Chapter 1: The Start of a New Adventure!
Pocket Monsters, Pokémon for short, are strange, strange creatures with countless secrets that come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors.
Some Pokémon live peacefully alongside humans, while others live in the wild. Their possible locations include the land, the oceans, and even the skies!
With humans, some Pokémon live like pets with their owners.
However...
Some special individuals, known as Pokémon Trainers, partner up with Pokémon and battle against other trainers, forming a special relationship with their partners as they try to become Pokémon Masters!
Now, from the way I described it, you might be thinking that all Pokémon trainers treat their Pokémon with the love and respect that they deserve, right?
Well, if you thought that, you'd be wrong.
You see, because of the existence and secrets of Pokémon, terrible people and organizations have tried to use these magnificent creatures for their own personal uses and, unlike Pokémon Trainers, they always try to capture them using terrible methods.
Thankfully, there are people who stand up to these terrible people and put them in their place...
Route 1, Kanto Region.
"Ahahahaha! Come here, you pathetic Pokémon!" a 'Pokémon Poacher', armed with a whip and hunting rife, laughed as he mercilessly attacked a group of wild Pokémon residing in a forest. Pokémon Poachers are terrible people who attack and capture Pokémon in brutal ways, before proceeding to sell them on the black market for large amounts of money. "Come to me so that I can get some money! Hahahaha!"
The Pokémon Poacher, named Fenton, lashed his whip at a group of wild Rattatas, who howled in pain as the man-made weapon hit their tiny bodies, which were too weak to withstand the might of the blows.
Rattatas are small, quadrupedal rodent Pokémon. They have purple fur with a cream-colored face, paws, and underbelly. They have narrow eyes containing white sclera and pupils with red irises, rounded ears with cream-colored insides, and a single whisker on each cheek. Its long tail is tightly curled at the end. They're also incredibly weak, and are perfect for newer trainers.
The little Pokémon put up a little bit of a fight against the Pokémon Poacher, attempting to dodge the blows, as well as attempting to gnaw at his legs. However, after some time, it became evident that it was impossible for them to defeat the evil person so they eventually just gave up on trying to escape. This put quite a grin on Fenton's face.
"Ahahaha. Good, good..." Fenton grinned from ear to ear as he put away his whip and rubbed his hands together. "Now to capture you!..."
The poacher produced a large net and grinned as he ushered the sad Rattatas in, who entered quietly without any resistance whatsoever. In total, there were ten Rattatas that entered the net, and Fenton was planning on selling each and every one of them.
The Pokémon Poacher threw the net over his shoulder and proceeded to walk away from the scene, wondering how much he could sell the Pokémon for.
"Sure, they're pretty common, but I should be able to sell them for a high price if I butter 'em up and tell a few lies to some buyers, haha!" Fenton joyfully thought to himself as he walked over to his expensive sports car, which was parked nearby. It was purple in color, and the villain managed to buy it using money that he had obtained through his illegal business of brutally capturing and selling Pokémon. "Viridian's filled with a butt-load of buyers, so I guess I'll head there first, hehe! I'm so good at what I do!"
However, as this evil criminal opened the trunk of his car and prepared to happily throw the bag inside the trunk, a voice began speaking behind him, causing some sweat to trickle down his forehead.
"Hey, Fenton! How's it goin'? The last time we met, I wrapped you up in my webs, hopin' that you'd stay there until the cops arrived, but you somehow managed to escape! I won't be makin' the same mistake twice, and this time I'm goin' to make sure that you stay in your place until the police get here!"
"Oh no..."
As the Pokémon Poacher turned around, it turned out that his worries were confirmed. Standing there, leaning on a nearby tree with his arms crossed, was the amazing Spider-Man!
Spider-Man was a hero who had recently been spotted in the Kanto Region. Although there have been no actual photographs taken of him, there have been multiple eye-witnesses stating that he's a sort of superhero that fights against evil criminals, specifically ones who operate near the town of Pallet, leading some people to believe that the man under the mask of Spider-Man lives in Pallet Town. However, nothing has been confirmed yet, and nobody knows his true identity.
The spider-themed superhero wore a skintight suit made entirely out of spandex, and it covered his entire body since the mysterious man wanted to keep his true identity a secret. The costume was mostly blue, however, it also consisted of red gloves, boots, mid-section, and mask. It also had a web pattern that covered the red portions of the suit. Lastly, there was a large black spider on the hero's chest. Furthermore, he had two Poke-Balls attached to his waist. Poke-Balls are special devices that are used to capture Pokémon.
"Spider-Man! Why can't you just leave me alone?!" the Pokémon Poacher angrily asked. "It doesn't even matter if I take these Rattatas anyways! Pokémon Trainers take these Pokémon out of their habitats all the time!"
Fenton then took out his rife and started blasting at Spider-Man. "So stay out of my business!"
"Fenton, Fenton, Fenton..." Spider-Man sighed as he proceeded to easily dodge the incoming attacks. He wasn't your average human being, and had the strength and speed comparable to that of a fighting-type Pokémon! Using this speed, the hero managed to get behind the Pokémon Poacher and kick the firearm out of his hands, causing it to fly forwards. He then proceeded to kick the villain in the small of his back, causing him to tumble forwards. "There's a difference between forcefully capturing them, and adding them to your team!"
Spider-Man then proceeded to show off a strange hand gesture where he stuck out three of his fingers and, before the Pokémon Poacher knew it, he was covered in...Spider webs?!
"Damn you, Spider-Man!" the villain cried as he struggled to break free from the grip of the silk that was holding him to the ground. "I will just escape like last time, and-"
"I told you things would be different this time, didn't I?" the superhero asked, grinning underneath his mask. "Do you know how I'm going to do that?"
Fenton gulped and slowly shook his head, since it was the only part of his body that wasn't covered in spider webs. "N-No?..."
"Well, watch this!"
Spider-Man grabbed his Poke-Ball from his waist and tossed it in front of him. A blue light emanated from the ball and, soon after, a Joltik materialized in front of the superhero!
"Joltik Joltik!" the little Pokémon happily exclaimed, since, for some odd reason, Pokémon are only able to say their names.
At 4 inches (0.1 meters) tall, Joltik was one of the smallest Pokémon in existence. It had four legs tipped with blue, conical feet. Its ovoid body was completely covered in yellow fur, with notable tufts sticking out on each side of its face, just over each eye, and it's lower back. Joltik had four blue eyes. The two larger eyes were set relatively far apart on its face, containing black pupils. The two smaller simple eyes were situated between the first pair, slightly higher up on its face. Joltik's mandibles pointed downward and resided at the bottom of its face, where they closely resembled tufts of hair.
"Huh? What's that?" Fenton asked, raising an eyebrow as he inspected the tiny yellow Pokémon that scurried towards his face, jeering at him. "I've been all across the Kanto Region, and I've never seen a Pokémon like that before!..."
"It's called Joltik, and the reason you've never seen one before is because it originates from the Unova Region!" Spider-Man explained. "Joltik's an electric and bug type, as well as my amazing partner! He's gonna teach you a lesson!"
Spider-Man then proceeded to nod at his partner Pokemon, who nodded back at him.
"Joltik, use THUNDERSHOCK!"
'JOL...TIK!"
Yellow electricity crackled around Joltik's body, and it then proceeded to zap Fenton!
It continued to do so until the Pokemon Poacher was completely paralyzed.
"Curse...You...Spider...Man..." the villain muttered as he eventually went limp, since a paralyzed person obviously can't talk.
"Good work, Joltik. Return!" Spider-Man exclaimed as he pointed the Poke-Ball at his partner, who was sucked back into the spherical device.
The superhero then crouched down and flicked Fenton's face to make sure that he was actually unconscious, before jumping up to his feet and walking over to the sports car that the Pokemon Poacher was storing the innocent little Pokemon inside.
As he grabbed the bag and helped the little Rattatas, who were extremely grateful, escape back into their natural habitats, Spider-Man couldn't help but feel proud after what he had done. He didn't help innocent people and Pokemon for praise or for money. No, instead, the spider-themed superhero did it purely because he wanted to make a difference in the world.
"I COULD kill that evil bastard right here and right now," Spider-Man thought to himself as he glanced at the unconscious villain. "But that's not how I roll. I'm not a killer, haha!"
Suddenly, the hero heard some voices, followed by a police siren.
"I heard it coming from over there! Come on, let's go and check it out!"
"And that's my sign that I should leave," Spider-Man mentally stated as he aimed at a nearby tree before shooting a web and taking off before the police arrived. "Another job well done for the Amazing Spider-Man! Spidey out!"
As the hero swung away, sending out multiple web strings to the trees so that he could swing away, the authorities were left confused, wondering why and how a well-known criminal was lying unconscious and paralyzed on the floor, and why he was covered in spider webs.
"Man! It's so late, and I'm so tired..." Spider-Man mentally thought to himself as he crawled on the walls at the back of his house in Pallet Town. Not only did the hero have the ability to create organic webbing, much like a spider, but he could also stick to many smooth and rough surfaces as well! He crawled into an open window that led to his bedroom, and collapsed onto his bed with a sigh. "It's been a few months since I became the Amazing Spider-Man, and I feel like I've already made some great progress in making the Kanto Region a better place!..."
After a bit of relaxing on his soft, comfortable bed, the superhero eventually stood up and took off his mask, placing it on a nearby dresser, revealing his face.
The Amazing Spider-Man was actually a young, teenaged boy from the Unova Region named Peter Parker. Peter had fair skin, and dark brown eyes that went with his dark brown hair.
Peter Parker had recently moved to the Kanto Region, specifically Pallet Town, because he had won the opportunity to work as a lab assistant for the world-famous Pokemon Researcher, Professor Oak! So, after saying goodbye to his family, who still lived in Unova, the young man made his way to Kanto. Peter was practically a genius, so it was a no-brainer that he easily won the competition that Professor Oak had hosted to see who become his assistant. In terms of what the young man wanted to study, Peter was particularly interested in why bug-type Pokemon evolved so quickly compared to other Pokemon.
Furthermore, since Peter worked under Professor Oak, a researcher from the town of Pallet, he was allowed to pick one of the three starter Pokemon of the Kanto Region: Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle.
The secret superhero chose Bulbasaur, since the vines that it produced from its body, which it could also control, were pretty useful around the lab. For example, Bulbasaur could use its retractable vines to reach for some books that were too high up on a shelf.
Bulbasaur was a small, quadrupedal Pokemon that has\d blue-green skin with darker patches. It had red eyes with white pupils, pointed, ear-like structures on top of its head, and a short, blunt snout with a wide mouth. A pair of small, pointed teeth were visible in the upper jaw when its mouth was open. Each of its thick legs ended with three sharp claws. On Bulbasaur's back is a green plant bulb, which was grown from a seed planted there at birth. The bulb also concealed two slender, tentacle-like vines and provided it with energy through photosynthesis as well as from the nutrient-rich seeds contained within.
Now you may be wondering: 'Doesn't Peter have a Joltik? Why did he obtain a Bulbasaur from Professor Oak?'
Well you see, nobody apart from Peter himself, Joltik itself, and Bulbasaur actually know that Joltik is owned by Peter Parker. This is due to the fact that many people know that Spider-Man uses a Joltik and, since Joltik is a Pokemon that normally can't be found in the Kanto Region, it might raise some suspicions regarding the relationship between Peter Parker and Spider-Man!
Also, Peter didn't want anybody to know that he was the Amazing Spider-Man because he wanted to keep the people he loved safe from the criminals that he faced every day. If people knew his secret identity, they could hold his friends and family hostage!
"Come on out, Joltik! Bulbasaur!" the teenager shouted as he tossed his two Poke-Balls from his waist in front of him, causing his partner Pokemon to materialize in front of him in a flash of blue energy.
"Bulba Bulba!"
"Joltik Joltik!"
Peter's two beloved partner Pokemon both sat in front of him, waiting expectantly for him to command them.
"Alright, guys, tomorrow's a big day," Peter told his two Pokemon. "Not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR trainers are going to come into the lab tomorrow to receive their first Pokemon and start their journeys. We're gonna have to be ready for them, and help them with their Poke-Dexes and stuff. Understood?"
The two Pokemon excitedly nodded their heads in response to their master's question.
"Bulbasaur!" the grass-type starter Pokemon exclaimed. He enjoyed helping his trainer around the lab.
"Alright, good!" Peter happily exclaimed before collapsing happily into his bed. "Well, I suppose we should be getting some sleep, now. Good night..."
And so, the superhero quickly went to sleep, in his superhero costume no-less, so that he could wake up bright and early for the big event that was going to take place tomorrow.
However, Peter Parker wasn't the only person in Pallet Town who had to wake up bright and early the next day...
A young raven-haired boy with slightly tanned skin was excitedly watching a Pokemon battle on his small TV, which was located in his room, which was in turn filled to the brim with lots and lots of Pokemon-related merchandise. The room, however, was incredibly messy and untidy!
"Wow! Gengar has dealt some incredible blows, but Nidorino is now using Horn Attack! Let's see if the Poison-type Pokemon has what it takes to take back the match!"
The boy had two lightning bolt-like markings on both of his cheeks, and had dark brown eyes.
"Uh oh! It seems that Gengar is easily dodging Nidorino's attacks! It's clear that this Ghost-type Pokemon was carefully trained!"
The boy was wearing a white and blue short-sleeved jacket with gold trim, a white-collar and sleeves, a dark teal T-shirt, blue jeans with light blue cuffs, black and white sneakers with red dots, green fingerless gloves with light green borders, and a red and white cap with a green stylized "L" on it.
"And Gengar finishes this amazing battle with a well-timed Hyper Beam! What a fight! Both Pokemon were powerful, but in the end, Gengar was the winner!"
"Yes! I knew he would win!" the boy happily exclaimed as he jumped up excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. "A Nidorino would never be able to stand up to a Hyper Beam, especially from a powerful Pokemon like Gengar, haha!"
This young man was Ash Ketchum, a young boy who, just like Peter Parker, lived in the nice, quaint area known as Pallet Town.
The boy lifted a nearby bouncy ball, that resembled the electric-type Pokemon known as Voltorb and grinned to himself as he pretended to be a Pokemon Trainer.
"Pokemon of the world! I am Ash Ketchum! And I swear to you all, I am going to become a Pokemon Master!" the boy shouted happily.
When children reach the age of 11, they are able to receive a Trainer's License, along with a beginner Pokemon, from their local Pokemon Professor. The professor for Pallet Town was Professor Oak, an old man who used to be an experienced Pokemon Trainer in his youth. However, as he grew older, his interests shifted from catching and battling with these powerful monsters to studying them.
"Tomorrow is the day I turn 11 years old, and I'll be able to obtain my first Pokemon!" Ash excitedly thought to himself. "I can't wait! I'm going to pick-"
Suddenly, a brown-haired woman burst through the door angrily, startling Ash and causing him to not only drop the toy that he was holding in his hands prior to the woman's intrusion, but also comedically fall over.
"Ash Ketchum! Are you still awake?! You should've been in bed hours ago!" the woman scolded the boy, causing him to scratch the back of his head sheepishly.
This woman was Ash's mother, Delia Ketchum.
Delia was a slender woman with fair skin and brown eyes. In contrast to her son, whose hair was black and messy, Delia had smooth brown hair that was kept in a ponytail with a scrunchie. She wore a pink short-sleeved jacket with a yellow undershirt, a purple skirt, and light green shoes.
"S-Sorry, mom," Ash apologized, scratching the back of his head.
"You're old now, Ash!" Delia exclaimed, causing her son to become even more embarrassed by her scolding. "Eleven o'clock is a good time to get to bed!"
"I know, mom, but I can't sleep! Tomorrow's the day I start my Pokemon journey! I'm way too excited!" Ash replied, forming a flimsy excuse as to why he was still awake.
"Hm, well if that's the case, you should study up for your 'Pokemon Journey'," Delia stated as she picked up the TV remote from the ground, which, just like all of the items in Ash's room, was randomly strewn on the floor.
Ash's mother proceeded to change the channel from the extremely intense Pokemon match to a channel featuring none other than Professor Oak, the man that was responsible for handing out Pokemon to newer trainers.
Professor Oak was a particularly old man with peach skin, gray hair, and thick, bushy eyebrows. He was wearing a white lab coat, a light maroon polo shirt, a brown belt, and beige pants, and matching brown loafers. In his hand was a brown pointer stick, and he was pointing it at three posters located behind him. These posters were of the three starter Pokemon that he was giving away to new trainers.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Samuel Oak, but many people affectionately call me the Pokemon Professor! I am the world's leading researcher in Pokemon, and if you live in the Pallet area, I will be responsible for giving you your first Pokémon," the old man on the TV named Professor Oak explained. "In order, they are Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle."
Although Ash didn't like studying that much, he was immediately drawn to the TV screen due to the fact that the program was related to Pokemon.
If it wasn't obvious by now, this raven-haired boy adored Pocket Monsters!
"I want you to watch this and then go to sleep, okay, Ash?" Delia asked her son, who simply nodded.
"Yeah, yeah. Okay, mom," Ash replied half-heartedly, as most of his attention was directed to the TV screen.
"And change into your pajamas, too," the mother added, to which she got another simple nod of the head.
"Yeah, alright. Sure."
As his mother shut the door and left the room, Ash could only grin as the Pokemon Professor on the TV screen explained the strengths and weaknesses of each of the different Pokemon. However, the young, raven-haired boy was wondering which Pokemon he was going to pick.
Bulbasaur was a grass and poison type. It had its merits, most of which were that it was pretty easy to raise and that it was perfect for beginners.
Squirtle was a water type. It had some pretty powerful evolutions, and it was widely agreed that it was definitely a Pokemon worth raising.
Lastly, there was Charmander. It was a powerful Pokemon, though it could be pretty hard to raise due to its nature. Trainers who pick it should train it patiently!
"Man, I don't even know what to pick!..." Ash mentally thought to himself as he watched the video his mother put for him on the TV. "They're all so cool! I wish I could pick them all!..."
By the time Ash was done watching the video, it was extremely late, two o'clock, to be exact! The reason it took so long was because Ash rewatched the video again and again, for some reason!
"I can't wait to get my first Pokemon..." Ash muttered to himself as he hopped into his bed, dressed up in his yellow and green pajamas, and quickly drifted off to sleep. The boy loved Pokemon so much that, even in his dreams, he was thinking about them!...
"Charmander, use Scratch!"
"Bulbasaur, use Tackle!"
"Squirtle, use Pound!"
In his dream, Ash had all three of the starter Pokemon at his disposal, and he was using them quite well, battling trainer after trainer, easily defeating every opponent that came his way.
However, comedically, just as Ash tossed a Poke-Ball in his dream, he grabbed his alarm clock in real life!
"Poke-Ball, go..." Ash sleepily muttered as threw his alarm clock across the room, just like how a Pokemon Trainer would throw a Poke-Ball to call forth their Pokemon so that they could battle.
This single action, however, would cause something terrible to happen!
Although Ash wanted all three of the Pokemon, it would, unfortunately, seem that he would not be obtaining any of them...
Sunlight peeked through the window of Ash's room as he, quite stupidly, slept comfortably in his bed on the day that would pretty much define his entire future.
"Bulbasaur...Charmander...Squirtle..." the boy lazily muttered in his sleep as some drool came out of his mouth. He proceeded to scratch his stomach, and then snuggled into a large Snorlax plushie which was placed in the bed next to him. The plushie, however, was extremely squishy and the boy's face ended up being shoved into the belly of the toy.
One thing led to another, and the Snorlax plushie ended up causing Ash to fall out of bed, immediately waking him up!
"H-Huh?..." Ash asked as he rubbed his eyes and stretched. "Why am I on the floor?..."
The boy looked around for a bit, before noticing his window. His eyes proceeded to widen as he saw that the sun was high up in the sky!
"The sun?... But then that would mean..."
Ash immediately jumped up to his feet after the realization that he had overslept, and rushed out of the house, still in his pajamas, towards Professor Oak's house, which was conveniently nearby.
"Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, I don't care which one I get!" Ash exclaimed as he hurried to the laboratory. "I just need a Pokemon! Any Pokemon! Man, I can't believe I overslept!..."
After a bit of running, Ash arrived at the Pokemon Laboratory. For some reason, there was a large crowd of people in front of it. However, Ash, blinded by his desire to obtain a starter Pokemon, didn't even stop to think about why they were there and simply pushed past them, much to most of the members of the crowd's annoyance.
When Ash made it to the front of the crowd, he spotted a group of cheerleaders who were chanting a cheer. However, Ash simply pushed past them as well and attempted to run into the Pokemon Laboratory. However, Ash ended up bumping into someone and falling onto the floor.
"Ouch!" the person that Ash bumped into exclaimed as he turned his head to look at him. "You should watch where you're going, you moron! That hurt, you know!"
"S-Sorry, I wasn't looking at where I was going!..." Ash apologized as he got up and scratched his head. However, when Ash looked up to see who he had bumped into, his apologetic expression turned to a scowl. "Gary..."
Gary, as Ash called him, was pretty tall and had light skin, brown eyes, and tall, spiky brown hair. He was wearing a long purple shirt, dark gray pants, a yin and yang necklace, and brown boots with black straps encircling them.
Upon seeing that he was talking to Ash, Gary simply smirked.
"Well, well, well! If it isn't Ashy-Boy!" the brown-haired boy laughed. "Have you come to see me off like the rest of my adoring fans?"
"See you off?..." Ash muttered, taking in what his acquaintance was saying. Suddenly, however, a grin spread across Ash's face. "Wait a minute! That means you've already gotten your Pokemon, right?"
Gary simply smirked in response as he took a Poke-Ball from his waist and spun it on his pointer finger. "Yup! It's right here, and I was the first person to be able to obtain a Pokemon, you know! It's good to have a grandfather in the Pokemon business, ya know!"
"Wow, that's so cool!" Ash exclaimed. "What Pokemon did you pick?!"
"Hah! Do you really expect me to tell my RIVAL? You could've seen it if you came earlier, loser! Haha!" Gary laughed, much to Ash's annoyance. Gary also pretty much revealed that he was Ash's rival. The brown-haired boy, not really seeing any point in talking to Ash anymore, then proceeded to address the crowd of adoring fans that came to see him off. The crowd included musicians, everyday people who just so happened to be his fans, and the previously mentioned cheerleaders too. "People of Pallet Town! I promise to you that I, Gary Oak, grandson of the great Professor Oak, will become a Pokemon Master and spread the name of our beautiful town all across the world!"
This particular promise caused the crowd, which was already cheering extremely loudly, to cheer even LOUDER!
Gary then snapped his fingers and his fans all took a step back, much to the confusion of Ash. Why were they stepping back just because Gary snapped his fingers? Was something about to happen?
Then, much to the raven-haired boy's shock, an expensive red sports car pulled up! Gary's cheerleaders all immediately piled into it like moths attracted to a flame and Gary could only laugh as he too entered.
"W-Wow!...Gary sure is rich..." Ash muttered as the car slowly drove away. Gary instructed the driver to move a bit slower than usual so that he could wave to his adoring fans. "We used to be friends when we were younger, but in recent years we've started competing with each other to see who's better among us...We're like rivals..."
Then, as the crowd began chasing the red sports car, which began speeding up, a frustrated look appeared on Ash's face.
"...And because of that, I can't let Gary get ahead of me just because I woke up late! I've gotta get my Pokemon NOW!" he exclaimed as he turned his head to look at the stairs which led to the Pokemon Laboratory.
The raven-haired boy quickly rushed up the steps and burst through the doors, finding two people inside, who were talking to each other.
The first was Professor Oak, whom he had seen on TV just the night before, and the second was Peter Parker, Professor Oak's assistant! However, Ash and Peter hadn't actually met until now.
"See, Professor? I told you there were four trainers!" Peter exclaimed. He was dressed up in a blue shirt, black pants, and wore a lab coat on top of it all. He was also holding a clipboard in his hands. "The fourth trainer's finally arrived!
"Ah, I see!" Professor Oak exclaimed as he turned his head to look at Ash. Professor Oak instantly recognized the boy because he was actually pretty friends with his mother. "If it isn't Ash Ketchum! How are you, lad?"
"I'm...Fine...Professor..." Ash panted as he took some time to regain his energy. There were quite a few stairs that he had to cross to actually get to the lab, and it didn't help that he practically just ran through them. He immediately shook his head and grinned at the old man. "How...Are...You?..."
"I'm good, Ash. Thanks for asking!" the old man happily responded.
"Anyways..." Ash started as he shook his head and grinned at the professor. "Can I get my Pokemon now?!"
"Of course you can, Ash!" the Pokemon Professor happily exclaimed as he turned around and proceeded to walk towards a room, leaving the boy behind. This confused Ash.
"You're gonna have to follow him. He's leading you to the room where you pick your starter!" Peter explained, causing Ash to make an 'Oh!' sound before nodding in thanks. "Oh, and my name's Peter, by the way. Peter Parker. I've recently become an assistant to Professor Oak! It's nice to meet you."
"Oh, that's pretty cool!" Ash exclaimed, thinking about how fun it would be to become an assistant to a Pokemon Professor. He then shook his head and grinned. "My name's Ash Ketchum! It's nice to meet you too!"
The pair proceeded to follow the professor, who led them to a room with pink walls. There were lots of different machines scattered around the place, but most of them were pretty small. The biggest machine, and the one that was of actual interest, was the one in the middle.
It resembled a pedestal, and was a bright grey color. Situated on top of the machine were three Poke-Balls, which Ash presumed to be the starter Pokemon that he was going to be able to choose from. All three of the Poke-Balls had a sticker on them, signifying which Pokemon they contained.
The first had a fire insignia on it, obviously denoting that it contained a Charmander. The second had a leaf on it, for Bulbasaur, and the third had a water droplet on it, for Squirtle.
"You are supposed to pick between one of these three, lad," Oak explained, causing the already excited Ash Ketchum to become even more excited.
Ash grinned and rubbed his hands. "Well, I thought about it a lot...But I've decided that I wanna pick..."
He grabbed the Squirtle ball and grinned. "...Squirtle!"
However, comedically, the Poke-Ball opened just as Ash exclaimed the name of the Pokemon that he wanted, revealing the item to be empty.
"That Pokemon was taken by someone who came early," Professor Oak stated. "The early Pidgey catches the worm is what I always say!"
"O-Oh," Ash replied dejectedly. He really wanted the Water-type Pokemon, as he thought it looked particularly cool!...
…Ah, whatever. There were two more Pokemon to pick!
"Well, it's my fault for waking up late! If I can't have Charmander, I'll have..." Ash exclaimed as he reached out for the ball that had a leaf on it. "...Bulbasaur!"
However, that Poke-Ball was empty too, much to Ash's dismay.
"Ah, I'm sorry. That one's already been taken too!" Peter smiled, causing Ash to groan in annoyance.
"That's fine," the raven-haired boy stated as he directed his gaze to the final Poke-Ball, which was the one that contained Charmander. "He may have been my last choice, but I pick-"
"I'll save you the embarrassment and just tell you that that one's been taken too," Professor Oak told Ash, causing him to comedically fall over.
However, when the raven-haired boy got up to his feet once more, he had a VERY worried look on his face. "W-Wait a minute, all of them are taken?! Does that mean there are no more Pokemon left?!"
Professor Oak and Peter Parker both exchanged glances before looking at Ash once more.
The Pokemon professor proceeded to rub his chin thoughtfully. "Well, there is ONE more Pokemon, but-"
"Please, Professor! I need a Pokemon! I'll take anything!" Ash pleaded, causing the Pokemon Professor to sigh.
"Alright, fine. Peter, please press the big red button on the control panel," Professor Oak instructed his assistant, who nodded and whipped around, putting away his clipboard and using his now-free hands to press the big red button on a nearby control panel, which was so large that it required two hands to push.
Before Ash could even question this, the pedestal-looking machine began to vibrate rapidly, making quite a bit of noise in the process. Some smoke began to emanate from the machine, and, in the middle of the three Poke-balls, a fourth Poke-Ball appeared!
"Wow! A fourth Poke-Ball!" Ash exclaimed, examining the new arrival. It didn't have any signifying stickers on it like the other three balls, so Ash was left to guess what was inside.
Professor walked over to it and clicked the big white button on the Pokemon-Capturing device. Immediately, the device opened up and a blue light emerged, materializing into a Pokemon!
The Pokemon was rabbit-like and had a predominantly white body with orange and yellow markings on its ears, toes, and neck. The markings on its neck resembled a collar. It had buckteeth, an orange nose, and irises, black sclerae, as well as a yellow band shape across its nose, resembling a bandage. It had long legs with long feet and the same yellow band on its nose under each paw pad. It also had a small, white, poof-like tail.
The Pokémon's rabbit-like ears twitched as it thoughtfully examined its surroundings. "Scor?..."
However, it was completely caught off-guard when Ash immediately hugged it, snuggling his face into its soft fur!
"Wow, it's so cute!" Ash exclaimed while the Pokemon comedically attempted to get away from his grasp, but without success. "And it's so fluffy and adorable too, hahaha!"
Ash's behavior was annoying the Pokemon, whose feet were starting to glow a bright red. Then, it kicked the boy in the stomach, causing him to fly back and crash into a nearby wall, creating a big burn mark on his pajamas.
"It's really strong, too..." Ash muttered as he lay comedically slouched against the wall.
The Pokemon proceeded to grin and rub its nose, happy with Ash's fate.
"This Pokemon is called Scorbunny, and it is one of the starter Pokemon available for trainers to pick in the faraway Galar Region," Professor Oak explained as Ash got up and dusted himself off, examining his new partner Pokemon. "I recently received this particular one to study, but since its the only Pokemon that I have, I suppose I can give it to you..."
Ash grinned and nodded excitedly, happily dancing around in a circle. "Thank you, thank you, Professor! I now have a Pokemon of my very own! And one that Gary won't be able to catch, either! Haha!"
"...However, there's just one issue," Professor Oak stated, causing Ash to make a 'Huh?' sound. "This one has been bred to be loyal to its trainer, just like every other starter Pokemon. However, it has something which is known as a 'Hidden Ability'."
"A Hidden Ability?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow. He was a pretty big Pokemon fan, and had heard of abilities before, but he had never head of Hidden Abilities!
"All Pokemon have a special ability that they are born with," Peter explained, interjecting. "Some are good, and some are bad. Hidden Abilities, however, are EXTREMELY rare! Scorbunny here has an ability called Libero, which causes his typing to change depending on the move that he's about to use. It can be a bit hard for an inexperienced trainer to handle, and we wanted to research it a bit to discover the secrets of Hidden Abilities..."
Ash looked down at Scorbunny with a raised eyebrow. The Pokemon grinned back at him and jumped happily. Ash shook his head and looked back at the professor and his assistant. "C-Come on! You said it yourself! Scorbunny is the only Pokemon left! You've gotta let me have him! We've even become super close friends already, right Scorbunny?"
The fire-type Pokemon simply shrugged, causing Ash to comedically fall over.
"I understand, Ash, I'm just thinking of a way where we can both get what we want..." Professor Oak replied as he thoughtfully rubbed his chin as he attempted to think of a solution.
Eventually, one came to him!
"Ah, I know! Peter can travel with you!" he finally exclaimed, shocking the two of them.
"WHAT?!" Ash and Peter both exclaimed in unison, shocked by the proposal. Even Scorbunny was a bit surprised!
"Think about it, Ash! Peter is quite knowledgeable about Pokemon, meaning he knows practically everything about them! He could be of great assistance to you on your quest to become a Pokemon Master!" Professor Oak exclaimed. He then turned his attention to his assistant. "And Peter, this could be a great opportunity to explore the Kanto Region, since after you moved here you've been stuck in Pallet Town the entire time! You could also send me reports regarding Scorbunny every once in a while."
Ash thought about it. He thought himself to be a Pokemon expert, but since he didn't even know what a Hidden Ability was, Ash was starting to doubt his knowledge. However, having a friend to come along for the ride, especially one who was so smart regarding Pokemon, would be a pretty big help!
Peter thought about it too. He loved studying Pokemon, and this was a chance to see a Pokemon raised by a trainer in action! Furthermore, Professor Oak WAS right! He hadn't actually seen the rest of the Kanto Region, since he was only familiar with Pallet Town! He wanted to see the rest of the region!
The two of them looked at each other thoughtfully before grinning. The Pokemon Professor was right! It would be pretty great for both of them, and it would also be pretty fun! Even Scorbunny liked the idea!
"That's a great idea!" they both exclaimed in unison, causing the professor to grin from ear to ear.
"Well, that's good to hear. Now, before you set out on your journey, Ash, I have one more gift to give you," Professor Oak stated as he produced a smart-phone. It was orange, and Ash accepted it with a raised eyebrow. "I used to give out Poke-Dexes, but this is much more useful. It's called a Rotom-Phone! It has all of the functions of an average smartphone, and it also can function as a Poke-Dex!"
Ash raised an eyebrow as he held the device. "Okay, but why is it called a Rotom-Phone? Isn't Rotom a Pokemon from the Sinnoh Region?..."
"Hehe, that's true! However, there's something special about this phone!" Peter exclaimed, confusing Ash even more.
Suddenly, the top of the phone contorted to form a lightning-bolt, startling Ash! It hovered into the air, and the face of a Rotom appeared on the backside of the phone!
"Bzzt! Bzzt! Greetings, Ash Ketchum! I am your Rotom-Phone! I will serve as your Poke-Dex! Bzzt! Bzzt!" the device exclaimed, causing Ash to grin from ear to ear. "We can skip the introductions, since I already know who you are!"
"Wow, this day keeps on getting cooler and cooler!" Ash exclaimed happily. "Now that I have my Poke-Dex and Pokemon, I can finally start my journey!"
"Well, not quite..." Oak stated as he scratched his cheek. "You still need to get out of your pajamas!"
Ash blushed as all the people and Pokemon in the room began to laugh, but soon, he began laughing too. It was embarrassing, sure, but he didn't care. He was so excited for his journey!
"Well, Ash, here we are! Route 1!" Peter exclaimed as he and Ash stood at the outskirts of Pallet Town and faced towards the area known as Route 1. It was mostly plains with a few beautiful trees and patches of tall grass here are there. "You ready to begin your journey?"
Ash excitedly nodded. He was now wearing the outfit that he had worn the previous night when watching the Pokemon matches, but this time he was wearing a green backpack that contained everything he needed for his journey. His mother had packed it for him, and had it ready the moment he returned home from the lab with Scorbunny.
Speaking of Scorbunny, the fire-type starter was standing next to Ash's feet, equally as excited for the journey that he was about to embark on with his brand new trainer.
Peter was basically wearing the same outfit he was wearing at the lab, but now he didn't have his white coat with him. He was also wearing a black bag, and, secretly, was wearing his Spider-Man costume underneath his outfit.
"I'm ready, I'm ready!" Ash childishly exclaimed, causing Peter to grin and chuckle.
"Well, in that case..." Peter stated as he turned his head to face the area in front of them.
"Let's go!" they both exclaimed as they ran onto Route 1, ready to start the adventure!
What kind of friends and foes will they make?
What kind of adventures will they go on?
And what kind of Pokemon will they catch?
The answers are to come in the next chapter, as the journey continues!
A/N: This is an idea I've had in my head for a while, and I've finally decided to actually work on it! It's gonna have lots of elements from both Marvel and Pokemon, so stay tuned for that, I guess.
Also, Fenton is an actual character from the Marvel Comics, and was an opponent to Ka-Zar. In the comics he was an elephant poacher, but I made him into a Pokemon Poacher and enemy of Spider-Man for this fic.
Lastly, Peter Parker's appearance is inspired by his look in the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon. He just doesn't have a mole here.
That's all, folks. Until next time!