Ash was never a normal kid. All he did every day was either study about Pokemon from Professor Oak, exercise, or meditate in the Professor's ranch. He never played with the other kids in Pallet, he was lucky if they knew his name. The only other kid he came in contact with was Gary Oak, the Professor's grandson. That was only at the lab when he was studying. Gary would always make ask Ash why he just studied all day, not going out to play. "Because it's my job" Ash would respond.
Ash's room was fairly simple. He had a bed and nightstand in one corner, while a desk sat adjacent at the foot of the bed. The desk was littered with papers on top. All of the papers had something to do with Pokemon, whether it was notes he took while studying under the Professor, or notes he took out in the ranch.
Across the room was a line of book shelves that included all of the Professors from all of the four region's books. He had a separate section for Oak, Birch, Elm, Rowan, and even the lesser known Ivy. On the last wall, all he had were a few bins for research equipment, a dresser, and a trash can. There was a small TV on the wall. Overall, a very plain and functional room, and Ash liked it that way. His mother, on the other hand, did not. She wanted him to be a child and have fun before he left on his journey. She didn't like him getting up early either, she thought he was sleep-deprived. He wasn't.
Ash was welcomed to the land of the conscious by a single ray of sunlight peeking through his window. It happened like that everyday, he would be woken up at 6:30 by a single ray of sunlight, even if it wasn't sunny. Ash rolled over and threw off his sheets. 'They are getting dirty again' Ash thought, he was going to have to ask his mom to clean them. He swung his legs over the bed, rubbing his eyes to get rid of his sleepiness. He stood up and let out a long yawn, signifying to the world that Ash Ketchum was officially awake. He walked over to his dresser and got on his usual clothes, a grey sweatshirt with a white t-shirt underneath, and well fitted cargo pants. Thats was all he ever wore, unnoticable, but very good looking. Once he had all of his things set, he walked out of his room.
The house a bit cold this early, it was February after all. Two months. Two months till he was set to go on his journey. two more months of training his brain and his body. He trained his brain with Professor Oak in the afternoons, in the mornings, it was gradually becoming more fit. Both of these qualities were essential on the road. Your brains would let you be sharper in battle, and solve problems outside of battle. Keeping his body fit helped Ash last longer on the road without taking breaks.
Ash walked down the stairs that led into the living room and kitchen. He walked into the kitchen and pulled out a pan. He turned the stove on and made a breakfast wrap with eggs, spinach, ham, and salsa. Ash quickly ate the wrap and headed out the door to start his day.
Ash's day started with a 3 mile run, he was only 12 after all. Then it was reps of push-ups, 10 push-ups then rest. Same with sit-ups. After that, there were various other exercises ranging from cardio to lower-body. Once he was done with that, it would be about 10:00. Next, it was learning from his mother. His mother insisted that he learn the basics of survival. Basic medical experience, sewing, cooking, and all the other essential skills. At first, Ash resented learning these skills, but then the analytical part of him took over. He would need this on the road.
At 2:00 he would go down to Professor Oak's and soak in all the knowledge the old man could give him. At 5:00, Ash would walk out the and meditate with some of the wild Pokemon. 7:00 would be dinner then off to bed.
"Ash! Get to bed! It's 9:00!" Delia screamed up the stairs leading to Ash's room. There was an incoherent muffled response. Delia walked up the stairs to check if Ash had heard her. She opened the door to see Ash sitting cross legged, watching the TV with interest.
"Who do you think will win? Machamp or Gengar?" Ash asked. The Tv showed picture of a challengers Gengar facing Bruno's Machamp.
"Well, Gengar of course. Gengar can't be affected by fighting type moves, so it will win." Delia answered with her hand on her chin.
"Wrong, Machamp will win." Ash said, still watching the TV with interest.
"How do you know?" Delia was really confused. How could Machamp win if it couldn't hit it's opponent?
"First, Machamp don't always know just fighting moves. Second, it's trainer is a mono-type Elite Four trainer. Bruno will have come up with a defense or offense against opponents that he can't hit. Three, Gengar's trainer is not a mono-type trainer, and doesn't know the ins and outs of ghost Pokemon. Four, this trainer relies on pure strength, it's a miracle he got past Lorelei." True to Ash's word, all of Machamp's fists lit up with a different move. An onslaught of Fire Punches, Thunder Punches, Ice Punches, and Poison Jabs landed on Gengar, effectively knocking him out.
"Wow" was all Delia could say. Her son had just successfully predicted the exact outcome of an Elite Four's battle. She had never seen this side of her son before. Sure, he was a great kid, lacking in the social skills department, but still a smart kid. She never thought he was this smart before. The Elite Four worked for years to be able to predict the outcome of the battle, and her son had done it at the age of 12. Well tomorrow he would be 13, and set out on his journey.
"Good night, Mom" Ash said while climbing into his bed.
Delia finally gathered her thoughts and smiled at Ash. "Good night Ash"
Ash woke up at 7:00 with a smile on his face. Today was the day. Today was the day he would get his first Pokemon. Ash had decided long ago about which Pokemon. It was the Pokemon that surprised him the most when it came to meditate with him in the ranch. He got out of bed, a smile still on his face.
Like he did every day, he walked over to his dresser and got out his clothes. A simple dark grey hoodie with a white t-shirt underneath. He also had on ankle socks and Black sweatpants that reached down to his heel. Once he had his clothes, he went down the hall to brush his teeth. Personal hygiene was always important to Ash, it was a first impression when you met people. His mother always insisted he had to look his best for the ladies. Ash would always bring logic to the table and prove that he didn't have the time or looks to get a girlfriend. It was the same thing every single time. He had memorized the argument by now.
Ash walked out of the bathroom, feeling clean. Was walked down stairs to meet his mother, who was making breakfast. The aroma of fresh pancakes and sausage reached his nostrils as he sat down to eat.
"Hi honey, did you sleep well?" Delia asked Ash as she sat down at the table.
"Yea, I was a little cold, but other than that, I was ok." Ash answered at he took a bite of sausage.
"Have you decided on a starter?" Delia asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Yes, but I won't tell" Ash responded, already knowing why his mother asked. With that, Ash picked up his dishes and put them in the walked out of the kitchen towards the door. "I'll see you at the lab, Mom"
"Bye Ash" His mom responded, taking another sip of coffee.
Gary and Leaf were walking along the dirt road towards Gary's grandfather's lab. They rounded the corner of a street to see a boy about the age of 13 with a grey sweatshirt on, that only Gary knew.
"Hey Ash!" Gary yelled out, to Leaf's bewilderment. Ash turned around to face Gary and a girl Ash had never seen before. He walked over to the pair, sticking his hands in his pockets.
"Hello Gary" Ash replied once he walked over.
"Are you on your way to my grandfather's?" Gary asked. He already knew the answer, but he had a question to ask.
"Yea" was all thats Ash replied, looking quizzically at Leaf.
"Nice, do you have anyone coming with you on your journey?" Gary was pestering Ash with questions as they walked to Oak's house.
"No, why?" Ash was never fond of lengthy conversations, he found them time consuming and irrelevant.
"Well, her" Gary started, jerking a thumb towards Leaf, "and I are going on our journey together. You wanna come with?" Gary finished.
Ash stared at Leaf for a few seconds, before furrowing his brow.
"Something bothering you Ash?" Gary inquired.
"Yes, I don't know her name. I am positive I've seen her before, I just don't remember where" Ash explained
"Well then, my name is Leaf. How are you doing?" Leaf introduced herself, putting a hand out to Ash.
"Ah, I remember you now. You and some of your friends, including Gary, were at the park a few days ago. I remember walking past the park on the way to the professor's house." Ash shook Leaf's hand, remembering what happened. It was very hard shaking hands with a person while walking. As a result, Gary bumped into Ash for a second.
"Sorry Ash. So, will you join us?" Gary asked.
'If I join them, it might slow me down a bit, but on the other hand there are strength in numbers. If we run into a strong wild Pokemon, we have a better chance of surviving' Ash thought to himself. It was not entirely uncommon to find dead Pokemon Trainers in large unpopulated areas like Viridian Forest. The trainers died from starvation or inexperience. A few years ago, the legal age to be a trainer raised from 10 to 13, which lowered the death rates severely.
"Sure" Was Ash said.
The trio of soon to be Pokemon Trainers stepped up to Professor Oak's lab, and opened the door. They stepped through into a dimmed room with Professor Oak standing in front of five Pokeballs.
This would be the first step.
A/N: Yes, Ash will have traveling partners, but not forever. You can't grow as a person if you are held back sometimes. You need to face hardships; sometimes with friends, sometimes without. This will shape Ash's character in the story. No this will not be AshxLeaf. I already have the pairing decided.
If anyone would like to leave a suggestion on Ash's team, then go ahead. It will be looked at, but no promises. Also, if you do, no lists like: Garchomp, Gardevoir, Lucario, Salamence, Latios, and Deoxys. Those will be ignored. Keep it in Kanto/maybe Hoenn
The reason why is the basis for this story. Logic. I want this story to make perfect sense, so if something doesn't, tell me.
Most of Ash's team is figured out, so probably only two slots are open.
Till Chapter III
-WinterNightwing