"Urgh!" He grunted in pain, holding his ribs. All he felt was agony. A large trail of blood followed him as his wobbly legs forced him to keep moving.
"Fuuh!" He yelled before tripping over a stone and falling to the ground, making his already painful wounds burn even further into the agony. He screamed from the impact, hoping something or someone would find him from the loud noise, sides he wanted to scream anyways...it hurt, yet he smirked as the pain burned his flesh like he almost enjoyed it. The young man slowly crawled across the ground, attempting to make his way up the road. He suddenly heard the sound of a bicycle, then a loud yell.
"Oh my god! Are you okay!?" An unknown woman screamed. He quickly felt hands on his shoulders before being flipped to lay on his back. He hissed from the stinging sensation.
"I..I'm...alive." He breathed. He could barely see her face, just brown eyes and hair.
"We need to get you to the ER!" She yelled. "I need to call someone!"
"Hurrry...lll...losing blood..." He sighed. The next few minutes were a blur. The man heard the faint sound of a siren...but he couldn't be certain. He felt the sting as he was being placed on something and squinted from the bright lights inside what he perceived as the interior of a vehicle, then he blacked out.
(POV SWAP)
He jolted awake and sat up, yelling in pain from the sudden movement before laying back down laying back down again. He looked around. He was in a room, he assumed from the simple and very hygienic interior….that he was most likely in a hospital. All he did was look around the room for what to him seemed like minutes, but was actually more like hours.
His eyes narrowed from the sound of the door opening. The man's guard was raised, his caution never leaving him as the visitor walked in. The woman that came from the entrance had blue hair and almost crimson eyes. She was obviously a police officer from her uniform and the hat. The woman sat down next to him on a stool.
"You seem to be in terrible shape young man." She pointed out, her eyes full of concern. He simply chuckled.
"oh...did you just notice? Or did the pounds of bandages not make it clear?" He smirked. This was only time he will show humor, as it helped when the pain hit. The officer covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to stifle a small giggle.
"Well, either way, what happened to you? You had multiple gunshot wounds and a staggering amount of cuts and bruises..." She explained, her expression returned to being concerned. "What did you do to get into such trouble?"
"Well…i...*cough* *cough*...got mugged" He hissed from a sudden jolt of pain. He was lying, but she didn't need to know that.
"What's your name, sir?" She asked.
"Its….Jack" The man replied.
"And your last name?" The officer asked.
"Uhh…don't have one" he answered. His tone back to being serious. "What's your name?"
"Officer Jenny!" She smiled.
"Now...is that all?" Jack asked, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible.
"Why did they mug you? Did they take anything of yours? Any items of value?" Jenny asked. His eyes darkened before he sighed.
"They took all my possessions, and decided to try and take care of the only witness" he said before letting out a sharp exhale from the pain.
"Well... thanks for clearing that up" She said, standing up. "You'll be in here for a few more days, your healing up exceptionally fast."
Jack nodded before Jenny walked through the door into the next room. He watched her exit, he sighed. It was gonna be a long day. He always hated hospitals, well..at least here they probably gave pain meds.
He sat there looking up at the ceiling for multiple hours, thinking about...anything...something to take his mind off the horrible situation he now found himself in. He wondered what he would do once he was out. Get revenge? No...that never worked, not with them. He heard the door open once more.
"How are you doing?" A pink nurse asked, concern laid in her voice. The man was still extremely cautious of the woman, her concern only making him more confused.
"I'm alive.…what's the damage?" He asked..
"Well, we removed about ten bullets lodged in your muscle fibers, and about three more that were embedded in your ribs" She explained, obviously uncomfortable with telling him this information. Jack simply nodded, it wasn't anything serious...he could still exert himself without too many repercussions.
"It's a miracle you're still alive. I'm here to give you a rundown on where you should go once we can't take care of you anymore" The nurse added. Jack nodded his head. "After you leave, we'll have the Ketchum's take you in. Mrs. Ketchum was very insistent that you stay with her, she was the one who found you on the road after all"
"...are they good people?" He asked.
"They are some of the nicest people in town!" The nurse smiled.
"Alright.." Jack replied.
She nodded before taking out a small syringe. He grunted as he felt the needle go into his flesh.
"This should keep the pain down for a little while..." The nurse explained before taking out the needle.
"What's your name?" He asked.
"It's Nurse Joy" She smiled.
"Joy..." Jack mumbled, watching as Nurse Joy walked out of the room. He sighed for the second time as she closed the door, he wasn't going to enjoy the rest of his time here. At least it was better than those small military hospitals...much cleaner.
(POV SWAP)
The days that passed were filled with nothing but frustration for the young man, he couldn't train, work out...or even stretch. He had to keep getting muscle therapy from the nurse because he had so much lead poured into his body. Wasn't this sort of thing normal to them? The food he ate wasn't bad, much better than the rations he used to eat. The worst part was not moving, he liked to move. He was stuck in the bed the entire time he was there, so to say he was thrilled when they said he'd be leaving was an understatement.
Jack made his way down the hall towards reception, limping as he did so. He refused the crutches Nurse Joy offered him, he didn't need them. She walked right beside him with a worried look on her face, in case he grew dizzy and collapsed. The Nurse had never seen someone refuse crutches before...especially when the person in question had deep gashes that were still healing on their legs.
"Are you feeling well?" She asked. Jack nodded.
"...just tired" He replied. The man was lying, he was far from alright. His legs felt like someone was stabbing them. His arms felt weak and his torso felt like someone was pouring melted lead on them, but his pride would never let him tell anyone that.
"Oh! You're alright!" The same woman who saved Jack yelled from reception. He remembered that her name was Delia Ketchum. She had deep brown eyes and brown hair in a ponytail. "Oh I was terrified that you weren't gonna make it!"
"I'll live...I always do, for better or worse" He replied. Jack's legs suddenly got wobbly, he grabbed the counter for balance. "I'm fine."
"You, young man, are not Fine! You look terrible..." Mrs. Ketchum said in an almost scolding tone. His eyes narrowed at her voice.
"You need to rest more! And you need to get good food in your belly!" she continued.
"Alright." Jack sighed, there was no negotiating with her from the look of it. He gave in and pushed off the counter and limped towards the door, Mrs. Ketchum walked alongside him. He opened the door and walked outside. His eyes were immediately blinded by the light of the bright sun beaming down on him.
"Welcome to pallet town!" She said, gesturing towards the town. It was the average country town. Dirt roads and small houses, he wasn't complaining, the farther he was from large populations the better. He had a target on his head now after all. The man saw a few groups of houses here and there, it was a peaceful place. Pokémon were walking everywhere alongside people in harmony, he was surprised.
"It's...nice." Jack said. Mrs. Ketchum nodded.
"Yep, our little town! Now, come with me so I can show you where you're staying." she explained. He nodded before they began to walk, well one walk the other limp, to the house.
The Ketchum house was very simple in design, like most things around here. It was a simple two floored house with white walls and a red roof. It had a small yard guarded by a short fence that went around the entire house.
"This is...a nice...home." He remarked as he quickly looked it over. It was almost spotless on the outside, barely any wear on the paint, it looked new.
"Thank you, I try," Mrs. Ketchum smiled. The pair walked in and the interior was pleasing to the eye as well. It was very average, unlike most houses Jack had been in.
"Who's that?" A kid asked from the kitchen. He had spiky hair and piercing brown eyes. The boy wore jeans and a black shirt. He walked over, looking at his mother with a questioning stare.
"Ash, this is Jack, the young man i was talking about" She explained.
'So the kids name is Ash, interesting name' Jack thought to himself. The kid didn't even look like a teen yet.
"Oh, well nice to meet you! Names Ash" Ash greeted, extending his hand.
"I'm Jack" he took his hand and shook it.
"Pleasure to meet you Jack!" The boy replied before heading back to the table and eating his lunch.
Jack looked towards Mrs. Ketchum.
"So, where will I be staying?" He asked.
"Oh! Let me show you your room" she gestured for him to follow. The pair began to walk upstairs. The man gasped from moving his legs so high and almost collapsed. "Are you alright!?"
He waved Mrs. Ketchum off before pulling himself up, using the railing to get himself to his feet. After a few moments, he finally made his way to the top floor.
"You okay?" Delia asked one more time to make sure. He nodded. "Your room is right here"
She gestured to a door to her left. Opening it up to reveal the place he'll be staying. The room interior was very bland and simple, with a bed, closet and even a full length mirror to the right of it. He liked it, it felt welcoming.
He could see a few extra clothes on the sheets and looked down, realizing his clothes were absolutely ripped and shredded, even after being cleaned.
"Im going to change." Jack remarked. "Thank you...I'm eternally grateful"
Delia nodded.
"We will talk about how you can repay me later" She smiled before closing the door, leaving him alone.
Jack sighed, quickly taking off his torn shirt before dropping it beside his bed. He walked over to the mirror, getting a view of the damage. He looked and saw brown eyes staring back at him. He had brown hair and lighter tanned skin, which covered quite a bit of muscle. He grunted in slight disgust at the multitude of scars that covered his body, all from cuts to stitch marks, from his shoulders to his waist. The man didn't even want to remember the scars on his back. Jack looked at how tall he was in confusion. He couldn't quite remember his height, but from what he could recall, he was at least 5'9….but maybe he was taller now, he had forgotten.
He looked down at his ripped sweatpants, realizing that he might be exposed down there he quickly undressed and got his new clothes on. They consisted of jeans and a black shirt that was a bit tight on him, but he didn't mind, it wasn't the worst thing he had to wear. He was frustrated the most by the fact that he didn't even bother to grab a single weapon from the 'burglars' he was fighting, he had brought weapons. How did he lose them again?
"...never mind" Jack shakes his head, he remembered now. He did try to take them with him, but he was so weak he dropped them halfway.
He was done changing, he needed to train, just to keep busy till dinner. He was about to throw the first punch when his door shot open. It was Ash, looking at Jack with confusion plastered on his face.
"Uh….." was the only sound coming out of the boy's mouth. He blinked several times in confusion.
"Hello." Jack asked. Normally he would yell at someone if they just barged into his room but...this wasn't his house so maybe this was normal?
"Uh...hi. How are you feeling?" Ash asked.
"Fine. Why did you force you way in? " He asked.
"Oh! Well uh, guess I acted before I thought, haha" He laughed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I came in here to see if you were better"
"I'm fine." Jack responded, trying to hold back the pain he held throughout his entire being as he did so. He wasn't Fine, but the kid didn't need to know that.
"Okay….hey, quick question" Ash asked.
"Hmm?"
"Why were you shot?" He asked. Jack's eyes widened, but he quickly blinked out of his stupor, he'd just use the same lie he did before.
"I was mugged, they didn't want to leave any evidence besides a bit of blood, so I defended myself but, well...you can guess the rest" he explained. Ash nodded.
"Well, leave ya to it" The kid smiled before walking out the door. Ash seemed like a good kid, although very...Naïve…but that was to be expected.
Jack quietly sighed once more. He hated lying. If they found out who he was, they would leave him for was being hunted, he needed to blend in.
(POV SWAP)
The Man was only slightly spent after he began training. He started the moment Ash left his room. He practiced fighting stances and hand to hand combat. The hours went by as he elevated to doing his regular workout. 2000 push ups, 1000 plus sit-ups and too many kicks for him to care to count.
"Ash! Jack! Dinners ready!" Delia yelled from the kitchen. The two walked downstairs and sat down at the dinner table. Jack quickly dug in, feeling like he hadn't eaten in years. The Ketchum's were surprised at the speed he was eating. The man was having a flavor overload, so many meats and vegetables. To say he was overwhelmed by taste was an understatement, but in a good way. This would definitely help him with his metabolism, get it working in top gear for once...improving his strength even more.
"I thought you would be hungry!" Delia smiled as Jack continued to ravage his plate, leaving almost nothing left. He burped, quickly excusing himself afterwards. The man sat in silence for a few minutes after finishing, a query from remembering a previous conversation entered his mind.
"...how can I repay you for your generosity?" He asked. Mrs. Ketchum gestured to her son.
"Ash is starting his Pokémon adventure in a week..." She explained. Jack looked towards Ash with curious eyes. A Pokémon trainer?
The Man shook himself out of his intense stare before nodding.
"So...i want to make sure he's safe. Will you go with him?" Delia asked. His eyes widened even further. A Pokémon adventure... He would be almost always on the move, therefore hard to track.
"Why me?" Jack asked. He was genuinely curious. Why would a mother send a complete stranger who was found near death on the road with her son?
"Because….. because you seem like you know what you're doing." Jack raised an eyebrow at her words. Did she figure it out? It didn't matter to him, she wouldn't tell anyone. At least he hoped so. "So...will you? Please? I'd be in your debt if you did."
He nodded. "I'll go with him, and don't worry about it. You saved my life, that's enough payment for me."
"Oh thank you!" Delia smiled.
"Don't mention it," Jack remarked. He slowly got up, walking towards the stairs. "I'm gonna train more. Can i use your yard tomorrow? That room doesn't provide all the space i need."
Her eyes widened. "Uh, sure...just don't ruin my flowers.."
"Okay..." He dipped his head before walking upstairs. The pair looked in awe as he walked up the stairs like he hadn't even been hurt, his limp completely gone.
"Uh, he was hurt a second ago, right?" Ash asked. Delia nodded. They said he would recover quickly...but it's only been a few hours since he left the hospital! She didn't think what the nurse said was actually true.
"He's recovering extremely fast...much faster than any person we have seen before.."
"What a strange boy" Mrs. Ketchum mumbled.
"So… he's coming with me?" Her son asked. She nodded once again. "At least he seems cool!"
Delia giggled. "He certainly is...unique."
She and her son discussed their new guest late into the night. They hadn't had someone new over for as long as they could remember. He was...different. He didn't act like a kid...This surprised her, what made him that way? The man must've had to mature fast for some reason...although she may never know.
(POV SWAP)
The man woke up to the sounds of a bird Pokémon screeching on the rooftop. The vocals were...unpleasant to say the least. He raised his body off the ground, looked around and realized he wasn't on the bed, he was on the floor.
"What did i do before I passed out?"
He remembered, he was still training when he clocked out. He didn't get to finish….unfortunate. Jack shook off his disappointment before getting up, cracking his aching back from sleeping on the blue carpeted floor. He sighed, that was better. The Man had a lot of work to do, training and improving himself even more than before. He opened the door, knowing everyone else was still asleep from Ash's obnoxious snoring, and because he heard nobody moving around the house. His feet barely made any sound as he crept down the stairs.
"Go outside and train. Afterwards i will eat."
Jack snuck across the house to the front door. Sneaking came naturally to him, it had to... so he had little trouble not waking up the two other residents. He made his way to the bottom floor, and silently walked towards the door. His hand gripped the knob. Turning it, he pulled the door open very slowly...as to not alert the unconscious. The beams of sunlight caused him to be temporarily blinded, but it quickly subsided. He was met by the bright blue sky and blinding sun of mid morning. How long did he sleep?
"Must have been the food."
He admitted it was amazing, the best food he'd ever eaten. The man had never experienced a food coma before, but he knew they existed. He could only assume that was what caused him to pass out. Another screech broke him from his thoughts, a three headed bird Pokémon was on the roof. He didn't know the name of it, nor did it matter to him.
Jack shook off his curiosity…he needed to man flexed his muscles, getting an idea if he had lost any strength from sitting in that hospital for a few days. After a few moments of checking...he found slight amounts of muscle loss. He was glad that it wasn't much...since if he wanted to go on an adventure, he needed to be at his peak.
"Now then…"
He smirked. This would be fun.
"Who are you?" A flat voice asked. Jack looked to see a kid on the other side of the fence. It was a boy, looking to be around the same age as Mrs. Ketchum's child. He had lighter brown hair and brown eyes. His clothes consisted of a black shirt with a red vest, light blue jeans and red shoes. The kids' outfit was finished with a red hat. "Your not from around here"
"You are correct, I am a friend of Mrs. Ketchum. I'm staying over for a bit" He replied. It wasn't technically a lie. This kid didn't seem to be buying it however, he looked towards him with an unconvinced expression.
"Red! Why'd you walk off!?" A small girl ran up to the boy, who was apparently called "Red". A strange name...but he's heard more bizarre ones. The girl had long brown hair and dark brown eyes. She wore a white hat and a blue shirt with a tiny red skirt.
"I told you Leaf, I was watching this guy" Red explained, his expression and voice unreadable. The girl, called "Leaf" looked towards Jack with a curious expression. Her face quickly turned into a bright smile.
"My name's Leaf! This is Red! What's your name?" Leaf asked enthusiastically. The Man was slightly stunned by her openness, but blinked out of his stupor and replied.
"My names Jack."
"So you're that hospital dude everyone's been talking about" Another kid remarked. This one had bright brown hair and eyes. His shirt was a bright blue, with his pants and shoes a deep black. "You've become quite popular these last few days"
"Is….that so?" Jack asked. He hoped that wasn't true...if word ever got to those who were hunting him, he might not be able to walk away next time. They'll prepare...like they always do.
"Yep, names Blue by the way" He smirked. This kid had an aura of self confidence, different from the others around here. The Man had met many egotistical people, it just took him by surprise that they would exist here too.
"You all have….interesting names" He commented.
"Really?" Leaf asked.
"They are...certainly unique," Jack replied.
"Where are you from?" Red blurted. His almost stoic face showed a tinge of curiosity with his query.
"Im…" In truth, he didn't really know. He never really had a home, the man was always on the move. "...a nomad, I move around. So...technically nowhere."
"Really? That sounds fun! Seeing so many new places!" Leaf beamed up at him.
"Yeah...it was...fun" He lied again. This just wasn't his time of honesty. It didn't matter, he just has to keep up the façade and once he's out of this town he won't even have to worry about it. "Anyway, i must get training"
"Training? Like Pokémon training?" Leaf asked. Jack shook his head.
"No, like workout training" He explained. The man walked to the center of the yard and began to practice fighting techniques as an example. Simple punches and kicks, nothing special. "Get it now?"
The three nodded, still stunned from seeing all those moves happening in mere moments. Some were too fast for their eyes to track, while the ones they could see looked like they could break bone with little issue, creating a small "whooshing" sound with each attack.
"Anyway, you should probably go...unless you wish to watch. I don't care either way" Jack added before throwing punches and kicks once more.
(POV SWAP)
The next six days consisted of Jack waking up, training till nightfall, eating dinner, training some more and finally going to bed. Having conversations with the residents and neighbors in the process. He had gotten to know Mrs. Ketchum and her son a bit, they were certainly intriguing. It was just the mother and son, no father in sight. This confused him, but it was explained that he was a Pokémon trainer...but this only cause him even more discord. Why leave your wife and child for an adventure that may or may not succeed? It seemed ridiculous to him. Although he was no one to judge, since he only knew how the family unit worked because he had eliminated them many times over.
Today was apparently the "big day" for Ash to go on his Pokémon journey. This whole thing intrigued him, as he had only heard of Pokémon trainers from his "friends". Going on an adventure around the world to catch animals to use for battling? That sounded...sort of entertaining. Although he assumed the true charm of it was lost on him. It was probably something you must experience to understand, either that or it's just a foolish childhood dream.
Either way, he was going on one. He felt….indifferent. The Man was used to Pokémon, but only on the end of his gun. He knew certain Pokémon's weaknesses and strengths, plus which spots to shoot if you wish to quicken your progress. However, having them as allies? Not so much. It would probably be tactically advantageous, but he never needed Pokémon before to fight and kill effectively, so...maybe they're not as strong as they're cracked up to be. Apparently today was the day that kids can begin with one of three starter Pokémon.
Charmander: A small orange, bipedal lizard that can breathe fire. With a small flame burning on the tip of its tail.
Squirtle: A bipedal blue, half lizard, half turtle that apparently shoots high pressure water from its mouth.
Bulbasaur: A quadrupedal green, small monster with a closed flower on its back that can extend long vines from its body to grab or hit foes with.
To be honest, Jack would choose the fire lizard if he was talking about practical use. Water or vines wouldn't be good for dealing with more than a few foes at once. Fire on the other hand can clear out an entire room or area with ease. He knew that all too well, from being on both the giving, and the receiving end of a flamethrower in a confined space. He was lucky he didn't get permanent burns from that unlucky event, the enemy on the other hand...wasn't so lucky thanks to the man's old friend, called an IED. He never thought a man without his lower half could still piss himself before that day.
"Jack," He was shaken out of his memories by Mrs. Ketchum. She sat down with him on the porch, eyes on him. "Are you ready?"
He nodded. "Yes, I am completely healed"
Delia smiled. "Good."
The pair sat in silence for a few moments, watching the people and Pokémon pass by down the road. Mrs. Ketchum quietly hummed a tune that was bright and sweet, he'd be lying if he said he disliked it.
"I've barely ever seen that," Jack said out of nowhere.
"Hmm?" She raised her eyebrows. He pointed towards a squirtle in the embrace of a girl, nuzzling its head in adoration.
"I never saw that where I'm from..." He explained.
"Really?" Delia asked, slightly surprised. She thought unity between humans and Pokémon was universal. "What are they like where you come from?"
"Well the last shelled one I met tried to tear my throat out" Jack huffed. Mrs. Ketchum assumed by "shelled one" he meant squirtle. She's never heard of them acting that ferocious.
"Where are you from?" She asked. Genuinely curious where Pokémon acted like that. The Man grunted.
"Im...from nowhere" He calmly stated. "Nowhere is a cruel place, for both of our kinds..."
She stared at him in confusion, what was that supposed to mean? Did he always talk in riddles? As her mind wandered, she looked down at her arm.
"Oh! Better get Ash up!" Delia shot up. Looking at the watch on her wrist in a slight panic. "Wouldn't want him to miss his big day! Hehe!"
Jack nodded as he got up, wiped off his pants, and walked through the front door and back into the house. He was just beginning to get used to this place, and now he had to leave. Life just really knew how to pull him places. His mind felt a tad bit at peace for a few moments, before the air of tranquility was shattered by Ash rushing down the stairs. The boy didn't land on one of the steps right, sending him to the ground face first.
Jack had to resist the urge to smirk as he watched him lay there with his rear end in the air. The boy suddenly jumped to his feet, like the fall never even happened.
"You ready?" The Man asked.
"I'm ready! I vow on this day that I will become a Pokémon master!" Ash proclaimed loudly.
"Alright, well...let's not keep them waiting" Jack remarked. He nodded.
"Right! Let's go!" The boy yelled one final time, rushing through the still open door. Jack watched him burst through and rush down the road.
"At least he's got spunk"
He followed behind him, not quite sprinting, more like a light jog. His eyes wandered to the houses around the neighborhood. He hadn't met even half of these people, but when they saw him they began whispering to themselves. The Man had never been the center of gossip before, and it made him...uncomfortable. It could spell bad news for him and his companion he was supposed to protect. He couldn't wait to get out of here now, as he didn't wish to get into a fight with civilians around. This, and including the fact he didn't have any weapons, he hoped the next city he went to had a gunsmith. No one noticed, but he had swept a bit more money than his "employers" thought...he had around a thousand or two thousand dollars left.
Jack continued jogging in Ash's wake till they got to professor Oak's lab. The building was a yellow color with a red roof. It's most distinguished feature was the large wind turbine built into the roof. The lab was right next to the main road with stone steps leading up to it.
The Man looked and saw a small crowd gathered by the gate. Some familiar faces, others he had no contact with. He could see Ash having a small argument with a boy that looked eerily similar to Blue, although he was a bit taller.
"Oh! Jack's here!" Leaf beamed as she waved towards him. He decided the best course of action was to wave back, he didn't want to seem like an introvert.
Jack walked towards the small trio, with a look of confusion. He could clearly see Blue, but looked up to see his identical beyond the crowd. The trio saw this and sighed.
"Blue is that guy's twin" Red explained, his scowl ever present. "His name is Gary, he's a jerk"
"Yeah, he's way worse than blue" Leaf giggled, getting a light smack in the process.
"Hey! I am not that bad!" The boy in question huffed before crossing his arms. The Man found the sight to be slightly entertaining.
"So...you're twins?" He asked. Blue nodded.
"Yep, and somehow he grew taller than me" The boy grumbled.
"I see, I need to go," Jack sighed before walking through the crowd. Not hearing any of their protests as he got past the horde of people.
"None of your business!" A snarky voice retorted. He thought Blue sounded overconfident. Gary was spinning a Pokeball in front of Ash's face, as if mocking him that he got one first. The pompous boy soon walked over to a red car. Getting into the back, he waved and yelled out something about "learning the ways of the Pokémon trainer!" before the car drove away. The crowd followed him out, leaving only Jack, Ash and the trio remaining.
"Pompous asshat"
The Man sighed before turning his attention to the old man walking down the steps, he assumed that was Professor Oak. The old man wore a white lab coat with a red undershirt. His pants were a light brown and also wore dark brown shoes. His face looked weathered, but he saw wrinkles around his mouth, indicating he must smile a lot.
"Well if it isn't Ash and the color trio." The Professor chuckled. He looked over and saw Jack, immediately raising his eyebrows. "And you must be the young man Delia was talking about, Jack was it?"
He nodded at the Old man's query.
"Well come with me then, there's just enough Pokémon for you four." Oak gestured for them to follow.
They all walked up the steps and into his laboratory. The interior was interesting. It was filled with all sorts of monitors and keyboards that were probably too complicated for Jack to understand. They walked towards a small podium in the middle of the room, with four Pokéballs on it.
"Here are the Pokémon for your choosing, be sure to choose carefully as they are all unique for cert-" He was cut off by the color trio rushing past him and quickly grabbing their Pokémon. "Well, seems you have all already decided"
"Well, see ya!" Leaf waved before walking through the door, her friends followed suit.
There was only one Pokéball left, one in the center with a small yellow lightning bolt on it. Jack could tell it was probably an electric type, it didn't take a genius to figure it out.
"That's the only one left" The Professor remarked.
"No shit Sherlock"
"But I should warn you, there is a problem with this one" He said as he picked it up and handed it to Ash. The boy grabbed it with little hesitation. The ball opened, a huge beam of yellow energy poured out and onto the podium and a Pokémon appeared from the bright light.
"This is a Pikachu"
"Pikachu!" The small Pokémon said. It looked like a giant mouse, with pointy ears and a tail that resembled a lightning bolt. Its fur was a bright yellow with brown stripes along its back. It's most interesting feature to Jack, was the red spots on its cheeks. They made it look like it was eternally blushing.
"Never seen that one before"
"Oh it's so cute!" Ash yelled in joy as he picked it up. Seeing the Pokémon's face turn to one of anger, Jack immediately stood back. With a small growl, lightning suddenly burst out of the Pikachu and shocked Ash till he was smoking.
"They are sometimes known for their electric personality," Professor Oak remarked as the volts slowly dissipated. "Here, this is your Pokedex and Pokéballs"
"Th...thanks" The boy groaned as he grabbed the equipment. As he grabbed it however, the Pikachu let out more electricity, shocking both Ash and the Professor.
"AAHHHH! YOOUR WELCCOOME!" The old man screamed as they both were getting volts poured into their bodies. Jack simply watched, fighting the urge to laugh.
(POV SWAP)
After that quite humorous event, Jack walked outside. Waiting for the smoking professor and boy to join him. He walked towards the gate, seeing a crowd. His eyes could see a big flag with Ash's name plastered on it, and it seemed he was more popular than the Man thought. Mrs. Ketchum could be seen in the front of the group. She saw Jack, her smile widened.
"Oh Jack! How is Ash?" Delia asked, almost desperately. He shrugged.
"He got his Pokémon, it was quite the...shock to him" Jack replied, the others not following his joke. He looked back up to see the two walking towards the gate. The Man rested his back on the brick gate away from the group, not wanting to get shocked.
He sat and watched as Ash got bombarded by items his mother thought he needed for his adventure. Everything from clothes to hot chocolate, seemed like she thought he wouldn't be able to last a day without her. Jack huffed...talk about a protective parent. His eyes caught Ash's Pikachu get picked up, and immediately shocked the entire group. The Man was amazed mostly by how many volts that Pokémon must be putting out, and how much these people could take. Seemed like they were built to take Pokémon attacks. He remembered when an electric type fried a mercenary one time, it wasn't a pretty sight. His eyes popped out of his sockets and his body caught on fire. All that was left was a charred pile of skin and bone.
"We should be off" Jack said, walking towards Ash. He stepped over the unconscious group as he shook the smoking kid out of his stupor. "Hey, we need to get going"
"Oh, right!" The boy nodded as he walked past the downed crowd. The trio began down the road, their adventure had begun.
(POV SWAP)
" Curious." Jack mumbled as they walked down the road. Ash walked with Pikachu being pulled by a small rope, his hands covered with rubber gloves his mother gave him. His Pokémon looked really uncomfortable and ticked off. The Man could see the Pikachu's veins pop out of its forehead. The sight was...humorous, but it also caused some concern as he knew this would slow them down.
"Wouldn't it be better if you walked?" Jack asked the Pokémon. It shook his head in denial. He sighed. "I learned that defiance never usually goes well"
Pikachu looked up at him in consideration for a few moments, before looking away and huffing. This thing sure was stubborn, he wondered if this is just it's personality, or something made it this way. The Man shrugged, it didn't matter to him. He just needed to get a move on away from that town, they were lucky they left right now.
Ash stopped, sighing before looking towards his Pokémon. His face was one of frustration and aggravation.
"Why can't you just be compliant and get into the Pokéball?" He asked. Jack was surprised, not by the question, but the fact he knew that word and its meaning."Just like it says in the Pokédex"
"While training, most Pokémon are kept inside a Pokéball"
Pikachu quickly tapped a button.
"However, there are many exceptions, some Pokémon hate confinement"
"Okay...how in the hell did it know how to do that?" Jack asked. Ash shrugged.
"I don't know, what I do know is that if you don't like being confined, then I'll free you!" He exclaimed as he untied the rope from around Pikachu's waist. The boy had a hopeful look on his face, but quickly scowled as the Pokémon looked away again. "Still not good enough...hmm"
Their bickering was cut short when they saw a Pokémon in the field. Jack thought it was just a regular bird. Ash brought out the Pokédex and apparently it was a pidgey, which sounded an awful lot like a pigeon. The Man made no comment however as the boy began to order Pikachu to battle it, but it refused. As it huffed in defiance, it hopped towards a tree, before climbing to a branch.
"Fine! I can do it by myself!" Ash pouted. He turned to the Pidgey, and pulled out a Pokéball. He pulled the front of his hat to the back of his head before throwing the device full force. "Pokémon, your mine!"
The ball impacted the Pidgeys head, quickly forcing it into the device. This stuff confused Jack, how did that work? And why were they so cheap!?
The boy looked in anticipation as the ball shook back and forth. His hopes were crushed however when the device opened up and the Pidgey popped out of it, quickly flying away afterwards.
"Wasn't there something about weakening it first before catching it?" Jack asked. "I think the professor said that in between electric convulsions from your pet telephone pole up there"
He saw Pikachu stick his tongue out at him. The Man shrugged at the gesture. Ash looked towards him and nodded.
"Alright! Got it!" The boy smirked as he grabbed a handful of stones and threw them towards a small group of Pidgey, although one looked different. Ash threw a stone and the other Pidgey flew away, except the weird one. It was different in shape, sharper, with an almost blade-like beak. Its body was a different color too, its wings a bright red. The Pokémon looked towards Ash with a glare that could kill, its forehead beginning to welt.
"Uh, i wonder what that is?" Ash asked nervously as he pulled out the Pokédex.
"Spearow, unlike Pidgey, has an awful temper and will attack trainers and their Pokémon"
"Well... this will be interesting after all"
"Ya know, I think by weakening it, I don't think they meant piss it off." Jack stated as he slowly walked in front of Ash. He quickly met the Pokémon's talons with his forearm, blocking the attack. The Man quickly countered by landing a full force right jab to the Spearow's midsection. It would at least break one bone or two, but the screams of pain that came from its beak confirmed it was probably more than a few. The Pokémon was sent flying into the ground. It looked towards Jack with a death glare, but he didn't even react to it. He saw the Spearow yell towards a tree. The Man was confused at first, but when he saw the couple hundred Pokémon of the exact same species come out of the leaves from the tree, he quickly got the memo.
"...This will be interesting..."
"Kid, take your Pokémon and get out of here for a bit.." Jack ordered. Ash looked towards him and nodded.
"Pikachu! Come on, let's go!" He yelled to the Pokémon in the tree. This time it complied, nodding its head before running down the path, the boy at its side.
"Good...now it can get bloody"
"Come at me!" Jack yelled towards the swarm, which immediately came his direction. "I've been waiting for this!"
The first Spearow didn't even get to reach his body, as he grabbed its neck and snapped it. He used the body to slam into another one, like a mace of flesh. Pokémon after Pokémon rushed towards him from the sky, but barely any of them got past his quick sweeps. The Man didn't care about the minor scratches or holes from their beaks, they were nothing compared to what he survived before. As he continued his beatdown, he noticed a small portion of them broke away from him and went towards the direction Ash ran away.
"Oh come on"
Jack mentally sighed as he used the dead Spearow's beak to filet another one. He threw the corpse towards the flock and tailed the smaller group in a full blown sprint. This whole thing was to keep the flock distracted on him, and to let Ash escape, guess they had other plans.
The Man just kept running, not caring about the flock of Spearow still on his tail. He didn't need to fight anymore, now he just needed to save the kids ass. In his sprint, he squinted and saw what could be assumed was a drop off. The river made a sudden stop so it had to have been a waterfall.
"Well, better odds he jumped, since there would be no other way if they didn't want to meet the flock head on"
Jack made the decision to jump. He had a running start after all, better chance to hit the water that way. He could see that he was about to fall into a rather large river the moment his feet came off the ground, so it wouldn't hurt that bad.
The Man felt the cold rush of the water hit his body, and the feeling of sinking. He immediately swam up to get his bearings, he felt air in his lungs once more as he saw a small dock, with a very ruffled redhead. That was his goal, as she would probably know where Ash is, he's very hard to miss.
He rushed towards her, his movements were similar to a breaststroke, except much faster. His arm movements picked up speed, to the point a small wave was flowing behind his body. This didn't matter to him, his goal was just to reach the girl. The dock was getting really close now, and right before he could hit his head, he submerged. He went a little deeper before making a break for the surface, bursting through the water and onto the dock.
"Uhhh…" The red head gawked in awe at him climbing up from the water. He was drenched, which to most would weigh them down, but he immediately stood up and walked over to her.
"Have you seen a kid come through here? black hair, Pikachu right next to him?" Jack asked, his voice devoid of any strain or emotion. She quickly shook herself out of her stupor and nodded.
"Yes, there was a boy who left on my bike." She answered as her hand pointed down the road.
"Thank you. A flock of Spearow are coming, better run." He warned as he sprinted down the road, like the marathon level of speed he was swimming at didn't even happen. The girl looked and saw the flock coming her way, to which she ran in the man's direction, although much slower.
Jack was having a really annoying day, but he swore to keep Ash safe so it didn't matter, he wasn't one to break promises, maybe lie and steal, but he never broke promises, he couldn't…
He shook himself out of his thoughts as he looked down the road. There was still nothing, but he could hear the sounds of angry birds a few hundred meters ahead.
The sounds of a storm were approaching, the sky was turning to a dark grey. The sky began to downpour, puddles quickly forming from the shower of a rainstorm.
The Man quickened his pace, moving fast enough the trees were beginning to blur and merge together, he needed to get there, and quickly.
Jack could finally see Ash and Pikachu, who were both worse for wear. He quickened even further in speed as he saw the flock try to dive towards the boy. The two looked in shock as the Man pushed Ash out of the way and slammed his fist into one a Spearow's skull. A second, a third and a fourth dive towards him, beaks ready to pierce his flesh. Time seemed to slow down as he grabbed the closest one and slammed it into the first, causing a chain reaction, resulting in six of them being affected by the impact. He threw the Spearow in his hand to the ground, when something strange happened. Its body began glowing a bright white, blinding everything in its vicinity. The other bird Pokémon flew away from the light, realizing something was happening.
"What the-"
Jack's thoughts were cut off as a giant beak was rushing towards him. He rolled out of the way, his body shielding Ash and Pikachu. The Spearow had changed. It's body was much larger, almost 6 ft tall, and its beak was much longer and sharper as well. The Man didn't know what happened, was this normal? Was it odd? He had never seen Pokémon do this before. He had to be on guard, as this was no longer a game. The now larger Pokémon looked towards Jack with hatred in its eyes, but he didn't flinch. This was nothing to him, he was worried for the kid and his pet, he didn't know if Pikachu could take this on.
"Come on! Lets go!" He yelled as he rushed the Pokémon, ducking under its huge beak and landing a haymaker into its chest area. The Bird Pokémon screamed in Pain, but dodged the next punch and sent him to the ground with it's huge wings. The Man rushed to his feet as he avoided the giant birds beak ready to stab right through him. He looked up to see the giant flock of Spearow still eyeing him.
He sighed before ducking under another swing of the larger Spearow's giant wings. This wasn't good, if he couldn't fight them all off, he wouldn't be able to protect Ash. He was cut from trying to strategize by the giant Pokémon charging him full speed. All he could do was grab it beak so it couldn't tear out his throat as they both hit the ground. The Man looked and saw Ash rise from the ground and Protect Pikachu from the Spearow's assault.
"Not my best day"
Jack grunted in exertion as he kept the Pokémon's beak open, he wasn't fond of the idea of having his neck being ripped off. His struggles came to an end however as he felt volts go through his body, he growled from the burning sensation of his body being electrocuted, but did not scream. His opponent on the other hand roared in agony, quickly falling limp. The Pokémon collapsed onto Jack. He growled as the volts came to an end, quickly pushing the giant Spearow's body off him.
"What happened?"
He looked around and saw all the other Spearow on the ground, unconscious. The Man looked to see Ash and Pikachu laying on the ground together. His pet must've been the cause of it. He slowly got up, walking towards the two.
"You alright?" Jack asked. Ash looked up and nodded.
"We did it" He mumbled as he smiled.
"Yeah, we did. Get up" The Man grabbed his hand and lifted him to his feet.
"Thanks" The kid said as he picked up Pikachu. The storm began to pass, and a bright rainbow appeared in the sky. Jack looked towards the sight in slight shock, not from the rainbow, but from the Pokémon flying through the rainbow. It was similar in shape to the giant Spearow he just fought, except much more regal in appearance.
"What's that?" Ash asked the Pokédex.
"Unknown, there are many Pokémon that have not been discovered"
"Well that's helpful" Jack scoffed. He looked back to the rainbow and the Pokémon was gone, as fast as it came." This place confuses me"
"Same here" Ash sighed as he picked up Pikachu. He looked to the Man. "We need to go towards the hospital, a girl told me its down the road"
Jack nodded.
With that, the two began jogging down the road towards the Pokémon hospital, the start of their adventure is a rough one...but this is only the beginning.
END OF CHAPTER 1