Hello, everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of The Power of Us! The way I'm handling the initial starter choice, considering the way I've structured the story thus far, I picked well-rounded Pokemon of each primary type. The secondary type of the Pokemon did not factor in anywhere in my decision of what the sixteen starters will be. And yes, you heard right, sixteen. This is because there is no Flying-primary type Pokemon in the Kanto region, and the only Steel-primary type, Meltan, is a Mythical Pokemon, which is not something I'm about to give to a group of seven-year-olds. And no, Dratini is not a Legendary or a Mythical Pokemon. Despite its final evolution, Dragonite, being stated as the "Legendary Pokemon" in the Gen I Pokedex, it's actually not rare enough to be considered Mythical or powerful enough to be considered Legendary. It's not one of the Pokemon in Gen I designated to have a 1% encounter rate, and has the same catch rate (45/255) as nearly a third of the rest of them.

And before someone gives me grief about including Pokemon that are technically those of other regions in the starter list, do a little research and you'll find that I've only picked Pokemon that evolve into Kanto Pokemon.

Lastly, fair bit of warning, you're about to see significant OOC from characters you thought you knew. Those like Ash, whose personality is entirely internally-motivated, won't change much initially, if at all, but those whose personalities have been swayed and changed by external motivation will be drastically different from how you know them in the anime, as the events that made them who they are didn't happen.

All that said, let's get on with the show!

Chapter 2: Starting Our Future!

November 19, 2000

Alex yawned as he walked out of his house in Twinleaf Town, turning around and locking the door behind him. Alright, Delia's already taken the kids to Rowan's morning class, so Ash, James and Maxwell will be occupied for the next few hours. She's also helping him with recovering Samuel's data through the Database backup server, so she won't be back until it's time for dinner. He walked down the road toward Rowan's lab, and while he walked, he checked his messages. The only thing he'd received was a message from Norman, sent at 2 AM in the morning.

Come to the hospital as quick as you can. Caroline just gave birth! It's a boy!

Alex chuckled as he let Pidgeot out of its pokeball. "Always straight to the point. Well, let's see his new baby boy. Pidgeot, we're flying to Jubilife's hospital, double-time." He hopped on Pidgeot's back as it spread its wings, cawed loudly and flew away toward Jubilife City.

Outside Rowan's lab in the garden where a lot of the Grass-type Pokemon under his care roamed, Delia watched Alex take off, a smile on her face. Sorry I couldn't make it, Caroline, but I have my own children to watch over too. She looked back to the ground to find Ash stuck in a bush, crying with a slap mark on his cheek, and the Oddish that Alex had received from Samuel huffing in annoyance, standing next to James, while Maxwell played with a Diglett. Delia chuckled and ran over to Ash to check him over.

Meanwhile, Rowan looked over the sight, chuckling, before turning back to his latest research, a Starly inside a specialized habitat in the lab. Now to find out this new mystery...

Pidgeot landed with a flourish and some kicked-up dust, in front of the hospital building. "Thank you, Pidgeot. I'll make sure you get a good meal and plenty of rest when you get back home. For now, return." Pidgeot nodded, before tapping its beak against the button of the pokeball and being sucked in. Alex turned around, shrinking the ball and putting it back on his belt as he entered the hospital.

At the front, the receptionist greeted him. "Ah, Mr. Ketchum. I trust you're here to see the Maple family?"

Alex nodded. "I am. I got a text from Norman a few hours ago saying Caroline finally gave birth."

"Of course. I'll let the staff know you're here, just head on up." Alex nodded in gratitude, walking to the elevator at the other side of the waiting room and stepping in before pressing the button for the seventh floor. Once the elevator chime sounded, Alex stepped out, walking down the hallway to room 723.

He softly opened the door and walked into the bleached-white room, closing the door behind him, turning the knob to make sure the door didn't make any additional noise when it clicked into place. He turned around to find Norman reading a fantasy story, Caroline asleep in the hospital bed beside him, a thin sheen of sweat coating her brow.

"Hello, Norman," Alex whispered just loud enough that Norman could hear him, but not loud enough for Caroline to wake up. "So, have you decided on a name?"

"Oh, hello, Alex. And yes. We decided to name him Max."

Alex chuckled quietly. "Oh, has someone bit off my style?"

Norman chuckled, shaking his head and putting down the book he was reading. "I admit young Maxwell had a bit of influence on both our ends for choosing the name, but even before what happened in Pallet three years ago, Caroline and I had decided after we'd had May that if we ever had another child and it was a boy, we'd name him Max, after Caroline's grandfather."

Alex nodded. "Well, that's good. Have you been keeping up on the Kanto news lately?"

"Yeah. Another one of Giovanni's plants got arrested for trying to perform a heist at the Fuchsia Pokemart. Got charged with breaking and entering, illegal possession of a handgun, fraud, attempted murder and voluntary manslaughter. Goon will be spending forty years in the Underground Prison. Luckily, the people that were hit in the Pokemart made a full recovery."

Alex sighed. "Well, at least there was one positive. Giovanni's been giving Kanto hell since he showed back up at the beginning of '98."

Norman nodded. "It's a good thing Silph Co. and Devon Corp. learned to get the hell out of dodge after what happened at Oak's lab. They moved all of their employees out of both buildings, as well as every regional office they had, then used explosives to destroy everything that couldn't be moved. Kanto is effectively off-limits to both companies now."

Alex nodded. "And that will, in the long run, make Giovanni's takeover harder. Without Silph Co. selling Pokeballs to the distributors in the big cities, it'll be much harder for Giovanni to capture Pokemon, and with Devon Corp. installing software in the Pokedexes to prevent hacking and cause self-destruction while simultaneously backing up the data to transfer to another Pokedex, he won't be able to make it seem like his Pokemon are legit." He sighed again, running his idle hand through his hair. "Though unfortunately, the both of us know those kinds of setbacks won't keep Giovanni down for long. He'll find some way to come back despite the loss."

Norman ran a hand through his hair. "Well, there's no use fretting over it. We're three thousand miles away from Giovanni's influence, at least for the time being. Why don't we just focus on raising our kids?"

Alex nodded. "Words to live by, no doubt." He got up, moving to walk into the hospital hallway. "I'm going to hit the vending machine and pick myself up a lemonade, is there anything you'd like?"

"No, I'm fine. Just had one an hour ago, so I'll last." Alex nodded as he walked out of the door.

February 23, 2003

In the dead of night, in Lily-of-the-Valley Island's Pokemon Arena, with only their families and friends as witnesses, Alex stood on the field, an exuberant grin on his face as Charizard managed to break even with Cynthia's Garchomp. "Come on, Charizard, show that Garchomp what for!"

Cynthia chuckled. "You're really good, Alex. To think you've managed to defeat five of my Pokemon with only four of your own. I haven't had a battle this challenging since I fought and beat old Henry for the title of Champion! Now, Garchomp, use Draco Meteor!"

Alex's eyes narrowed. "Charizard, get out of there!" Charizard, in response, tried to pull away, but Garchomp's claws had Charizard in a firm grip as it charged its attack, which it didn't hesitate to unleash right in Charizard's face. "Charizard, no!" The Draco Meteor tried to carry Charizard up with it into the sky, but Charizard was just a little too heavy, and they stayed on the ground.

Seeing the danger, Cynthia called out. "Garchomp, Fly out of range!" Garchomp took off into the sky for a moment to avoid the blast radius.

Charizard was propelled from the epicenter of the explosion, skidding and bouncing on the ground roughly until it stopped short of Alex's feet. Charizard tried to lift its head, but the damage had already been done, and it collapsed to the ground, its muscles relaxing all at once. "Well, damn. You did great, Charizard. Now return, and get a nice rest."

Alex put Charizard's Pokeball back on his belt and took out his most trusted Pokemon. "Alright, Tyranitar, field time!" Tyranitar landed on the ground roughly, causing a minor quake on the arena floor, the dust quickly being agitated by Tyranitar's Sand Stream and kicking up a fierce sandstorm that covered the battlefield. "Ty-ty-ranitar!" "Alright, Tyranitar, use Stone Edge!"

"Tar!" Tyranitar slammed its stubby arms on the ground, and multiple spikes of earth jutted out of the ground where Garchomp was. Without Cynthia's command, Garchomp easily evaded the attempt.

"Alright, Garchomp, let's set up with Rain Dance!"

What's she got up her sleeve? Doesn't matter, I won't let her do it. "Not so fast! Tyranitar, stop Garchomp with Leer!" Tyranitar got a glint in its eyes, and it immediately stared Garchomp down. Garchomp only momentarily flinched, before firing its energy into the air as Rain Dance took effect, completely shutting down Tyranitar's Sand Stream. Damn, guess I can't take advantage of the field. No matter. "No problem, Tyranitar! Use Dark Pulse!"

Tyranitar fired the Dark Pulse out of its hands, and it flew quickly to Garchomp. Momentarily surprised by the speed of the attack, Cynthia called out. "Garchomp, deflect it!" She already knew the attack was moving too fast for Garchomp to dodge without taking some damage. Garchomp promptly raised its arms up and blocked the attack, then sent the Dark Pulse racing up into the sky, the energy of the move dissolving. "Now use Double Team!"

"Earthquake, now!" Garchomp's attempt at confusing Tyranitar was quickly derailed by the massive tremor that shook the entire arena and disrupted Garchomp's focus, ending the move before it could get off the ground.

Cynthia grinned. "I think it's time I stopped messing around."

"Agreed, this pointless back-and-forth is getting us nowhere." Both Trainers touched their Mega Rings at the same time.

"Tyranitar, Mega Evolve!" "Garchomp, Mega Evolve!"

Both Pokemon grunted as the rainbow energy embraced them, and their Mega Evolved forms were revealed.

Cynthia was the first to call out a move. "Get in close!" Garchomp's increased speed immediately became apparent, as it simply disappeared, before appearing right in front of Tyranitar. "Now Dragon Pulse!"

"Protect!" Tyranitar immediately called up a spherical barrier to absorb the damage of Garchomp's Dragon Pulse. "Bulldoze, before Garchomp can move!" Unfortunately, Garchomp did move, and too fast for the move to have any effect. "Turn it into an Earthquake!"

"Garchomp, jump!" However, the next attack did have an effect. Garchomp may have moved on its own to avoid Bulldoze, but Earthquake was a different story. Area-of-effect attacks were much harder to avoid, and Cynthia's command came just a little too late. Garchomp was moving too fast to compensate speed for balance, and ate arena wall as the Earthquake tripped it up, its own momentum carrying it forward extremely fast.

"Get in there and use Payback!" Tyranitar stomped over while Garchomp tried to pull its head out of the wall, a beam of pitch-black energy forming in its maw, before it stopped and fired the beam at Garchomp.

"Hurry and use Brick Break to get yourself out of the wall!" Garchomp promptly raised its arms and smashed through the wall, freeing its head. Garchomp quickly turned around, but was only afforded enough time to raise its arms in defense before it was blasted by the Payback. Luckily, it didn't do as much damage as it could've, thanks to Cynthia's quick thinking. That was close. "Garchomp, use Double Team again!"

Damn. No way I'm stopping that again. Time to think of something else. "Alright, Garchomp, use Sunny Day!"

"Not a chance! Neutralize it with Rain Dance!"

"Hyper Beam, now!" Cynthia flinched in shock. What?! I… Oh, I see what you did, you clever bastard. Unfortunately for Alex, Cynthia had planned exactly something for this kind of occurrence.

"Alright, Garchomp, are you ready?" Garchomp nodded, exhaling sharply through its nostrils. "Alright, get under the move and use Aerial Ace!"

Alex's eyes lit up. Big mistake. "Tyranitar, you know what to do!" Even though Tyranitar knew exactly what Alex wanted, it still took time to build up the electricity. Luckily it didn't take very long, and right as Garchomp made contact, Alex screamed, "Now Thunder, full power!"

Cynthia's eyes widened in alarm. "Garchomp, get out of there!" Unfortunately, it was already too late. Garchomp absorbed all the super-effective damage, being part Flying-type, and fell to the ground.

However, it turned out Cynthia would have nothing to worry about. Because of Tyranitar's natural typing and Ability, using Electric-type attacks were a last-resort because despite being immune to outside damage from them, they scrambled the nerves in its system, and more often than not, especially in situations like this, worked for it the same way Self-Destruct worked for Electric and Ghost-type Pokemon.

Both Pokemon promptly fell to the ground, regressing from their Mega forms. Neither made a move to get back up.

Alex and Cynthia both let out breaths they were only just aware they'd been holding. In the stands, Delia and Caroline, as well as the two members of Sinnoh's Elite Four who'd been able to show, whistled in appreciation. "There's Champions for you, they don't hold back and they don't give an inch. Wouldn't expect anything less."

Delia chuckled. "Alex might not be Champion of Kanto anymore, but he certainly hasn't weakened in the slightest. If anything, he's gotten stronger."

Bertha nodded. Then she ran the thought through her head a second time. "Wait, Lance beat Alexander, so if he just tied with Cynthia, and what you say is true, then-"

"Yeah, maybe. Cynthia might actually be better than Lance. Though you know what they say, no battle plan survives initial contact with the enemy."

Caroline chuckled. "No doubt. Alex has put that theory to the test numerous times, even before he did get to Champion. He has a penchant for breaking the mold, so to speak."

On the field, Alex and Cynthia recalled their final Pokemon, before walking out toward the stands where the others were. "That was certainly an amazing battle, Alex. No one has been able to give me a true challenge like that since I fought Henry. I know that might sound odd coming from a twelve-year-old, but it's the truth."

"Not a problem. You've already earned the respect of the others, and I wanted to test your battle power for myself. You've got a lot of potential. We might advertise in Kanto that Lance was the first person to go from battle one of the League to Champion in one run, but that's only for Kanto, and after having been to other regions. You only started two years ago, yet you're already Champion. You're not even old enough to drive, yet you already have the respect and admiration of tens of thousands of people, if not hundreds of thousands, and you're already making changes that are going to help the region for decades, if not centuries, to come. You're a prodigy, a one-in-a-million person, that much is clear." Alex whistled. "I don't know what you had to do to be as knowledgeable and relatable as you are for someone so young, but you've earned the position tenfold, and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. Most twelve-year-olds would be realizing they had crushes and trying to figure out how they failed their first League, maybe their only League, while you're doing things that people my age are normally responsible for, and changing the face of the world for it."

"Heh, thanks. I will admit, it's been very hard getting used to all the responsibilities that come with being Champion. I didn't even expect that I'd make it to the Elite Four when I stared my circuit back in 2000. I figured I'd get maybe to the finals of the League, and that'd be it. It's still a bit unreal, y'know?" Alex nodded.

"And despite all this being thrust on you, not only are you humble and confident about your role in the world now, you haven't let the constant government crap beat you down. That takes a kind of strength of will not many people have." Cynthia nodded in appreciation.

Cynthia remembered an email she'd gotten from Mr. Goodshow. "Oh, hey, Alex, if you don't mind, the League asked me to talk to you about something they've been planning for a few years."

"If it's about heading back to Kanto to be stand-in Champion in case something happens to Lance, it's a no. Kanto may be my birth home, but I'm not going back while Giovanni is still a threat there. He tucked tail and ran, only to come back out the second I got removed from the equation."

Cynthia giggled. "No, it's not that. Actually, I suggested this myself, based on how this battle was going to go, and I wasn't disappointed. I want you to become the co-Champion. The League has already approved the motion."

Alex stopped on a dime, blinking rapidly for a few seconds before he turned to Cynthia. "Old Man Goodshow hasn't gone senile now, has he?"

"No, this was my idea. You left Kanto precisely so you wouldn't have to worry about Giovanni and Team Rocket, right? This way, not only are you able to get right back into the position you've been comfortable with for nearly fifteen years, by becoming Champion again, at least in part, you eliminate any risk of Giovanni staking a claim here in Sinnoh, which, let's be honest, would have happened if it was just me. As powerful and influential as I may be, I'm still only twelve years old, and no man in his position is going to see any twelve-year-old as a threat."

"Maybe that's because despite being Champion, not many people know much about you. Meanwhile, you should ask Giovanni himself how much of a thorn in his side I was at your age. I'm pretty sure he tried to kill me a few times when I was a kid." Cynthia's eyes widened. "But, you know, that sounds nice. I was actually starting to miss being Champion, and this way, I don't have to worry about Ash and the others, or my family. I think I'll take you up on that, then."

August 26, 2003

"Jess, don't leave! I don't want you to leave!" Ash was understandably very unhappy that his older sister was leaving. The fact he knew she and James were heading out on their Pokemon journey was little more than a forgotten thought in the back of his mind.

Ash wasn't the only one either. "No, come on, stay!" Misty, Maxwell and James, who decided he'd go by Jay, crowded around James as he hefted his backpack on his fingers.

"Hey, you guys know I can't stay here. I've got to explore the world, see what all this amazing region of ours has to offer. I'll be back to visit once we're done, okay?"

Alex chuckled, from his position on Johanna's porch. Delia, Caroline, Johanna, Norman and Rowan stood there as well, all there to wish Jessie and James luck on their journey.

"Hmm... I wonder, of all Pokemon, why they chose Pidgey and Caterpie as their starters. Alexander, you've told me that Jessie and James are both more partial to Dragon types, right?"

Alex hmm'd in thought. "Well, Harold, as you already well know, Dragon types might be loyal for starters, but once they start evolving, they become very hard to control, and I know Jessie and James can't handle that, as they are right now. Their decisions, however, were their own. Neither of them spared a single glance to Dratini when I had them in the lab, so I'm not surprised. On that topic as well, I wouldn't be surprised if having a starter that rare would paint targets on their backs for Rocket to exploit, and even though they aren't my flesh and blood, I won't let Rocket anywhere near my children if I can help it."

The Professor nodded. "A wise decision. I agree with you that Dragon types become very hard to control as a result of their nature. Though Dragonite is one of the few exceptions, it is again wise to not have them draw any unnecessary attention. Besides, I remember you talked with the League back in October to allow them one additional starter for each region they visit, right?"

"Right. Even Jessie and James, in that regard. I was quite the adventurer when I was a kid, so I know they all got that from me. So, I made sure to prepare for that. Besides, that wasn't the only reason either. This is also a test of sorts. No matter how far they go their first time, having them take care of another starter with each region they visit will remind them of their roots and keep them sharp so they don't get arrogant. Every Pokemon has a different personality, so this will also help them learn key life lessons about how to take care of themselves and others."

Harold nodded. "Well, now that this has been taken care of, I'm going to be heading back to the lab. I believe Samuel wished to speak with me regarding some new discovery."

"Alright, old man, see you later. And good luck with that."

Harold chuckled as he stepped off the porch and headed down the road to his lab. "I'm not that old yet, Alexander."

Delia stepped up next to Alex as Jessie and James went down the other end of the road, in the direction of Sandgem Town.

June 19, 2004

"Now, I want you guys to pay attention before I allow you to pick your starters. Pokemon battles are not just for sport, they're about developing the bonds between Trainer and Pokemon, Pokemon and Pokemon, and Trainer and Trainer alike. This came out of the battles of the past, which were not out of sport, they were out of survival." Alex spoke as he drew on the blackboard he'd rented from Harold's lab the week before, while he drafted a script for this specific lesson. Ash, Misty, James, Maxwell, May, and Dawn sat in classroom-style chairs in front of him, though it wasn't hard to tell Maxwell was starting to become impatient.

"In the old days, before the peace that came two hundred years ago after the Creation War, Pokemon were not our friends and allies, as they are today. The people of the old world thought of Pokemon as little more than animals. Animals with fighting ability even they didn't have, but still animals. Some even hunted down the Pokemon we cherish today, simply so they could feed their families." Alex inwardly grimaced at the expression on James, Misty, and Dawn's faces, though it couldn't be helped; he had to make sure his children, as well as those of his extended family, were prepared for anything the world could potentially throw at them, and the best way to do so was to educate them on the failings of the past, so that the mistakes of the old world couldn't be repeated. "Those who sought power used the Pokemon to fight the battles they couldn't win on their own, and as a result, the loss of life was unparalleled. Such a worldwide catastrophe has not happened before or since."

He pointed to crudely drawn pictures of various scenes that were common in the days of the War. "And you'd be mistaken in thinking these battles were only using Pokemon to fight humankind. There were many Pokemon we hold as legend in the present time that existed before the War. Those people used the Pokemon they'd marshalled under their command to fight other Pokemon because they saw them as threats to their ways of life, and as a result, many species of Pokemon that are now revered as legend or myth went extinct."

Finally, he pointed to a picture of Sir Aaron. "This man, Sir Aaron, is a distant relative of the Ketchum line. Very distant, to the point we don't include our surname when referring to him, but nevertheless, he was one of the saviors that led to the end of the War. Now, don't believe the legends you've heard; while he does have the mythical power of manipulating Aura energies that are normally only present in certain species of Pokemon, it has been overblown to massive proportions. The tales told today would have you believe he was capable of moving heaven and earth, when that is certainly not the case. Either way, he's recognized as the key figure responsible for ending the War. He'd made a journey to Mount Coronet here in the Sinnoh region and is still, to this day, credited for first discovering the Spear Pillar, and played the last existing Azure Flute to call the Creation Pokemon, Arceus itself, down from its realm of residence, and with Arceus's help, ended the War and divided the Three Poles, the main areas of the populated world, into the Regions as we know them today. The North Pole, containing the areas of Johto, Sinnoh, and Unova; the Central Pole, containing what is now the Hoenn, Kanto, and Kalos regions, and the East Pole, containing the regions of Alola and Galar."

"Umm, Dad? I've never heard of a Gulee-whatchacallit region before." Ash raised his hand, a confused expression on his face.

Alex chuckled. "Very astute observation, Ash. The reason for that is that the Galar region has been extremely secretive since the end of the War, and only the Champions have knowledge beyond simply 'it exists'. Galar refuses to interact with the other regions, though that may change soon. Even the League has sworn me to secrecy over the matter, so I cannot share any more information than what I've already given you." He erased the irrelevant parts of what he'd written. "Now, the whole reason I'm telling you this is because it's our duty to show you, our children, what the old world had to suffer through for civilization, both for humankind and Pokemon, to become what it is today. We teach you these things before you're allowed to select your starter Pokemon because even the Champions themselves are certain that if the world is allowed to fall back into the state it once was, all life will become a fading memory. The way we see it, and have since the end of the War, is that Sir Aaron was a sign, civilization's one chance to change its ways, and that if we don't keep the peace, we won't get another chance."

Alex erased the rest of the markings from the blackboard and pushed it away, and an instant later, the somewhat grim atmosphere was replaced with a much cheerier atmosphere as the old-fashioned chalkboard behind the blackboard was revealed, pictures of each of the sixteen remaining Kanto starters the League had given permission for Alex to carry on the green backdrop.

"These are the sixteen Kanto Pokemon you're allowed to choose from to begin your journey, though what I haven't told you yet is that you're actually not able to leave and start exploring the region until you turn ten. The League allowed me to create provisional licenses for each of you, and now that you've all turned seven, you're allowed to begin learning how to take care of Pokemon." Alex held in a chuckle at seeing the children deflate slightly. "Professor, bring out the Pokeballs now, if you please!"

Harold did so quickly enough, bringing out the sixteen Pokeballs on a small cart. Ash and Dawn were the only two of the six children to notice that the Pokeballs had markings that likely indicated their type. Too bad we don't have any Flying-primary Pokemon in Kanto, otherwise we'd have one here. And not having a Steel-primary isn't much of a loss this time, because we only recently discovered Meltan and considering the fact the League considers it a Mythical Pokemon, they and I both aren't about to let a rookie choose one to be their starter.

"The Pokeballs you see in front of you contain fourteen Pokemon, one of which will become your starter as of today. Each Pokemon is of a specific type."

Maxwell raised his hand. "Hey, Dad? I have a question."

Alex nodded. "Go ahead, Maxwell."

"Why are there only sixteen Pokeballs? From what you've told us before, there are eighteen officially recognized Pokemon types."

"Right you are, Maxwell. As you all know, there are no Flying or Steel-primary types in Kanto, aside from Meltan, which the League and I both don't want you to have as a starter. That leaves you to pick from one of the other sixteen types here." Alex quickly tapped the buttons on the front of each Pokeball, and each of the sixteen Pokemon came out. "The Normal-type, Pidgey. The Fire-type, Vulpix. The Water-type, Poliwag. The Grass-type, Oddish. The Bug-type, Caterpie. The Ground-type, Diglett. The Rock-type, Geodude. The Electric-type, Pichu. The Fairy-type, Cleffa. The Dragon-type, Dratini. The Fighting-type, Tyrogue. The Poison-type, Nidoran. The Dark-type, Meowth. The Ice-type, Sandshrew. The Psychic-type, Abra. And finally, the Ghost type, Gastly."

Misty raised her hand. "Is it just me, or do the Meowth and Sandshrew look weird?"

Alex inwardly cringed. Points off in both mine and their eyes for that one. Come on, Misty, think before you speak. "You wouldn't be wrong, Misty, but I advise you to be careful about what you say in the future." Misty had the decency to blush in embarrassment and mutter out a half-hearted apology. "But yes, this Meowth and Sandshrew are different from your usual. They are what is known as regional variants, Pokemon that have migrated to another region from their home region and adapted to the climate there, resulting in changes to appearance, diet, and all sorts of things. Even a Pokemon's type can be changed. In this case, Meowth is normally a Normal-type and Sandshrew is a Ground-type, but both of them are variants that make their home in the Alola region. Meowth's type naturally changed from Normal to Dark-type, and Sandshrew's from Ground to Ice and Steel. Since they are both branches of Kanto-native Pokemon, though, the League allowed me to introduce them as starters.

"Now, the most important thing to remember about whichever one you choose is that, just like you, they have feelings and needs, and more importantly, just like you, they are young and need proper care and supervision. That said, consider which Pokemon you'd like. You can take all the time you need, so long as the Professor doesn't mind." Alex turned to Harold.

Harold waved his hand dismissively. "Nonsense, Alexander. I've no research at the moment, and I won't be hearing anything from the League until tomorrow, so you have until I lock up the doors. Though, given they're young children, this probably won't take long."

Alex chuckled and nodded, turning back to the children. "Well, you heard the old man, take all the time you need!" He sat down in the chair next to the chalkboard and watched the children as they interacted with the Pokemon.

Misty walked over to the Caterpie and sat down next to it. "Hello there, Caterpie! My name's Misty!" Caterpie crawled up Misty's leg and onto her arm, causing Misty to giggle.

Jay sat next to the Meowth. "Hello, Meowth, my name's James, but you can call me Jay!"

Everyone except Alex was surprised by what happened next. "Hello, Jay!" the Meowth said.

Alex outright laughed. "Oh, that never gets old. See, this Meowth is unique. Meowth are naturally intelligent, but somewhere along the line, this one picked up the ability to fluently understand and converse in our language."

Jay nearly squealed in delight. "That's so cool!" The others laughed at Jay's reaction.

Maxwell sat down and extended his hand to Tyrogue, who shook it back. No words were spoken, but no words needed to be said. The two felt drawn to each other in a way.

May sat down next to Vulpix and gulped. "H… Hello, Vulpix. My name's May. It's… it's nice to meet you." Vulpix cooed and slowly pushed its head into May's hand, and she slowly began petting Vulpix.

Dawn came up to Poliwag and sat down. "Hey there, Poliwag! My name's Dawn, and it's nice to meet you!" "Poli-poli-wag!" She smiled right away.

However, as the others were busy introducing themselves to the Pokemon they had most likely chosen as their starters, alarm bells started ringing with headache-inducing intensity in Alex's mind when he saw the Pichu excitedly approach Ash. Fucking hell, you have to be kidding me. Huh… well, I guess Ash is going to have the same kinds of… adventures that I did. It's always been said in history that those who are chosen by their starters are truly destined for greatness, though that isn't always the good kind. Of course, Ash being the person he was, even at his young age, when the Pichu jumped at him, he caught it in his arms. The Pichu promptly cooed and nuzzled him, which shocked Ash a little, but instead of cry, Ash laughed it off like nothing happened to him in the first place.

Well, I guess it can't all be bad. I remember Tyranitar being very hesitant around me when we first met and he was just a Pupitar. If young Pichu is already this willing and open to Ash, then I don't doubt their bond will be one of the strongest things the world has ever seen.

And that's a wrap! As you can see, a lot of things are the same, but at the same time, a lot of things are different. I have very big plans for this story, and I hope I can live up to my own expectations as well as yours. The Trials of Destiny will be updated before the end of the month, so be prepared for that. Don't forget to leave a review telling me how I did.

See you all next time!