A/N: Chapter 2 of my new story: The Journey Revamped! Ash gets another legendary later, but here, he uses Marshadow. I will be skipping some parts of the anime as it will be the same as canon in some ways, but I will show how an Ash with Marshadow along with some more intelligence would do. Anyway, read on! A familiar character is introduced in this chapter…
"Hello." Human speech/ Pokemon's cry.
'What's up?' Human thoughts/Telepathic speech
"I won!" Pokespeech
'Yeah, he did.' Pokemon thoughts
Chapter 1: The Meeting
Ash walked on the route in the forest. He saw a group of Spearow, a bird like Pokemon. He read it's info in the Pokedex.
'Spearow, the Tiny Bird Pokemon. It eats bugs in grassy areas and has to flap its short wings at high speed to stay airborne.'
"Oh, that seems cool. Let's see, this is a good test of Marshadow!" Ash said. He decided to catch it.
"Marshadow, come on out!"
Marshadow came out after emitting a cry. The Pokemon stared at Spearow.
"Alright, Marshadow, use Shadow Sneak!"
Marshadow nodded his head, then sent a shadow behind the Spearow. The shadow suddenly hit the Spearow, causing it to cry in pain. It then glared at Marshadow. The Spearow rushed at it at a high velocity, it's beak glowing white.
"Marshadow, dodge and use Thunder Punch!"
Marshadow moved out of the way of Spearow's attack in time, and hit it in the back with its tiny grey fist glowing yellow with electricity crackling on it. The Spearow cried out louder, in distress.
What happened next was mayhem. A whole flock of Spearow appeared and rushed at Ash. Ash took one look at the situation, recalling what had happened when he scanned Marshadow.
Flashback:
Ash, after capturing Marshadow, let him out of the Pokeball to scan it with his Pokedex and get info on him.
'Marshadow, the Gloomdweller Pokemon. Its existence is the stuff of myth. It almost never appears before humans, and is able to conceal itself using shadows. This Marshadow is male, and has the ability Technician. It currently knows the moves Assurance, Laser Focus, Thunder Punch, Shadow Sneak, Counter and Pursuit. Marshadow is a Ghost and Fighting type Pokemon.'
After hearing that, Ash was ecstatic. He'd gotten a Legendary Pokemon as his friend and starter! He'd caught a Legendary! That too, one which almost never appeared before humans. Marshadow must really have liked his personality and his actions to have revealed himself. Right then, Ash made a promise.
"Marshadow, I will not disappoint you. I will ensure you have made the right choice in coming with me as a friend. I swear that I will train with you and all my future Pokemon to make them achieve their dreams as well as mine. I will work hard. To ensure that we are the best. This is a promise!" He said, with uncharacteristic seriousness.
Then, his face broke into a goofy grin and he spoke again, "Last one to the forest is a rotten egg!" He ran off, with Marshadow following him.
End Flashback
'Since Marshadow is a Ghost and Fighting type, he won't be good against all these Spearow. Nor does he have any ranged attack capable of chasing them away. So, we should…' he thought.
"Run!" He said out loud, finishing his thought vocally. Marshadow and him both started running away as the Spearow gave chase. The Spearow were gaining on them, and Ash and Marshadow couldn't keep running. Marshadow then turned to Ash, and telepathically said, "Brace yourself, Ash!"
He jumped on Ash's shoulder and suddenly they both disappeared. The Spearow looked around, confused and gave out their battle cries. However,after a few moments, they gave up and flew away. After the last of them were gone, Ash and Marshadow reappeared from the shadow of the tree. Ash breathed a sigh of relief.
"Great job, Marshadow! Thanks to you, we lost them! That was awesome!" He said, enthusiastically. While Marshadow was legendary, he was untrained and usually hid, so he wasn't very experienced either. However, he had a lot of power and potential as he had trained himself a little bit in the shadows. Ash knew that he and Marshadow would need to train, practise and work hard and then battle to get experience.
Ash continued on the road a little, then saw a red haired girl of around his age, probably older. Wearing a sleeveless yellow top with blue denim shorts. She was fishing and her bicycle was on a nearby tree. The forest near Pallet Town had a river with a lot of Water type Pokemon. This girl was apparently looking for Pokemon.
Ash decided not to disturb her, but was a little tired, so decided to start training here.
"Marshadow! Let's work on your speed and long range moves. We'll keep your strength as a later priority, since you obviously have quite a bit of that."
Ash started training by telling Marshadow to run as fast as he could from a tree and back to him. Keep doing this until Ash stopped him or until he gets too tired to continue. Marshadow assented and started.
After 15 minutes, he was fatigued. Ash looked at him with concern, but also with joy.
"Great work, Marshadow. Now, rest for a while." Ash let him rest. He decided to keep Marshadow out unless he enters a city or a town. Despite Marshadow being Alolan and mythical, several of the populace might try to steal him or may recognize him. So, Ash would take precautions. He wasn't as dumb as most people thought. True, Ash wasn't exactly the brightest, but, he wasn't dumb. He won't allow anybody to take his Pokemon.
Ash knew that he'd have to reveal Marshadow eventually. To the Gym Leaders, for example. But, he knew they wouldn't tattle to anyone about his Pokemon. So, he would take as many precautions as necessary until it becomes superfluous.
Half an hour later:
"Marshadow, I think we should start with you learning a ranged move. So, from what the Pokedex says, I think we should begin by having you learn Focus Blast. Apparently, you have to first focus your mind and concentrate the energy of your body into a physical shape, then send it to attack. That means you should begin by calming yourself then concentrating."
'Ok, Ash! I'll do my best!' Marshadow replied cheerfully. It then began by concentrating.
After 20 minutes, in which Ash gave him advice on how to focus, Marshadow produced a small blue orb of energy. Ash cheered and congratulated him. He also encouraged him to keep trying to make it bigger. Then, practice aiming it and throwing it.
Marshadow diligently practised it, trying to form it quicker. He finally succeeded in reducing the formation time and increasing its power and size. He finally threw it. Just then, disaster struck.
The Focus Blast hit the bicycle of the red haired girl, who was very drowsy and almost asleep. The blast woke her up and she looked around frightfully. She looked at her bi- well, what used to be a bicycle. The Focus Blast had completely wrecked it. It was in three big pieces.
"My bike!" She yelled, understandably upset by the destruction of her only transport. She looked around and found a sheepish looking Ash and an unknown (to her, at least) Pokemon with him. Being human, she reacted in the expected manner.
"You guys destroyed my bike, didn't you!? Now how will I get around? And what are you going to do about it?" The girl shouted, pretty rapidly and angrily.
Ash raised his hands placatingly. "No need to get violent. It was an accidental. I'm truly sorry that this happened. I should've checked the area before training. Also, I don't see what I can do about it?... He said, wondering if the girl would again shout at him. He was indeed correct.
"Well, you'll have to repay the cost of the bike! That way, I can buy a new one!" The girl said.
Ash nodded, it seemed to be a good idea. "That's fine with me, but I don't have the money right now. I'll repay you later." Ash said. He was fair, and would not allow himself to walk away without doing anything. It was his fault, too.
"How do I know that you'll actually pay me back? You might just be leaving to escape! No, I'll be accompanying you till you can repay me." The girl replied. Ash sighed. He tried, but this girl wasn't half as nice as he was to her. He understood her problem, but felt that he'd already given her his assurance that he'll repay.
"What's your name? I'm Ash." Ash said, pretending to concur.
"My name is Misty."
"Well, Misty, I think that won't work. You see, I can't pay you back right now, so you should really not follow me, as I won't give anything to you right now. So, buzz off!" With that, Ash went on without looking back. Misty fumed and waited. After a few seconds, she followed him, attempting (and failing) to hide. Ash groaned. He thought everything was fine, but this was a rough start.
Despite a rocky start, it appears that Ash's journey is taking off. A new unwanted guest and training started for his Pokemon. What will he do next? Only time will tell.
About 10 minutes later:
Ash entered the city on the route, Viridian City. Misty was following him with the subtlety of an angered Gyarados. Ash had decided to ignore her for now. He was more interested in getting his first Gym Badge. He was here to check in at the Pokemon Center and call his mother.
In the city, there was a blue haired woman. This was Officer Jenny. They were the police women of the Regions. She appeared to be giving an announcement.
"Attention, everybody! There are Pokemon Poachers on the prowl! Possibly in Viridian City. Stay alert and make sure to keep all your Pokemon safe. Take all precautions possible. Make sure to alert us in case you spot them!" With that, the Officer prepared to continue her rounds.
"Excuse me, Officer Jenny, where's the Pokemon Center?" Ash asked.
The Officer looked at him. "Oh, it's right over there." She pointed in a direction, which Ash took and ran off, with a hurried "Thanks, Officer Jenny!"
At the Pokemon Center, Ash asks, "Hey, Nurse Joy, can you take a look at my Pokemon?"
Nurse Joy assented. After a check up, she told him that his Pokémon was in prime condition. Ash then confronted Misty.
"Misty, I told you once that I'll inform you when I get the money. Why don't you go back to whatever you like doing and leave me alone?"
"Until you repay me for my bike, I will be accompanying you!" She affirmed, then asked, "Why're you here when your Pokémon are all right?"
"I need to call my mother. She'll want to know how far I've gotten."
Ash decided to call Professor Oak first. As Professor Oak picked up and activated the wrong camera at first, before activating the correct one. Ash told him about his encounter with the unknown golden bird Pokémon. The Professor was sceptical, which annoyed Ash. He then narrated the rest of the incidents. Oak laughed at the Focus Blast incident, and was relieved that Ash and Marshadow escaped the Spearow. Ash then ended the call, forgetting to call his mother.
Just then, an alarm sounded in the Pokemon Center, and three figures entered. Two of them were human sized, and the other was too small to be human. The two humans took out Poke Balls and broke a skylight. A Koffing came out and filled the air with smoke, blocking everybody's vision temporarily.
The three proceeded to start speaking,
"Prepare for trouble!"
"Make it double!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth! That's right!"
A pink haired woman and a purple haired man (both pretty young) wearing a top and a shirt respectively with a capital R were revealed. It was logical to assume that the woman was Jessie and the man was James. The small figure was a bipedal cat like Pokemon. The shocking fact was that it was the one who spoke the last line. A talking Pokemon that doesn't use telepathy was unheard of. Ash took out his Pokedex and pointed it at the Pokemon.
'Meowth, the Scratch Cat Pokemon. Adores circular objects. Wanders the streets on a nightly basis to look for dropped loose change."
Ash was amazed at the fact that these people (Team Rocket) had a talking Meowth. Just then, he heard Jessie speak.
"Now, be good and hand over all your Pokémon. We'll be taking them."
"Or else, the consequences will be nasty." James said.
Ash was shocked and angry at this. These were the Pokemon Poachers! They were thieves. He shouted back, "Never!"
"Oh look, it's a twerp who wants to be heroic." Jessie said. "Well, I think that we'll forcibly take your Pokemon. Ekans, come on out!"
The purple snake Pokemon revealed itself and hissed at them.
"Use Wrap!" The Ekans rushed at the injured Pokemon to capture them. Nurse Joy was both scandalised and frightened. Ash was enraged by this.
"Marshadow, use Shadow Sneak!"
His Marshadow assented and sent the attack. It hit Ekans who was knocked back. It lifted it's head and glared at Marshadow.
"Koffing, use Sludge!"
Koffing sent a black colored liquid at them from its mouth.
"Dodge and use Thunder Punch!"
Marshadow dodged the Sludge with incredible speed and charged up electricity on one of its hands. It closed in on Koffing with blinding speed and hit it. Koffing was thrown down, with crackling electricity around it.
"Ekans, use Poison Sting!"
"Koffing, use Tackle!"
Both of them charged at Marshadow. Marshadow waited for a command from Ash.
"Marshadow, let them hit you!" Ash said, surprising them.
"What is the twerp doing? He's letting his Pokemon take damage?" Jessie said, perplexed.
"It doesn't matter, that's his loss and our gain!" James said.
While Marshadow had his doubts, he looked and saw in Ash's eyes that he had a plan and that he wouldn't enjoy Marshadow taking a hit at all. Ekans stuck Marshadow, who was barely fazed due to his resistance to Poison type attacks. Koffing, on the other hand, didn't even damage him, although it's attack hit him, much to Team Rocket's confusion.
"Now! Use Counter!"
Jessie stared in horror as Marshadow's body glowed red and the Poison Sting was sent back at them both with double the damage. It caused a small explosion, blasting Ekans and Koffing back and disorienting them.
"While they're recovering, use Assurance!"
Marshadow's hands glowed and he charged at the opponent Pokémon, damaging them heavily. A small dust cloud rose.
"Finish them off with Focus Blast!" Ash said, eager to end this fight.
Marshadow charged up the blue attack, then sent it at Team Rocket and their Pokémon. A big explosion occurred, which cleared to show Team Rocket soaring into the sky with their Pokémon.
"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off!" They all said while disappearing into the sky.
Ash was relieved; he had won his first Pokemon battle and stopped some Poachers on the way as well. That was a plus in his books.
"We did it, Marshadow! We took them down! You did well, buddy." Ash said, smiling. However, the Pokemon Center was pretty much busted. The Focus Blast had also ignited Koffing's explosive gases, causing a huge explosion that blasted Team Rocket off and also destroyed much of the Pokémon Center.
Ash and Marshadow decide to camp out and sleep. A rest was needed after such an action packed day. Before sleeping, Ash let Marshadow out.
"Marshadow, hide yourself in the shadows and rest. I don't want you to be stolen, plus you'll get to experience the fresh air and freedom while sleeping." Ash said, then went to sleep as Marshadow telepathically assented and melted in the shadows.
A/N: These 2 chapters have chronicled the 1st and 2nd episode, albeit with the changes that would obviously occur. The reason Ash was so rude to Misty is because he's just 10 years old and was irritated that she would not accept his solution. Being a kid, he's blunt, although he's kind. The next chapter: Ash catches his next Pokemon! What do you guys think I should give him? I'll be putting a poll