Delia Ketchum looked through the application form with a frown. She had just turned ten, making her the youngest of her group. Within the next week, every kid within Pallet Town who signed these papers and processed their applications would get their own Pokémon and start the journey of a lifetime.

And Delia didn't know if that was right for her.

The idea of going out into the great unknown, traveling to distant places to collect Gym Badges or earn Contest Ribbons appealed to her; what kid didn't dream about doing something like that?

But she knew the potential dangers and risks involved. Stories of criminal gangs that attacked kids to steal their Pokémon flooded Kanto, especially since Team Rocket moved into the scene. Wild Pokémon attacks also doubled in the past year alone, leaving many trainers injured.

Even worse than all of that though, was the fear that Pokémon given to her wouldn't like her. And what if she took away the partner meant for someone else?

That's why Delia sat under her favorite tree as she struggled with what to do. Should she sign the papers and try being a trainer or not?

Her grades were fine, but she knew that learning things from a book or class was no guarantee for mastery.

The girl flicked her pen as she stewed in her thoughts.

Then, from out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a boy with spiky hair and a baseball cap with the colors of a Pokéball running towards her. A Pikachu ran by his side, both seeming exhausted.

"It's just this way, Pikachu!" the boy shouted to his electrical rodent.

"Pikapi! Pika pika!" the rodent replied back.

"I know! But we have to get there eventually!" the boy continued speaking as he passed by Delia.

The girl idly wondered who they were, but decided it didn't matter and promptly went back to her application form, contemplating whether she should just throw the paper in the trash.

Then, that boy swung by again, darting past her.

"Pikapi…" the Electric-type made an exasperated sigh.

"I know, I know. We'll be right there!" the boy said to his rodent. He definitely sounded tired.

Now, Delia was curious, but before she could ask where they were going, the duo disappeared behind a house.

The young girl sighed as she went back to her application form. If they came by again, she'd ask what was going on.

Within minutes, the boy with the Pikachu returned once again.

This time, the ten year old made her move. "Excuse me, but who are you and where are you going?"

The boy abruptly stopped and braced onto his knees, with his Pikachu collapsing on the ground.

"I'm Ash," he panted. "And this is Pikachu. We're supposed to get to Professor Oak's."

"Pikapi… Chu Pik Pik…."

"And we got lost," Ash continued.

"Professor Oak's that way," Delia pointed her hand in the lab's direction.

"Oh… I didn't realize. I guess Professor Oak did some remodeling," the boy mused. "I haven't been to Pallet Town in months and it feels like the entire town's changed."

"It is growing a bit everyday," Delia observed.

The boy reminded her of Bruno, one of the kids in her class. He also looked a bit older than her, maybe by a year or two if she had to guess. Given that he was also able to understand his Pikachu so well, he had to have been an experienced trainer.

"Hey, before you go, can I ask you something?" Delia asked.

"Sure!" Ash exclaimed as he took his pikachu and carried him in his arms.

Delia didn't know how to pose the question, but in the end she just decided to get to the point.. "...What's it like being a trainer?"

Ash looked at her like she had asked an impossible question. "Uh, what do you mean?"

"I'm … not sure about becoming a trainer," she said as she looked at the application form in her hands. "It's dangerous out there. What if I get attacked by criminals or something?"

"Well, Pikachu and I get attacked by Team Rocket all of the time and we manage it okay," Ash said.

"Pikapi pikachu!" The tired Pikachu giggled in his trainer's arms.

"Really?" Delia sounded incredulous.

"Yeah! Like twice a week!" Ash said.

Delia blinked. Was that normal out there? Maybe she should just put away that paper while she still had the chance. On the other hand, Ash sounded like he managed himself fine. And, really, what were the chances she'd have to fight criminals that often?

"So, is being a trainer worth it, even despite all of that hassle?"

"Of course, it is!" Ash proudly declared as he put a fist over his heart. "You get to make all sorts of new friends! You'll meet all sorts of new Pokémon and you'll run into plenty of people!"

Pikachu laughed. "Pika!"

"That does sound nice," Delia confirmed. She made a sigh. "So, you'd recommend being a trainer, even with all of the dangers it might have, because of… friends."

"Yeah," Ash told her. "I wouldn't have made so many friends if I never became a trainer!"

"What if my starter doesn't like me?" Delia reached for a question.

That caused his Pikachu to giggle. "Pikapi! Pika Pika chu!"

"Yeah," Ash laughed. "What Pikachu is saying is that he didn't like me either, when we got started. We warmed up to each other. And now we're friends who do everything together!"

The rodent nodded his head.

Delia blinked. These two were close enough that Ash could understand what Pikachu was saying, yet they started out not liking each other? Maybe, just maybe she had been overthinking things? Even if her partner doesn't like her at the start, they can still become friends over time like Ash and his Pikachu.

"Thanks," the girl managed. "You really helped!"

"No problem!" Ash said as he took several steps in the direction of Professor Oak's lab.

"Maybe I'll see you again, when I'm a trainer!" she told him.

"Maybe you will!" Ash agreed as he waved. "But right now, I have to deliver a package to Professor Oak!"

"Take care!" Delia said.

Ash didn't reply this time, having disappeared in the distance

Delia went to her application form, this time she knew what to do with it.

"Delia Ketchum, Age 10. Pallet Town," she reiterated. She closed her eyes and wondered what kind of adventure she would have. Maybe Contests or the Gym Challenge? Maybe both were open to her?

It all sounded fun, but Ash's words still rang in her heart; whatever she did, it would be with friends.


A week ago, Delia submitted her application, all because of the encouragement of that strange boy. She had not seen Ash since that day, but she had a vague feeling she'd see him again. Perhaps, when they crossed paths yet again, she would be the one to teach him something.

Delia smiled to herself as she made her way to Professor Oak's laboratory, her excitement bleeding through. Ever since she signed those papers and gotten permission from her father, she felt eager about what would happen. She had even slept and woke up early that day. Now, she was just minutes away from well and truly being a trainer.

What sort of Pokémon would she get?

As Delia walked to the front door of the laboratory, she realized she wasn't the only one there.

Five other kids were right outside, waiting for the door to open. She didn't know most of them, but she did know one.

"Hey, Bruno!" she called out to the boy with spy hair.

"Hey, Delia!" The boy laughed as he moved over to meet her. "And here I thought you weren't going to be a trainer."

"I almost wasn't," Delia admitted. Bruno was an old friend and sort of her neighbor. "But I asked an experienced trainer if I should be one."

Bruno made a big smirk. "Huh, well, I guess this means you'll get to see me rise to the top!" He struck a pose and punched the air, since he was something of a junior martial artist.

Delia rolled her eyes. He was always such a musclehead.

"So, what kind of trainer will you be then?" Bruno asked again. "Like you already know my plan!"

"Well, I was thinking of going into contests, the Gym Challenge might not be right for me," Delia told him. "I mean, it's a lot of fighting."

The boy shrugged. "I mean you could do both."

"Both?" Delia squinted an eye.

"I mean, nothing stops you from just trying a few Gym Battles and seeing how good you are!" Bruno cocked a grin. "Course, if you aren't going to go the whole mile, I guess that's to be expected."

Delia furrowed her brow. "Expected?"

"Well, yeah!" Bruno grinned. "I mean, sure you've got the best grades out of all of us, but that's not everything out in the real world!"

"I say I can go a lot further than you expect!" Delia huffed. In fact, she was sure she could go all the way to the Pokémon League if she really wanted to.

Bruno smirked. "Really, we'll see about that!"

Delia huffed lightly.

Then the door to Professor Oak's opened and every kid there motioned to meet him.

The middle aged man with light brown hair stepped forward to greet them. "Well, I can see that there's more people today. It's a good thing I've brought extra Pokémon today."

"We're ready!" said one girl.

"Let's be trainers now!" said a boy.

"Alright, alright," Professor Oak laughed. "Come inside and let's get you all started."

Everyone, including Delia, did so.

Professor Oak led them directly into the lab, where a number of lab assistants were on other projects. He stopped in front of a table where five red devices sat. They resembled plastic cased notebooks.

"What are those?" said Bruno.

"These are Pokédexes," Professor Oak said. "They're a new sort of device that I'm testing out. And you kids get to try them out!"

"Awesome!" said one of the boys.

"What do they do?" Delia beamed brightly. And to think she could have missed out on something so important if she simply hadn't signed her papers.

"They store a wealth of biological knowledge about Pokémon. You can either look up or scan a Pokémon, and it'll tell you a number of things such as their diet, habitat, and living standards." The Professor took one of the devices and opened it up. "It's all fairly simplistic, though I am considering adding speech software and giving them a limited assist function in future models."

Basically, they were libraries stuffed into a single electronic notebook. Oh, if only the legendary Professor Laventon were alive to see this!

"Technology is amazing!" said the large boy.

"Now, this isn't just a gift. I'm giving these little machines to you so you could help me in my research. Right now, the Pokédex Project is in its infancy and not even half of Kanto's native species have been properly analyzed. You kids will be helping us immensely as you explore and scan Pokémon. We'll use the data you gather in our research."

"You can count on us!" Delia said.

"Yeah, what she said," Bruno agreed.

"Good. Now, they also double as ID cards, so make sure not to lose them," Professor Oak said as he handed them each a Pokédex.

Delia received hers and opened it up. There was a simple menu inside that she used the buttons to access. Within, she could see her own picture in the form of a trainer's license. With this, she was a trainer who only lacked the Pokémon.

Incidentally, her peers had the same thought. "Can we meet our Pokémon now?" Bruno asked impatiently.

"I suppose I can't keep you from waiting too long," Professor Oak said as he led them to the center of the room. There were five Pokéballs on the table. "So, I must confess. I didn't expect so many young prospective trainers within Pallet Town today, so my usual plan of just giving you a choice of either Bulbasaur, Squirtle, or Charmander isn't enough."

Delia and the other kids all gasped in surprise. She supposed it made sense, the normal way of things done at Professor Oak's lab usually revolved around having up to three new trainers, but there were five of them.

"What do you mean, Professor?" Delia asked.

"Simply put, I didn't originally have a fourth or fifth Pokémon ready. So, I went and asked around from my peers and my colleagues loaned me some more options," the middle aged man smiled. "So, in addition to the usual three, I have a Machop and a Shinx you may select from!"

"I call Machop!" Bruno spoke up first.

Delia giggled. That was so predictable of him.

None of the other kids disagreed with Bruno and allowed the junior martial artist to claim the first Pokéball.

The other kids then went to select their Pokémon.

Delia, not the most assertive, simply waited as they went to the Pokéballs and collected one each as well. She had no specific preference, not when she would have been content with any Pokémon as long as it liked her.

The last Pokéball remaining bore a little lightning bolt sticker on its upper body. No doubt, it was the Shinx.

Delia reached over to the table and took the ball in her hand. She then touched its button and released the Pokémon inside.

Materializing in a haze of light, the black and blue kitten stared up at the girl with a curious expression. "SSSSHI!"

"Hey there!" Delia gave the young kitten a young smile. "I'm Delia and from now on, we'll be partners, okay?" she knelt down and slowly brought her hand over to him, just to gauge how he felt about her.

The Shinx didn't stop her. He closed his eyes and let the young girl pat him the head.

This was…Much easier than she thought it would be. Granted, her expectation was that she'd be like Ash, with a Pokémon that didn't like her. Maybe this was meant to be. "Do you mind if I give you a name?"

Shinx walked over and rubbed his body against her legs.

"I'll take that as a yes," Delia furrowed her brow. "Hm, how about…. Satoshi?"

Shinx bent his head up to look at her.

"No, you're right, that's not a good name," Delia said. "Ash?"

Shinx shook his head.

"Huh, I didn't think you'd understand me that well," Delia muttered as she considered her options. "Blue?...Red? Leo?"

"SSHI!" the kitten let out an excited yelp as he bounced.

"Huh, so you want to be named Leo, then?"

Shinx nodded his head and rubbed his face into his trainer's leg.

"Hm, maybe we can give you some accessories? Would you like a red bandana?" Delia said to him. If she was going to go into the world of contests, she was going to need to properly dress and maintain her Pokémon.

The Shinx seemed to think that at the very least.

"How are you doing, Delia?" Professor Oak said as he walked over.

"I'm doing fine, Professor!" the girl smiled brightly. "I'm just thinking of what I could give Leo now that we're friends."

"Ah, I see you nicknamed him. Not every trainer does that, but it's always nice to see when it happens!" said the middle aged man.

"Yup, I think I'm going to nickname all of my Pokémon!" she giggled to herself, as she scratched the back of Leo's big ears. And this talk of names reminded her. "Say, do you know where this boy named Ash went? He told me that he was stopping by your place to make a delivery?"

"No?" the professor seemed confused. "I didn't receive any deliveries, nor do I know of anyone named Ash…except for this boy I met when I was around your age, but I doubt that the two are related."

"Huh, I wonder where he went then…" But as Delia said that, she noticed Bruno walking up to him, his reptilian Fighting-type right behind him.

"Hey, Delia! You and me, right here, right now!" the boy called out.

Delia smirked. "You're on, Bruno!"


Exhausted, Ash pushed the door into Professor Oak's laboratory. After what felt like hours of running around his hometime, he finally arrived.

"Professor!" Ash called out. "I've got the GS Ball, like you wanted!"

"Ah, we were wondering when you'd show up!" Professor Oak called. He sat at a table, surrounded by others as released Pokémon ate out of Pokéchow bowls.

Maybe it was Ash's exhaustion, but he almost wanted to go kneel down and take some chow for himself. Though, watching an incredibly large big cat devouring animal kibble did put a damper on his appetite.

Putting away that thought, Ash found Misty and Tracey sitting beside the Professor. Standing by them, Ash's mother was also there along with Brock, who should have been at Professor Ivy's. Lastly, there was also this younger girl who dressed in plenty of pink and had dark blue hair; Ash found her vaguely familiar, though he couldn't explain why.

"Late as always, Ash!" Misty called out, she sounded frustrated. "You were right behind us, where did you run off to?"

"I got lost!" Ash groaned and then set the GS Ball onto the table.

The young girl giggled. "That's just like you, Ash!"

Ash blinked a few times. He didn't know who the girl was, but it sounded like she was familiar with him. "What's… everyone doing here? Like, Brock shouldn't you be with Professor Ivy?"

"I don't want to talk about it," the older teen groaned.

Ash's mom patted him on the back. "He's… had a rough time. And it's probably best not to ask too many questions." She smiled brightly at her son as she suppressed a laugh. "So, Mister Orange League Champion?"

"Yeah, I guess I am." Ash rubbed the back of his head as he felt a mild touch of embarrassment. He felt proud of winning, though his mom could make anything a bit awkward if she really tried to.

"I'm really proud of you!" His mom giggled. "I didn't win my first League, either, but like you, I got good enough to win one eventually."

"Thanks…" Ash rubbed the back of his head, an… itch forming in his scalp. When did his mom win in a Pokémon League? It sounded… right, but Ash couldn't explain why.

"I'm also here to congratulate you, Ash!" smiled the pink wearing girl. "Summer's almost over, but I wanted to see you when I can."

"Thanks," Ash told the girl. Though, for the life of him, he couldn't recall her name. She seemed like a friend and it felt like Ash should know her name. So, why didn't he?

"This is very weird," said his Pikachu.

Ash nodded. Though come to think of it, Pikachu's words… bothered him somehow.

Tracey coughed. "So, I didn't know you were into Pokémon contests."

"What?" Ash staggered back.

"Dawn's just been telling us all your dirty secrets you've been hiding from us!" Misty smirked.

The girl, Dawn, giggled.

"You… told them all that?" Ash spoke, though he was confused as to why it felt like a betrayal.

"I mean, I thought they knew!" Dawn said. "Plus, they should have figured it out…"

Tracey chimed in. "I mean, I've seen some of your performances on TV one time, but I didn't really know you back then."

Memories flooded in. Ash could remember him practicing contest routines with his mother as they wooed the crowd together so many years ago. Though, something felt… very wrong about that. He couldn't have been involved in any contest routines since he was too young to be a trainer, but he did get involved in contests when he was much younger. How was that possible?

As Ash thought about that, two Kangeskhan stomped into the room, one slightly larger than the other. Ash recognized them, but he didn't have to wait too long to wonder about their identities.

"Mom? Sis?" Pikachu called out. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, a mother has to greet her son when he becomes a big hero!" said the larger one as she grabbed onto Pikachu.

The Electric-type struggled, though it was obvious he couldn't break free from the hug.

"And as your sister, I can be upset that you didn't bring me along!" said the other Kangaskhan laughed at her brother's expense.

"...but you're not supposed to be here!" Pikachu managed. "I… I mean I'm glad to see you but…. I thought you were elsewhere."

"Oh, contest season is done," said the mother.

Ash just stared, wondering if he was hallucinating things. He knew that he was getting good at understanding Pokémon, especially his own, but this was… more than he was used to. It was like he knew exactly what they were saying.

"Should we do something?" the boy managed to say.

"I think, young Jean could use some quality time with his family, don't you think?" Professor Oak told him, in between looking at the GS Ball. "You deserve a break, too!"

Ash looked at Pikachu as his mother and sister coddled him. Wait, did Professor Oak call Pikachu… Jean? Yet, for some reason, Ash felt it was… natural in some way. But it shouldn't, because he never named Pikachu… because that was his mom's doing… which made no sense because Ash met Pikachu first…

"Are you okay, Ash?" his mother called out to him.

"I... I think," Ash stepped forward to the table. He felt uneasy. There was something fundamentally wrong about him and he couldn't figure out why. He nearly fell.

Luxray… whose name was Leo… supported the boy with his large body. "You should take a seat."

Ash nodded as he let the Luxray… his mom's starter carry him to the the table.

His mother grabbed a hold of him. "Ash, maybe you should break your disguise for a bit, it must be exhausting having to maintain it for so long."

Ash looked up at her, confused as to what she was asking. "...Should I?"

"I can tell something has you nervous," his mom said. "So, why not let Mom give you a nice combing, like you used to enjoy?"

Dizziness overcame the boy. He…. remembered his mother would always run a brush through his hair as part of bonding exercise, ever since he could remember her. But, that made no sense and….

Ash felt himself falling.

His mom caught him in her grasp.

The boy… blinked for a second and noted that for some reason, his mother could hold him in her hands alone.

He was set on the table, which was so much bigger than it should have been. He turned around and saw. Everyone turned into giants.

"Ash, are you okay?" Misty said, more concern in her voice than Ash expected. "You're twitching. And you're hiding your tail between your legs. Is something wrong?"

"I… what?" Ash bent his body and found it gave way easily. His… body was covered in fur hair and blackened paws instead of the pinkish skin he was used to seeing.

"Don't worry, Mom's here, okay?" his mother spoke to him as she rubbed a hand against his head.

Ash felt a wave of relief surge through him. Though he couldn't understand what was happening to him, he appreciated his mom's affection.

"I got the mirror!" Dawn said as she placed a small mirror onto the table.

Ash caught his whole reflection for the time. Instead of a boy, he saw a young fox with white wispy hair and yellow eyes. "Zorua…" the words escaped his lips.

For some reason, he had become a Pokémon… Ash shook his head, that… shouldn't feel right.

No something happened between him getting lost and arriving in Professor Oak's lab…

Though, before he could think on it further, his mother's hands rubbed at his back and he felt himself relaxing.


Zorua limped away onto the streets, without knowing where to go. He didn't belong here, something in him knew that. He had a destination, a place where he belonged; it wasn't among these alley ways or on the streets. He had to go… home.

His crumbling body reminded him of his old worries and he moped as he realized that he had no idea how to get home. Or if even home existed anymore? Should he even exist? The pain made it hard to think straight.

He felt the worst feeling imaginable, as his body frayed at the seams. Surely, he could keep going, right? He just had to put one leg in front of the other and he'd be home. Then, nothing would ache anymore. He just needed to find it…

Somewhere.

A new cold feeling began to wash over him now. One that was well removed from the weather. He couldn't go home, he felt empty, he was falling to pieces, and couldn't stop and rest on the side of the road.

The feeling of helplessness hurt almost as much as his injuries and tears of frustration began to well in his eyes now.

He flickered in and out, fading away.

It wasn't fair, why was he going through this? It wasn't supposed to be here; he was supposed to be home! He had a mommy who took care of him, who loved him! But where was she? Yet it was all gone, it's not his fault!

All the thoughts and feelings in the world didn't solve anything though, his only option was to keep moving and hope he found home again.

He heard the human before he saw her, making no attempt to hide her presence. She was up ahead somewhere in the gloom, maybe in between the big lights that lined the roads. He froze. Something about the human brought familiar memories that he couldn't quite place.

He could have run, but something in him made him approach.

The sudden voice soothed him, bringing forth comforting memories. "Hey there little guy, you don't look so good, are you okay?"

Zorua looked up at the human. She was one of the shorter ones, her form silhouetted against the light behind him. Her voice was softer than the Ghost-type would have thought. Almost familiar, it sounded a little strange coming from such a small creature and if he had the strength to laugh he would have.

"I want to go home… I want my mommy," Zorua muttered and he looked up at her. He didn't know what he was looking for. He knew that he belonged to a home, but… it became even more distant as he imagined it. He couldn't tell her if he knew where it was.

"Oh, you really don't look so good, little guy." He already knew that, but it still stung to hear. "You definitely need some help, I hope you're ready for a big adventure."

Big adventure? What was that supposed to mean? He glanced back towards the human, just in time for her to pick him up. He didn't fight back.

What happened next was hard to describe. Suddenly, he felt… more complete, like something about him had changed, like the holes in his being were suddenly filled in.

One minute, he'd been standing on the road, falling apart and dying. The next, he was in her arms, restored somewhat, like her presence alone was… mending him.

"Mommy?" Zorua in a low growl. He… knew it now. She was his home, she was what he was looking for. He knew vaguely that he was… undone, but now he was safe.

Yet as he thought, he wondered why he was searching for home in the first place.

All he knew was that he felt real.

CC

When Delia found the tired and injured Pokémon, she wasn't sure what she had been expecting.

It had been three years since she had become a trainer and her journey had taken her to Unova. One of her older traveling companions had recommended it before they parted ways.

She felt proud of herself and her accomplishments despite her youth. With her, Pokéballs, her Pokédex, and of course, her starter, she knew her journey wasn't done yet.

She might not be a world-famous champion or coordinator yet, but the encouragement of her friends and family back home gave her satisfaction. Plus, once she was ready to settle down, she had a restaurant to fall back on.

It was weird how things worked out, how that chance meeting with that strange boy convinced her to take the step to become a trainer in the first place. If she hadn't, she might have cut herself off from being a trainer altogether. She might not have even met Leo, her Luxray. Though as it was, she knew he was getting eager to break to challenge himself once more.

Besides that claim, she also found herself becoming Professor Oak's favorite field assistant. The old man had even asked her to teach some of the younger trainers going off on their journeys every now and then.

Her own wanderlust had yet to settle. Due to this, she had become very adept at managing and planning out her adventures, whether it be training for the gym circuit or preparing contest routines. She often overplanned, but thankfully, her traveling companions made sure she didn't overthink things.

Maybe that was why when most people started as a trainer at age ten, Delia spent much of that time being afraid of things going wrong.

All of these thoughts were put out of mind, when Surge, her latest traveling companion, made a big yawn. They sat in their room at the local Pokémon Center.

"So?" He emphasized. Surge was a boy with spiky yellow hair and wore scout khakis. He lived here in Unova. "What's the deal with your newest Pokémon?"

"They think he's a previously undiscovered Zorua subspecies," Delia answered in a neutral tone as she gently caressed the small Pokéball in her hands.

"That's definitely big," Surge said as he patted his Pikachu on the head.

"They say he was a previously undocumented type combination of Ghost and Normal," she answered. Delia ran into the boy early on in her Unovan journey, when he had been attempting to buy a Thunder Stone for his Pikachu. She convinced him not to rush to evolve him, as it would have meant his Pikachu would have skipped learning many essential moves and lessons.

"So, you gonna keep him?" Surge asked pointedly. "I mean, I don't think he's going to survive out there."

Delia nodded. Because of his typing and his immaterial nature, it was expected that he would make a full recovery very quickly. The issue was he was at best a month old and couldn't be left to return to the streets. Fortunately, the girl had no problem caring for such a young Pokémon at this point in her journey.

All that mattered was to see what he wanted.

"I'm going to let him out, to talk to him," Delia turned a look to her companion. "Try not to scare the little guy, okay?"

Surge snorted. "What? I won't hurt the poor baby. I'm not a jerk!"

Delia chuckled, knowing that wasn't completely true. She pressed the button on the Pokéball and released the creature onto the floor.

The little fox manifested in a brilliant display of light. He still looked weakened, but had rapidly recovered enough that he didn't look malnourished. He sat on his rear and looked up at her with wide soulful eyes. He wagged his tail at the sight of her, clearly remembering.

"Hey there, little guy!" the girl put up a soft spoken voice. "Are you feeling better?"

The little Zorua made a weak yip.

Delia frowned. It hurt to see such a young Pokémon in such a vulnerable condition. She walked over and crouched down. "My name's Delia. It's nice to meet you!"

The Zorua padded over to her and extended a paw over to her.

"I'll be your trainer from now, okay?" The girl reached with her hand and grabbed on.

The little fox approached closer and made the best attempt at a leap he could to climb into her arms.

"I'll take that as a yes." Delia grabbed onto his body and lifted him off the floor. He was so light, but that's just due to how young he was.

Surge burst out in laughter. "Looks like he's really eager to follow you around!" His Pikachu mimicked his actions

The little fox's body tensed, shivering at the sight.

Delia held her newest Pokémon close, providing him much need security. "That's just Surge and his Pikachu, he's not going to bite."

"Zor?" He seemed confused about something.

"I know this all must be new and confusing for you." Delia maintained her friendly and comforting tone. "This isn't too far away from where you were before. I don't know exactly what happened to you there but you were hurt pretty bad."

Her new Pokémon stared at her, tilting his head as he appraised her, before angling his head down to the floor.

Taking a shot in the dark, she tried her best to answer the unknown question. "You want me to let you down?"

That seemed to have hit the right mark because he bobbed his little furry head in what could have been a nod.

Delia set the little fox down.

He then returned his attention to the furniture of the rest of the rented room, walking up to one of the beds in the room. He wasn't acting nearly as cautious so she must have been making some progress.

"This is a Pokémon Center, or really just a room that we're staying." She decided to give him the guided tour, and help him feel a bit more at home. "We're staring here for the meanwhile before going traveling again."

Zorua seemed a bit confused by the bed, sniffing at it and prodding it a little with his paw.

"That's a bed," she explained and walked over to it, taking a seat on the mattress. "It's just a comfortable place to sleep on, but you can lay on it, too!"

Zorua looked from her to the edge of the mattress and came to a decision. He braced himself and did a small hop up onto the mattress. He was unprepared for the bouncing springs though and quickly lost his footing, gasping in a brief panic.

Moving quickly, she reached out and helped him stabilize. She felt him tense as she touched him but she was gentle, not forcefully holding him, just giving him something to balance against.

"Sorry about that, it's a little bouncy." She apologized to him as he made himself comfortable on the mattress, putting his head against the surface as though testing its support.

"Since I'm your trainer now, I guess I should come up with a name for you," Delia muttered, half to herself. He glanced at her but other than that remained quiet, well verbally anyway. Now that he realized that the bed was safe he was testing the spring strength and comfiness levels. Partly by rolling around, partly by bouncing.

The fox-like Pokemon made a snickering noise and seemed to grin as he bounced on the bed. Well, based on the laugh alone she could call him Joker or something.

"Hey! Don't do that!" Surge called out.

The Zorua made an audible snicker as he stuck his tongue out, defiant.

While hearing a Pokemon snicker like that was rather unusual. He didn't look like a "Joker", besides she could do better with names. She wasn't ten years old anymore, thinking of puns for Squirtles; she was a teenager now!

She took a good look at the little Zorua who had seemingly grown to like bouncing on the bed, simply to spite the young Unovan boy.

Delia giggled. Hopefully, they'd get along eventually. Taking stock of the little fox's appearance she noted the fur first, which was an incredibly light shade of gray and mixed with bits of pinkish red, it reminded her a bit of cinder and ash.

Well naming him Cinder could work but it sounded more like something you would name a fire-type Pokemon. Then again the name Ash made you think of fire typically, but with his mostly light gray fur, along with the red highlights, it certainly matched the colors that came to her head when she thought of ashes.

Delia took stock of the other characteristics she had to work with. She didn't want to give him a name in reference to something, she wanted one based on him, it only seemed right. The eyes were a bit strange, a pale green and blue color, but that didn't bring any thoughts to her mind apart from something relating to the ocean.

Without too much time to get a good gouge of his personality, she narrowed it down to her first two choices, Cinder and Ash. Although, she did like one more than the other.

"How does the name Ash sound?" She asked Zorua, thankfully regaining his attention. The small dark-furred fox looked at her confused, apparently not sure how to respond.

"Some trainers do it differently but I like to give my Pokemon nicknames, let them have a bit of individuality I guess." It always seemed to be one or the other for trainers, either they nicknamed all of their Pokemon or none of them.

"You're naming him 'Ash'?" Surge glared at the little fox.

"Why not?" Delia giggled.

The little fox seemed agreeable to this notion, perhaps even a bit excited, "Zor." He pronounced, using a slightly different tone than before. "Zor! Zorua, zor!" The newly named Ash seemed to take quite a liking to his new name.

Surge rolled his eyes, his Pikachu making a giggle at his expense.

Now that she had a name for Ash, she needed to figure out what kind of food he ate. Fortunately, there should have been a guide in Ash's Pokédex that could have told her about Ghost-types. And if not, the nurses in the Pokémon Center would help her.

Once that was taken care of and it was during the waking hours in Kanto, she'd have to talk with "Professor Pokemon" himself, Samuel Oak. It was unlikely that he would mind though, he loved learning about Pokemon after all. Especially rare or unusual ones and one from Unova would likely qualify in that regard. Even more especially undiscovered Pokémon.

She leaned over to Ash and placed an arm around him. "It's good to have you, Ash. You don't have to worry or be afraid, I'll take good care of you, I promise."


Ash sat patiently on a stool whilst his mother and Dawn ran their combs through his wispy fur, freeing the knots that had built up in his hair for months now.

He… remembered last getting a good grooming from his mother before he had went to the Orange Islands, but that made no sense since he used to be able to brush his hair just fine.

Except, he couldn't reach around his whole body while he was liked this and his human form was… fake? That seemed wrong.

"Something bothering you, Ash?" Mom asked cautiously. "You're very tense."

"I'm just… so confused," Ash whimpered. His thoughts were a storm of contradicting memories. He was supposed to just be an ordinary boy from Pallet Town, not a Zorua. And yet, he had a whole list of memories of him being what he was now. He remembered the day he met his mom, having been abandoned on the streets and left to fend for himself. He remembered getting his name, even forming a small rivalry against… Lt. Surge when he was a boy? That just made no sense.

"If you need anything from me, I'm always here for you." Mom knelt down and patted the fox on the head.

Ash made a small whine, but his mother's reassurance reminded him of one constant that was always true. Mom was still his mom. He could trust her with everything.

"... I… remember things."

"Oh? Remember what?" Dawn said as she brought a comb against Ash's back.

Ash felt the tension in his back loosen slightly, though it did nothing to quell the storm of uncertainty within him. Was there even a way to say what he wanted without it sounding like he had gone mad? "I… don't remember being a Zorua."

"You don't?" Mom blinked at him. "But, you've always been my little Zorua!"

"I mean remember being one, but…" Ash wanted to cry. Did she really not remember? "I also remember being a human boy. I was your son and everything…"

"But you've always been my son," Mom looked down at him, holding a hand to his face. "I always loved you."

Dawn remained silent as took a step back, perhaps sensing that this wasn't the right time for combing.

"That's what makes this hard," Ash whimpered. "I was human until I got into Professor Oak's place… and so much is different." He made an agitated groan. "I know it… sounds crazy, but it's the truth."

"Oh, Ash," Mom gently patted him on the head, the wisp of a tear spilling from her eye. "You can tell me anything. I'll try to believe you okay."

Ash groaned as he tried to sort the chaos in his mind. "... I remember going through Pallet Town, with Je- Pikachu. We were lost because we couldn't find Professor Oak's Lab. And we kept bothering this girl by a tree."

Mom blinked. "What girl? What was she doing?"

"She was… I think she was filling out a trainer application," Ash began. He shifted uncomfortably on the stool. "And asked me a bunch of questions about what being a trainer was like."

Mom froze. Ash sensed something about his words upsetting her. "... You had Pikachu with you, right?" Mom asked.

"Yeah. I did," the Zorua squinted an eye, wondering why Mom asked what he already stated.

"Ash," Mom's tone became serious. "Did the girl have red hair?"

"Uh, she did, come to think of it." Ash shivered, sensing that something was off. It seemed like an oddly specific question.

"I… that was me." Mom's eyes water. "You're the one who encouraged me to be a trainer…"

"WHAT?" In shock, Ash stumbled off of the stool and landed on the floor. Just what was his mom talking about?

"Ash, was I a trainer before?" Mom asked suddenly.

"Uh…no." Ash answered as he rose to stand. "I mean, you had Mimey, but I gave him to you."

"Miss Ketchum, what's going on?" Dawn asked suddenly.

"Something very strange." Mom stated. "Ash, I don't know what's happened, but I think you went back in time and convinced me to go on a Pokémon journey. I was afraid of giving it a try, but… you convinced me."

Ash shivered, not liking what he was hearing. "But why am I a Zorua now? I wasn't one before!"

"I don't know," Mom answered again. She knelt down and offered a hand.. "But, if you were human before, maybe… you made it so you weren't born?"

"What do you mean?" Ash made an annoyed whine. He was just trying to be nice to some girl who needed help; he didn't intend to… do whatever happened to himself. He walked over to his mother, who promptly began to rub his fur, soothing him.

"Ash, when I became a trainer, I didn't stay in Pallet Town for much of my life. If what you're saying is true and you used to be human and you were never a Zorua, that means I might not have met who it was who became your father." Mom made a thoughtful look. "Do you know who your father is?"

"No." Ash frowned. He couldn't really remember who his father was, even at the best of times.

"Then, there's nothing we can do about it, not that knowing who your father was would help since you're already here." Mom told him. She brought her hands around the fox's body and lifted him into her arms.

Ash relaxed immediately, feeling the worries just fall away. She was right; Mom was still mom. "You figured that out, already?"

"Oh that?" Mom giggled. "Spencer needed my help on some thought experiments like that. Though, you might not remember him, since it was so long ago and you were very young."

Ash blinked, not remembering who this Spenser was in either of his memories. It might not have mattered. "So, what do we do?"

"For now, let's just finish your grooming." Mom looked him in the eye. "I can see someone hasn't been cleaning his teeth while he was away!"

"Aw, Mom!" Ash complained as he was set back onto the stool. Normal Pokémon didn't have to brush their teeth.

Mom brought a toothbrush and started rubbing it against his teeth.

Dawn also resumed her part, brushing the Zorua's wispy hair. "So, what about me, Ash?" she asked eventually.

"What do you mean?" the Zorua asked, in between his mom's attempts to brush his teeth.

"I mean, the way you look at me at times. It's like you don't know me," Dawn answered with a frown. "So, have we met before?"

"... When I was human, I never met you," Ash admitted as he lowered his head. His head suddenly became filled with memories of being in the Sinnoh contest circuit, with a very young Dawn as one of his playmates, alongside Pikachu and his sister. "But I remember meeting you as a Zorua. We played together, I think."

"That's right." Dawn smirked. "You were such an adorable Zorua who won plenty of Ribbons."

Ash's eyes widened as he remembered being on stage and performing in front of a live audience. He was a Contest Pokémon?

"It makes sense why you might not have known Dawn. I traveled with Johanna before we had either of you," Mom answered as she stuck the toothbrush into Ash's mouth yet again. "We reconnected while you both were still very young. If I never became a trainer, you likely never met each other."

"Huh, that's so weird to think about. A single choice at the wrong time could completely change your life," Dawn mused.

The Zorua spat out the contents of his mouth into a tray and was a bowl of water to rinse out his mouth.

"Were you at least a contest goer, Ash?" Dawn asked. "Before you, uh became a Zorua, that is?"

"No." Ash made a friend. He… enjoyed contests, because that was what he did when Mom took him in. He liked doing tricks in front of people and making them, especially his Mom happy. But his human memories were a complete dearth of contest related activities. "... I don't think I even knew what contests were. I don't recall ever seeing one."

Dawn stared at him, as if trying very hard to comprehend what she just heard.

Ash really did not want to disappoint her, not when she was a friend.

Dawn didn't move, her eyes wide.

"I think it's a lot to take in. She'll get over it." Mom giggled lightly. "And I think you're all done." She picked him up and set him on the floor.

Mom then looked down at him, as if expecting something.

"Uh… what are you waiting for?" Ash stared up at her.

"Oh, I was thinking you'd go apply your human disguise." Mom frowned. "I suppose it might not come second nature to you."

"Oh?" Ash furrowed his brow. He really wanted to be human again, even if it was just a disguise. Yet for all of his efforts, he didn't remember how he was supposed to do that. "I… can't think of what I'm supposed to do."

"It's fine, you'll… get the hang of it." Mom smirked at him. "All it takes is some time and practice, just like everything else."

"Yeah, you're right." Ash replied, hopeful that things would be better real soon.

"Hey, why don't you go out and play with Jean or your other friends?" Mom suggested. "I'll go talk with Professor Oak about what you told me, alright?"

Ash nodded his head. He was eager to go talk with his other friends, especially Jean. In fact, his tail started wagging as he suddenly liked the idea of being with his best buddy… Though why Mom captured him and named him "Jean" was something he couldn't explain. Oh, well. "Yeah. that sounds great!"

"I might need a moment," Dawn muttered.


Ash walked into the range at the back of Oak's Laboratory to see an odd sight.

For some reason he couldn't fathom, Charizard and Squirtle sat on opposite ends of a table, facing each other. In their hands were several sets of playing cards with Pokéball insignias on the back. Around them, other Pokémon spectated, such as Bulbasaur and Kingler. Others also looked in, such as mom's Dreepy and Cyclizar.

"And with Blastoise's Rain Dance I dump all of my Water Energy on to my Charizard and let him knock out your Reshiram and Zapdos tag team with Fire Spin!" Squirtle proudly declared. "That nets me three prize cards."

"Stupid paralysis. Three turns!" Charizard grumbled. "Well, the game isn't over yet!"

"Heh, you dumped alot of resources to keep that Tag Team alive, and your bench is hardly developed," Squirtle pointed out. He then slightly shifted his head, facing the Zorua. He raised a hand. "Hey, Ash! We're just playing our daily TCG game!"

"Yeah!" Charizard also turned. He gave the smaller Pokémon a warm smile. "Come on, it'll be great!"

"That does sound fun," Ash replied back, almost wanting to join in himself. It still felt a little strange switching between Pokémon and human language so fluently, but the Zorua did appreciate getting to outright talk to everyone he came across.

Though as much as the Ghost-type wanted to play, he had important business to attend to. "Hey, have you seen Pikachu?"

"Huh?" Charizard scratched his chin.

Oh, right. Pikachu-Jean had a name… because Mom caught him and gave him a nickname. "Jean, I mean," Ash corrected.

"He's with his family. They want to congratulate him for his victory!" Squirtle said offhandedly.

"Right over there!" Bulbasaur pointed with one of his vines.

Family? Ash fumed. His memories as a Zorua were so weird. He now remembered having grown up with Jean, the two of them raised side by side ever since his mom captured the Pichu's mom one day.

"Speaking of victory. Eat devolution spray!" Charizard spat with sadistic glee as he slammed a card onto the table. "And because you cheat out your Pokémon's Evos, he turns back into a weak little Charmander… and promptly faints because his damage counters exceed his maximum hitpoints!"

That left the spectators in awe, as their card game swung in the opposite direction once more.

Understanding Pokémon or not, Ash still did not expect any of them, espcially not Charizard, to have such an… affinity for card games.

The Zorua politely bowed out and walked deeper into the ranch.

Ash stepped over to a clearing and found what he was looking for.

Jean sat on a stump as he spoke to two Kangaskhan. "That's what I know, honest!"

"But I don't understand… " the mother Kangaskhan frowned as he knelt down. "Why would you run away? We have plenty of food."

Jean's ears flattened as a tear shed from his eye. "Things were different. We were still wild and… Ash's mom never caught us. So, I didn't want to be a burden once I evolved."

"Jean, Jean. I know you might have been well meaning in… that other time, but… I'm still your mother." The mother Kangeskhan looked hurt. "You could have said goodbye."

"That would have been too painful." Jean sobbed.

"I'll show you painful," the smaller Kangeskhan grunted as loomed over the Pikachu. Water leaked in her eyes. Her name was… Rose, wasn't it? "You really cut us off like that? You're my brother!"

"I know, but… I… I didn't fit in!" Jean shouted at her. "Look at me! I'm not even the size of your foot now!"

That caused Jean and Rose to look at each other, both weeping in anguish.

Ash instinctively hid behind some tall grass. Immediately, he could understand that Jean was talking to his family about something… really stressful to all of them. Why was Jean-Pikachu talking about running away from his family? Come to think of it, Ash didn't even know Pikachu had any family, let alone that they'd be Kangeskhan…

"I don't care!" Rose shouted back. "You're still my brother. And we're supposed to stick together!"

"I know, I know…" Jean sighed. "It's just… things were different then. I didn't expect to see you ever again."

"Jean?" Ash called out, no longer content with just standing back. He walked out of the bush and made himself known to the others. "What's going on?"

"Ash?" Jean blinked. "...Wait, why are you calling me Jean?"

"... Force of habit. It's just… natural to say it. I… still remember not being a Pokémon and you not having a nickname, but everything's so different now." Ash frowned. "I told my mom and she says that I might have made it so that she was a trainer."

"That explains why I remember your Mom catching all of my family and giving us all names," Jean sighed. "I was just in the middle of explaining things to my mom and sis."

"I'm still upset, Jean," Rose commented.

"I know, I know," Pikachu sighed.

"So, you're just like my son?" the mother Kangaskhan turned to look at Ash, hovering over him. She had a name, but it was so long that Ash remembered calling her Auntie. "Except you remember a time when things were different?"

Ash nodded.

"And this isn't a convoluted attempt at getting into the cookie jar again?" Auntie looked skeptical.

"Then why am I not invited?" Rose cried. "And if it was, this is a very mean prank."

"I… I don't know what to say to that." Ash lowered his head. Human or Zorua, he had made numerous cookie heists. "It all sounds ridiculous. I remember not being a Zorua at all; I couldn't understand Pokémon, though I'd like to think I was getting better at reading Pikachu."

"It seems unlikely that they'd go through all this effort for sweets," a voice called to them.

From above one of the trees, a power lionine figure leapt down onto the ground.

A Luxray landed onto the dirt right next to Ash.

Startled, Ash hid behind Rose's leg, as she was the one closest to him. Pikachu fell in behind him..

"Most peculiar," the Luxray declared. "Ash, turn and face me. You know that I can see through walls."

"... I didn't know that," Ash whimpered as he stared at the powerful feline.

He remembered him; This was his mom's starter… and for some reason Pikachu's stepdad. His name was Leo wasn't it?"

"Dear," Auntie called out. "You're scaring the kids."

"That's precisely, what's wrong," Leo snarled. "They're already well used to this aspect of surprise. And the way they look at me with their blank stares as they try to remember; it tells me that they don't recognize me until something clicks."

Ash blinked several times, wondering how anyone could determine so much from just the way someone looked at him.

"So, in this alternate world, that you remember, have we met before?" Leo turned to face Ash and Jean.

The Zorua shook his head.

The Pikachu lowered his body in a guilty expression. "No, I never met you."

"Weird. A world without step dad," Rose commented.

Leo shook his head. "Either they've gotten that good at lying or they truly believe what they experienced."

"So, we just believe them?" Auntie questioned.

"For now. It doesn't change anything." Leo's expression warmed considerably as he rubbed his body against the aged Kangeskhan. "We're all still part of this family. A little weirdness is to be expected."

"I suppose that is true," Auntie agreed. She rubbed at his back.

"So, you have a dad now?" Ash whispered to Jean.

"It's weird to me, but… I'll be fine." The Pikachu leaned over against Ash. "I think I'm over the shock and I think I'm going to get used to having my family involved in my life again… even if I remember having constant video calls with Mom and Rose now."

"Yeah, same here." Ash thought aloud, his head swimming with early memories of his time as a Zorua. "Being a Pokémon is weird, but I think I can get the hang of it now."

"Hey, just so you know," Rose began, turning to the two of them. "I'm going to follow you from now on just because I'm still upset you abandoned us, Jean."

"Well, it never happened!" the Pikachu complained. "This time, because Miss Ketchum caught us all, I never had the chance to run away from you."

"Keep telling yourself that," Rose snorted. "I think I'll see if that Brock guy wants to carry my Pokéball for a while. He seems pretty hot looking."

Ash stared, not sure how to think of all of that.

ZZZZ

By lunch time, Ash had finally remembered how to give himself a human form. The only downside was that his disguise had notable flaws, namely, his tail and ears kept sticking out. He also felt weightless, since his current body was basically a mass of shadow that he shaped to look like he did as a boy.

They were currently inside the Ketchum household, sitting at the dining tables, whilst most of the other Pokémon ate from food bowls and dispensers around the house. The house was mostly the same, except there were several beds and mats everywhere for Pokémon to lounge in. Ash still had his room, though he now shared it with Jean and Rose… which was weird.

"So, you time traveled?" Misty began, squinting at him. He delicately peeled an orange and popped a slice into her mouth.

"I didn't mean to," Ash sighed. He was already starting to regret having told the others, but he felt like he needed to explain things to him. "I just saw a girl who had problems making a choice… and I thought I could help."

"Uhuh," Misty gave her a grunt. "Ash, it really says something that this isn't the weirdest thing that happened to you. I don't even remember what the other timeline was like. Next thing you know, you're going to find yourself, I don't know… inventing the Pokéball or maybe fighting aliens from another reality."

"I'm not that bad!" Ash growled.

"Either way," Brock interceded. He still sounded distraught from whatever happened with Professor Ivy, but he was better now. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know if I can do something; I don't even know what I did in the first place. I was just walking through Pallet Town and I didn't realize anything was off!" Ash answered plainly. He frowned. "I'd have to like… go back to the past and convince Mom to stop being a trainer before she started. I don't know if I could do that."

"If you did that," Jean interjected. "It'd mean that your mom wouldn't have caught my family."

"Yeah, you're right, Jean," Ash replied. Mom seemed pretty happy being a trainer, especially having gone on some journeys of her own. The disguised Zorua even remembered being a part of them, when he was very young.

"What'd he say?" Misty asked.

Oh, right. Humans can't understand Pokémon. "Oh, Jean just told me that if I made mom not a trainer again, she wouldn't have captured a lot of Pokémon."

"Your mom does have a lot of Pokémon," Tracey replied as he brought out his sketchbook. "Including the ones that live with Oak, your mom has like a dozen or so Pokémon, some I've only seen in other countries. I don't know how many of them would be happy if they knew you were going to… uh have your mom uncapture them?"

"And it would mean that you wouldn't have met me either," Dawn replied as she walked into the room.

Ash made a whimper. As much as he wanted to have everything go back to normal, if he did know how to go back in time and stop mom from becoming a trainer, that would mean… essentially taking things away from everyone who was right here, right now. Maybe, just this once, he should just let things stay the way they are; besides, being a Pokémon was kind of fun too.

"You guys think I should just… do nothing?" Ash asked his friends. "I mean, things are okay right now, just a bit confusing."

"It would be the simplest thing," Brock agreed.

Ash leaned back in his chair, resigned to the fact that he was probably better off leaving things as they were. "I guess that's fine. But if we're not going to fix things, then… what do we do?"

"You could always have a contest tour?" Dawn smirked. "I mean, you were already an Indigo Finalist and you're now the Orange League Champion. Why not do the thing you grew up doing? Except you know, from the trainer's side of things!"

Finalist? That seemed wrong. Then again, Ash didn't recall having issues with Charizard in the Zorua part of his memories. Either way, the Zorua felt a little odd about contests, since he now had so many fond memories working on routines with his Mom. "... I guess I could do that. It seems kind of fun."

Misty made a giggle. "I don't know, I'd love to see Ash perform on stage."

Ash stuck out his tongue. "You're just jealous I've got more ribbons than you do!"

The girl turned a bit pale, which in turn caused Dawn to belly laugh.

"I'll have you know that I won more ribbons than you," Pikachu snickered.

"Only because you were the cute baby Pichu!" Ash replied.

"And I was very cute!"


When Professor Oak had called him back to the lab, the Zorua had not expected Gary to be there as well.

"Hey, Ash!" the boy shouted as he ran over. He smiled faintly.

"Uh, hey Gary…" Ash rubbed the back of the back of his head. He had no idea why Gary was acting so… different.

"Is something wrong?" Gary sounded genuinely concerned.

"Ash, remember that you and this Gary don't exactly have the same history as before." Pikachu reminded him as he rode on the back of Ash's illusory shoulders.

Ash nodded his head. He reached deep into his memories and tried to recall what his experiences with the boy were like now. Things seemed mostly the same, though with the added addition of the Zorua being… well, a Zorua. The only other difference he noted was that he hadn't gotten into a fight with Gary, for whatever reason. "It's just… my memories are a bit weird."

"Huh?" the boy squinted an eye.

"I… time traveled." Ash didn't see a reason to lie to him. "And Mom says I might have made it so I was never born. And instead of being a boy, I ended up a Zorua."

"Wait, you were human?" Gary did a double take

"I was one before. Then suddenly everyone thinks I was always a Zorua."

Gary started laughing. "Huh, someone tell Cleavon Schpielbunk how time travel works the next time someone makes a Back to the Future sequel."

Ash deflated slightly.

At that, Professor Oak coughed into his own hand and got their attention. "In light of Ash's recent… condition, I've called you both here for an important assignment. Several actually."

"What do you mean, Gramps?" Gary asked curiously.

"The first is the GS Ball. I need one of you to deliver it to a man named Kurt in Azalea Town, since I can't work it either," Professor Oak handed the GS Ball to Gary. "He is an expert on Pokéballs."

"Alright, consider it done!" Gary promptly declared.

"And what else do we need to do?" Ash asked.

"The other and most important thing is that I want you and Ash to meet Celebi, the time travel Pokémon," Professor Oak answered him. He then offered the boys their Pokedexes. "I've uploaded the specific time, date, and location you need to be to meet the Pokémon to your Pokédexes."

"So, wait. Is it real?" Gary squinted an eye. "I thought it was a myth, Gramps."

"I… have it on good evidence that Celebi is real. My hope is that Ash could talk to it so he can learn how exactly he ended up time traveling in the first place." Professor Oak shook his head. "I know where it will be. Just accept it, okay?"

"Alright!" Ash declared. Even if he wasn't going to undo what he did, the disguised fox was eager to meet people and Pokémon alike.

"Now, just as a precaution, be careful if you run into any time travelers. Because you never know that if you say something at the wrong time and place, you might inadvertently cause problems in your own or someone else's timeline." Professor Oak turned to Ash. "You're already familiar with the consequences."

Ash sighed but nodded his head.

"Now, avoid giving away personal information unless you absolutely have to. If you recognize someone you know, try not to reveal too much. Understand?" Professor Oak instructed.

"Yeah, yeah. Gramps. Be careful when messing with time travelers. You never know what's gonna happen," Gary shrugged.

"Good. Other than that, you can do what you wish," the Professor said. "In fact, if it interests you, I know Johto has its own Pokémon League season. You can participate if you wish."

"That sounds great!" Ash shouted.

"Heh," Gary grunted. "And I thought you were going to go into contests again, Zorua."

"I could go do both!" Ash snorted, puffing out his chest. "I'll win the Johto Grande Festival and be Johto Champion."

"I can do it better than you," Gary said as he moved towards the door. "In fact, I'll win both of those titles, thank you very much."

"Not if I win them, first." The Zorua laughed lightly. Somehow, despite being closer, he and Gary were still rivals. The two of them walked out the door, with Professor Oak muttering about how… adorable the two of them were like that.

"Hey, what do you think about traveling together, for a time?" Gary said. "You know, like we promised?"

Ash recalled the vow the two of them made when they were young; they wanted to travel the world together. In the original timeline, they had a falling out before that could have happened, while here, circumstances prevented them from traveling with each other. Now that they both had an objective, it seemed like an option that was very possible.

"I would like that," the Zorua said honestly.

"I'll allow it. As long as he carries my ketchup supply."


This was a writing prompt from the Fritik Discord server that went out of hand, with the premise "What if Delia became a Trainer?". I decided to take it and throw in time travel and completely derailing Ash's life to the point he was never born... but was still required to exist.

This story is not quite a one-shot, not quite a multichapter epic, but rather a short story. Hope you enjoy.