Guide to be the Very Best - or 'How I ended up coaching a young Pokémon Master in the making' (Pokemon, Ash Semi-SI)

Has anyone ever awakened in a situation where they are not the ones that are waking up, but the ones that wake up 'together' with someone?

No? I doubt that I would find anyone with that insight, but asking is not forbidden and… I may need some help in dealing with my current situation. After all, I am quite sure I was now living rent-free in the mind of a ten years-old kid from Pallet Town.

Is this the standard Self-Insert situation? No. That thought was yeeted out of the window the moment I saw that I could only see from the boy's perspective but not move the body- I was literally stuck with his sight and nothing else.

I would have tried to speak too but, let's be honest, nothing had prepared me to be stuck in the main protagonist's body in a show that had shaped a large part of my childhood. I was just speechless, and it took me a while to regain my wits of the situation.

So, the moment I was tempted to speak, I realized that I was put in the boy's mind right as he was caught in a mistake many kids his age definitely do when they are too giddy for a big day.

"I am late!" Ash Ketchum proclaimed as he bolted out of his room and house, barely eating any breakfast as he realized he overslept the night before.

As much as many would call it a stupid moment in the show, I found it extremely relatable as it takes so little for a kid to be stupid, ignore the notion of going to bed early or set up an alarm (In this case, the alarm was a cheap thing that broke at a mere fall) to turn up early for a big event. Ash just didn't expect to be 'betrayed' to this extent.

In fact, I had to say that Karma sure was a bitch to him when his story started. Gary 'mother-fucking' Oak was literally one of the greatest memes of this show with how much shit he would get away with.

Car, fangirls? I think there was a plot where he was seducing an older woman- he is ten for fuck's sake- I get it that he looks older than he should, but fucking hell there were no chills from the very beginning.

After that uneventful meeting with Gary and being told that all Starters had been already taken (which felt like bullshit since Professor Oak should have more of those around as they weren't as rare as they were made to be), but I felt unwilling to speak until a very interesting moment happened where I felt genuinely concerned for Ash and, by extent, myself.

Pikachu was soon revealed and Ash came close to hug the Pokémon, ignoring the fact that he had been caught in uneasy circumstances and thus made him distrustful of any people. He was a wild Pokémon at heart at the moment.

Stop, don't hug him.

The command seemed to be heard by Ash as he paused in his path to reach for the Pokémon.

W-What? Wh-Who is there?!

Someone that is trying to spare your body an electric discharge of deadly volts. Pikachu, known as the Electric Mouse Pokémon- if provoked in a gesture of affection he doesn't condone, he will zap you and consider you an enemy.

But I am his trainer!

If it had been a normal starter, then yes- they would have considered you their trainer, but this is not the commonly-trained starter. This Pikachu was wild up until a while ago and he had been captured in clearly not a favorable fashion if he is this distrustful of others.

Ash seemed to catch up to this, slowly nodding. Still, his inaction had gotten attention and I gave him a way to save our asses from any awkward questions.

However, you should be able to reach out and give him a chin's scratch.

The boy blinked, shifting posture as his palm slowly moved in position. The rodent picked up the move, staring at the hand with a tense look and looked ready to still zap the kid when… the scratching started and the irked 'Piiikaaaa' turned into a purring-like 'Pikaaah~' noise.

Oak chuckled loudly at the sight. "Good job, Ash. This Pokémon is indeed one of those that would have reacted poorly to extreme actions of affection. A hug would have been too much but… small steps will guarantee your Pokémon's loyalty when it comes to fighting and more."

That sounded reasonable and yet, I wasn't done talking with the boy.

You should take another day before making the trip.

This time, Ash tensed up at the 'ludicrous' notion.

A day?! But Gary is already off and-

Ask Professor Oak if this is possible and if you should do it. Use the day to connect with your Pokémon so that he can't refuse orders. Understand him, be sure that he can listen to you rather than ignore you.

The swift remarks had him silenced, and yet he had enough to give voice to the question I had given him.

"Should I… take a day-long delay, Professor?" The boy inquired, once again surprising the old researcher. "I mean, I don't want to go out with a Pokémon that may not listen to me but Gary-"

"My grandson will face issues due to his brazen nature. There's nothing to be ashamed about being responsible, Ash," The professor interrupted truthfully. "In fact, due to the circumstances related to this Pikachu, I strongly advise to get a day to catch up with your first Pokémon before taking off for your journey."

The boy nodded, with Pikachu chirping at the circumstances before Ash turned to him.

Tell him that there will be food.

"I have some food at home. I think you're hungry after being left in that ball for that long."

The rodent perked at the offer and instantly showed his pleasure by jumping on Ash and taking a perch on his shoulder.

"H-Hey!" He exclaimed mirthfully, while the Pokémon nuzzled at him.

Food was always the thing that can get through most upset hearts in the animal world. Pokémon were smarter than normal animals, so they produced smarter reactions to reasonable things that made them either happy or upset.

"You should go back to Delia. I am sure your mother is curious to find out who is going to be your partner and she can offer you some recipes to make proper Pokémon food on your own."

…That's a thing? Pokémon food?

Yes. Pokémon can eat many things, but there are specific kinds of man-made products that can help each Pokémon, depending on their types and attributes, develop stronger and healthier bodies.

I didn't know about that… but it sounds useful.

"I will ask her about that."

"Good," Oak smiled and patted. "Now, let's get you going. I am sure that your Pokémon would want to see what your home looks like."

The Pikachu let out a giddy 'Pika!' and a nod, confirming this interest. Could it be that it was that simple? That Ash just had to behave in a kinder and more careful manner around the Pokémon to gain its trust this easily.

Sure, I told him that a day would have been the ideal time to spend to understand his Pokémon, but considering Pikachu's inherent pride and dislike for restrictions, there was something that had turned the Pokémon into something docile.

The promise of food may have helped, but it felt too silly to just stop it at that. There had to be more and I looked forward to seeing what it was all about.

Once Oak escorted us outside, Ash and his mother shared a brief interaction that saw Pikachu introduced to her. She was rightfully ecstatic, but listened to her son when he told her that the Pokémon was skittish to too much affection.

The crowd that had rallied to see those kids that were starting the journey today were a bit surprised when Ash explained what Oak told him and… they all left. That was a bit awkward, but Delia was quick to cheer Ash up by offering to make his favorite dish for lunch.

The day went pretty much as one would expect as I left Ash to slowly understand his Pokémon. This time I left the boy with little to no advice as, like I told him, I wanted him to do this on his own. It was important and while I may help him in relevant circumstances, I couldn't hold his hand all the time.

This detail in particular needed to be one he won over on his own. And it was something he clearly managed to do as I gave him a general point to follow: treat his Pokémon as a friend you will have numerous sleepovers with.

Not a pet, not a toy, but as a friend.

He slowly came to realize what this meant as the day progressed, slowly but steadily. Despite being at odds a few times, Ash managed to slowly get Pikachu to trust him and, by the end of the day, the Electric Mouse was snoring on his chest as he went to sleep in his bed.

Uh, Mr. Bukharin?

Yes, Ash?

Do you… sleep too?

I think I can do that, yes.

I wanted to ask since, you know, I don't… know what you are. Are you dead and stuck in my body or-

I was quite alive and away from deadly situations when I went to sleep before ending up here. No, I am not a ghost or a presence or a demon. I would say something else happened and I am stuck here.

I see…

…Something is worrying you.

It's just, if I think about it, the way you just said it happened makes me think you didn't even get the chance to say goodbye to your family.

Holy shit, he is a good talker. I forgot that was part of his blunt charisma.

You would be correct. But I know they will be fine and I will too. After all, you will tap into your potential and be the best.

The best?

I sighed, almost taunted into saying this.

The very best, like no one ever was.

That's… cool. Yes, To be the very best… like no one ever was.

Now, go back to sleep, you don't want to miss your big day again, right?

N-No!

I chuckled a bit, but I went quiet as the boy finally went to sleep.

I was glad to learn I could sleep too and… before slumbering for a while, I realized that things were just going to get intense and dangerous quite soon despite my plans to help Ash up to be even better than his canon self…

…Fuck.


AN

What if Ash was given the ultimate guide in the form of a soul staying in his mind rent-free? That's one way to wrap the story in a nutshell.