New Pokemon series...hopefully I'll stick to this one. Some things off the bat.
Pokemon are slightly more realistic in this, but nothing to detract from the story.
This is an AU, so it will not be following the plot of the anime or games.
I'm just doing this for fun.
Thoughts are in italics.
To most people, a Pokemon would be as uninteresting a sight as a tree, or a man walking down the street. Pokemon, in a world of over 4 billion humans, still managed to take up 45% of the living creatures on Earth, and took up many times the amount of space. Even in cities, with tight corners and concrete ground, it would be considered odd to walk down the street without seeing a handful of small bird Pokemon or Rattata. In fact, to some people, they manage to be completely uninterested in Pokemon, Pokemon battling, Pokemon paraphernalia, or Pokemon sciences. For many people they would react blandly to all except the most amazing Pokemon on Earth. Oh that's a chair, oh that's a sandwich, oh there's a Machoke helping build a house. Yes despite the fact that most modern countries government's have an entire section dedicated to the protection, sporting, military usage, housing, and study of Pokemon (Often Referred to as a 'Pokemon League'), it is undeniable that there are a lot of people in this world who would rather watch a baseball game or a TV show than watch a Pokemon battle.
Ash Ketchum is not one of those people.
Since as young as he could remember, he was always asking his father, Red Ketchum, who was a former Professional Pokemon Trainer, and Uncle Professor Oak (As he insisted to be called), who was a master Pokemon trainer and former head of the Pokemon League, as many questions about Pokemon as he could think of.
Why does Mr. Pidgey like to eat Mr. Caterpie? How come Ms. Bulbasaur can make people go to sleep? Where does the powder come from? Why are Mr. Rattata's teeth glowing? Why is Mr. Rattata running at me? Why did Mr. Rattata bite my leg?
Frankly, it was getting a little annoying.
So, one fateful sunny afternoon, Red took five year old Ash to the local library, managed to sit his energetic little butt down, and gave him a book of famous Pokemon trainers in history. It didn't take long for Ash to settle down in awe as he looked upon the pictures of seasoned Battlers and their teams of hardened Pokemon. They were all adults, he realized, though most everyone over twelve looked like an adult to him at that age, he happened to be correct in this moment.
"Why are they all old and smelly like you, Daddy? Can I not be a Pokemon trainer?"
His father, brushing off the comment about his age and odor, told him with his gentlest voice that if you want to learn about Pokemon, you have to do lots of studying and reading, which he knew he didn't like.
Not quite understanding, Ash asked again if he had to be an adult, to which his father shook his head with a smile at his sons insistence.
"No you don't have to be an adult buddy, but you have to be a little older than you are now, and the test is very very hard. Trust me, I had to take it when I was seventeen."
"So I have to take it when I'm seventeen?" Ash asked, for clarification.
"Well, you could take it at thirteen, at the earliest." Admitted Red. "But you'd need me and mom's permission, sport."
"So it's settled." Ash declared, nodding his little head in response to himself. "I will take the test, and become the best Poke-whatever in the world!"
"Wait that's not what I said-" Argued Red, but his comment fell on deaf ears. When Ash Ketchum said something in that tone of his, nothing was ever going to change his mind.
As Ash grew older, and he became more and more fascinated in Pokemon, and in Battling, he only grew more and more in love with the idea of becoming a Pokemon trainer.
As he watched old, worn down tapes of his father's battles in his hay day, and researched the different things you could do in Pokemon training, the more Ash wanted to become a Pokemon trainer, not for fame or glory, but because he wanted to be the best, like no one before him had been
His father, much to his mother's chagrin, almost always encouraged Ash's quest. Everything aside from encouraging Ash to wander off into the woods and become bait for a scyther, was something that Red believed Ash should do. Spend your day watching League Battles? Sure! If it makes you happy. Use your birthday money to buy a Pokemon encyclopedia and only read that for a week? As long as you remember your homework. Anything was fair game in Reds eyes, as long as Ash was more or less safe and he didn't break any laws.
When his father, bless his soul, passed from an illness when Ash was ten, his drive only multiplied. Now, not only was he trying to become the best for himself, he was doing it for his father, to prove him right, and prove that he could do it, just like he always told him he could.
"Can I take the test when I turn thirteen Mom? Can I please?" Ash begged his mother one day, who actively ignored him in favor of washing dishes.
"Come on Mom pleeeease?" Ash continued to whine, pulling on her apron like he was six and not eleven.
"I know you don't want me to until I'm an adult but I can do it! I know I can!"
Finally losing her patience, Delia turned back to her son and gave him a sad look.
"Sweetie I'm sorry but maybe a one out of a hundred trainers can turn it into a career. It's just not viable for a boy your age to go out into the world. Maybe when you're older."
"But Mom I'm different." pleaded Ash. "I don't care about money! I care about Pokemon! And I care about me being the best version of me that I can, and if I'm gonna do that, I gotta start as early as I can."
Delia sighed. In her heart, she knew that Ash wasn't good with book learning, which was needed to pass the Trainer Exam, but she also knew that she couldn't stand looking at his big brown eyes anymore, so she caved.
"Ok honey. Once you turn thirteen, you get one chance to pass the test, One! And if you don't make it, you have to start focusing on school more, ok?"
"Ok Mom!" Ash cheered. "Thank you so much! I love you!" With a big smile on his face, Ash hugged his mother around the waist, squeezing her like an orange.
"Now I gotta go study, bye!" Ash waved and raced up the stairs.
"Wait!" Delia called out after him, "Remember dinner is in thirty minutes!"
"I'd never forget!" Ash called back gleefully, already closing his door.
Delia laughed light heartedly, feeling like she had solved the problem.
Delia stared at the letter in her hand, head swimming. Belatedly, she read again to make sure she was not just sleep deprived.
Congratulations!
You, Ashton Red Ketchum, have passed the Pokemon Trainer Examination course with a [ 61 %] meaning that you scored a [ D- ]. With your new training license, you are authorized to raise and capture Pokemon in the wild, travel without a guardian, are certified to submit said Pokemon to any local Pokemon Center for healing, rest, or restocking of supplies, and can participate in any local, international, or foreign trainer based competitive sports, such as Battling, Contests, Races, and much more!
This is a level one Certification, meaning that you are unauthorized to examine specific areas with dangerous Pokemon activity such as The Seafoam Caves, or Mt. Moon, until you have obtained the proper number of badges.
The letter went on like that, detailing what Ash could do with his new license and the limits he had as a inexperienced trainer. And explaining that Ash should pick up his starter at Professor Oak's lab the following monday. Delia looked up the stairs, and at her son's room, it was early, so he was still asleep.
There's still time for me to call someone...get this sorted out… Delia thought in a panic.
As quickly and quietly as she could reached over to the phone line and dialed the given number on the letter.
When Ash woke came down stairs for breakfast, he was greeted to the confusing sight of his Mother, leaning on a counter with phone in hand, angrily whispering into the receiver, an angry and tired look stretched over her face.
Curiously, Ash creeped closer so he could hear what she was saying.
"Yes I understand its a law, but you have you know he's just thirteen!" She whispered harshly. "I don't give a pichu shit what you have to say I am not sending my little boy out into the world with nothing but the clothes on his back and a dangerous animal he was given by an old man." There was a beat of silence. "Yes I understand the starters are trained. Yes I understand most Pokemon don't attack humans. No I'm not disrespecting Professor Oak. Yes I goddamn understand its a law but do you understand that it's a stupid archaic law that should have been updated twenty years ago? And do you understand that the Team Rocket gang is still running amuck in Kanto? And what about those new guys? The anti-Pokemon radicals that are targeting trainers? Hm? Thought about that?"
"Mom?" Ash asked in astonishment. "Are you...are you trying to cancel my trainers license?"
Delia jumped in the air as she heard her son sneak behind her. Quickly hanging up the phone, she turned around with a regretful face.
"No! No I'm not I promise Ash." She said to him earnestly.
"You were!" Ash accused. "I just heard you!"
"No I wasn't!" Delia protested. "I know how much becoming a Pokemon trainer means to you, I was just trying to get them to assign someone to go with you, is all."
"Someone to go with me?" Questioned the raven haired boy. "Why?"
"Oh Ash…" Sighed Delia. "You must understand...you're barley thirteen. It would be irresponsible for me to let you go alone…"
A pained look crossed Ash's face. "But mom… You promised. And Ketchum's always keep their promises…" He knew it was childish, but he was willing to use any tool he had to convince his Mom to let him go.
An equally pained look crossed his mother's face, and she sat down at the counter, looking away from him. After a few moments, Delia sniffled and looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"I know. I know I promised and I shouldn't have tried to change that. You're just too young to leave the house so early…"
Ash rushed around to hug his mother again, burying his head in her shoulder. "I'm gonna be ok mom. I promise."
Slowly, she nodded against him, and in a moment, Ash pulled away.
"So...I passed?" Ash asked with a shit eating grin.
Delia laughed out loud. "Yes sweety, you passed. Barley."
"So my boy, are you ready to choose?" Oak asked Ash with a friendly disposition. "I know you worked very hard for this opportunity, so I'll give you first go."
Ash glanced to the sixteen year old dark skinned boy on his left, the older, twenty something woman on his right, both of whom looked a little sour, and stepped forward.
"Pays to know the boss I guess." Ash said nervously, rubbing his head.
"It does indeed, my lad." Oak agreed. "Now I've got myself a wide selection of starter Pokemon sent to me by the League, everything from Charmanders to Magikarps."
Ash looked at the long line of pokeballs, each with their own screens above them indicating the species of Pokemon, and waved his hand above each of them to see if there was a connection.
He knew not to open one and see if there was in person, it would just be cruel to make one of them think they were being picked when they might not be. But it was hard to see if there was anybody worth becoming his starter from just looking at a picture of them.
"I'm not sure Professor." Ash admitted. "It's so hard to pick just from this…"
"Very well…" Sighed the old man. "You two, Jennifer and Nicholas, you may pick, but be snappy about it. I don't have all day." The two nodded hurriedly and rushed to the line to examine themselves.
"A little subtle favoritism goes a long way." Winked Oak at Ash. "Gary sends his regards by the way."
"Oh?" Ash asked, cringing at the overt favoring of himself. "What's he been up too?" Ash questioned as he examined the image of a Grimer.
"Oh he never mailed you?" Oak asked, surprised. "I'm surprised you two haven't been keeping in better touch. You used to be great friends."
"I've been a little busy," Admitted Ash shamefully. "I've been studying non stop trying to memorize the biology part of the Trainer Exam. That, and the feeding section. And the section on which apricots heal you and which ones give you bloody stool. Basically everything not involved with battle strategy."
Oak hummed a little bit at his words, watching his fingers dance across the edges of a Bulbasaur pokeball, but not pick it up.
"Yes...all that studying...I hope you haven't been neglecting your schooling for all this Ash."
Ash cringed when thinking about his recent report card, and how it showed a rainbow of different D's. Mom was not happy about that.
"I've been doing ok." Ash told his grandfatherly figure. "Besides, it doesn't matter anymore, now that I can drop out for my journey."
"And if your journey doesn't work out?" questioned Oak. "What then?"
"That won't happen." said Ash with finality. "I'm gonna be just fine Professor. Don't worry."
Oak sighed at the young trainers naivete, but he knew he could only learn through making mistakes, so he dropped it.
"Hey, get off me you dumb bird!" yelled a female voice from behind them.
Turning around, Ash saw a series of opened Pokemon walking around the other two trainers, with what looked to be a young Delibird clinging onto the woman's leg.
"I said get off! I know you can understand me!" the woman said threateningly. She seemed very close to kicking him off her.
"Hey leave him alone!" Ash protested, running up and gently pulling the Flying/Ice Pokemon off her leg. As if forgetting what he was doing, the Pokemon wandered off into another direction aimlessly.
"Ah yes." Oak said awkwardly. "That would be one of our few imports from Johto, a young Delibird that was caught chewing the electrical wires at a Pokemon center, if I remember correctly. He's a little…"
The Delibird wandered in front of a mirror, and then appeared to be startled, before headbutting his reflection with a feathery squak.
"...slow." admitted the Professor.
Ash looked upon the squawking and flapping Delibird with a strange feeling bubbling in his chest.
"According to most people, so am I." Ash said quietly.
"You are." Oak said bluntly. "But that's not always a bad thing. Just because someone may learn differently does not mean they are not capable of great things." He clapped his hand on to Ash's shoulder.
Together, they watched in amusement as Delibird chased his own shadow, nearly running into tables and corners as he did.
"Hey Delibird!" Ash called out to the Pokemon, who stopped what he was doing and spun around on one flipper.
"You want to be my partner?" Ash asked excitedly, holding his hand out.
The Pokemon looked up at the offered appendage with curiosity, before reaching out and slapping the side of his hand in a mockery of a high five.
"Is that a yes?" Asked Ash. In response, the bird jumped forward at a low angle, headbutting Ash in the gut.
"Oof!" Ash gasped in pain as he doubled over and tried not to puke. Delibird wadled on top of Ash's back and made himself comfortable by laying down, curling up like a weird cat.
"I think that's a yes, my boy." Oak laughed heartily.
Ash groaned on the ground.
"Mom! I'm back! And I brought a friend!" Ash called out as he came back to his house, Pokedex in his pocket and six pokeballs in sweatshirt, holding Delibird in his arms.
As soon as he was able to drop him down, Delibird started running in circles around the coffee table, seemingly chasing his own beak.
"Ash, you're back!" Delia called, coming into the room with Ash's camping bag in her arms.
"And who's this?" She asked as she smiled down at Delibird.
"This is Delibird." said Ash, taking the bag from her. Delibird stopped running at the sound of his name, and looked on in curiosity at Delia.
"No nickname?" Asked Delia curiously. Ash shrugged.
"Haven't come up with one yet. Delibird, this is my Mom. You should be very nice to her." Ash gently instructed the Pokemon, who seemed to take it very seriously.
Wondering up to Delia, and barley meeting her knees, Delibird bent his whole body at the waist in an impression of what Ash assumed was a bow.
"Oh a gentleman, how courteous." Said Delia laughed, rubbing his head.
"Yeah, he's a good guy." Ash agreed.
Turning to her son, Delia poked his camping bag, complete with the sleeping bag rolled up on top and water bottle in pocket.
"Now, I trusted you to pack this. Did you remember your toothbrush?"
"Yes."
"What about your water filter?"
Sigh "Yes mom."
"What about your under-"
"Mom! I remembered everything ok? I just wanted to come say goodbye before we headed off."
Delia sighed. "Ok honey." In an instant she hugged him closely and deeply.
Rolling his eyes, Ash hugged his mom back tightly, forcing back his tears.
"My little boy." Delia sobbed. "You're all grown up."
They hugged for a couple more seconds before Ash pulled away, wiping his tears on his sleeve.
"Ok, I better go now Mom, before I get too emotional. Love you Mom."
"Love you sweety! Stay safe!" Delia waved as Delibird and Ash walked out the door.
Ok Ash thought. I got this. He looked down at his new starter and smiled. We got this.
He looked out into the world with a fresh set of eyes. No longer did he see it as a possible future, he saw it now as his training ground.
Well, there's the chapter. And Ash is already off to the Indigo Plateau. Let me know if there's anything in particular you guys want to happen in this story in the comments, and remember to favorite and follow to keep up. See ya next time.
