Latest Update: February 26, 2017
Summary: Red has finally left Mt. Silver and is participating in the Pokémon World Tournament. He isn't sure how society will welcome him back but he wants to find new challenges so he tries anyways. Rated M for safety, but no sexual scenes. Maybe some kissing. LolishotaShipping (not main theme). Also an OC Marie who may or may not end up with Red...
Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/9609208/1/Welcome-Back-to-the-World
Word Count:32k
Chapters:13
Chapter 1: Isolating Isolation
Mt. Silver, located in Johto, west of Victory Road and the Indigo Plateau. This mountain was a dangerous place to be, not because of the harsh climate or the unstable caves and paths that lined the mountain, but wild Pokémon with extremely high levels. Levels that were higher than any other area as well as rare Pokémon that could not be found in Johto. This mountain was a death trap for any inexperienced and unprepared trainer. Even the most experienced trainer would think twice before coming to this mountain.
However, even though Mt. Silver boasted such a dangerous reputation, some trainers still came to the mountain. Those trainers that came to the mountain had one purpose. They wanted to defeat the trainer that had conquered the mountain and made it his home. Some wondered if this trainer was insane to live in such a challenging place or whether this trainer was hiding something sinister. But all the mystery only bolstered the mountain's reputation and made trainers seek out this strange man.
Red, from Pallet Town, was the one who called Mt. Silver his home. He was no normal Pokémon trainer; he was the champion of the Indigo Plateau. But trainers wanted to battle him for a different reason. He was known as the 'undefeatable Pokémon trainer.' At the age of eleven, he had conquered the mountain and then defeated the elite four of Johto. Not only that, but when the Indigo League champion, Lance, came to the mountain to battle him, Red defeated him on his first try. In his short Pokémon career, he had not lost a single battle. Therefore, many trainers began to think of Red as a Pokémon trainer prodigy.
However, this brought along another question. If Red was the true champion, why he didn't he replace Lance and became the leader of the elite four. Why Red had come to Mt. Silver? Some thought he was preparing to storm another league. Others believed he was too arrogant and thought the position was beneath him. Time passed but Red still didn't leave the mountain which had his defenders beginning to believe the second reason was true. Trainers wanted to battle him, try to see how their skills matched up with this supposedly "too good to be Champion" young man. However, no matter what their skill, they couldn't beat Red.
Many trainers had been injured from going to the mountain and then being defeated by Red. This was a huge problem because it was hard to get a trainer up there, let alone a Pokémon center or a Nurse Joy. So Kanto region's Professor Oak came up with a solution. If a trainer wanted to go to Mt. Silver, they must have sixteen badges from both Johto and Kanto before they could challenge Red.
Unbeknownst to them, this was Red really wanted. He wasn't afraid of challenges or tough trainers and he wanted to be the best was his goal. He just wanted everyone to leave him alone. He wasn't a social person; in fact, he didn't even fully know how to interact with people correctly. The social rules were too complicated for him and he preferred to live solitarily with his Pokémon. He was also tired of the constant challenges. Some of the trainers that battled him were skilled opponents which offered a variety of battle styles which Red enjoyed. But most of them lacked experience and their overall battle was pathetic. To Red, it looked like these trainers were just hoping to get lucky or go home with something to brag about. He was irritated that they would come and waste his time. With the new rule in place, it meant all the challengers that came to Mt. Silver hoping to defeat him would be skilled competititors.
After Professor Oak made the 16 Badge Rule, on average on six trainers came to him a year and each one was skilled and powerful. None could defeat him. Time passed and every year the number of trainers that came to challenge him lessened and lessened. It wasn't long until trainers stopped seeking the 'trainer prodigy' and Red was left alone. But all this time without a challenge created rumors that began circulating Kanto. His reputation as undefeatable grew and trainers doubted they could actually win. Unknown to Red, he was beginning to be called an urban legend. He was also considered as the phantom trainer atop Mount Silver. Everyone forgot what he looked like, only the stories of trainers' defeats and his powerful Pokémon were still alive. No one knew what had happened to him.
But Red began to think of this life as a curse. He had lived on the mountain for far too long without any human interaction. It was only him and his Pokémon. On the cold and snowy mountain, he stood alone. Like a king, an emperor, with the mountain as his throne.
But it had also become his prison.
This had become like a curse to Red. He had lived in this mountain far too long, devoid of any human
"Pika pika."
The voice of his partner, Pikachu, alerted Red. He opened his eyes and looked at the snowfield in front of him. The sky was already dark and snow had started falling.
"Another day without a challenger," whispered Red to the empty field as a cold wind blew. Normally people would already be shivering from the freezing temperature. Red had already been conditioned to accept the harsh climate of Mt. Silver.
"Pika pi." The yellow mouse said, climbing up his back onto his shoulder.
Red understood what Pikachu was trying to say and turned his head towards it, "We should leave the mountain. Shouldn't we?"
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed as it nodded at Red.
Red pondered the matter. He was becoming bored by the lack of challengers and in order to keep his skills sharp he had to continually improve. He wouldn't do that with the wild Pokémon on the mountain anymore. They had come to know him and almost any of them would willingly be caught. But if he left Mt. Silver, where would he go? Should he try another region? Should he challenge the Elite Four again and take on the duties as champion or-
"Pika!" The mouse Pokémon yelled, bringing Red back, "Pika pi pika!"
"You're right, I shouldn't over-think things." Red said to his partner before taking one of his poke balls, "This is indeed the time for us to go and see the world"
A Charizard came out of the Poké ball red had thrown and it let out a loud roar. The flame Pokémon looked around but finding no foe, Charizard turned to its trainer.
"Charizard, its time." Red said simply, but Charizard understood what its trainer meant.
Red gathered all his necessary supplies and items that he had acquired during his stay at Mt. Silver before placing them all in a backpack. Then, with Pikachu on his shoulder, he climbed onto Charizard's back and told it, "Off to Pallet Town buddy."
Charizard roared with excitement before flapping its wings and taking to the sky. Mt. Silver was quickly left behind. Red noticed the mountain getting smaller and smaller. It had been his home for the past years. He squashed his feelings of homesickness and turned towards Pallet town. It was hard, leaving the mountain to rejoin society, but this was the decision he had made. He just hoped he wouldn't regret it.
(Skip)
Professor Samuel Oak, known as Prof. Oak, looked at the Pokémon that were wondering around his field. His had finished his job for the day and decided to take a walk around his field. Walking with the Pokémon always relaxed him. Suddenly, he heard the sound of slicing air. He turned his attention to the sky and widened his eyes from what he saw.
A Charizard dived towards him. His first instinct was to take out a pokéball and battle the wild Pokémon. When the professor realized he didn't have it, he thought about running back to his idea was quickly dismissed. He knew that if Charizard was intent on pursuing him, it would reach the lab far faster than he would.
The Charizard landed in front of him and Prof. Oak could see that the Charizard was not wild. There was someone on its back. He was relieved for a second before another thought came into his mind. It wasn't the first time someone from an evil organization had taken control of a Pokémon in order to get back at the professor.
The old professor watched warily as Charizard's trainer got off his Pokémon's back. A red beam engulfed Charizard and Prof. Oak immediately recognized its trainer.
His eyes widened in shock. He never expected a trainer to fly in on a Charizard; especially that trainer. He shakily approached; He was afraid this encounter might be a dream. The last time he saw this trainer was years ago and had never heard a word from him since. He had always wanted to go to Mt. Silver to check on him, but just couldn't leave his job.
"Red?" Prof. Oak asked.
"Yes." Red replied simply and before he realized, Prof. Oak was hugging him.
"Oh, how I've missed you!" Oak exclaimed as he released Red from his embrace; happy to see the man he thought of as his own son (or maybe even grandson), "Not that I'm unhappy you're here, but why are you here?"
"I want to start another journey," Red said, straight to the point. "And I need your help."
Professor Oak was shocked, Red wanted to start another journey, and his decision wasn't influenced by anybody. This was the first time Red had shown any sign of leaving that blasted mountain for an extended period of time. Whenever Prof. Oak had tried to convince him, Red had refused, stating that he did not need to go to another region. Kanto was enough for Red. Red's sudden change of heart was a pleasant surprise for Prof. Oak. Still…
"You haven't changed Red," said Prof. Oak with a smile, "Your choice vocabulary is still without embellishments. Come, we'll talk in my lab."
Red nodded and followed Prof. Oak.
(Skip)
"I see," said the professor as he watched Red play with Pikachu. He smiled at their interactions before he thought about which region was suitable for Red. Red had filled the professor in on what had occurred during the years they had last seen each other and the professor was happy Red was doing well. The growth of Red's Pokémon surprised Prof. Oak greatly. From what Red had told him, he wanted to go to a region that was unaware of his reputation but still had strong and skilled trainers.
Something clicked in the professor's mind. "I think, I know the perfect region for you Red," said the professor which gained Red's attention. "Go to Unova."
"Unova." Red repeated. He'd never heard of the Unova region before.
"Unova is far away from the other four large regions," explained the professor, "So it's no wonder you haven't heard of it. Ordinary trainers shouldn't know who you are, and the gym leaders probably won't either. There's a small chance that the Elite four and their champion Alder would know but they might not mention it." Prof. Oak smiled at Red. He added, "Also, the Pokémon that inhabit Unova are diverse and different from those in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. It truly will be a completely new adventure for you."
Red nodded as he digested the information. Unova probably was the best region for him to go to. His reputation wouldn't have reached that far. This could be a fresh start for him.
"Also there will be Pokémon world tournament in Unova." Prof. Oak added slyly, knowing it would get Red's attention.
"Pokémon world tournament? What's that?" Red asked carefully.
"Ah, it's a tournament where prominent Trainers from other region will compete against each other to decide who the strongest trainer is. Also, if it's a trainer that wins, they will have the chance to battle Lance and become the champion of Kanto. If I'm not mistaken, a previous challenger of the Indigo League is also planning on being there. She's quite strong and I believe she'll give you a run for your money." Prof. Oak said. He noticed Red was smiling and his eyes gleamed with passion. Prof. Oak knew that Red wanted to go. He knew the boy well enough to realize that a good battle was the thing to get Red raring.
"I see" Red said, as he hid the feeling of anticipation that he felt. His body trembled slightly, thinking of the battles that awaited him in Unova. "Then I will go."
Prof. Oak smiled, "Then I will contact my friend, Professor Juniper, to handle the papers for you. Who knows, maybe you'll find a great battle partner, or just a great partner in general." The professor winked.
"Thank you Professor," said Red, grateful for all the times the old Professor had assisted him.
"Nonsense," Prof. Oak said dismissively, "This my duty and the least I could do for you."
A smile appeared on Red usually stoic face, "Yes, I guess so."
(Skip)
Prof. Oak watched as Red took off with his Charizard. Red had refused to travel in an airplane. Instead, he said the flight would build Charizard's speed and stamina.
Prof. Oak just shook his head and sighed. That was Red. He was surprised, however, when Pikachu listened to Red and went back into its poke ball. Something the mouse Pokémon was known to hate. Red is an astounding trainer. I'm glad he's going to compete.
As he stared at the disappearing figures of Red and Charizard, he allowed himself a small smile. The Pokémon World Tournament was in for a rude awakening. Red would certainly surprise everyone. Except maybe her.
After the tournament though, Prof. Oak hoped Red wouldn't go back to that mountain. He believed that wandering the world with a companion would be a great way for Red to get stronger and help the people around him get stronger as well. Red was destined for greatness, yet… He just didn't interact with the world like he used to. The professor knew that Red needed a friend who would stand beside him and keep him social. But because of his personality and attitude, Red didn't have many people who would count him as friends. And there were only maybe two people Red respected enough to count as a 'friend.' As talented as Red was, making friends was not his forte. And making true friends would be even harder. People like Red,the professor thought, are cursed with that. But Red might have it even worse.
Prof. Oak sighed as he turned back towards his lab. It was time to call some people and bring them news about Red. He let out a small chuckle while he imagined their expression when he told them that the king of Mt. Silver had left his throne and gone to Unova. It would be entertaining to say the least. He only hoped that Red would forgive him for this, but an old man sometimes needed something to gossip about.
Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/9609208/1/Welcome-Back-to-the-World