The field trip had ended days ago, but its impact lingered like dust refusing to settle.
Pallet Town had returned to its usual rhythm—lazy afternoons, quiet mornings, and the distant cries of wild Pidgey drifting from the woods. But for Ash, the world felt just slightly... off-axis.
He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in the jungle. About Goh. About the look in his eyes when Mew disappeared into the mist—something between awe and hunger.
Ash sat alone on the school rooftop during lunch break, his sandwich untouched in its wrapper. The breeze tugged at his hair, but it did little to clear his mind.
Below, the courtyard was buzzing with students. Chloe sat on a bench reading, occasionally glancing toward the administration building.
Goh was in there.
Again.
Ash narrowed his eyes.
This was the third time Goh had returned to that office since they came back. The first time was the morning after the trip, under the pretense of "returning paperwork." The second had been more subtle. But today, Ash had seen something different in his posture—conviction. A decision had crystallized.
And Ash had a sinking feeling he knew what it was.
A few minutes later, the glass door creaked open. Goh stepped out into the sunlight, blinking against the glare.
Ash stood just as Goh reached the top of the stairs.
"You're not just visiting, are you?"
Goh paused.
The wind passed between them.
"I submitted a transfer request," he said, not looking up. "I'll be staying in Pallet. Studying here."
Ash frowned. "I thought you hated this school."
"I did." Goh finally met his eyes. There was something unfamiliar in his gaze—focused, calculating. "But it's close to the forest. Close to where Mew was. I need to understand more. There's… too much I don't know."
Ash felt a quiet tension settle in his chest.
"You think staying here will bring you closer to Mew?" he asked, careful not to sound accusing.
"I don't think," Goh said softly. "I know."
Ash looked at him, really looked—at the way his fists clenched, at how his shoulders were taut with a mix of obsession and purpose. He remembered how Goh had trembled after Mew vanished. Not with fear. With frustration. Like something had been ripped away before he could grasp it.
Something was growing inside him now, and Ash recognized it.
Something was growing in him now. Ash had seen it before—in the games, anime and manga. People like Cyrus, Lusamine, Maxie, and Archie. They all started like this.
In the canon, Goh had an obssesion with Mew, he tried for years to meet him, and catch him. He joined Proyect Mew just for that.
At the end, he only managed to touch him for a couple seconds, but for the canon Goh, that was enough. But what about this Goh? The line between reverence and obsession...Ash wasn't so sure.
Goh stepped past him toward the stairs.
"I'm not going to let it slip away again," he murmured.
Ash stood still as the rooftop door closed behind him.
——
[One year later]
The school bell rang again—its sound sharp and clear—marking the beginning of yet another day at Pallet Elementary. Ash Ketchum, reincarnated prodigy and secretly a time-warped Pokémon mastermind, walked into the classroom with his usual calm determination. But to the world, he was still a normal seven-year-old boy, perhaps just unusually smart and a little intense.
Today, though, the air felt different. He wasn't sure why.
Maybe it was the subtle way the wind shifted the curtains by the open window. Or maybe it was the way Yellow hesitated before sitting down. She seemed more distracted than usual, her sketchpad closed on her desk instead of open in front of her like always.
Ash slid into his seat beside her. "Everything alright?"
Yellow flinched—then nodded quickly. "Y-yeah. Just had a weird dream."
Ash narrowed his eyes, lowering his voice. "What kind of dream?"
She rubbed her wrist nervously. "Nothing!"
Ash frowned inwardly. 'That's not nothing.'
He considered pressing further but stopped. Instead, he gave a gentle nod. "Thanks for telling me. We'll talk later, okay?"
She smiled faintly, shoulders easing. But Ash wasn't about to let it go.
He closed his left eye and opened his aura-sight.
'I have an idea of what is going on, but I need to besure.'
His right eye glowed faintly blue.
His surroundings melted into shifting hues. The classroom faded to a soft blur of warmth and aura, colors bleeding around outlines—each person a living constellation of energy. Ash's right eye, charged with aura-sight, saw not what was but what lingered beneath the surface.
Yellow glowed.
Not in the way most children did, not like the flickering, uneven lights of undeveloped minds. Hers shimmered like sunlight diffused through water—gentle, bright, but unfocused. Wild, even. And surrounding that aura was something stranger: threads of green, gold, and silver pulsing faintly at the edges.
Ash's breath caught.
Viridian forest's blessing. Still dormant, still barely coalesced—but unmistakable. A seed of immense power curled inside her like a sleeping forest.
He blinked, and the normal world returned—chalkboard, desks, chatter. A teacher scribbling something forgettable on the board.
But Ash didn't forget.
He glanced again at Yellow, who was now absently doodling tiny stars along the edge of her closed sketchpad. Whatever she'd seen in her dreams was no ordinary dream. She wouldn't understand it yet—not for years, maybe—but her path had begun. Just like it had in the manga.
"Alright, class!" the teacher's cheerful voice pulled his attention back. "We've got a special announcement today."
Excited whispers spread instantly. Ash noticed Goh stiffen in his seat, Chloe glanced up from her notebook, Gary looked interested. Even Yellow tilted her head.
The teacher beamed, eyes sparkling with barely contained excitement. "For today's announcement, Professor Samuel Oak!"
Gasps rippled through the classroom. Chairs scraped back and whispers surged as the legendary Pokémon Professor stepped through the door with an easy smile and a clipboard tucked under one arm. Even after all these years, he had that same air of boundless energy—like every question about the world still thrilled him.
Ash straightened in his seat, posture reflexively sharpening.
"Good morning, everyone," Oak greeted warmly, nodding to the teacher. "Thank you for letting me take a bit of your class time."
A polite smattering of "Good morning, Professor Oak!" came from the students, though a few—including Goh, seated in the second row—looked more alert than respectful.
Oak stepped forward and scanned the room. "I won't take long, I promise. But I have an exciting opportunity to share, one that only comes around once in a generation."
Ash felt a ripple in his chest. Generational events weren't always as innocent as they sounded.
"You're all part of a special program," Oak continued. "You might not know it yet, but Pallet Elementary is one of the pilot schools for a new interregional education initiative. Sponsored by the Indigo League and partnered with several regional research institutions, including mine—with academic credit and certification."
Yellow sat up straighter. Even Chloe looked interested now.
"Starting next semester, selected students from this class—and others—will take part in a mobile study exchange. You'll be traveling to different regions to explore their environments, cultures, Pokémon habitats, and history."
The classroom exploded with noise.
"No way!"
"Are you serious!?"
"Where are we going?"
Oak raised a hand. "You won't be running wild. You'll study under real researchers and Rangers. Visit ruins, labs, historical sites—and yes, see Pokémon up close."
Some groaned. Others looked thoughtful.
"But," Oak added with a glint in his eye, "you will be working with regional professors, field scientists, even Rangers. You'll visit historical sites, research labs, and active habitats. And yes—you'll observe Pokémon up close, many of which can't be found here in Kanto."
Ash's mind was already racing.
"Students will be selected based on academic performance, behavior, and enthusiasm," Oak continued. "Throughout this year, the selected students will first go to the Johto region for a short period of time. Then they'll travel to Hoenn, Sinnoh, and all the way up to Unova."
Murmurs buzzed around the room like a hive shaken awake.
"Johto first! I heard they have living ruins—like the ones where the Unown appear!"
"Sinnoh has ancient temples, right?"
Ash remained still, posture relaxed, but inside, gears were turning. This kind of program... was unexpected. This wasn't part of the original sequence.
But it was a new thread, a new opportunity.
Yellow tapped his sleeve lightly. "If… If we go to Johto, do you think I could see a Celebi?"
Her voice was hopeful. But there was a tremble beneath it.
Ash turned toward her and smiled gently. "Maybe. Johto's a place where time runs deep. Celebi shows itself to people with kind hearts."
Yellow's face flushed slightly, she looked away quickly, scribbling tiny leaves around her stars.
Oak finished with a grin. "Permission forms will be sent home today. I encourage all of you to speak with your families. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And I look forward to seeing who will be joining us on this adventure."
The classroom erupted again, this time with genuine excitement. Even the teacher seemed stunned.
Green leaned toward Ash and whispered, "I wonder if I'll get picked."
Ash chuckled. "You wish."
Green smirked. "Oh come on, I'm sure I'll be picked."
Ash rolled his eyes but smiled. The familiar banter grounded him, like a hand pulling him back from the spinning possibilities this announcement had unleashed. He glanced toward Goh again—who was now writing furiously in his notebook, lips pressed thin. The boy looked like a spring wound too tight.
'This changes things,' Ash thought.
The bell rang, releasing the class for recess. The room exploded in motion—papers shuffled, chairs scraped, voices rose like a tidal surge. Ash stood slowly, tucking the form into his bag, when he heard footsteps behind him.
"You're going to apply, right?" Goh's voice was quiet, but direct.
Ash turned.
Goh stood there, arms crossed. His eyes didn't look angry—just intense. Focused. "You'd be crazy not to."
Ash regarded him a moment before replying, "You mean we'd be crazy not to."
Goh's lips twitched. "I've already written three drafts of my application essay."
'Of course he had.'
"I just think this might be the only way," Goh added, more to himself than Ash. "If we go to Johto, I can find people who've seen Mew. Maybe learn what it was doing in Kanto. Maybe even figure out how to find it again."
Ash folded his arms. "You don't find Mew. It finds you."
Goh's mouth twisted. "That's what people say about myths when they don't have real answers."
Ash's expression remained still. "Sometimes myths are truer than the facts."
Goh hesitated, then shrugged. "Maybe. But I'm not betting everything on faith."
He turned to leave, but paused near the door. "You're smart, Ash. Smarter than most kids here. If you really believe that, then… I guess we're on different paths after all."
Ash didn't reply, he didn't need to.
Ash watched Goh's silhouette vanish down the hallway, the door swinging shut behind him with a soft click. A strange stillness settled in its wake, as though something invisible had changed in the room's gravity.
For a moment, Ash stood alone.
Then he moved—quietly, deliberately—toward the windowsill, where the light filtered through soft clouds and cast gentle shapes on the floor. Outside, the courtyard was full of students chasing each other, eating snacks, trading cards. Normal kids with normal lives.
He wondered how many of them even knew what was shifting beneath the surface of their world. How many of them felt the tremors of what was coming.
Ash exhaled, fingers tapping the edge of the windowsill in a rhythm only he understood.
Johto.
He closed his eyes and let the word settle. It wasn't just another region. Not to him.
Burned Tower. Ruins of Alph. The Bell Tower, the Ilex Forest. Celebi. Ho-oh. The ghosts of kings and the shadows of time. There was no part of Johto that didn't bleed history and myth. It was the heart of forgotten stories.
And some of those stories still remembered him.
He opened his eyes and turned back to the room. Chloe was lingering near the door with Yellow and Green, their voices low. Chloe held her permission form loosely at her side, eyebrows furrowed in thought. Green, on the other hand, looked like he was already imagining what outfit to wear on a research expedition.
But Yellow looked... different.
Not worried. Not afraid.
Resolute.
Ash stepped closer. "You okay?"
She blinked up at him, startled, but nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking."
Chloe glanced between them and spoke, more to herself. "I don't know if my parents will even let me go."
"You want to?" Ash asked.
Chloe hesitated. Then: "I think so. But… it's scary. Leaving home. Going so far away."
Yellow looked down at her sketchpad again. "It's not just that. Something about it feels… important."
Ash nodded slowly. "It is."
Green scoffed lightly. "Come on, guys. It's Johto, not a war zone. You act like we're being shipped off to some epic prophecy."
Ash smiled faintly. 'If only you knew.'
They laughed, and for a moment, the tension faded. It was easy to forget the weight of what lingered beneath the surface when moments like this wrapped around them like sunlight.
——
Later that evening, Ash sat alone in his room, permission form laid flat on his desk beneath the glow of his lamp. A soft breeze curled through the open window, carrying the smells of pine and pollen from the edge of the forest.
He hadn't filled out the form yet.
He didn't need to rush. He already knew his answer.
But part of him hesitated, staring at the blank lines meant for parent signatures.
His pencil hovered above the paper.
Then he dropped it.
Instead, he reached into the drawer and pulled out a folded map—an old one, stained at the edges from years of use. It was a map of Johto. Not the tourist version, but one meant for trainers. Trails marked in red, ruins circled in black ink, lakes and forests outlined with handwritten notes. He'd kept it hidden, even from Green.
His eyes scanned it like a strategist before a battle.
So much could happen there.
So much would.
Ash tapped a finger gently against a single location near the center of the region.
Ilex Forest.
'If Yellow's going to awaken her powers,' he thought, 'it might happen there.'
Another dot. Ecruteak City.
And again. Ruins of Alph.
Ash leaned back and closed his eyes, letting the ambient sounds of the night seep into his mind. He could almost hear it—faint flutes in the distance, echoing from another time.
Then—
Knock knock.
The door creaked open.
Delia peeked in, holding a cup of tea. "Still awake?"
Ash smiled and sat up. "Yeah. Just… thinking."
Delia set the tea down and looked at the form. Her eyes softened. "Is that the trip Professor Oak mentioned?"
He nodded.
She glanced at the empty signature line. "Do you want to go?"
Ash chuckled.
"Of course I want to, who wouldn't?"
Delia studied him. There were moments when her son felt like a stranger—when he spoke too wisely for his age, or when his eyes looked through things instead of at them. She'd long stopped questioning it. Some part of her had always known Ash was different. Not broken. Just… older inside.
She placed a hand gently on his hair and ruffled it. "Then you should go."
He blinked, startled. "Just like that?"
"I trust you," she said simply. "And… I think you're meant for things I can't protect you from. But if this is part of it, then you'll need to walk into it. Not away from it."
Ash felt something in his chest tighten.
He reached for the pen and wrote his name neatly, then slid the form toward her.
Delia signed without another word.
She kissed his forehead and left him alone again.
Ash stared at the completed form, heart beating slow and steady.
——
The next day, the class was buzzing with energy as Oak returned to collect the forms. Chloe had her envelope clutched tightly to her chest. Green had added stickers to his. Yellow's was carefully folded with a pressed flower tucked inside.
And Goh—
Goh's form was crisp, typed, stapled twice, and sealed with precise tape. His eyes gleamed like someone preparing for a summit meeting.
Ash handed his in last.
Oak raised an eyebrow at him and gave a small smile. "Looking forward to working with you again."
Ash tilted his head. "I haven't even been selected yet."
Oak chuckled. "No, you haven't. But I know a good egg when I see one."
Then Oak turned to leave, forms tucked under one arm, and the classroom burst back into motion.