"...P-Pl-Please...I-I don't know an-anything else...P-Please l-let me go..."

A man wearing a black suit that was stained by blood whimpered as he felt the spear that was piercing his hands twist. The boy that was standing near him holding the spear hummed in thought.

'...They were BURNING an entire forest for the sake of finding a single pokemon...The Guardian Of All Forests, Celebi...I've read legends that say Celebi watches after all the forests of the world and punishes anyone who dares bring harm to them...But...Actually considering the death of an entire forest to intentionally provoke Celebi to encounter it is...*sigh*' Ash thought with a mental sigh. That's what was happening in the forest...

They were going to burn it down to encounter Celebi and put a tracker on it...These grunts didn't last a minute against HIM, an almost newbie trainer...What chance they had against a legendary pokemon? None. These rocket grunts were given a suicide mission...Just so that Team Rocket could find any trace of Celebi...

...To think that they were using their own grunts as tools that were meant to be thrown away after their purpose was over...And about Domino? She was heading for Vermillion City, just like him...Something related to SS Anne. The man didn't know the full details actually...

Ash looked at the crying man that was tied to the tree and checked for any disturbances in his aura to detect for lies. The Rocket man wasn't lying...Truly he had told Ash everything he knew...

Ash slowly lifted the spear that was piercing his hands and pointed it at his throat...The man's eyes widened as tears leaked out of them, "Y-You said you-you'd l-leave me i-if I told you e-everything..." He whispered fearfully.

"I lied"

The man's face crumpled like a china vase upon falling down. The intensity of his tears falling down his cheeks increased, "...P-Pl-Please don't..."

Ash's spear shot forward at high speeds at his chest but froze just touching the grunt's chest when he heard two words,

"...M-My da-daughter..."

'DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! He's lying!!' A part of Ash's mind shouted at him...

'...He isn't...'

'EVEN THEN DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! HE'S A BAD PERSON! A ROCKET GRUNT! HE STEALS, MURDERS AND THEIVES PEOPLE!! KILL HIM!!' Once more the dark part of his mind screamed at Ash.

'...But...But can I do it? After experiencing the life without a father...Can I kill him like this?...In cold blood? Damning a child to live the life of an orphan?' Ash asked himself...His hands were trembling...The spear too...

'BUT YOU KILLED THOSE GRUNTS TOO! AND THAT ROCKET LADY, CASSIDY?! DIDN'T THEY HAVE FAMILIES TOO?! THEN WHY ARE YOU HESITATING NOW?!'

He shut up after that...He had no response to that...Ash had once thought that killing each and every single one of Team Rocket will solve the problem in Kanto...But will it truly solve the problem? Rocket grunts, they may be...But...They do have families...People who love them unconditionally...Won't those people hate him? Won't those people loathe his very existence if they knew he had killed their family member?

But then...What can he do? Don't do anything? Team Rocket will bring entire Kanto to anarchy...With Lance sitting completely idle and no one to stop their siege. Stop Team Rocket but don't entirely wipe their existence by killing them? They will once more rise in rebellion. Entirely wipe their existence by killing them? Their families, their friends, their loved ones...What would happen to them? Does he have it in himself to do that?

'...No...I don't...' The dark part of his mind which was previously screaming for murder whispered to him...

'...Perhaps...Perhaps I am not strong enough as I thought myself to be...I d-don't h-have the courage, nor the will to entirely wipe them out...What do I do now?'

Flashback...

'Ugh...What do I do now?!' A young 8 year old boy with his black hair starting to show the slightest tints of silver was currently sitting on a part swing...All alone.

His problem? What to gift to Leaf on her 9th birthday. She was older than him by 3 months. So it was her birthday upcoming just 2 days later...

He had no idea what to buy her...A pink frilly dress? A box of chocolates? Or a pretty ribbon that he saw at a store?

It was dusk time. Time for him to go home...But he couldn't...Not until he's decided what to buy her atleast...From the entrance of the now almost empty park he heard a faint voice call out for him, "Ashy where are you?"

The little boy jerked up and turned to the entrance of the part to see a familiar lady with brown hair calling out to him...It was his mother, Delia.

Delia approached him with a frown and asked, "Ashy what are you doing so late? I was getting worried..."

"...Err...Sorry mum...I was thinking...I still need to find Leafy's gift..." The little boy muttered silently in embarrassment.

Delia shook her head and groaned, "What am I gonna do with you..." She shook her head and bent on her knee to get to his level and put a hand on his shoulder, "...Silly boy. It's just a gift Ashy. Just do what your heart tells you..."

Flashback End...

'...Silly boy...Just do what your heart tells you...'

The same kind voice of his mother spoke up once again from the confines within his mind.

"...Just do...What your heart tells you..." Ash muttered to himself silently. Still holding the trembling spear at the man's chest...

With his heart made up he shot forward the spear and thrust it into...

...The man's bindings. The vines that were tying the man cut loose, Ash bent down to the man's level and put a hand on his shoulder...The rocket grunt looked up with hopeful eyes as Ash's gaze narrowed at him, "...I-I...I'll let you alive...Just promise me something..."

The man's eyes watered as he spoke up in a raspy tone, "...Anything you ask...boy..."

"...Just...Just promise me that after today...You'll never look back...Leave Team Rocket...Never...Never turn back to repent on the life you lived...And...And take good care of your daughter, make sure she never has to live a life without her father...If...If we ever meet again...I just hope I'll meet a reformed man...Goodbye..." He turned back hastily and ran away from the place as fast as his legs could take him...An unshed tear glistening in his eyes...

"...Heh...Even the big bad monster has a heart after all..." The rocket grunt muttered to himself with a mirthless chuckle and a glint in his eyes...The glint to change. To grow. To EVOLVE.

...Yes...Brunner vowed to himself...He would change...For his daughter...So that another child doesn't have to live the life of misery that he had seen in silver haired boy's eyes...

...Yes...He would change...

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It was nighttime...A lone silver-streaked boy sat on a fallen log in front of the campfire that he had lit in his camp...His hand supporting his chin with a thoughtful expression on his face...

All 6 of his pokemon who were eating food (Or 8 Goldeen carcasses that Luxray had hunted from a nearby lake in his case) were worried for him...Save for Mimikyu...He couldn't give a single fuck about what happened to his trainer. The term was to be used loosely.

Meanwhile Ash sighed...For the first time of his life he was feeling so...confused. Firstly he had thought that dealing with Team Rocket once and for all by killing them would be an effective way...But now...The rockets...Even they have their families...What would happen to them?

And...It was true that he murdered those 5 grunts in cold blood...What right did he have to judge if they were good or bad? Correct or wrong? And...He didn't even know Team Rocket's primary objective to judge if the group was good or bad...

...All he knew about Team Rocket was that they stole Pokemon, money...Etc...For causes unknown...He just assumed that to be wrong and decided to kill them off...For all he knew Team Rocket was perhaps a good organization who just did things in their own unique way...

...What right did he have to judge them if he didn't even know what their objectives are? And if they really are bad...Then what should he do? Go on a killing spree and burn down every single Rocket member to the ground? Let them do what they are and let them doom Kanto into anarchy?

This...Was certainly the most confusing thing he had ever thought about...He was getting anxious...Losing his will to do...Then suddenly a voice spoke up,

'...Ash...I have never seen you like this...What's up?' Ash turned his head to the side to see Kirlia standing just beside him.

With a sigh Ash spoke up, '...I don't know Kirlia...I just don't know...I'm confused...About what to do? Earlier I had decided that I will kill off every single Rocket and wipe off the organization...But...Who am I to judge if they're good or evil? And WHY would I even kill them when they haven't tried to directly hurt me? I'm not like that right? I don't get involved in other's business unless it directly involves me...So WHY am I getting this worked up by Team Rocket? Why should I even bother? I can just continue my journey and get badges and live the normal life of a trainer...So why I should I even bother?'

Kirlia hummed in thoughtfulness before he spoke up grimly, '...No you can't. And you're right...You have no right to kill off people like that...But have you thought about it? The effect Team Rocket is having on entire Kanto? They STEAL Pokemon, KILL people and pokemon alike...Maybe we don't know their objectives but...What we know is that they are having a negative impact on Kanto...You want to champion someday right?' Ash nodded in reply.

Kirlia continued, '...Then you must know that the benefit of an entire NATION is FAR more important than just an organization...And if I have to kill off them for my country...I'll gladly do it...'

Ash smiled...Kirlia could be a sarcastic(Guess who he picked it up from?) smartass but...He knew damn well how to give advice...

'...You're right...But...HOW should I deal with them?' Ash asked Kirlia...

To his confusion Kirlia just smiled fondly at him and looked up at the beautiful stars that were glistening in the sky above, '...To be honest Ash...I don't know either...'

Ash too looked up at the sky and then at Kirlia as he smiled fondly at him, '...Then I guess we'll just have to find those answers...Together...'

'Mm Hm...Together'

...They fist bumped into each other and continued to look up at the sky...The starry sky was a sight to see for their sore eyes...

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The next morning once more Ash and co. travelled to Melanie's home...They still needed to know the way out of the forest after all...

Ash reached her wooden cottage and politely knocked on the door...Soon it was opened by the familiar blue haired girl who smiled warmly at him...

"...Greetings Miss Melanie...I've solved your...Fire Problem and today I've come here to know the way out of this forest...Can you point me at the direction?"

The girl smiled at little sadly at him, "...I'm sorry you had to do that..." Ash's eyes widened as he heard her say that, "...My Bulbasaur had gone with you and witnessed what you'd done...Don't worry I won't ever tell anyone...But...I have a request to make..."

"...Y-yes Miss Melanie..."

"...My Bulbasaur...He was born in this hidden village...Raised in here...He never got to see the world outside...Yesterday he'd seen how powerful your pokemon were...How they dispatched all those vile people...When he came back yesterday...I had never seen him so intrigued by someone...Please Ash...Take him with you...To see the world outside this forest..." The girl pleaded Ash.

Ash's eyes widened...He had a Bulbasaur but he wouldn't mind having another one with him...Bulbasaur was one of the rarest Pokemon after all...He accepted. With a nod towards Melanie who smiled brightly at him and brought out her Bulbasaur...

'...So Bulbasaur...I heard that you wanna come with me...' Ash told the new Bulbasaur through his aura.

The Bulbasaur would have been shocked if he hadn't seen the human speak with him yesterday when he'd attacked the human. So he just nodded.

'...Alright then...I promise I'd train you into a strong Venusaur –'

'WAIT WHAT?!' Ash was about to take out his pokeball but he was interrupted by Bulbasaur's scream. He tilted an eyebrow at the Bulbasaur who spoke, 'BUT I DON'T WANNA EVOLVE!!'

Ash's eyes narrowed coldly at him and he flinched at bit before Ash turned to Melanie, "...I'm sorry Miss Melanie...But it seems that you'd have to take your request to someone else..."

"What?! Why?!" The girl asked him.

"...Bulbasaur could never be happy with me...For a strong Pokemon, the bond between the Pokemon and trainer must be strong and for that bond to be strong the Pokemon and the trainer must be in harmony...Bulbasaur doesn't want to evolve...You may bitch and moan all you like that an un-evolved pokemon can beat an evolved one...But face the reality. I only train strong Pokemon. Weak ones have no place in my team. Bulbasaur has enormous potential. That I can agree..."

Ash released a brief snort of amusement after that, "...But he's wasting that potential by not choosing to evolve...I'll never waste my time training a pokemon that won't evolve...And so...There wouldn't be any harmony between me and Bulbasaur ever if he becomes my Pokemon...I'm sorry Miss Melanie...But Bulbasaur can never be truly happy with me..."

Melanie looked mortified for a moment before she saw the logic behind his words...It was true...Giving Bulbasaur to Ash would only result in pain...To both Ash and Bulbasaur...It was better if he was given to someone else who appreciates him...

With a sad smile on her face she smiled at Ash and spoke, "...I understand Ash...Anyway...You'll find the exit to this forest NorthWest of here...It would take about 4 days or so..." She pointed him in a direction.

Ash nodded and bowed formally to her, "Thanks a lot Miss Melanie...I shall be gone now...Have a good day..."

And then he was gone as Bulbasaur and Melanie stood at the doorstep. Melanie's blue hair fluttering in the wind. She turned to Bulbasaur with a giggle as she spoke, "...I'm sure you'd find a great trainer one day Bulbasaur..."

"...Saur Saur Bulba..." Was the meek pitiful whine that she received in response.

And done! 
Phew...Finally done...This chapter was mostly concerned with Ash bringing a change in himself. Now i know some of you will say that he's losing his 'badass' persona but I assure it's nothing like that...The thing is...

ANY damn writer actually worth his salt knows that there's nothing such as a 'perfect' character. 

Ash is not perfect either. He's currently confused. Less then he was before talking to Kirlia though. I've seen stories where there's a male Gary Stu OC character which gets all the girls and screws them...And quite honestly? Those stories are not worth reading. Most of them are written by writers who implant a more 'perfect' and idealized version of themselves into the charecter and has girls falling head over heels for them just by seeing them...

Giselle and Leaf atleast KNEW exactly WHO Ash Ketchum was before falling for him...And exactly WHO Ash Ketchum is?

...A cold hearted bastard who is learning to open up his heart day by day. Occupation : Serious Pokemon Trainer and Hardcore Badass. Personality : *Ash glares at you* ...Hey who just pissed in his pants anyway? 

And...I have been receiving comments about Ash having squirtle. Now that i think about it... Squirtle evolution was never discussed...It was not sure if he wanted to evolve or not. So I've decided to give Ash squirtle in the later part of his journey. (Do you remember the Jigllypuff struck in Blastoise shell?)

And about leaf...I was hoping to keep this a secret but...Ash and Leaf will reunite once more in Celadon City.
So please be patient.

Anyway...Read and Review. Vote if you like and stay safe.