Always in stories it either takes a character forever to notice something is wrong, or they just have a prevailing sense of wrong that has them acting suspicious until the big twist jumps out at them screaming 'UGA BUGA' so they can go 'AHA I KNEW IT!'.

I knew something was wrong from the moment I opened my eyes as I could actually see the ceiling in detail.

I guess being legally blind without my glasses had to one day come in handy right?

Slowly I sat up frowning as I looked around the room that was brightening steadily thanks to the morning sun. It looked like a childs room, a child who was rather obsessed with gen 1 Pokemon judging by the themed decorations.

Hoping that I was just put in here because I passed out or something and the child was out I carefully got out of the bunk like bed and stretched before noticing something else. Something rather horrifying.

My tits were gone.

In slow disbelief I touched my chest hoping it was a trick of the light. Nope totally flat chest. For a brief few moments I thought I'd somehow regressed in age before remembering.

My room doesn't look like this.

My childhood room didn't look like this.

My hair wasn't like this in my childhood.

I realized the last point when trying to think I ran my hands through my hair and came up short. As a child apparent from during….A time I didn't like thinking about, I had pretty ridiculously long hair. This was shorter even then the bob/pixie cut I'd got lately to deal with the heatwaves, hell I couldn't' even pull any down far enough to check the colour of it.

It was then I finally noticed it, I'd been scanning the room for any sign of a mirror I could check my reflection in. And...there they were.

Jeans

A t-shirt

A vest.

Fingerless gloves.

And an official Pokemon league hat.

I slowly walked over picking up the hat and looked inside the brim, there in marker where the damning words.

'Ash Ketchum'

"Oh fuck me with a rusty Steelix….Sideways."

After a quick examination that made me feel ill and like I should be on a watch list and oh god I'm going to have to close my eyes everytime I go to the bathroom- I could confirm, I am very much in the...Ten year old...Male...Ash Ketchum from the Pokemon Anime…

"Ok, ok, ok. You can work with this. I mean Hoenn is honestly my generation but hey generation one, you can work with it, doesn't have many cool pokemon and your stuck with a fucking Pikachu but it's not all bad-" I paused in my pacing and muttering to myself.

"Wait...Who the fuck says I'm stuck with a fucking Pikachu. I'm on time, hell I'm early..." Slowly I grinned and started shedding clothes, a ringing started pounding in my ears steadily getting louder but I could ignore tinnitus as I giggled.

"I'll get there before anyone else and snag a pokemon, let Gary or an unnamed extra get the Mouse." Adjusting the hat I grinned and reached for the handle "Me and my Charmander will-"

"CHAR!" Flames briefly flickered across my vision driving off a few Sperow and setting their feathers alight but incensed more swarmed. One Pecked at my head hard enough that I swear I heard and felt my skull start to crack as I fell to the ground, through the rain I could see the little fire lizard crying out at the vicious pecks and scratches his flames growing weaker and weaker.

Before another bastard Spearow landed in front of me and drove its beak into my eye-

I gasped stumbling back from the door and falling on my ass, staring at the door as the image of a beak impaling itself into my orbital socket pressed against my mind.

"What the everloving shit was that….?" I stared at the door frowning with the sudden realization that the alarm like ringing in my ears had stopped, it was more a low drone now. "What the hell?" I looked around for the source before I finally spotted it.

Sitting in the corner of my eye, just before your blindspot starts there was sat a….Gauge?

It was the best way I could think to describe it, a fuel gauge that was hovering at just over three quarters...full? I guessed? Having no idea if it would work I reached out to touch it, nothing.

Turned my head, it moved so that it stayed in the same place.

Ok this was some kind of...visual hallucination?

Having another thought I put up two fingers holding them so that they were just over the Gauge and flicked them as if I was swiping on a tablet.

To my shock it fucking worked and the Gauge appeared infront of me bigger then before. It was then I could see what it said.

On one side 'Canon'

On the other 'Death'

And the needle was three quarters of the way to Death but the longer I sat there it seemed to be steadily going down, as it went down the ringing seemed to get quieter.

"The fuck?" I frowned and slowly sat up, The Gauge stayed the same size in my vision.

"Alright...Bulbasaur has a pretty easy time of the early gam-" As I touched the handle the alarm rose to a fever pitch and-

I was running, crying as the rain howled and thunder cracked. They'd ripped her apart, tearing apart the little plant type and eating her in front of me, but their hunger and thirst for blood wasn't stated, there was fresh meat right here and it was unprotected.

I screamed as I fell and a searing pain ran up my leg, before I could even try getting up I could feel talons and beaks digging into my arms and neck-

"Jesus fucking Christ!" I pushed myself back from the door panting and checking my neck for claw marks before sighing. "...How the fuck hasn't Deliah or whatever her name is woken up, I've not exactly been *quiet*" I sigh reluctantly, going back to the bed and sitting watching as the room brightened bit by bit.

"So, I'm stuck here, and I'm stuck getting a fucking Pikachu….Fine." I go to the door and pause wincing at the ringing again "I'm not gonna leave the house! I just...Want to look around and see if there's anything I'd like to add to my backpack." The ringing got quieter and I had the impression the Gauge was somehow side eyeing me but hey I'd take what I'd get.

The house was quiet as I crept through carefully avoiding looking at pictures of Ash and his mother that….I didn't want to deal with that yet...Or at all really. Honestly I'm not sure what was going to turn my stomach more, the thought of wearing someone else's face, or having to deal with my mother issues.

Thank god while she was a recurring character she wasn't a *main* character.

….

Wait, she was a main character when we got to Alola wasn't she?….If...We got to Alola….

Least I get a Rowlet.

Finally I more or less found what I was after, a bookcase half filled with nick nacks and half filled with books. While part of me wanted to just, grab every single book, especially the fiction ones but. Have to be practical. A book about safe foraging, another about hunting (Which, being there was enough to make my brain hurt for a moment but useful is useful) and with those I started rummaging through drawers before finally I grinned.

"Perfect."

The hours before the Gauge would let me go where actual fucking *agony* I hated it. I hated it so much knowing that I had to be somewhere at a particular time and that I wasn't allowed to be early like my constant paranoia demanded. Lack of stimulation was doing nothing good for my ADHD either, at least the books were a decent distraction. Though every few minutes I was checking the fucking Gauge.

Finally after what felt like forever, the dial ticked over to Canon, I jumped out of bed already clothed (Which had killed all of five minutes of boredom, four of those where spent trying to awkwardly take off boxers without looking then figuring out how to get a fresh pair *on* while still not looking).

I ran past Debra yelling as I went "SORRY I'M LATE GOTTA GO BYE!" Before taring out the front door and into the outside world. I faltered for a moment taken aback by the sounds of normal birdsong, intercut with 'Pidgy! Pidgy! Speaaaaaaaarow!' But I supposed I'd get used to that eventually as I kept running my leg's somehow knowing the way despite me having never seen this fucking place before.

It was...Actually nice being able to run like this, I'd been an overweight and sickly child, prone to chest infections that'd damaged my lungs, and weak ankles that I often went over on. Plus a sedentary life style, I'm pretty sure this was the fastest I've ever run in my life. I grinned to myself just enjoying the moment.

"Hey Ash!"

Moment ruined.

I stumbled a little before managing to stop myself sighing at the smirking sight of Gary Oak.

"What?"

"What's the big rush for, you already missed the giveaway~" He grinned tossing a pokeball up in the air "And my grandpa made sure to give me the best one."

"You might want to be careful who you say that to, Professor Oak could get in major trouble if people think he's being unfairly biased." Gary looked startled at that and actually worried for a moment before smirking again.

"Whatever Ash, you're just bitter you get sloppy seconds!"

"...Oh who the fuck taught you that one because I'm pretty sure Oak would be checking your internet history and scrubbing your mouth."

"Whatever, smell you later!" I sighed watching with dull acceptance as Gary got into a sports card and took a moment as he drove off to rub my temples.

"Note to self, look up driving laws, ten year olds really shouldn't be driving." I sigh before continuing at a more sedate jog the lab now in sight, though internally. Still kinda huffy I don't get to pick.

I plastered on a smile as Oak made me go through the whole song and dance of going through every pokeball only to rub in my face about another trainer getting here on time. I just kinda wanted to scream 'I WANTED TO BE ON TIME THE STUPID GAUGE WOULDN'T LET ME'. But I had a feeling that I might get carted away by Chancey in a nice white van if I did that…

Finally after having to embarrass myself by begging (Which he was an ass for, 4Ever established that timeloop nonsense he should have just GAVE ME THE STUPID RAT!) He revealed the lightning bolt marked Pokeball and I picked it up, it was much lighter then I thought, lighter then the replicas people made. Lighter then those Pokeball things with random booster packs and coins they have sometimes in shops.

The ball opened and for a moment I was dazzled by the light making my eyes sting before. It was revealed.

"Oh you are so cute!" I couldn't help it! I may not *like* Pikachu but he looked as soft and fluffy as Detective Pikachu looked and I just couldn't.

I picked up the cutie.

The only thing stopping me from screaming every swear word I knew was the electric shock locking my jaws closed before I finally collapsed.

This is going to fucking suck