Chapter 19: The True Start for All

Ark slowly awakened as the sun peered through his window. Feeling an odd pressure on his arm, he turned to the side to see a beautiful woman hugging his arm in a baby doll lingerie. Ark fought to tear his eyes away from the enticing sight as he free'd his arm. Noticing his Mother was about to wake up, he quickly bent down and gave her forehead a kiss.

"Good Morning, today's your big day"

His Mother sat up and stretched. She tried her hardest to act naturally however her body betrayed her intentions as the tip of her ears were a rosy red.

"Yep, we still have about 45 minutes before we need to go, you should go get ready whilst I make you breakfast Mother."

Accepting his offer, they both went to get ready and have breakfast. Though it seemed like a normal morning, there was a subtle tension in the air.

Time passed by instantly and Ark and his Mother were leaving the house. Before he closed the door, Ark checked his backpack one last time and said goodbye to his childhood home. With a sad smile on his face, he shut the door and turned to the direction his future partner in crime was staying for the night.

Ark and his Mother walked hand in hand towards Professor Oaks lab. They passed by many neighbours who congratulated him on his special day, to which he smiled and thanked them.

As they approached the lab, Ark saw three figures who he recognised waiting outside along with a few others. The three in question noticed Arks approach and walked over.

"You're finally here! I thought you were going to miss it!"

Ark was gobsmacked...

Ash was actually earlier than he was...

"Says the boy who had to rush about and couldn't eat breakfast because he wouldn't wake up"

Delia smiled as she saw Ash glare at her. She had spent the past hour trying her hardest to awake the boy and was preparing to leave without him had he not woke up.

The final person was Gary. He stood across from the group and listened with his arms crossed. His face seemed neutral however the tinge of excitement did not escape Ark.

After a few minutes of waiting around, the Professor came out from his lab and smiled once he saw the crowd.

"Good Morning Everyone! Today is a big day for you all, those who are starting their journey should line up and wait for their name to be called"

Following the Professors instructions, 5 people lined up in front of the Professors lab. However Ark did not join the line, instead he stood with Delia and his Mother as he waited for everyones names to be called.

Ark was kind of curious to see what Pokemon Ash would get since he was not late this time, alas the Worlds Fate would not allow such major changes to happen in such a way. Ashs name was called last and thus he was acquainted with the notorious Pikachu.

After the line disappeared and the crowd dispersed, Ark walked into the lab only to be tackled by a small object.

"Honestly Sylph, every time we meet like this, you tackle me to the ground. If you wasn't so cute, I am sure I would be mad"

Ark hugged his little partner as she snuggled into him.

"Thanks again Ark for letting me do one more data collection for Sylph. Sylph as well, thank you for being so patient even though you desperately wanted to see Ark"

-Ark... Sylph missed you-

"I missed you too, but now we can be together and start our journey"

Ark nuzzled Sylphs head and turned to the Professor.

"Professor Oak, thank you for everything you've done over the years."

"It's nothing my boy, I love helping out new talent. I have one last present for you though"

After saying this, the Professor took something out of his pocket and handed it to Ark.

Inspecting his hand, Ark grinned at the new item. Within his gloved hand, a small Pokeball shined.

"Touch the small button on the front and it will expand, once it's in its ready state, you can throw it at a Pokemon and it will catch it or summon the Pokemon within it."

The Professor smiled as he saw Ark look between Sylph and the Pokeball. Ark put Sylph down and stared at her.

"Sylph, my partner, would you please accompany me on my future journeys?"

Ark clicked the button on the Pokeball and held it out to Sylph.

Sylph looked at Ark before staring at the ball, without hesitation, she tapped the Pokeball before disappearing into a ray of white light. The ball shook slightly before it flashed red with a

*ping*

Ark jumped up and hugged the Pokeball. He was so excited that he missed a very important announcement.

Grabbing the Pokeball, he threw it onto the ground. The moment the ball flew a meter in front of Ark, it opened and a white light burst out. Sylph appeared and launched itself at Ark. Ark opened his arms and caught his first Pokemon partner with tears in his eyes. From this point on, they was nothing that could tear them apart.

After a few minutes of silent hugging, Ark realised that Sylphs pokeball had reverted to its small form and returned to his hand. He was very curious about how the return mechanism worked, but he knew that if he took any longer then he may get an earful from the two outside waiting for him.

Ark and the Professor left the lab and walked over to Delia and his Mother. When they saw Ark with Sylph on his shoulders, they waved with smiles on their faces.

"It seems you two are ready to go"

Delia watched Sylph as she tapped Arks head in a strange rhythm.

"Indeed, I still need an answer, but after that we will be heading out. By the way, where is ash?"

Delia blushed before releasing a sigh and shaking her head.

"He left as soon as he showed us Pikachu. Honestly that child really hasn't changed"

Ark smiled wryly as that was a really Ash-like departure.

"So Delia, would you like to come over here and talk for a bit?"

He used his eyes to gesture a small distance away from the group and headed there with Sylph still sat on his shoulders. Though she looked like she was just sat playing with his hair, Ark knew she was listening to everything he said. Once the two were enough distance away from the group, Ark decided to cut to the chase.

"Delia, I want to have you by my side and I want to share my future with you. What is your answer?"

Delia froze at Arks blunt words. She assumed he would flirt a little before trying to get her to tell him on her own, yet he went completely against her expectations. She regulated her breaths and calmed her nerves. If anyone looked closely, they would see that she was shaking slightly.

Ark just silently stared at her without a word, he knew she was working up the courage and felt that speaking now would only prolong the issue.

After a few minutes of silence, Delia took hold of one of Arks hands before speaking.

"This is a big decision and I don't know if I will regret my decision in the future, however I do know that I will regret not making this decision now. Ark I want to stay by your side, I want to share my future with you. It will definitely be a weird future since I feel I will have many sisters, yet I can't seem to find a life after this where I will be as happy as I am right now with you."

Delia spoke her words before hugging Ark tightly and looking up at him. Her eyes were glazed over as her breathing started to quicken. Noticing this, Ark smiled before cupping her cheeks.

"Delia, I swear that once I am strong enough, I will come back here and clear all of the loneliness from your life. I will make you the happiest you can be and thank you. thank you for making me the happiest man on the planet right now."

Following this, Ark lent his face down and planted his lips gently on Delias. She closed her eyes and moved her arms behind Arks neck and pushed into his kiss. The two savored the gentle, loving kiss for a few seconds before separating.

While Ark was kissing, he tried his hardest to keep Sylph stable as he lent his head. Needless to say, his neck felt slightly cramped.

Delia chuckled at Ark as he tried to hide the slight pain, before leaning into Arks ear and whispering,

"Next time... you can be rougher"

White.

That was all that resided in Arks mind, completely white. All brain functions had ceased as he tried to process the meaning of Delia words. While Ark may be eloquent with ladies and ways to handle them, he was still a virgin right now. Thus, Delias comment sent mind-numbing signals across his body, almost making him push her down to eat her then and there.

Stabilizing his breathing, Ark glared at the devil smiling mischievously as she observed his state.

"Honestly you. Just wait until I come back, I will have to punish you for this sort of teasing."

Delia chuckled at ark as the red from his cheeks slowly receded.

The two head over to his Mother and the Professor. Once they joined up with them, the 4 walked over to the gates.

Ark turned around and faced Delia and his Mother. Without a word, he walked up to his Mother and hugged her before kissing he cheeks. Then he walked up to Delia and did the same, except this time he briefly kissed her lips. His Mother frowned slightly but stopped herself from complaining.

Then he turned to the Professor and held out his hand. The Professor stared between Arks hand and Arks face. His face showed his confusion before it suddenly cleared up and the Professor laughed slightly in embarrassment while shaking the outstretched hand.

"Everyone, I will be back soon. I will test myself in the gym challenge before coming back for a bit. Until then, I want you to stay safe and look after each other."

Saying this, Ark turned around and started walking.

"WAIT!"

Ark turned around to see his Mother chasing him in what seemed like a slightly frantic manner.

"Hmm? What's-!"

Before he knew it, his lips were overlapped by another pair. By the time his mind had returned to reality, his lips were already free from the pleasant feeling. His Mother stared in his eyes before smiling sweetly and saying,

"Good Luck Ark, be safe"