It'd been a surprise when she'd ended up giving birth to a beautiful baby girl.
Delia had felt it in her heart that she was going to have a handsome baby boy to look after but it seemed like her heart was just teasing her. Had she wanted a baby boy? Yes, she had. She had wanted to teach him manners that would make ladies swoon and tease him about changing his underwear but having a daughter to raise seemed even better as she looked down at the wrapped bundle nestled safely in her arms.
A daughter.
Her beautiful baby daughter.
Her beautiful baby daughter that had no name.
She'd had hundreds of names ready for a baby boy but not even one ready in case she would give birth to a girl, but that didn't matter. As she gazed down at her daughter, something seemed to well up inside her. She knew this feeling; the feeling of a defining moment. A moment when everything seems to go still, as her choice would change everything in the coming years.
She felt this feeling only once before. A night nearly 9 months previous when she'd decided to meet with a handsome man that had asked her to dinner on a whim. An army man with a beaming smile and a sarcastic wit that would make even an Alakazam crack a smile.
She'd pondered his offer when this feeling had built within her.
She'd said yes, and it'd been a weeklong whirlwind romance until he had to leave.
They hadn't used any protection.
Now she had a daughter.
That feeling seemed to build and build within her before she decided on a gender-neutral name.
Ash. Yes. Ash would be her name. Short for Ashlyn for whenever she got into some trouble or mischief.
Delia found herself smiling as she slowly rocked her sleeping child.
Ashlyn Ketchum.
Her little bundle of Ash.
xXxXx
Her little Ash grew quickly, almost too quickly as time seemed to fly by. Before she knew it, her little bundle of Ash had turned into a mischievous 4-year-old that barely cried when she skinned her knees or tried to catch some of the local Pidgey with her bare hands earning her pecks that would deter her for all of 5 minutes before she was trying again, despite her bleeding hands.
Delia had learned some valuable lessons during that time; namely child rearing is not as easy as those 'For Dummy' books had made it seem. Thank Mew for her loyal MrMime and his advanced grasp with Telekinesis.
Telekinesis to catch the child when she fell from the backyard tree. Telekinesis to ward off a furious Pidgeotto that Ash had startled from its nest in that same tree. Telekinesis for anything and everything; Cooking, cleaning, and shopping. Nothing couldn't be fixed with a little Telekinesis.
It was then she that she started to notice the signs. Even as her little Ash went for 4 years old to 7 in the blink of an eye. She never seemed to settle down and was always getting herself into trouble with the local Pokemon.
Only Mew knew how she had snuck of upon Samuel's poor Alakazam with a pair of scissors...
Not only that. Her little Ash (Not so little anymore she knew) seemed so besotted with Pokemon. She barely watched the Tv and knew next to nothing about battling Pokemon, but she somehow always seemed to find them wherever she went. Afterward came trouble. There was no stopping it.
Beach? A family of Poliwag overlooked by a Poliwhirl. She joined them seamlessly playing in the water and throwing sand at one another. At least until Ash had accidentally stood on a Poliwag's growing tail which made it fire a reflexive watergun which blasted her baby backward flat onto her back.
The Poliwhirl was there suddenly flexing its fists as it stared at her little bundle of Ash before MrMime was there protecting her child. Delia had been so scared that the Poliwhirl would attack and she only had MrMime to help but the Poliwhirl had only gestured her children back into the sea while sending a plume of water to drench her MrMime.
Hours later, her daughter's chest would be black and blue from the bruising, but she wouldn't stop grinning. That star struck look her daughter had stuck on her face would sear itself into her mind and she knew her little Ashlyn would be a Pokemon Trainer of some kind once she reached the required age.
Viridian city? She'd taken her daughter to the city for the first time to get her used to big crowds, but nothing had seemed to faze her except for the fact that buildings could get so tall. It didn't really come as a surprise when she'd turned around to find her daughter and MrMime both missing. Delia just found a small smile adorning her face as she brought some MooMoo milk Ice cream for later.
It did come as a surprise to receive a call from the local Pokemon Centre's Nurse Joy, but that ended when she was told her little Ash had been stung by a startled Weedle. She'd rushed to the Pokemon Centre to find her daughter a little pale but grinning all the same while Nurse Joy seemed to be considering giving her some sort of Mental health counseling.
Another few minutes and her daughter might have died. Despite MrMime's wonderful teleporting skills. Even a young Weedle's poison was strong enough to knock out a grown human adult, and for a small child like Ashlyn… well 'Dire' didn't necessarily cover it
Delia found herself acting worried and fussing over her beautiful troublesome daughter, but in the back of mind, she found herself a little numb to it. This just seemed to be her daughter's life. Seamlessly befriending any Pokemon before something seemed to happen that got her hurt.
Pidgeotto and its nest. Poliwag and its tail. The Weedle. Samuel's Alakazam. Samuel's Dragonite (Sworn to secrecy, Delia still found herself giggling about it once the fear went away) A Seadra… well, she got the point.
But all that reckless energy seemed to stop one night.
It was late, but something had been keeping her awake. It wasn't long until she realized the Tv in the lounge was going. She'd shrugged on her gown and crept down the stairs to find something surprising; Her little Ash was sitting completely still watching the Tv.
Delia could count on one hand with fingers still left over the number of times she'd seen her 9-year-old daughter so still. Her eyes were glued to the screen and Delia couldn't help but groaning aloud when she saw what was being watched.
A battle. A recent battle between the newest champions from different regions. Lance of the Blackthorn clan and Steven Stone, heir to the Devon Corps company. Both had only recently become champions and the media was playing up the whole 'Rival's' angle which just seemed to egg them on.
Delia should have known what was coming when her daughter had asked to go to the Oaks.
She sent her daughter the 'look' which made her squirm before Ashlyn her blurted out that she had wanted to ask Professor Oak something. Delia found herself giving in. It wasn't often Ashlyn asked for something, usually happy being a free spirit that got into trouble.
So, it came as no surprise when Ashlyn marched straight up to a bemused Professor Oak the next day and asked for a Pokemon, specifically; A Steel type. Samuel sent her a look which Delia just rolled her eyes at. Samuel had healed up her little Ash so many times over the years that this didn't come as a surprise.
The only surprising part was the Steel typing her precious daughter wanted. She'd thought that her little Ash would've wanted a Dragon-type like many other kids wanting to be just like their new idol; Lance. She'd surprised Delia once again.
"Oh?" Samuel spoke with a carefully crafted neutral face that Delia had seen him use a hundred times on his own Grandson, Gary, whenever he asked for a Pokemon. "You do know you can't actually be a Pokemon trainer until your 13, right?" he said to her daughter.
Delia found herself hiding a grin as she watched her daughters face fall before rearranging itself into the cutest pout imaginable that she aimed at the Professor.
It didn't help.
But Delia found herself thinking that maybe she could do something about it…
xXxXx
Time flew by once again as many milestones were passed. Her daughter entered double digits, the first among the small group of kids that lived in pallet town and it made her an instant case of jealousy that she was the oldest.
Delia found herself slowly teaching her daughter about Pokemon; She wasn't Professor Oak's assistant just in name; she had put in the hard work for her degree and now used that knowledge to teach her daughter the basics about Pokemon training.
It started with the basics of the basics; Exercise and Nutrition.
Even a Rattata can outrun a human in speed or outlast a human in endurance. There is no contest. Even in their newly born state, Pokemon were just better than humans in nearly every way. But to improve, they needed a stable exercise plan that could help improve their strengths and shore up their weaknesses.
In the wild, this translated to the constant fight for survival.
Too slow? Sprint drills. The Pokemon might hate it, but Pokemon bodies are ever changing; in a constant state of flux due to their cells and the mysterious energy inside them. Its why the older a Pokemon gets, the stronger it'll usually be. Sprint drills might not show a large increase in speed for a slow Pokemon, but that small sprint might be the difference to dodging an attack and retaliating to win the match or taking the attack and fainting, therefore losing the match.
Bad endurance? Running, lots of running, mixed in with some drills to work on their attacks. The key is starting off small and increasing in increments to help your Pokemon improve without hurting itself. For example; Have your Pikachu run along the beach as many times as it can until it can't go any further, then let it blast as much electricity as possible before starting with that as your baseline.
A single extra Thunderbolt is an improvement. Start small and improve slowly.
Nutrition wise; Every Pokemon has a favorite food. Save it as a treat for good work or an outstanding performance and give them their second or third favorite as the basis to their diet. The more active a Pokemon; the more they need to eat and how often they eat is also affected.
Champion level Pokemon will be eating near constantly when not training, battling or sleeping because the routine to improve is so strenuous that they need a steady source of nutrients to keep up with their training and keep their bodies fed.
It's also the same for starter level Pokemon for serious trainers. Beginner level Pokemon have a lot of training to do, especially if the trainer is going to try and complete the Gym circuit of their respective region.
Not only that, most beginner level Pokemon have evolutions they want to reach. Evolutions that require certain stimulus to be achieved. It's not just all about battling. Weight, muscle density, calorie intake and many more all mixing together could affect when a Pokemon evolved.
Delia was so proud of her little Ashlyn, learning everything she could teach her in the 4 short years. Not only that but she'd also started puberty! She was so proud of her little bundle of Ash even if the thickheaded girl ignored everything because nothing seems to exist except for Pokemon in her little girl's mind.
Opening the door in just a singlet and panties? She's done it. Delia had shouted at her for near 10 minutes after apologizing to the Mailman. She'd managed to get the point across that she was too be dressed appropriately always when out of the house, even if her daughter didn't seem to understand the idea behind it.
She pitied the poor fool that took an interest in her daughter.
But time was up now. Her daughter was leaving on her journey tomorrow. There was still so much she had wanted to teach her, but she knew there were some things trainer could only learn by experiencing it themselves.
She just hoped that Ashlyn didn't annoy the wrong Pokemon. At least until whatever starter she got was strong enough to defend her.
Then again… she wouldn't be surprised. Delia knew her daughter would come home with some great stories happy as can be. Injured or not.
That was enough for her.
xXxXx
I yawned and stretched like a Persian as I arched my back before my brain caught up with my body.
Today!
It was today I received my first Pokemon! I let the excitement build inside my chest and lungs before letting it all out in a large exhale. Right. Right… Shower first, then eat some food. Double check my bag has everything and make sure I have the proper clothes packed even though I'm sure Mom went over everything while I was sleeping. After that… after that was to race to the Professor's lab. Nothing was going to keep me from getting a Pokemon.
Time to move!
I ripped the blankets off and sprang out of bed like the athletic teenager I was. I grinned knowing Gary, Chester and Rayne wouldn't be able to copy what I just did. While not everything was a competition (thanks very much Gary), I was the oldest and needed to set the standard.
I raced to the shower and hurriedly washed, scrubbing furiously and turning the water off before reaching out and- damn! Forgot my towel again!
This was the third time this week dammit. I scolded myself silently as I walked back to my room-
"Not again Ashlyn! How many times have I told you to have clothes on when walking around the house!" I grimaced as my Mom, Delia Ketchum shouted at me. Clothes… They didn't seem that important. If all my privates were covered properly, what did it matter for? Everyone was the same anyway underneath anyway; just different sizes.
Not compared to Pokemon anyway.
Pokemon. Which I was going to get today. I shivered in excitement as I dressed in my workout clothes which were made from a very stretchy yet durable material I hadn't bothered to learn the name of. Both items were black in color and were skin tight; Sports Bra and work out shorts.
All my bits were covered and supported. I looked myself over in the mirror and smiled as I hurriedly brushed my hair and put it into a tail. If only I could just go out like this but noooooo, I needed to put on a shirt and shorts which were green and black respectively.
Stupid rules.
I launched myself downstairs to see a stack of Oran berry pancakes in my spot at the table. I sat down and started choking them down, barely chewing. I didn't want to be late after all. I hadn't sneakily taken some sleeping pills last night for no reason. I would've been too excited to sleep. No, I had been too excited to sleep!
Hence the pills.
"Thanks, Mom" I forced out through my mouthful. Though the words came out broken up and garbled, Mom just turned around and gave me a sweet smile and I knew she was mentally congratulating herself like she did every time I used my manners.
I rolled my eyes and mentally stuck my tongue out at her. Peh! Manners!
Of course, all this was secondary I knew. Mom had let me soak up everything she could teach me in 4 years but deep down I knew it all came to a single point in this world.
Might makes right.
I learned that night the truth of this world as I finished watching the champions battle. Lance won, but only just. It had ended with Lance's Dragonite and Steven's Metagross. The Dragonite won and Steven was practically ignored afterward by the league reporters as they all converged on Lance.
Lance tried to bring Steven into it but was summarily ignored. Steven just stood there with a plastic smile on his face as everyone congratulated Lance and talked to Lance and asked questions at Lance. It became all about Lance.
At the time I could remember myself asking why they weren't talking to Steven and Mom just shook her head at me and didn't answer.
It was because he had lost I learned later. He had lost the final battle in the World Champions Competition. What I saw was his Metagross taking out Lance's Charizard and then almost beating Lance's Dragonite straight afterward with no rest, no potions, nothing.
The sheer endurance, training, and trust needed to nearly beat a pair of champion level Pokemon with just his starter must have been phenomenal. Not only were they champion level Pokemon, Charizard was classified as a Fire/Flying Pokemon. A fire type, which was super effective against the Metagross line, and yet Steven's Metagross had won even though it had the disadvantage.
It hadn't won undamaged though. If it had… well, I think the outcome of the battle might've been very different. It was bad luck for Steven or good planning on Lance's part to save his strongest Pokemon for the very end.
Which was a Dragon-type, probably the strongest type in the world! They could learn elemental moves, psychic type moves and even Ice-type moves which were super effective against them. They were THE type everyone wanted, just because they were so naturally strong. Even a half trained Dragon is stronger than most other Pokemon, just due to its natural resillience and power.
That was what Steven's Metagross nearly conquered, after stomping down Lance's Charizard.
That's why I want a Steel-type as my starter. It didn't matter if it was a common Magnemite or an ultra-rare Riolu. I would make do. I'm going to capture every Steel-type out there starting with the 3 Pokemon in Kanto.
Might makes right.
I'm going to have might on my side. I'm going to capture and train the world's strongest Steel-type team. I'm going to crush every Steel-type trainer out there and take the title of the Steel-type master from Steven Stone.
That is my dream.
That is what I have been working towards for the last 4 years.
xXxXx