Ash the Dragon Specialist

Of best friends and homesickness

The rest of the year was gone before any of them noticed. The newly nicknamed Ladon finally managed to learn and master the move Dragon Claw, the trick was learning the move Slash as a crutch until it was no longer needed. Ele on her part was finally capable of unlocking her last egg move Dragon Rush. All those tips Wilda had given Ash were made the job much easier.

Another big event was Ash's eleventh birthday, which was celebrated by Delia, Drayden, and all of the Natural Preserve. When I say all, I mean all. Workers and pokemon alike. The dragons even gathered together and collected some presents for our boy; like berries and other plants you can find in the wild. The two most precious and important ones: A Dragon Scale and a Prism Scale. That came as a surprise for every human around. Ash was the first to break off of his shock to hug the life of the dragons. He was so happy.

The workers gave him various Poké Balls so he could carry his future friends in the future. Drayden gifted him with a Poké Flute, so it would easier for him to wake up Ladon or any of his future pokemon when they fall prey to Ele's powerful Sing. Another reason was so Ash could play alongside Ele's singing, those two did always make good harmony. Delia, on the other hand, taught her son different recipes for Poké Puff that dragons would especially like. So, he could feed his dragons with no problem.

As the new year came around, Ash entered the Academy. After one year of being mentored under the tutelage of both Professor Oak and Drayden-sensei he was no longer behind, you can even say he might be ahead of his peers when it came to Dragon-type pokemon and the care of pokemon in general. Having been mentored by the Dean of the Academy became the news of the Academy fast and he was soon the center of attention of not only teachers but students alike. However, unlike Gary, he did not lord it over his peer's heads but was open and welcoming. He soon became very popular and sought after, after all, who could resist such a big and pure smile? The Sunshine Student that's what they were calling him. Having an Altaria and Gible already did make him quite popular on its own.

Ash loved the Academy, he had to sit at the end row so Ele could come out of her Heal Ball during class, but thanks to her humming he could stay put during class and pay attention. If anything, Nephele's humming is an Arceus' sent for the teachers, the students had never paid better attention during class. If he was running high on energy on the day, no one scolded him if he starts patting his Altaria or if he went for a ran during recess.

Which lead him to the situation he was in: tripping over a green-haired boy, in a secluded corner of the playground.

"Altaria!" Ele cried, flying down towards her trainer. "Taria," she sighed, nuzzling him once she checked he was all right.

"I'm ok, Ele." Ash, assured her groaning softly- the fall hurt. "Are you ok? I am so sorry; I didn't see you!" He bowed politely to the unknown boy.

"It's ok," he replied, sniffing while hugging a green monkey.

"Is that a Pansage? One of the three elemental monkeys of Unova?" Ash asked excitedly. "We read about them in class today! Are they yours?"

"He is," the boy answered, smiling slightly. The other boy's excitement was contagious. "I'm Cilan Dent from Striaton City, I'm thirteen years old. This is my starter Pansage."

"Pan-pan!"

"Then you must be my senpai!" Ash exclaimed, noticing he was wearing the same uniform. "I am Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! That's in Kanto. This is my partner Ele!" He snuggled the Shiny Altaria.

"Altaria!"

"She's beautiful and I can see how close your bond is! By the way, what's a senpai?" Cilan asked confused.

"Ah, sorry." Ash blushed, acting all adorably. "A senpai is a kantonian term, it means an upperclassman."

'So cute!' Cilan squealed in his head.

"How old are you then?" The older boy asked.

"Eleven years old!" Ash replied proudly, Ele chippering next to him.

"So young... don't you miss home?" Cilan asked, now less animatedly.

"Well, I do miss Professor Oak and Pallet Town's peacefulness. But my mom came with me, so I don't feel very lonely!" Ash replied, cheering up rapidly. "The thing is that I want to become a Dragon Master and the next champion of Kanto! You see, I have ADHD, and Pallet Town is not ready to teach kids like me. I was lucky Professor Oak knew Drayden-sensei; here I have no problems. They let me keep Ele out all the time and her humming calms me down completely. I don't have time to feel homesick, I need to train and study to get better! It's not like I'll never go back to Pallet Town... do you feel homesick?"

"I do," Cilan admitted, head down as if he was ashamed. "I stay at the dorms here in Opelucid City. I had no problem last year but, I had my brothers with me. You see we are three brothers: Cress, Chili, and Cilan. We each have an elemental monkey: Cress has a Panpour and Chili has a Pansear. We've always been together; we even came to the same prestigious Academy for the same dream: to open a café/gym. But Cress and Chili are twins, people don't notice it because of their different coloring and hairstyle, not to mention behavior, but otherwise, they look the same. They are two years older than me. When they came to the Academy I had it better, as I was back home with mom and dad, but now Cress and Chili are back home with them, and I am here all alone."

"No, you are not!" Ash interrupted him when he noticed his new friend was about to cry. "You have Pansage. You have me, Ele and Ladon, even if you haven't met him yet." Cilan looked at his new friend surprised but then smiled. "You are here for your dream, right? For your café/gym? Focus on that and then go home to make it a reality!" Ash cheered him up. "My mom used to have a café in Pallet Town, she can teach you some recipes. You can make it so; it is a café where pokemon and trainers can enjoy eating there alike!"

"That's an excellent idea!" Cilan exclaimed, cheering up. "I'll contact Cress and Chili, they'll love it."

They were swapping recipes and family stories all recess, they even had to be dragged away by their pokemon when the bell rang- too focused in their conversation to notice that break was over. That's how Ash, even though he was a very popular boy in school, met his first true and best friend: Cilan Dent.

A/N:

I know that Dent is Cilan's name in Japanese but as there is no known last name for the character, I am using it as a last name.