Hello everyone! This is my first chapter of "An Austere Beginning". A story that actually brings some attention to how a trainer can financially manage their adventure, and how Ash would be forced to plan. This planning would bleed through his battling style, and I am going to give my best to write great fighting scenes that shows this. Ash will not have overpowered Pokémon, and all other characters in this story will also be stronger. The best fights are the ones where both sides are almost equal, though I will have a few fights where Ash completely pwns his opponent. Those fights will not even occasionally happen. When i start to write action scenes, I am praying that I can write reasonable, yet intense, fights.
I hope everyone enjoys my story.
This is my first REAL attempt at writing a story, so reviews would be very much appreciated.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
An alarm blared loudly, waking a 14-year-old Ash from his dreamless sleep. He quickly turned off his alarm and fell back asleep.
"Wake up Ash! You get your first Pokémon today!" Delia Ketchum shouted from the kitchen. A sweet, delicious aroma already filled the air with a sizzling sound buzzing in the background.
"I'm up!" Ash shot out of his bed. He needed to quickly reach Professor Oak's lab before the other kids grabbed the starter Pokémon. He didn't really care which starter he got, and honestly, none of the starters really interested him. Unfortunately, the starters are the only Pokémon that are usually handed out at the lab and the starters are rarely found in the wild. There is no guarantee that he would get a Pokémon if he was late.
Ash quickly rushed to the bathroom. His reflection met him, along with his incredibly messy hair. He brushed his hair in a tremendous effort to make it look less messy, but he knew his black hair will never be tamed. Ash then brushed his teeth, and ran to the kitchen. Once he saw food on the table, Ash sat in the chair and was preparing to completely inhale the food in front of him.
Delia simply giggled at Ash's typical actions. "Sorry sweetie, but you get your Pokémon tomorrow, not today."
Ash groaned at his mother's trick, though the food kept him from feeling any real annoyance. His mother had only prepared a simple omelet with bacon, but it tasted better than most foods he had ever eaten. It's a mystery how she can make the simplest foods taste incredible. Ash vowed to one day cook as well as she can, but for now he decided to slowly enjoy his meal. He had no clue how long it will be before he see his mother again, and there was no guarantee that he would have such good food on the road. Maybe she will give him some recipes.
"So which Pokémon are you going to get?" Delia asked.
"I really don't know. I might get Charmander since Charizard could quickly fly me to different cities, but other than that, I just want a friendly Pokémon. I don't know what I would do if I had a starter that hated me."
"I'm sure your Pokémon will like you. So are you packed?"
"Yes, Mom, I had packed everything you told me too, plus extra food if I get lost. I still need to buy some potions from the store, so I will take my bag with me to see how many I can fit."
"Good. I've bought some pokéballs for you, by the way."
"Awesome!" Delia turned to Ash. Tears traced her face as she handed the pokéballs to Ash.
"My baby boy is leaving on his journey," She sobbed. She probably wouldn't see him for a good year or two outside of phone calls. Ash went to hug his mother. He was going to miss her. He went to his room, picked up his bag, and left the house.
Delia started to wash dishes while reminiscing about her son's life she remembered when he was an excited toddler that boasted to be a Pokémon master one day. That Ash had long since faded, leaving a calm, controlled teenager. Delia was happy that she waited three years before letting Ash leave on his adventure. She was worried that he would get into trouble, and she didn't any money to bail him out of any debts. She now knows that she can rely on her son to behave more rationally, though he still gets a little excited when he sees a Pokémon he likes. At least she taught her son to be careful around the more dangerous Pokémon. A knock on her door turned Delia away from her worries. "Come in!"
The door opened to reveal a new friend of hers. His name was Todd Garibald, a trainer she recently met at the mart. Todd and her had immediately grown on each other, and while she swore never to enter into another relationship, Todd almost convinced her otherwise. They only met three days ago, but he was just as charming as her late husband.
"Good Afternoon," he chirped. He seemed happy, Delia noticed.
"Why are you so excited?" Delia stated. His good mood infected her morose one, and she soon found herself smiling at the handsome man. He had short, jet black hair, olive skin, a strong jaw line and a very wiry frame. Todd wore a tight shirt, and his muscles rippled with every use. This man was built for action.
That thought made Delia giggle like a school girl. He could easily be mistaken as Ash's father, if Todd had honey-brown eyes like Ash. Instead, Todd had the prettiest jade eyes that she has ever seen. She often lost track of their conversations if she stared into them for too long.
"- and he had told me that I need to stay in Pallet for a while, since the professor needed my help with the wild Ekans attacking the Pokémon in the reservation."
Oopsie, Delia thought as she drew her attention away from Todd's eyes. She needed to salvage the conversation.
"So how long are you staying?" Delia asked, giving the illusion that she was listening.
"Two more weeks, though I might decide to just live here. I decided to settle down after my most recent defeats. I haven't even earned all of the gym badges in the Hoenn region." Todd sighed.
"It couldn't have been that bad."
"I faced a gym leader named Norman who specialized in normal type Pokémon. He utterly thrashed me. I challenged him several times over the course of two months, and I never managed to even defeat two of his Pokémon."
Delia could only stay silent, though her face showed a little pity. She decided to tell Todd about the end of her own journey.
"I ended my own journey when my closest Pokémon died." Delia still felt that particular death. Her Persian had passed away after Team Rocket attacked her and her husband.
"I'm sorry. My reasons are minor compared to yours."
"It's okay." Delia ended that uncomfortable conversation.
The two changed to trivial topics, and the unease disappeared.
Ash headed to the edge of the town and into the nearby forest. He traveled further and found the clearing he was looking for, a clearing that he often visited when he wanted to be alone. The grass was short enough for Ash to move easily, but not so short that Ash couldn't comfortably lie down, and the trees were tall enough to provide adequate shade at this time of day. The forest completely surrounds the clearing hiding it from people who were not searching for it, and most Pokémon do not dare venture in an open space for fear of being hunted by their predators. The few Pokémon that do usually leave humans alone, so Ash felt he was safe and alone. Ash moved to the center of the clearing and laid on the grass.
Ash was alone in the clearing, and he used the time to just relax and look at the clear, blue sky, picturing the Pokémon he wanted in the clouds. He was completely content and he felt that no one would bother him in this secret place. The other children in Pallet Town have always annoyed Ash, and he sought to avoid them when possible. His mother may have insisted that he try to get along with the others, but they only talk about battling and the strength of their favorite Pokémon. Ash wants more than that; he sees almost no appeal in battling. He took a deep breath and sighed.
"Meow"
What? Ash scrambled at the sound and quickly turned towards the source. There, before Ash, was a small Meowth.
Ash and the wild Meowth faced each other. Ash stared with a nervous expression, as even a baby Meowth can easily kill a human with their sharp claws. Meowth, however, was looking at Ash with a delighted expression, as if Ash had a shiny toy for Meowth. Ash then noticed how close Meowth was. Meowth was only a foot from Ash, and he was within clawing distance. If this Meowth decided to attack Ash, Ash wouldn't even have time to reach his feet before Meowth would be on him.
Ash braced himself when Meowth started crawling even closer. Meowth had stopped in front Ash and purred. Meowth had then butted his head against Ash's chest, seeking affection from Ash. Ash gently petted Meowth, still confused, but letting the situation continue. It appears that Meowth had no desire to harm Ash, and Ash had absolutely no reason to change that. Meowth purred in delight before crawling into Ash's lap, allowing the human to continue petting him. Ash eventually relaxed. It truly seemed that the Meowth was friendly. Ash was fairly certain that Meowth wasn't from the forests near Pallet Town, since Meowth aren't really known to live around Pallet.
Ash focused on the Meowth. From what he knows of the species, this Meowth was still very young. The fur is soft, but not as clean as a house cat. This led Ash to believe that Meowth was indeed a young wild Pokémon, and not a house pet or a trainer's Pokémon. Ash could tell that this Meowth was female without having to check. Meowth lied in Ash's lap, unknowing of Ash's scrutiny, and purring every few minutes while Ash continued to stroke his fur.
They stayed like this for an hour before a massive snore rocked Ash's entire body. Meowth fell asleep in his lap. Ash smiled at the cat, deciding to discard any remaining worries. The affectionate cat warmed his heart in an indescribable manner, and the trust that Meowth gave him went even further to convince him of the Meowth's lack of an agenda.
It wasn't so bad. Ash adjusted their bodies so he was on his back with Meowth on his chest. He was able to relax, even with a wild Pokémon on his chest, and Ash started thinking about his impending journey.
Ash knew which Pokémon he liked, but as far as he knew, he could only have six Pokémon with him, probably even less if he couldn't afford to feed six Pokémon. Snorlax was one of the few powerhouse Pokémon that Ash wanted. However, Snorlax eats too much food; they can up to 400 pounds of food. If Ash had a Snorlax, Ash figured he could only have another two Pokémon without having to rely on the budget that his mother set aside. Ash did not want to send his Pokémon to Professor Oak if he can help it. Not only does the Pokémon begin to question their bond with their trainer, but the professor also charges the trainer each week for every Pokémon that requires costly care. The price depends on how much care the Pokémon needs, and a Snorlax would probably drain his account. So Ash concluded that having a Snorlax would be too impractical if he wanted to keep a healthy supply of food and Pokédollars. Most dragon Pokémon cause the same problem, along with most massive Pokémon.
Ash would prefer to have an Abra. Unlike Snorlax, Abra is easy to care for. An Abra would sleep for most of the day, and they only need one small meal a day until they evolve into a Kadabra. Then they would only need two small meals a day, but Ash will probably feed them more. Many bug type Pokémon can find food in the forest, and a team a bug Pokémon can share a bowl of a food. That single bowl will satisfy them for a whole day.
Overall, Ash would prefer to have six similar Pokémon that are friendly and easy to care for, instead of massive powerhouses that would eat his whole budget. He really had no desire to challenge the league for anything else except the money he will receive for each gym victory, and that money would go to the care for his Pokémon, himself, and his mother.
Ash's mother had a small garden that grew a little food, but she needed money to buy water, cleaning supplies, more food, etc. The money they owned was in an account that his father had created before he abandoned them, but that money has slowly been used over the past 15 years, and Ash's father was not rich by any means.
That budget is almost gone, though there is enough to last Ash until he reaches Saffron city, but only if he spends carefully. If Ash somehow managed to reach top 8 in the league, the prize money will be more than enough to last a year, even if he did own a Snorlax.
Ash suddenly realized that he should probably spend more with his mother before he left. Ash gently shook Meowth awake, still a tad wary of the cat.
Meowth stirred and raised his head, eyeing Ash with an adorable face.
"I have to go now." Ash said, gently hugging Meowth. "I have to leave for my journey tomorrow, and I want to spend my last day with my mother." Ash nervously rubbed the back of his head. He had no idea how to ask his next question. This Pokémon was far friendlier than any starter that Ash could hope for, and he wanted his first Pokémon to be more than just neutral to him. It would make the first few days of his journey less lonely. Ash was just about to ask Meowth if he wanted to come with him on his adventure when Meowth began to look at a pokéball on Ash's belt.
Meowth reached forward and tapped his paw on the pokéball, and the pokéball sucked her in. Ash anxiously watched this happen, but it seemed that Meowth didn't struggle against the pokéball, for the pokéball only shook once before sealing. Ash, of course, was surprised by this strange turn of events, but he had a feeling that his new eccentric friend was going to do many more actions of this nature. He also decided to conveniently ignore the fact that Meowth knew how pokéballs worked.
Best to just enjoy her personality. Ash thought, as he started the trek back to his home. I know my mother will love Meowth.
Just as Ash arrived at the edge of Pallet Town, a large rumble shook the forest. Flocks of various flying Pokémon erupted from the trees, and Ash was sure that all the other Pokémon hid in their dens. Ash looked towards Pallet Town to find a massive plume of fire blooming in the distance. The explosion must have been massive. It had rattled Ash's bones even from this distance, and from the looks of it, the explosion was on the other side of Pallet Town. To Ash's horror, the explosion was near his home.
Ash made no noise, staring in shock as he watched as the plume continued to ascend. Ash then broke into a rapid sprint, praying to anyone who will listen. He wanted his mother to be safe, and he wanted the explosion to be on the edge of pallet, away from everyone. He did not want anyone to be killed. That kind of tragedy would linger in such a small town, and the peaceful atmosphere of his hometown would be scarred. Though if anyone was killed, he can live with it. He cannot, however, fathom how he would live without his mother.
As he approached his home, his hope was slowly extinguished. Ash arrived at his home to discover the inferno ravaging it.
So how did you enjoy the story? Is it good? Bad? Please leave helpful reviews. I hope to grow into a better writer as this series progresses.