This is the very first chapter of my first-ever Fan Fiction. Suppose one of you happens to accidentally stumble upon this story either because you are bored or a big fan of Pokémon like I am, then let me know with a quick review. I am your simple yet humble host, God of Sun, telling you to sit down and buckle up because this will be a ride that I hope won't disappoint.
This is a redone version of the Pokémon anime, specifically the Kanto region, and how I believe the story would have turned out if Ash had woken up and didn't oversleep. I thank you all for coming here just to read, and I promise to try not to disappoint. Whenever I work on the next chapter, I will come back to previous ones to find/correct any mistakes that may have appeared as a result of my foolishness. If this story isn't to your liking, then you are more than welcome to leave, but please remember that this is my first ever story, so it would make sense that it wouldn't be perfect.
If any of you decide to ask, then no, I will not do the other regions. This story is already on the road to reaching 1 million words before the last chapter comes out. I plan to bring other characters and some of the Pokémon from Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh into this story across the middle, especially when we reach the Indigo League, so that's going to be coming in the future.
Disclaimer: I do not own, have not, or ever will own Pokémon. All rights go to the respective owners. I recommend watching/playing Pokémon in general.
Now without further ado, here is the first-ever chapter of 'The Very Best!'
The Very Best:
Chapter 1:
The Beginning Of A Journey
Opening (If you want to): Departure (From HunterXHunter, cover by Studio Yuraki) Or Pokémon Theme song (by John Siegler and John Loeffler)
"Maybe you think I'm a little too brash. But the Master is here! And my name is Ash."
-Ash Ketchum
Underneath the bright, early morning sky is where we see a tiny little town. This town was called Pallet Town in the Kanto Region, one of smaller places in this entire region. All over this town was long straight fields with houses sprinkled all over, mountains off in the far distance. The sun was just about halfway up the horizon, and people were only beginning to wake up from their sleep. It was calm and peaceful in every way.
"Koo! Koo! Koo!"
The noise came from an alarm in one of the many houses in this town. The alarm was shaped like a ball with a white bottom half while the top was a bright red, and for some unknown reason, there were two very serious-looking eyes on the red part. It was opened to reveal a clock that said '7:20'. The watch itself was behind a bird-like creature that was attached to a spring on the ball.
"Koo! Koo! Ko-" The noise the alarm was giving out was cut off when a hand slammed the ball shut, forcing the bird back into the ball.
The hand was revealed to belong to a skinny 10-year-old, the person that owned this room. He had dark black hair with two lightning-bolt-like marks under his brown eyes. The kid's wardrobe was currently green shorts and a green shirt with a large yellow stripe running down the middle.
This was Ash Ketchum, a boy that was about to go on a journey of a lifetime.
After Ash had silenced the evil alarm, the boy began to get up from his bed, which was relatively high off the ground with a ladder leading to it and went to get his clothes. His room was painted a lovely green with a wooden desk near his bed, a small boxy TV on top of his dresser, and a plushie of a creature with brown and white fur in the corner of the room.
Ash took various clothes out of his drawers and made his way to the mirror, noticing how messy his hair was and trying to fix all that was wrong with it. "Can't have it look like this for Oak."
Ash took one long look at himself as his hair was not as much of a disaster as it is now. He took in all of his features as pure joy started to overwhelm him as a brilliant smile began to appear on his face, his reflection showing this off perfectly.
After years of patience, it has finally come.
"This is it." Ash thought as he was putting on some pants, "April first. The day when I can finally get my starter Pokémon." He said in his mind as he put a shirt on. "I will become a Pokémon Master, no matter what." He stated as he put on a jacket over his shirt. "So be ready world, because I won't take 'no' for an answer!" Ash stood proudly with his new clothes, his trusty hat resting on his noggin.
Gone were the green pajamas that he had worn moments ago. They were now replaced by a white and blue short-sleeved jacket with gold trim with white-collar and sleeves. A Dark teal T-shirt underneath and stuck in blue jeans with light blue cuffs, black and white sneakers with red dots on the side, finished with green fingerless gloves with soft green borders. On his head was a red and white cap with a green stylized 'L.'
He looked around his room, knowing it would be the last time in a while. The room may not have been anything extraordinary, but Ash felt a sad feeling having to say goodbye to this room. To the house he had been in since he could remember.
Even though he wanted this day to come, it still wasn't easy for a kid like him.
He glanced at his desk and saw one half of a Pokéball, the white half, and Ash couldn't stop himself from coming to it. He picked it up tenderly and examined it, taking in the cracks and the missing piece of it. It looked old and rather unremarkable, but Ash had fond memories starting to come up.
The boy remembered how he and Gary fought over this when they went fishing and how it broke apart. It seemed that the meaner boy showed some mercy as he let Ash keep the white half and how Gary still has it after all this time. It was one of the few moments that Gary had treated Ash like his own friend since they were seven. Ash placed the thing down after a couple of seconds.
"I better leave now." Ash wasted no time in leaving his room behind. A kind smile was the last thing he gave the bedroom as he closed the door.
Ash walked past his mother's room, Delia Ketchum, and went downstairs. He planned to head straight for the front door, run to the professor's lab, and everything would be simple. However, one thing made him stop as he reached the ground floor—his mother.
Delia Ketchum was a slender woman with fair skin and brown eyes; her smooth brown hair was tied in a ponytail by a green scrunchie. She was currently wearing a light-yellow T-shirt, a pink apron, blue jeans, and orange shoes. She was sitting on one of the dining room chairs. Her eyes focused on her son.
"H-Hi, Mom," Ash said, a bit scared of the woman in front of him. Delia merely stared; her expression unreadable.
"So," She began after a few seconds. "You're going to become a Pokémon Trainer?"
Ash knew that his vision of becoming a Pokémon Trainer wasn't something that Delia desired for Ash. She never openly disapproved it or made him do something else. Though across the year, Ash saw how uncomfortable she seemed when he brought the topic up. He knew this was hard for his mother, but he wasn't going to stop something that hadn't even started. This has been his dream since he saw a Pokémon battle when the boy was only five.
The dream only became stronger when he and the rest of the town sent Goh off three years ago.
"That's right, and I won't stop trying to become one!" He declared as he pumped his fist. Suddenly, Delia stood up fluently and began to walk over to Ash. Ash immediately feared this simple action, thinking he just gave the worst answer imaginable. Instead of yelling or doing anything of harmful intent, Delia softly put a hand on her son's head.
"I know that you are a big boy now, that this is what you want out of life, but-" Her words were breaking up from the emotion that this mother had for her son, Delia's eyes tearing up. "-I don't want to say goodbye to you." Gone was the severe manner that came off of her before; all that remained was the love and care that any mom would have for their offspring. Ash gave an understanding smile as he hugged his mother.
Her sadness was truly apparent as she instantly hugged her child back.
"Don't worry. I will come back here one day." He pledged to his mom as Delia let all the emotion she was holding in finally flow out. "And when I do," Ash pushed Delia away to make her look at him, his hand gently wiping away the tear in his mother's eye. "I will be the greatest Pokémon Trainer that has ever lived!" Delia tried not to let more tears come out as hearing the words from her son hit her with a complete sense of sentimentality. She finally brought back a smile as she started to feel better.
"Then..." Delia wiped her face clean. "Then go make that happen."
Ash gave her a determined look that screamed passion as he made his way to the front door, although not before turning to Delia as he opened the door. "Thank you, mom."
"For what?"
Ash looked for pure kindness and peace before saying words that would stick with Delia forever. "For being my mom," Delia could only let out a small gasp before Ash left out the front door and closed it rather loudly.
Delia, even though she could feel another tear running down her face, gave a warm smile when she heard what her son said. Her heart was melting at this point. Her eyes glanced on a framed picture on the wall, putting the chair back in its place. The photo showed a younger Delia in a similar outfit holding a giggling five-year-old Ash, the kid wearing an adorable Pikachu-themed hat with ears. Although they were happy, something was missing.
Or rather, someone.
"I wish you were here." She mentally said to herself as she began walking to the kitchen, remembering the love of her life. "I know you would have loved to be here for him." As she was going to wash the leftover dishes from last night, there was something on the counter that made her turn her head. Lying on the counter were some simple eggs and rice on a white plate she had made for Ash for breakfast.
The same eggs and rice she woke up extra early to make.
"WAIT! ASH FORGET BREAKFAST!" Her scream could be heard outside the house's walls, scaring off a lone Pidgey on the roof.
"Man, I wish I had breakfast," Ash said as he ran towards the professor's lab, grabbing his stomach in hunger as his legs carried him to the lab. He had been running the past few minutes in the hopes that he could be the first to choose the starter that he wanted. Simple enough, however, in his mind, he knew that someone would not concede to that idea. He skidded to a halt when he arrived at the building he was looking for.
The building looked normal, aside from the windmill sticking out the back. It looked to have two floors to it. A red roof, cream-like colored base, windows all over the front, and stone stairs led to its front door. Ash looked up towards the stair to ensure no one was there before him, smiling when he saw no one. Ash happily ran up the stairs and felt a sensation of true satisfaction as he was going to meet his new Pokémon.
But then, as he was about to reach the door, an all too familiar voice came from behind him.
"So the loser himself finally showed up." A male voice shouted, his tone giving off a very smug and overconfident vibe. Ash stopped moving to look down and behind him, seeing the person he knew would be there.
At the bottom of the stairs stood a tall 10-year-old boy that looked like nothing but trouble. His hair had an auburn color to it. His eyes were more of a charcoal color compared to Ash's. Covering the boy's form was a long-sleeved purple shirt and dark blue pants stuffed into brown boots. A black necklace with a yellow and blue yin-yang was hanging from his thin neck.
This was Gary Oak, the grandson of Pallet Town's professor.
Ash wasn't thrilled at seeing Gary here, though he tried to cover that with a smile and speaking politely. "Hey, Gary."
"That's Mister Gary to you!" Gary bluntly corrected as he reached the top, arms folded behind his back. "Show some respect!"
Ash frowned as Gary was still insufferable, and this was one of the tamer greetings. Ash decided to make some conversation happen. "So, what are you here for?"
"I'm here for my starter; what else?" Gary replied harshly, a big smirk on his face.
"At least I made it here first, unlike some people." Ash countered. This struck one of Gary's nerves.
"Hey! You should be grateful! You are currently talking to the almighty Gary Oak! AKA: The future Kanto Region Champion!"
"No way! I am going to be the Pokémon Master! YOU GOT THAT?!"
Gary folded his arms as his arrogant side came back instantly. "It seems like Ash can't control his anger, and today of all places. What a shame." He said smugly. Ash gritted his teeth in anger. However, before either of them could continue their spat, a voice from behind caught their attention.
"Oh my gosh! Both of my friends are here!" A girly voice chirped excitedly. The two boys turned; Gary's face now showed dread, knowing exactly who it was.
Running up to them was a young girl with slightly messy dark brown hair that reached her lower back. She was also ten and currently had on a sleeveless teal shirt with a bit of black to it. A short pinkish-red skirt, light blue slouch socks, and white shoes with a pinkish-red stripe down the middle. Just like Ash, she too wore a hat, but it was a white buckle hat that had a red circle in the middle. She had black wristbands and a yellow messenger bag across her chest.
This was Green, the friend to all. Well, except for Gary.
Without so much as a sign, Green gave a gigantic bear hug to both of the boys. Both of them had their feet off the ground and couldn't do anything as the girl had mashed them together in her arms. This was just how Green greeted basically everyone.
"I am not your friend." Gary somehow managed to say it in a mean way as he was slowly getting crushed by Green's surprisingly firm grip. Ash was not having as hard a time as he had gotten used to this from his bouncy and peppy friend. It still hurt for him.
"Could you please put me down already?" Ash asked kindly. After two seconds, the girl put the one boy back on the ground and watched how grateful he was for standing on the dirt.
"What about me?" Gary was still stuck in Green's arms as the taller boy saw how Ash had just escaped from a fate worse than death.
Green giggled at his expense. "Sorry, but Ash kindly told me."
"May you please let me go, Green?" It was clear that Gary's kindness was being forced here as Green pretended to consider for a second.
"Nah." Her grip only became stronger.
"Arugghh!" Gary screamed out in frustration. Ash couldn't stop himself from laughing at where Gary was now. Revenge was just too sweet.
However, Ash knew that the girl had to let go eventually and decided to speak up for his rival. "Green, please drop the snarky boy."
Green let out a disappointed sigh. "If you insist." Gary felt pure joy as he finally stood on the ground again. If no one was around, he would've praised the dirt under his feet. Instead, Gary sent a nasty comment at Green.
"Can't believe you are going on a Pokémon journey." Gary tried to rub off the 'Green' that had gotten on his clothes since the hug. "You suck with directions."
"Hey! At least I know that there are only four of them." Green was quite proud of herself, knowing that a compass doesn't point to the nearest cloud.
"Wow. Everyone better look out; this girl actually has a brain!" Gary mockingly yelled out to ensure everyone knew how unamazing that was. Ash was getting mad at Gary for calling Green out on it. He had tried to explain it to her when they were younger, but she couldn't understand the concept well. Still, she felt no shame about it.
"Of course, someone like you would be impressed by that." Gary gave a harsh glare at the remark that Ash made for Green.
"I'm fine, Ash. Thank you for protecting me." Green dismissed her long-time friend as she rubbed the back of her head with a goofy smile. "I am just so stoked to be here! Especially with you guys!" She raised her fist in excitement as she genuinely was overjoyed by this.
Ash returned the smile with one of his own. "I'm glad you are as happy as ever." Ash kindly told his friend. Green gave a wide smile.
"Why wouldn't I be?" She asked rhetorically. "After all, I can finally get the Charmander I had always wanted!" The girl's dream Pokémon was Charmander. Her room had a giant Charmander plush. Her universe revolved around Charmander. Gary smirked when Green finished her sentence.
"Too bad that my Squirtle will defeat your little lizard. Everyone knows that water beats fire!"
"Who said you were going to be the one to get Squirtle, Gary?" Ash asked in deviance. Squirtle was the Pokémon that Ash selected when he was dreaming last night. It wasn't the best logical choice for the Gym Leader or Pokémon League, but Ash knew that could be fixable. Gary's only response was a glare and a point of the finger at the 10-year-old.
"Oh, please! You will probably get with Bulbasaur based on our choices!" He yelled back. Gary knew that Bulbasaur was the least-picked starter from this Kanto, and it became a symbol that whoever got stuck with it wouldn't be a great Pokémon Trainer.
"Oh no." Ash pretended to worry as he put his hands on his face in fake shock, not noticing that someone was coming up the stairs. "How could I be stuck with the Pokémon that is the best for the first two gyms?" Ash knew who Brock and the Sensation Sisters were and what they specialized in. Someone made it up the stairs and decided to speak up.
"And what does that leave me with?" A voice asked calmly from behind the trio. Everyone turned their heads to see the newcomer.
Said newcomer was another 10-year-old who was quite tall for his age, even taller than Gary. He had pale brown hair with a red and white cap and dark red eyes. He was wearing a red sleeveless jacket with a white collar and stripe. A black undershirt, yellow backpack, baggy blue jeans, and finished with black, red, and white running shoes.
This was Red, a quiet and reserved boy.
"Yay! Red's here!" Green ran over to her other best friend and gave him a big hug without warning, similar to what she did to the other two boys. However, unlike the other two, she couldn't lift him off the ground. The boy's only response was just silence and a small smile, giving Green a small pat on the back.
"Great. The freak circus is complete." Gary was wondering why this had to be him out of all people. Future Champions shouldn't be roped in with nut jobs.
"So, Red," Ash decided to get the boy's attention as Green was finally starting to let go, not even making the boy tell her to. "You figured out which Pokémon you are going to get?" Ash knew Red wasn't one to be picky, since he never really liked to choose anything, but he was still curious about this decision.
Before the young man could even mutter a word, Green decided to steal the spotlight. "I want to get Charmander because they are cute, amazing, handsome, perfect, cute -"
"You said cute twice," Red commented as Green kept going.
"-And so I can treat him/her like my little child." She giggled as she spoke, then, out of nowhere, her face formed into deep seriousness. "And if you think about stealing my child, I will give you a world of pure agony." She finished in a cold tone.
"Trust me, lizards are not my thing," Gary assured her in a smug way.
Red, who pretended not to hear the last part of the girl's sentence, decided to answer Ash's question first. "Well, I'm not quite sure." Red began as he walked over to the other two boys. "I guess I never really gave it that much thought." He finished in an almost boring way.
"You act like you give that much thought to anything." Red gave no reaction to Gary's comment. Suddenly the door to the building they were standing by opened up. Everyone watched as someone walked out of the lab.
Standing in the doorway was a man that appeared to be in his early 60s. He had peach skin, gray hair, and thick, bushy eyebrows. He was wearing a light maroon polo shirt and beige pants that were held up by a brown belt and finished off with a clean white lab coat that had three pockets in the front.
This was Professor Samuel Oak. He was the grandfather to Gary Oak and the Pokémon Professor of the entire Kanto Region.
"I see that you are all here." He began in an old voice. He then motioned his hand towards the door with a warm smile. "If you want a Pokémon to begin your journey, I suggest you come into the lab with me."
Gary pushed Green, who was in his way, to the side and walked in with power on each step. Ash quickly helped Green, both glaring at Gary as he walked away. Red looked apically at the situation, placing his foot in front of Gary's. The boy quickly caught himself before he fell, giving an unhappy look to Red.
This got a silent chuckle from Green and Ash, even Red kind of smiled at this. Oak closed the door when everyone was inside.
Inside the building were machines next to the bright, yellow-colored wall. The floor was made up of large blue tiles that reflected the sunlight that was coming in through the big windows that were at the very back of the room. A whiteboard was put to the side of the room, and a bookshelf was underneath metal stairs. On the stairs wasn't anything of value except a wooden door that led into an unknown space.
Ash, and especially Gary, didn't react to the room as they had been in it multiple times. Red just remained calm as ever, but Green had stars in her eyes and was looking around as if it were a candy shop. She would try to touch every interesting she saw, but she would be spotted by either Gary or Oak and scolded for acting like a toddler. The insults mostly came from Gary.
"Now, I am going to need you all to line up so we can figure out who's going first," Oak instructed. Red had to drag Green away from her fun.
The order of the line was Red on the far left, Green on the middle left, Gary on the middle right, and Ash on the far right. All of them looked nervous as Oak was revealed to be moving a pointed finger across from everyone; a look of deep thought was etched onto his face.
"You shall go first." Oak finally said as he pointed his finger at the chosen child. And that child's name was Ash.
"Hey!" Gary said out loud in outrage. "Why does a loser like him get to go first while your grandson is left here to rot?!" He pointed to himself for emphasis.
"Well, you snooze, you lose." Was the only answer Oak gave Gary as he led Ash forward; Gary gritted his teeth in anger from behind them as he crossed his arm.
In front of Ash was a cylinder-shaped object with buttons on the outside and a large glass dome covering the top. Inside the dome were what looked like three red and white balls that had not only a black stripe going across it horizontally but also a button in the direct center. A symbol of color was on the top of each one.
It was called the PokeBball. The dome of glass came undone with a mechanical sound until it was out of sight.
"Just go and pick any you like." Oak directed his arms behind his back. Ash, without hesitation, picked up one of the balls. The one with a blue symbol on it.
"I have thought about it a lot," He began as he took the Poke Ball out of its container. "And it took me a long time. But I finally decided to choose... Squirtle." With a simple finger click on the button, the Poke Ball opened.
A bright white light came from the once-closed Poke Ball. This light almost bathed the entire room. The only two surprised were Green and Ash, having their mouths opened in shock. Green had her mouth opened the biggest out of the two, but it was hard to tell if it was from shock or pure excitement. The light then somehow moved away from the ball that it came from and landed on the table. It suddenly took shape.
When the light was all gone, all that was left was the light blue creature that had an appearance similar to that of a turtle. He had a brown shell on the top and golden brown on the bottom. He also had holes that allowed his head, limbs, and tail to be exposed. He had light purple eyes and a kind smile on its face.
"Squirtle!" Was the first thing he said as he looked up at his future Trainer. Ash was astonished.
"Wow!" Green was just as amazed as Ash.
"Wow, it's so cute," Ash said as he decided to go and pick up his new partner. Squirtle gave a happy grin to the kid. "I knew that you would be amazing!" Ash didn't even care that he heard Gary scoff in the background.
"Whatever you say," Oak said plainly as the ten-year-old helped his first ever Pokémon. It was a nice moment, but Oak had seen this interaction happen multiple times. "The Squirtle you hold is a male. I can show you how one can tell what gender it is."
"Okay." Ash, only hearing the first half of the sentence, as he made his happy-looking Squirtle and himself look at each other. "Oh, hi Squirtle!" He then brought the Squirtle in for a hug. A hug that the Pokémon happily gave back.
Squirtle already made an attachment with his Trainer.
Gary rolled his eyes at the situation seeing that it had gone on for 15 seconds too long. "Ok. You met your Pokémon already. Now move so the person that matters can have one too." He said in a very bossy way.
Ash, while still hugging his new partner, decided to comply. He was so happy and overjoyed to retort to Gary as he made his way back. However, this didn't stop the Ketchum from giving a determined look to Gary as they walked past each other.
The pair turned back in line where Squirtle saw that Red was looking at him. "Squirt?" Red placed a gentle hand on Squirtle's head, giving an excellent head scratch to ease the Pokémon. Ash saw this and didn't stop as he saw how happy his Squirtle was now, being with him and his best friend.
"I will admit, Squirtle is kind of cute." Green was still loyal to her Charmander, but she will give the Water-type a confidence boost. The two boys smiled at her as Gary reached the Poke Balls.
Gary went and pretended to reach for the Poke Ball with the red symbol. " I was going to pick the Fire-type to make someone mad-"
"NNNOOOOO!" Green screamed at what Gary was doing, the scream scaring Oak and the pair. Even Red was taken aback by this.
"-But since the loser back there took the Water-type," Gary pointed a thumb behind him that landed on Ash, who stopped to stick his tongue out from behind the boy. Gary moved his hand to get the Poke Ball with the green symbol. "I am going to go with the Grass-type, Bulbasaur!"
Just like before the Poke Ball opened, except now, only Green was the one who even reacted. The light instead landed on the floor and began to morph into something else.
Where the light once was now had a Pokémon that resembled a frog but bore three claws on each of his feet and held no tail. It had large red eyes and yet small but still sharp teeth. His skin was a light turquoise color with some dark green spots. His most notable feature was the green plant-like bulb that it had on his back.
"Bulbasaur?" The Pokémon asked in confusion, even tilting his head.
"Greetings," Bulbasaur looked up to see the one who would be his Trainer. Gary sent a smirk to Bulbasaur. "I will make you the strongest so that we can prove how superior we are." Gary finished by pointing to every other 10-year-old in that room. Only Green and Ash, still holding Squirtle, were the only ones to respond with fierceness in their eyes. Red merely yawned.
"The Bulbasaur is also a male," Oak explained to his grandson. The Bulbasaur wasn't even paying attention to the ten-year-old's rant about being the strongest. It instead went up to Gary's leg and tried/failed to climb up so that the Pokémon could hug his Trainer.
"Hey! what do you think you are doing?!" Gary called out as he tried to push his new partner away from him. "Can't you see I don't have time for this behavior from you?" The Pokémon knew that if he kept trying, something terrible might happen to him. Bulbasaur stopped as he heard Gary give him a warning for his actions.
"Bulbasaur." Is what came out of the mouth of the ashamed Pokémon. The Bulbasaur said nothing as he followed his Trainer back to the line. Everyone besides Green was annoyed at how Gary demanded the Pokémon he had just got. However, Green looked downright happy on the outside, even if she also didn't like what Gary just did.
"CAN I GO?! CAN I GO?! CAN I?! CAN I?!" Her begging scared everyone in that room; even the last Pokémon in the Poke Ball heard it. Oak placed a hand on his chin as if he was thinking.
"Well, if you want t-" Oak couldn't finish as Green knew she had heard enough. The girl took the only Poke Ball, picking it up quickly yet gently.
"Mama needs a new pair of... CHARMANDER!" That was the last thing Green said before she opened the Poke Ball.
Once again, the light came out, and Green smiled as the light formed into something else.
There on the table stood a dinosaur-like Pokémon. Most of her body was colored orange, while her underbelly was a pale light yellow. The most shocking thing about the creature was a small fire coming out of the end of her tail that looked like something substantial.
"Charm-" Before the Pokémon could even finish speaking, Green immediately picked up her new partner and gave it an almost bone-crushing hug, the Pokémon extremely confused by this. Green couldn't help but squeal out in excitement.
"Oh, Charmander!" Green said in an almost childish voice as she pulled the Pokémon back so that she could have a better look; Charmander finally getting a good look at the Trainer she was stuck with. The Pokémon widened her eyes at Green. "Do you realize how long mama has been waiting for you?" She questioned her new partner. It was supposed to be kind, but it sounded crazed and frizzled.
Charmander didn't know what to think of her situation but just decided to play along with it. Green listened closely, hearing how her child was making a slight growling sound to her. The Pokémon knew that it was best to keep her anger in. She could always burn her with the tail if it came down.
"Oh, don't be that way." Green held her Charmander in one arm like a baby and began to tickle her belly. Charmander couldn't help but laugh out loud as she was unfortunately too precarious for her good. Any animosity that Charmander had built up had gone away in that laughter. "You are with me now."
"She says that like it's a good thing," Gary muttered as his Bulbasaur couldn't help but agree with that. Green happily walked over to her friends.
"Squirtle?" The Pokémon asked as he worried if his fellow starter would be okay in the end, Squirtle still being held by Ash as the Trainer was looking at the cuddling Charmander.
"Charmander." Was all the lizard said with a dismissive wave of her hand. Not precisely the Trainer she was expecting, but beggars can't be choosers. At least, that is how she thinks the saying goes.
"You better be prepared, Ash," Green warned her friend as the two pairs looked at each other with Gary and Red in the middle. "Cause me and... Uh. What gender is Charmander, professor?"
"Female,"
"Me and her are going to do great things!" Ash responds with a confident look and a thumbs up.
"I bet you will," Red assured her in a still forbearing way with a small smile.
"Well, that's everyone," Oak said as his eyes swept across everyone in the room, landing on the tallest. "Except..." He said as his eyes focused on Red, who still looked indifferent. However, before continuing, Red raised his hand to stop him.
"Don't worry about it." He said simply as he accepted that his journey would have to be delayed. He was not mad or disappointed at anyone, surprisingly. "I know you no longer have any Pokémon. It was inevitable with the 4 of us, and I rather it be me than anyone else."
"Well, that's not entirely true."
Red stopped and turned around to look at the Pokémon professor. A look of interest in his eyes.
"You see, there is still one left, but I am not sure if you would want it." Oak told the boy as he tapped his chin in thought. He knew the boy was responsible for his age, though the Pokémon he was talking about was not just a simple Pidgey or Oddish.
Red responded with a tiny shrug. "I don't mind, professor," Red stated as he signaled to walk towards the pod that once held the Poke Balls. Suddenly, the center of the thing opened up to reveal a fourth Poke Ball. Oak grabbed the Poke Ball, this one having a yellow symbol on it.
"I should warn you," Oak began in a very unsure way. "This Pokémon is a bit... unstable. I really shouldn't be giving this out to a beginner."
"Professor," Red assured calmly as he raised his hand in a swearing position. "I know you are worried, though you really shouldn't be. I might be able to take care of this." He finished.
Oak sighed. "Well, if that's the case," Oak gave the ball to the kid.
The Poke Ball was about to open and show everyone what was in it. To see what kind of Pokémon it was made Oak nervous, though Gary had a feeling that it was the new Electric-type his gramps had been taking care of. However, before it could open fully, Red slammed his hand at the top. Oak and everyone else was about to question why he did that, but Red beat them all to it.
"I rather see what I am alone." He told in a relaxed way as he walked back to his spot, Poke Ball still in hand. Even though Oak still wanted to question Red, he knew that this kid liked to do things his way, and he wasn't one to judge.
"Aww. I wanted to see." Green made a childish face at how everyone was not allowed to see what Pokémon it was; Red placed the ball in his bag for safekeeping. It could've been another Charmander for all she knew!
"Well, now that we have all the Pokémon that we may or may not have wanted," Oak spoke as he saw everyone standing together, their Pokémon with them. You guys are going to need your supplies," Oak said as he went to get something from his desk and closed the drawer when he finished. "But first." All the kids, even Gary, were surprised to see what was in Oak's hands.
"You want to take a picture?" They saw how Oak was starting to set up a camera in their direction.
"It's something I like to do every year when the Trainers get their Pokémon." Oak finished setting it up and started to focus on the group. "Would you all please group, no complaints?"
The four Trainers and the Pokémon all huddled together as they tried to look at their most promising selves. Gary had his arms crossed with a side smirk as Bulbasaur stood by his master and tried to smile. Standing next to Gary, Ash decided to crouch down and get on the same level as Squirtle, Both with goofy grins. Green had one arm closely holding Charmander and one wrapped around Red's shoulder, the girl and the fire Pokémon having the biggest smiles as Red gave a small smile with his hat covering one of his eyes.
One of the best poses that Oak had seen in a while. A smile on the man's face when he took the picture.
"Amazing," Oak remarked as he saw how genuinely great the photo was, leaving to put the camera back in the drawer so that he could print them out later. He opened another drawer and took out a few things as he walked towards his grandson, holding his hands out for Gary to look at.
In his right hand were six Poke Balls, although they looked pretty small compared to normal ones. On the left hand is what looked like a little, red rectangular device that had a blue light on the top left. The device was known as the Pokédex, the source of all Pokémon knowledge in a Region.
"Thanks, gramps." Gary took the gifts without question as he admired the Pokédex. "You outdid yourself making this one, unlike the other Pokémon professor."
"If you say so." Oak was glad that his grandson was kind enough to compliment him, though he wished the other professors that he was good friends weren't insulted.
Oak gave them all 6 Poke Balls and a Pokédex that they all took with a sense of honor. Green examined it as she opened it up. "Sorry to ask this, professor, but how does this work?"
"If you look at the top, there is a small camera that you can point to," The trainers saw what Oak was talking about. "That camera is locked to the DNA of all the registered Pokémon on there. Open it up and point it at the Pokémon to know all about it, even its move set and gender."
Ash pointed the camera on the Pokédex at Squirtle, and the device began to speak robotically. "Squirtle, the tiny turtle Pokémon. Dex Number: 007. Pokémon Typing: Water. After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell. Powerfully sprays foam from its mouth. This specific Squirtle is a male and currently at level 5. This Pokémon has the following moves: Tackle, Tail Whip." The device finished as it showed an image of a Squirtle.
Ash was amazed by this. "This is very valuable." Ash kept this device and the Poke Balls in separate pockets, taking extra care of the device. "You may be small now, Squirt, but I'll make you strong."
"Squirtle." The Pokémon nodded at hearing his Trainer's words. The Water-type turned his head at hearing another Pokédex spewing out its knowledge.
"This specific Charmander is a female and currently at level 5. This Pokémon has the following moves: Scratch, Growl, Ember." Green's Pokédex said as she was excited after hearing the last part.
"You hear that, Char?" Green asked excitingly. Her Pokémon was already so strong, even without her help. "You already have a Fire-type move!"
Charmander soaked up all the praise that Green threw at her like a sponge, even showing off a little of her fire. "Hey, how did you get the starter with three moves?" Ash was a bit whiny seeing how his Pokémon was, unfortunately, a move short.
"I guess I got lucky," Green answered truthfully. She looked down to see how Charmander did not appreciate the answer and wanted her Trainer to give a more confident answer. Green tried to say this in an attempted sharp-witted way. "I mean, it was a purely calculated decision." Ash laughed at how serious Green was trying to be for her Pokémon.
"I guess the odds are against you, Ash," Gary told him as he walked up, Bulbasaur by his side with a more self-confident look. "I also have three moves for my Pokémon, and it's the move type that can destroy your little Squirtle." Squirtle and his Trainer glared as the boy folded his arms. "Although, I won't force you to enter a losing battle."
Suddenly, a car horn could be heard outside, and what sounded like people were cheering. The noise was authentic music to Gary Oak.
"Well, it sounds like all the people that adore me are outside," Gary said, sounding quite complacent about himself as he looked at his grandfather. "Thanks, Gramps." Was all Gary said as he, putting Bulbasaur in his Poke Ball as he wanted to show his fans later/ He left the building so that they could greet the fans. Oak sighed in response as his family didn't even bother to shake his hand, at least. Green saw how disappointed the man was and came to him.
"Thank you so much, professor," Green said joyfully as she walked up to him, sticking her arm out for a handshake. Oak's miserable look was gone. The Pokémon Researcher took it with a slight smile, happy to see that someone was grateful. This caused Ash to come over and thank the man who gave him his friend.
"Thanks a lot, Professor Oak, You're the best professor in the region," Ash added as he came over to give a fist bump, the Researcher did with a small smile still on his face. Even though he was the only official researcher of Pokémon in Kanto, it was still nice to hear that. Green and Ash, along with their partners, walked out of the building to begin their journey. Red silently walked over to Oak as he finished putting everything in an organized way for his backpack.
"Thanks, Mr. Oak," Red said simply as he offered a firm handshake which the old man took without hesitation. Red left the building behind everyone else, keeping a quiet air around himself. This left Oak behind in his lab, his home at this point in his life. Oak, though he looked a bit serious, actually had a slight smile in his heart. He could tell these four were going to do great things.
Considering that he was a former Champion, that was high praise that they received.
"I just know," he said in his mind as he walked off to go finish some paperwork he needed to do. "These kids are going to leave their mark. I hope that they do many great things."
Outside Gary was soaking up all the praise like a sponge. There was a gigantic group of people that came here just for him. They all kept praising and complimenting him. Off to the right side of the group was a nice and fancy-looking car that had an open roof that was for Gary and Gary only. At the front of the horde of people, there were three cheerleaders in white and blue outfits with pink, fluffy Pom Poms. Not only were they dancing in sync, but they were also singing this:
"GARY! GARY! HE"S OUR MAN! IF HE CAN'T DO IT, NO ONE CAN!"
Gary got a broad smile at the people around him. "Thank you, random people! Thank you all for this great honor!" He said as he lifted his arms in praise. His Poke Ball, which held Bulbasaur inside, was in his left hand. "I promise I will become a Pokémon Master and make the town of Pallet known worldwide!" Gary announced to all his fans, whose only response was to cheer louder.
Ash and co came out of the building and saw the massive group that came for only Gary. Ash shook his head, seeing how these people were worshiping the very ground that boy walked on; even Squirtle knew that the boy did not deserve this. Green tried to distract herself by caring for her new Pokémon friend and scratching her back, something Charmander didn't even try to stop.
Red came behind and was unfazed by the number of people there. He quietly made his way and ensured that no one saw him leaving. Big crowds weren't his thing, and he knew he wouldn't get one. Red, instead, wanted to get out of there as soon as he could.
"Come now, Gary." A feminine voice called out as she was one of the few front people, even being the one in the driver seat of the car. She had identical hair color and skin tone as her son as she wore a simple green dress with a white jacket. Green shoes with long white socks as her long hair was split down the middle.
"Your son will do amazing things, Daisy." One of the many people told the mother.
"I guess he is okay." Daisy decided to humor her son as the three cheerleader girls ran up to him and lifted him as they fully extended their arms. It ended up working.
"That's just what you think now, mom," Gary explained as he sat down in the red car, a cocky look printed on his face.
"Okay, Gray."
"I hate it when she uses that name." Gary was going to have another talk with his mother on that, but for now. "Thank you all for coming out to see history in the making!" He exclaimed as the car started to move with his mother at the wheel. "Now I, Gary Oak, am off to learn the ways of a Pokémon Trainer!" That was the final thing he told everyone as his car slowly sped off down the road, but that didn't stop the fans from trying to follow him.
"WE LOVE YOU, GARY!" They all collectively said as they chased after him, leaving Green and Ash behind as they and their Pokémon had sweat drops down their heads.
"What is that guy's problem?" Ash questioned Green as the young boy went off into the distance.
"It's either not having a brain or not having a personality," Green responded, her Charmander still in her hands. They decided to both share a small laugh at the little remark.
Their laughter was cut short as they heard loud bangs coming towards them, somehow working in harmony. The group turned to see what it was. "Hey, Ash! It's your mom!" Green said as she pointed forward down the road.
Green was right. Delia, now without her apron, was coming towards them with a small group of people behind her, banging pots and pans. They were also revealed to be the ones the instrument noises were coming from. In her hands was a small green backpack that had an orange stripe going through it and a yellow-white square on top of it. Ash ran down the stairs with a smile on his face.
These people came to see Green and Ash Ketchum off. It was only 1/3 the size of Gary's group, but the two kids were still happy.
"Mom!" Ash said as he ran right in front of his mom, Green following close behind.
"Hi, Ms. Delia." Green greeted as she shook the mother's hand, Delia removing her arm from the backpack to return the gesture. Green looked around, confused. "Is my mom here?"
"Sorry, but she was unfortunately busy when I tried to get to your home."
Green sighed as Charmander saw how her Trainer lost some of her happiness right there. " I shouldn't be surprised."
"Don't worry, Green." Ash came by to comfort his long-time friend. "We're here for you. Just make sure to see her on the way out." Yells from the crowd assured her.
"I guess." Charmander hugged her Trainer for comfort, making the girl quickly forget about her absent mother. Mother and son then looked at one another, the former still sad.
"Oh, Ash. I'm so proud of you. You are finally going to fulfill your dream and start your Pokémon journey. But I-I'm going to miss you so much." She used the backpack that she was holding to wipe away tears that were threatening to escape from her eyes. "Oh, my little boy!" Delia finished saying, bits of sadness in her voice. Squirtle then came up right next to Ash to see what was going on.
"Squirtle." The Pokémon said in a slow, almost sympathetic way.
Delia opened the backpack's main pocket. "I packed your sneakers and jeans. Nice clean shirts and underwear. And your favorite snacks, and some hot chocolate if you want something hot. But be careful not to burn yourself. And a pair of rubber gloves to do your laundry and a new clothesline to hang it out to dry." One by one, Delia put all the previously said stuff in the arms of Ash. The boy was starting to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of things. However, before she could put whatever was left in Ash's arms, the ten years grabbed the backpack away from the woman.
"Mom! You are embarrassing me. In front of all these people." Ash told his mom as he tried to stuff the items in his arms inside the backpack. "Don't you know that I'm a big kid now? Pokémon trainers can take care of themselves." Ash then zipped the bag when it was packed and put it on. Green giggled behind him.
"I understand." Delia finally said in defeat and brought her head down. Only now did she realize the Pokémon that her son had picked. "That's your Pokémon?"
"Squirtle." Was the answer it gave to the woman's question.
"Yup, that's my Pokémon," Ash answered for his mother. Squirtle gave a happy nod. "With Squirtle by my side, I will easily become the next Champion!" Ash bummed his fist for emphasis.
"You promise?" Ash looked down to see a 6-year-old boy come to him with a look of clarification. Ash crouched down and smiled at the kid. "You will beat the Elite Four?"
"Of course, I will!" Ash promised without a single thought. " I will beat the Elite Four and the current Champion of Kanto, Blue, for the title!"
The 6-year-old was overjoyed hearing that and hugged Ash. Ash returned the hug, which brought an excellent feeling to Squirtle and everyone else. The two broke apart as the 6-year-old ran back to his parents. The boy stood up to face his mother.
"I know you can, Ash." She then looked at the Pokémon her son would be with for a while. "Although aren't all Pokémon meant to stay in their Poke Balls?" Delia's question was more for the Pokémon than for her son, a hand placed on her chin.
"Huh?" Ash realized that his Pokémon probably would be safer in the ball. He grabbed the Poke Ball from his pocket and clicked the button to enlarge it. "Squirtle, get into the ball now." Ash then throws the Poke Ball at his starter.
Instead of going back into the Poke Ball as he should, Squirtle merely wacked the thing away with his tail. Ash was noticeably confused and quickly tried again to put his Pokémon away. The Trainer and Pokémon were currently trying to hit the ball at each other. Squirtle would use his tail, sometimes head, to push the Poke Ball back at Ash, who would catch it in his hand to try again. While they were getting a bit frustrated at each other on the inside, Delia saw it differently.
"Oh, you're playing catch! Your friends already." She exclaimed in her usual enthusiastic way. Green also saw it the same way as Pokémon out of the Poke Ball wasn't that surprising.
"Uh, sure," Ash answered uncertainly as he went to pick up his partner, seeing how Squirtle didn't want to travel the usual way. Oak came down the steps to see that Ash and Green remained, along with what had happened there.
"Don't worry about it," Oak told the kid as he came up right behind him and Green. "Sometimes Pokémon just don't like being in their Poke Ball and can reject going in if they choose." The professor finished explaining to the young Ketchum, who completely understood what he said.
"Well, what about Green over then?" Delia pointed to the Charmander holding girl. Green gave a small, kind smile.
"Sorry, but I refuse to trap my child in a ball." Was the answer as another hug for her starter was in session. Charmander, even though it wanted to launch fire at the girl, let it slide. Their journey has not even begun yet. Besides, the Pokémon had the admit that the hugs were somewhat calming.
"Well, Ash," Oak began as the two new Trainers faced him, "I recommend you get going if you want to get the good Pokémon," Oak instructed the young boy, who finally realized just how high the sun was.
"Oh, right. Thank you once again, Professor Oak." Ash and Squirtle then motioned for Green to follow them. "Let's go, Green." The girl ran after the boy with a happy smile imprinted on her.
The two kids began to run down the path, the Pokémon still with them. Delia saw them walk away from the group, sadness deep inside her. Even though she thought that this day was one day going to come, that did not mean it was easy for the young mother. And she wasn't just going to let her child leave like that.
"GOODBYE, ASH!" Delia called out to her son, a tear already down her face. Ash and Green turned back and started to run backward, all so that he could see all the people that cared about them.
"GOODBYE, EVERYONE!" Ash yelled back at the group. "I PROMISE TO MAKE YOU PROUD!" He promised everyone.
"WE LOVE YOU GUYS!" Green added before adding one last thing. "OH, AND MY ROOM IS OFF-LIMITS UNTIL I COME BACK!" She warned as they turned around to run normally, their Pokémon keeping a good pace with them.
Delia, even though tears were running down her face, kept an open smile on her. She didn't even react when everyone, except Oak, who gave a small smile, began to cheer after hearing that from the two brats they had for ten years. Everyone else started to comment on how much the two kids had grown as people, but not Delia.
"Ash," She began to speak in her mind. "You have already made me proud."
Ash, with Squirtle by his side, was currently running with Green, whose Charmander was finally on the ground instead of her arm. They wanted to make a quick stop at Green's house. The place was right next to Route 1 anyways, the path that led outside of Pallet Town.
After a few minutes of running, all four of them came to a hard stop as they were in front of their destination. It looked like any standard house that you would find in this town, except this one had a few more windows and a nice red color to its roof. A white fence enclosed the house and had a small gate to protect it from any Rattatas trying to enter.
"Well, I guess this is where we go our separate ways," Green told her friend as she offered him a high five, a gesture that Ash happily took without issue. "I just want you to know that I will miss you."
"Don't worry," Ash told her with a dismissive hand wave. "I know for sure that I am going to see you and Red again," Ash said as if it was a well-known fact. "We'll be friends until the end, right?"
Green nodded. "Until the end." She gave a caring-looking smile as she picked up her partner gently, Charmander also smiling as she could tell how important this must be for her Trainer. Greens' eyes promptly widened in realization.
"Hey, wait a minute. Where is Red?" Green began to look around her, and even her Pokémon joined her in the search.
"Hmmm, don't know," Ash told her as he glanced around him with Squirtle. "I didn't see him after Gary's came along."
"Maybe he... just left on his own," Green concluded with a thoughtful look. "You know how he is."
Ash could only nod in response. "Well, goodbye Green!" He waved at her and touched her hand one last time, looking happily at one another. They split apart as he took off with Squirtle by his side.
"Bye, Ash!" Green went through the fence gate, with Charmander still in her hands, and walked inside the house. She was giving her friend one last look before she closed the door behind her.
They ran for a few minutes until they reached a halt. In front of Ash and his Squirtle was Routh 1, a rocky path that led to a nice-looking forest. Ash had his eyes dead set on the way forward, and even his Pokémon looked ahead with some noticeable determination.
"You're ready, Squirt?" Ash turned his head to ask his turtle partner.
"Squirtle." Was all he needed to say with a nod, and he unexpectedly jumped up on Ash and landed on the kid's back. Ash didn't even seem to mind remotely.
"All right," Ash said with determination all over his voice. "Let's do this!"
Ash took his first few steps forward. Now he was no longer a child anymore. He was a person that was about to go on an adventure of a lifetime, and he was going to make it to the end. Even though he knew that it would be filled with challenges, obstacles, and hardships, that wasn't even going to stop him remotely. He was Ash Ketchum. He was the boy who was going to become the next Pokémon Champion. Ash took one deep breath through his nose and smelled something genuinely remarkable. No, it wasn't the flowers nearby or the smell of the cool breeze passing through. It was something else entirely.
It was the smell of a journey.
END OF CHAPTER 1
Remember, everyone! Don't be scared to voice your opinions or thoughts with a review! I should have the next chapter coming out in the next 2-3 days at the time of this message! I am excited about how this story will turn out! And I hope you do too!
Edit 12/24/22: So, I decided to redo this chapter on Christmas Eve, don't ask why. I came back and saw how bad my writing was and was on my way to fixing the remaining chapters. Not just simple grammar either. Let's say there are things I wouldn't say I like looking back, but I will have to wait to see that. Later, gamers!
THANKS FOR READING!
-God of Sun
Ash's Team: Squirtle (M)