Edited 11/9/22
I've noticed this has kind of become my de facto flagship story at this point.
Ash wondered if this was what it felt like to be a celebrity.
"Awww he's so cute!" One of the girls cooed.
"Is he strong?" A boy demanded.
"What kind of Pokemon is that?!" One of the younger kids asked.
It was more than a little ridiculous, he was being swarmed for having a Pokemon. He didn't even technically have a Pokemon, Pikachu was just riding on his shoulder, and that was more because he had longer legs while in his illusion.
Truth be told all the attention left Ash with some mixed feelings on the matter. On the one hand, it was nice that everyone was in awe of him and how great he was, (even if he had done nothing to deserve it).
On the other hand, it was nerve-racking being swarmed by kids, one too hard tug or push or anything could shatter his illusion, and then what?
Seriously, what? He had no idea what would happen.
"Uh, well I think he's pretty strong." Ash honestly told them. Pikachu's Thundershocks were shockingly powerful, and also painful he could honestly say, considering the damage he'd taken when Pikachu had first evolved. The first time being knocked out was always the worst. Although Ash didn't have much else to compare it to, he hadn't been in too many battles.
Ash had hoped he would have been able to slide to the sidelines during the camp, maybe dealing with the kids he'd previously met like Gary. But having Pikachu on his shoulder and being led to the meal pavilion by the professor had singled him out immediately.
Some things just don't work out.
Pikachu was fortunately calm for now, that was mostly because Professor Oak had immediately instituted a 'no touching' rule when it came to the electric mouse.
It was a good thing too, Ash doubted his friend would have kept his calm if a bunch of kids had started grabbing at him and pulling on him. There were cries of unfairness since of course Ash got to touch him but the professor lay down the law.
"Why does he get to have a Pokemon." Ah, of course, not everyone was so entirely star-struck by Pikachu's appearance. As long as someone had something someone else wanted, there would be envy in the world.
Fortunately, the kids who had that kind of mindset seemed to be far fewer than the majority and were quickly shuffled to the back by the ones who wanted to get a closer look at Pikachu. Though it was likely those who thought that way might grow in number once the initial shock wore off.
Tables were called up for food one by one in the pavilion, and since most people had decided to sit with Ash, the line that formed when his group was called was the longest.
This was not a problem per se, Ash was not particularly hungry at the moment but it did mean he would be stuck eating human food (eh). But it did allow for other kids to slip into the group mostly unnoticed.
Like Gary for instance.
"So that is the Pikachu from Gramps lab!" The boy's first statement to him didn't bother Ash but Pikachu was rolling his eyes at the assertion.
"I mean, yeah, I kind of thought you knew already." Ash pointed out, though it wasn't entirely true.
The Zorua had suspected Gary hadn't put the pieces together but he'd also thought the boy would either figure it out eventually or already had suspicions. Seriously, how many ill-tempered electric mice were there in Pallet town?
Gary looked annoyed at his answer. "Well excuse me, I thought that little monster hated humans so I couldn't figure out how or why it would hang around some kid I'd never met before. How did you even get him from Gramps? He never let me have a Pokemon when I asked." The last sentence came out a lot whinier than the others.
"It's because he's dumb." Pikachu cheered on his shoulder and Gary narrowed his eyes at the mouse.
"Tell your Pikachu to stop making fun of me."
"How do you know he's making fun of you?
"How do you know he isn't?"
Ash opened his mouth and closed it. "Good point." he conceded. He couldn't just admit that 'Oh yeah I'm a Zorua in disguise so I can understand him perfectly. Also yeah he was totally making fun of you.'
That probably wouldn't go over too well.
"And why didn't you tell anyone you were going to be at this camp?" Gary's demands continued.
"I actually wasn't going to come, it kinda just happened suddenly." That was a version of the truth at least. He hadn't been planning to attend the camp as anything more than an observer.
"Hmm." Gary's narrowed eyes burned into him.
Fortunately, distraction came in the form of one of the other kids he'd already met. That being Leaf.
"So that Pikachu used to be pretty mean huh? How'd you get him to be friends with you?"
"Well, he had the benefit of being just plain confusing when we met," Pikachu muttered.
"He's a bit rough around the edges but he's a good friend!" Ash claimed. "His shocks still hurt though."
"Really? But he's so cute! How could he hurt a fly?" Leaf seemed distraught.
Ash smiled coyly. "Appearances can be deceiving." Pikachu cackled on his shoulder at his explanation and inside joke.
"Maybe, I dunno though, I've seen Spearow bigger than him." Leaf decided for the time being.
Ash wanted to tell her to just wait and see but his discussions with Pikachu came back to him and he kept quiet. He wanted to say that she'd eat those words when they became the best in the region but well, Pikachu hadn't made his decision yet.
They could worry about that later, for now, they could probably just sit back and enjoy the camp.
The next few days started off the same way camp had been going before Ash had joined, some of the same activities, some continuations on previous ones although there were a few new ones.
One of which involved groups getting together and trying to track a Pokemon in the woods nearby. Although Professor Oak had clarified that Pikachu did not count for this activity for obvious reasons.
By chance or design of the Professor, Ash's group consisted of the first people he met upon joining the camp. That being, Serena, Goh, Gary, and Leaf, the five of them being tasked to find a Pokemon in the woods.
Almost immediately Gary took the lead, Ash thought about fighting him for the position but decided against it. In his experience, it seemed like antagonizing Gary just made him more annoying.
"Alright some tracks are going this way, and they're deep too so it's probably a big one!" Gary declared standing up again and pointing.
Ash looked down and inspected the 'tracks.' There were some holes in the ground, but they didn't look like any Pokemon tracks that he recognized.
He was not the only one with such thoughts as Goh spoke up himself.
"Gary I don't recognize these holes as any kind of Pokemon tracks I'm familiar with." The other boy explained.
"Oh, and you know a lot of Pokemon?" Gary mocked in typical Gary fashion.
"I know everything about Pokemon!" Goh proclaimed, sounding completely sure of himself. "My research is unparalleled and just wait! I'll learn everything there is to know and I'll finally be able to find Mew again!"
"Are you still on about that?" Leaf rolled her eyes.
"About what?" Ash asked, feeling out of the loop.
"A few summers ago he says he saw Mew in the woods and he's been convinced that he's going to catch it one day." Leaf elaborated/
"Well good luck with that." Gary too rolled his eyes at the boy's claims.
"I don't see that ever happening," Pikachu claimed.
"I'm sorry but, Mew?" Serena asked a bit shyly.
Gary sighed. "Right I forgot you barely know anything." He got some glares from his group members for that comment.
"Mew is a mythical Pokemon whose placement on the dex is purely for theoretical purposes. If it does exist no one alive has seen one. Goh here," He mockingly placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Probably just saw a particularly lost Meowth or Persian."
Goh just glowered at him and jerked out of his grip. "I did see Mew and one day I'll prove it to you!"
"Sure you will." It was a miracle Gary's eyes didn't roll out of his skull with how often he did that.
Ash turned his attention to Serena who looked a mix of frustrated and embarrassed, her brow furrowed. He walked alongside her as they started moving again.
"You don't know much about Pokemon?" Ash asked as they fell to the back of the group, still following Gary's lead, for the time being. The unspoken agreement was that eventually, he would just get too frustrated and someone else would take charge.
"No." Serena sighed. "I didn't really want to come to this camp but Mom signed me up for it, she wants me to meet new friends and become more familiar with Pokemon. She wants me to take up Rhyhorn racing like she does."
"Why are we talking to her about this?" Pikachu asked, seeming heavily disinterested but paying attention due to a lack of other things to do.
Ash stayed quiet as he processed Serena's explanation. "Why didn't you want to come? Do you just not like Pokemon or…"
"No!" Serena quickly answered. "I just… I don't know what I want to do, Mom wants me to become a racer, and most of the other kids here just want to become trainers or rangers. I don't want to do any of that though. I don't dislike Pokemon, it's just I'm not sure I want to orient my life around them."
Ash thought about that. He wasn't quite sure how to answer her, after all, he was a Pokemon so he kind of had to focus his life around that fact one way or another. Despite this serious handicap, he tried his best to think of an answer for her.
"Well maybe you don't have to be a trainer or a ranger or a racer or anything like that, but that doesn't mean you have to completely remove yourself from Pokemon. I mean, look at Pikachu!" He gestured at his shoulder. "I want to be a trainer but he is still not sure if he wants to follow me around as a trainer, it doesn't stop him from being my friend!"
Pikachu had a small smile at that declaration and Serena just looked thoughtful. "Maybe you're right. I mean I certainly don't hate Rhyhorn but I don't want to ride him in races. Maybe I could find a Pokemon who better fits me?"
"It's up to you," Ash told her.
"I'll think about it, but how did you know that Pikachu doesn't want to be with you as a trainer?"
"Uhhhh." Oops, that was a slip of the tongue.
"You got yourself into that one." Pikachu chuckled at him, being completely unhelpful.
"See!" Goh's voice saved Ash from trying to answer. "Dead end, no Pokemon, I told you they weren't tracks!"
"What are they then?" Gary demanded, obviously annoyed at being proven wrong.
"Diglett holes," Pikachu answered, getting Ash's attention. He wanted to ask the other Pokemon how he knew but it would look a bit weird to the others.
"I don't know but now we've wasted a bunch of time looking for a Pokemon who's not he-AAH" Leaf's annoyed response was cut off as the ground shook around them.
A mass of dirt pushed upwards and rocketed toward them. The kids all jumped out of the way of the movement crashing to the ground.
"What was that?!" Serena shouted.
"Ground-type?" Goh suggested.
"Probably." Gary tagged on.
"Definitely," Ash confirmed as the dirt path circled them a couple of times before popping out of the hole at the end of the clearing.
"See? Diglett." Pikachu confirmed, nodding at the head that had popped out of the ground.
Said Diglett was looking very annoyed with the group. "You're following me!" It declared, "You just want my rocks! You can't have them!"
"We don't want your rocks," Ash said without thinking and winced. Fortunately, the others latched onto the statement instead of questioning it.
"Yeah! Keep your smelly rocks!" Leaf declared being the first one on her feet.
"Lies! Four humans and their Pokemon minions come to steal my rocks! The great three will not allow this!" The Diglett spoke with a maddened gleam in its eyes.
"Pikachu?" Ash prompted glancing at his friend.
"What? Do you want to deal with him or-" Ash gave him a pointed look and nodded down at his current form. He was lucky his fall had been as graceful as it was or it could have popped his illusion.
"Oh right. Fine, I'll get him. He can't be too tough." Pikachu jumped down from his shoulder, darted forward, and unleashed a Thundershock.
The clearing briefly lit up as the humans covered their eyes and looked away. Ash had already been squinting, knowing what was coming.
When the glow faded, Diglett still sat there looking nonplussed and Pikachu looked very confused.
"Normally you're supposed to give up when I do that." The electric-type pointed out.
"Begone heathen!" Diglett proclaimed and went underground again.
The electric mouse seemed panicked and looked around frantically. "Ash my thundershock didn't work. Why didn't my thundershock work?"
"It's a ground-type!" Goh seemed to figure out the confusion even without understanding the words. "Electric attacks don't work on ground types!"
"That's not fair!" Pikachu whined, ignorant of the dirt trail rushing towards him from behind.
"Pikachu! Dodge to the left and hit the ground with a Tackle now!" Ash quickly directed.
Pikachu reacted to the words, not pausing to question them, instead just following the directive and slamming into Diglett just as it popped out of the ground where Pikachu had previously been standing.
"Curses!" The Diglett proclaimed shaking itself.
"Quick attack before it goes back underground!"
"Done!" Pikachu shouted, crashing into the ground type again forcing it back along its trail and leaving it rocking.
"Begone rodent!" A burst of sand puffed out from the Diglett's nose/mouth thing and hit Pikachu right in the face.
"Gah my eyes!" Pikachu cried as Diglett circled him again, moving for an attack.
"Pikachu quick! Jump high and quick attack straight down!" Ash called out to his friend.
Pikachu didn't respond, instead simply following the order and came down on Diglett's head sending it back into the ground!
The Mole Pokemon did not rise out of the hole again and Pikachu took the time to rub at his eyes, clearing his vision. He glanced around blinking, "Did we win?"
"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Leaf declared dashing forwards and scooping up poor Pikachu. "I take back what I said before, you're the best! Oh, I want you to be my starter, will ya!? Will ya?!"
"Ash why is this child squeezing me?" The electric type questioned.
"It's just a hug Pikachu," Ash told him moving slowly toward the two. "Please don't shock her."
"Don't worry he won't shock me, will you?" Leaf rubbed the top of Pikachu's head.
"Please let me go now." Pikachu told her. "I want to shock you but then I'll get in trouble. I'll just shock you after this camp is over."
Ash chuckled nervously and carefully extracted Pikachu from the girl's arms.
"That was pretty exciting." Goh helpfully stated the obvious. Crouching down over the hole Diglett had been shoved into. "I don't see him so we still won't have a Pokemon for the professor and it's starting to get dark."
Gary just muttered to himself looking downcast for the most part but occasionally perking up to glare at Ash.
Serena led the way back this time, explaining that she had been paying more attention to which way she goes since she got lost before. They made it back in good time and found Professor Oak and most of the other groups returned. Not every group had a Pokemon but it didn't seem to matter as everyone was crowded around the ones who were found. The Pokemon involved were basking in the attention.
Ash's group however did not seem nearly as excited by all the new Pokemon.
"Well after that battle it doesn't compare does it?" Gary pointed out, the boy still sounded bitter but there was also a degree of pride in his voice.
"Yeah, you two worked really well together," Serena told Ash and Pikachu. "I think I get what you were saying earlier about Pokemon."
That was good because Ash still wasn't quite sure what he'd been saying but he was glad to have helped.
That was the most exciting event they had at the camp though the experience did lead to the six spending more time together going forwards, typically eating and grouping when they got the chance.
Unfortunately, the camp did not last forever and soon enough it was time for the kids to head home.
Parents came to pick up the kids and take them back home, Ash, Gary, and Leaf all lived in Pallet town, but Goh lived in Vermillion City and Serena traveled around a lot with her Mom for racing.
"We'll see each other again soon!" Goh declared as he was leaving, "Just wait! I'll have Mew next time you see me!"
"Bye Ash!" Serena waved as she ran over to her Mom, who stood waiting with a large Rhyhorn. Ash watched as Serena gave the Pokemon a rub on the horn and started talking to her mom.
"I'll probably stick around with Gramps so he can take me home after everyone else is gone," Gary announced his plans as Leaf left with her mom. "Where are your parents?"
Ash opened his mouth to come up with some excuse but was interrupted by a call of his name.
"Ash! There you are." Delia came running over. The Zorua in disguise blinked but didn't protest the hug she wrapped him in.
"Hi… Mom." He managed out, the title still feeling foreign on his tongue.
"Ms. Ketchum is your Mom?" Gary asked, sounding surprised. "I didn't know you had kids?" He directed to Delia.
"Gary I know you've met some of my kids before." Delia chuckled at him. The boy pouted.
"Well those are Pokemon, that's different." Ash almost burst out laughing at the irony of the statement.
"Come on let's get going, tell your grandfather I said hi Gary." Delia led Ash (and by proxy Pikachu) away and down the road back to town.
Once they got out of range of the humans Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder as he dropped his illusion. Stumbling for a moment.
"I've never held an illusion that long before." He complained, shaking his tail back and forth. "I missed my tail."
"And I missed you too you know. I knew you were visiting the camp, I was not expecting you to start attending!" Delia pointed out, sounding a little annoyed.
"Blame Ash. He wanted to be cool and heroic." Pikachu teased.
"She needed help! I couldn't just leave her!" Ash grumbled. "It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing."
"You're lucky Professor Oak told me what happened or I wouldn't have known where you were." She added on.
"I'll let you or Shelldon know the next time I disappear for a while." Ash promised her.
The group arrived home to find Shelldon using a light Water Gun to tend to flowers.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep the pressure this low?" The Blastoise grumbled at his trainer.
"You seem to be doing a good job." Delia pointed out, not understanding the words but gathering their meaning.
"Course I am, I'm me."
Ash walked, and Pikachu hopped, across the threshold of the house settling back in. Pikachu was basically an unofficial member of the family at this point so no one batted an eye at his presence.
"Hey, Ash?" Pikachu asked him as the pair sat in the living room.
"Yeah?" Ash responded, listening but also looking over the results of a battle tournament on the TV.
We make a good team right?" His friend confirmed with him.
"I think we do." Ash agreed, now giving the conversation his full attention.
"Yeah…" Pikachu stared up at a picture on the mantle of a younger Delia with her team. "Are you still planning on becoming a trainer then?"
"Yep." Ash answered, trying to keep his eagerness in check, hoping this conversation was going where he thought it was.
Pikachu stayed silent for another moment before responding. "Alright then. You need someone to keep you from getting turned into pulp out there."
Ash froze a grin slowly sliding across his muzzle. "Does that mean…?
"Yeah, you want to be a trainer? I'm coming with you." The mouse turned to him, eyes set and a determined grin on his face. The red cheeks sparked with power. "And we will be the very best like no one ever was."
Roll credits.
I think this chapter turned out well! And journey is on track to begin! What adventures will the duo face? What trials? What new friends will join them?
Find out next time!
Also someone made fanart for this story! I'm very excited by this, it's by At0mic on Ao3 and it's when Ash first shows Delia he can talk. He's human in it instead of in Zorua form but I don't care I love it so much. The amount of joy and excitement is hard to extrapolate!
Alright nothing else to say really, let's do reviews!
jurassicdinodrew: To be honest I'd almost completely forgotten about the Mirage Master stuff. Huh, I wonder what I can do with that? Thanks for the idea!
Guest(1): I do not have a discord server. Yet. I might start one up in another month or two. Let old and new fans have a chance to accumulate.
Lupercus1994: Yeah, I was actually aware of the run on sentence thing. I'm still struggling a bit with it but I'll make sure to keep working on it! Also thank you very much for your point on me glossing over things. Truth be told I was questioning that myself in the last chapter, a part of me thought it might be best to just run through things to get the journey because that's what most people want to see but you're right that I'm skipping over a bit too much. I think I did better with this chapter though.
Guest(2): Yeah no armourshipping, not gonna open the can of worms that is human/pokemon relationships in this story. As to seeing other pokemon disguised as humans? Yes. Definitely. It might be a spoiler but well I'm no saying who so its fiiiiiine.
And that's all folks, see you next week!
~FriTik
R&R