Hello, everyone, and welocme to a very sepcial ediiton of 151 Pokeshipping Stories. Today, 25 years ago exactly, the most important show in my life premired on Japanese television screens and brought a world from the Game Boy screens to life. That's right. This chapter celebrates the 25th anniversary of Pokemon: I Choose You! (the episode, not the movie, thank Arceus). Anyways, since it has been 25 years since we first met Ash and Misty, I thought why don't I make a story giving us a vision as to what they would be like 25 years to the day they first met one another. (And before you ask, no, this is not based on a similar work of the same name. Just the name and the fact that Ash and Misty are married with kids, nothing else.) Expect a lot of rerfrences to the first season in this story... in fact, let's make a game out of this. Let's see who can spot the most refrences to Pokemon in this story. Here are the rules:
1. Anyone who has an account on either this site or dA or FA can enter this contest.
2. Send me a list of all of the refrences that you can find in the story.
2a. Preferably send them to me PRIVATLY, through PM or equivelant on the site you are entering this in. We don't want people cheating via the reviews.
3. Whoever correctly identifies the most refrences wins this contest.
And what is a good contest without some great prizes? Here are what each person will get:
5 Third Place winners: A shoutout at the end of every story for the remainder of the series.
4 Second Place winners: The chance to give me a story idea (prompt only) and a shoutout at the end of every story.
And 1 First Place winner: The chance to write a story alongside me (will PM the winner with details) and a shoutout at the end of every story.
The winners of this contest will be announced at the beginning of the next story, so please favorite and follow so you know when it goes live. Enough talk, though, it is time to start this special story. Chapter 35, I CHOOSE YOU!
The sun rose on another beautiful day in the world of Pokémon, specifically the town of Pallet in the south of Kanto. The Pidgey were chirping and there was not a single cloud in the sky, which was the perfect weather for three ten-year-olds in the region. Today, a new adventure would begin, and they would try and follow the legacies of their families. Today, they would be gifted a Pokémon from Professor Oak, the region's top authority on Pokémon. One of the kids in question lived in this town with her family, and it didn't seem like she was ready for the day.
"Have you seen our daughter this morning?" a woman with short orange hair and greenish-blue eyes asked her husband as she and a woman older than her with brown hair and matching eyes brought food to the table. The former woman was wearing a white jacket with a blue suit underneath, as well as white shoes and a golden ring with a sapphire cut to look like a raindrop on her finger.
"I cannot say I have," the man said. He had long black hair under a red and white baseball cap, brown eyes, lightning-shaped birthmarks under said eyes, a red and black long sleeve jacket, yellow fingerless gloves, jeans, black sneakers, and a ring matching the redhead's. He usually wasn't a huge morning person, but since this day was such an important one for him, he decided to not sleep through the alarm clock.
"I guess she is starting her journey just like her father did," the redhead said with a smirk on her face.
"Hey," the man retorted, "if I woke up on time, I would not have met you, Misty!"
"And if we hadn't met, my bike would not have been fried, Ash!" the woman, now revealed to be none other than Cerulean Gym Leader Misty Ketchum, said to her husband, Pokémon Master Ash Ketchum.
"Mommy, Daddy?" they heard a voice say. The two stopped their fighting and saw their daughter already dressed and ready for the big day. "Can you please save your fighting until AFTER I start my Pokémon journey?" She was wearing a white t-shirt, short blue jeans, a red jacket, and red shoes with yellow laces.
"Veronica!" Misty said. "We thought that you were still asleep."
"Yeah," Ash added, "we didn't hear your alarm clock go off or anything like that,"
Veronica looked at her parents, a tiny bit of guilt in her sapphire eyes. "About that…" She took her hands out from behind her back and showed them all a broken Pokéball alarm clock. Ash, his mother, and Misty all looked at the remains of Veronica's clock in her hands before Ash burst out laughing, causing everyone to look at him funny.
"What is so funny, Daddy?" Veronica asked with a confused look on her face.
Ash eventually collected himself and explained to his daughter. "You see, when I was your age, 25 years ago today, I had a dream of being a Pokémon master and accidentally broke my alarm clock in my dream state, making me sleep in and almost miss the most important day of my life. But fortunately, I got up and got my starter from the old Professor Oak and started my Pokémon journey."
"You know what also happened 25 years ago?" Misty asked her husband. "I first met you when you fished you and your Pikachu out of the river."
Ash smiled. "You sure did," he said, "and no, I have not forgotten about that bike, Misty."
"Anyways, who woke you up, Veronica?" Misty asked her daughter.
Veronica rubbed the back of her head, touching her distinctive pink hair in the process. "Pikachu woke me up when she realized that I was going to be late," she said as an electric mouse Pokémon walked into the room behind the soon-to-be trainer. She stood by her side with a smile on her face.
"Pika," the Pikachu said as she smiled before two more Pokémon joined in the conversation. A big orange Pokémon that resembled a larger version of Pikachu came up to the smaller electrical rodent and rubbed his cheeks against hers.
"Rai," the Pokémon said, probably meaning, "Good job, my daughter." This Pokémon was Raichu, the loyal friend and most powerful Pokémon of Ash Ketchum, who had known Ash for 25 years. Fourteen of those years were spent as a Pikachu, as he was afraid that Ash would not like him anymore if he evolved. (That combined with the fact that for a long time, he could not evolve because he was capable of Gigantimaxing.) But after a talk with his trainer, who reassured the Mouse Pokémon that no matter what form he took, he was still his partner; Pikachu finally decided that he wanted to evolve into a Raichu after drinking the soup that would strip him of his ability to G-Max.
"Togekiss?" a white avian Pokémon said as she got down from her perch and landed next to her daughter. She probably meant, "Are you ready to start your adventure?" This Pokémon was Pikachu's mother and Misty's beloved Togekiss. Ash found Togekiss when she was just an egg, who soon hatched into Togepi. Ash, Misty, and Ash's Pikachu raised the little Pokémon like a family, with Togepi being especially close to Misty since she was the first thing the baby Pokémon saw, and babies, human and Pokémon alike, tend to latch on to the first thing they see. After three years with her "mother," Togepi evolved into a Togetic during the events when Ash and his friends were in the Mirage Kingdom. Togetic soon had to protect the Togepi living in the Mirage Kingdom, so Misty had to say a tearful goodbye to her "daughter."
However, she made a return when Ash and Misty tied the knot, and informed her mother that Princess Sara's own Togepi evolved and took over the role of the protector of the Togepi, allowing Togetic to return and stay with Misty. Around the same time Pikachu evolved into Raichu, Togetic evolved into a Togekiss. The two Pokémon soon saw each other in different ways than during their adventures in Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto. After having those feelings build for a year after they evolved, they decided to finally become mates. The Pikachu was the result of their love. Despite not being the same species as her daughter, Togekiss loved Pikachu in the same way Misty loved her back when she was a Togepi.
"Pika pika," Pikachu said as she kissed her mom and hopped onto Veronica's shoulder. She was eyeing the huge breakfast that Delia and Misty spent the morning preparing for the girl's special day. So many of her favorite foods were arranged on the table: cinnamon rolls, bacon, scrambled eggs, sausage, hotcakes, fresh berries, biscuits and gravy… Veronica took a little bit of everything and immediately started to chow down.
"She certainly is your child," Delia said with a smile to her son.
"She sure is," Ash said as he enjoyed his breakfast as well, something he did not get to do because of him not wanting to miss his chance to get a Pokémon of his own.
After breakfast, Ash, Misty, Veronica, Raichu, Togekiss, and Pikachu said goodbye to Delia as they headed out on the first steps of Veronica's Pokémon journey. Raichu, Togekiss, and Pikachu were all perched on their respective trainer's shoulders as they made the walk from Ash's childhood home to the lab of Professor Oak. Ash smiled as he held the hands of his wife and his child, happy to take in the sights of Pallet Town as he made the walk from his home to the lab, something he was unable to do in the hurry he was in to get there when he was ten years old.
"What a beautiful day it is," Misty said as she looked at all of the people who were also making their way to the lab to see the three special trainers receive their first Pokémon today.
"It sure is," Ash commented as a pair of familiar faces caught his eyes. "Huh?" he asked.
"What is it, Dad?" Veronica asked her father as she looked the same direction he was looking in. There, a family of four was standing: a man with tanned skin and brown hair, a woman with fair skin and black hair with red and purple highlights, and two boys, one of whom was Veronica's age. She could not believe it. "Is that Uncle Brock?" she asked Ash. While not actually biologically related to one another, Veronica usually called all of the friends that Ash made on his travels her "uncles" and "aunts" because they all seemed like family when he told her stories of his adventures.
The man turned around and showed off his squinted eyes. He smiled upon seeing his old friends and their daughter. "Ash! Misty!" he called out. "It is so nice to see you two again!"
"Brock?!" Ash asked as he went up to the man who traveled with him through Kanto, as well as every region between Johto and Sinnoh. "What are you doing here?"
"The same reason why everyone is here," Brock explained. "I want to send off the three trainers who are starting off their journeys today."
"Yeah," the older boy said, "I am sure that my little brother Gordon has been waiting for this day for a while now!"
"I sure am, Patrick," Gordon said to his older brother. The boy with black hair like his mother and squinty eyes like his father smiled, as he couldn't wait to pick out his first Pokémon.
The boy with brown spiky hair and blue eyes smiled as he watched Gordon talk with Veronica about how excited they were to start their journey. They agreed at least a month in advance to travel together, just like the days of both of her parents and his father. "What Pokémon do you plan on picking, Gordon?" Veronica asked Gordon.
"Well," Gordon said, "I don't want to pick Bulbasaur because my brother already has one, and I know you really want Squirtle because of your mother…"
"It is true I want to pick Squirtle as my starter," Veronica said, "but mom isnt the only reason. My dad also wanted to have one as his starter, but he overslept and ended up getting Pikachu." She smiled, remembering all of the stories of her dad's own Pokémon journey she was told. Even though he didn't get one as his starter, Ash eventually did get one after a member of a mischievous group of the Tiny Turtle Pokémon decided to join him. "So that means you want Charmander as your starter?"
"I guess," Gordon said.
As their children were talking, the original trio plus Lucy were catching up with one another. "So Brock," Ash said, "how has your job with the clinic been doing?"
"It has been doing good," Brock said. After leaving Ash for the second time, Brock decided to train and become a Pokémon Doctor. He eventually opened his own clinic close to where his wife's Battle Frontier Facility was to help trainers who had their Pokémon fight against her.
"I bet it has," Misty said. "Have you met any pretty girls?" Brock was notoriously perverted when he traveled with Ash, and it was usually up to Misty in their early days together to make him stop. Even though he was happily married to Lucy now, Misty refused to let the joke die.
"Stop it," Lucy said. Ash and Misty just chuckled as they heard the gates to Professor Oak's lab open. Everyone turned around and saw a man with auburn hair and a black lab coat come out down the path connecting his laboratory and the rest of Pallet Town.
This man was the regional Pokémon Professor, Gary Oak. Gary was a rival to Ash's back when they were ten, but after his loss in the Johto League to a Pokémon HE had the type advantage against, Gary decided to go into the field of Pokémon research just like his grandfather, the previous Pokémon Professor of Kanto. "Good morning," Gary said. "I am sure that two thirds of the trainers who are supposed to get their starters today are not late…" As he said that, he looked at Ash, remembering how they ran into one another with Ash in his pajamas.
"We are here, Professor," both Veronica and Gordon said to the Pokémon Professor.
"That is good," Gary said. "Follow me, children." He then led the two soon to be trainers towards the lab, passing by a tree that bore the professor's family's namesake. As they headed inside, Gary looked at the oak tree. Inscribed was a little memorial to his predecessor, his grandfather. It read: "S. Oak. MCMLV-MMXIX. A beloved grandfather and professor. May he rest in peace." After looking at it for a while, he headed inside his laboratory where the tree trainers were waiting.
Veronica and Gordon headed into the main room of the lab, where one person was already waiting for them: a boy with a light black jacket and green pants. This boy was named Trace Oak, and he was the son of the Pokémon Professor and his wife, Leaf Oak. His green eyes spotted his fellow trainers as he flicked his brown hair that was a shade in between his parents out of the way and started to talk. "Morning," he said. "I see you have come to get a Pokémon license from the greatest Pokémon Professor in the region."
"Morning, Trace," Veronica said. Being one of the few other kids from Pallet Town, Trace Oak was a friend of Veronica's. And because of their fathers, a rivalry between them would soon bloom, although a lot friendlier than the one between Ash and Gary in the early days. "Do you promise not to take the starter I want?"
"You know I have been eyeing Bulbasaur," Trace said. "No guarantees I will pick him, though."
Veronica gave a playful glare at Trace, causing Gordon to giggle. As the children of Ash and Gary were talking, their Pokémon were talking too.
"So, Pikachu," an Eevee, the Pokémon Trace bonded with before he could become a trainer, said to Veronica's Pikachu, "which Pokémon do you expect to be your new teammate?" The Eevee was one of two kids that hatched from the eggs of Gary's Umbreon and Leaf's Leafeon.
"Veronica told me she wanted a Squirtle," Pikachu said to her counterpart, "and I cannot blame her; she seemed to really like her father's then-Squirtle when she was told stories about his travels across the land."
"Trace has also been into the Squirtle that Blastoise and Venusaur have had," Eevee said, referring to Gary's Blastoise and Leaf's Venusaur respectively, "but he also had his eyes on her Bulbasaur. He also wondered how cool it would be to get a Bulburtle."
"The pre-evolved form of Venustoise?" Pikachu asked with a laugh. Even though their trainers could only understand bits and pieces of their species' names, they knew they must be having fun. Soon, they all heard footsteps and turned as the Pokémon Professor of the Kanto region came in and stood in front of the three new trainers.
"Good morning, everyone," Gary said to Veronica, Gordon, and Trace. "Today is the day you will become trainers and get your first Pokémon." He then saw Pikachu and Eevee and added, "Technically Veronica and my son already got their first Pokémon, but for all intents and purposes, both of you will be getting your Kanto starters. Now the first Pokémon you pick is the most important choice you will make in your life. Your starter will be the one who battles alongside you and helps you through thick and thin. Most trainers only get only one of these special Pokémon, so choose who you want wisely…" Gary then looked towards the door as three Pokémon came running in: a Bulbasaur, a Charmander, and a Squirtle. They all stopped beside the young professor as the ten-year-olds looked in awe.
"Veronica," Gary said, "as you are the daughter of the current Pokémon master, you get to pick your Kanto starter first."
"Hey!" Trace protested with a slight pout. "No fair! I am your own child! Shouldn't I go first?!"
"Now now, Trace," Gary said, "you will get your turn. Be patient." He then looked back at the pink-haired girl. "Anyways, who do you want as your starter, Veronica?"
Veronica smiled as she looked at Squirtle. The Tiny Turtle Pokémon looked back at Veronica and smiled before running towards her on his tiny little legs and hugging her in a similar way to when Ash's Squirtle joined him. She then picked Squirtle up and held him in her arms like a stuffy as she looked at her professor. "I choose Squirtle, Professor."
"That certainly is a good choice, Veronica," Gary said, remembering the day he picked Squirtle as his starter. He then looked at his son and told him it was his turn to pick his Kanto starter. "Who are you going to pick?"
Trace Oak looked at his two options: Bulbasaur and Charmander. One of them in particular stood out to him: the Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur was one of the children of two of his parent's Pokémon: Gary's Blastoise and Leaf's Venusaur. He looked at Bulbasaur and got onto his knee. "So, Bulbasaur, do you want to join me on my Pokémon journey?"
Bulbasaur happily nodded and hopped into the arms of the professor's son. "Bulba!"
"I bet Bulbasaur is happy that you are finally his trainer," Gary commented.
"I bet he is," Trace said as he saw that Bulbasaur and Squirtle were looking at one another, a determined look in both of their eyes.
The last Kanto starter that Gary Oak had for this year was Charmander. Gordon and Charmander locked eyes. "Hey there, Charmander," Gordon said, "Do you want to join me on my Pokémon journey? I don't know what I want to be yet, but we can find out together."
"Char!" Charmander said as he jumped up and down and hugged Gordon.
Gordon returned the embrace as he looked at Gary. "It looks like I am going to pick Charmander, Professor."
"Okay then," Gary said as he went to his drawer and pulled out three sets of Pokéballs and handed them all to the trainers. He then pulled out three devices that looked a lot like Nintendo Switches as flashes of light headed towards them.
"What was that?" Gordon asked the professor.
Gary chuckled. "You are just going to have to wait and see," he said as the Switches floated up into the air and gained a face on them.
"Hello there," one of the strange devices said. "I am Rotom Dex Version 9.8, the latest advancement in Pokémon technology! Bzzt!"
"That is right," Gary said, "and these will serve as your guides and trainer licenses, you three."
"Bzzt! That's right!" the second strange device said. "We can help you with anything relating to Pokémon training!"
"Be careful, bzzt!" The third Rotom Dex said. "If one of us is stolen, lost, or destroyed, we can NOT be replaced."
"Exactly," Gary said as the Rotom Dexes flew towards their trainers and got their information. Veronica ended up getting the pink one, Trace got the green one, and Gordon got the gray one. "Why don't you try your new Pokédexes on your starters?"
"Good idea," Veronica said as she scanned her Squirtle with the Rotom Dex.
"Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon," the pink Rotom Dex explained. "When this Pokémon is seen in the wild, it shoots its prey with a Water Gun attack. Whenever it feels like it is in danger, it hides in its shell, which can protect it from a variety of attacks. This particular Squirtle is a male at Level 5 and has the ability Torrent, which powers up Water-type moves in a pinch. He knows the moves Tackle, Tail Whip, and Water Gun."
"Say," Trace said to Veronica after he scanned his own Pokémon with the gift his father gave him, "now that we are officially Pokémon trainers, do you want to have a Pokémon battle with me?"
Veronica smiled. "Of course," she said as she looked at Pikachu and Squirtle. "Are you two ready for a Pokémon battle?"
"Pika!" the female Pikachu said as she jumped into the air with a cheer.
"Squirtle!" Squirtle said, imitating the actions of his new teammate.
"Okay then," Gary said, "let's go to the battlefield for your first Pokémon battle."
Soon, everyone was on the battlefield. Veronica, Squirtle, and Pikachu stood on one side, while Trace, Bulbasaur, and Eevee stood on the other side. Gordon was on the sidelines with Charmander in his lap, as were the rest of their families, who did not want to miss their children's first trainer battle.
"This will be a two-on-two battle between Veronica Ketchum and Trace Oak," Brock, who was acting as the referee, declared. "Trainers are only allowed to switch Pokémon when the other one does, and the one who still has Pokémon standing at the end of the battle will be declared the victor! Do you both understand?"
Veronica and Trace both nodded as they sent out their first Pokémon Veronica using her new Squirtle and Trace using his new Bulbasaur. Soon, the battle began. Trace had the first move as he told Bulbasaur to start the battle by using a Vine Whip attack. Bulbasaur took the vines out of his bulb and moved them towards Squirtle. Veronica told Squirtle to use Withdraw to lessen the damage taken by the super-effective attack, which the Tiny Turtle Pokémon obeyed. Squirlte then spun around in his shell to evade the attacks from the Grass- and Poison-type before tackling him. Bulbasaur got knocked back as Squirtle popped out of his shell and used a Water Gun in Bulbasaur's eyes, forcing the Seed Pokémon to close them. Bulbasaur whipped his vines around wildly, trying to locate the Tiny Turtle Pokémon with his eyes closed, which was a lot easier said than done. Squirtle kept dodging attacks, hacking away at the opponent until Bulbasaur was at low health. Just when he needed one more hit to win the battle, Bublasaur finally connected with his Vine Whip attack with his opponent, knocking Squirtle into the wall. Veronica went running to her new Pokémon and asked him if he was okay. Squirtle nodded, but he did not want to continue battling.
"You did a great job, Squirtle," Ash's daughter said as she returned him to his Pokéball. Veronica then looked at her Pikachu and asked if he was ready to battle. Pikachu nodded as she hopped onto the battlefield. Trace also decided to switch his Pokémon, as per the rules, trainers were only allowed to switch their Pokémon when their opponent did. Eevee hopped onto the battlefield as he looked at Pikachu. The second round of the battle began as Veronica ordered Pikachu to charge at Eevee and use a close-range Thundershock. Trace told his Eevee to use a Tackle attack. Both Pokémon charged at one another, and the moment they connected, Pikachu used a Thundershock attack to deal massive damage to her opponent. Eevee got knocked back, but managed to stay on its feet. Trace told his Pokémon to use a Sand-Attack to try and blind his opponent. Eevee then kicked up some dirt on the battlefield and sent it in the direction of Pikachu. Pikachu used a Double Team to dodge the oncoming Sand-Attack and jumped up into the air. "FINISH HIM WITH A QUICK ATTACK AND THUNDERSHOCK COMBO!" Veronica told her partner Pokémon. Pikachu then came crashing down with said attack and knocked out Eevee.
"Eevee is unable to battle!" Brock declared. "Which means that Veronica and her team have won this battle!"
"Are you okay?" Trace asked his Eevee.
"Vui," Eevee said weakly.
Trace picked him up and cradled the Pokémon in his arms. "Here," Trace said as he used a potion on the Evolution Pokémon to help him feel better.
"You did great out there, bro!" they heard a voice say. Trace turned around and saw his little sister running towards her. She was the spitting image of her mother, having brown hair that reached her shoulders and green eyes. She was wearing a red shirt with a white skirt underneath it.
"Thanks, Scarlet," Trace said as he patted his sister on the head.
"Vuivui," the Eevee in Scarlet's arm said. She was wearing a red ribbon around her mane to differentiate her from Trace's Eevee.
"Eevee thinks you did great too," Scarlett said with a smile on her face. "I cannot wait until I become a trainer like you!"
"Only two more years, Scarlet," a woman said. She had long brown hair and was wearing a green shirt, black pants, and sandals. This woman was Leaf Oak, Gary's wife. She has been friends with both Ash and Gary since they were kids (mainly because of Pallet Town being so small), and initially, Leaf was not interested in Gary's egomania. But when he finally matured after his battle in the Silver Conference, Leaf saw her old rival in another light. They were apart for a while, with Gary's work as Rowan's assistant in Sinnoh and Leaf finding work in the Celadon City gym, but they eventually fell in love and married a year after Ash and Misty did. Trace and Scarlet were the result of that love.
"Anyways, I think I will be off on my journey now," Trace told his family.
"Okay," Scarlet said, a little bit upset about seeing her brother go off on his own. "Be sure to regularly tell me what is going on."
"Yeah," Leaf said, "and make sure you say hi to me when you reach Celadon."
"And catch a lot of Pokémon!" Gary said.
Trace smiled. "I will. Smell you later!" He then ran off.
"He's your kid," Leaf said with a smirk. Trace picked up saying "smell you later" to reference her employer's secondary job at a perfumery from his dad.
"He sure is," Gary said as he looked at Gordon and Veronica. "So, are you two ready to head out on your Pokémon adventures?"
"We sure are," Veronica said with a smile before looking at Gordon, "right?
"I guess so," Gordon said with a slight smile.
"That is great," Gary said. "I have to get back to work. Your uncle Tracey wants to show me some of his newest sketches, Veronica." Unlike the other seventeen friends Ash had made, Veronica could really call Tracey Sketchit her uncle, as he married her auntie Daisy (Misty's sister) in-between Ash's time in the Unova and Kalos regions. Even though his sketches became famous from being used by Samuel Oak, he decided to remain the assistant of the new Professor Oak.
"Say hi to him for me," Veronica said.
"I will," Gary said as he headed off, leaving Veronica, Gordon, and their respective families for themselves.
"Your mom and I have to go now," Brock told his youngest son. "Will you be okay?"
"Of course," Gordon said with a smile as he looked at his new Pokémon. "I have Charmander on my side and I am traveling with Veronica."
"Okay then," Lucy said as she gave her son one last embrace before she had to leave.
"See you soon, little bro," Patrick said as Gordon's family left the lab.
"Dad?" Veronica asked as her father looked at his daughter.
"Yes?" Ash asked, "What is it, Veronica?"
"Do you think it would be cool if you and Mom joined me on the first leg of my journey?"
Ash looked at his wife to determine what to do. The Pokémon League season was starting up, so they were going to be busy. But as it was just the first day of the badge-earning part of the season, they were not needed as much now as they would be later. "We can join you," Misty said, "but only from here to Viridian City."
"Okay, Mom," Veronica said as she hugged both of her parents.
"I think I will have fun telling you all about what happened on this day 25 years ago," Ash said as he, Misty, Veronica, Gordon, Raichu, Togekiss, and Pikachu headed off to Route 1.
Route 1 was the route that connected Pallet Town and Viridian City. It was, as its name suggested, the first route that trainers traveled along, especially if their journeys started in Pallet Town like Veronica and Gordon. The route was filled with Pidgey and Rattata, common Pokémon, but ideal for beginning trainers to battle against and catch. The first Pokémon that Veronica saw along the route was a Pidgey.
"Do you want to battle him, Pikachu?" Veronica asked her partner Pokémon.
"Pika," Pikachu said as she jumped off of her trainer's shoulder and in front of the bird.
"Pidge!" Pidgey said upon seeing the electric mouse and her trainer as he unleashed a Gust attack at her. Pikachu dodged and fired back a Thundershock, weakening the Normal- and Flying-type Pokémon. Pidgey grew angry and unleashed a Sand-Attack at the Mouse Pokémon's eyes. Pikachu couldn't land another attack as Pidgey flew away.
"He got away," Veronica said with a frown.
"Don't worry," Ash said to his daughter, "when I started out on my Pokémon journey, I failed to catch the first wild Pokémon I saw, too."
"Raichu," Raichu said from Ash's shoulders in agreement, a little bit of shame in his voice. After all, he didn't help out his trainer because he was not very trusting of people, even his own trainer.
"I know you feel bad," Ash said as he petted his partner Pokémon as he explained his early failures on Route 1 in detail to his daughter and her friend. "I just threw Pokéballs at the Pokémon when I knew that my starter would not listen to me. Another point as to why nothing went right on my first day as a trainer."
Misty cleared her throat and looked at her husband. "Isn't there something you forgot that happened on April 1st, 1997?"
"Oh," Ash said, "what I meant to say was why ALMOST nothing went right on my first day as a trainer."
"Good," Misty said as they continued down the route until Gordon encountered a Rattata.
"Cool," Gordon said as he decided to test out the new Rotom Dex that Gary gave to him to learn more about the Pokémon in question.
"Rattata, the Mouse Pokémon," Gordon's Rotom Dex said. "The Kantonian variant will chew up anything with its fangs, from food to garbage. If you see one, there are at least 40 more in the area. It also likes to take food from stupid travelers."
"I see Rotom Dex still has the same amount of sass as Dexter had," Ash said as his wife, daughter, and their Pokémon struggled to hold in their laughter from the last remark that Rotom Dex made.
"This particular Rattata is a level 2 male and has the ability Run Away," Rotom Dex continued to explain. "He is a Normal-type Pokémon and knows the moves Tackle and Tail Whip."
"I see," Gordon said. "Sounds like a good Pokémon for EXP. Charmander, I choose you!" The son of Brock and Lucy then sent out his Flame Pokémon to battle the early-route mouse.
"Char!" Charmander cried as he faced his opponent. He used Ember at the command of his trainer. The flames hurt Rattata, but he still managed to counter with a Tackle attack that did pitiful damage to the Flame Pokémon. Charmander finished the battle with a Scratch attack, causing Rattata to run away from the battle, scared for its safety.
"Good job, Charmander!" Gordon said with a smile. "We have won our first battle!"
"Char!" Charmander said as he leaped up and gave his trainer a high five. Veronica and the others smiled for Gordon as they headed further along Route 1.
After about an hour of walking, Veronica saw a group of flying Pokémon. "Woah," she said as she pulled out her Pokédex, "what are those?"
"Spearow, the Tiny Bird Pokémon," her pink Switch Pokédex answered. "These Pokémon are very territorial, and will attack people or Pokémon who get too close in large numbers."
"I can definitely say that is true," Ash said as he thought back to the first day of his Pokémon journey. He was stupid enough to throw a rock at a Spearow he wanted to catch when Pikachu refused to listen to him. "So I just recommend letting them be, Veronica…"
"Also in this flock are some Pidgey!" Veronica's Rotom Dex said. "Also known as the Tiny Bird Pokémon, Pidgey are docile Pokémon and only fight back by kicking sand into their opponent's eyes."
As Rotom Dex mentioned the Pokémon Pidgey, he remembered something on the day before he left for the Orange Islands. Ash and his friends encountered the same group of Fearow that were messing with some Pidgey. His own Pidgeotto evolved into a Pidgeot and decided to help the Pidgey. Ash made a promise to the Pokémon that he would come back for her after the Orange Islands, when the Pidgey became strong enough to defend themselves. It wouldn't be until around the time of his wedding when he finally fulfilled the promise he made when he was eleven. (In fact, all of the Pokémon that he had ever released or befriended but not caught had decided to join or rejoin his team by that time.)
"What are you thinking about, Ash?" Misty asked her husband.
"Nothing," Ash said, "just that it took me over a decade to finally fulfill the promise to reunite with Pidgeot."
"At least you did," Misty said, "and she and the Pidgey have made peace with the Spearow."
"Yeah," Veronica said, "and I haven't seen your Pidgeot and Fearow fighting with one another unless it is sparring for battles."
Ash smiled as his wife and daughter pointed those facts out. Before his wedding, when he finally made the promise to return to Pidgeot, he found out that the Spearow and Pidgey had united into one group under herself and a male Fearow, the same one that Ash accidentally hit with a rock as a child. At first, Fearow wasn't keen on joining the trainer who hurt him, but his mate told Fearow it might be a good idea to put the decade-plus-old grudge behind him, and so joined Ash's team.
"You know, Dad," Veronica said, "it would have been cool if you caught that Fearow when Pikachu finally earned your respect."
"Maybe in another universe," Ash said as they continued on. "I met two alternative versions of myself while on my journey, so an Ash who caught a Fearow early on isn't outside of the realm of possibilities."
"Yeah," Gordon said as he looked at the Spearow and Pidgey fly away, not noticing the quartet of trainers and their Pokémon. "Anyways, Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum, where are we heading next?"
"Please," Misty said, "call us Ash and Misty. Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum is too formal."
"But to answer your question," Ash said, "it is a place extremely important to me and Misty."
The sun was a bit past its zenith around the time Ash, Misty, Veronica, and Gordon reached their destination, a specific point by a river.
"Here we are, kids," Misty said as she stood by the point with a smile.
"What is so important about this spot?" both of the children asked the adults.
"This spot, kids," Ash explained, "was the exact place where I first met Misty after she got me out of the river with her fishing rod."
"I remember," Veronica told her father. "You told me all about this."
"Sure did," Ash said with a smile. "At first it did not go over smoothly, but it eventually led to friendship, and then something more, which led all the way to you." As he said that last point, he pointed at his pinkette daughter.
"Imagine if you hadn't fished Dad out that day, Mom," Veronica said.
"I Choose You: The Movie," Ash's Raichu said, even though the Pokémon only heard it as "Raichu rai raichu."
Togekiss slapped Raichu with her wing, "Togekiss kiss!" she said in her own language, something along the lines of, "You know we don't talk about that!" she said.
Raichu looked down and nodded. A year before his child was born and during the offseason, Ash wrote down all of his memories as a trainer and released them in a series of books, with the first one being focused on his journeys through the Kanto region. It was a successful book, so much so that people wanted it to be made into a film. However, Ash did not like some of the liberties it took with the source materials: his journey and the book itself. More specifically, he hated that his wife and Brock were replaced with two new people, the entire plot with Ho-oh, and the scene where Pikachu talked to him. Ash Ketchum himself even offered to drop everything and rewrite the script himself, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRAINING SEASON, to make it up to standards. The studio denied his help, however, and like Ash predicted, the movie, named for the first chapter of the first book, "I Choose You!", failed spectacularly, generating horrible word of mouth, barely breaking even at the box office, and canceling any plans to adapt the next books.
"Raichu and Togekiss sorta look like you, Mom and Dad," Veronica remarked as she watched the Pokémon playfully argue with one another as they set up a picnic lunch.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu said in agreement as she sat in her trainer's lap.
"WE ARE NOT LIKE THAT!" Ash and Misty both said before realizing that they were in front of their own daughter and her friend before correcting themselves. "Uh, while it is true that Dad and I fight," Misty said, "we genuinely cared for one another from the moment I saved your father from the raging river."
"Correct," Ash said, "and do I still owe you for stealing your bike, Misty?"
"And for his then-Pikachu roasting it?" Veronica asked as she chuckled. That was always her favorite part whenever she heard the story of when her parents first met one another.
"Stealing my bike, no," Misty said. "Your Pokémon roasting it, maybe."
"Chu!" Raichu said as he gave her a playful punch to the side with his paw. He probably meant something along the lines of, "Hey!"
"Raichu is right," Ash said. "Raichu did not mean to roast your bike; it was just a combination of a rainstorm and him being an Electric-type."
"Still," Misty pouted.
Veronica and Gordon just chuckled at the antics of Ash and Misty, "Aren't you going to stop arguing and send out your Pokémon?" Veronica asked her parents.
Ash and Misty decided that would be a good idea and each sent out the other five Pokémon they decided to have on them. "Alright, everyone! Lunch time!" For Ash, they were his Butterfree, Pidgeot, Venusaur (Bulbasaur chose to change his mind about not wanting to evolve after seeing that May's did), Charizard, and Blastoise (Squirtle chose to evolve not long after Bulbasaur did). The five Pokémon not named Togekiss Misty decided to bring with her were her Starmie, Seaking, Kingdra, Golduck, and the pink Butterfree that Ash's mated with, Butterfree only agreeing to return to Ash if she was caught by Misty.
"You guys come out too!" Veronica and Gordon said as they sent out their respective Kanto starters given to them by Professor Oak. Soon, the humans and Pokémon were enjoying their meals as they shared even more stories and giggles from Ash's first day as a trainer.
After lunch, Veronica, her family, and Gordon continued down the path of Route 1 towards Viridian City. It took a while for them to get there, the sun starting to set as they neared the town.
"On the road to Viridian City…" Veronica hummed as she led the group, excited to finally reach the first major town on a Pokémon trainer's quest.
"Pikachu Pi Pikachu Pika…" Pikachu hummed along with her trainer as the town grew ever closer from her spot on Veronica's shoulder.
"So, Veronica," Gordon asked, "what do you plan on doing once you get to Viridian City?"
"Gordon is right," Ash said. "There is a lot for trainers to do there before they head into the forest."
Veronica thought about it for a little while. "Maybe spend a night at the Pokémon Center and do all of the necessary stuff there, and see if the gym is open tomorrow," she responded. "If it is open, I will challenge it, and if it is not, I will just head towards Pewter City and challenge the gym there."
"That's my girl," Misty said, "and you know that if you catch any Pokémon in there, be sure not to catch Weedle or its evolutionary line." Despite being less entomophobic as a 35-year-old, Misty still had an aversion to Beedrill due to trauma she suffered involving the Pokémon both during her time with Ash and before it.
"I won't," Veronica said as they reached the city limits.
"Good," Misty said. They then heard some rustling in the bushes as two figures popped out of them.
"For the sake of the city, don't cause trouble," a female figure with periwinkle hair said.
"We will stop you, on the double!" a male figure with magenta hair said as he stood next to his partner.
"We will protect this town from devastation."
"And spread defense across the nation!"
"To rid the regions of all things bad!"
"And try and make everyone glad!"
"Julie."
"And John."
"The Morgan twins, here to set things right,"
"So surrender, evil, or prepare for a fight!"
"GROWLITHE!" a Growlithe said as he popped out of the bushes in front of her trainer, Julie.
"VUL-PIX!" A Vulpix said as she popped out in front of his own trainer, John.
Ash smirked as he looked at the two kids who were only a year older than his own. "That definitely confirms you are Jessie and James's kids, alright," he said.
"Should we trust them?" Veronica said with a little bit of worry in her voice. "I mean, they are the spawn of the two meanies who tried to steal your then-Pikachu over and over and over again."
"Jessie and James quit Team Rocket long ago, sweetie," Misty reminded her daughter. "They haven't attempted to steal anyone's Pokémon since 2007."
"They are right, kid," Julie said.
"Have your views on our parents come from yours?" John asked the pink-haired girl.
"Yeah," Veronica asked, "they have. What happened to the TRio?"
"How about we offer you an escort to the Pokémon Center?" John suggested. "We will tell you exactly what happened along the way."
"Yeah," Julie said, "it may offer you a new view on what our parents did." As they walked, the twin children of Jessie and James told Veronica what happened after their families left Team Rocket. To avoid being hunted down by their former employers, the two decided to live a low-lying life with their Pokémon and one another, essentially like a witness protection program. They gave anonymous tips to Officer Jennys across Kanto on the whereabouts of other Rocket members who hadn't left by the time they left. Whenever they left the safety of their home, they usually wore disguises to hide from the Rockets even further. And since they fooled many people many times, they were never caught.
"However," John pointed out, "not every Rocket was caught, and some members of the old Team Rocket and their kids have formed a new organization known as Team Rainbow Rocket."
"That sounds horrible," Gordon said when he heard that.
"It is," Julie said as they turned the corner, with only one more block until they reached the Pokémon Center. "And they are even worse than the original one. Which is why John and I have decided to dedicate our training careers to destroying them."
"Right," John said, "Our bravery despite our age has caught the attention of the Officer Jennys of the region, and they offered us the position of Junior Officers."
"That sounds great, kids," Misty said. "It gets awfully confusing with all of your police officers having the same name."
"But they still have the same first initial," Ash pointed out, "so if something belonging to the Kanto Police Department is marked with only a 'J,' who knows who it could belong to."
"Is that part of the reason why you have a Growlithe, Julie?" Veronica asked the girl with silverish-lavender hair.
"It is," Julie said, "but the main reason why Growlithe is one of my Pokémon is because it is the daughter of my father's beloved Arcanine, who decided to come with him along with all of Mom and Dad's other Pokémon."
"My Vulpix is also a result of Arcanine," John said. "He mated with a wild Ninetales who found herself outside of our family's humble home in the wilderness." They soon arrived at the front of the Viridian City Pokémon Center. "Well, here we are."
"Uh huh," Ash said as he was looking at a plaque that was outside of the center.
"What does that plaque say, dad?" Veronica asked her father as they all gathered around and looked at the plaque.
"In 1997, this Pokémon Center was attacked by members of Team Rocket, but thanks to the bravery of two trainers, all of the Pokémon made it out safely." the plaque read.
"They must be referring to you two when they were talking about 'two brave trainers'," Veronica said to her parents.
"Yeah," Gordon said to Ash and Misty, "is that right?"
"Right," Ash said, "and the day that I knew that Misty and I would make a great team together."
"Not right away, of course," Misty said with some sass.
"A lot changed in the 25 years since our parents first met one another," Julie said.
"Honestly, it felt more like 24 years, 51 weeks, and a day," John said as they all headed into the Pokémon Center.
"Are you really sure that you and Gordon will be okay on your own?" Ash asked his daughter.
"I am positive," Veronica said with a smile.
"Yeah," Gordon said, "we have our Pokémon with us, so we can take on any challenge that comes our way."
"And when it gets too tough for them, we will come to help them out," Julie said.
"After all, you never know when Rainbow Rocket grunts will attack," John added.
Ash and Misty smiled in approval. "Okay then," Misty said, "I will see you when you come to Cerulean Gym. And Veronica?"
"Yeah Mom?" Veronica asked her mother.
"Do NOT expect me to go easy on you when you come to battle me at the gym," Misty said to the girl with pink hair.
"Understood," Veronica said as she gave her parents a hug goodbye. The two adults then left the Pokémon Center before Ash sent out his Charizard and flew off.
Veronica smiled. She'd had a wonderful first day as a Pokémon trainer, and she was sure that her journey would only get better from here on out. There were several new faces, both humans and Pokémon, to meet, and new places for her to explore. She knew her journey would be different from the one her parents went on 25 years ago, but everyone's story is different. Tomorrow she would head out into Viridian Forest and hopefully expand her team, as the journey continues…
And that just about does it for this edition, everyone. Thank you, Pokemon anime for staying with us through good times and bad times for 25 years, for giving us over 1,000 adventures across nine regions, and having us make so many wonderful friends. Here is to several more years of fun following Ash and his friends as he continues to aim to be a Pokemon Master! Even though he will never age, it is fun to write about if he did and started a family with Misty and had that pink haired girl as their daughter. Who knows, maybe more of these stories will feature Veronica as a character. Anyways, I will see you all next time, and as always, dare to Pokeship!