Destinies Bound

Some things were meant to be…

Author's notes: This is my first "long" fic (And believe me, I mean LONG). I've written mostly romance up to date, but I decided to start on an Action/Adventure (Don't worry, it's still primarily romance). Oh Yeah, the first few chapters are "what has happened up to now" pieces. The real action doesn't kick off until chapter 3 or 4. This is an Alternate Universe Pokefic.

I'm seriously sorry about not updating "Before You Came" and "Someone Who Cares," but there is a little thing called writer's block, Ya know. Not to mention summer school, and the associated homework and final exam. I'll update SWC ASAP, and BYC, uh, whenever I get the chance. ^_^

WARNING!!!! Positive portrayal of Gary, and negative portrayal of Brock. There will also be a few ANC's (Annoying New Characters), and Flashbacks galore. (Hey, this is ME here. When do I ever NOT use a ton of Flashbacks?). There will also be character deaths. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Cliché alert! There will probably be some of clichés. I'm not that original. There is some inspiration from other fanfics, namely Team Rocket Neo by BenRG, and Codename: Ashura by Legacy. And yes, I am still using BenRG's name for Duplica.

Communication:

[translated pokemon speech]

<psychic communication>

"Thoughts"

(Annoying notes the author sees fit to include)

Now that you've read (or skipped) the abysmaly long Author's notes, on to the story!

Here are the character's ages, as of the year 2078:

Ash/Amy/Misty/Melody/Richie-18

Mondo-19

Gary/Jasmine/Todd/Maxine(Duplica)-20

Tracy-21

Professor Oak-64

Delilah-44

Brock/May-22

Sabrina/Butch-23

Jessie/James -24

Cassidy/Sharra-25

Craig-28

Chapter 1: Champion

>Year: 2078< Pay Attention to the Year or you'll be very Confused!!!!!!

It was the final round, of the final match, of the Pokemon League Championships. The Green trainer, whose Steelix had fallen to the Red trainer's Charizard in the previous round, chose first.

He selected a pokeball from his belt and tossed it into the ring, fingering the necklace that his sister gave him on his 9^th birthday, for luck. An Umbreon popped out. His opponent touched his own good luck charm, a tattered red baseball cap, before calling his Pikachu into the ring.

The two pokemon squared off. Umbreon leaped into the air, just in time to avoid a Thunderwave attack. It rushed forwards, using Quick Attack to get the first hit. It followed up quickly with a Faint Attack. The Pikachu backed off, firing off it's Swift attack. The attack launched a series of 'stars,' small packets of pure energy. The 'stars' tracked Umbreon, detonating around it. Umbreon was thrown back, but being the toughest of the Eevee evolutions (Umbreon has VERY high Defense and Special Defense stats in the game) it quickly recovered. Umbreon returned fire with a Fire Blast. The Red trainer was caught off guard, not expecting a Dark type pokemon to know a Fire type Attack. He ordered his Pikachu to dodge… right into Umbreon's Hyper-beam. The powerful beam of energy enveloped the small electric type, the force of it throwing the Pikachu back several yards. It fell on it's back, unmoving.

"Pikachu is out!" the Referee called, "Match to the Green Trainer!"

"Gary Oak is the new Supreme Champion of the Pokemon League!" boomed the announcer, "Congratulations, Gary!"

Gary recalled his Umbreon, and walked to the center of the arena. It was, after all, custom to shake hands after the battle. His opponent ignored him - He'd get hell for that from his girlfriend later, the Red-head was a real sticker for politeness - and instead scooped up his Pikachu.

"Sparky, are you OK?" Richie asked.

"Pi… ka"

Ignoring Gary, Richie walked off with his pokemon, presumably to go to the Pokecenter.

Gary, stared after Richie for a few minutes, then turned, and went over to the sidelines where his family and friends were gathered. His sister May gave him a hug, he got a kiss from his girlfriend Jasmine, and a handshake from his grandpa, Professor Oak.

"I'm very proud of you, Gary. You've come a long way."

"Thanks, Grandpa."

Tracy Sketchitt thumped Gary on the back. "Way to go, Champ!" His fiancée, Maxine 'Duplica' Simmonds, just smiled.

Gary just got a nod from his stepmother, Delilah. Tears glistened in her eyes. No doubt she was thinking back to the day, just two years ago, when it had been her biological son Ash who stood triumphant where Gary now was. Gary himself found his thoughts turning back to that day…

<Flashback (Don't ya just love 'em?)>

>Year: 2076< (Two Years Ago, for those of you who can't do math. No offense to those who can.)

The Red trainer turned his baseball cap backwards. His eyes radiated determination. "Pikachu, I choose You!" The little electric mouse jumped up from his spot next to his trainer and ran into the battle zone. "Pika pika!" [Bring it on!]

The Green trainer sneered. He drew a pokeball, kissed it, and tossed it into the ring. His Nidoking emerged with a roar.

The Red trainer didn't even blink. He was at an elemental disadvantage, but he was confident in his Pikachu's abilities. Besides, he had a few tricks up his sleeve. "Use Rain Dance, Pikachu!"

Pikachu spun, throwing out several bolts of electricity as he did. The electricity arced upwards. At the fulcrum of the electric field the bolts formed, a cloud appeared. It grew quickly, releasing a stream of rain as it did.

Nidoking backed away nervously. Being a Ground type, it didn't like water. "Don't let a little rain scare ya! Use Hyper-beam!" (Gary uses that move way too much ^_^) A bright white sphere formed around Nidoking's horn.

Pikachu was already moving. It produced a phantom image of it's self using Double Team (Pikachu can learn Double Team in Gold/Silver). Both the real and fake Pikachu dodged in different directions. Nidoking fired at the one on the left. A powerful beam of pure energy lanced out from his horn. The Hyper-beam cut through the "Pikachu," revealing it to be an illusion.

Nidoking had to pause to recharge it's energies. The Red trainer was quick to take advantage of the situation. "Focus Energy" Pikachu started to charge up energy, its cheeks sparkling and the very air around it shimmering with power.

The Green trainer wasn't going to wait around. The moment Nidoking was ready to battle again, he ordered it to try a Horn Drill. Nidoking's horn started to spin. The large Pinkish-red pokemon charged forward, intending to impale Pikachu.

The Red trainer waited until Nidoking was almost on top of Pikachu before giving his order. "Swift!" Supercharged by Focus Energy, Pikachu unleashed a massive Swift attack, the force of which blew Nidoking all the way to the other side of the field (Yes, I know that Focus Energy isn't that good in the game).

The Red trainer gave Nidoking no time to recover. "Use Thunder! Target the horn (reference: Cinibar Gym episode)." The Pikachu leaped into the air, unleashing an incredible amount of electricity. Apparently, it was still feeling the effects of Focus Energy. The electricity first shot upwards, collecting in the 'rain cloud'. It then surged at Nidoking in the form of seven bolts of lightning. All seven bolts converged on Nidoking's horn, and from there coursed through the rest of his body. As his trainer gaped in disbelief, Nidoking collapsed to the ground.

"Nidoking is out!" called the referee, "Match to the Red trainer!"

The Green trainer glared angrily at his rival. "Electricity can't do this to a Ground pokemon! You cheated, Ketchum!"

"If you want to call an Inquiry, then do so, Gary," Ash Ketchum snapped back angrily, "I welcome it!"

The announcer blared out something but, Gary was too busy glaring at his opponent to hear what was being said.

Ash walked up to the middle of the court. Gary hesitated momentarily, but he knew that his Grandpa would withhold his allowance if he refused to shake hands. Gary shook his rival's hand, taking pleasure in seeing Ash wince at his tight grip.

With the formalities over Ash walked over to the sidelines, where his friends and family were watching. A chorus of "Congratulations" greeted him. Tracy slapped him on the shoulder.

His mother, Delilah, hugged him tightly, tears in her eyes. "I'm so proud of you."

Brock Slate flashed Ash a thumbs up. Ash was too wrapped up in the glory of the moment to notice the strangely detached expression on his friend's face. Ash's old friend May Oak, gave him a high five, and whispered, "Thanks for cutting my brother down to size, Gary's been insufferable lately."

"You really need to learn to get along with him," Ash suggested, "He is your brother."

"Get along with him? Like the way you do?"

Ash winced. His wasn't exactly on good terms with Gary, either. "Better talk it over with Professor Oak later. He really needs to do something about his grandkids, before they kill each other."

Todd Snap punched Ash on the shoulder. "Knew you could do it, Ketchum."

Misty Waterflower, said nothing. She just leaned over and gave Ash a kiss on the lips. The passionate kiss might have lasted some time, had some one not whistled. The two teens pull apart quickly, as the realized there were people watching. Both were blushing furiously. Their reaction prompted a stream of laughter from their friends.

<End Flashback>

"Hey, Gary snap out of it!" cried Tracy.

"Huh?" Gary shook his head, as if to clear it of the memory.

"Gone away in thought, Gary?" May asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah."

"Thinking 'bout Ash, huh?" May's voice change from playful to worried.

"Aren't you?" It was a rhetoric question. Everyone was doing their best, not to think about Ash right now. The memories were… painful, to say the least.

"Better get up there, The Elite 4 is waiting," warned Professor Oak.

"Right," said Gary. With a nod to his friends, he walked up to the platform where the Elite 4 were waiting. Lorelei was smiling. Bruno looked bored. Agetha was studying him intently, making Gary sweat. Lance just looked solemn.

"Like to keep us waiting don't you, Mr. Oak?" Lance asked, an expression of unamusement on his face.

"Sorry," Gary mumbled, trying his best to look contrite instead of excited.

Lance chuckled. "Excited, I see. That'll change when the reporters get you."

Gary gulped. He was not looking forward to that. Fortunately, he had a plan for escaping after the ceremony was over. "I just hope that Todd isn't late again." It was a unusually quiet and thoughtful Gary Oak who followed Lance to the small table where a soon-to-be-his Master badge lay.

Lance picked it up and pined it on Gary's jacket. "Gary Oak, You have demonstrated the intelligence, courage, strength of will, and determination, possessed by a true master. It is with great pleasure that I bestow upon you, the rank of Pokemon Master. This badge is only a symbol of your achievements. Wear it with pride, but do not forget the qualities that helped you earn it. It is your work and achievements that will have a lasting impact."

Gary marveled at how Lance managed to inject some enthusiasm into the obviously, much used, and over rehearsed speech. Lance himself seemed to find the speech boring. Gary had no time to dwell on Lance's speech however. He was running back to where his family and friends were waiting. Already there were a group of dreaded reporters surging towards him.

Gary, Jasmine, Tracy, Maxine (She preferred use her real name nowadays), May, Professor Oak, and Delilah made a run for the exit. They managed to make it out of the building before the reporter could catch up. There waiting for them was, Todd Snap, with a squadron of four Fearow beside him. The Fearow looked at the reporters, cawing hungrily. "Now, Now," Todd said, "You've already had dinner." Hearing this, the reporters all backed away fearfully. Todd smirked and tuned to his friends. "Snap Airlines, Flight 14372, from Indigo City to Pallet Town, now boarding," He intoned in a mock female voice, "All passengers please proceed to the nearest Fearow for boarding."

He was rewarded for his performance by a whack on the head from Maxine's paper fan. "Excuse me, who's the mimic here?" she snapped (pun intended) at her ex-boyfriend.

"Uh, You"

"Right. Now stop stealing my job!"

"Well that explains why you dumped her," May joked.

That brought a glare from Maxine. Her onetime relationship with Todd was still a sore point. The two girls glared at each other, Everyone else caught the cue, and cautiously backed away. The last time that Maxine and May fought, they had thrown enough knives to stock several restaurants, at each other. Nobody wanted to get caught between them. Finally, Gary spoke. "Girls, please. We are all friends here." The two seemed to remember that it was Gary's big day and they calmed down somewhat.

"Well, lets get going," Todd said impatiently, "Two to a bird."

Much to everyone's surprise, it was Professor Oak and Delilah who claimed the first Fearow. Tracy and Maxine took the second. Gary & Jasmine boarded the third. "What is this, the couple's flight?" Todd asked.

"Yes!" chorused the 3 couples.

Todd turned to May. "Guess you're with me then."

"I can live with that," May said, with a flirtatious wink. "Maxine's loss. This guy's cute. Wonder if he goes for older women…" She giggled as Todd blushed at the statement.

The four Fearow made quite a sight as they soared away. "You always liked flashy entrances and exits, Gary," May commented.

"Nothing wrong with a little style," Gary chuckled, "You okay Gramps?"

"Are you kidding?" the elderly professor replied as he let out a whoop, "I haven't had this much fun in years!"

The four flying type pokemon flew up and out of Indigo city. Carrying eight whooping and cheering passengers.

~*~

>>>>>Two days later>>>>>

"Why haven't you completed your task yet!" Giovanni DiRocketti, the 'boss' of the infamous Team Rocket, demanded, "You've had two years!"

"This is a long term project," the man who was the object of Giovanni's rage protested, "The projected time for this was 15 years."

"Why was I not informed of this?" Giovanni raged, "The report said nothing about a projected time period."

Despite the anger in Giovanni's voice, Craig Anderson answered smoothly. "The report you got was a two page summary made by one of your people. My original report was seven pages. The projected time period must have been somewhere on the other five pages." Few people would have dared make jokes when the leader of Team Rocket was in such a horrible mood, but Craig was not worried. He knew that he was irreplaceable. As long as Giovanni wanted to continue the 'project,' Craig was safe.

There was a long silence before Giovanni finally spoke, "I will give you time, but I expect you to do this faster than projected. By at least a year. DISMISSED!!!"

Craig quickly left the room, not wanting to test Giovanni's patience any further.

Giovanni sighed and turned to his computer. Before he could do anything, the intercom chimed. "Agents Takeguchi and Clark to see you. They have a prisoner."

That caught Giovanni's attention. A prisoner. "Send them in," he ordered. Bonnie Takeguchi and Clyde Clark walked in moments later, the 'prisoner' between them.

The 'prisoner,' a young man with striking features and long brown hair, looked up and smiled. "Hey, Pops!"

Giovanni turned to the two agents. "Leave." The two agents looked at each other incredulously. The kid had called the Boss 'Pops.' Did the Boss have a son? Then remembering the order, the two hastily left the room. Giovanni turned to the boy. "What brings you back here?"

~*~

>>>>>Meanwhile>>>>>

"How did it go?" Sharra asked her brother.

"We got the time," Craig replied. He looked at the girl lying on the bed in the next room. "You know, we really need a Name for her. We can't just keep calling her Subject F002."

Sharra shrugged. "Let's keep it short and simple. How about Amy?"

"Perfect."

To be continued…

~*~

Why are all of Ash's old friends now friends with Gary? What the heck happened to Ash, Misty, and Brock in those two years? What the heck are Craig and Sharra up to? And who's the mysterious prisoner? Find out in Chapter 2: Friends.

I would greatly appreciate reviews. If you're reading this on fanfiction.net use the review option below. Otherwise, reviews go to gskc2x@hotmail.com

Spoiler Theatrical Trailer

Selebi landed gracefully on the landing pad in Mewtwo's mountain hideout. Mewtwo came out two greet him. <What brings you here Selebi?>

<I have to inflict some physical pain on Mew.>

<You'll have to get in line. Lugia got here first.>