Stronger rewrite

The start to where it began

Haha oop-

"Come on pikachu!" the young boy exclaimed, stopping to look over his shoulder at the electric mouse running down the path after him. "We're almost home!"

The pokemon gave a bright excited smile, "Pika Pikachu!". The mouse gave a leap off the ground, landing perfectly on the boy's shoulder after years of practice.

The two continued down the old dirt path they had travelled down years before in all their adventuring, the smell of the air and the chirps of the pidgey welcoming them home. Neighbors gave them warm smiles, laughter filling the air as they quickly remembered the antics, eager to know what event he would bring into town this time round.

Ash let out a laugh with them as he raced down the path, heart racing as he grew impatient. He was back home again, back in his beautiful town that held so many childhood memories, that held the people he grew up with and cared about. Even after seeing the stunning sights in the other regions, Pallet town would always take first place in his heart, it was a sight he would always be happy to see, it truly felt like home.

The boy skidded around a corner, giving his companion a bright smile as the pokemon held tighter onto his shoulder. "Sorry buddy-" a cold feeling washed over him, like he was thrown into the ice covered ocean, left alone and vulnerable to anything hunting for its prey. He stopped in his tracks as his palms started to sweat, head whipping back and forth as he looked for something, anything, that would be causing this.

"Proceed with caution, Chosen one."

The raven haired trainer let out stutters of a word, taking a step back and making note of his surroundings. The pikachu on his shoulder let out a confused and worried whine, unsure of what was happening but moving quickly past his worry and on to trusting his friend's reaction, cheeks sparking as he surveyed the area as well.

"Something shall happen that both you and i can't predict, the fate of the world is forever changing and the actions of some can be unthinkable as they proceed ahead."

"Pi-pikachu.."The boy whispered, "What do you think that means?"

The pokemon gave him a confused look, feeling out of sync for the first time in their long journey. "Pikachu?"

"You must take a hold of your fate, of your future as you rush ahead. Decide on who you want to be and whom walks that path with you."

"Who's speaking," He clarified. "What are they talking about?" his mind raced as he struggled to come up with an answer, the growing anxiety crawling over him.

"You wont be alone, you wont ever be, but you must take that step into your hands to reach your happiness."

The sparks emitting from the pokemon's cheeks quickly came to a stop as a soft paw came to a rest on the boy's head, the pikachu checking his temperature.

"See you soon, Ash Ketchum. Remember, you're stronger than you know."

The silence that followed consumed him, sending his mind running in what felt like endless circles. Who was that? Were they a threat? What did they want? The interaction didn't feel like their first one, but who in the world could it have been?

"Pikapi?" Pikachu whined, a frown settling on his chubby face as his worry for his best friend grew immensely.

Ash did his best to swallow his fears, giving his head a small shake before patting his Pikachu on the head. "Sorry, don't worry buddy, it's nothing." He chuckled, starting into a small jog down the path that would lead him home. "Just hearing things I guess."

The pokemon didn't seem too happy with his answer but let the matter slide, if a problem like this occurred in the future then he wouldn't hesitate to find someone to help his friend, he would do anything for him, for his safety.