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- Seen Oct 1, 2017
Note: If you happen to see this story on ff.net, don't read the last chapter, it hasn't been revised yet. Also don't touch the deviantart version, it's an old version.
If there are any formatting errors in the transition from ff.net to this site please tell me where they are.
<(o^'-'^o)>
Chapter 1 - The Starter of Ash's Journey
<(o^'-'^o)>
"Can't you do anything right?!"
The ears of a young meek boy were assaulted by a womanly, shrill, high-pitched voice. He had been listening out for the loud clanking on the hallway floors that his mother's heels caused, but she still managed to surprise him with just how loud and bossy she could be. He put his hands over his ears, though it didn't help much.
"W-What did... what did I do now?" the shivering boy stammered, readying himself for anything that she threw at him.
"Ash Ketchum, do I even have to say it!?" He cowered in fear as the woman went on another tirade. "Your clothes are all rumpled! And that hat!" The older woman waved her hand in front of her nose to signal 'you stink.' "How can you expect to be a Pokemon trainer if you can't take care of yourself? I'm coming back in ten minutes, and you better be presentable! You are an embarrassment! Come on, Mimey, we'll wait for him in the living room."
The growths on each side of the Barrier Pokemon's head - were they ears or horns? No one he asked seemed to know the answer aside from his mother, whom he avoided asking for obvious reasons - drooped down as it used its telekinetic abilities to place an ironing board in front of Ash, who didn't even bother looking at their retreating figures. He knew if he tried to tell his mother that he would be wearing a jacket over his shirt, which was the only article of clothing that could be considered rumpled, he would be punished for back-talking. He just couldn't stand it anymore. No matter what he did, his mom couldn't be pleased. He tried so hard to get in her good graces, but he only seemed to slip farther from them each time. Most people who knew her would describe her as sweet and loving, but that was all an act. Only one other person had known about her true self, but she had long moved far away from Pallet Town.
Outside of the presence of other people, his mother complained tirelessly at him, and even her own -
"Mr. Mime, what is THIS?!" He heard her shout from the hallway.
Mimey gave a groan of dread, knowing that being called by the name that its species was known by meant serious trouble.
Ash didn't know how Mimey had put up with her for as long as it had, but he had had enough. He was not going to stand for this any longer. He was going to get his first Pokemon without her help. Professor Oak had already given away his starters, as he had for the past few weeks. Ash had started to suspect that the professor was deliberately not leaving any Pokemon for him, but of course no one would believe it; they would just say he was making excuses for why things didn't go the way he planned.
All hope wasn't lost, however; he could still go all the way to Unova or Kalos. Their native professors wouldn't be giving out their starters for at least a few days, but this would give him enough time to get acquainted to either of the two regions and most of their Pokemon, provided nothing went wrong. Unova seemed like a better alternative, since it was said to be farther from the other regions, although Kalos had less known Pokemon specific to it. Therefore, by the time he would be able to pick a starter, he would already be better acquainted with it. Plus, he actually knew someone who lived there, although the chances of actually seeing her were slim. On the other hand, Unova's major tourist attractions like Undella Bay appealed to him more. In the end, he didn't care how far he had to go or where he ended up, anywhere was better than here.
He quietly opened his window, and looked down. Could he get down from this height? What if he crashed and his mother had to help him back into the house? He'd be in even worse trouble... but he couldn't stay here and do nothing. He looked at his clock, its ticking noises audible in the quietness of the room. Seven minutes left... now six.
It was now or never. He slowly climbed out of the window with his backpack strapped on his back, then jumped out, landing on the grass. The fall wasn't nearly as bad as it looked from his room. He looked around, and saw that Mr. Mime was on lookout, as per usual. He ran to the other side, and rushed into an invisible wall, courtesy of said Mr. Mime. He spread his hands out to try and navigate his way through the maze of invisible barriers that the mime had created. He ducked under the ground behind his backpack as Mr. Mime turned around to his direction. Luckily for him, Gary Oak, one of Ash's childhood friends, arrived before anything else could be done.
A slight smile formed on Ash's face as Mr. Mime was forced to let down the invisible barriers in order for Gary to pass through. He had to go now. He was running out of time. He imagined that he only had about three minutes left, maybe less. He didn't need a map to know how to get to Viridian City, bolting to the direction where it was located. Professor Oak had always gone there for flights to other regions.
"Hey, you can't go through tall grass without a Pokemon!" someone shouted at him, but he didn't listen. His mother was scarier than any wild Pokemon that he had ever heard of or encountered. By now, she had probably searched all around the house due to Gary's arrival and found out he was gone. "Hey, get back here, kid!" This only prompted Ash to run faster, knowing that either his mother or her Mimey may have heard the man shouting at him.
He was growing increasingly tired, but he didn't stop for even a second. Otherwise, he would die, whether it be from the hands of his mother or the flock of Spearow he had heard about. He then tripped and rolled down a cliff, crashing into an orange-haired girl.
"I-I'm sorry, miss..." Ash stammered.
"Ty!" The girl finished for him, getting up and extending a hand to him. "Misty!" He took it, and she hoisted him up. "Would you like some carrot soup? It might be a little spicy, but it's not too overwhelming."
"Sure! Give me a minute!" He went behind a tree and grabbed a thermos from his bag, and then spare clothes. He came out a minute later, now wearing a hat with a backwards curvy "L" on the front, a dark green undershirt with a blue and white jacket covering it. Its yellow pockets were inside out. His pants were light blue, and his shoes were black and white with a red circle on each one. He had gotten the outfit on his sixth birthday as a gift, but it was too big for him at the time. Now, it was a perfect fit. He figured that no one would recognize him as long as he put his shirt above the marks on his cheeks, but he couldn't do that at all times.
Misty poured some soup on the thermos he had opened. He thanked her and ran off.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Misty called out after him.
"Gotta go now, bye!" Ash responded without looking back.
Suddenly, a pair of claws grabbed his shirt from behind and hoisted him into the air. Next to him was Misty, also in the air. Ash yelled when he saw what was forcing them upward: A pair of large, brown stag beetles barely bigger than them, each of them having two spiked horns on their heads.
"Let us go!" Ash wailed, flailing and kicking the air.
Misty winked at him. "You won't be able to get there by foot! Where are you going, anyway?"
Ash hesitated for a moment. He was originally going to say Viridian City, which is where he was originally going, but his mother would probably see him there, as it was the next major location after their town of Pallet. She would not let a horde of Spearow stop her. "Vermilion City."
Misty's jaw dropped in disbelief. "There's no way you could have possibly got there on foot! Now hang on to your hat - " Ash took the literal approach and pressed his hat onto his head. "Cause here we go!"
The two creatures, without warning, made a sharp turn and flew right. Ash yelled out for a bit, until he realized what was at stake. He clenched his teeth together and remained quiet, even as his insides lurched in every direction imaginable.
"You get used to it after a bit." Misty glanced at him. "So what's your name?"
Ash made up a fake name on the spot, not feeling quite as queasy. "Cooper."
"Nice to meet you!"
Before Ash knew it, they had arrived at the location. Ash stepped on solid ground and looked up at Misty, who was still hovering. "Thanks so much!" He couldn't believe it. He was far away from Pallet Town. The farthest he had ever gone without adult supervision. This girl didn't know what she did for him.
"It's nothing." Ash's brain processed those two words as the redhead followed him to the nearby airport. Ash had first tried to set up a reservation in Unova, but all of the plane tickets had already sold out, so he chose Kalos instead. He had been just in time, as there were only two tickets left. His plane would take off in thirty minutes. "Where are you going from here?" By now, his mother must have realized that he was no longer in Pallet Town.
Ash took a sip of his thermos, and then swallowed hard. "I've... decided I'll go to the Kalos region, and be... the best." In truth, there was more to his dreams than just that, though he had never actually voiced them to anyone.
"Cool! I want to master bug-types, myself! Though I don't like battling as much as my sisters," she admitted, looking at Ash's belt, before setting her backpack on the bench and taking out a glass container with a colored egg. "I want you to have this."
"Really?" Ash asked, in awe. "Are you sure? But... why?"
"Positive." Misty smiled at him, not answering his last question.
Ash could almost cry at this show of gratitude. She had already done so much for him, and now he was getting an egg? It seemed like he chose the perfect day to run away from home. He ran to her, but Misty put a hand in front of herself to stop him. "BUT." Ash stopped immediately at her voice. He knew there was a catch! "You have to tell me all about Viola, and about all of the cool bug types you find!"
Ash slowly blinked. For the huge favor she had done for him, she wasn't asking much. "Viola's the bug type gym leader of Kalos, right?" he asked for clarification.
Misty nodded in confirmation.
The two of them embraced each other, when a deep, booming voice yelled through the speakers, "ALL FLIGHT 719 PASSENGERS, PLEASE CLIMB ABOARD."
"Goodbye, Misty," Ash said, almost in tears.
"Hey, you remembered my name!" She smiled. "I'll be seeing you around." She gave him her Holo Caster contact information.
"I don't have a Holo Caster," Ash told her quietly, blushing under her gaze. "I do have a Pokegear, though." He rolled his left sleeve to show off a dull, grey wristwatch. His mother was too cheap or inconsiderate to buy him anything better than an outdated Pokegear. He never really found a use for it, since his friends were all nearby, and it didn't have the amazing features that the other, newer contact devices had. He had listened to the radio shows that it had to offer for the first few weeks, but then stopped using it after getting tired of listening to the same songs over and over again.
Misty stifled a laugh. "Those went out of style five years ago! But I guess I'll dust off my old one and call you." She removed the egg from the container and placed it in his hand, before walking away.
"Wait!" Ash got her attention. For all she had done to him, he could at least repay her in some way, no matter how small. He stared into her eyes, and then smiled at her.
"My name's Ash."
Misty stared blankly at him.
"Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town."
<(o^'-'^o)>
It had been hours since Ash stepped into the plane and took his seat.
Between his fear of a plane crash and dislike of loud noises, the plane ride was less-than-pleasant for him. He had never even fallen asleep, having been too busy watching the Champion's League matches on the TV plastered in front of him. The current match airing was Cynthia vs. Alder, two known champions of Sinnoh and Unova, respectively. He imagined himself in Alder's place, battling Cynthia's fierce Garchomp. He never got to see the conclusion, because the plane boarded on the huge Lumiose City. He was finally in the Kalos region! Away from home, away from Mom, away from everything...
Ash took the egg from the seat next to him and stepped down the plane. He had to admit that he was more than a bit nervous in the big city. Whereas Pallet Town was small, compact, and easy to navigate, Lumiose City was large, easy to get lost in, and had lots of paths. But he had to put his uncertainty and fear aside if he wanted to start a journey. He looked at his Pokegear for the map, but it didn't update and still showed the maps of the Kanto and Johto regions, but he guessed he should have expected it from an ancient device that hadn't been touched in years. The only other region on the map was Johto,so he asked a nearby boy for directions to the Professor's lab, following the path he was told to go in.
He had seen a bunch of small buildings, but hadn't gotten to the lab yet. He was embarrassed to have to keep asking random people for directions. He felt like he was going in circles, which he most likely was. Eventually, he found himself in front of a building that looked more like a fancy hospital than a laboratory.
I wonder if this is the right one, he told himself, softly knocking on the door.
No answer. He should have known he had just wasting time. He turned around and got ready to head back, when said door slightly creaked open. Ash slowly tiptoed closer to it, sure that he was in a trap. He fished into his backpack for anything that he could use to light up the building, but found nothing. His hand tightly gripped the doorknob and opened the door wider so that some light from the outside would come in. It wasn't much, but it was the only thing he had.
Ash slowly crept into the dimly lit room, still holding on to the egg he was given. Besides a wait desk, a few chairs, a few papers scattered on the floor, and a dusty elevator, there wasn't much to the lab. Despite its somewhat messy condition, it still had the new lab smell. Ash still thought he had been at the wrong place, but decided to check thoroughly just in case. Now in front of the elevator, his finger jammed a button on the side of it that was shaped like an "up" arrow, but nothing happened. The arrow didn't flash or make any sound to indicate that it worked, which meant that it had to be broken.
"I can fix that!" declared a voice from... above him?
A blonde boy in a light blue jumpsuit landed on the ground above him, landing on his feet. His thumb traced a circle around the button, then pressed it. The green icon dimly flashed, and a ding was heard as the elevator's doors slowly and miraculously opened.
"Whoa, how'd you do that?" Ash asked him, his eyes widened in amazement.
"Call it magic," the boy joked. "You coming or not - Bonnie! I told you to stay behind!"
Behind them was a little girl with her blonde hair in a side ponytail. She wore pajamas in the shape of a dinosaur-like Pokemon, though Ash couldn't remember if it was Tyrunt or Tyrantrum.
"I was lonely in the gym alone. Heliolisk won't play with me!" she whined.
The boy sighed as the three of them headed into the dark elevator. Clemont pressed the button that would take them into the next floor.
"I'm Clemont, and this is my little sister, Bonnie," the blond male introduced, as the elevator took them higher and higher.
"I never saw you here," Bonnie pointed out.
"Just call me Ash," the black-haired boy began slowly. "I just came here from Pallet Town."
Clemont's mouth gaped open. "Is that far?" Bonnie asked.
Ash nodded slowly, looking away from their stares. As the elevator door opened, the three of them were treated to the most horrible sights of their lives. Clemont had to cover Bonnie's eyes so she wouldn't see it. A yellow rodent with a zigzag tail and red cheeks was trapped inside of a glass container attached to a rusty machine. Its wails of pain echoed in the room as electricity was forced out of it and into the machine. It was unable to do anything about the predicament that it was in. Three Poke Balls were also attached to the machine. The machine seemed to be malfunctioning as thick, black smoke came out of the sides and the tools used to create it seemed to be grinding together.
There was no mistaking it; the Pokemon was trapped and being experimented on, and the person making this all happen was...
"Professor Sycamore..." Ash whispered to himself, still unable to believe what he saw. He was a wavy-haired man with a purple shirt, a white lab coat, and black pants. Many girls would have described him as good-looking. Like Professor Oak, he was well-renowned in his respective region. Bowing in front of him were two others: One was a dirty-blonde man with neatly combed hair, and the other was a dark-skinned young woman with somewhat messy violet hair. They both wore masks covering the top half of their faces, so their features couldn't be fully made out, though Ash noticed a tinge of red on the woman's cheeks.
Ash shook in fear. What could he do? He didn't even have any Pokemon, which was why he was here in the first place. This was far more than he bargained for.
Professor Sycamore whipped out a Pokedex and pointed it at the three unopened Poke Balls. "Protean. Bulletproof. Magician." a mechanical voice said from the device, which was then pointed at Pikachu. "Lightning Rod."
Clemont led Ash and Bonnie behind an empty table, and Ash began dialing the police on his Pokegear.
"Officer Jenny? Are you there? Three people are experimenting on Pokemon." He wanted to say who they were, but didn't think she would believe him, or at least not believe Professor Sycamore would do something like that. Not that he would blame them; if someone would have told him just minutes ago that Professor Sycamore was doing these kinds of things, he would have immediately dismissed it as a false rumor. With barely-suppressed sobs, he added, "Professor Sycamore's lab, Lumiose City, top floor." He made sure to emphasize the word "lab" so that it didn't seem like he was accusing the professor.
"Great job, Ash," Clemont whispered to him. "We'll need to stall them until the police forces come." He tapped a button on his Poke Ball and called forth a dusty rabbit-like Pokemon.
"B-But how? I don't have anything!" sobbed Ash, much louder than he intended. He closed his mouth with his hands, but they had already been discovered.
"Intruder alert!" Professor Sycamore exclaimed, heading towards an open window. "Sina, Dexio, you know what to do in case of intruders!" He jumped off the window without waiting for any sort of response from anyone.
A grey, bipedal rabbit-esque creature emerged from one of Clemont's Pokeballs. Its ears and feet were tipped with a thin layer of brown fur that more closely resembled mud. A thick scarf of fur encircled Bunnelby's neck, and spots of mud ran through its hind legs all the way to its backside. It also had a stubby tail. Its scarf-like fur was much thicker and poofier than most others of its species that Ash had seen when researching the Kalos region, and the dirt-colored dots were usually limited to a few on its right back leg. He didn't know much more about its biology, though.
"Bunnelby, Mud Shot," Clemont ordered.
Bombs of mud were hurled at the machine from its mouth, rendering it useless. The electric mouse stopped yelling in pain.
"Get Pikachu, and I'll take care of the rest!" Clemont ordered, as he jumped over the table he was hiding behind and ran towards the two of them. With its ears, Bunnelby punched them to a wall, some mud residue from them sticking the masked duo to it.
The female of the duo yelled angrily, "Look what you did to me! I can't come in like this! What's Professor Sycamore gonna say when he sees me like this? YOU'LL PAY!" Her coworker tried to calm her down, but to no avail.
While the two were distracted, Clemont and Bunnelby separated the three Poke Balls from the machine. Ash gave his egg to Bonnie to hold, then kicked the glass that the yellow creature was trapped in. It wobbled with each strike, and with one final kick, the rodent was free! It crawled on Ash's shoulder.
"Aww, he likes you!" Bonnie remarked, scratching under its chin.
The two of them spat mud from their mouths into one gooey pile. The substance split to reveal two shrunk Poke Balls being covered. They opened up to reveal two unfamiliar Pokemon. One was a small white creature with a cloudy halo around its head, holding the pellet of a flower larger than it. The other was a pink avian creature with a large white break. It smelled quite good, but the fragrance was strong.
Clemont put his arms out, standing in front of Bonnie in a protective stance. "Get ready." he said to Ash, as Bunnelby hopped in front of him. Pikachu followed suit, taking its place next to Bunnelby on all fours and growling at the two unknown Pokemon. Its ears perked up as it eagerly awaited a command.
Ash reflected back on a book that he was given for his eighth birthday, which featured many of the Kanto native Pokemon and their moves. He knew Pikachu's basic moves, of course, but wasn't sure about the one in front of him. He pointed at the good-smelling Pokemon. "Shock it!"
Pikachu discharged a bolt of electricity, aimed perfectly at its target.
"Role Play." The female simply watched as the pink Pokemon eyed Pikachu intently. Its hairs stood on end right when the attack struck it, but it didn't hurt it one bit. In fact, it actually seemed to like it. Pikachu tried again to shock the other opposing creature, but the electricity redirected to the same target as before.
Meanwhile, Bunnelby was occupied with the vines coming out of the flower. It just couldn't seem to find an opening to attack. It managed to bounce over the appendages, and was coming down on its opponent. Right before it struck, colorful leaves shot from the flower and hit it. Bunnelby ended up crashing in front of its owner.
"Spritzee, blow them away! Fairy Wind!"
Spritzee turned out to be the pink avian-like creature. A thick, strong gust of pink-colored wind was whipped from its wings, particles of sparkling dust forming as the mysterious energy was then spread to hit everyone, including Bonnie. As the attack sent her flying, the egg slipped through her fingers and was flung through the air, falling too far from everyone to be retrieved safely. Ash watched in despair as it got closer to being smashed on the wall, and then let out a sigh of relief when a gloved pair of hands appeared through the windows and caught it just in the nick of time. Another pair of hands caught Bonnie before she could crash. That wasn't the end of it as a pair of claws slashed Spritzee and its partner.
"Flabebe!" its owner cried, and turned to the desk. "Not you three again! How'd you even find us?!"
Clemont and Bonnie shared a smile, as if they knew something Ash didn't. Ash tilted his head around to see two people standing on it. One was a woman with oddly-shaped magenta hair, a white blouse and dress, and long black boots, and the other was a man with lavender hair wearing a male version of the outfit. Their tops both had a bold, red letter "R" on them. There was a bipedal cat with a charm on its head and a foot on each of their heads. Ash stared at them in awe, wondering who they were.
"The Heroes of Justice..." Bonnie and Clemont gushed.
"That's right!" the Meowth continued.
Not for the first time, Ash was flabbergasted. "Y-You can talk?!"
"Prepare yourself..." The tall woman sent out an ethereal, floating pumpkin creature. Her voice had an air of class to it.
Her colleague's suave voice didn't go unheard, either. "...for Team Rocket's might!" From his Poke Ball came a blue squid with a pink hat-like mantle that had circular yellow lights. Two large tentacles came from the mantle and hung next to its six short arms.
"Good night!" concluded everyone, except Ash, of course.
James grimaced. "This pose isn't working."
Ash had his doubts about the three. "They're going to -"
"We've got this!" Meowth pounced off of their heads and in front of Bunnelby and Pikachu. Inkay and Pumpkaboo hovered to him.
"H-Hey, five against two isn't fair!" the two whined.
"How about eight on two, then?" Clemont taunted, tossing three ball capsules into the air. Three red beams materialized into a light blue frog with foamy bubbles around its neck, an upright porcupine with hard protective headgear, and a cream-colored fox with fire-shaped fur coming from its ears. He would have sent them out earlier, but didn't have an opening at the time.
As if on cue, the oval object that Ash was holding began to glow brightly. Any other time, he would have taken the time to admire it, but this was an urgent situation. What hatched from it was a brown moth with white fur on its upper body that formed a mask around its blue eyes. On the bottom of its body were six stubby legs. Five fiery horns emerged from its fur.
Ash admired it for a brief second, before focusing back on the battle. Attacks were being thrown everywhere, and the two masked criminals were trying their best to avoid them all, but defending yourself against eight Pokemon wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do. Pikachu was forced to watch the others get action, knowing his electric attacks would do no good. In less than a minute, Spritzee and Flababe were downed and recalled.
Their owners decided to make a quick retreat, but strings coming out of the newly hatched Pokemon tripped them up. With their two Pokemon now gone, an agitated Pikachu shocked the two into near unconsciousness.
Police sirens sounded off in everyone's ears as dozens of motorcycles and police cars surrounded the building. Sina and Dexio were then escorted out by two pretty blue-haired officers, and thrown into the back of a police car to be taken to jail. The taller one of the two then approached the heroes.
"The police report said there were three of them," she began. "Which one of you is Ash?"
Ash raised his hand meekly. He might have been proud of himself had Professor Sycamore not managed to escape.
"What did the third look like?"
Ash tried his best to describe him in a way that wouldn't link back to the professor, though he didn't need to, as the cat cut in, "A lotta black hair, nicely combed! He wore a freshly ironed suit! No stains! Couldn't get much more on him, but we tried our best!" he cried dramatically, falling to his knees.
"It's okay, everyone gave it their all, and we caught two criminals," the officer insisted, calming him down.
"Me? I couldn't do anyt - "
"Two out of three isn't so bad, is it?" she interrupted Ash.
Ash's head remained down. Sure, he had led the police here, but what else? Now completely lost in his thoughts, he thought of how helpless he had been. What would have happened if no one else had been there? He had cast aside his fears, but he still sucked. He couldn't be that helpless again.
"It's alright!" Clemont put an arm around his shoulder. "I can show you around the way, and tell you everything you need to know. It'll be just like magic!" He then gave the three Poke Balls containing the starters to Officer Jenny and told her what the professor's Pokedex said about them.
"Are you two coming?" Bonnie asked.
"Of course!" Ash and Clemont cried out, running after her.
Clemont laughed. "I never knew you to be so excitable!" He then turned to the Kanto native. "So, I don't usually allow new trainers into my gym until they have at least four badges, but you show promise. How would you like to battle me after we register you?" Clemont offered to Ash.
"I'm not sure about that..." Ash answered honestly. He had just came here, and he was expected to take on someone with much more experience? What did Clemont see in him?
"Come on, it'll be fun! Please?" Bonnie pleaded.
"Sure, I guess." Ash gave in after a while.
"Then it's settled! To the Pokemon Center!" Clemont shouted, taking off in a flash. He was gone within just a few seconds, so Bonnie had to lead Ash there.
"Oh, brother," she grumbled with a slight smile on her face.
The heroes watched the two until they were out of sight.
Meowth sighed. "It seems we're on our own here."
<(o^'-'^o)>
"Who did you say was there?"
Professor Sycamore's Holo Caster showed a hologram of an elderly, old man.
"Didn't stop to see who it was," Professor Sycamore replied. "I left Sina and Dexio to take care of him. Whoever he is, he's no threat. Have you two found the boy, by the way?"
"What did I tell you? You can never be too prepared," the older man told him. "And no, we haven't. We found footprints leading to Viridian City, but he's still nowhere to be found. Oh! I almost forgot; my escort and I will be heading to the Kalos region next week for some research! I still can't seem to figure out how the treatment and well-being of Pokemon and Mega Evolution are connected! And yes, I will have the starters ready by then."
Professor Sycamore nodded, and the old man cackled in response. He didn't see a brunette boy with his hair spiked up sneak past his lab to watch TV.
If there are any formatting errors in the transition from ff.net to this site please tell me where they are.
<(o^'-'^o)>
Chapter 1 - The Starter of Ash's Journey
<(o^'-'^o)>
"Can't you do anything right?!"
The ears of a young meek boy were assaulted by a womanly, shrill, high-pitched voice. He had been listening out for the loud clanking on the hallway floors that his mother's heels caused, but she still managed to surprise him with just how loud and bossy she could be. He put his hands over his ears, though it didn't help much.
"W-What did... what did I do now?" the shivering boy stammered, readying himself for anything that she threw at him.
"Ash Ketchum, do I even have to say it!?" He cowered in fear as the woman went on another tirade. "Your clothes are all rumpled! And that hat!" The older woman waved her hand in front of her nose to signal 'you stink.' "How can you expect to be a Pokemon trainer if you can't take care of yourself? I'm coming back in ten minutes, and you better be presentable! You are an embarrassment! Come on, Mimey, we'll wait for him in the living room."
The growths on each side of the Barrier Pokemon's head - were they ears or horns? No one he asked seemed to know the answer aside from his mother, whom he avoided asking for obvious reasons - drooped down as it used its telekinetic abilities to place an ironing board in front of Ash, who didn't even bother looking at their retreating figures. He knew if he tried to tell his mother that he would be wearing a jacket over his shirt, which was the only article of clothing that could be considered rumpled, he would be punished for back-talking. He just couldn't stand it anymore. No matter what he did, his mom couldn't be pleased. He tried so hard to get in her good graces, but he only seemed to slip farther from them each time. Most people who knew her would describe her as sweet and loving, but that was all an act. Only one other person had known about her true self, but she had long moved far away from Pallet Town.
Outside of the presence of other people, his mother complained tirelessly at him, and even her own -
"Mr. Mime, what is THIS?!" He heard her shout from the hallway.
Mimey gave a groan of dread, knowing that being called by the name that its species was known by meant serious trouble.
Ash didn't know how Mimey had put up with her for as long as it had, but he had had enough. He was not going to stand for this any longer. He was going to get his first Pokemon without her help. Professor Oak had already given away his starters, as he had for the past few weeks. Ash had started to suspect that the professor was deliberately not leaving any Pokemon for him, but of course no one would believe it; they would just say he was making excuses for why things didn't go the way he planned.
All hope wasn't lost, however; he could still go all the way to Unova or Kalos. Their native professors wouldn't be giving out their starters for at least a few days, but this would give him enough time to get acquainted to either of the two regions and most of their Pokemon, provided nothing went wrong. Unova seemed like a better alternative, since it was said to be farther from the other regions, although Kalos had less known Pokemon specific to it. Therefore, by the time he would be able to pick a starter, he would already be better acquainted with it. Plus, he actually knew someone who lived there, although the chances of actually seeing her were slim. On the other hand, Unova's major tourist attractions like Undella Bay appealed to him more. In the end, he didn't care how far he had to go or where he ended up, anywhere was better than here.
He quietly opened his window, and looked down. Could he get down from this height? What if he crashed and his mother had to help him back into the house? He'd be in even worse trouble... but he couldn't stay here and do nothing. He looked at his clock, its ticking noises audible in the quietness of the room. Seven minutes left... now six.
It was now or never. He slowly climbed out of the window with his backpack strapped on his back, then jumped out, landing on the grass. The fall wasn't nearly as bad as it looked from his room. He looked around, and saw that Mr. Mime was on lookout, as per usual. He ran to the other side, and rushed into an invisible wall, courtesy of said Mr. Mime. He spread his hands out to try and navigate his way through the maze of invisible barriers that the mime had created. He ducked under the ground behind his backpack as Mr. Mime turned around to his direction. Luckily for him, Gary Oak, one of Ash's childhood friends, arrived before anything else could be done.
A slight smile formed on Ash's face as Mr. Mime was forced to let down the invisible barriers in order for Gary to pass through. He had to go now. He was running out of time. He imagined that he only had about three minutes left, maybe less. He didn't need a map to know how to get to Viridian City, bolting to the direction where it was located. Professor Oak had always gone there for flights to other regions.
"Hey, you can't go through tall grass without a Pokemon!" someone shouted at him, but he didn't listen. His mother was scarier than any wild Pokemon that he had ever heard of or encountered. By now, she had probably searched all around the house due to Gary's arrival and found out he was gone. "Hey, get back here, kid!" This only prompted Ash to run faster, knowing that either his mother or her Mimey may have heard the man shouting at him.
He was growing increasingly tired, but he didn't stop for even a second. Otherwise, he would die, whether it be from the hands of his mother or the flock of Spearow he had heard about. He then tripped and rolled down a cliff, crashing into an orange-haired girl.
"I-I'm sorry, miss..." Ash stammered.
"Ty!" The girl finished for him, getting up and extending a hand to him. "Misty!" He took it, and she hoisted him up. "Would you like some carrot soup? It might be a little spicy, but it's not too overwhelming."
"Sure! Give me a minute!" He went behind a tree and grabbed a thermos from his bag, and then spare clothes. He came out a minute later, now wearing a hat with a backwards curvy "L" on the front, a dark green undershirt with a blue and white jacket covering it. Its yellow pockets were inside out. His pants were light blue, and his shoes were black and white with a red circle on each one. He had gotten the outfit on his sixth birthday as a gift, but it was too big for him at the time. Now, it was a perfect fit. He figured that no one would recognize him as long as he put his shirt above the marks on his cheeks, but he couldn't do that at all times.
Misty poured some soup on the thermos he had opened. He thanked her and ran off.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Misty called out after him.
"Gotta go now, bye!" Ash responded without looking back.
Suddenly, a pair of claws grabbed his shirt from behind and hoisted him into the air. Next to him was Misty, also in the air. Ash yelled when he saw what was forcing them upward: A pair of large, brown stag beetles barely bigger than them, each of them having two spiked horns on their heads.
"Let us go!" Ash wailed, flailing and kicking the air.
Misty winked at him. "You won't be able to get there by foot! Where are you going, anyway?"
Ash hesitated for a moment. He was originally going to say Viridian City, which is where he was originally going, but his mother would probably see him there, as it was the next major location after their town of Pallet. She would not let a horde of Spearow stop her. "Vermilion City."
Misty's jaw dropped in disbelief. "There's no way you could have possibly got there on foot! Now hang on to your hat - " Ash took the literal approach and pressed his hat onto his head. "Cause here we go!"
The two creatures, without warning, made a sharp turn and flew right. Ash yelled out for a bit, until he realized what was at stake. He clenched his teeth together and remained quiet, even as his insides lurched in every direction imaginable.
"You get used to it after a bit." Misty glanced at him. "So what's your name?"
Ash made up a fake name on the spot, not feeling quite as queasy. "Cooper."
"Nice to meet you!"
Before Ash knew it, they had arrived at the location. Ash stepped on solid ground and looked up at Misty, who was still hovering. "Thanks so much!" He couldn't believe it. He was far away from Pallet Town. The farthest he had ever gone without adult supervision. This girl didn't know what she did for him.
"It's nothing." Ash's brain processed those two words as the redhead followed him to the nearby airport. Ash had first tried to set up a reservation in Unova, but all of the plane tickets had already sold out, so he chose Kalos instead. He had been just in time, as there were only two tickets left. His plane would take off in thirty minutes. "Where are you going from here?" By now, his mother must have realized that he was no longer in Pallet Town.
Ash took a sip of his thermos, and then swallowed hard. "I've... decided I'll go to the Kalos region, and be... the best." In truth, there was more to his dreams than just that, though he had never actually voiced them to anyone.
"Cool! I want to master bug-types, myself! Though I don't like battling as much as my sisters," she admitted, looking at Ash's belt, before setting her backpack on the bench and taking out a glass container with a colored egg. "I want you to have this."
"Really?" Ash asked, in awe. "Are you sure? But... why?"
"Positive." Misty smiled at him, not answering his last question.
Ash could almost cry at this show of gratitude. She had already done so much for him, and now he was getting an egg? It seemed like he chose the perfect day to run away from home. He ran to her, but Misty put a hand in front of herself to stop him. "BUT." Ash stopped immediately at her voice. He knew there was a catch! "You have to tell me all about Viola, and about all of the cool bug types you find!"
Ash slowly blinked. For the huge favor she had done for him, she wasn't asking much. "Viola's the bug type gym leader of Kalos, right?" he asked for clarification.
Misty nodded in confirmation.
The two of them embraced each other, when a deep, booming voice yelled through the speakers, "ALL FLIGHT 719 PASSENGERS, PLEASE CLIMB ABOARD."
"Goodbye, Misty," Ash said, almost in tears.
"Hey, you remembered my name!" She smiled. "I'll be seeing you around." She gave him her Holo Caster contact information.
"I don't have a Holo Caster," Ash told her quietly, blushing under her gaze. "I do have a Pokegear, though." He rolled his left sleeve to show off a dull, grey wristwatch. His mother was too cheap or inconsiderate to buy him anything better than an outdated Pokegear. He never really found a use for it, since his friends were all nearby, and it didn't have the amazing features that the other, newer contact devices had. He had listened to the radio shows that it had to offer for the first few weeks, but then stopped using it after getting tired of listening to the same songs over and over again.
Misty stifled a laugh. "Those went out of style five years ago! But I guess I'll dust off my old one and call you." She removed the egg from the container and placed it in his hand, before walking away.
"Wait!" Ash got her attention. For all she had done to him, he could at least repay her in some way, no matter how small. He stared into her eyes, and then smiled at her.
"My name's Ash."
Misty stared blankly at him.
"Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town."
<(o^'-'^o)>
It had been hours since Ash stepped into the plane and took his seat.
Between his fear of a plane crash and dislike of loud noises, the plane ride was less-than-pleasant for him. He had never even fallen asleep, having been too busy watching the Champion's League matches on the TV plastered in front of him. The current match airing was Cynthia vs. Alder, two known champions of Sinnoh and Unova, respectively. He imagined himself in Alder's place, battling Cynthia's fierce Garchomp. He never got to see the conclusion, because the plane boarded on the huge Lumiose City. He was finally in the Kalos region! Away from home, away from Mom, away from everything...
Ash took the egg from the seat next to him and stepped down the plane. He had to admit that he was more than a bit nervous in the big city. Whereas Pallet Town was small, compact, and easy to navigate, Lumiose City was large, easy to get lost in, and had lots of paths. But he had to put his uncertainty and fear aside if he wanted to start a journey. He looked at his Pokegear for the map, but it didn't update and still showed the maps of the Kanto and Johto regions, but he guessed he should have expected it from an ancient device that hadn't been touched in years. The only other region on the map was Johto,so he asked a nearby boy for directions to the Professor's lab, following the path he was told to go in.
He had seen a bunch of small buildings, but hadn't gotten to the lab yet. He was embarrassed to have to keep asking random people for directions. He felt like he was going in circles, which he most likely was. Eventually, he found himself in front of a building that looked more like a fancy hospital than a laboratory.
I wonder if this is the right one, he told himself, softly knocking on the door.
No answer. He should have known he had just wasting time. He turned around and got ready to head back, when said door slightly creaked open. Ash slowly tiptoed closer to it, sure that he was in a trap. He fished into his backpack for anything that he could use to light up the building, but found nothing. His hand tightly gripped the doorknob and opened the door wider so that some light from the outside would come in. It wasn't much, but it was the only thing he had.
Ash slowly crept into the dimly lit room, still holding on to the egg he was given. Besides a wait desk, a few chairs, a few papers scattered on the floor, and a dusty elevator, there wasn't much to the lab. Despite its somewhat messy condition, it still had the new lab smell. Ash still thought he had been at the wrong place, but decided to check thoroughly just in case. Now in front of the elevator, his finger jammed a button on the side of it that was shaped like an "up" arrow, but nothing happened. The arrow didn't flash or make any sound to indicate that it worked, which meant that it had to be broken.
"I can fix that!" declared a voice from... above him?
A blonde boy in a light blue jumpsuit landed on the ground above him, landing on his feet. His thumb traced a circle around the button, then pressed it. The green icon dimly flashed, and a ding was heard as the elevator's doors slowly and miraculously opened.
"Whoa, how'd you do that?" Ash asked him, his eyes widened in amazement.
"Call it magic," the boy joked. "You coming or not - Bonnie! I told you to stay behind!"
Behind them was a little girl with her blonde hair in a side ponytail. She wore pajamas in the shape of a dinosaur-like Pokemon, though Ash couldn't remember if it was Tyrunt or Tyrantrum.
"I was lonely in the gym alone. Heliolisk won't play with me!" she whined.
The boy sighed as the three of them headed into the dark elevator. Clemont pressed the button that would take them into the next floor.
"I'm Clemont, and this is my little sister, Bonnie," the blond male introduced, as the elevator took them higher and higher.
"I never saw you here," Bonnie pointed out.
"Just call me Ash," the black-haired boy began slowly. "I just came here from Pallet Town."
Clemont's mouth gaped open. "Is that far?" Bonnie asked.
Ash nodded slowly, looking away from their stares. As the elevator door opened, the three of them were treated to the most horrible sights of their lives. Clemont had to cover Bonnie's eyes so she wouldn't see it. A yellow rodent with a zigzag tail and red cheeks was trapped inside of a glass container attached to a rusty machine. Its wails of pain echoed in the room as electricity was forced out of it and into the machine. It was unable to do anything about the predicament that it was in. Three Poke Balls were also attached to the machine. The machine seemed to be malfunctioning as thick, black smoke came out of the sides and the tools used to create it seemed to be grinding together.
There was no mistaking it; the Pokemon was trapped and being experimented on, and the person making this all happen was...
"Professor Sycamore..." Ash whispered to himself, still unable to believe what he saw. He was a wavy-haired man with a purple shirt, a white lab coat, and black pants. Many girls would have described him as good-looking. Like Professor Oak, he was well-renowned in his respective region. Bowing in front of him were two others: One was a dirty-blonde man with neatly combed hair, and the other was a dark-skinned young woman with somewhat messy violet hair. They both wore masks covering the top half of their faces, so their features couldn't be fully made out, though Ash noticed a tinge of red on the woman's cheeks.
Ash shook in fear. What could he do? He didn't even have any Pokemon, which was why he was here in the first place. This was far more than he bargained for.
Professor Sycamore whipped out a Pokedex and pointed it at the three unopened Poke Balls. "Protean. Bulletproof. Magician." a mechanical voice said from the device, which was then pointed at Pikachu. "Lightning Rod."
Clemont led Ash and Bonnie behind an empty table, and Ash began dialing the police on his Pokegear.
"Officer Jenny? Are you there? Three people are experimenting on Pokemon." He wanted to say who they were, but didn't think she would believe him, or at least not believe Professor Sycamore would do something like that. Not that he would blame them; if someone would have told him just minutes ago that Professor Sycamore was doing these kinds of things, he would have immediately dismissed it as a false rumor. With barely-suppressed sobs, he added, "Professor Sycamore's lab, Lumiose City, top floor." He made sure to emphasize the word "lab" so that it didn't seem like he was accusing the professor.
"Great job, Ash," Clemont whispered to him. "We'll need to stall them until the police forces come." He tapped a button on his Poke Ball and called forth a dusty rabbit-like Pokemon.
"B-But how? I don't have anything!" sobbed Ash, much louder than he intended. He closed his mouth with his hands, but they had already been discovered.
"Intruder alert!" Professor Sycamore exclaimed, heading towards an open window. "Sina, Dexio, you know what to do in case of intruders!" He jumped off the window without waiting for any sort of response from anyone.
A grey, bipedal rabbit-esque creature emerged from one of Clemont's Pokeballs. Its ears and feet were tipped with a thin layer of brown fur that more closely resembled mud. A thick scarf of fur encircled Bunnelby's neck, and spots of mud ran through its hind legs all the way to its backside. It also had a stubby tail. Its scarf-like fur was much thicker and poofier than most others of its species that Ash had seen when researching the Kalos region, and the dirt-colored dots were usually limited to a few on its right back leg. He didn't know much more about its biology, though.
"Bunnelby, Mud Shot," Clemont ordered.
Bombs of mud were hurled at the machine from its mouth, rendering it useless. The electric mouse stopped yelling in pain.
"Get Pikachu, and I'll take care of the rest!" Clemont ordered, as he jumped over the table he was hiding behind and ran towards the two of them. With its ears, Bunnelby punched them to a wall, some mud residue from them sticking the masked duo to it.
The female of the duo yelled angrily, "Look what you did to me! I can't come in like this! What's Professor Sycamore gonna say when he sees me like this? YOU'LL PAY!" Her coworker tried to calm her down, but to no avail.
While the two were distracted, Clemont and Bunnelby separated the three Poke Balls from the machine. Ash gave his egg to Bonnie to hold, then kicked the glass that the yellow creature was trapped in. It wobbled with each strike, and with one final kick, the rodent was free! It crawled on Ash's shoulder.
"Aww, he likes you!" Bonnie remarked, scratching under its chin.
The two of them spat mud from their mouths into one gooey pile. The substance split to reveal two shrunk Poke Balls being covered. They opened up to reveal two unfamiliar Pokemon. One was a small white creature with a cloudy halo around its head, holding the pellet of a flower larger than it. The other was a pink avian creature with a large white break. It smelled quite good, but the fragrance was strong.
Clemont put his arms out, standing in front of Bonnie in a protective stance. "Get ready." he said to Ash, as Bunnelby hopped in front of him. Pikachu followed suit, taking its place next to Bunnelby on all fours and growling at the two unknown Pokemon. Its ears perked up as it eagerly awaited a command.
Ash reflected back on a book that he was given for his eighth birthday, which featured many of the Kanto native Pokemon and their moves. He knew Pikachu's basic moves, of course, but wasn't sure about the one in front of him. He pointed at the good-smelling Pokemon. "Shock it!"
Pikachu discharged a bolt of electricity, aimed perfectly at its target.
"Role Play." The female simply watched as the pink Pokemon eyed Pikachu intently. Its hairs stood on end right when the attack struck it, but it didn't hurt it one bit. In fact, it actually seemed to like it. Pikachu tried again to shock the other opposing creature, but the electricity redirected to the same target as before.
Meanwhile, Bunnelby was occupied with the vines coming out of the flower. It just couldn't seem to find an opening to attack. It managed to bounce over the appendages, and was coming down on its opponent. Right before it struck, colorful leaves shot from the flower and hit it. Bunnelby ended up crashing in front of its owner.
"Spritzee, blow them away! Fairy Wind!"
Spritzee turned out to be the pink avian-like creature. A thick, strong gust of pink-colored wind was whipped from its wings, particles of sparkling dust forming as the mysterious energy was then spread to hit everyone, including Bonnie. As the attack sent her flying, the egg slipped through her fingers and was flung through the air, falling too far from everyone to be retrieved safely. Ash watched in despair as it got closer to being smashed on the wall, and then let out a sigh of relief when a gloved pair of hands appeared through the windows and caught it just in the nick of time. Another pair of hands caught Bonnie before she could crash. That wasn't the end of it as a pair of claws slashed Spritzee and its partner.
"Flabebe!" its owner cried, and turned to the desk. "Not you three again! How'd you even find us?!"
Clemont and Bonnie shared a smile, as if they knew something Ash didn't. Ash tilted his head around to see two people standing on it. One was a woman with oddly-shaped magenta hair, a white blouse and dress, and long black boots, and the other was a man with lavender hair wearing a male version of the outfit. Their tops both had a bold, red letter "R" on them. There was a bipedal cat with a charm on its head and a foot on each of their heads. Ash stared at them in awe, wondering who they were.
"The Heroes of Justice..." Bonnie and Clemont gushed.
"That's right!" the Meowth continued.
Not for the first time, Ash was flabbergasted. "Y-You can talk?!"
"Prepare yourself..." The tall woman sent out an ethereal, floating pumpkin creature. Her voice had an air of class to it.
Her colleague's suave voice didn't go unheard, either. "...for Team Rocket's might!" From his Poke Ball came a blue squid with a pink hat-like mantle that had circular yellow lights. Two large tentacles came from the mantle and hung next to its six short arms.
"Good night!" concluded everyone, except Ash, of course.
James grimaced. "This pose isn't working."
Ash had his doubts about the three. "They're going to -"
"We've got this!" Meowth pounced off of their heads and in front of Bunnelby and Pikachu. Inkay and Pumpkaboo hovered to him.
"H-Hey, five against two isn't fair!" the two whined.
"How about eight on two, then?" Clemont taunted, tossing three ball capsules into the air. Three red beams materialized into a light blue frog with foamy bubbles around its neck, an upright porcupine with hard protective headgear, and a cream-colored fox with fire-shaped fur coming from its ears. He would have sent them out earlier, but didn't have an opening at the time.
As if on cue, the oval object that Ash was holding began to glow brightly. Any other time, he would have taken the time to admire it, but this was an urgent situation. What hatched from it was a brown moth with white fur on its upper body that formed a mask around its blue eyes. On the bottom of its body were six stubby legs. Five fiery horns emerged from its fur.
Ash admired it for a brief second, before focusing back on the battle. Attacks were being thrown everywhere, and the two masked criminals were trying their best to avoid them all, but defending yourself against eight Pokemon wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do. Pikachu was forced to watch the others get action, knowing his electric attacks would do no good. In less than a minute, Spritzee and Flababe were downed and recalled.
Their owners decided to make a quick retreat, but strings coming out of the newly hatched Pokemon tripped them up. With their two Pokemon now gone, an agitated Pikachu shocked the two into near unconsciousness.
Police sirens sounded off in everyone's ears as dozens of motorcycles and police cars surrounded the building. Sina and Dexio were then escorted out by two pretty blue-haired officers, and thrown into the back of a police car to be taken to jail. The taller one of the two then approached the heroes.
"The police report said there were three of them," she began. "Which one of you is Ash?"
Ash raised his hand meekly. He might have been proud of himself had Professor Sycamore not managed to escape.
"What did the third look like?"
Ash tried his best to describe him in a way that wouldn't link back to the professor, though he didn't need to, as the cat cut in, "A lotta black hair, nicely combed! He wore a freshly ironed suit! No stains! Couldn't get much more on him, but we tried our best!" he cried dramatically, falling to his knees.
"It's okay, everyone gave it their all, and we caught two criminals," the officer insisted, calming him down.
"Me? I couldn't do anyt - "
"Two out of three isn't so bad, is it?" she interrupted Ash.
Ash's head remained down. Sure, he had led the police here, but what else? Now completely lost in his thoughts, he thought of how helpless he had been. What would have happened if no one else had been there? He had cast aside his fears, but he still sucked. He couldn't be that helpless again.
"It's alright!" Clemont put an arm around his shoulder. "I can show you around the way, and tell you everything you need to know. It'll be just like magic!" He then gave the three Poke Balls containing the starters to Officer Jenny and told her what the professor's Pokedex said about them.
"Are you two coming?" Bonnie asked.
"Of course!" Ash and Clemont cried out, running after her.
Clemont laughed. "I never knew you to be so excitable!" He then turned to the Kanto native. "So, I don't usually allow new trainers into my gym until they have at least four badges, but you show promise. How would you like to battle me after we register you?" Clemont offered to Ash.
"I'm not sure about that..." Ash answered honestly. He had just came here, and he was expected to take on someone with much more experience? What did Clemont see in him?
"Come on, it'll be fun! Please?" Bonnie pleaded.
"Sure, I guess." Ash gave in after a while.
"Then it's settled! To the Pokemon Center!" Clemont shouted, taking off in a flash. He was gone within just a few seconds, so Bonnie had to lead Ash there.
"Oh, brother," she grumbled with a slight smile on her face.
The heroes watched the two until they were out of sight.
Meowth sighed. "It seems we're on our own here."
<(o^'-'^o)>
"Who did you say was there?"
Professor Sycamore's Holo Caster showed a hologram of an elderly, old man.
"Didn't stop to see who it was," Professor Sycamore replied. "I left Sina and Dexio to take care of him. Whoever he is, he's no threat. Have you two found the boy, by the way?"
"What did I tell you? You can never be too prepared," the older man told him. "And no, we haven't. We found footprints leading to Viridian City, but he's still nowhere to be found. Oh! I almost forgot; my escort and I will be heading to the Kalos region next week for some research! I still can't seem to figure out how the treatment and well-being of Pokemon and Mega Evolution are connected! And yes, I will have the starters ready by then."
Professor Sycamore nodded, and the old man cackled in response. He didn't see a brunette boy with his hair spiked up sneak past his lab to watch TV.