Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. I don't remember who does own the show/games, but it certainly isn't me.
Warning: Eventual yaoi relationship, semi-AU, coarse language, the fact that Ash and Brendan will be fifteen instead of friggin' ten.
Ash: Any particular reason you're making this?
Blade: Yup! I wanted Brendan to get some screen time instead of random cameo appearances in Jirachi Wish Maker and Temple of the Sea.
Ash: Uh…OK. Basically, May and Max aren't in this. Instead, Brendan and Brock are the know-it-alls of the group.
Blade: All right! Enough stalling! Let's get on with the story!
It was a beautiful day in anybody's opinion. The temperature was mild and invigorating, energizing pretty much anyone who happened to be out that day. That was especially true for a young man running straight from his home in Petalburg City to Littleroot Town. His white hair was pulled back because of his headband and his ruby eyes sparkled with excitement. He was starting his Pokémon journey that day, but he had to get a few things from Professor Birch, a friend of his dad's.
He stopped at the edge of a cliff only to catch his breath. The cliff overlooked the ocean and he could see the shoreline of Littleroot Town, as well as a ferry about to dock there. He took a deep breath, loving the salty tang of the ocean breeze. Once his breathing was normal, the youth took off at his earlier pace.
It took him a while to finally get to the laboratory. He slowed his pace to a jog and when the teen was at the door, he started to stretch his legs out. A green-haired lab assistant walked out to greet him, a welcoming smile on his face.
"Hello! You must be Brendan," the tech greeted in a friendly fashion. Brendan finished one last stretch before smirking and crossing his arms across his chest. He came off as a cocky young fellow, an aspect even Brendan himself didn't like, but his kind heart pretty much made one forget about that side of him for a while.
"Yup. You know why I'm here," Brendan replied, not missing the uncomfortable look that was on the assistant's face. Something must be wrong and he was about to find that out.
"I'm afraid that there is an emergency in the mountains, so Professor Birch isn't here right now. He said that you will have to wait until he gets back," he explained to the fifteen-year-old. Brendan just nodded, knowing exactly what he should do.
"Really? Well, I'm afraid to tell you that I don't have much in the way of patience. So, I'll just go out of my way to find him!" the white-haired youth grinned before running off in the direction of the mountains. He heard the assistant sigh at his brash and impulsive manner, but the boy didn't care at that point. All Brendan was interested in was finding the professor and getting his first Pokémon.
It was five minutes after entering the woodlands that Brendan heard a shout. Curious, the white-haired boy jogged in the general direction of the sound, only to see that Birch was in a tree surrounded by Poochyena. Brendan cautiously made his way down the hill, noting absently that the professor had dropped his bag.
"Hey! Professor Birch! What are you doing up there?" he called, waving his hand to catch the professor's attention. Birch looked over at the ruby-eyed teen and had positively relieved expression on his face.
"Thank goodness! Brendan! Grab a Pokéball in my bag and drive away those Poochyena!" Birch instructed. Brendan nodded before going over to the discarded accessory and opening it. Inside were three Pokéballs, obviously the ones that were set-aside for Brendan to choose that day. He sported a serious look before randomly grabbing a ball and throwing it toward the dark-type Pokémon.
There was a flash of light and a chicken-like Pokémon appeared from seemingly nowhere. Its orange and yellow coloring made it clear to the teen that it was a fire-type. Birch gave an exclamation of happiness, but Brendan ignored it. He was entirely focused on the chick and Poochyena.
"Torchic! Use Ember!" Brendan ordered instinctively. The fire-type complied and spat a few balls of fire toward the three Poochyena. None of them got hit, but the attack was enough to send them scurrying away. The white-haired youth picked up the fallen bag and joined the professor at the bottom of the hill, gladly handing over the bag to his father's friend.
"Thanks for all your help, Brendan. You're definitely your father's son!" he chuckled a bit at that, causing Brendan to roll his eyes. Abruptly, there was a flash of orange lightning, followed by a cry of pain, over in the distance. The professor made a concerned sound and briefly explained that a Pikachu was extremely ill. It was so sick that it might explode, which made Brendan a little nervous, but nevertheless ran with the professor toward the disturbance.
Upon reaching the clearing, there was a Pikachu that definitely looked sick, confirming Birch's story. A little ways away was a young man with messy black hair and determined, brown eyes. Brendan paid no attention to the professor or the kid, instead focusing on the yellow rodent. It got up and ran away from the trio of humans, the fever causing it to be delusional.
"Pikachu! Come back!" the black-haired youth shouted in worry. Birch gave a shout of warning, but it went unheeded by the kid. Brendan then gave chase to the Trainer, vaguely remembering that they were coming up on a cliff. He was right when he saw the Pikachu fall and the Trainer jumping to save his beloved Pokémon. The professor panted as he got out a rope and threw one end down for the teen to catch. After the Trainer had taken that end, Brendan helped Birch pull the kid up to safety.
"Th-thanks," he told his saviors. Brendan just shrugged it off and couldn't help the internal 'awww' when he saw how much the two cared for each other. He also couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his lips, but the moment was ruined when a huge, battery-shaped robot entered the scene. From it came two people, Jessie and James if their little "motto" was anything to go by, and a talking Meowth. At the end of their ridiculous motto was absolute silence. The silence was ended by a snicker coming from Brendan, who was trying to cover up an amused smile through a cough.
"Just who are these clowns?" the white-haired teen asked, his ruby eyes still glittering in amusement.
"Team Rocket. They always try to take Pikachu and other Pokémon away from their Trainers," explained the other Trainer. His brown eyes had an angry glint to them, especially when the battery-like robot took the rodent from his arms. The action had confirmed his statement on the trio being thieves, but Brendan still thought that they were incredibly pathetic. The situation was turning dangerous when orange lightning sparked from Pikachu's body, randomly hitting anything that was in the surrounding area. Eventually, the electric assault stopped. The robot didn't look like it could stand another lightning-based attack, but Pikachu seemed back to its normal self.
"Huh. Looks like the robot managed to allow Pikachu to discharge all of that unneeded electricity," Brendan commented before the electric-type used its Thunderbolt. The robot couldn't take the added electricity and promptly exploded.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" the trio shouted into the distance before becoming nothing more than a star. Brendan snickered again, but quickly got serious when Pikachu collapsed in exhaustion. The black-haired Trainer scooped up his partner and followed Birch back to his laboratory.
They made it back to the lab with no more mishaps, thankfully. They were rewarded with good news when Joshua (the lab assistant) said that Pikachu would be fine by tomorrow. Brendan had been in the hall eavesdropping and was about to leave when he accidentally knocked over a flowerpot. The good news was that he had quick reflexes and was able to save the pot from crashing to the floor. The bad news was that everyone knew that Brendan was there.
"Sorry. I wanted to see how Pikachu was doing and to formally introduce myself. I'm Ruby, but most people call me Brendan," the white-haired teen said. A smile broke out on the other Trainer's face, appreciating the concern for his partner.
"I'm Ash Ketchum, and Pikachu should be fine by tomorrow morning," Ash replied, holding out a hand. Brendan gave a sigh of relief before shaking the offered hand. Then the white-haired teen looked meaningfully at the professor, giving Birch a subtle hint at what they should be doing next.
"Ah! That's right! It's time for you to choose your first Pokémon, Brendan," Birch exclaimed, a little embarrassed that he forgot about that little detail. Ash looked excited and followed the two toward the main room. On a long table sat three, red-and-white balls and the professor immediately took one of them. He opened it up to reveal a green, gecko-like creature.
"That's Treeko, a grass-type," he said before opening the next one. This happened to contain the same Pokémon Brendan had used to help the professor.
"Torchic is a fire-type, but you already knew that, Brendan," Birch opened the last ball and a strange, blue Pokémon appeared from the light, "And that is Mudkip, a water-type."
The Mudkip gave a cry of delight before rushing toward the white-haired youth. It then jumped into Brendan's arms, snuggling into the teen's chest. Brendan gave a chuckle, knowing exactly which one he was choosing.
"Looks like Mudkip has already chosen, and so have I. I choose this little guy, if you don't mind!"