Those of you who were waiting for me to eventually return to this, your faith has been repaid! I am continuing with this! But first, as part of an ongoing trend lately, I'm going to be rewriting the first chapter! Not only that, but I'm not alone.
You might know Catboy41 from my Remnants multi-cross? Well, he wanted to join in too. So I said, "Sure!" He's writing a parallel story in this very story. Every chapter will alternate between the two of us's perspectives until we meet up. From there, it's going to shift to Third Person, as switching between PoVs rapid-fire-like makes certain people want to hurl.
Enough about that though! As should be known, we do not own Pokémon! Game Freak does, and Nintendo publishes it. Let's start the show!
...
...Gaaah. Where am I? I slowly opened my eyes, my brain not really working right now. The last thing I can clearly remember was downloading that Shiny Gengar for my copy of Pokémon X. I really need to actually pick that back up, but for the life of me, I can't figure out just why I lost interest in it to begin with. I mean, I love Pokémon. It was my first real gaming franchise, and among the first games I've ever played. I watched the Anime religiously from the Orange Islands through the Battle Frontier. I still kept an eye on it during Diamond and Pearl! ...I'm probably going to end up blaming the Unova saga again.
...Wait, I'm going off on a tangent again. Why do I always do that?!
Anyway, I managed to pick myself off of whatever it was that I was lying on and take in my surroundings. Aaaaand, this doesn't look like my room at all. In fact, it looks like a forest. Fantastic. Did I get kidnapped or something? Does kidnap as a word even work in regards to an adult?
Although, something about it looks a bit weird. I can't quite put my finger on it, but these trees seem a little...large. I shook it off. What am I doing? I've just been knocked out and put in a forest from the safety of my own home.
Okay, check everything. Glasses, still on face. Obviously, or I couldn't see. Cargo pants, check. Phone, in pants pocket. Shirt, check. Grey jacket, check, although I could have sworn I took it off when I came home. Backpack, che-wait, why do I have that?
I walked over to what looked a lot like my normal backpack. But it wasn't. It couldn't be, because it was much larger and had numerous pockets. It looked more like a hiking backpack than anything really. And I don't own one of those.
I was about to open it to see what was inside, but that was when my phone started buzzing in its 'You're getting a text" pattern. And that gave me a bit of a fright, I'll admit, since I usually have it turned off of vibrate. I quickly took it out of my pocket. Ah, my Samsung Galaxy SII. I must have dropped you 500 different times by now, but you still work, even with all the little dents and stuff. ...Now why aren't they there?
Stop it! Focus! Who just texted me? I quickly turned the phone on and input my passcode. I hit the space for Messages, of which I only had one. It went as follows:
I apologize in advance if this comes as a shock to you. If I could have contacted you for this, I would have. But I have it from a reliable source that you are very trustworthy.
Allow me to get to the point: I need you to do something for me. It's nothing really special, I just want you to live your life. If you notice anything strange, I want you to text me, but there hopefully won't be anything too much stranger than normal.
Other than that, just have fun and enjoy the ride! I'll see you when you get to Sinnoh!
- A
...This is starting to sound more and more like a self-insert fic. "Fan-frickin'-tastic," I sighed. And Sinnoh? What did this 'A' mean by Sinnoh? How do-wait a second. Something about my voice sounds weird.
"Ehem. Testing, testing, 1 2 3," I said out loud. Yeah, something definitely sounds weird. My ears haven't popped, my nose is clear, and I don't have anything in my throat, so what's going on?
...A sneaking suspicion is crawling up my spine. Oh please, don't let it mean what I think it means! There was only one real way for me to check. I turned my phone off and angled the screen so that it would show me my reflection. And boy was it a reflection!
I recognize this face. Of course I would, because it's my face. But it hasn't looked like this since half a lifetime ago! All the pieces dropped into place, and I could only say one thing.
"WHY THE HELL AM I TEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNN?!"
As soon as I finished screaming that, birds went flying from the trees. Guess I spooked the wildlife. Whoops. Although it's funny. Those birds are kind of large. They almost look like...
...Those are Pidgey. And the occasional Pidgeotto. I unconsciously took a step back as I realized that. Could I seriously be where I think I am?
I swiveled around. There were Caterpie and Weedle in the trees! I think I saw a Spearow too. I'm...I'm...
"I'm in the world of Pokémon?" I breathed out. A lot of things that hadn't really added up suddenly clicked together. The fact that the person responsible mentioned Sinnoh, and the fact that I was 10 suddenly made sense now. I couldn't help it; a grin crept up my face. This...This is something I had always dreamed about as a kid. To actually go to the World of Pokémon and see it for myself. And now I was living it. I'm...I'm tearing up. I can't hep myself, it's just. Too. AWESOME!
I slapped my face. Now is not the time for crying, now is the time to figure out what I had. And that backpack was probably going to be my best bet. Walking over to it, I unzipped the main pocket. Clothes, food, and a sleeping bag. How is all of that fitting in there?
...At this point, I'm just going to assume magic. It's not as though it doesn't exist in Pokémon anyway. Anyway, there were four other pockets on here. The left side one had 10 Pokéballs in it. I guess whoever brought me here is expecting me to catch Pokémon. Well, they're right about that. Even if I don't become a Trainer, having a Pokémon around is always a plus. The right side pocket had 6 Potions in it. Useless without a Pokémon with me though.
But there were also the two back pockets to look through. The upper one had a Berry Pouch, an empty Pokéblock Case (What am I supposed to do with this? I'm not really a Contest guy.), and a TM Case. That last one threw me for a bit. Did that means the specific iteration of the Pokémon World I was in was based off the games or manga? Because TMs don't exist in the Anime as far as I'm aware. Then again, nothing is stopping them from existing. Ugh. Worry about it later!
The bottom one had X and Y's Sprinklotad as well as an Apricorn Case. I kinda like the Wailmer Pail better, although that's probably my slight Gen III bias talking again. Opening the Case, I found a Green and a Black Apricorn. Well, it looks like I can get a Friend Ball and a Heavy Ball straight off the bat if I pass through Azalea Town.
...That reminds me, where am I? Just because I saw just those specific types of Pokémon doesn't really mean anything.
My phone buzzed again, startling me. Bringing it out, I saw 'A''s new text.
You may need these, by the way.
- A
...Whoever this guy is, he just somehow uploaded a couple of apps into my phone! I thought I had better security that that! Anyway, one seemed to be a Pokédex. I guess that's fine, although I don't really need it that much. The other one was the one that really caught my attention: a map. Huzzah! I'll know where I am!
Opening the map app (heh, rhyming on a dime), I immediately discovered that I was in Viridian Forest. ...Seriously? Why Viridian Forest of all places? Nothing too special about the place. Or maybe that was the point? The main problem I'm having is that this stupid map can't tell me where exactly I am! Yeah, I'm in Viridian, but where?!
...It's official, I'm lost. So the only thing I can do is pick a direction and walk. "Lessee...Eeny, meeny, miney, you!" I pointed in a random direction. Looks like that's where I'm going. There's still so many questions that I'm wondering. Why am I here? Who convinced this 'A' that I was so trustworthy?
But I don't really care right now! Pokémon! Yeah! I couldn't help myself; I ran in the direction I picked.
As I walked through the Viridian Forest, I started fiddling with my phone while contemplating my situation. The high had died down, so I was a bit more solemn than I normally was. While yes, I was ecstatic to be in the Pokémon World, I was also questioning a lot of things. Why me? Why did A call for me? And my family, who've been left behind. Will I ever see them again? What are they going through now that I'm gone? I...I'm never going to see them again.
My phone buzzed with a message. Flipping to my inbox, the message read:
I'm sorry...
- A
I paused in my walking. Just how did A know what I was thinking? And who is he? It was then that I took a closer look at the number he was texting me from: 000-0493.
...493? A? I facepalmed at this. I decided to text him back.
You're not exactly subtle, Arceus...
A bit later, I got a text back.
It's not exactly one of my strong suits, no.
Yep, it's Arceus. Or at least, something that claims to be him. But it's probably him. Now for the biggest question on my mind...
So, why me? Why did you need me?
Seriously, what does Arceus need with me? His answer was confusing though.
I'm not sure you'd believe me.
...Seriously? The God of the Pokémon World is telling me I wouldn't believe what he has to say? My phone buzzed again.
No, seriously, you wouldn't believe me. Just follow my earlier instructions and then I'll explain.
...Alright, I'll take your word for it, Arceus. But we are going to have a serious discussion when we meet face-to-face!
Fine. But what about my family? Can I get into contact with them somehow?
That is the second-most prevalent thing on my mind, after all.
Sorry, but that's currently beyond me. You see, I'm kind of in a precarious position right now. No thanks to those three and their squabbles.
Eh? Who's he talking about? I sighed regardless. If even Arceus couldn't get me in contact with my family, then in effect it's as if they all died and I was the only survivor. ...Geez, when did I start thinking morbid things like that?! But it was true.
...
...Then I can't afford to mope around. I'll just push forward and make them proud! Sure, I doubt they would have thought I'd become a resident of the Pokémon World, but that's where I am, so I'm going to go forward! And to do that, I'll need to be a Trainer. Of course, first I need to get out of this flipping forest!
Oh wait, need to text Arceus back first.
It's fine. I know they'll be proud of me no matter what. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try to find my way out of this you-forsaken forest!
As soon as I sent that, he sent me another message.
Alright. Good luck, Chronos Rivers.
Wait, what? Chronos Rivers? That's not my name. That's the name of one of my OCs I made for one of my stories. ...Now that I think about it, why did I give him such a pretentious name? Bah, never mind that! Why did Arceus call me by that? At that thought, the phone then buzzed again. Geez, at this rate it's going to run out of battery!
P.S. You may want to check the Pokédex. It's more than a Pokédex.
More than a Pokédex? What the heck does that mean? ...Suppose that means I should open it then.
Going out of my inbox, I scrolled across to the Pokédex. I paused a bit before hitting it. I mean, this is really my last chance to walk away, isn't it? I know myself; if I hit that button I'm going to be committed to this course.
...
...What have I really got to gain by not going through with this? I hit the button to bring up the menu. Inside, it...was basically the menu from the games, minus the Bag option. Huh. Lessee...Pokémon is useless, since I don't have any. Same with Pokédex, since I haven't caught anything. Or maybe it's running off Anime logic and already has the data in there? I wonder what the Save option does in this situation?
But that was for later, what my eyes were drawn to was the Trainer Card option. That's probably my best bet. Clicking on that revealed a pretty blank Trainer Card. The only thing on it was my mugshot and a few particulars.
Name: Chronos Rivers
Well, that explains why Arceus called me that at least. He's the one who sent me the app, so he probably set the name. As for the actual name, he was probably trying to be funny or something. Well, it didn't work, I'll say that much!
Hometown: Celadon City
Celadon? What an odd choice. At least it's better than Saffron. All the Psychics around there would probably know I'm not actually from there.
Pokémon: 0
No surprise there.
Nature: Rash
Rash?! How am I Rash?! ...Don't answer that. Anyway, there appears to be a QR Code on here as well. I guess that's for reading the Card's information for official stuff.
...Crap, battery is at 50% already?! It was at 100% barely an hour ago! Better turn the power off, quick.
...Well, I guess the only thing I can do now is find a way out. "Lemme see," I muttered, rubbing my chin. "That way!" I decided, pointing directly to my right. I ran off in that direction.
I sighed yet again as I wandered aimlessly through Viridian Forest. I still can't find my way out of here. I'd like to find the exit at some point, you know! I'd even take the exit back towards Viridian City, because at least I'd be in civilization!
I could technically catch one of the Pokémon in here and ask them for help, but knowing my luck I'd get attacked by a swarm of Beedrill! No thanks, I hate bees enough as it is. I don't want to deal with giant bees!
Gah! Come on, universe, give me a break here!
"This trail will lead you to Pewter City."
...Just like that! Thank you, universe! That voice sounds like it's coming from...over there!
Rushing through the trees, I finally managed to get out of Viridian Forest! To my surprise, I recognized the group who were right in front of me, standing on the trail.
That hat, and that Pikachu. That's Ash Ketchum.
...That's Ash Ketchum. No. Flipping. Way. As if I didn't need more of a shock! So, I'm in the Anime, huh?
Well, Arceus asked me to just live my life and look out for anything weird. Considering what all Ash is going to go through, all the weird things are probably going to go by him. So I should probably go with him.
...This is really starting to sound a lot like some crappy self-insert. I know I write a lot of those, but come on! This is a bit cliché, isn't it? Someone magically ending up in the Pokémon World, meeting Ash, showing up everybody. Okay, maybe that last part hasn't happened. But hell, Arceus is the one who brought me here! That just screams cliché!
Well, I'm not going to fall for it! I'll still travel with Ash since he's going to net me the biggest adventure, and who knows? Maybe we'll become friends. But I'm going to work for everything I ever do in this World. I am not becoming a Marty Stu!
Speaking of the Ketchum himself, his voice sounds...strange. It sounds like a blend of Veronica Taylor and Sarah Natochenny's performances, but in a way that he actually sounds like a ten-year-old boy rather than a woman trying to play one. Misty, who I almost forgot about, sounds exactly like she did in the original series though. And that Samurai kid with the Pinsir and Metapod...I don't actually remember what he sounds like, so who cares. I'm not going to see him again anyway.
Aaaaaand Ash and Misty appear to be leaving. Crap! Me and my tangents! "Waitwaitwait!" I yelled as I ran over to them. Unfortunately, just as I was about to clear the forest limits, I tripped over an exposed root, and fell flat on my face. Owwwwwwww. At least my glasses didn't break...
"Um, are you okay?" Ash wondered in concern. He and Misty were just staring at me. Who can blame them? Guy just runs out of a forest then trips over something? I'd stare too.
"Ow. Yeah, I'm fine," I lied. Actually, I think I sprained my left hand's wrist. Then again, I'm prone to exaggeration, so I probably am fine. "Anyway, did you say this was the way to Pewter City?" I asked of the samurai kid.
"I did. You were eavesdropping?!" he demanded, resting a hand on his...sword. Who the hell gives a kid live steel?!
Outwardly, I rolled my eyes at this. "Tune it down, Musashi Miyamoto. I get lost for ages in there, then I hear someone else's voice. Of course I'm going to see who it is."
"Wow. How'd that happen?" Misty wondered. Meanwhile, the samurai bug catcher was trying to figure out whether or not I had complimented him by comparing him to Musashi Miyamoto.
I shrugged. "Wasn't my idea. Sucks enough that I didn't have any Pokémon with me to help."
"Wait, you went into Viridian Forest without any Pokémon? Who does that?" she asked incredulously. Fair question, but it's not like it was my fault.
"Again, not my idea. I'm just glad to be out," I admitted. "Anyway, if you guys are headed to Pewter, do you mind if I come with you?" I pleaded. This is it. The make-or-break moment.
Ash just smiled. "Sure, why not?" he said rhetorically. I sighed in relief. I'll admit there was another reason I wanted to go with them.
I don't like being alone. Being alone...is probably the worst thing that can happen to someone.
Meanwhile, they had introduced themselves while I was thinking that. Gotta stop spacing out all the time!
"Nice to meet you two! I'm Chronos Rivers, from, uh, Celadon City," I somewhat awkwardly said. That's going to take some getting used to.
Ash blinked at that. "You came here all the way from Celadon?" he wondered. Can't blame him, since that's a fair distance away from Route 2.
"I got lost," I blithely said.
"But-!"
"I got really lost," I interrupted his protests to say. Besides, he isn't going to have room to talk soon. Didn't he get so lost he went to the North Pole once?
Meanwhile, Samurai guy was blinking. "You are Chronos Rivers?" he questioned.
I blinked in response. How did this guy know who 'I' was? "Uh, yeah. Why?" I wondered.
The samurai responded by taking out a Poké Ball. "I believe this is yours then," he said, handing me it. I just blinked again, while Misty questioned him about it.
"You didn't mention that earlier," she pointed out.
"It appeared out of nowhere earlier. You were fretting about your Metapo-I mean Butterfree, so I didn't want to distract you. I checked the registration; it's his," he explained, looking at Ash as he said that.
Huh? Before I could ask how he did that, Ash did it for me. "How'd you do that?" he wondered. Oh good, I'm not the only one wondering.
"Don't you know anything, Ash? The trainer info is on the back of all the Poké Balls!" Misty said disapprovingly. Wait, weren't there occasions where Ash picked the wrong Poké Ball when they all got mixed up between the group? ...Then again, this is Ash we're talking about. Guy never knew that the Pokédex could check the moves of his Pokemon until he met Paul. Which was in Sinnoh.
"Who looks at the back of a Poké Ball?" he questioned.
"Gah! You're hopeless!" Misty said in defeat, raising her arms up as she said that, as if questioning Arceus why she was hanging out with him. Which at this point, was because of her bike. But that is yet again tangential to what's going on. I have a Poké Ball. It appears to be full, judging by the red light on the front. It's registered to me. So I might as well see what's in it.
Wordlessly, I tossed the Poké Ball into the air, causing it to open and release the Pokémon inside in a flash of white light. Thus it revealed..."Ee-vui!"...an Eevee. Wait, an Eevee?!
...Gah! Cuteness...Proximity...my one true weakness! This was only added to when the Eevee snuggled up next to my leg. GAH! So...cute!
"Aw, an Eevee! It's so cute!" Misty squealed.
"Wow! Those are super rare Pokémon!" Ash gushed. That quickly sobered my mood like a bucket of ice to the face of someone asleep.
"Yeah...they are, aren't they?" The tone of my voice, sobered them up pretty well. Even Pikachu was looking at me funnily. As for the Eevee, it backed up slightly to figure out what was going on.
"What's wrong?" Ash wondered. I suppose I do owe it to him, even if I'm going to sound crazy.
"It's just...you're right, Ash. Eevee are super rare. I personally have never heard of wild Eevee being found in Kanto." Not to mention this is also a fan favorite of those Mary Sue trainers. Or so I've heard at least. I don't usually foray into the depths that are Pokémon fanfiction.
"It's just...doesn't it seem a bit convenient that I just happen to get an Eevee?" I continued.
"I think you're being crazy, personally. Who looks a gift Ponyta in the mouth?" Misty said in a deadpan tone.
"It just seems fishy. Forgive me for being suspicious!" I yelled. At that, though, Eevee's eyes started watering up. I softened up, leaning down to pat its head. "Oh, Eevee, I'm not blaming you. You didn't do anything other than be yourself. I'm just a bit worried, is all." Trying to figure out how to get off this awkward topic, I remembered something. "I know! How about I see which moves you know so we can start planning ahead?" I offered, standing up and bringing out my phone. Eevee perked up and nodded its head in agreement. I opened the Pokédex app, then hit the Pokédex option in the menu. Using my phone's camera, it automatically scanned Eevee and spat out a report from the speakers.
"Eevee, the Evolution Pokemon. A rare Pokémon that adapts to harsh environments by taking on different evolutionary forms. Thanks to its unstable genetic make-up, this special Pokémon conceals many different possible evolutions. This Eevee is female and has the ability Adaptability. She knows the moves Tackle, Quick Attack, Sand Attack, and Baby-Doll Eyes."
Well, at least her moveset is normal. Maybe I was worrying for nothing. ...Wait, doesn't Eevee learn Swift before Quick Attack normally? Ah, whatever.
"Well, that's a good movepool to start off with, Eevee," I complimented. At this, Eevee leaped for joy. And boy can she jump! She almost cleared my head with that! ...With legs like that, she can probably learn Dig fairly easily. In fact, that's what I'm going to teach her first. Dig. It's a fairly useful attack, after all.
"Hey, how did your Pokédex know which moves Eevee knows?" Ash questioned. Hello, opportunity! I might be able to jumpstart Ash a bit!
"It's a feature. You didn't know?" I pretended to be surprised. At this, Ash looked sheepish...or should that be Mareepish?
Misty rolled her eyes. "Wow, Ash, you're on a roll today. Even I knew that!"
"Sh-Shut up!" he said in an embarrassed tone. He took out his own 'Dex and rescanned all of his Pokémon.
"Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon. It raises its tail to check its surroundings. The tail is sometimes struck by lightning in this pose. If threatened, it looses small electric charges from the electric sacs on its cheeks. This Pikachu is Male and has the Ability Static. He knows the moves Thunder Shock, Quick Attack, Thunder Wave, and Charge."
"Pidgeotto, the Bird Pokémon. Very protective of its sprawling territorial area, this Pokémon will fiercely peck at any intruder. The claws on its feet are well developed. It can carry prey such as an Exeggcute to its nest over 60 miles away. This Pidgeotto is Female and has the Ability Keen Eye. She knows the moves Gust, Sand Attack, Quick Attack, and Aerial Ace.
"Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokémon. It loves the honey of flowers and can locate flower patches that have even tiny amounts of pollen. The wings are protected by rain-repellent dust. As a result, this Pokémon can fly about even in rain. This Butterfree is Male and has the Ability Compound Eyes. He knows the moves Confusion, Bug Bite, Gust, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, and Sleep Powder."
Huh...those are decent movepools. Some of the later generation moves are there too. Did he really have all of this but never actually used it?
...Right, that's it. I don't really care about myself, I'm just going to make sure this guy wins a tournament that isn't the Orange League or Battle Frontier!
Outwardly, I nodded. "Those are pretty good, Ash," I complimented. I then squinted at the Sun. "It looks like it's getting pretty late though. We should probably get going," I pointed out.
Ash and Misty agreed. I called Eevee back into her Ball and minimized it to clip it to my belt. My first Pokémon...even if it is a bit of a cliché, it's still awesome! I can't wait to see what happens next! The three of us walked on towards Pewter City, saying goodbye to the Samurai guy.
We're on the road to Pewter City! ...That doesn't really roll off of the tongue as much as "On the road to Viridian City" does.
Episode 01 - Fin