NOTICE : this story is being rewritten. all chapters are being replaced and updated
At age nine, Ash and his mother payed a visit to Kalos. It was expensive, but his mother had a week off. According to her, it was for sightseeing. Ash doesn't mind - in fact, he's ecstatic. Not for the sights, of course, but for the pokemon. There were lots that Ash had never seen before !
"There really are a lot of different Pokemon ..." His mother notes as they walk, clearly attempting to catch his attention. She fails, of course, as her son ignores her, drinking in every detail of the foreign pokemon. Delia smiles warmly, despite her sigh. Ash was already dead set on becoming a pokemon trainer - and, to add, a pokemon master. But he didn't really know anything about pokemon. He simply waved it off as unimportant - he'd learn it as he went. But that ... wasn't how he'd become a successful trainer.
Perhaps she could get some help from Professor Sycamore - as family friends to Professor Oak, he'd been showing them around, so perhaps.
On the second day of their visit, Ash finds an injured pokemon. It's a Kalos pokemon, a small bird. A Fletchling, he thinks it was called. It's lying on it's side, bruised and battered. Ash isn't sure if it has a trainer, as there's nobody else nearby. He can't just leave it though. What would happen to it if he left it there ? Ash loves pokemon with all his heart, he simply couldn't.
A droplet of rain hits his nose, and Ash makes a decision.
The Fletchling isn't terribly injured, and wriggles as he picks it up, but ultimately stays still. Ash wonders if it knows he's going to help. The rain picks up, but Ash doesn't mind, pulling the flying type closer to him.
Ash considers where he should go. To the pokemon center, or to the lab ? The lab was closer, not to mention that Ash doesn't have the trainer license he needs to go the Pokemon Center. Mind made up, the boy hurries to the lab.
"It wasn't too injured, and it's made a full recovery." Sycamore explains. Ash beams as the Fletchling appears. "It does have a trainer, though. I've contacted him, and he's come to pick it up." Sycamore adds.
"But why'd he leave Fletchling ?" Ash asks, confused. He'd simply found Fletchling there, without a trainer. Ash doesn't quite understand. "And how'd you even find it ?" It didn't make sense to him, really.
"This Fletchling just likes going out on it's own sometimes. He's treated it well." Sycamore answers breezily, though he's grinning as he looks over at the small bird. It's clear that he's absolutely certain "The Pokeball leaves a mark on the Pokemon. Certain devices can pick it up, so that they can find the trainer."
"Oh." That was far too complicated for Ash to understand, but he was trying.
Ash encounters a Froakie on the third day. It shows up when Ash came to visit the Pokemon. Professor Sycamore had warned him against looking for wild Pokemon, and Ash was inclined to listen, reluctant as he was.
Ash recognizes it from the first day, when Professor Sycamore was showing them around. It had payed him passing interest then, but now it seems to be judging him. Ash fidgets slightly, but offers a big grin.
"Uh ... Hi ! You're Froakie, right ?" Ash tries, kicking his legs from his seat. Recieving an affirmative, Ash grins wider, if possible. "I'm Ash ! I'm going to be a pokemon master !" He says, confidently.
Ash managed to coax Froakie into talking with him more. After the first meeting, Ash made it a personal mission to befriend the frog pokemon before the end of the week.
And, apparently, he'd succeeded. It wasn't too hard either, as Froakie didn't attempt to avoid Ash, no matter how judgemental the starter was being. Ash was still trying to figure out the reason why, but to no avail.
Too bad they had to leave today. As glad as Ash was to be going back to familiar settings, it also meant leaving Froakie and the other pokemon he'd befriend behind. They at least understand, despite the considering expression on Froakie's face that Ash missed.
"Professor Sycamore called earlier." Ash's mother speaks. "He wants to talk to you." Ash looks up, confused.
"Why ?" He asked. She smiles.
"Why don't you ask him ?" Is all Delia says. Ash sighs in defeat and gets up, hurrying to the phone. He has to admit, he really does want to know.
"Froakie's abandoned many trainers in the past." Sycamore explains. "And yet, you haven't even started your journey." He seems more curious than anything, holding a pokeball in his hands.
"... What does that mean ?" Ash asks, more for confirmation than anything. He knows what the professor is saying, but he wants to be certain
"What I'm saying is that Froakie chose you. Why, I'm not quite sure. I'd like to send him over." Sycamore grins. Ash restrains himself from running to Oak's lab for the transport.
"... I mean, I have a pokemon now. But ... I guess being a trainer means more than I thought." Ash frowns. It was still only a few months until he got his trainer's lisence. But the reason he was doing this was primarily because of Froakie - he didn't want to make Froakie regret coming with, after all.
"Of course !" Delia answers, appearing relieved. "It might be a bit much to learn everything now, though ..." I mean, he only had a few months.
"... At least the Pokemon food turned out okay." Ash sighs. Froakie shrugs as he eats the brown pellets. Delia was in the kitchen, doing he best to clean up after Ash's mess.
His attempt at making food at turned out terribly. Every single time. He'd almost burned down the kitchen, and his mother had given up. He could make good pokemon food, the same that Froakie was eating, though. Human food, however ? ... Well, no.
"That's a lot of pokemon ... I don't have to learn them all, do I ?" He only had a few months, after all. Delia shook her head.
"Only the important ones. Once you start your journey you'll have to continue, though." She gives Ash a stern look. Ash deflates comically.
"This will probably be easier once I get the pokedex." Ash sighs. Froakie shrugs. "So, uh, you can learn a whole bunch of moves ... Maybe, just, not ?" Froakie gives him a confused look. Ash huffs, but elaborates
"Not moves, but speed and stuff. I think ?" Ash frowns. He thinks that was a part of training ... He read about it, but he hadn't really kept it in mind. Froakie, however, nods, understanding his attempts.
Ash wakes up to a face full of frubbles. He yelps and jolts out of bed, wiping it off his face with some effort. He glares at Froakie, who's watching him innocently.
"Hey, what's the big deal ?" He snaps, glaring halfheartedly. Froakie just points at his alarm, which had failed to awaken him. Ash winces. "Well, thanks I guess ..." Ash grumbles. If Froakie hadn't woken him, he would've been late. He doesn't appreciate the method, but Ash is at least glad Froakie woke him at all.
Professor Oak's lab is maybe five minutes away. Ash readies himself. He doesn't spend long at breakfast, either. He's simply too eager. Froakie hurries, too. Ash suspects it's less because he's eager and more to spare himself from Ash's eager nagging.
Luckily, they arrive at the lab on time, though Froakie has been recalled. Ash had kept Froakie as a secret of sorts - Gary was bad enough without anything to be jealous over. Knowing Ash already had a pokemon would make it worse, and Ash would rather avoid dealing with this.
"Ah, hello !" The professor greets as Ash walks in. The other trainers are already here, presumably because Ash had spent more time at home. He'd already wished a farewell to his mother and made sure he had everything on him, making him presumably more prepared than the others, excluding Gary.
"Now, there's four of you, so I'd like to ask which of you would step back and get a different starter ?" Oak asks. Ash hesitates. He hadn't realized that there'd be only three of the average starters, despite knowing already that four were becoming trainers. Then, seeing the other's hesitance(Gary seems entirely unconcerned), Ash nods. He already had Froakie, so perhaps getting a different starter wouldn't hurt him too much.
"I'll do it." Ash speaks up. Oak appears unsurprised, as he smiles and proceeds to allow the other trainers to choose their pokemon. Gary chooses first, a squirtle. Otherwise, Ash doesn't care - he doesn't know the other trainers much at all, as they were from other places in Kanto.
Ash watches as Oak hands out the Pokedexes to the others, then turns to Ash, still smiling kindly. Ash beams with excitement, following the elderly Professor as he motions to the boy.
"I have another Pokemon, a Pikachu, but I haven't managed to tame it." Oak sighs. Ash blinks, then hesitates. Okay, so a wild Pikachu, probably one with little interaction with humans. He'd be more okay with this if Froakie wasn't weak to Electric types. Ash then takes the pokeball on the table, frowning.
"I'll do it !" Ash agrees, nodding. It might be a bit hard, but he can do it. All he really needs is to get Pikachu to listen to him, then he can work up from there. "I'll take it outside, though." No use ruining Oak's lab, after all.
"Alright ... I hope it doesn't attack us." Ash sighs. Froakie seems somewhat worried, presumably due to the fact that it's an electric type. Ash is somewhat glad that it's now, though - the next gym leader trains rock types, and iron tail admittedly takes fairly long to teach. Unless he wanted to sweep it with Froakie, but that wasn't quite fair.
A Pikachu forms as Ash presses the button. It shakes itself out, then promptly sends out a thundershock, of which Ash throws himself out of the way. It hadn't been aimed at Froakie, and while Froakie appreciated not getting hit, he couldn't appreciate the intent. The bubble frog glares and lets out an indignant "Froa !", to which the Pikachu glares. Ash sighs, sitting up.
"Please don't fight ..." Ash sighs. Froakie quiets, but remains tense. Ash turns back to Pikachu. "Okay, my name's Ash Ketchum. I'm your trainer." Pikachu merely glares, fur ruffled. Ash sighs. This would take a while.
ok so hopefully this is ok. This first chapter is around 2k, but I'll be trying to reach 5k in the later chapters. This is just full of short things ok. the future chapters should be a bit better, but no promises. i decided not to go over ash getting pikachu to listen, because im super lazy :^)
so for readers who didnt read the first one(and please dont now that ur here), hello ! this is basically the usual 'stronger ash' fic, but i hope to make it a little bit different ? he behaves a little bit differently early on because i just,,,,,,,,,, . anyways, ash sort of gets froakie. i'm going to try and make sure he stays in character, because its a major pet peeve when ash basically acts completely different from the anime. i dont think im succeeding. i sure hope sam(from my other fic, gleaming) and ash dont become the same character lmao
and, relating to the first fic, the backstory behind how ash got froakie changed because it was awful in the first fic o h my go d... the first fic was ? so cringy ? i mean, the way he gets froakie is flimsy at best here, but the other way,,,,,, im not even going to talk about it,,,,,, please don't read it its my worst nightmare. i embodied what i hated in fanfics and i want to d i e. this isnt too much better, as it's literally three months after the first, but anyways,,,,
also i'd like to point out, for those who didn't realize, the fletchling was the reason Froakie took interest in Ash. though im not sure if i should do anything with fletchling later.
im wonderng if charizard should be shiny tho ? id like to note that this will change ash's kanto team ; instead of an espeon, a shiny umbreon, and a clefairy, he will get a sylveon. ash will get espeon and umbreon much later, however, though clefairy was mostly there for fairy typing lmao.
ash's pokemon ; froakie, pikachu