up to the main hardrive. She briefly wondered who it had belonged to, before turning her attention back to Oak. He raised an eyebrow at her sudden lapse in concentration, and she hurriedly tried to cover up a blush.
“Nervous?” he asked with a relaxed smile.
“I guess it’s just, I’m so used to all these machines working…why do you have them off?”
Oak shrugged. “I believe today warrants my complete attention on something far more interesting.”
Aya tentavily smiled, and tried to steal a furtitive glance at the dome behind Oak.
He grinned. “On with the show, eh?”
He pressed a button that she couldn’t quite see from her angle, and with a small hiss, the dome receded. It revealed a plain, unbroken white surface, until three small ports opened up, and the same number of Pokeballs raised out of them.
“As you know, of course, at the beginning of their journey, each Trainer is presented with the choice of three starter Pokemon,” the Professor said, ticking them off on his hand as he counted. “Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. Fire, Water, and Grass.”
Suddenly Oak looked sheepish, and he scratched his head. “Unfortunately, the Charmander was taken a bit earlier by a young boy…” Oak trailed off, a thoughtful look on his face. The silence stretched for a few moments, and Aya could feel her impatience start to bubble up again.
“Professor?” she inquired, “Is everything all right?”
Oak seemed to snap out of his reverie, and he smiled. “Yes, Aya, sorry. Guess I had a bit of nostalgia there.”
Aya opened her mouth, her curiosity getting the best of her, but Oak waved away her questions.
“Not now, I’m sure you’ll run into him at some point. He
said he was sticking around
A young boy? Pallet was a small town, and Aya didn’t know anyone who would be starting their journey today. And if he wasn’t from here, did he really travel all this was just to pick up a starter from Professor Oak?
“So…which Starter have you been thinking about?” Oak asked.
Aya blinked. Her mind was reeling with images of the soft
blue of her room, of
Oak let out a genuine laugh. “I’d expected as much, although I have to admit, I wouldn’t have been surprised if you had torn in here, asking for help to catch a Pikachu!”
Aya chuckled. In fact, the though had occurred.
“Well, Squirtle is a good choice, a very solid Pokemon. If that’s what you want, then I-“
“Hey, Gramps, you up yet?”
Oak was cut off mid-sentence by a male, whiny voice. Both Aya and Oak turned to the front door, which in its silhouette was a boy. He was a bit above average height, with brown hair that flowed into gelled spiked of to one side of his face. His dark eyes locked on to the Pokeballs sitting on the dome, and then they strayed to Aya’s face.
“Ketchum? What are you doing here?” The boy blurted, dislike etching itself across his features.
“Now, now, Tom,” Oak said severely, “Don’t treat Aya like
that, what would
“My father,” Tom said disdainfully, “isn’t around enough to know what I do. I just came for my starter, and then I’ll be out of you hair, Grandpa.”
Oak frowned. “You’re late. By a rather large margin.”
Tom dismissed this, waving his hand airily as he strode inside. “I woke up late. Now, I understand you have a Bulbasaur waiting for me?”
Aya bit her lip. She was desperately trying to get herself to keep from telling Tom to shove off, even though he was the Professors grandson. Who did the he think he was, the annoying little…..She shook her head to clear the haze of anger that had obscured her mind.
Even from an early age, and even though they had only met a few times, the offspring of Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak seemed to dislike each other on site. Always challenging each other’s knowledge and judgment, both fathers seemed to think it was a good idea to keep the stubborn children separated. And to say the least, Aya hadn’t been horribly devastated.
“So Ketchum, you’re here too? Ready to start your journey? I think you still need to stay home a few years. The world’s a big, scary place.” He gave an annoying laugh, and Aya’s hands clenched. She hadn’t gotten into a fight since that bully Chris had talked about her parents, but she was sure her parents would understand.
Perhaps Oak knew the history between them, or maybe he saw the look on her face, but he decided to hurry things along.
“So…” he cleared his throat, and both children turned their attention to him. “Both of you are about to take your first step into a new life, one that will be hard, long, and difficult. But it will be fun, rewarding, and you will make friends and connections that will last you a lifetime, with humans and Pokemon.”
Oak took two Pokeballs off the counter, and handed one to each Aya and Tom.
“Take your Pokemon, and go. The best of luck to both of you.” He smiled encouragingly, and Aya suddenly felt the urge to hug Oak. She didn’t resist it, and she lurched forward and grabbed him in a tight embrace. The Professor stood there awkwardly for a moment, and then returned it. Aya felt strongly for the old man, who had slowly become an adopted grandpa.
Tom snorted. “Yeah, whatever. This’ll be a cinch. I’ll call you when I’ve gotten to Pewter, Gramps.”
He smirked, and gave a mock salute to Aya.
“Smell ya later, Ketchum.” He laughed, and strode-no, swaggered, Aya thought, only he could pull off a swagger at the age of 10- out the door.
Aya released Oak, and glanced up at him. “I’m going to hang around for a while, train up a bit until my sister is born, so I’ll see you before I leave, ok, Professor.”
Oak smiled, and patted her short and unruly jet-black hair. “You’ve grown up so much, Aya. I remember when your father was in here on his first day…he woke up late, and by the time he arrived here, all the Starters had been chosen. Luckily, I still had a Pikachu that I had caught a while back.”
Aya laughed, as she always did when she heard the story. She had seen pictures of her father back when he had started his journey. He had looked like a male version of her, with deliberate differences. Her hair was in a sort of ordered mess, as she preferred to call it, and she was slender. Her eyes, of course, were the biggest difference. Blue-green, with heavy eyelids. She had always had amazing eyes.
She turned them down to the Pokeball in her hand. She spun around and tossed it into the air, crying “Squirtle, I choose you!”
The Pokeball hit the ground, and with a flash of light, a Squirtle flashed into shape, blinking in confusion at his surrounding. The Ball returned to her hand with a solid thump, and she knelt down to get eye-level with her first Pokemon.
“Hi, Squirtle!” Aya said brightly. The Squirtle turned toward her, happily murmuring its name. “My name’s Aya! I’m your new trainer.”
“Squir…Squirtle!” The Water Pokemon skidded across the floor and threw itself into her arms. Surprsised, Aya lost her balance and toppled over, a delighted Water Pokemon squirming in her arms.
“I guess she likes you,” Oak remarked.
“She?” Aya asked as Squirtle nuzzled up aginst her chest.
Oak nodded, and Aya glanced back down at her Squirtle, and a faint smile played across her lips.
“Then I name you Misty,” Aya said softly, the same smile still on her face.
Oak opened his mouth, puzzled, but Aya cut him off.
“My mother has done so much for me, and I love her,” She said, not looking up. “Now I can have her spirit next to me wherever I go.”
“Your parents are very proud of you, you know,” Oak said.
“I know Professor…I know.”
And as Aya looked down at her first Pokemon, her goal of becoming her father slipped a little bit closer.
The very beginning of my first fanfic! Not exactly what I wanted, but it’s pretty good. I’m hoping it’ll begin to pick up (><) but I promise, in the next part, a Pokemon Battle will commence, and a new trainer will come into the light? Who does Aya battle? Who is this trainer? Find out in Part Two!
(Credit to Cultnirvana for creating Aya and her sibling, as well as writing the italicized part of this story.)
-Vyynn
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