Okay, so here's the second chapter, first I want to thank Adjuster, TheSilverboar and Xerzo LotCN for their simple reviews. If I didn't PM Xerzo about his 'ok' he would've not noticed that he just wrote that, so he gave me his thoughts through PM and positive ones at that, so thanks. Second, I want to clear some things about his fanfic for you guys.
1- Characters will die: The are characters that might die, not all of them, just a few that I think are not important in the Anime's original plot(if it has one) and by dying will actually give some character development for Ash. I'm still thinking about it, I may or may not kill characters.
2- Ash's Pokémon: In this fic, Ash is not going to catch a ton of Pokémon, why? It will be explained in this chapter, his party will basically remain almost the same throughout the whole story, not many Pokémon are going to be captured or rotated, just like the big shot trainers in the games like Elites and Champions, who only have one set of extremely powerful Pokémon(at least that's what it looks like), and we, the players, who usually have the same team throughout the entire game, only catching others to fill the Pokédex. He's going to catch more than six obviously, something around ten to fifteen. Oh, and they all will have names, they won't be called by their species name, for Ash, each Pokémon is special and diffent from one another, so to give each one of them an identity, he'll name every Pokémon he catches. Most of them will have the names of my Pokémon on XY, and other's won't obviously, I have a Pikachu called Pikahoe, I ain't giving poor Pikachu that name.
3- Party loophole: What's a party loophole? When you catch a Pokémon, it gets registered on the Pokéball it was caught. If Ash sends, for example, Pikachu's Pokéball to Oak, it will count as if he sent a real Pokémon, giving him on extra slot on his party. So he would have Pikachu+Six Pokémon. The downside though, is that it you won't be able to return said Pokémon, if an accident like, his Pokémon being fatally injured on robbed happens, Ash won't be able to return said Pokémon and risk getting it taken away from him or getting it killed. Inside a Pokéball, a Pokémon is put on stasis, it stays in a forced suspension, freezing all of its conditions as if time has stopped, but can see what's happening outside from inside the Pokéball. So if the Pokémon gets injured, putting it in a Pokémon is the safest way to guarantee its safety until the Trainer/Coordinator reaches the Pokémon Center.
4- Romances: NONE UNTIL MOTHERFUCKING HOENN.
5- Survival: Unlike the TV Show, the world of Pokémon is much more dangerous. Wild Pokémon, with a very few exceptions, are violent and won't hesitate in attacking anyone that dares entering its territory, threat its family, or make eye contact. The only reasons for them not to attack are, they are peaceful, which are few, or the one that they were going to attack is clearly stronger. Hunting is basically essential for a trainer, you can buy food from stores yes, but you will most likely encounter a wild rampaging Pokémon during your travel and you will have only two options, run or fight. Unless you want to capture the Pokémon, you'll have to kill it or else it won't stop going after you until you die or the offending Pokémon feels like it's wasting its time. And since processed is food expires very quickly, hunting for food is a must, and beside fruits like berries, Pokémon are the only other source of food you can find in the wild. Any food except processed food can be Pokémon food, processed food was made for humans only, the chemicals on human food can prejudice a Pokémon's health. Pokémon are omnivores, they eat anything from berries to meat, even the ones that clearly look herbivores like Girafarig also eat meat, in the wild, you can't be picky or else you die.
6- Violence: As you could see from the first chapter, this fanfic will have gratuitous violence, gore probably involved and description of both in a detailed level(or not) which leads me to another thing I must to point out.
7- Pokémon battles: How they will work. Just like the in the games and TV Show(and probably the manga too), Pokémon Battling/Contest is a sport. So there are a few rules for Pokémon Battling/Contest, just like in any other sport. Pokémon battles are pretty violent, bones will be broken and blood will be spilled, most battles are almost a carnage due to a Pokémon's natural instincts to survive. Much like real life fighting matches, like UFC and Boxing. I want to make the fights look like real fights, it's almost impossible to get out of a fight without some heavy injury, so Pokémon battles will me much more savage than in the TV Show. Now with the rules of Pokémon Training.
First rule: The aspiring Trainer/Coordinator must be fifteen years of age or older to receive their first Pokémon, then, they must participate in an official Pokémon League test, after passing this test they will receive their Trainer/Coordinator ID card and be allowed to participate in any official events such as the League itself or Contests. Unless, the Pokémon League receives a recommendation letter from an influential figure such as Regional Professors, Gym Leaders, Elites, Champions, Top Coordinators and such.
Second rule: The Trainer/Coordinator must receive their starters from their Region's official Professor. If it's not given by him, the Pokémon must be checked and registered by said Professor to see if it's fit to be a starter.
Third rule: Once officially a Trainer/Coordinator, the Pokémon League will immediately create a Bank Account for said Trainer/Coordinator to deposit their prize money as well as giving them a special password that once entered, will ask the user to type a password of their own. The Trainer/Coordinator's ID card will register any victory. At winning or losing a battle, the ID card will register it on the Pokémon League database, and immediately extract 10% of the loser's money to deposit it on the winner's account.
Fourth rule: IT IS ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN TO USE ANY KIND OF HEALING ITENS SUCH AS POTIONS, FULL HEALS AND BERRIES OR BATTLE ASSISTING EQUIPMENT SUCH AS FOCUS SASH, LIFE ORB OR CHOICE ITENS ON AN OFFICIAL LEAGUE MACTH. However, these items, except for the healing type, can be fully used on normal matches against other journeying trainers. And for training purposes all items are available for use.
Fifth and final rule: Killing the opponent's Pokémon is allowed. However, the trainer can return it's downed Pokémon before the opponent's Pokémon can finish it. The trainer can also return its Pokémon if it can still fight, even if it's tired, and is about to receive a fatal and possible killing blow, this however will count as defeat as said Pokémon wouldn't be able to keep going if the attack hit, and said returned Pokémon cannot be used on the battle again. There is also no penalty for killing a Trainer/Coordinator's Pokémon on an official match. However, killing another Trainer/Coordinator's Pokémon outside battles is a crime, and the Pokémon League and Police force will take immediate action.
(Side note- Reason for this is because Pokémon still are, at their natural, wild beasts with incredible powers. It's their nature to fight for survival, and it's only natural for a Pokémon to kill another if they feel their life are by a thread, they also cannot fully control their more primitive instincts of fighting to the death. In some more extreme cases it's either kill or be killed. However, killing is frowned upon by the public and most official League members as well)
Now, this is the hard part to explain, because I'm sure only a small percentage of the readers will actually keep reading this fic as I update it. *sigh* Oh right... let's get on with it.
8- Pokémon anatomy: Yes... a Pokémon's anatomy. As it's kind of obvious, Pokémon are living beings, and as such they reproduce. The thing is, the more human like Pokémon in anatomy are... well... more human. Shit... how will I explain it? Let's take the most obvious choice here, Gardevoir. Gardevoir is a Pokémon with a more human anatomy to its body, so... there will be human like differences between the male and female Gardevoir(since there are male Gardevoir). But since it's hard to figure the difference between a male and female, the male one will have the default Gardevoir look, the female on the other hand... will, well... the female will have the anatomy of a fully grown human female. Yes... I'm talking about what you're probably thinking right now. They'll have Bs... and Vs... BUT, just like a woman, not all are...*gulp* how can I say it without sounding like a freak... well developed, there will be cases where they are well developed. However, that is just in some cases, most females are almost identical to their male counterparts, only a few exceptions have... better curves on the right places. And just to clear things a bit, bipedal Pokémon are NOT ALWAYS the human like ones, there's a difference, Meowths will be identical no matter the gender, and they're bipedal, as well as a most of the other bipedal Pokémon. Only a very few will have such definite difference between male and female. Also, before anyone ask, YES it has a reason and YES, it has to do with Ash and his development as a character.
That's all I have to say for now, I hope this will clear some things about this fic, and please, if you don't like what I said up here, don't review about how this is going to be bad because of it. Everyone has their tastes and just because you don't like mine doesn't mean you have the right to bash it. If you don't mind though, well, thanks for giving this fanfic a shot.
Also, I want to apologize beforehand about my lack in POV writing skills, especially if it's in the past as a flashback.
Anyway, enough chit-chat, let's get started.
Road to Greatness
So, you guys are really here, I thought that you would not want to hear the story of a simple fifteen year old teenager, after all, what do I have that makes me different from any other teenager? Nothing, I tell you. I'm a teenager, son of a Japanese woman with a Kanto native man. My name?
Satoshi "Ash" Ryusuke. Son of Hanako Ryusuke and the man whose name I forbid myself from saying.
Ever since I was a kid, I had an unhealthy passion for creatures called Pokémon, I never knew what they had that made me so fascinated by them. Maybe it was their varying species, types, forms. Maybe it was their incredible powers and superiority to humans, but their ability to become friendly enough to let themselves be caught inside the man made Pokéballs. Or maybe, it was their origins, no one really knows of their origins. Some say they simply appeared out of nowhere, others says they were created by a Pokémon God. I heard that in Sinnoh, there's a legend that a God of Pokémon created everything we know, Human and Pokémon alike.
I call that Bullshit, there's no way a single Pokémon, no matter how powerful he is, can create an infinite universe, everything inside it, the Pokémon and then the Humans.
My passion for these incredible creatures however, is the only thing that I inherited from my father than don't make me disgusted, after all, it's not the Pokémon's fault for what happened when I was very young.
Since you're here I guess you want to hear it, right?
Well then, let's get started shall we?
XXXXXXX
About twelve years ago, when I was three, I unknowingly became witness of an event that I would only understand when I was older. At the age of three I should not be able to remember anything at all, and I actually can't remember much, but that certain event was carved into my brain the moment my mother had shed tears. At the time I did not know why she was crying, but as I got older and more events unfolded before me, I started to not only remember why she was crying, but also everything that was said in that night.
"W-what?" my mom had asked weakly, in her arms, I could be seen awaken, not knowing what was happening. In front of her stood a man, his shoulder length jet black hair swayed back and forth as we stood in the middle of the dirt road of Pallet Town.
"I told you Hanako" he said to my mom "I have a dream, and it's to become a Pokémon Master" he said with conviction.
"You're abandoning us" my mom told him, I could feel her shaking, she was extremely said and angry at him "You're abandoning your son" she shouted at him. I would've cried right there for because of the shout, but my mom's crying prevented me from doing so "AND FOR SOMETHING AS SELFISH AS BECOMING A POKÉMON MASTER?" she screamed even harder between her sobs, holding me really tight to her chest.
"THAT'S MY DREAM AND YOU KNOW IT" that disgusting man shouted back at my mother.
"IF YOU INTENDED IN LEAVING US FOR YOUR STUPID DREAM" she kept screaming in rage, he tears flowing freely out of her eyes "Then why marry me?" she fell to her knees, holding me close to her chest as she wept.
My father walked up to us and knelt in front of my mom, he extended a hand and softly touched my mom's cheek, rubbing it softly and leaned her head up so she could look directly at him.
"Because I love you" he said to my mom "I married you because I fell in love with you" he proclaimed, leaning his head forward and kissing her.
"Then" she said softly, still sad at him going away "Why?" she asked, she kept crying.
"Because as I said, It was and still is my dream to become a Pokémon Master" he had gotten up and turned his back at her "Don't worry, I'm not abandoning you two" he adjusted his bag on his shoulders "I will be back, I promise" he promised us with a smile.
That was the last time we've ever saw him.
At the time, I was just a baby, I had no idea what just happened, everything I had witnessed at the time didn't make sense to me as I could not understand anything.
After that man had gone to complete his journey, my mom had to take care of me by herself. She needed to work from morning to night to earn money for both of us and the house. She worked in two jobs, one from morning to past midday, from there she would go to another one that would only end at night.
Because of that, she rarely had time for me, don't get me wrong, she loved me and still loves me dearly, but she could not directly take care of me. So until I could stay in the house by myself, she placed me on a Daycare, where I stayed until she came to pick me up. Because of that, I respect my mom from the bottom of my heart, no matter what kind of tragedies happened in her life, she never backed down and always strived for me.
Two years later when I was five, after the incident with my father abandoning us, another tragedy happened. But once again, because of my innocence and young age, I could not understand what was going on and my foolish way of thinking led me to suppose the opposite.
I had woken up one night at the sounds of crying, I could hear it very clearly as it echoed throughout the house, someone was crying. I had followed the crying and it led me to the kitchen, where I could see my mom, sitting on the chair and leaning on the table, crying her eyes out, between her fingers she had a piece of paper with lots of letters.
"M-mommy?" I had said shyly, she gasped in surprise and stopped crying immediately. She looked at me with red eyes and put up a fake smile that at the time I could not notice.
"What are you doing here at this time sweetie?" she asked softly, I remember leaning my head to the side in confusion. I heard and saw her crying, how did she suddenly became happy like that?
"Why you crying?" I asked my vocabulary as extensive as any other toddler who would've just started pre-school.
"I-I'm just happy" she lied, showing me the piece of paper between her fingers "See, this is a letter from your father" she told me, this time it was the truth.
"Daddy?" I was overjoyed, a letter from 'daddy' "Daddy's coming back?" I had asked, my eyes were pleading for her to say yes.
"Um" she nodded, more tears gathering at the edge of her eyes "He said that he's doing great and is almost a Master" she told me.
"Yay!" I had screamed, I can't believe I once felt happy because of that asshole.
My mom stood up from the chair and kneeled beside me, hugging me close to her chest, I did the same and hugged her really tight against me, daddy was coming back from his trip. She buried her face on my unruly black hair and started crying again, I didn't do nothing as I thought that she was crying out of happiness, she kept crying until she noticed I had fallen asleep in her hold, it was late night after all.
If only I knew.
After we received the letter, my mom became more depressed than she already was, and that had cost one of her jobs as she could not focus anymore. Life had suddenly become hard to live, my mom started doing lots of odd jobs to earn enough money to pay the house, my day care, food, clothes, and other basic stuff for the house such as cleaning materials and stuff. I, of course, was oblivious of all these facts since my mom refused to tell me that we were not going too well.
Sometimes, after my mom picked me up at the day care and brought me back home to put me to sleep, she would then go out to work at late night wearing fancy clothes like dresses, and come back an hour or so later. She would come home extremely tired, her clothes and hair roughened up and a guilty expression on her face.
Again, if only I knew.
Three years had passed since the letter and I were eight, old enough to stay at home instead of the day care. Without having to pay for the day care anymore, my mom did not need to work at that many jobs. However, since she still didn't have enough income to pay a decent school for me, she decided to educate me herself. She taught me the basics such as math, reading and writing, and some history behind Pokémon and her home country, Japan.
One of these days, while she was away on her work, I wandered aimlessly around the house, I was bored and I wanted something to do. During my wandering, I bumped upon a small desk on the living room of my house. Surprisingly, I had never seen that desk before, so being a curious little brat like almost all kids are, I opened the desk's drawer and started looking through what it had inside.
I stopped looking when I saw something that made me smile like an idiot, it was a letter, but not any letter, it was the letter that 'daddy' had sent us three years ago. I placed everything that I took out back inside the drawer except for the letter and closed it. I hurriedly walked up to the sofa of our living room and opened the letter, wanting to read through what my 'daddy' written for us since my mom didn't want to read it for me.
Dear Hanako and Satoshi...
I write this letter to tell you that I am doing great on my journey to become a master, I have finally gone back to my best days, back when I was a powerful Trainer, and I pretend to travel through other regions as well to fulfill my dream.
I was ecstatic, my daddy had become a powerful Pokémon Trainer and decided to travel around the regions to become a master. Was that why he didn't come back yet? I had thought at the time.
However...
But I have something I must warn you Hanako, I have come to realize that you and Satoshi are holding me back. I realized that having a family to worry about is just going to slow me down on my quest to become the best. The love that I once felt for you had diminished over time and made understand that what I felt for you was not love, just lust, and I was controlled by that lust. If had a grip at myself back then I would've never married you, and would've never had a child with you.
So with this letter, I sent a request for divorce. The forms were all sent along side this letter and all you need to do is fill up the forms and take them to the Registry, everything should be officially done once you deliver them to the person in charge of the Registry's Divorce Department. I also placed my wedding ring on this letter to show you how serious I am about all this.
Sincerely, Alex Ketchum.
"W-what?" I had asked weakly to myself, exactly the same way my mother had when she caught my father leaving on his journey.
No, there was something wrong, I must've read something and understood it in the wrong way. There was no way daddy would just abandon us like that. Would he? I don't remember how many times I have read and reread the letter, but I remember that after each time I read the letter my eyes got wetter and wetter, to the point where I couldn't stop the tears from flowing out of my eyes.
When I had finally stopped reading that wretched piece of paper I couldn't stop crying, I felt in my heart what my mom had ten years ago and I could not believe how she managed to overcome something like this.
I remember that my mother had come early that day, she saw me sitting on the couch, crying my heart out. She was about to ask why I was crying when she saw the same letter from ten years ago between my fingers. She didn't say nothing, just sat beside me and held me for what seemed like an eternity, I had just discovered that not only 'daddy' wasn't coming home anytime soon, but that he had just abandoned us for his dream to become a master. My mom too started crying, just not as intensively as me. We sat there, comforting each other in that time of need.
"Why?" I had asked between sobs, she knew what I was asking then, she just didn't want to answer. But it was too late, I already knew "Why did you never told me about it?" I asked once more.
"Sweetie..." she responded, he soft voice echoing through my head "I didn't want to make you sad, so I wanted to wait until you were older and started to realize that he wasn't coming back anytime soon" she told me, slowly caressing my hair.
"But still..." I sobbed, I remember gripping her clothes with my hands and burying my face on the cloth of her shirt. I was so sad back then, I couldn't believe that my father would do something so cruel and selfish like that.
I wish I could go back in time just to slap some sense into my head. I was so innocent and naive back then, I believed that everything was fine and the world was a perfect place for everyone. Never once had I realized when I was a kid that I knew nothing about my father, and that he never did anything for me at all. He never called when he was away, he never helped my mom in her time of need with the expenses, and the only letter he had ever sent to us was the one that basically cut all of the strings that attached him to us and slowed him down on his quest to be a Pokémon.
After I read that letter, I became aware that the world was not what I thought it was, it was a dark and brutally punishing place for everyone, humans and Pokémon. I started realizing after that letter, what my mom had to go through, and my love and respect for her started right there, well, I already loved her, but when I heard everything she did for me, I started loving her even more. Then, I demanded her to tell me everything that was happening, no lies, no deceiving, just the painful truth. I had to know what she had done for me, and with a lot of hesitation, she answered my demands and told me everything she had to go through for me, she didn't tell me about her night trips of course. That, I had discovered with time.
I was shocked, she'd done so much for me, and there I was, crying like the child I were. She told me how she had to work day and night so we could have a roof above our heads and food on the table. I almost broke down again, I had to make my mom go through all of that, so much suffering, and for who? The son of the man that had turned her life upside down.
'My father?' I had thought, angry at myself for being so useless to my mom, even though I was just a child 'I have no father' I said to myself, I could remember the venom seeping from my tone.
From that day forward, Satoshi Ryusuke Ketchum... no. Satoshi Ryusuke, did not have a father. From that day forward, I had made a promise to myself, an oath. If I even come face to face with my former father, I would make him regret the day he made my mother cry.
After these shocking events, I became a rather depressed child, there a term about it right? I believe its called emo, or something. Good thing it didn't stick with me though, if I became a full-fledged emo I would kill myself so my mom couldn't see what I would've become.
Anyway... I'm getting off track here.
After becoming a depressed child, I would spend my days on my room, all by myself. Most of the time I would lie on the bed, thinking of reasons as to why he would do that. Did he really abandon us for those selfish reasons? Or was there something else? However, even if he had other reasons, it won't change the fact that he will pay for what he had done.
During some of these depressed days of mine, while my mom was out working, I wandered around Pallet Town. Pallet is a really nice place to live, it's peaceful, it's surrounded by nature and it's almost untouched by the huge companies. Pallet Town is one of the very few cities that weren't urbanized.
Reason for that is because Pallet is the home of none other than Professor Samuel Oak, Kanto's very own Regional Professor, I don't know about the other ones, but I do know that Oak is the most famous between them, having been once a Pokémon League champion as well as the one with the most significant discoveries about Pokémon. Oak had stated to the Pokémon League that if any company tried to touch Pallet, he would stop being a Professor.
One of these days, while wandering around aimlessly around Pallet, I came across a big yellow house, it was Oak's lab. Too shy to simply go to the front door and ring the bell, I had the brilliant idea to sneak around his lab and jump over the fence of the lab's ranch. Since the Professor only keeps trained Pokémon with him, the chances of him being attacked by one of them was almost none.
And guess what?
I was actually right for once.
When I walked around the Pokémon, I was mesmerized by the many different species of these magnificent creatures. Colors, shapes, types, every Pokémon was different from the other, there wasn't a single Pokémon that was equal to another, even those from the same species had differences like gender, personality, sizes and other characteristics.
All of the Pokémon obviously had noticed me and had looked at me with curious glances, as if asking themselves 'What is a kid doing here', but most of them simply chose to ignore me back them. I was a little kid, what could I do to actually intimidate a trained and powerful Pokémon that's used to the company of other humans ? Nothing that's what.
I wandered around, looking at the Pokémon with glee, they were the only thing that could take my mind away from that piece of shit. As time passed, I sneaked more and more times on the ranch, just to be around the Pokémon, although most ignored me, some were actually very friendly and didn't mind my annoying self around them.
These that didn't mind me though, knew that I was depressed, I could see in their eyes that they knew I was passing through a bad stage in life, they could feel it, which is why they would always meet me whenever I got into the ranch, they would greet me and let me play with them. Unknown to me, these Pokémon's intentions were to comfort me, my mom comforted me of course, but she alone wasn't enough, especially because she also passed through the same things as me and had it even worse. She couldn't find it in herself to comfort me when she too would start to get depressed.
Unbeknownst to me, my love for Pokémon started growing there, I've always liked Pokémon as a kid, but just because they looked cool and they were used on Pokémon Battles which were also really cool. I had never known that these creatures, whose nature is fighting for survival, could be so friendly, and even more. They saw my pain, and even not knowing me, they did their best to keep me cheered up. They would play with me, do mock battles to entertain me, and even go as far and making themselves look like complete fools just to make me laugh.
Pokémon are magnificent creatures, they are capable of tearing to shreds anyone and anything in their paths, but they're also capable of socializing, capable of feeling emotions such as joy, sadness, happiness and even love. Pokémon are mysterious creatures of unbelievable potential, and yet, they let themselves be captured by the weaker Human beings. Is that the power of friendship? Do they love their companions so much that they don't mind receiving orders, getting hurt or even dying for them?
We may never understand the mystery behind every Pokémon.
And that's why I love them so much.
When I made ten, after two years of constantly sneaking into the Pokémon ranch to see my Pokémon friends, I made the hardest decision of my life, up until that moment.
"Mom!" I had said loudly, surprising my mom, who was making dinner for us.
It was night and we were on the kitchen, my mom was on the stove preparing dinner for us two while I sat on the table, I can still remember what she had made for us to eat. Instead of the normal American like meal she often made, she opted for something more Japanese, after all, she came from Japan. She made the most stereotyped Japanese food out there, rice. Yes, just rice, that fact didn't stop it from being delicious though.
"What is it sweetie?" she asked, diminishing the fire a little bit so she could talk to me without the worry of burning the rice.
I still don't understand why she didn't bought one of these rice heater thingies from Japan.
"I have something important to tell you" I had told her, looking her dead in the eyes, she could see that I was different from my 'normal' depressed self, very different.
"Well then" she had started talking, looking confused and a bit worried about my sudden change of behavior "What do you want to tell me?" she asked.
"I... I" I started stuttering, I knew that what I was about to say could crush my mom's still healing mind state beyond repair, but it was something that I wanted to do. My mom just had that confused expression on her face, looking at me with her head leaned to the side.
During my stay in Pallet, I realized that I was simply nobody, I was just a normal boy, living a normal life, with a normal mom in a normal town. Everything was bland and dull, the only real events that had marked my life where starred by none other than Mister "You're holding me back" other than that nothing really changed. My life was boring and I would grow up knowing that I would become a nobody. I would become just another adult, just another human, just another living being.
I wanted to be something, to be recognized, I wanted to be someone special, not just another Avarage Joe. I wanted to be someone in life, I wanted to be important, not just for others but for myself, I wanted to make sure that I would not become another insignificant Human being on a world already full of them.
And after spending two years with the Pokémon at the ranch, I realized what I wanted to be.
"I want to become a Pokémon Trainer!" I had almost shouted, if the level of my voice's volume was anything to go by. My tone did nothing to prevent my mom from realizing that I was dead serious. The look in my eyes, the determination in my tone. I remember clenching my fists so tight that my hand started to hurt, but that wasn't because I wanted to get my idea through her, it was because of how she would react.
And my mother's reaction was exactly what I thought it would be.
There it was, the scene from twelve years ago, when I was three. All. Over. Again.
"W-what?" she stuttered in shock.
I could remember everything very clearly, her eyes had widened, however, her iris and pupils had shrunken. Her body went rigid and her breathing started accelerating.
"Y-you what?" she asked again, this time a bit more harshly.
"I said I want to become a Pokémon Trainer" I had repeated myself with resolve, I knew it was painful for her, just as it was for me, but it was my choice, and I would not let go of it.
Not when the fate for doing so was living a life without any meaning.
My mom said nothing, she just stood there, looking at me. She then had lowered her head, eyes covered by the bangs of her brown, almost auburn, hair. She started shaking in place, I had immediately stood up, clearly scared for what was happening to her. I walked up to her and lifter my hand to her shoulders. Being shorter than her, I thought that I could have a good look at her face, but the bang's shadows where too dark to see through.
"Mom, are you alright?" I had asked her, worried about her mental state, I knew it was very painful for her. As she kept shaking in place, my mom had lifted her right hand. Thinking that she wanted to grab my left hand, I let go of her shoulder and reached for her hand, only for the most unthinkable thing to happen next.
SLAP
My face was thrown to the right side, for a moment I had wondered 'What happened? Why am I looked to the side?' but it was all a futile effort to make me not believe what really happened. The stinging sensation on my left cheek, I can still feel it, and it still hurts. Not because it hurt physically, but because it hurt emotionally.
My mom had slapped me.
I had touched my cheek, looking at my mom with very surprised eyes. Her expression had changed from lovely mother, to shocked, to now downright mad. She looked at me with so much anger in her eyes, it wasn't right, but it was understandable.
"You... how dare you?" she said to me, her voice trembling with anger and sadness.
"What?" I asked, not actually knowing what was going on, I just knew I had received a slap from my mom and nothing else.
"A Pokémon Trainer?" she asked, clenching her fists so hard her knuckles were turning white.
"Y-yes, I want to become one" my naive self had said back then, which had helped in making my mom even more pissed. The slap she gave me must've also slapped away any logical thought in my head, because I was still oblivious to what was happened at that moment.
"So you're going to abandon me?" she told me, looking ready to give another slap.
"W-what? N..."
"You're just like him aren't you?" she said lowly, as if talking me down. No, scratch that, she was talking me down "YOU'RE JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER AREN'T YOU?" she screamed at me, finally blowing up. She was scaring me, I have never seen her like this before or after.
However, her last words woke me up from the slap induced obliviousness.
"What did you say?" I had asked lowly, lowering my head I as my mom continued to scream at me.
"YOU'RE JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER AREN'T YOU?" she screamed once again, there was no need for her to scream, but she wanted to make a point "YOU WANT TO ABANDON ME TO BECOME A POKÉMON TRAINER, JUST LIKE ALEX DI..."
"DON'T YOU DARE COMPARE ME TO THAT BASTARD!" I had shouted back at her, not letting her finish what she was saying, my mind was completed dominated by anger. One thing was getting slapped at by her, the other was being compared to that low life scum.
SLAP
Again, the sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed through the kitchen as my mom slapped me once more.
"Don't talk to me like that..." she warned me, her hand still in the air as she glared at me.
"AND WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO, HUH?" I shouted once more, not caring one bit about her warning "SLAP ME AGAIN?" I howled to her "THEN DO IT, BUT IT WON'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT I HAVE MADE UP MY MIND!" I kept screaming at her, I did not dare to take my eyes away from hers.
"ARE YOU GOING TO ABANDON ME JUST LIKE HE DID?" she shouted back at me.
"WHAT IF I AM?"
"THEN YOU ARE A SELF CENTERED, IDIOTIC, SELFISH PERSON JUST LIKE HIM!"
"..."
I glared at her, she glared at me. Her presence was strong, crushing even, but I would not back down, it was my future... no, my dreams we were talking about.
"YOU'RE JUST AS SELFISH AS ME THEN!" I shouted back at her, I shouted so hard and so loud that even the neighbors that lived next to the neighbors must've heard me.
"Wha..."
"YOU WANT TO KEEP ME HERE, TO KEEP YOU COMPANY!" I shouted, laying down the truth to her "YOU WANT TO FORCE ME TO STAY HERE FOREVER SO YOU CAN HAVE SOMEONE JUST FOR YOURSELF, ALL BECAUSE YOU CAN'T FORGET THAT STUPID EXCUSE OF A FUCKING HUMAN BEING YOU ONCE CALLED HUSBAND!" I kept shouting nonstop "BY DOING THAT YOU'RE DICTATING MY LIFE, I DON'T WANT TO LIVE HERE FOREVER, I DON'T WANT TO LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT ME TO LIVE!"
"I WANT TO LIVE THE LIFE THAT I WANT TO LIVE, I WANT TO TRAIN AND BEFRIEND POKÉMON, TO TRAVEL, SEE THE WORLD, AND LIVE ADVENTURES, NOT LET YOU IMPRISION ME IN THIS FUCKING TOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF GOD KNOWS WHERE JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN'T GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!"
"Gasp*gasp*" I gasped heavily after all that.
There, I had finally exploded, the result of two years of bottling up my emotions to myself. I'm pretty sure that if I knew what my father had done earlier, I would've been even madder and would probably have attacked my mom right there for such idiotic claims.
"S- son I..."
"NO!" I remember interrupting her so harshly that she actually stepped back in fright "You've made it pretty clear what you think about me" I told her, and turned my back at her, stomping in the direction of my room.
I remember that the last thing I saw that day was the expression of shame and guilty on my mom's face. For the rest of the night, her crying could he heard throughout the house, just like she did ten years ago.
After that eventful day, my mom and I started to distance ourselves from each other, me because of how pissed I was at her claims, and her because of what she had told me, she knew that what I said was the truth, she wanted me to stay with her in Pallet because she didn't want to be alone.
We almost didn't talk to each other, every time we encountered each other would outright ignore one another, or should I say correctly, I would outright ignore my mom while she at least tried to talk to me.
I was being a hypocrite prick, and I hated it. But I wouldn't simply back down on my words after all she said about me.
It was then and there that my current personality started to be molded. I realized that if not even my only family would support me, I couldn't and wouldn't fully trust anyone until they proved to be trusted. My mom basically told me that I was just as an asshole as my father, and didn't want me to go on a journey because of her own fear of being all by herself.
I knew it was wrong of me to think that way about my own mother, she took care of me and loved me all this time. However, it was all so I would end up becoming dependent on her, to the point of needing her, that way she was making sure I would never leave her side.
But if I couldn't trust the only important person in my life, I couldn't trust anyone until I was a hundred percent sure they would not let me down.
I became indifferent.
I started thinking and acting for myself and myself only, with only my own, and in the near future, my Pokémon's happiness in mind. And unless something doesn't catch my interest or doesn't directly interfere with my life, I will not lift a single finger about it, unless it directly involves innocent Pokémon.
For the next five years, I continued to sneak into the Pokémon Ranch in Oak's lab. And after two years something was obviously bound to happen, Oak started to noticed some of the Pokémon's behavior had changed throughout the time I had being sneaking to see them, he wouldn't have minded it, if it wasn't for the fact that these Pokémon's behavior literally haven't changed during all the years they had been living there, for some of them to suddenly act differently, it was because something was happening.
So one day, when I was hanging out with my Pokémon friends, just chilling with them...
"Hello there"
Someone had said from behind me, making me jump in fright and turn around sharply. I was greeted by none other than the world famous Professor Samuel Oak.
He was a very old fellow... not that old actually, but getting there. He was as tall as a normal adult, wore khaki pants, red long sleeved button up shirt, social shoes and his trademark white lab coat.
"Um... hey..." I had said meekly, both scared and sheepish for being caught in the act of doing nothing with the Pokémon.
Wait, what?
"So you're the reason the Pokémon had been acting strange lately" he deduced, closing his eyes and rubbing his chin calculatingly.
"Um..." I just nodded, mumbling sounds. I didn't want to be on the receiving end of the Professor's wrath, I mean, I just invaded his property and interacted with Pokémon that weren't even his.
For four years straight... damn.
"I guess I should thank you then" he stopped rubbing his chin, smiling down at me.
"What?" I had said confusedly.
"You're not a boy of too many words aren't huh" he had told me.
"More or less" I had responded him, still on guard.
"Anyway" the Professor started "Thanks to you, the Pokémon on the Ranch had gotten friendlier, which made my job much easier" he smiled at me again.
"I suppose that's a good thing?" I had asked him.
"Of course that is mister..." he dragged the word mister, clearly wanting to know my name.
I had thought right there, should I give him my name? My paranoia of being let down again creeping on my mind after what my mom did. So I decided to do the best next thing.
"Ash" I told him "My name is Ash"
"Ash huh?" he repeated and I nodded in response.
"Well Ash, the reason why I should be thankful is because most of the Pokémon around here only like their respective trainers, so trying to feed, analyze and study them is pretty hard. But, in about three years or so ago, they started becoming more amiable toward me and my grandson for no 'apparent' reason" he explained me, doing quote signs when he said apparent.
"At first I thought that they had finally grown on to me, but that would be impossible since they've known me for years, and to suddenly become friendly would be ridiculous. So for the past month I've been watching very closely the Pokémon and discovered that you would jump over the fence everyday to hang out with a few of them. By the end of my observing I realized that the sudden change in behavior of the Pokémon around here is because of you" he finished explaining to me "So thanks for making my job easier kiddo" he did an eye smile and extended his hand for a handshake.
I raised an eyebrow at his attempt to be friendly, I couldn't feel any malice coming from him, I had decided to give the man a chance.
That is, until I remembered something.
"You stalked me for a whole month?" I blurted out, as blunt as an iron bar "You're a really creepy old man, aren't you?" I smirked as I saw his eyebrows twitching in annoyance.
"Well... I guess this is a kid's behavior now days" he pulled back the hand he had offered and used it to scratch the back of his head "Even my grandson talk to me like that, although not as blunt as you did " he sighed.
"If that's that" I had started "Then I guess I'm going" I had turned around and started making my way from the Ranch.
"Wait just a second there young man" he had said suddenly, making me stop and turn around to face him "I have a proposition to you" he told me.
"What is it?" I asked, curiosity had taken control of my mind during that brief moment.
"I see you like being around the Pokémon yes?" he asked me, knowing that he was right.
"What about it?" I had crossed my arms, showing him that I was interested in what he had to say.
"How about you help me with the lab, be my assistant to be exact?" he asked to me "The Pokémon seems to like you, and those who don't tolerate you at best. It would be great to have you helping me around the lab" he explained his motives.
"First you stalk me, now you want me to work under your wing" I blurted once again "You're getting creepier as time passes old man" I told him, which in turn caused him to face fault at my claims.
"Besides" I continued, turning around "You have your grandson to help you" I finished, heading toward my house.
"I'll pay you" he said hurriedly.
I stopped immediately after he said that, I already could visit the Pokémon for free, so there was no need to directly help Oak on his job since I can do it just by hanging out with the Pokémon.
But if he wanted to pay me...
"I'm listening" I had said, not even turning my back, I could even hear him sighing in defeat.
"I'll pay you fifty..."
"A hundred" I interrupted him.
"Come again?" he asked, not believing what I had said.
"A hundred, I know you're rich, so I don't want you being stingy with me" I had told him shamelessly. I knew I had him when he sighed in defeat once more.
"Alright, a hundred per m..."
"Week" I interrupted him once again, never turning to face him.
"Now you're just being unfair" the old professor had told me.
"What if I am?" I asked at him, using a disinterested voice to try to fool him "But I guess I'll decline" I shrugged my shoulders "I thought of stopping coming anyway, I was making the Pokémon too friendly, they're supposed to be scary, not amiable" I told him, making my way back to my house.
I knew I had him right there, the thought of these mighty beasts tearing apart his lab because I wasn't there to catch their attention from wrecking shit would definitely make him abide to my conditions.
"Alright, alright, a hundred per week" Oak had said out loud, lowering his head and arms in defeat, I bet that the thought of losing to a twelve year old kid was too much for him "But you'll have to listen to everything I say, or else I'll kick you out of the lab" the old Oak warned me.
"Fair enough" I had said, turning around and walking up to the Professor, extending my right hand in the process. My expression as indifferent as ever, which I could see unnerved him a bit.
"Sooo..." he narrowed his eyes, probably expecting me to add something to the conditions "Do we have a deal?" he shook my hand.
I just nodded and shook his hand back, a half smirk on the side of my face.
Even if a Trainer's journey on start at fifteen, I basically started mine three years before I could set off. While working for Oak, I learned how to properly take care of a Pokémon, how to feed it, what to feed it. I learned about the different types and their respective advantages and disadvantages. Oak also forced me to immediately know if a Pokémon is sick or not, it was by far the most important thing he taught to me, and make sure I keep that knowledge pretty fresh on my head.
Oak and I didn't hit off well in the beginning, he was still pissed that I got the best of him and managed to score a hundred from him every week. He was so pissed that he demanded me to call him Mr. Oak all the time. But as time passed, we started to become friends, even with my paranoid I managed to create a bond of friendship with the old man, to the point where I called him old man and he wouldn't reprimand me.
He taught me a lot, what started as just a way to make quick buck by being around Pokémon, became a pre-life experience. He taught me as much as he could about Pokémon, how different Pokémon had different views in life, had different personalities, natures and ways of thinking. How some Pokémon lived for the thrill of fighting while others just yearned for a peaceful live without trouble.
But not only that, he taught other things too, when I told him that I yearned to become Pokémon Trainer, he told me that having being healthy and having a decent physical condition helped a lot, especially if I ever were to face off a powerful wild Pokémon, running from it would be the best option, not for my safety. But for my Pokémon's if they weren't strong enough to face it.
He knew that there was something wrong with me though, it's not every kid that act like me, like a somewhat asshole. At first I didn't want to talk about it, but as time passed and I realized that Oak was someone to be trusted, I told him about what happened.
To say he was surprised was an understatement, he actually reprimanded me for acting that way toward my mom, especially after hearing about how much she had done to me, but also understood why I had to do what I did. He said that everyone is free to do what they want to do, even if it means breaking someone's heart in the process, and that no one should dictate another person's life.
With time, I even told him my real name, and told him that because of my paranoia of being let down by someone, I decided to create a nickname for myself that would act as my name. If I felt that the person could be trusted, I would let it call me by the name that my mom gave me, but if I couldn't fully trust this person, I would not tell it my name and would tell him that my name as Ash instead.
And so, five years after deciding what I wanted to do, after three years of working under the old man.
The day had come.
XXXXXXX
TRIIIII...
CLICK
*Yawn*
A pair of brown, almost red eyes, opened in the morning after turning off the alarm clock. Sitting up, Satoshi stretched his arms over his head until he heard his joints popping one by one. He threw his legs over the edge of his bed and stood up, making his way to the bathroom. Not only to alleviate himself but to prepare for the rest of the day.
Satoshi or "Ash" was fifteen years old, if that incredibly long flashback/badly written POV wasn't enough to tell you that. He was as tall as his mother, but not as a normal male adult, he was getting there though.
He had a slender physique and some muscles that he had developed from helping Oak on the lab, just enough for him not to tire himself from walking all day long. As I already said, brown, almost red eyes. His hair was long enough to just pass his shoulder line.
Getting out of the bathroom, Ash headed for his closed and picked the clothes that he would be using during his journey.
A red and white hat with an insignia of the Pokémon League in the front. A blue jacket with white short sleeves, a black T-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, black and white sneakers. And last but not least, black fingerless gloves.
"Finally, after five years I can start my journey" he said lowly to himself, determination seeping from his uninterested voice tone. He brought his right hand up and clenched his fist.
After preparing himself, Ash picked his white duffle bag which he had prepared the day before with what was necessary for survival and headed for the kitchen, where he would fix himself a breakfast. Inside the duffle bag he had a lighter, a combat knife, a sleeping bag, snacks for when he was out of real food, a first aid-kit for him and his future Pokémon, a water canteen and other things for his survival on the wild.
After eating his breakfast he headed out of home and directly to Oak's lab, he had made sure to wake up two hours before the speculated time to go pick his starting Pokémon. He wouldn't want to go late and not receive a Pokémon at all. Reaching the lab, he ascended the stairs and rang the lab's bell.
"Just a second" Ash heard through the other side of the door, a few second later, a familiar grey haired man opened up the door for our hero.
"Hello there Ash" he greeted Ash with a handshake, which Ash wholeheartedly accepted "Quite early don't you think?" he smiled at the young teenager.
"How many times have I told you that you can call me by my name old man?" I told him, closing my eyes and inviting myself into his lab.
"More than I can count" he answered, following suit after closing the door behind me "But it's actually easier to just say Ash instead of Satoshi" he smiled at Ash, who just said down on the lab's sofa and smirked at the Professor's remark.
"Not only you're creepy, but you're lazy as well" Ash said to his mentor.
"If it wasn't for the fact that we're good friends I would've kicked out of here right now" he told our hero, who just kept smirking.
"So, when do I get to meet my future partner?" Ash asked, lifting his left leg over his right knee.
"You get to meet your starting Pokémon when the rest of the aspiring trainers arrive" Oak answered, picking the mug of coffee he had left on the table to open the door for Ash.
"I'm actually quite surprised that prick isn't here yet, he wouldn't stop blabbering at how he would get the best Pokémon and become best trainer in the world" Ash said annoyingly.
"Now Ash, I know that Gary can be annoying at times, but that don't give you the right to talk behind his back like that" Oak reprimanded Ash.
"I didn't say anything about Gary" Ash smirked.
Oak thought for a moment before face palming, he fell right into Ash's game, just like it happened three years ago.
"Why do you keep doing that?" Oak asked, annoyed at the boy's habit of making fun of him.
"Why do you keep falling for it?" Ash smirked, his smirk never leaving his face.
"Touché" Oak said.
DING-DONG
"You wait here" Oak warned Ash, who got straight in the sofa and nodded seriously.
That's something Oak ever really understood, how Ash was able to change his behavior so fast, when around him he would act more carefree, but around people he didn't know or didn't like he would get serious and act cold toward them immediately.
Actually, he acted cold toward almost anything, even Oak himself, it was unnerving as he would often flash a smirk and yet his eyes still held the indifferent and cold look that they always carried.
"Hey there gramps" Ash heard, this one was obvious, it was Gary Oak, the grandson of Samuel Oak, and number one prick of Pallet Town.
He was the same size and age of Ash, but his appearance was different, he was skinnier than Ash, had spiky brown hair s well as hazel eyes. His attire consisted of a purple long sleeved V-neck shirt, brown grey pants and brown boots. On his neck he had a collar that looked like a yin-yang symbol, only instead of being black and white it was green and yellow.
"Yo old man" a gruff voice said, Ash knew who this guy is and he didn't like him one bit.
Damian, a blue haired stuck up kid who thinks he's the best of the best of the best, he's even worse than Gary, because even if Gary is annoying, there's no denying that he's good at what he does, Damian on the other hand is just someone that thinks he's good when he's actually nothing short of an idiot.
That guy's attire consisted of a hot pink polo shirt with an opened cowboy like vest over it, what looked like a red turtle neck shirt underneath his pink shirt, a pair of stupid looking sunglasses on his hair, a pair of black pants with cowboy boots and even a gun holster with absolutely no gun.
"It's Mr. Oak for your son" Ash heard Oak reprimanding the boy right there for talking to him like that. Only Ash could call him an old man.
"Yeah whatever"
"Boy, keep talking like that and I'll make sure you'll only receive your Pokémon next year"
"..."
Ash smirked, he loves when Oak uses his authority to keep idiotic people like Damian on line.
"Good morning Professor Oak" this time it wasn't a male voice he heard, but instead a female.
It was Leaf, yes, her name is Leaf. Leaf was an educated girl, she wasn't very fond of the idea of becoming a Trainer, so she's here for the sake of getting a Pokémon for a pet and probably personal protection as Pokémon are great as body guard. Ash himself thinks that it's quite selfish of her to come for one of the starting Pokémon from Professor Oak when they're clearly for those who pretend to become a trainer. She was literally taking the chance of someone becoming a trainer just for a pet.
Leaf, being a fifteen year old, was starting to develop, but was still very far from being called a real woman. With her long brown hair, she wore a white hat with a half red Pokéball design on the front, a cyan blue tank top, a red skirt, white shoes and cyan blue socks.
"Oh, hey there Leaf" he smiled at the girl.
Ash had the urge to annoy the professor, but he decided against it, he old man had enough already, and the day had just started.
"Ash..." Gary said, walking into the lab and glaring at his rival.
"Gary..." Ash stood up and glared back at the brown haired boy.
Both aspiring Trainers glared at each other for what seemed like a full minute. On the background, Oak looked with a smile, Ash was the only one that could make Gary get serious and stop being an ass, it was at these moments that Gary showed that he was not here for playing. Damian looked annoyed because the attention wasn't on him, and Leaf was looking at the two with a confused expression.
"Anyway, let's stop this staring contest" Oak walked up to the two teenagers and placed a hand on their shoulders.
"Okay gramps" Gary said with a smirk.
"Um" Ash just nodded.
"Now, all of you, follow me" Oak said, all of them nodded and followed Oak deeper into the lab, where their starters would be waiting for them.
Upon reaching the room, Oak walked up to a machine that held three Pokéballs, he pressed a button and the glass dome that protected the Pokéballs slid into the machine, making it possible to get the Pokéballs.
"These are the starting Pokémon that I am to give to you" he said, grabbing all three Pokéballs and releasing the Pokémon inside them.
"First, Squirtle, the water type starter" as he said that, the turtle Pokémon materialized in front of them, and gave each one of them a wave.
"Second, Bulbassaur, the grass type starter" Oak finished and again another Pokémon materialized in front of the four teenagers. Bulbassaur looked at each one of them and nodded in respect.
"And last but not least, Charmander, the fire type starter" the fire starter materialized in front of them just like the other two did, but instead of greeting the teenagers, he looked at the floor shyly.
"Old man" Ash said suddenly after watching the scene unfold in front of him. Oak did a quick glare in Ash's direction, but he saw that the boy wasn't saying it out of malice, and seemed to be thinking of something.
"What is it Ash?" he said a bit concerned that something bad might've happened.
"There are only three of them and four of us" he noted, his eyes narrowing at the possibilities that this situation might offer, and the one that he has to choose.
"Humm..." Oak rubbed his chin "That is a problem, I actually was only going to have three of you. You, Gary, and Damian. But Leaf called yesterday saying that she wanted a Pokémon too" when Oak finished, all three boys looked at Leaf, who now sported a sheepish smile.
"And how are you going to fix this gramps?" Gary asked, visibly confused and worried that he might not pick the starting Pokémon that he wants.
"Well..." Oak started, making all four look intently at him "I actually didn't think about and thought of letting you decide" he shrugged with a sheepish smile, making the four teenagers face fault.
"Gramps... it's your job to separate the Pokémon for the trainers!" Gary raised his voice, face palming at his grandpa's lack of responsibility.
"It isn't your grandfather's fault Gary, he had separated three for us, but with the last minute inclusion of Leaf, he couldn't prepare a fourth Pokémon in time" Ash had said calmly, trying to lift the guilty over Oak's shoulders, it wasn't his fault, he couldn't have foreseen that.
"I guess you're right, but still..."
"Are we gonna get the Pokémon or not?" Damian shouted out loud from behind the two, getting impatient that he didn't get his first Pokémon yet.
"How about we play Jan-Ken-Po?" Leaf suggested out of nowhere, all three glared at her again, making her shy away from their looks.
*Sigh*
"Well, that's better than nothing" Gary sighed "Better a lucky based game than one that relies on skill, this way everyone will get a fair and equal chance at getting a Pokémon, no matter how stupid that sounds" he forced the last line while glaring at Leaf.
Now she had glared back, tired of receiving glares from the boys all the time, just because she decided to get a Pokémon for herself and possibly take away the chance of someone becoming a Trainer for about a full year or so.
The four teenagers gathered in a circle and prepared for the game, all raised their arms and started shaking them back and forth.
"Jan"
"Ken"
"PO!"
All of them brought down their arms and did the same sign, scissors. They all glared at each other, but raised their arms again and started shaking them.
"Jan"
"Ken"
"PO!"
Now things were a little bit more different, Gary chose scissors again, but the rest ended up being paper.
"Yes!" Gary cheered for himself.
Ash glared at his now clenched hand, while Damian cursed out loud for being a step closer to not getting a Pokémon at all. Leaf just looked determined to win this game, get a Pokémon, and go back home to play with it.
"Jan"
"Ken"
"PO!"
Once again, another one has got the chance to choose a Pokémon. Damian, he chose rock while the other two chose scissors.
"YEAH MOTHERFUCKER, WHO'S BOSS?" Damian kept cheering like the idiot that he was, Oak disapproved of his behavior, but unless he actually did something wrong, Oak had to give him a Pokémon.
Ash and Leaf glared at each other, both of them intended to take a Pokémon, none of them wanted to go home empty handed. They raised their arms and...
"Jan"
"Ken"
"PO!"
...
"YAY, YAY, YAY, I won" Leaf cheered out loud, jumping up and down and finishing with a victory sign.
Ash just stared at his hand indifferently, just like he would do to most people around him, looking at it as if it let him down.
'What a foolish thought' he thought to himself, clenching his hand 'My hand letting me down, how ridiculous is that?' he sighed.
"Ash" Oak walked up behind him "I'm sorry" he said apologetically, placing a hand on Ash's shoulder, trying to comfort the boy whom he had became attached to.
"It's not your fault old man" Ash closed his eyes and sighed "You couldn't foresee what happened" he said to the Professor, taking the hand from his shoulder and walking up to the sofa, wanting to gather his thoughts "Go, it's your job to give them their partners" Ash sighed, slumping down on the sofa and making a 'shoo' motion with his hand.
Oak just sighed and went to do his job. He already knew that Gary wanted Squirtle from the very beginning, the boy wouldn't stop pestering him to reserve the little turtle for him. Damian chose Charmander, he didn't care that it was shy, just that it was a fire type, one of the most dangerous and destructive Pokémon types that exist. Leaf, ironically, got Bulbassaur, which she decided to name it Green-Green because it sounded cute, it was the one she wanted from the very beginning too, so she didn't mind that she was the last one to choose, because in the end she got the one that she wanted.
After giving them their starting Pokémon, Oak gave each one of them a Pokédex. The Pokédex is a mobile encyclopedia that also acts as a temporary ID until the user gets a Pokémon League ID. It can store data of every Pokémon you can capture, it already contains data of most Pokémon, but not enough since the Pokédex only get bits of data from each Pokémon, and since every single Pokémon is different even if from the same species, the data from each one can be small or vast. Because of that, Oak must analyze every data he receives from the Pokédex to study every tiny characteristic a Pokémon have OR can have, upgrading its system every time he makes a new version.
The Pokédex also serves as a mobile phone, but you can only contact, and be contacted by regional Professors.
"Well, you already got your Pokémon partners, there's nothing more for you to do here" Oak said to the three teenagers. Damian and Leaf hurried off the lab, one eager to start battling already and the other wanting to play with her new Pokémon. Gary on the other hand.
"Hey Ash" Ash opened his eyes and so Gary standing in front of him "Well... sorry for all this, I actually wanted you to get your Pokémon at the same time as me" he said rubbing the back of his head "I just want you to know that you're the only one whom I consider a worthy rival and a real threat in Pokémon Training and..." he was interrupted when Ash raised his hand and stood up, staring directly into Gary's eyes.
Ash then raised his hand and opened his palm in front of him. Getting the hint, Gary reached for the hand and grasped it.
"Gary, I don't need and I don't want you sympathy" Ash said with his closed eyes "What I want, is fight you in a Pokémon Battle" he smirked, opening his eyes "And we'll do that, on the Indigo Conference" he shook Gary's hand.
Gary looked surprised at first, but the he smirked back and shook Ash's hand back.
"Well... then I'll see you at the Pokémon League" he let go of Ash's hand and headed for the lab's front door, but before stepping out he turned his and gave them a classic Gary farewell "Gramps, Ash, smell ya later" before heading out and closing the door.
"I told you he wasn't that bad" Oak said, walking up behind Ash.
"Maybe you're right" Ash agreed, making Oak smile "But he's still a prick sometimes" he smirked, making Oak frown "Old man" Ash called him.
"What is it Ash?" he asked his ex-lab assistant, curious about what he was going to do, he just lost his chance to become a trainer, and will have to wait until Oak can prepare another Pokémon for him, and unfortunately it takes too much time, from six months to a full year.
"Are you sure you don't have a Pokémon with you?" Ash asked as he turned around, the Professor could see that there was a small glint of hope on the boy's eyes, he knew how much Ash wanted to become a Trainer, and he wanted Ash to become one.
"I had one actually" Oak sighed, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly, all this tension is not good for his health.
"Had?" Ash asked confusedly.
"Yes, had" Oak repeated "I'm not sure if you remember, but sometime during the time you used to sneak into my ranch, an explosion happened" Oak started explaining.
"Yes, I remember, there was even smoke coming from the lab" Ash said as he remembered that event.
"Well, that would be the Pokémon you could be receiving right now" Oak said, making Ash's eyes widen a bit.
"Then, what happened?" Ash asked curious about that event, he just knew he heard an explosion and saw the smoke coming from the lab.
"Pikachu happened" Oak sighed, lowering his head and arms.
"Pikachu... happened?" Ash repeated confusedly, not sure what to think of what the Professor just said.
"Yes" he responded "Five years ago, when you still wasn't my assistant, I had captured a wild Pikachu. Pikachu are known for having bad temper, but that particular one had it worse than the others, which in turn would make him unleash more powerful lightening attacks. Being the curious person that I am, I caught him to learn how he could generate stronger lightening just by being angrier and in the long run, help it with it 'anger issues' " Oak quoted at the end of his speech.
"But his temper was too much, not only he hated being inside the Pokéball, he outright hated everyone. So one day, when I tried to befriend it, he launched a powerful Thunder Shock attack and blew some of my very expensive equipment and destroyed the wall of my lab, bolting toward freedom, more precisely, the forest that surrounds Pallet Town" the Professor finished his speech.
"Damn" Ash rubbed his head "He must've been a pain in the ass right?" he asked the Professor.
"Meh, more or less" the Professor shrugged "It's not like I lost any valuable or important data" he confessed.
Ash didn't seem satisfied with the answer though, there was something in between what Oak said that didn't exactly seem right.
"Wait" he realized "Old man, do you still have that Pikachu's Pokéball?" he asked the professor, making him widen his eyes in surprise.
"Actually... yes, I still have it" Oak confessed.
"Can you show it to me?" Ash asked, Oak had an unsure expression on his face, but complied none the less. He told Ash to follow him back into the room where he stored all of the Pokémon's Pokéballs.
"Ash, I don't know what your intention is" Oak said as he looked through the Pokéballs "But I don't think it's a good idea" he told the boy, finding the Pokéball and handing it to Ash. The Pokéball had a lightning bolt sticker on the red half of it.
"Oak, if you caught that Pikachu, it means that even if he ran away it still is registered in this Pokéball" Ash said, holding the Pokéball in the air to emphasize his point "I'm going to get him back and make him m starter" Ash smirked, Oak could feel the anticipation and determination seeping from the boy's tone.
"But Ash, it's too dangerous for you to go to the forest by yourself, you could get yourself killed before even finding Pikachu!" Oak almost shouted, worried that Ash was going for such measures just to get Pokémon.
"Don't worry about me old man, I prepared myself for this the moment I started working for you, I can take care of myself" Ash assured Oak, who still didn't look satisfied with the answer that Ash gave him.
Oak glared at Ash, and Ash glared right back at him. Both stood there, staring each other in their eyes, none moving a muscle. Oak saw in Ash's eyes that he would not back down, no matter what he or anyone said, not when the boy's chance to become a trainer was at stake.
"Alright Ash" Oak sighed, rubbing the back of his neck "You win" he told the boy with a smile, he walked up to his desk and picked up a Pokédex "Here, it's yours" he handed the machine to Ash.
"Thanks old man" Ash smiled, his dream was finally coming true. He suddenly felt a hand on the top of his head, looking up, he saw Oak smiling down at him.
"It's nothing" he closed his eyes "I know you'll be a great Trainer. You're a hard worker, and have a natural way with Pokémon. You have the potential to become the best" he encouraged Ash.
"Thanks... Professor Oak" Ash brought down the brim of his hat so that Oak couldn't see the tears that were forming on the edge of his eyes.
"Now go, you have a great journey ahead of you, make the best of it Satoshi Ryusuke!" Oak said out loud.
"You bet!" Ash answered with a smirk.
Ash bid the Professor farewell and walked out of the lab. With him, the Pikachu's Pokéball, his own Pokédex, and everything he needed on his duffle bag, all he had to do now was head to the forest, get Pikachu and contact Oak to see what he should do, come back to the lab or go on to his journey.
Suddenly, on his way to route 1 just outside of Pallet, he came across the only person he didn't want to see. He kept walking, his right hand gripping the rope that tied the top of his bag, his left hand inside of his pocket, and the brim on his hat still down, so he would not have to face her.
His mother.
He passed right next to her, and without turning back, he stopped on his track. Not moving an inch, the person also didn't turn back to see him, they just stood there, back to back.
"So..." she started "You're really going aren't you?" she asked sadly, tears started to slide down her cheeks.
"Yes..." Ash had answered hollowly. He stepped forward to continue on his way, not wanting to be here anymore.
"Son..." Hanako had started, he could hear that she was holding her sobs "I just want you to know that, no matter what you do, where you chose to go, or what you want to be, I'll always love you" she sobbed, turning around to face her son, who still had his back turned to her "And I'll never stop loving you, you're my son, the only one left for me. I was just so scared of being left again, that's could not think straight, and in turn I lashed at the only who loved me back. I'll never forgive myself for doing that, I was wrong, I should've have supported you" she started to openly cry in the middle of the empty dirt road "It's just..."
"Mom" Ash interrupted her suddenly, she looked at him, eyes still wet from her tears "What happened, happened, but it was not your fault" she saw that he was shaking in place, his voice seemed weak, even if he tried to mask it with his usual cold tone "But I'm not like him" he told her, bringing the brim of his hat even lower so she could not see his eyes "And I promise, I'll come back" he said weakly, not able to hold his sobs. Ash turned his head slightly to the side, just enough to show his mom the tears that he had been hiding.
"Satoshi..." she smiled weakly, raising her hand to wipe the tears that didn't stop falling from her eyes. She understood what he wanted to say, it was his own way of saying-
"I love you too" he said out loud, not turning back, he started to make his way to route 1.
More tears fell from her eyes after that, he son had grown up, but inside his heart, he still was that little kid that she took care for so many years. There he was, her little boy, all grown up, tackling the world by himself, he made his own decisions, worked by himself for what he wanted, and never backed down from his dream.
She couldn't be more proud of him
As he made his way through the main dirt road of Pallet, heading for the forest surrounding the town, only one thought could be heard inside his, his mother's and Professor Oak's heads.
'Satoshi Ryusuke, your road to greatness has just begun'
Well, there it is. Now this is a fucking flash back. The longest motherfucking flashback I have ever written in the history of my rather short life.
Did you like it? I tried to create as much emotional impact as I could in this chapter, I told myself right from the beginning that Ash's life was not going to be easy, even when it comes to family matters. About the starter, I wanted to give him a started that wasn't Pikachu, but Ash without Pikachu is LITERALY, unthinkable. I thought of other Pokémon that Oak could give him, but since I only like cool Pokémon, the ones from Kanto that I could make Oak give him would be overpowered at best, so I decided to stick with Pikachu, but a VERY different beginning for them as Pikachu lives as a wild Pokémon, yet he's still an officially captured Pokémon.
Now, you guys know the drill. Review if you liked it, review if you didn't liked it, any questions you have you can PM me about it and those that don't have an account can use the review box to ask your questions, I'll try to answer them on the next chapters.