Unforgivable Errors (Rewrite)

Running Away

The next morning, Ash woke up at six o'clock, just as the sunlight was beginning to peek in through his blinds. He quietly slipped out of bed, his heart beating with anticipation and slight apprehension. Today was the day-he was finally going to run away from home for good, although Ash didn't see his actions as running away from home so much as running away to find a home. There was a big difference between a home and a residence, after all. 

Let's see...good, looks like everything is in order, Ash thought to himself as he looked through the backpack he'd packed for himself the night before. Guess I'd better hit the road now. 

Grabbing his backpack and slipping a baseball cap over his head, Ash walked out of his bedroom, creeping along down the hallway so as not to wake his mother. The last thing he needed was for Delia to discover his plan and attempt to stop him from leaving. 

But then again, she wouldn't care, the raven-haired boy realized. She'd  just ignore you and leave to go play with the spoiled, rotten brat of Pallet Town, otherwise known as Gary Oak. 

This last thought crossing his mind, Ash gave up trying to walk quietly and simply strode out the front door, not even caring when it slammed shut behind him. He walked down the still-deserted road towards the edge of Pallet Town before sitting down at a bus stop, trying to figure out where to go next. The first part of his mission had been accomplished, but now he needed to decide where in the world he could go without anyone from Pallet Town finding him. This meant he would have to leave Kanto, which was perfectly fine by him, but where was the best place to go? 

Johto? No, that was too close to Kanto. 

Hoenn? That wasn't far from Johto, so the Hoenn region was a no-go as well. 

Sinnoh? It was farther than the other regions, but it tended to attract a lot of tourists. If someone from Pallet Town happened to visit, he would be in a lot of trouble. 

Unova? No, just...no. 

Alola? That was way off in the middle of nowhere. He wanted to escape, but that didn't mean he wanted to be a hermit. 

Kalos? Now there was an idea. It was an ideal distance away from Kanto, and Ash knew that several impressive Pokemon were native to that particular region. The fact that they had discovered mega evolution didn't hurt either. 

His mind made up, Ash stood up and continued walking, this time making his way for the airport. As he strode forward, he tried to think of a way to sneak onto a plane without attracting too much attention. Eventually, he decided that his best course of action would be to pose as the child of another family, while at the same time not alerting the family he chose to follow to his presence. It was a risky plan and definitely full of holes, but Ash was willing to forgo caution if it meant getting away sooner. 

The walk to the airport took about another two hours. Once he arrived, Ash started scanning the crowd for a decent-sized family to follow. He was hoping that there would be a family of at least four boarding a plane to Kalos, because a smaller family was more likely to notice him tailing them. Unfortunately for Ash, it didn't look as though there were any large families traveling to Kalos, which meant that he would have to revise his plan a little. 

Great. Of all times I could have chosen to run away to Kalos, I just had to do it during the summer, when Hearthome City is practically the world's biggest attraction, Ash thought irritably. Then he sighed. Oh well, guess I'll just have to wing it. 

Trying to make himself look as inconspicuous as possible, Ash meandered over to the line to get on the next flight to Kalos. When he reached the line, he positioned himself next to a rather heavyset woman carrying a small purse that didn't fit her at all. His small stature came in handy for once, and he was able to sneak past the security check without the guard noticing him. He was just about to let out a sigh of relief when the woman suddenly spoke to him. 

"Excuse me, young man. Do you have a ticket?" she asked. 

"Oh-my dad has it," Ash replied, quickly thinking of a lie. "He took mine on the plane for me because I had to use the restroom."  

"Oh, all right," the woman said, nodding. "I just wanted to make sure that you weren't lost." 

Ash gave her a genuine smile before turning and walking onto the plane before he realized he had overlooked another problem. Every seat on plane flights were pre-booked, which meant he wouldn't be able to sit down anywhere unless he wanted someone to call security on him. Cursing himself for forgetting something so simple, Ash frantically tried to think of a plan as he pretended to scan the rows of seats for his supposed father. 

And then, as if Arceus himself had answered his prayers, he heard a flight attendant say to a group of three men, "Sirs, for the third time, we do not allow smoking on this flight. Please remove yourselves from the plane if you wish to continue smoking." 

Ash stepped aside as the flight attendant ushered the young men off the plane, all three of whom were grumbling discontendly. Once they were gone, he quickly made his way for the vacated seats, slipping into the one nearest to the window and ducking underneath it. Once again, his small size came in handy, and he was able to fit himself under the entire seat with plenty of room left to spare. 

Nearly half an hour later, when the rev of the plane's engine sounded, Ash allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. He had made it. In just a few hours, he would be in Kalos and his new life would finally begin for real.