Hey, I was inspired by a bunch of fanfics reading lately, and wanted to make my own version of the anime, but knowing what we know now about the world of Pokemon. Also, Molly is here, because why not? What, is Nintendo gonna sue me? Or Game Freak? Or whoever makes the anime?

Also during my time writing this, I found out that Rachel Lillis, the original voice of Misty, Jessie, and Jigglypuff, among other roles, passed a few days ago from breast cancer. Considering Misty and Jessie would make their debuts in this chapter, I thought it would be right to dedicate this chapter to her, considering so many of us grew up watching Pokemon, it felt right.

Flashback: 20XX

It was another sunny day in Pallet Town and four children, energetic Ash, arrogant Gary, cautious Jack and dreamy Aimee, leave a movie theater, the black haired boy, Ash Ketchum, still holding his popcorn as Jack asked "You think we'll ever get our own Pokemon someday?"

"Of course, Jack," Gary, grandson of the most renowned researcher in all of the Kanto region, bragged, "And Gramps is gonna give me the best one of them all!"

"Leave it to you to not train, Gary" Aimee scolded, "You have to actually train your Pokemon so they get stronger."

"What if you don't want to be a trainer," Jack, "but still want to have Pokemon"

"Well, what else is there?" Ash tossed his now-empty popcorn bucket in a trashcan, "You have to admit, it's hard to imagine us becoming anything but Pokemon trainers."

"Well, maybe once I beat the Indigo League," Gary began, "I'll be a professor, like my grandpa."

"You actually have to get to the Indigo League first Gary," Aimee laughed as Ash ran ahead of all of them, exclaiming loudly "Let's go pretend to be trainers!"

"I'll take a Squirtle! Squirtles are the best starters, objectively speaking. They can beat ground and rock types"

"I'll train a Bulbasaur" Aimee announced as she pretended to throw a Poke-ball, "Grass types are the most beautiful"

"Charmander, go!" Jack exclaimed.

While the three others pretended, Ash, distracted by a rustling sound, laid in the grass, attempting to approach a little Nidoran, who looked like it was separated from its family. Instead of going off to join the others, Ash sat down and offered his hand out to the sniffling Pokemon.

"It's alright," Ash reassured, not really knowing if the Nidoran would be alright, "I'll stay here until your family gets back..."

Without having to wait too long, the Nidoran's family, a Nidorina and Nidorino, came back. At first, Nidorino was prepared to attack Ash, but sensing the human boy meant no harm, Nidorina got between her mate and the human and licked his hand, perhaps her own way of saying "thank you for caring for my child." With his mate's insistence, Nidorino was calm, only nodding in response to the boy before going off.

Ash watched them walk away until he heard Gary to yell out, "Ash, what are you doing?" The black-haired boy turned around, smiling "Just playing with some Pokemon..."

Three Years Later...

Now ten years old, Ash Ketchum was just old enough to start his journey to become a Pokemon Master... that is, if he can wake up...

The black haired boy, jolted out of his bed suddenly looking at his Poke-ball alarm clock on the floor, realizing it was broken, and screamed, rushing out of the house, barely able to get his shoes on as he ran like the wind up to Professor Oak's lab, screaming "Ican'tbelivethiswhydidn'tmomwakemeup!"

The Oak Family Laboratory was quite large and recognizable from all over by the large yellow wind turbine. Of course, Ash had gone there plenty of times before, as he, Gary, Jack and Aimee would spend much of their free time playing with the Pokemon that resided there when not in the grassy fields that surrounded the small town.

Fortunately, Ash wasn't too late as he approached Jack and Aimee, both holding their Poke-balls, as well as Delia, Ash's mother, Professor Spencer Hale, Ash's godfather, and Molly Hale, Professor Hale's five year old daughter.

"Hey, thought you wouldn't make it," Aimee held her Poke-ball and smirked, "Gary's in there now choosing his Pokemon. Can you believe him? He's got a chauffeur and a fancy car over there. That's so tacky."

"That's what happens when you're descended from the Pallet Oak, isn't it?" Jack pointed out, putting his Poke-ball in his bag.

"I don't care if Gary has more money," Molly interjected, "Ash is gonna be the best trainer and beat the Indigo League!"

Ash couldn't helped but be moved by Molly's assertions, hugging her close to him, but was quickly deflated as Gary came out, the hired cheerleaders, chanting:

Gary, Gary, he's our man! If he can't do it, no one can!

As Gary came down, he bumped into Ash, knocking him over as Gary yelled "Watch where you're going!"

"Gary, what Pokemon did you get?" Ash asked, ignoring being knocked over, though Gary, arrogant as ever, corrected him, "That's Mister Gary to you, punk!"

"Geez," Aimee rolled her eyes, "He's not even out of Pallet Town and he's already got a swollen head." Molly pouted, "He's so mean!"

Gary, as well as the crowd, was oblivious to these disparaging comments, as he made a speech to the approving applause, about how he'd come back a Pokemon master and put Pallet Town on the map before walking towards Aimee, attempting to flirt, "Of course, what's the point of being a Pokemon Master without someone by my side?"

Jack groaned as Aimee huffed, turning away as she protested, "Not if you were the last trainer on Earth," making Ash, Molly and Jack giggle at Gary's expense. Still, he didn't let the rejection discourage him, only replying "Well, it'll certainly won't be too bad thing losing to me. Then again, you know what they say about second place..." Then, addressing the crowd, he thanked them as the chauffeur drove him, along with the cheerleaders, on one of the several roads out of Pallet Town.

Jack attempted to keep things calm as Ash and Aimee both were about to lose their tempers, while Molly stuck her tongue out in the direction of Gary and looked at Ash, taking his hand as Professor Oak approached the small crowd, "Ash Ketchum?"

Ash stepped in front of the old man, "Here and reporting for my Pokemon, sir. I'm ready." Professor Oak, seeing Ash in his pajamas, couldn't help but laugh, "You look like you're ready for bed." The boy looked down, realizing to his horror that he hadn't even bothered to change. After a good laugh, the professor invited Ash into the lab.

All the poke-balls were there, as Ash anticipated, but one by one, the poor boy was disappointed that all the traditional Kanto starter Pokemon had been chosen, with Professor Oak musing, "They were all taken by trainers who were on time..."

Before Ash could despair for too long, Maisie Oak, Professor Oak's patient wife, walked in, "Honestly, Samuel, you're so mean sometimes," She set down the newborn Meowth she carried on one of the sofa cushions as she continued, "You know Ash was the fourth name drawn. I can see where Gary gets his attitude from."

The older man laughed, "Oh, please, Maisie, he's exactly like you were when we were his age." He then turned to Ash, smiling, "Besides, we planned a special Pokemon for you anyway."

"Special Pokemon?" Ash looked up as one Pokeball, with a bright yellow lightning sticker, rose from the middle of the holder. Professor Oak continued, giving the poke-ball to Ash, " One of my old students sent this Pokemon to me."

As soon as the poke-ball was in Ash's hand, it lit up suddenly, opening with a flash of light, and a yellow mouse-like creature popped out in front of the two. With a twitch of its long black tiped ears, it looked up at the boy, tilting it's head as Professor Oak explained, "It's a Pikachu."

Being the kind of boy who was quite sensitive to Pokemon, Ash offered his hand out to the little mouse. Pikachu flinched quite suddenly. Ash asked, "Did I do anything?"

"Unfortunately, no..." Professor Oak sighed, "One of my former students had found this Pikachu outside Vermilion City, near the power plant."

"Aren't Pikachu only found in Viridian Forest, Professor Oak?"

"Yes, they are. But from what he was able to gather, this Pikachu was abandoned inside its Pokeball without being healed properly at a Pokemon Center. It took him and three others to wrangle it, and he's quite aggressive. Even Daisy was barely able to calm him long enough to get him into a Pokeball"

"Poor guy," Ash looked at his new Pokemon, offering his hand out to him, "Well, I won't treat you that bad..." Pikachu, who had grown mistrustful of humans, stared at this human boy with curiosity before growling slightly.

"It's okay..." Ash was patient as he took the Pokeball in his hand, "Do you wanna go in your Pokeball?"

Pikachu, while still somewhat mistrustful of humans, was slowly warming up to Ash. Pikachu turned up its nose and mumbled out a "Pi-chu..." Somehow understanding, Ash put the Pokeball in his shorts pocket, "Okay, no Pokeball then."

The little Pokemon looked up at Ash as Professor Oak approached, "Here's your Rotom Phone and Pokeballs, Ash. Daisy suggested the phone instead of the Pokedex. She always seems to be caught up on the latest goings-on," The older man couldn't help but smile, while his wive gave Ash a lunchbox, "I packed you some food, it should last until you get to Viridian City, but I know how boys have such big appetites."

Once he got outside, Delia Ketchum, ever the devoted mother, seems to have organized a small crowd together, banging pots and pans instead of noisemakers, and two people held up a sign reading "Go Ash Go!"

"Ash, I'm so proud of you," Delia sighed as her son approached her, "You're finally going to fulfill your dream and start your training." She started to get weepy and held her face against the green backpack, "I'm going to miss you..." Molly ran up to Ash and hugged him, "You'll tell me all about your journey, won't you?"

Ash couldn't help but smile at the little girl and nodded, "Of course I will, Molls." Molly then saw Pikachu, who huffed as he was noticed "Oh, what a cute Pokemon!" Molly knelt down and offered her hand to him, "It's the first time I ever saw a real-life Pikachu!"

"Molly, not so loud," Ash rubbed her head, "I don't think he's too used to people yet."

"Oh" Molly stood up bowed to the Pikachu "Sorry for scaring you, Pikachu."

Delia listed off everything she packed for her son, including several changes of underwear, with a stern reminder, "Be sure you change your underwear every day-"

"Mom, you're embarrassing me!" Ash then changed the subject, as he boldly announced "I'm gonna become a Pokemon master with Pikachu by my side!"

"Wait, don't Pokemon usually go inside their Pokeballs?" Delia asked, tilting her head inquisitively before Ash explained, "Oh, um... He doesn't like being inside his Pokeball... but I'll keep it just in case."

Pikachu looked up at his new trainer. Sure, he didn't look very bright, at least by human standards, but he was actually taking his feelings into consideration when no one else did. Surely, he can't be all bad... But Pikachu was still wary and cautious, and tensed up when Ash scratched behind his ears, letting out a shock that knocked Ash to the ground.

"I'll warn you next time..." Ash muttered.

Once Ash went home and changed, he was ready to go. Molly sniffled as he left, "I can't believe he's gone, Aunt Delia..."

"I know, but he'll call when he gets to Viridian City, Molly. I'll tell you what," she crouched down to get to Molly's level, "as a treat, I'll let you have a big slice of whatever cake you want." Molly wiped her eyes and nodded eagerly, and as Delia stood, she announced, "Dinner's on the house tonight in honor of all the trainers leaving on their journeys!" What remained of the crowd cheered.

Meanwhile, on Route 1, Ash and Pikachu were walking, though Pikachu was a bit reluctant, until Ash found a grassy spot off to the side of the road and sat down, waiting for Pikachu to plop down next to him.

"There's no rush, Pikachu," Ash reassured the little mouse as he took out the food Mrs. Oak packed for him, "I kinda forgot to eat breakfast, so do you wanna split this with me? Mrs. Oak is a good cook."

Pikachu's curiosity was peaked, and saw that Ash's lunch was a traditional Kanto bento box. Filled with rice balls, sweet been cake in the shape of a Magikarp, dumplings, and other assorted goodies. Ash offered Pikachu a rice ball, "Here. It's filling."

The Pokemon sniffed the rice ball in suspicion before taking a small bite. Finding the taste of the rice ball agreeable, Pikachu let out a content "Chaaa" before eating the rest of it as if it had never had such a delicious thing in his life.

"Don't eat so fast," Ash found this amusing, "You'll get full too fast, at least that's what my mom says," before offering one of the sweet bean cakes, "These are really good, you'd think beans wouldn't be sweet, but-"

Impatiently, Pikachu took the cake. Surely if rice balls are good, then what other types of delightful food were there? Pikachu found the cakes much to his liking, eating it all before laying sprawled out on the grass, sighing as it was full and content. Ash couldn't help but smile at his Pokemon, looking at his Rotom phone, opening the Pokedex app.

"Tell me about Pikachu," Ash asked as he positioned the camera to get a good look at Pikachu's drowsy form, and the electronic voice read out:

"Pikachu, the Electric Mouse Pokemon. It has small electric sacs on both its cheeks. If threatened, it looses electric charges from the sacs. When several of these Pokémon gather, their electricity could build and cause lightning storms."

"Interesting..." Ash then looked at the sleeping Pokemon and smiled, "Wonder what would happen if you get too much electricity... or not enough" He put the rest of the food back into his bag and laid down next to Pikachu.

Perhaps if it were earlier in the day, Pikachu would have shocked Ash again. But seeing as he's not all bad, plus he did give him some yummy food, Pikachu was quite content. It was a warm, sunny day, and Ash, full himself, began to feel drowsy himself...

He didn't know how long he slept, but he was suddenly jolted awake as Pikachu shocked him.

"What was that for-" before seeing a Rattata rummage through his backpack. Annoyed, Ash yelled "Hey, that's my food!" but realized it was a new Pokemon. Scanning it

"Rattata, the mouse Pokemon. Its fangs are long and very sharp. They grow continuously, so it gnaws on hard things to whittle them down. Wherever food is available, it will settle down and produce offspring continuously. If you see one, it is certain that 40 more live in the area. "

"Wow, no wonder it's hungry," The boy got close to his backpack, startling the little Rattata and it ran away into a nearby bush. Being the generous soul he was, Ash took out two rice balls and left it where his backpack had been and spoke out loud so the Rattata could hear, "I left you some food, if you're hungry." before walking off, Pikachu not far behind.

Ash noticed that Pikachu had become a lot more docile since giving him some of his lunch, and asked, "Did you like the food I gave you?" Bluntly, Pikachu answered "chu!" and nodded. The boy couldn't help but smile, "Well, I'll make sure you won't ever go hungry-"

There was a rustling in the grass as Ash ducked down, Pikachu followed suit, finding it quite easy to obey a trainer that had such delicious food on him. In a clearing, there was a small Pidgey grooming itself as Ash pulled up the phone and scanned the Pokemon:

"Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokemon. Generally does not like to fight, and is very docile. When attacked, it will flap its wings to kick up sand. It hides in tall grass, foraging for food such as berries and small bugs."

"Hmm, should I battle it?" Ash thought out loud as Pikachu prepared to pounce as an electronic voice came from the phone.

"Well,, Pidgey in general are very easy to catch for beginner trainers-" This shocked Ash, who fell backwards, scaring the Pidgey away. Of course, he didn't notice as he asked "You can talk?!"

"I can! All Rotom phones have a Rotom as an enhancement. You are Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. You have... zero badges registered."

"II just started my journey two hours ago... Anyway, it's cool I have a whole other Pokemon with me," Ash smiled and put the phone in his pocket as something else flew by, landing in the same spot as the Pidgey had been. Perhaps distracted by his own eagerness to catch a Pokemon, Ash didn't look it up on the Pokedex app, instead ordering Pikachu, "Alright Pikachu, attack it!"

Pikachu stanced himself in preparation as Ash checked the Pokedex app to see what moves Pikachu could possibly know. With the first result, Ash yelled, "Okay, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

The Pokemon did as he was told, shocking the opposing Pokemon in a flash of light. Though instead of being taken out, it made the winged Pokemon angry.

"Huh?" Ash was confused as he pulled out Rotom to scan this angry looking bird Pokemon:

"Spearow, the Low-Flying Pokemon. Eats bugs in grassy areas. It has to flap its short wings at high speed to stay airborne. Its wings are short, so it can't fly a long distance. If it's not eating, it darts around in a hurry. Spearow has a very loud cry that can be heard over half a mile away. If its high, keening cry is heard echoing all around, it is a sign that they are warning each other of danger. "

As if on cue, the Spearow let out a loud, high-pitched cry, so painful that Ash covered his ears and Pikachu let out a pained cry, attempting to pull down his ears to block out the noise. It was over after fifteen seconds, but it was too quiet after the Spearow was finished.

Suddenly, a swarm of Spearow came out from the trees to attack the one who dared to cause one of their own harm, Ash and Pikachu started running away, with Ash encouraging Pikachu, "Run ahead, I'll keep them off you!"

Pikachu sprinted and ran faster, only to be pecked at by the angry flock. Realizing what's going on, Ash scooped up the helpless Pokemon and carried him, taking the brunt of the Spearow flock's attacks. Not really caring where he ran, Ash eventually saw a river. Desperate to get away from the Spearow, he held on to Pikachu tightly and jumped in. The flock was confused at the human boy's sudden disappearance, and scattered.

Seeing he was safe, Ash popped his head out of the water along with Pikachu, asking him "You alright?" Pikachu let out an exhausted "Chu..." and nodded. Ash sighed, "It's been a long day..."

The brief calm was interrupted by the two realizing the river wasn't as calm as they'd like, and found themselves moving quickly with the current. Ash held his Pokemon tightly when he realized that the river was ending in a waterfall.

"Hang on to me, Pikachu!" Ash yelled as he and Pikachu went over the waterfall, the mist made it too foggy to see the bottom. Unbeknownst to the two of them, a girl with bright red hair is fishing when she saw the two coming down from the waterfall. Thinking quickly, she threw her line towards them, catching them and managing to pull them out of the water.

"What the?" She saw the Pokemon outside its ball, confused and setting the two on the ground. As soon as his body hit solid ground, Ash sat up, gently shaking Pikachu, "Hey, wake up!"

The girl ran up to Ash angrily, slapping him suddenly, "You're the worst! Letting your Pokemon get this hurt!"

Ash ignored the sudden slap as he continued to try to wake up his companion, and after a few shakes, Pikachu opened his eyes and let out a sigh and a proud "Chu-Pikachu!"

Ash wished he could understand Pokemon speak since he was a child, and now wasn't any different. Still, with Pikachu's trusting smile, Ash could somehow sense what Pikachu was saying and smiled back, "I'm glad you're okay, buddy."

"Hel-lo!" The redheaded girl got their attention, "Remember me, the girl who just saved your life?!"

"Oh, right... Um..." Ash looked away awkwardly, "I never got your name."

The girl proudly declared as she brushed her hair off her shoulders proudly, "I'm Misty Waterflower, one of the beautiful Cerulean Waterflower Sisters."

"Never heard of them," Ash answered honestly as Misty looked at him shocked, "But I've heard of the Cerulean City Gym. Um... Are you the Gym Leader?"

"Well, my parents were before..." Misty looked away slightly sad before turning to Ash with no evidence of sadness on her face, "But now me and my sisters take care of it. Maybe once you get to Cerulean City, you can show me what you got."

"That'll be fun," Ash nodded and he took off his backpack, "I'd offer you some food, but I think they're crumbly..."

"That's alright," Misty reassured him, "Though... hmm, Pikachu does look a little tired." Misty looked at the little Pokemon in front of her, "Maybe take it to a Pokemon center, just to be safe."

"Okay... Uh... where's the Pokemon center?"

"It's not that far, like maybe an hour that way," Misty pointed to the direction of the Pokemon center, as a distant sound of cawing was heard in the distance and getting closer, sending a shiver down Ash's spine as he took the bicycle and sat Pikachu in the basket.

"Hey what do you think you're doing?!" Misty yelled as Ash ignored her, peddling off as fast as he could towards Viridian City as Misty creamed "My bike! Come back here!"

"I'll give it back!" Ash yelled behind him as he pedaled as fast as his legs could move.

Clouds gathered in the distance as Ash continued to ride the stolen bicycle, looking down at his companion, "You'll be okay, Pikachu. We'll get you checked out at the Pokemon center... How you holding up?"

"Cha..." Pikachu squeaked out as it snuggled into the surprisingly comfortable basket as the sky became grayer and the first drops of rain began to fall from the clouds. Noticing this, Ash managed to take off his overshirt and held it over Pikachu with one hand while he held onto the bike with the other.

Pikachu, who started this journey with a hatred of humans, began to think hard as Ash kept pedaling. Surely, someone like this boy can't be so bad. After all, he did share some yummy food and is protecting him from the rain.

"Hey Rotom," Ash got the attention of his other companion, "how much farther are we to Viridian City?"

After a minute, the phone announced "no connection Available..."

"Dang it!" Ash yelled as he got caught in the pedals, losing his balance and falling on the side of the road along with the bike. Groaning slightly from the inevitable mild bumps and bruises of landing so hard on the ground, his own worries were forgotten as Ash picked up Pikachu, who'd fallen out of the basket.

Ash wrapped his shirt around Pikachu as he kept running until he reached a hill, seeing Viridian City at the bottom of the last hill, and the building closest to wards the entrance to the city was a Pokemon center. Satisfied, Ash started to run again, hearing the loud caws of the Spearow flock, preparing to attack as the boy braced himself and Pikachu.

Pikachu, realizing that this boy who's barely known him a day was willing to protect him, jumped out of Ash's arms suddenly as the rain fell harder, with thunder rumbling in the distance. As the Spearow flock approached, Pikachu's red cheeks began to spark as the rumbling grew louder.

In a flash, Pikachu let out a thunderbolt high into the sky, flashing brightly as the light and nois scared the flock of Spearow away. Pikachu looked back at. Ash, smiling weakly as he fainted. Ash scooped up Pikachu in his arms, not caring about the risk of being electrocuted, and ran all the way to the entry gate of Viridian City.

Fortunately, the sun peaked through the clouds, and Ash looked up, seeing something flying across the sky.

"What is that?" he asked as his running slowed before stopping to watch the mythical Pokemon fly across the sky, shining brightly as it seemed to reflect every color. As Ash picked up Rotom, he attempted to scan the bird, but all Rotom said was "No available data. There are still Pokemon yet to be identified." When the bird was nothing more than a blip on the horizon, Ash ran towards Viridian City, not stopping until he was met was a very aggressive "Halt!"

Ash looked up and saw Officer Jenny on a motorbike as she demanded sternly, "I need to see some identification."

"Um... Does this count?" he pulled out his Rotom phone as the Officer went through it. Rotom announced in its mechanical voice "I belong to Pokemon trainer Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, programmed by Professor Samuel Oak of Pallet Town."

"Checks out." Officer Jenny pointed to a wanted poster next to the police station, "We've gotten reports of Pokemon thieves around here." She then saw Pikachu in Ash's arms and offered, "Do you need a ride to the Pokemon Center?"

"I'd appreciate it, actually." Ash climbed into the side car as Jenny drove, a cloud of dust appearing behind her. Neither noticed an irate redheaded girl holding a scorched bicycle just entering the town, following the motor bike.

With the police station unmanned, a black-gloved hand tore the wanted poster off, remarking sarcastically, "What a flattering picture..."

"This picture makes me look terrible," her lavender-haired companion complained before she snarked, "well, it captures your likeness well then, doesn't it?"

"Exactly," he smirked, "We'll make Viridian City sorry they ever saw us"

Within minutes, Officer Jenny and Ash arrived at the Pokemon Center, impulsively driving into the Center and screeching to a halt just in front of the check-in desk.

The nurse at the front desk scowled slightly, "Jenny, we have a driveway, you know."

Jenny smirked, "You know I make your job more interesting Joy" Ash got out, still holding Pikachu as Officer Jenny saluted him, "Remember, report any suspicious activity you see, young man."

"Thank you," and Ash ran inside, shocking the pink-haired nurse at the counter, "Can I help you, young man?"

"My Pikachu... There was a storm, and..."

"Oh, poor thing..." Nurse Joy examined the Pikachu and smiled, reassuring Ash, "Just looks like a routine case of exhaustion and some electrical deficit." She then called her Chansey, asking them, "Take this Pikachu into the treatment."

Two Chanseys, wearing a similar nurse's hat to the human nurse, came out with a stretcher. Ash scanned one of the Chansey on his Rotom phone as it said aloud, "A gentle and kind-hearted Pokémon that shares its nutritious eggs if it sees an injured Pokémon. It can lay several eggs a day. The eggs are apparently rich in nutrients and extremely delicious. Being few in number and difficult to capture, it is said to bring happiness to the Trainer who catches it. "

"Ash, you'll have to go into the waiting room while we treat Pikachu,"

"Can't I come in?" Ash pleaded but Nurse Joy then smiled, reassuring the boy, "Treatment shouldn't take too long, so please be patient." He walked to the waiting room, somewhat despondent as looked at the clock in the lobby. Almost eight pm...

"Molly is probably in bed by now..." Ash thought to himself . While he didn't spend every moment with Molly, he still thought fondly of the little girl who more or less was family to him. "Maybe mom's still up?" He thought before taking out his phone and calling home.

Perhaps because it was far out of the way of most cities, Pallet Town wasn't very technologically advanced, and many people didn't have phones, either Rotom or Porygon phones. Instead, choosing to have the more primitive video phones installed in their homes.

Delia Ketchum had just finished cleaning up from dinner when her home phone rang, answering it eagerly, "Hello?"

"Hi, Mom..."

"Oh, Ash, where are you?"

"I'm at the Pokemon center in Viridian City"

"Already? It took your father four days to get there. Oh, you'll be at the Indigo League in no time!"

"Yeah..." Ash winced at the mention of his father. True, Delia had built up his father in his head, but as the years passed, Ash saw cracks in the story, but to not hurt his mother's feelings, he chose to believe the lies. After all, they weren't cruel lies. To get his mind off his father, Ash changed the subject, "Is Molly asleep? I think her and Spencer are staying the night, right?"

"Oh, she was about to go to sleep, but I'm sure she could stay up for a few minutes to-"

"Ash!" Molly peaked over the phone, dressed in a yellow nightgown, "Aunt Delia let me have a biiig piece of cake before dinner! And before that, Jody and Mandy took me to the hobby store and got me some yarn, and look!" She held up what looked like a mangled mess of multicolored yarn, "I'm making you a scarf for when you get cold." Ash couldn't help but smile, "Sounds like you had a fun day, huh?"

"Yeah," Molly's smile turned, "but it's not the same without you. But I know you'll be a great Pokemon Master, and they'll rename the town after you, and... and..."

Ash laughed, "I like Pallet Town the way it is, Molls. And... thanks for having faith in me."

"Of course I do, Ash." Molly smiled, "You're the best ever!"

"Alright Molly," Spencer Hale came onto the camera, picking his daughter up, "It's time for bed."

"Oh, but Papa..." Molly pouted, "I want to talk to Ash."

"It's okay Molly," Ash reassured the girl, "I'll call in the morning after breakfast before I leave, okay?"

"Okay!" Molly smiled, jumping down from her father's arms and went off to bed as Spencer looked at Ash, "How was your first day as a Pokemon trainer?"

The boys smiled changed back to a sullen look, "Honestly, kind of lousy... I got attacked by a flock of Spearow and Pikachu is hurt..."

"Oh dear..." Both Spencer and Delia looked worried, but Spencer was quick to reassure him, "Well, not all journeys are easy. They wouldn't be worth it if they were all easy ones."

"What's that about an easy journey?" Professor Oak's voice could be heard as he approached the screen, "Oh, Ash, you're in Viridian City already? I don't think Jack and Aimee have even gotten there yet."

"Really?" Ash was stunned to learn this as Professor Oak continued, "Gary's already left, but only because the city gym is closed for whatever reason."

Ash gritted his teeth at the mention of Gary, though Delia pointed out, "Well, he has a car, so of course a car is faster than a person, but you remember the story of the 'Turtwig and the Buneary', right?"

"Yes, Mom..." Ash sighed, still a little despondent, "Hey, Professor Oak, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead, my boy."

"Well, before I got here, right after the storm, I saw something... or at least I think I did. It flew over the rainbow and it shone like the rainbow too..."

"I got a picture!" Rotom announced and showed the picture it took of the bird to the professor, who stared amazed, "Why, I believe that's a Ho-Oh, Ash!"

"A Ho-Oh? I thought it kept away from humans... Right?"

"Well, yes," Professor Oak began, "Though according to legends, it chooses to show itself to certain humans who are pure of heart... Perhaps its not my place to say, but I think that if you really saw Ho-Oh, you're going to become an extraordinary trainer."

Ash smiled sadly, "Thanks, Professor Oak... I'm gonna turn in."

"Well, good night, my boy." and Ash hung up, sighing as he leaned against the wall, before hearing the familiar redhead, "Now I got you!"

Ash looked up and saw Misty in front of him, holding a charred bike as she glared at him. Shocked at seeing the destroyed bike, Ash asked "What happened?"

"You happened after you stole my bike, and you're gonna pay for it!" Misty yelled before tossing the remains of the bike.

"I don't get it, it was fine when I left it... Oh, the lighting! Pikachu's thunderbolt must have landed somewhere with metal, and- Oh, right!" Ash pulled out his wallet from the backpack pocket, "I don't have much money on me, but... Here." He handed Misty all of the money in his wallet, "I'm still sorry about your bike, Misty."

Misty's expression softened, "Well... I guess I can't really be that mad at you. You don't seem like a bad trainer. Dumb, but not bad. Definately a lot nicer than this one boy who was picking on my friend Heather last year..." She then realized the reason why Ash stole her bike and asked out of genuine concern, "Oh, what happened to your Pikachu? Is it okay?"

"Nurse Joy said he has an electrical deficit, I think. I only knew about overcharging. There's a lot I still have to learn about Pokemon..."

As they spoke, the light over the ICU went off, and Nurse Joy, along with two Chansey, came out rolling Pikachu on a stretcher. Nurse Joy smiled and told Ash, "Your Pikachu is resting now." Pikachu was still asleep, but Ash breathed a sigh of relief before an alarm blared out as Rotom flew out of Ash's pocket, "Emergency Alert For Viridian City: Our radars have detected an aircraft believed to belong to the criminal organization Team Rocket, known for stealing Pokemon. If you have a Pokemon in your possession, exercise extreme caution and keep them in their Pokeballs until the threat is neutralized."

Two Pokeballs fell from the glass ceiling, breaking it and releasing two Pokemon, Koffing and Ekans. Koffing used Smokescreen, causing smoke to fill the lobby. The Chanseys looked scared as Ash asked "What's going on?"

"Oh, don't be frightened, little boy..." A woman's voice answered as two people jumped down from the hole in the ceiling.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves..." A man's voice followed.

(INSERT TEAM ROCKET MOTTO HERE. NOT GONNA TYPE IT OUT SORRY)

"Meowth, dat's right!" A talking Meowth ended the motto before demanding, "Hand over da Pokemon and we'll be getting' outta here!"

Ash held Pikachu protectively, "I'm not gonna let you take him!"

"Oh please," Jessie folded her arms, "We don't want that yellow rat..."

"There's only sick and injured Pokemon here," Nurse Joy glared at them as James smirked, "What about those little pink ones right there?" The two Chansey hid behind Nurse Joy's legs, shivering in fear as Ash got between them, "We'll you'll have to get through me!"

"That won't be much of a challenge..." James smirked "Koffing, use Smog!" Koffing filled the lobby with smog as Jessie yelled "Ekans, Tackle!" And the snake Pokemon charged at Ash, though Misty pulled him away at the last possible second and they followed Nurse Joy to one of the back rooms, when the lights above them started to flicker in and out.

"They must have cut the power..." Nurse Joy explained, "But we have our own power source." The lights suddenly flickered back on as the back up generator, manned by a dozen Pikachu, was activated.

As soon as the computer turned on, Nurse Joy initiated a transfer of the Poke-balls to the Pewter City Pokemon Center. "It should only take a minute" Ash picked Pikachu up off of the stretcher as smoke started to fill the room, and Koffing burst in, Team Rocket not far behind, knocking Poke-balls around the room.

"Get those Pokeballs!" Nurse Joy ordered, as Jessie took one, "Gladly" and the three Rocket memebers started taking Pokeballs as Misty yelled at Ash, "Take Pikachu and get out of here, I'll take care of these clowns!" Throwing a Pokeball, Misty yelled, "Starmie, go!"

Unfortunately for Misty, instead of Starmie, her Goldeen came out instead, flopping on the tile floor, shocking the Rocket trio into confusion before summoning her back into her Pokeball. The three of them laughed, leaving Ash an opportunity to get away.

"Is that the best you got?" Jessie asked before Misty summoned her Staryu, ordering "Use Water Gun!"

"STARRRR-YU!" The starfish Pokemon doused the three of them with high pressure water, blasting them out of the room.

"Ugh, my hair..." Jessie complained as she sat up, her magenta hair out of it's usual shape and hanging like a mop around her body.

"I'm waterlogged..." James whined. Meowth looked up and saw Ash running with Pikachu on the stretcher, and ordered "After them!"

Ash ran with Pikachu into the lobby, bumping into what remained of Misty's bike lying on the floor. With that, Pikachu woke up, a little confused about where he was, but the other Pikachu, excited by the noise, came from the generator room and surrounded Ash's Pikachu, giving off electricity to speed up Pikachu's healing.

Remembering the generator, Ash got an idea, hoping onto the singed bike and pedaling, confusing Team Rocket until Ash told Pikachu, "Okay, come here!" As if in sync with his trainer, Pikachu was able to tell what Ash wanted and hopped onto the bicycle himself, the electricity coming from the light charging Pikachu.

The realization hitting them, Jessie and James both looked on in horror until Pikachu let out a Thunderbolt, shocking Team Rocket and literally sending them flying out of the roof, and they exclaimed "Team Rocket's blasting off!"

There was quite a mess left behind, but Nurse Joy reassured Ash and Misty, "Nothing a little elbow grease can't fix."

"Oh, uh, do you have any rooms for the night?" Ash asked, pulling out his wallet, only to realize it was empty after giving Misty everything, "Honestly, I don't even care if it's a broom closet, I'm beat."

"Well, considering you got rid of Team Rocket, you both can stay for free, and breakfast is on the house." Nurse Joy gave each of them a room key, "Have a pleasant rest, you two."

When Ash got to his room, he asked Pikachu, "How you feeling?"

"Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed happily as Ash smiled, "Glad to see you're feeling better." He took off his shoes and jacket, flopping onto the bed, "You know, there's still a lot I have to learn about being a Pokemon Master, isn't there Pikachu?"

"Chaa..." Pikachu yawned and crawled next to Ash, who scratched the little mouse behind his ears, "There's a lot to learn, but I'll do it! I'm gonna be a Pokemon Master..." And he yawned and before he knew it, he was sleeping soundly.

Unbeknownstto the sleeping boy from Pallet Town, Team Rocket, in their Meowth-shapped balloon, as Jessie nagged, "How does a cat lose to a mouse?!"

"Dat ain't no ordinary Pikachu!" Meowth complained.

"It's certainly very rare, a perfect gift for the Boss!" James smirked as Jessie suggested, "We'll have to catch it!"

Next Time: The Samurai and Pewter City Challenge!

Hope y'all liked it. I was very much inspired by Lucy Heart of Fairy Tail's retelling, though I did want to keep it more in line with the original anime... kinda. I have characters I plan on utilizing in this AU on my deviantART page, if you must know. Anyway, have a good one!