"Ash, I believe it's time to get up."
"...huh?" Cracking his eyes open, Ash found himself looking up at a familiar ceiling. He let out a yawn before the voice spoke up again.
"Today's the day again, remember?" He asked, looking a little surprised to hear his voice was a bit deeper, though it still had a slight rasp to it.
This time he recognized it. And realized it was coming from right beside his bed. "M...Mewtwo?"
"I believe 'Mew-owth' would be a bit more accurate for my current state."
"What?" He quickly over the side, only to find a Shiny Meowth looking up at him calmly...and standing upright like Team Rocket's Meowth. However, instead of the usual narrow pupils, it had an unmistakable pair of oval, purple-toned eyes.
Ash just stared at the Pokemon in silence for a second before speaking. "So, it wasn't a dream…" He looked up as a sudden spark of realization hit him, and he immediately started looking under the bed.
"What are you doing?" Mew-owth asked, raising an eye.
"Looking for where Red stashed his porn!" He declared with an intensity Brock would've been proud of. "I have over four years of repressed puberty to take care of, then I can go back to acting like a ten year old!"
Mew-owth couldn't resist and let out an amused chuckle, shaking his head at his friend's antics. "Actually, given the way time and space of both realities have joined together, the starting age for Pokemon trainers is now fourteen. Congratulations, you're no longer stuck as a pre-adolescent."
Ash froze for a moment while that sunk in, before giving Mew-owth a toothy grin. "Definitely hunting down that stash!"
"So, are you going to get to Professor Oak's early this time around?" He asked, deciding to change the subject.
"And not get Pikachu again? No thanks." Ash replied, feeling up under the bed for anything.
"Point taken." Mew-owth watched as, deeming that search a failure, he began digging through the bedside table. "That seems too obvious a spot." He commented. "Here, This'll go much faster if we both look." He mentally thanked Arceus for just giving him the appearance of a Meowth and let loose with his telekenisis.
One by one, he dismantled the pieces of furniture in the room, extracting and examining everything, making sure he put it back as he left it. 'No sense leaving a mess, even if he'll be gone for a while.'
"HA! Found it!" Ash yelled, pulling up a couple of loose floorboards he'd stepped on. With a flourish, he pulled out a magazine storage box. "Let's see what we got." He yanked the top off and peered in, his face turning red after a moment. "I...uh…"
"Hm?" Mew-owth looked as well. It was only half full, but the one on the top, titled 'Pokesports Illustrated' had a familiar figure on the cover, leaning affectionately against a Starmie. "Well, that makes sense. Considering how he acted, I doubt Red would've had this. A whole Ash Ketchum, on the other hand…" This time it was his turn to grin. "Have a taste for busty redheads, do we?"
Ash just took the issue out, staring at the cover the whole time. "Misty?" Sure enough, it was the youngest member of the Cerulean City gym leaders, with her hair down and wearing a pink slingshot bikini. However, this Misty had ample proof that puberty had smiled on her. The material somehow managed to hug her impressively developed breasts, giving a teasing view of her nipples and making it seem as if she just had bodypaint on. And it probably would've been if not for how the back strap bridged across her arched back, showing off a pair of firm-looking buns and surprisingly long legs. Looking at the sight, he could swear she had a heart-shaped Pokeball tattooed on her left cheek. "When the hell did she become a hottie!?"
Mew-owth looked over at the clock and made his way to the door. "I'll leave you to your...catching up."
While he wasn't a real feline Pokemon, Mew-owth would happily admit that lounging in the warm sun was quite pleasant. Stretching, he got back to this feet and looked back at the door. He'd been rather surprised to see that the door had opened outside instead of inside the house. Even more so at seeing that Ash's bedroom was somewhat off from the main building, seeing Delia Ketchum through the kitchen window confirmed this. Like he'd moved out, but didn't at the same time.
"This is definitely going to be an interesting experience." He told himself, watching a couple of Farfetch'd flying overhead. Then again, it already was in a way; apparently in this world, at least according to Arceus, trainers were more or less considered adults once they received their starter Pokemon. It did make sense in a way. After all, they were heading out on their own into a world filled with creatures that could do...well, damn near anything. And some had a reputation for being nasty. He was proof enough before he met Ash.
"Meowth?" He spun around to see Delia looking at the window at him.
"Yes, Mrs. Ketchum?" Thankfully, Arceus had let him know that to Ash's mom and most of Pallet Town, he was a wild Pokemon that had taken a preference to hanging out at the Ketchum residence, and that he'd learned to talk while there. A fairly basic, yet convenient backstory for him if he did say so.
"Do you know if Ash is up? He's going to miss his chance if he doesn't hurry."
"I'll go check." He quickly headed back to the room, cursing himself for losing track of time and hoping Ash was finished. "Ash, are you…?" He trailed off for a second when he saw Ash was done and already getting dressed.
Now that he had a moment to examine things, Mew-owth noticed that he was considerably taller. When they first met, he remembered Ash being around five and a half feet. Now, he stood at a good six feet. Possibly a couple inches over that. His hair seemed to have taken traits from both his halves, now resting in a sort of fluffy bedhead style. He also saw that while he was no Machoke, there was some visible definition. 'Mental note: if a girl sees him without a shirt on, make sure I'm not in between them.'
He noted that Ash's attire was somewhat different now as well. Instead of the Pokemon League Expo hat ('he must not have won one, or entered this time around' Mew-owth thought), his was jet black with a white Pokeball emblem on it. He still had the black t-shirt and gloves, though his coat was dark blue with red trim around the waist and opening. And his pants were tucked into a pair of black and red hightops.
"Well, how do I look?" He asked, adjusting his cap.
"Like a guy who's currently running late to get a Pokemon, according to his mother." Mew-owth replied, pointing to the clock.
"Oh shit!" He yelped. "I gotta get going!"
"But you wanted to be late!"
"Yeah, but I'd prefer not to have to deal with Gary's grandstanding." He made sure everything to where it was and rushed out, Mew-owth right behind him. "I'll be back in a few minutes, Mom!" He called out, running to Professor Oak's lab.
"I'll go ahead and get breakfast on the way then!" Delia called back.
Ash was seriously tempted to kick in his Aura power to get there quicker, but thought against it.. During his training, Arceus taught him that while Aura let you pick up on the minds and actions of others, and detect the Auras of others, it could be used to enhance speed and strength as well. So far he could safely shatter a four-by-six plank. Using it on full he could dent a steel plate, though it hurt like hell. Speed-wise, he could hit thirty miles an hour, except he only had ten minutes at best before it left him winded.
"Aw crap…" Ash muttered, realizing that history was about to repeat itself. A small crowd was gathered around the one person he didn't want to run into today, complete with his cheerleader squad. "Maybe if we just keep running."
Unfortunately, said person spotted him. "Well, well, look what the Meowth dragged out!" The unmistakably smug tone of Gary Oak rang out as he stepped out into Ash's way, forcing him to grind to a halt. "So, where's your start-" There was a collective gasp from the group and a few of the cheerleaders as Ash quickly put up a hand to stop him.
"Gary, we both know what you're trying to pull." Ash muttered, looking less than amused and pointing to the Pokeball in Gary's hand. "I can see you've already gotten a Pokemon, so this whole thing is to get everyone to cheer and stroke your already huge-ass ego. And you thought going out of your way to try and rub it my face would boost it even more."
"Hey! You-you can't do that to Gary!" One of his cheerleaders shouted.
"Yeah! He's Professor Oak's grandson! You're just a-!"
"I know who he is." He pinned the girl with a glare, making her squeak at the tone he used. "I also don't care and have more important things to do right now. So, Gary, I'll leave you to your...admirers." With that, he stepped around the gobsmacked teen and resumed his trek.
"Arrogance doesn't suit you. Not that it really does for anyone." Mew-owth commented, running to catch up with Ash.
"I can't believe him!" The first cheerleader fumed.
"You gotta admit...that was kind of impressive." A third chimed in, a noticeable blush on her cheeks. "Never seen anyone shut Gary down like that
"Who cares? You see those biceps!?" A fourth giggled, her face even redder. "Woo!"
Cheereader Four looked down at the 'I 'heart' Gary Oak' shirt she had on." Think he might have an opening for a cheer squad?"
Meanwhile, Gary just stared as Ash and the Meowth walked off. "W…what just happened!?"
"Well, I have to say, you took the wind out of his sails." Mew-owth said, once they neared the Oak residence.
"After how smug he was the first time, cutting him off would be a lot more satisfying. We might've buried the hatchet after the Indigo Conference, but until then, he never missed a chance to remind me that I was right behind him." Ash snorted in annoyance. "Didn't help that a few people in town helped by putting him on a pedestal, just 'cause he's the Professor's grandson. Maybe...just maybe, this'll get him to pull his head out a little earlier."
"Perhaps. For now, though, I believe we have a certain electric mouse to meet again."
"Right." The two entered the lab to find Oak jotting down something on a clipboard. "Professor Oak? I'm here for my starting Pokemon."
The man looked up. "Hm? Oh, Ash. And Meowth...I really wish you'd let me study you." He finished, slightly under breath but still loud enough for them to hear.
Mew-owth simply gave a feline grin. "And I told you if you could catch me, then you could. And you haven't."
"No…" Oak hung his head.
Ash raised a brow. "What are you talking about?"
Mew-owth simply shrugged. "He saw me while I was having a...discussion with one of the local Pokemon." He made sure to leave out the fact he was threatening to toss that Rhyhorn like a shuttlecock if it didn't stop mocking the pink on his tail. "Anyway, after fangirling..."
"I did not!" Oak protested. "I was simply caught off-guard by a Pokemon that could communicate in a human tongue."
"Right." Mew-owth glance his way. "After you fangirled, you begged me to let you run a few tests on me to see if this was possible to replicate, or a one in a million shot. And I agreed to, if you could capture me."
"I came close one time…"
"You tried to pretend you were an Oddish."
Ash quickly, and loudly, cleared his throat to get their attention. "While this is entertaining...can I get my starting Pokemon?"
"Oh, yes, right." Doing his best to look dignified after having an argument with a Pokemon - and losing - he turned over to where a trio of pokeballs were sitting. "I'm afraid I have good new and bad news. The bad new is, there are only three starters; a Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle...and Gary just left with the last one."
"Why am I not surprised?"
"The good news is, I do have one Pokemon-" There was a sudden 'POP' of a pokeball opening, followed by a mass of crackling electricity rocketing it's way towards Ash.
"PIKA PI!"
"Wha...?" Oak's jaw dropped a little as the Pikachu he'd recently caught zipped up onto Ash's shoulder and started chattering excitedly. While he couldn't catch what was being said, Ash and Mew-owth, on the other hand…
"Holy hell, it's about time you got here, Ash!" Pikachu ranted, stretching to get a crick out of his back. "What the heck kept you!? You know I hate being cooped up in that thing!"
"Sorry, but I had to make sure we still met up! I only got to choose you 'cause I was late last time!"
"So? You could've gotten here at Eleven! Why'd you wait until Two?"
Ash scratched the back of his head. "I...got a little distracted." They both caught the snort of amusement from Mew-owth.
Hearing this, Oak's jaw dropped even farther. "Ash...y-you can speak Pokemon?" He looked like was about to dive over the table. "This is unbelievable! Hearing Meowth was unreal enough, but.. What were you two talking about?"
"Uh...nothing important." Ash and Mew-owth both took a step back
"Ah, keeping things on the down low except for those who know?" Pikachu gave a knowing wink. "Gotcha! Sooo, should I be zapping you then?"
He shrugged. "Not unless you really want to. Was hit with Thunderbolt so much in the last time, I think I've gotten a tolerance to it."
"Ok." Pikachu cracked his knuckles. "Piiikaaa...CHUUU!" Mew-owth quickly threw up a shield around himself as Ash was engulfed in a massive burst of lightning that lasted for several seconds.
"Feel better?" He asked once the shock stopped, not even registering it.
"Just like old times." Pikachu said wistfully. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get out there and get the band back together!"
"Thanks, Professor. Now I gotta head back home to eat and get packed. Bye!"
"Good luck, Ash. Huh, that…that's new." Oak commented after they'd, noticing that Ash looked completely unharmed from the surge. He mentally added that to his 'stuff to research list'. That and Pikachu. It had been antagonistic towards literally every other human that so much as got near it, yet it was instantly overjoyed to see Ash. Like they were old friends.' He mulled over it before finally landing on the only rational reason. 'That boy must have a supreme natural talent as a trainer'
Outside, Mew-owth picked up on the professor's thoughts and couldn't help himself, letting out a raspy cackle.