Before I continue the other stories, I want to make sure this is up. This is just a little project I might continue if I get inspired to.
This is the first time I made an AU story, so...yeah.
Enjoy...or not. This is just the first draft.
This world is filled with Pokemon. Wherever you look, you can never find a place without the company of these creatures. In this age of humanity, people have created bonds with the many Pokemon of the wild and used their abilities to further their progress. From birth, boys and girls evaluated as having good aura(The force that allows humans to command Pokemon effectively), by the resident Lucario are given a Pokemon egg. Whatever hatches will be the Pokemon that will accompany them for the rest of their lives. But this does not mean that the person can't have more than one Pokemon by their side. The Pokemon given from birth are a respect to the unwritten contract between humanity and Pokemon. They act as proof that Pokemon and humans live in harmony.
At the age of 16, men and women with Pokemon Guardians, also known as Trainers, join Guilds to experience the world for themselves. This is in hopes that their partnership will inspire an everlasting bond between the species. Those without Guardians often put up requests to Guilds for Guild members to aid them in jobs large and small. These can go from simple things as needing help carrying heavy objects to escort missions across the region. Requests made from other regions have been made as well, making them the most difficult to complete and usually a group effort.
Aside from Guild work, the representatives of each Guild often try their hand at an annual event called the Pokemon Championship where Guild members from all over the region compete to see who is the strongest in strength, intelligence and partnership with their Pokemon Guardians. The winners of this competition are gifted with chests of gold to fund their Guilds for many years and their Champions are acknowledged as the strongest of their region. The natural result of winning is renown for their Guild, which will cause more people to apply and get more requests.
This story starts in Pallet Town, a rather small place in the south western side of the Kanto region with a not too large Guild to go along with it. But small as it was, it had been 10 and 20 years ago when two Guild members were crowned as Champions. They were the now Pokemon researcher of the Pallet Guild, Samuel Oak, and a member considered MIA for 5 years. 5 years after winning the Championship 10 years ago, the father of Ash Ketchum disappeared without so much as a breath left behind. His Guardian, a golden Pidgeot was last seen when it flew away to somewhere north of the town. Since then, neither master nor Guardian have been seen or even heard from.
...
"Ash Ketchum, get up right now," was the yell that sounded throughout the whole house that morning. The boy in mention let out a whine from underneath the blanket that covered him.
"Pichu Pichu..." He felt his Guardian's small hand prod his side from outside his coverings.
"I heard her, I heard her," Ash groaned. "Give me a few minutes, why don't you?" He heard a small huff, followed by the sound of electricity
"Pi...CHU!" The yellow creature let out a Spark attack at its master, but it didn't seem to have any effect.
"Ha, stuuupid. I specifically got this thing since it's Lightning proof." Before the Pichu could react, Ash threw off his blanket and used it to capture his Guardian. As he held the makeshift sack to eye level, he could see the Pichu's tiny fists trying to punch its way out. Ash let out a small chuckle. "You know, you could probably get out of there if you were a Pikachu. When the heck are you going to evolve?" The door to his room opened up revealing an impatient Delia Ketchum. Her Guardian Mr. Mime was not far behind. Without thinking, Ash threw his blanket outside of his window. If Delia had seen the two fighting again, he'd never hear the end of it.
"Ash, if you're already awake, why aren't you dressed? You have a long day ahead of you." His mother looked around his room and made a face.
"Where's your Pichu?" Ash tried to feign innocence despite knowing it would prove futile.
"P-Pichu?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Must've gone out for a walk. He should be back any second." Delia narrowed her eyes at her son. She snapped her fingers at Mr. Mime, whose eyes began to glow. He waved his arms around until Ash's blanket found itself back in the room. Pichu rolled out and landed face-first on the ground.
"What did I tell you about fighting with your Guardian?"
"It's not my fault, Pichu and I just can't get along. We only ever piss each other off."
"Well you better get used to each other. You would think that 16 years would be enough for you two to be inseparable."
"Well he's still a Pichu, isn't he? If we actually got along, he'd be a Pikachu by now." He pouted, before realizing something. "Wait...16?" Realization hit him harder than a Body Slam by a Snorlax. "Holy crap, I'm 16 years old now! The day has finally come!" Ash shot out of his bed and raised his fists in the air triumphantly. Delia couldn't help the smile that blossomed on her face at the joy her son expressed. Ash had been waiting for years for the day he could join the Pallet Guild. Ever since his father had disappeared, he felt that he had to go out and find him. Becoming a Guild member was the first step. Ash felt, or at least hoped, that if he continued to go out into the world, he would find clues to his whereabouts. "Mom, get out so I can change." Delia nodded and exited the room. Ash changed his sleeping clothes to a short sleeved leather tunic over a long sleeved undershirt. A belt wrapped around his waist. He wore baggy breeches that were tucked into his leather boots. On his hands were fingerless gloves, a hand-me-down and present from his father. To top it off, he took his "blanket" and wrapped it around himself, revealing it to be a hooded cloak. "Come on, Pichu!" The small mouse planted its bottom on his bed and crossed its arms as best as it could. They were short after all.
"Pichu Pi Pi Pichu," it muttered.
"Come on, don't be like that. It's a big day today.
"Chu Chu Pichu."
"Don't use that language on me. Now come on!" Reluctantly, the Lightning type pushed itself up and climbed its master's body before settling itself atop Ash's head.
"Pichu." Ash patted its head, only to get a jolt running through his hand. Exiting his room, Ash waved his mother goodbye.
"Be safe!" She called.
"Mime Mime!"
The first thing Ash saw when he opened the door was two people. Once was a brunette boy with spiky hair. The other was a girl with long brown hair. They were the Oak twins Gary and Leaf.
"Red, what took you so long?" Gary demanded. Red was their nickname for him. In return, he called Gary, Blue and Leaf, Green. "We've been waiting for a while now."
"Mornin', Red," Leaf greeted giving him a small wave. She had a bashful look on her face. It was not a secret to anyone in Pallet town that the girl had a small crush on the Pichu master. Well, everyone except Ash. He was too busy preparing himself to be the best Trainer in the world. Gary elbowed her side.
"Don't be weird," he teased, earning him a Pound from his own Squirtle. The blue Pokemon looked to his master's sister with a smile. "Ow! Why does this thing like you more than me? I'm its master." Leaf and her Charmander giggled in unison.
"Serves you right, brother." She faced Ash with a smile. "Now, why don't we all go to the Guild together? Granddad is waiting for us."
"Yeah," Ash agreed. "Today is when everything begins. It would be best if we don't keep that old fart waiting." The three walked side by side, with Red being in the middle. Surprising as it was, all three of them were born on the same day. That was the leading factor that led them to being friends. As far as any of them could remember, there was barely a time when the three weren't together.
"Red, you shouldn't call granddad that." Gary scoffed.
"I call him that all the time. How come you hit me, but only scold him?" He felt another Pound hit his back, courtesy of his Guardian. "Ow! You damn Squirtle! You want me to turn you into soup?" Red chuckled at his friend's misfortune. His head shifted to the right when Pichu decided to switch from his head to Leaf's. The girl didn't waste time in doting on his Guardian, earning her a sigh on envy from Ash. Leaf was a natural friend to Pokemon. No matter what kind, they always favored the girl over their own masters.
"How come all of the Pokemon love you? All Pichu does is shock me." Leaf giggled as Pichu rubbed cheeks with the girl.
"How could this wittle Pichu be harmful? You're probably being too harsh on it."
"Pichu Pichu!"
"Little devil," Ash muttered. The yellow mouse turned to its master and he could have sworn that the thing smirked at him.
On the south side of Pallet stood the Pallet Guild. Despite being one of the smaller Guilds in Kanto, the prize money from 2 Champions have made it more hospitable than others. It certainly helped Samuel Oak, or Professor Oak as he liked to be called, with his research on anything Pokemon. The Guild had about 30 members as opposed to the usual 50 and above that places like Saffron housed. Today, three new members would be joining the ranks of Trainers.
"We're here," Leaf announced as she and Gary opened the door. Ash was the first to step in. The Guild members, consisting of mostly Pallet's denizens, instantly greeted the trio with open arms.
"There they are!"
"It's about time you guys showed up."
"Have a drink on me!"
"Idiot, they're underage!"
"What? I've been drinking even before I was their age."
"And look how you turned out!"
The place erupted in laughter while the drunkard took another swig of his Venusaur tree sap and liquor. It was rowdy and smelled of booze, but it felt like a second home. No doubt, Ash was going to enjoy every bit of his experience in this Guild.
"Where's Grandad?" Gary asked.
"He's holed up in his lab like usual," one of the members answered.
"Of course he is. Come on, let's go." He motioned for Leaf and Ash to follow him.
After winning the Pokemon Championship, Samuel Oak devoted his time to researching Pokemon from their scents to their evolutions. He was almost always in his lab pacing back and forth, and that's how the three found him when they entered the room. Saying lab was putting it nicely. There weren't many scientific instruments, and the walls were decorated with sketches and descriptions of the Pokemon that roamed the Kanto. Alakazam was meditating in the corner in mid-air. If no one knew he was a researcher, they would think that he was just a Pokemaniac.
"Grandad!" Leaf said as she ran towards the man. Oak noticed fast enough to catch his granddaughter in his arms.
"Hello, my dear Leaf," he greeted. "And Happy Birthday." He looked to the other two. "That goes to you as well. Today is a good day for you, isn't it?" Gary and Ash eagerly nodded their head. "Well before I add you to our ranks, allow me to inspect your Pokemon." The trio exchanged looks before putting their Guardians on the lab table. The Professor started with Pichu, where he pinched the small mouse's arms and legs.
"Pi!" the mouse exclaimed in protest.
"It seems that you two are still not that close."
"I know, he's still a Pichu." Ash let out a tired sigh.
"And you haven't done much to train your Guardian, if the squishy arms are any indication."
"He doesn't listen to me, either.
"There is a lot of work to do, if you ever want this little one to be a Raichu." Oak moved to Gary's Squirtle. "Hmm...I have to say, your Squirtle is not any better, Gary."
"Don't remind me," the boy replied dejectedly. "Squirtle likes Leaf more than me."
"True as it might be, that is no excuse to neglect bonding and training. Also, you should clean your Guardian's shell once in a while. Give it a nice shine."
"Yes, sir." Finally, he looked at Leaf's Charmander, where he gave a harrumph of satisfaction.
"Excellent condition, my granddaughter. Your Charmander looks healthy and strong. The fire on its tail is burning very bright." Leaf blushed from the praise, while the boys gave her the stink eye. "I await the day that this will become a magnificent Charizard."
"I'll be sure to meet your expectations, grandad." Oak nodded.
"Well, now that that is over, come over here." The professor lead the trio to the back of the room where a table held three bags. "As a Trainer, you will need these basic things. There's one for each of you." Ash was the first to step up and get a bag, followed shortly by the twins."
"Hey," Gary called to Ash. "What if your bag is better than mine?"
"Idiot," the Pichu master groaned. "Every Trainer starts with the same things. There's no such thing as a better bag."
"Don't pick fights," Leaf scolded. Ash looked into his bag and pulled out a small book. Opening it up showed sketches of Kanto's Pokemon. Several stats and other descriptions followed each picture. Blank pages spaced the Pokemon entries.
"As you know," Oak explained. "We don't know everything there is about Pokemon. I doubt we ever will, but we can get close. I fancy myself as an expert on the Pokemon of Kanto, but it's always possible for me to overlook some details. That is why these books have blank pages. If anything you encounter is not recorded here, or if some details contain contradictions, you should record them on the blank pages. After each job you complete, you can turn in your book to me, and I will overlook the details you write, so I can update my database. Do you understand?" The trio nodded in unison. The rest of the contents included a canteen, writing utensils, basic first aid, and preserved food. There were also some supplies for Pokemon.
"Are we officially members yet?" Gary asked a bit impatiently. Oak gave a serious look to them.
"Not yet. Before you three become members..." The trio braced themselves for anything. "We need to have a huge party!" The anti-climactic answer caused the three to stumble in their place. Asides from that, they were elated that they were finally Guild members.
That night, the Guild was more lively than ever.
(The next day)
Ash entered the guild that morning with Pichu sitting comfortably on his head. The air was still heavy with liquor and sweat from last night's party, and some of the Guild members were still sleeping on the tables. Gary and Leaf's mom, Elizabeth, who worked as the bartender was busy waking the hungover members and tossing them out of the window.
"Ah, good morning," she greeted as her Machamp picked up another guild member with one of its 4 arms. The woman approached him. "I haven't seen my children yet, so I assume they're still at the house. Now, did you want to take on a job? I'm sure I can find something simple for you. Luckily, some requests don't even need your Guardian, and they just need another pair of hands." Ash scratched the z-like marks on his cheeks.
"I don't think Pichu is very capable with weight lifting," he deadpanned.
"Pichu Pichu!" The yellow mouse stomped on his head and flexed its arms. Being so short, there was no notable difference.
"Keep trying, buddy." The older woman found herself amused by the duo's interactions.
"Well then, I will look at those requests for you. Wait a moment, yeah? Do you want a drink?"
"Some leppa juice is fine." Going behind the counter, Elizabeth poured a glass of leppa juice and handed it to Ash. She then took out a notebook that she began to flip through.
"Now usually, you would look for requests on the board over there. She tilted her head in the direction of the request board where pieces of paper were posted. "At the end of the day, I record every request made and completed. I also rank them by difficulty and conditions. Whenever people are looking for specific jobs like wanting a relaxing one, or if they want a job that needs their specific Guardian—those pay more, by the way—they go to me. Let's see here..." She flipped through the book before stopping at a page. "Oh. How fortunate for you. A group of citizens up in Viridian need help catching a renegade Raticate that has nested itself in Route 2. The reward is 3000 gold." Ash narrowed his eyes.
"Fortunate?" he asked. After a while, his eyes shot up. "Oh, that's right! Pichu's ability is Static. Whether I use Spark or just tackle, I have a chance of paralyzing that Raticate. When should I be going?" Elizabeth turned back to the book.
"Well it says here, a group is planning to leave from the north exit of Viridian in...5 minutes." She looked at Ash with an innocent smile and watched as the boy instantly broke into a run.
"Curse yooouu!" Ash slammed the doors open, and ran past the Oak twins.
"Hey Red," Gary called. "Where are you going?"
"Can't talk! First job!" The Pichu master ran to the town exit, where the village Lucario was sitting cross-legged as usual. "I'mgointoViridianformyfirstjobseeyabye!"
Unfazed, the Lucario raised its paw in farewell. "Be careful, young one," it advised. Fortunately, the distance between Pallet and Viridian wasn't too far. 5 minutes was all it took to reach the group of 4 that was already leaving.
"Wait!" Ash yelled. The group turned around and stared at the heaving teenager with Pichu that looked ready to fall from its resting place on his head. Ash looked ready to empty his stomach. "Request...Pallet...Raticate...catch..." The leader of the group, a young looking man equipped with a large net, pushed through the others and offered a small bow.
"Are you here to help us catch that troublesome Raticate?" Pichu nodded in place of his retching master. "That's good. And I see you have a Lightning-type with you. It will certainly help." Finally regaining his senses, Ash stood up straight and extended his hand.
"My name is Ash. I'm a newly instated Trainer in the Pallet guild, and this is my first job." The leader shook hands with him.
"I am Rolan, a citizen of Viridian. I hope the fact that you're new will not hinder our chances of catching that Raticate. Come with us."
As Ash and Rolan's group made their way towards the Raticate's nest, the Trainer thought to pass the time by asking some questions.
"So," he began. "What did this Raticate do?"
"That Pokemon has been messing with us citizens for a few days now. It's been stealing food and scaring the children. It wasn't long until we decided to get rid of it." Ash nodded in understanding.
"What are you going to do when you catch it." Rolan smirked and stroked his stubble.
"...I heard Raticate tail tastes pretty good. Amongst other parts."
"Oh, they are. My mother cooks them from time to time."
"Good to know."
Near the end of Route 2 was a patch of grass. The Raticate was sleeping with shreds of As the group got closer, Rolan passed a net to the other three Viridian citizens before issuing orders.
"You, go further back. You, go to the shortcut and stand near the cave."..."What do you mean there's a small tree in the way? Walk past it, you idiot! You, go ahead near the entrance to the forest. Stay in the left side, and don't let it see you."..."Screw the ledge! You can climb over it!" Rolan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Arceus, some people." He turned to Ash. "Okay, first, we'll try and paralyze it from the beginning. If it doesn't work, it will certainly try and run away. The other guys will try and get it if it crosses their way. Are you ready?" Ash removed Pichu from his head and set it on the ground. Its eyes steeled with the desire to do its job.
"It seems we are. Quick, take the book in my backpack and turn to Raticate's page. Tell me the moves its using." Rolan took the book out and nodded his head.
"I got it. You can start at anytime."
"Alright, Pichu. Use Spark!"
"Pichu!" Coating itself with electricity, Pichu rushed towards the Raticate intent on tackling it. Unfortunately, the Raticate heard it and jumped away in time.
"Ratticate!" it yelled as it faced Pichu challengingly.
"Oh, it seems that it wants to battle rather than run. Will you be able to defeat it?"
"I can try. This is my first battle against a wild Pokemon." Pichu got on all fours, ready to move at anytime. "Let's try a Tail Whip!" Pichu turned its tail to its opponent and wagged its tail mockingly. Insulted, the Raticate began stomping on the ground, thus lowering its defenses. "Now while its distracted! Spark again. Using its small size, Pichu dashed to the side and coated its body in electricity. The distracted Raticate took the attack full-on, and tumbled on the ground. It got up seconds later, showing that it was not paralyzed. "Not paralyzed, huh? Let's try it again! Spark...We need to teach you other moves." Ignoring the last bit, Pichu charged the Raticate again. This time, it raised its claws and swiped at the mouse. Just before the Spark made contact, the Raticate swatted Pichu aside. Pichu let out a cry as it was smacked down.
"Cate!" The Raticate opened its mouth, bearing its large teeth. The front teeth began glowing, alarming
"That was a Scratch attack," Rolan informed. "Now its using Hyper Fang!"
"Quick! Use Agility to get away!" As Raticate brought its teeth down, Pichu pushed up off the ground with as much strength as it could muster. It was able to get away with a burst of speed. Raticate's teeth buried themselves deep in the soil. It struggled to get out.
"This is your chance. Use Spark!"
"Pichu!" Once more, the electric mouse ran at the stuck Raticate. The wild Pokemon was unable to get away fast enough and took the full force of the attack. Fortunately for it, it also wrenched its teeth from the ground.
"Raticate!" It cried. Electricity coursed through its body.
"It's been paralyzed! Now, Rolan!" The man ran after the Pokemon, and threw the net over it.
"Come back, guys! We caught it!"
Ash walked to his Guardian and gave it a pat on the back.
"You did good, buddy." The mouse smirked and flexed its arms again. "Let's not get carried away." He returned the mouse back on his head. "We did pretty good for our first job, yeah?"
"Pi pi!"
When the group arrived in Viridian, Rolan paid Ash his 3000 gold and thanked him for his services.
"I'll try to contact your guild again," he offered.
"What about the Viridian guild?" Ash asked. While it was normal for citizens to request other guilds other than their own, it begged the question: Why? At the mention of the name, Rolan stopped and looked down.
"There...There's been rumors about our guild lately. A lot of talk is in the air about how the Viridian guild is up to some sinister deeds. It all started when Giovanni came.
"Giovanni?"
"He's the current Viridian Guild Master. Ever since he took charge, the reputation of the guild has gotten lower and lower."
"That's a shame. I hope something happens soon."
"So do I."
Ash offered a smile, and turned to go back to Pallet. He couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched.
"You are back," Lucario said as he stood up from his post. "How was your first job, Ash?" The boy gave the town's Guardian a large grin.
"It was a complete success! Not bad, right?"
"That is good news indeed. Be sure to report back to the guild and take a good rest." He salluted the Pokemon.
"Yes, sir!"
(Guild)
The regular guild members were back to drinking. Ash took a seat at the bar, where Elizabeth was wiping a glass with a cloth. She had a smirk on her face.
"So?" she asked. "Good job?" Only then did Ash feel tired. Despite being short, the battle took a lot out of him.
"Mission complete, and that's all that matters right now. Next time, could you gives me more time to get to where I need to go?"
"A good Trainer is battle ready at a moment's notice. Anyways, good job. Here's a free glass of Miltank milk." She handed the boy the drink.
"But it's always free," Ash deadpanned.
"Well I wasn't lying, was I?"
"...I can see where Gary gets his attitude. It's a surprise that Leaf turned out the way she did."
"And there goes that drink."
"Wait, I was kidding!" The guild doors opened, and Leaf walked in with a tired sigh. Once she noticed the Pichu master, her posture straightened up.
"Red!" she called, getting his attention. She giggled at the sight of his milk mustache. "Gary and I had jobs in Pallet, but I heard you got one in Viridian. I take it you did well?" Ash grinned and pounded his chest.
"Of course. Just who do you think I am?" Pichu mimicked his actions.
"That's good. Make sure you are safe when you get jobs outside of Pallet. And if you need help, you can always call on me...or Gary." From behind the counter, Elizabeth smirked at her daughter. She, in turn, narrowed her eyes at the woman.
"I will. But not today. It was a small job, but it was still tiring. I think I'm gonna turn in for today.
With the world ahead of him, Ash thought that he could go at it one day at a time. And one day, he would make sure that his father was back and his family was complete.
And...done.
...That's it.
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