Hey everyone. This is Timeless Dreamer Neo, bringing this new story that has been running through my head for a while now. Hope you all enjoy.

XXXX

A void of darkness followed by a small white line, which soon expanded to show a pixel image of a Gengar facing off against a Nidorino, the Gengar making a strike which the Nidorino seemingly evaded, before the Nidorino soon lunged for the Gengar, before the scene soon started to spin with them, becoming a scene of a real life Pokemon Battle between the Gengar and Nidorino.

(Play 'Pokemon Main Theme (Orchestral)')

The sound of cheering filled the air as the two Pokemon clashed, their Trainers directing them to the best of their abilities.

"And Nidorino starts with a Poison Jab!" the announcer declared.

Nidorino's horn glowed a purple color as it charged at Gengar, ramming into it with its horn. The Ghost Pokemon was pushed back from the impact. However, it wasn't very effective and Gengar quickly regained its confident look, and leaped forward and used Nidorino's head as a springboard.

"But Gengar bounces back with a Shadow Ball!" the announcer declared right as Gengar created the orb of energy and threw it at Nidorino, landing a direct hit.

The dust cleared and Nidorino was visible, having taken damage but not out of the fight. Glaring, it lunged forward with its right front paw glowing with shadowy energy, slashing Gengar with the attack.

"Nidorino makes a comeback with a Shadow Claw! This could be anyone's match!" the announcer continued to announce the play by play.

The attack was super effective, as Gengar was knocked back, actually losing its smirk at that hit, before the two Pokemon continued to fight as they exchanged moves, whittling each other down.

Eventually the fight reached its end as Gengar landed on the ground from a previous clash, panting a bit before clapping his hands and releasing a hypnotic wave, causing the Nidorino to grow drowsy.

However, Nidorino wasn't out of the fight yet, and pushed himself to focus before lunging forward, focusing as much of his strength left and managed to land a Shadow Claw, causing Gengar to reel back in pain, before collapsing on the ground, eyes swirly, while the Nidorino also fell to the ground, snoring away.

"And both Pokemon are down!" the announcer declared as both Pokemon were soon recalled into their Pokeballs.

"With both Pokemon down, the stage is set for the next round!" the announcer declared, right as two figures darted into the field and soon clashed, the dust cleared to reveal the two combatants, but they weren't normal Pokemon. The first was a Conkeldurr, but rather than a normal one, this one was more human-like in proportion (complete with hands and opposable thumbs, as well as human-like feet), having the overall proportions of a strong human male built like a tank that stood at 6 and a half feet tall. He had the violet bands adorning his chest, shoulders and back, though the lower half of his body wasn't visible since he was wearing the lower half of a Training Gi with a black belt and some torn bits. He also had a pair of black bands on his wrists, and his face was notably lacking the red nose of a Conkeldurr, instead having a more human-like nose with a stern expression on his face, and on his head, rather than the bulb-like growth of a Conkeldurr, he instead had long black hair growing that was tied into a loose ponytail.

His opponent was a Froslass, but like him, she didn't look like a normal Froslass. She too had the proportions of a human, though she was notably smaller than the Conkeldurr, standing at about 4 and a half feet, her head was that of a Froslass, but her arms were not attached to the head, but rather where they would be on a human body. She also had wrinkles and graying blonde hair styled in an interesting way that fell down her head, but spiked up at the ends, with a stern and somewhat sinister look on her face...though it was probably the narrowed eyes and little smirk she had. She was dressed in a full purple dress with a green shawl on her shoulders, though her sleeves stopped around the middle of her arms to allow the signature flared out wrists of a Froslass. In her hand was a staff that was topped with a Gengar design, one she was using to block the strikes from her opponent with seemingly ease, before using a precise jab to the gut to push him back.

Her opponent growled, before pulling out what appeared to be two bars of concrete...which were connected by chains to create a nunchaku, which he swung around, before going back on the offensive, though his opponent continued to block the attacks with her staff, and float out of the way of any strikes she could, before pushing him back with a well placed Shadow Ball. However, he wasn't about to give up, as he slammed his fist into the ground, sending a wave of Stone Edge towards her, managing to push her back.

The two continued to face off as the scene shifts out, revealing to be an image on a TV screen inside of a room full of various Pokemon related objects, though there were also a notable number of training equipment. Among them was a punching bag which was currently in use as it took a pair of punches, followed by two side kicks to the right and a roundhouse kick to the left. The one training put their foot down to reveal a Riolu, also with human-like proportions befitting a teenager at the age of about 14 or so, standing at about 5 feet with a build that showed a good amount of muscle, though aimed for a balance of speed and strength. On his head he had spiky black hair, with the signature appendages hanging from the sides of his head, a determined expression on his face as he watched the match. He was dressed in a black shirt and jeans though he wasn't wearing any shoes, showing his limbs which were basically a mix of human and Riolu (opposable thumbs and five fingers, though his legs and feet were Digitigrade in structure), with his tail sticking out of the base of his pants, and the signature rounded silver bumps of a Riolu on the back of his hands.

"Just a few more hours," he said with a determined expression as he looked at the time. The match he was watching was an exhibition match of two Elite Trainer-Fighters. Normally in the League, there were two classes of participants: Pokemon Trainers and Pokemorph Fighters. In the first, Pokemorphs catch and train Pokemon to compete in the League Tournaments, while in the second, Pokemorphs train themselves and compete against each other, be it in single battles or in teams with other Pokemorphs. However, there was a third class which was basically the two combined, and his own goal.

Looking to a pinboard on the side of his room, he walked up to it to see a pair of certificates he'd pinned on it alongside some of the posters for the league. The certificates in question were proof that he'd passed the exam needed to get a Trainer's License, as well as confirmation he was eligible to participate as a Fighter as well.

"Ash, are you still awake?" came a new voice, surprising him a bit, as the door to his room opened and revealed his mom. Instead of a Lucario, she was a Zoroark Pokemorph. Like all Pokemorphs, her proportions were more to that of a human, with her mane being notably shorter than the average Zoroark, going to about back length with the jewel tying it into a ponytail and was colored a light brown color with red streaks going through it, her ears poking out from under her hair. She was dressed in a pink cardigan with a yellow shirt underneath and a blue skirt, which overall accentuated her figure well, which was slender but firm with sizable assets, a testament to her past he knew as a Fighter when she was travelling alongside his father. "It's already 11, you should go to bed soon or you'll be late for your big day," she said with an amused chuckle.

(Theme end)

"Sorry Mom," Ash said scratching the back of his head. "I'm just so excited for tomorrow I couldn't sleep, so I was doing some training to help work off the energy," he said.

"Well alright, just don't sleep too late. Professor Oak may be a family friend, but he can't exactly save you any Pokemon if other Trainers come first," she said with a light chuckle, before wishing him good night and closing the door.

With her gone, Ash picked up a warm towel, wiped his face and neck a bit. Turning off the tv, he soon climbed into bed and set his alarm. He had a big day tomorrow and he needed a good night's sleep.

… too bad his dream made him think he was grabbing a pokeball and throwing it… and he grabbed his Voltorb alarm clock… and threw it at the wall, and with the natural strength that came with being a Fighting Type… the impact completely broke it. As such, it wasn't long before the sun came up...and he continued to sleep due to sleeping late the night before. By the time he DID wake up…

"What time is it?!" Ash gasped, looking out the window to see the sun was already up in the sky, meaning it was well past the time he'd intended to wake up...and seeing his destroyed alarm clock he could only groan realizing why he didn't wake up on time.

"Ash? Are you still asleep?" his mother called, opening his door...and was met with the sight of him opening his window and clearly planning to jump out.

"Sorry mom, I broke my alarm! I need to hurry!" Ash said, before he soon jumped out the window, landing perfectly on the ground, before he took off running to Professor Oak's lab...which was a good distance away. Fortunately he was a good runner, evident by the small trail of dust he was leaving in his wake.

The view of the small town he lived in quickly became a blur as he ran past the houses that were spread out among the fields where the town was built over, his destination ahead of him, a notable hill with thick greenery where a wind turbine was easily visible.

Before long he could see Professor Oak's lab on a hill, a sizable building connected to the wind turbine that was easily hidden among the greenery even if a clear path and stairs from the base of the hill led up to the entrance of the laboratory...though for some reason there was a large crowd, complete with cheerleaders in the form of a few Plusle Morphs and Minun Morphs.

"Sorry, excuse me," Ash said, pushing through the crowd, trying not to put too much pressure and end up shoving someone aside. He really needed to hurry, so much so that when he could see the steps to the lab, he pushed forward...and bumped into someone, causing them both to fall over from the sudden impact. "Sorry about that!" Ash apologized before he could actually see who it was.

"Hey, watch it!" the other person said, revealing to be a Growlithe Pokemorph the same age as him who stood at about 5'2'', with a build that also put a balance of speed and strength, albeit a bit more on strength. He had spiky brown hair in a style that...kinda resembled a buzzsaw if someone looked at him from the side, with a rather confident, bordering on cocky, expression on his face. He was dressed in a long sleeved t-shirt and jeans, with a necklace hanging from his neck that looked like a yin-yang symbol, but was colored green and yellow for some reason.

"Gary?" Ash blinked when he saw who it was. Sure he knew his old friend/rival would be going today too, but he didn't expect to quite literally bump into him.

Gary blinked, before he actually realised it was Ash that had run into him, the two of them getting up "Oh, if it isn't Ashy." Gary chuckled "You're running late you know? What happened? Did you break your alarm clock or something?" he laughed a bit… before noticing Ash was silent "Wait seriously?"

"...I probably should stop getting alarm clocks that are shaped like balls…" Ash admitted sheepishly, causing Gary to sigh.

"I think the last few times you broke them should have been clue enough," he said. "At any rate, looks like I'm taking the lead for now," he said, holding up a Pokeball. "Now that I've got my starter, I'll be leaving town immediately."

At that Ash gained a determined look. "Well don't get too comfortable with the head start. I'm coming right after you as soon as I get my starter too."

Gary smirked at that. "In that case I'll be working hard to keep the advantage. So how about it? Want to settle the tie next time we meet?"

"The score's 40-40, so you're on!" Ash said.

"Good, as expected of my rival," Gary smirked. "Smell ya later, Ash," he said before he soon walked over to a car and got on, the cheerleaders going with him as they were soon driving off.

With the crowd dispersing behind him, Ash quickly set his sights on the stairs and started running up towards the lab, and found Professor Oak just outside watering some of the plants. Professor Oak was an Arcanine Pokemorph with a rather strong build despite his age, though you'd only see that if you saw him in a fight or were one of the people attending his camps, as his usual look had him wear a red shirt and brown pants, all of which were rather baggy, topped with a lab coat that made him look like any other older man. On his head was graying hair that was lightly spiky, and with his kind but stern gaze, he gave the image of an older and wiser man.

"Morning Professor! Sorry I'm late!" Ash said, catching his attention.

"Ah, good morning Ash, so you've finally arrived," Professor Oak greeted with a pleasant smile, before it turned into a small frown. "But I'm afraid I have some bad news. Earlier today there was someone else ahead of you, and I'm afraid that all three of the starters are gone."

Ash's expression fell at that. "Does that mean all the Pokemon are gone?"

"Well...not exactly. There IS one more Pokemon that's available," Oak started, before Ash was all but in his face.

"Professor, I'll take it!" he said quickly.

"Well, alright, though I should warn you he hasn't quite been broken in," Oak said as he lead Ash into the lab, and soon came to the main lab that had several machines in it, complete with a machine in the center that would have held the 3 Pokeballs for the Starter Pokemon, with a loft overlooking it...and a lightning bolt shaped tail was sticking out of the loft.

"Hey, a Pikachu!" Ash grinned. "Okay then, you're my Pokemon!" he said, running up the nearby stairs to the loft.

"I should warn you though, that Pikachu is a bit…" Oak began, but Ash suddenly tumbled off the stairs trying to catch the Pikachu. "...wild…" Oak finished with a sigh.

Ash groaned a bit, but soon got up, no worse for wear, with Pikachu peeking from behind Oak's leg.

"This Pikachu was only recently caught, so he can be a bit difficult at times," Oak said with a sigh.

"Well that's fine by me. I WAS late, so I can't be picky, and Pikachu are just fine in my books," Ash said, picking up Pikachu. "Hi Pikachu, I'm Ash and we're gonna be new best friends!" he said with a grin. Pikachu's reaction was...for his cheeks to spark and let out a Thundershock.

"As you know, Pikachu are known as the Electric Mouse Pokemon. Though shy, they can be quite...shocking," Oak said.

"Yeah...literally…" Ash said, looking a bit dazed as Pikachu had stopped shocking him, before getting out of his hands and back on the ground. "Doesn't matter though, I can handle a little zap," Ash said, regaining his determined expression.

Oak chuckled lightly, seemingly expecting that. "Alright then, if you're sure, then here," he said, holding out a few things. "Now that you're about to begin your journey, here are your Pokedex and Pokeballs. The one with a lightning bolt mark is Pikachu's Pokeball," Oak said, revealing 6 Pokeballs, one with the mentioned lightning bolt, and a closed Pokedex that was shaped like a red square with the same line going across as one finds on a Pokeball. "This is the latest version of the Pokedex, you'll find info about Pokemon from all over the world on it."

"Thank…" Ash started, reaching for the devices...right before Pikachu started shocking again, catching Oak in the process "YOU!" he shouted as they were electrocuted.

"YOU'RE WELCOME!" Oak responded as the shock session finally ended, the two of them looking a bit charred.

"Ash?" came a familiar voice from the doorway as his mother came into the room, and saw the state both were in. "What happened here?" she blinked.

"It seems Pikachu is a little...less than enthusiastic...about his new trainer," Oak couldn't help but cough. "And good morning, Delia. Is Carmine here as well?"

"Almost, he called ahead and said he's in Pewter and using his Rapidash to just run straight home." She said in amusement.

"Well then he should be here soon then," Ash said excitedly. His father wasn't home often, but he always made a point to come home in time for big things, like his birthdays and in this case, his first day as a Trainer and a Fighter.

"But before that," Delia started. "Ash, you forgot to pack your things before you left. And here you were planning on leaving immediately after you got your Pokemon," she said with a tired smile, before giving him the backpack she'd packed, full of spare clothes and a number of various other things he'd need for his trip, though how she fitted all of those into that backpack was a mystery.

"Mom...I'm half fried right now...not the best time," Ash groaned.

"Clearly this is the best time if you can still talk," Delia shot back in amusement, before giving Ash a few additional clothes, to which he sighed slightly but soon put them on, revealing them to be a blue and white jacket, a pair of dark green gloves with holes on the back, and his official Pokemon league cap.

"Alright, all ready to go," Ash grinned. "Just as soon as dad shows up."

"Well you can always use the time to bond with your new Pokemon," Delia said...to which Pikachu looked away. "...somehow I think you'll need it."

Ash sweat dropped at that. "Yeah...probably a good idea," he said, before crouching down to get closer to Pikachu and holding out his Pokeball. "I know we started on a wrong foot, but I'm sure we can be great friends," he said. "So come on Pikachu, let's go," he said, holding out the ball...which was promptly smacked back into his face.

"...I forgot to mention that this Pikachu absolutely HATES going into ANY kind of Pokeball," Oak said.

"Now you tell me…" Ash groaned, the ball falling off his face, leaving a red mark. "But okay, if that's how it is then you don't need to go into the Pokeball," Ash said, putting the ball away. "So how about we start over?" he offered, holding out a finger...to which Pikachu just looked away again. "Still not enough?" he asked, earning a nod, causing him to sigh.

Ash was about to ask the adults in the room if THEY had any advice for this, but before he could, the sound of steps were heard again, before a new person entered the room. Standing in the doorway was a Lucario Pokemorph who looked pretty much like an older (and evolved) version of Ash. He also had a firm build that was a balance of speed and strength, though one that was more defined from years upon years of training and experience, topped with similar spiky black hair on his head. He was dressed in a rather simple outfit of a white t-shirt with a black jacket and some jeans. "Oh, guess I made it just on time," the Lucario grinned.

"Dad, you're here!" Ash grinned and hugged his father, who gladly returned the hug.

"Hey Ash, sorry I was almost late." his father said, patting his son's back before letting go of him "So, where's your starter?"

Ash laughed awkwardly, looking behind him at Pikachu, who huffed and looked away.

His father winced "Oh boy, you got a problem kid huh?"

"Don't make him worry too much Carmine, I'm sure they'll become friends soon." Delia told her husband off, swatting his arm a bit.

"You're right," Carmine chuckled, before looking at Ash. "I've had my own experience with...difficult Pokemon. The best thing to do is to slowly earn their trust...and trust me when I say that's often harder than it sounds," he groaned a little at the end, probably remembering something...less than pleasant.

"Thanks for the tip, Dad," Ash nodded...before looking at Pikachu who was idly scratching himself. "Somehow I think it's going to be very important…"

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine," Carmine reassured. "Once you connect with Pikachu, I'm sure you'll be the best of friends."

"Right, I just have to keep trying," Ash nodded.

XXXX

A couple of hours later had Ash well on his way from Pallet, his next destination being Viridian City...though for some reason before he left his parents told him to be careful...in a way that seemed to imply they meant in that city itself. Either way, he had more pressing things to worry about...namely his starter.

Sighing he looked back, and saw the mouse that was basically trying to not come along, to the point he actually had to use the rubber gloves his mom gave him and the clothesline as a makeshift rope, and even then Pikachu was trying to fight him...keyword being trying since well...with his natural strength, pulling the mouse along wasn't physically difficult at all. If anything, the bigger 'weight' he felt was the sheer reluctance his starter had regarding...anything really.

Eventually he stopped dragging Pikachu along as they were walking along a grassy field with a few trees scattered throughout, the sun shining brightly over them. "Pikachu, are you going to be like this the WHOLE way?" Ash asked, crouching down so he was somewhat closer to eye level. Pikachu's response was to look away again. "Is it because you don't like me?" he asked. He got a nod in response. "Well I like you a lot, and since you're the Pokemon I'm training, can't you be a little nicer and just open your mouth and tell me what's wrong?"

The response he got was for Pikachu to literally open his mouth while facing him.

"That's not exactly what I meant…" Ash sweat dropped. Sighing, he thought about how to possibly get through to Pikachu, something that would be much easier if he could just understand what he wanted. At that a thought crossed his mind. There might just be a way for that as he remembered his dad's training. Focusing, Ash tapped into his aura, and while he wasn't quite to the level where he could use it to fight, he could use it for other things, such as now when his hands were covered in ethereal blue flames that were manifested from his aura. "Here, touch my hand."

Pikachu gave him a look that could be easily translated to 'And why should I do that?'

"Because it'll let me understand you, well, barely. Dad made me practice with some of his Pokemon from time to time."

Pikachu looked at him curiously at that, before hesitantly grabbing one of Ash's fingers and starting to speak, and Ash could barely make out the important bits "Understand?"

"Yeah, I understood that, well, just the keyword." he admitted.

Pikachu nodded slowly "Not want be used. Not like trainers. Want do own things. Mind own business."

Ash sighed, he could fully understand the sentiment. It was something his dad taught him, and something a few too many trainers forget. Pokemon may tend to obey trainers who catch them, and it's true, many follow because a strong trainer means they can potentially grow stronger, but in the end they can't forget Pokemon are living beings too. You can't just force them to do things they don't want to. With that in mind… "Alright, I get the message," Ash sighed, before he undid the clothesline and took off his rubber gloves. "I promise I won't make you do anything you don't want to do," he said. "But I really do want us to be a team, so can you at least just stick with me for now? I promise I'll be different from what you think about Trainers."

Pikachu gave him a long, calculating look, before slowly, he nodded, after all, most trainers never asked. Just for that, Pikachu was going to give him a chance.

"That's all I ask," Ash smiled, before getting back up and they resumed walking, this time Pikachu at least following without needing to be dragged. Their pace was stopped when the sound of rustling was heard and a Pidgey walked into view. "Hey, I was wondering when we'd find one of these," Ash said excitedly, before taking out his Pokedex and scanning it. The Pokedex expanded to reveal a larger section of clear glass, as the image of Pidgey appeared on the screen. "Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokemon. Pidgey is a Normal/Flying type Pokemon, and among all Flying type Pokemon, it is considered one of the gentlests and thus easiest to catch. Perfect for the beginning trainer to test their skills."

"Well, that's us," Ash nodded, before turning to Pikachu. "Do you want to fight it?"

Pikachu turned away at that.

"I'll take that as a no then," Ash sighed, earning a 'pi' of approval. "Well...okay, I DID promise I wouldn't make you do something you don't want, so that's fine I guess," Ash scratched his head, before shaking his head. "Well, if you're not fighting it, then guess I'll do it," he said, before taking off his hat and jacket, stuffing them into his bag and leaving it next to Pikachu, the mouse shrugging and sitting down next to the bag, willing to guard it while Ash did his thing at least.

"Pidgeys are pretty gentle, so I should be able to handle this," Ash mused, even if he knew he had a disadvantage. When he got close, the Pidgey noted his posture and realized he wanted to fight, and responded with its own ready posture. While not common, it wasn't unheard of for Trainers to sometimes fight Pokemon themselves and capture them. In fact, in some places, it was even considered a mark of honor to use a starter that they fought and defeated themselves.

With that in mind, both combatants came at each other. Ash started it with a swift kick aimed at the Pidgey, but it quickly evaded, and flew around him, using Quick Attack to get the speed advantage and leaving Ash to have to quickly regain his balance from the missed kick.

Once he got his footing again, Ash quickly performed his own Quick Attack to try and match Pidgey's speed, and lashed out with a few punches and kicks when he got close, but the small bird proved to be a hard target to hit as it dodged and weaved through his strikes.

The Pidgey evaded another strike, before switching to the offensive and managed to catch him in the chest, pushing him back a bit. Ash let out a small 'ooof!' at the impact, but he stood his ground and lashed out with a Counter, sending the damage back at it, albeit weakened thanks to the type disadvantage he had. The Pidgey was pushed back, but the little bird proved to be quite resilient and immediately moved to counter, sending forth a Sand Attack while he was still reeling a bit from the impact, before following up with a Gust, taking full advantage of his disorientation thanks to the Sand Attack… and thus landing a critical hit.

Ash shouted in pain as he was sent flying...and landed back first on a nearby branch. "Owww…" he groaned. That did NOT go as he expected. "Guess fighting something small isn't as easy as you'd think…" he sighed, while the Pidgey soon flew off.

Down below Pikachu was rolling on the ground with laughter at the comical sight, much to Ash's annoyance. "At least SOMEONE is enjoying this," he grumbled, before he quickly straightened himself and got back down, though he did rub his sore back a bit. He was just glad that Pokemorphs more or less healed as fast as Pokemon did or he'd be feeling that tomorrow. Besides, while that was not his best fight, unsurprisingly the Pidgey didn't do TOO much damage even if he'd been sent flying. "Well, like dad said, if the only thing you've got hurt is your pride, then you'll be just fine," he sighed, before retrieving his jacket and hat, before slinging his backpack again. "Guess we might as well continue to Viridian," he said, idly kicking a pebble...which went sailing through the air and into the grass. Unfortunately...it hit something on the way down, evident by a figure that rose up, with a small goose egg on its head. When Ash saw what it was… "...aw crap…" he groaned when he saw it was a Spearow.

Quite obviously… the Spearow was angry "SPEA!" it cawed loudly as it took off and took aim right for Ash's head, starting to peck him relentlessly.

"Ow ow ow! Sorry about the rock, now quit it!" Ash growled, before swinging his backpack, and managing to knock the Spearow aside a bit, but it soon circled around...and had its sights on Pikachu, which it aimed for this time around, the mouse dodging out of the way. "Hey, cut it out! I'm the one who kicked that rock!" Ash shouted, using his backpack to try and fend off Spearow.

"Wild Pokemon can sometimes be jealous of human trained Pokemon, and attack them for no reason. This is most common in naturally aggressive species." Dexter spoke up, answering the question.

"Well in that case…" Ash frowned, as they avoided Spearow again. "Pikachu, use Thundershock!"

Pikachu had no intention of disobeying, cause he was QUITE fed up with this Spearow too, and released a strong blast that fried the Spearow causing it to fall to the ground.

"Did we get it?" Ash asked...only for the Spearow to get up, and caw towards a nearby set of trees...and then an entire flock came out of the trees, murder in their eyes. "Hey, calling an entire flock is no fair!" Ash said indignantly, especially since the Spearow was the one who kept attacking.

The Spearow gave him a look that screamed 'your problem, not mine', and flew to join the flock.

"Well, only one thing to do," Ash sighed. "RUN!"

The two of them were soon running away from the flock of Spearow that were chasing them like crazy. "Keep running Pikachu, they've gotta give up eventually!" Ash said frantically...to which Pikachu ran ahead of him. "Hey don't run ahead!" he shouted, right as some of the Spearow caught up and pecked him in the head, while the rest went for Pikachu, the mouse shouting in pain as he was swarmed. "Leave him alone!" Ash roared, knocking several away, and getting to Pikachu. The mouse was badly hurt, but still conscious. With that in mind, he held his Pokemon close and started running as fast as he could. The Spearow kept chasing him till they reached a waterfall that led down into a river. Looking back, he could tell the Spearow weren't going to stop until there was blood, so with that in mind, he held Pikachu close and jumped into the water, not letting go as they were pulled by the current. Turns out it lead into very deep waters...considering there was a GYARADOS coming right at them, which fortunately left them alone when Ash quickly kicked out of its way, the two getting carried by the current...until he felt something catch on the back of his jacket, and soon pulled them out of the water, Ash coughing and hacking after he landed, while Pikachu also let out a bit of water, thankfully having been able to hold his breath.

He heard someone talking, but he couldn't quite make it out just yet, though when he got his bearings, he heard the voice, a girl about his age, maybe a little older. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Pikachu's hurt though." Ash said, finally opening his eyes. The girl in question was a Vaporeon Pokemorph with short orange hair tied into a side ponytail, to which he noticed she lacked the fin on top of her head, with the side fins more to the base of her head. She had a rather attractive slender build with a modest bust, but it was rather firm in the same way that would denote someone who was a Fighter or had combat training, which worked well with her outfit that consisted of a yellow tank top that shows her midriff, red suspenders, blue denim shorts that stop at her thighs which had an opening to let her tail out at the base of her spine, though while her midriff was bared, rather than visible skin she had some kind of suit on underneath her clothes that was colored a dark blue (different shade than a normal Vaporeon skin tone).

"What happened?" the girl asked, her concern clear as she looked at Pikachu.

"We got attacked by some Spearows that just wouldn't want to give up." Ash sighed "Which way is Viridian City?"

"That way, you should hurry though, I think there's a storm coming." the girl told him, Ash nodding in thanks… before they both heard the cawing of the Spearows in the sky.

"They're STILL after us!" Ash gasped in a mix of shock and incredulity. Seriously, there was holding a grudge and there was this.

"I don't know what you did to make them mad, but take my bike, it'll be faster to reach Viridian, AND you might be able to get away from the flock!" the girl said urgently, the look on her face also shocked by the sight of the flock.

"Thank you!" Ash said quickly, putting Pikachu into the basket and taking the bike. "I'll give this back to you at the Viridian City Pokemon Center!" he said quickly before cycling off, and good thing too, as the flock flew overhead, ignoring the girl.

Ash pedaled like his life depended on it...and really it probably did. He pedaled fast enough that he was more or less outpacing the flock, but as it was, he was worried of any number of things happening, such as the bike not being able to handle his strength, or...

It was at that point that the rain started...and the road became bumpy.

...or this happens... true enough, he had no choice but to slow down a bit to try to maintain control, but with the flock behind him and his own urgency, it wasn't long before he lost control and he and Pikachu tumbled out of the bike and onto the mud. Ash groaned, but quickly got up, more worried about the state Pikachu was in. It was bad enough that he was this hurt, but this kind of punishment was only making it worse...and the Spearow seemed bizarrely intent on making sure the two of them didn't live to see another day. Seeing how bad the situation was, Ash took out Pikachu's Pokeball and put it next to him. "I know you don't like being in a Pokeball, but you need to get inside," Ash said. "At least then you'll be safe from the Spearows."

Pikachu's eyes widened a bit, realizing what Ash was basically saying, and at that moment he realized he'd been dead wrong about his trainer. "Chu!" Pikachu said, shaking his head, not because he didn't want to get into the ball...well that, and he wasn't about to leave his trainer to face the Spearow alone. "Pika!" he said with as much strength as he could, pointing at the Spearows.

Ash blinked in surprise, and despite the situation he couldn't help but smile a bit. To think he'd started to connect with Pikachu...and all it took was them staring death in the face. "Alright, if that's what you want," he said, picking up Pikachu again, the mouse mustering the strength to get on his shoulder, before they turned to face the Spearow flock which was bearing down on them with murder in their eyes.

"Is that the kind of mon you are?! The type who like ganging up on others?!" Ash glared. "Well we're not running anymore! We will defeat all of you!" he declared, Pikachu letting out a sound of agreement as he charged forward, meeting several of the Spearow with punches to the face, while Pikachu strained his body and shocked a few that tried to go for Ash's blind side. The two fought well, but as it was, it was an entire flock against just the two of them, several Spearow getting through and landing a few hits, scratching and clawing at them, leaving several gashes on his clothes, and more than a few injuries that were bleeding a little. Even so, neither of them was going down without a fight.

And fight they did, even as the flock aimed to whittle away at them, they struck back where they could, intent to win this battle or die trying no matter how many injuries the Spearow inflicted. As Ash fought, he felt something well up, something responding to his desire to live, to keep reaching for his dream, and to see him and Pikachu make it out of this alive. At the same time Pikachu felt a similar feeling well up in him, before instinct took over for both of them, Ash jumping back, his hands positioned in a way that seemed to be holding something...before a blue energy started to gather, while Pikachu on instinct jumped into the air...right as lightning struck, super charging him. At the same time, the aura fully gathered in Ash's hands...and soon began surging instead of turning into a proper sphere, and with a shout, both unleashed their attack, Pikachu creating a pillar of electricity, while Ash unleashed what could only be called a powerful beam of aura, both attacks catching the entire flock...and by what can only be called Karma, the very first to get the full taste of this just so happened to be a certain singed Spearow with a goose egg on its head. It barely could let out a caw before it was enveloped in the two supercharged attacks.

XXXX

The sky was clear as the rain had stopped, while there was no sign of the Spearow flock save a lot of lost feathers...and what looked like a random roast chicken in the grass or two.

On the road, Ash and Pikachu lay on the ground, Ash slowly coming to, to which he smiled in relief as he saw Pikachu was by his side, still hurt, but alive and conscious. "Guess we beat them…" he said with a tired smile. He didn't fully remember what had happened, but damn did he feel tired.

Pikachu let out a tired but happy 'Chu' in response.

Grunting a bit, Ash slowly got up, getting into a sitting position. However, before he could try to get up, he saw something in the sky.

Streaking across the sky, leaving a rainbow in its wake, was a massive red bird with glowing rainbow wings and golden tail feathers. "Is that…?" Ash gasped in awe at the sight. He couldn't think of the name off the top of his head, but something in him knew what he was looking at. Something as majestic and otherworldly as this couldn't be anything but a Legendary Pokemon. Acting quickly, he managed to pull Dexter out and point it at the Pokemon.

"Ho-oh, the Rainbow Pokemon. Legends say that Ho-oh's wings shine in the colors of the rainbow, and that seeing it is a sign of good luck for a trainer's journey, even more so should one find a feather." Dexter recited.

"Well...after what just happened, I think we can both agree good luck is very welcomed right now," Ash chuckled weakly, as by now Ho-oh had vanished from his view. With the Legendary Pokemon gone, Ash slowly got to his feet, and picked up Pikachu...and the bike he'd borrowed from the girl (which thankfully wasn't too badly damaged save for a busted wheel), and with both in hand, he continued on his way to Viridian City which he could already see down the road. He didn't know what other challenges were waiting for him, but he had a feeling that as long as he faced them all head on, everything would be alright.

XXXX

And done. That's the first Chapter of Pokemon Retold. Credit also to swift56 for co-authoring this story. Reviews are appreciated for feedback and the like.