The spring breeze rolled through the Pallet Hills, carrying the scent of Pecha blossoms and wildflowers. Birds chirped in the distance. A single lazy cloud drifted overhead as the boy clutched his mother's hand, skipping down the dirt path with a wide-eyed smile.
Ahead of them, under the wide canopy of a great oak tree, the picnic had already begun.
Delia waved them over, radiant despite the tired look in her eyes. She was fussing over a blanket, trying to organize food while two identical boys ran in wild circles around her—one with a goofy grin, the other with a more serious scowl.
"Ash! Red! Be careful!"
The twins were a bundle of contradiction. Ash was loud and daring, leaping into mud and flowers without hesitation. Red, his twin, was quieter—watchful, steady, always thinking.
Near the base of the tree sat three more children.
Blue and Gary—also twins—were Professor Oak's grandchildren. Blue was slightly older by minutes and acted like he was older by years. Gary, for all his cocky energy, never strayed far from Blue's side.
And sitting calmly between them, threading flower petals through her hair, was Daisy, their older sister. Mature beyond her age, she took on a motherly role even as a child.
Their parents had died not long ago. Since then, Professor Oak had taken them in, raising them in a house full of books, gadgets, and research… but not always presence.
Today, though, they weren't thinking about that.
Today was just a picnic.
⸻
"Delia," Aira greeted, setting the basket down. "They've gotten bigger."
"Tell me about it," Delia sighed. "I turn around and suddenly I've got two tiny Tauros living in my house."
They both laughed.
Rento, the boy's father, unfolded the second blanket and nodded toward the kids. "Let's see how long it takes for Ash to start a food fight."
"Five minutes," the boy said confidently.
They all chuckled.
But he wasn't joking.
⸻
The children played wildly in the field. Aiden—only six, but already carrying the weight of two lives—watched them all with quiet focus.
He knew who they were. Not from this world. From the last.
Red, destined to be a silent legend.
Ash, a heart that would never give up.
Blue, brilliant and arrogant.
Gary, ambitious and proud.
Daisy, wise and kind.
He had watched them once—on a screen, in games, in stories. Now, they were real. Breathing. Laughing. Children.
And so was he.
He wanted to protect this moment forever.
⸻
After lunch, the adults sat chatting beneath the tree while the children wandered off into the tall grass.
Ash and Gary were trying to catch a wild Weedle with a juice cup. Red and Blue were arguing over how Poké Balls worked. Daisy was braiding a crown of leaves.
Aiden walked beside Red quietly, watching him scratch a small symbol into the dirt.
"Why that?" he asked.
Red looked up. "It's the Kanto League symbol."
"You already thinking about being Champion?"
Red didn't answer, but his fingers stopped moving.
Aiden smiled. He already knew the answer.
"You're going to be one of the strongest humans in the world."
But he didn't say that out loud. Not yet.
⸻
Later, under the soft golden sunset, Ash threw a Poké Puff at Gary and triggered a full-on dessert war. The adults had to intervene. Aiden barely dodged a blueberry missile.
And as they all lay on their backs after the chaos, tired and full, watching the clouds drift overhead…
He realized something.
He wasn't just in a new world.
He was in the world—the one he had only dreamed of.
And for the first time, it truly felt like home.