Ash woke to the panic-filled realization that he was late. Breakfast was forgotten as were his clothes as he dashed out of his house in his pajamas. Today was the day he was going to be given his starter Pokemon, and he was late!
Professor Oak's Laboratory was situated at the edge of Pallet Town, upon a hill with a vast open field behind the building where he studied the Pokemon kept in his care. The Pallet boy pushed through the crowd at the base of the hill and passed through the main gates of the laboratory. He rushed up the steps, tripping and almost falling in the process, and bumped into someone when he swung the doors open. This time he did fall over.
"Watch where you're going!" a familiar voice snapped and Ash did not hold back the groan that left his lips. "Oh? Ashey boy! Late as always."
Ash looked up to see Gary smirking down at him.
"Hey Gary…" Ash said slowly.
Ash got back to his feet and dusted himself off.
"You should hurry, who knows if Gramps even has a Pokemon left anymore to give."
Ash's head shot up and shot past a laughing Gary and up the stairs to the next floor.
If Professor Oak had not known Ash as closely as he did, he'd have thought Ash wouldn't want to start his journey today for some reason.
The boy had caught his attention on one of the summer camps he arranged every summer. With how easily he befriended and got along with Pokemon, the Professor was curious about him. He knew the boy's parents, and while his father was a trainer and his mother was once an assistant to the Professor, neither of them quite had the gift that their son had. It was why he'd invited Ash to help him around the laboratory from time to time as a junior assistant, just so he could watch the boy interact with Pokemon. It was a refreshing thing to see and the Professor knew the boy had a bright future ahead of him in the field of Pokemon.
He only wished his grandson had some of the boy's talent for understanding Pokemon.
He also wished that Ash was not so tardy.
He heard the sound of thumping feet rushing up the steps and knew immediately that Ash had arrived. A sigh left his lips before he schooled himself when the boy had reached the top of the steps and onto the floor where he performed most of his non field research.
"Professor Oak!" Ash exclaimed a gasp, "I'm here for my starter."
"You realize you're late, yes?" the Professor asked.
Ash blushed.
The Professor sighed, before taking a step to the side. There were three Pokeballs kept on a pedestal. Ash walked up to it, his eyes shining with excitement. He'd seen so many trainers pick their starter Pokemon when he assisted the Professor. He'd been achingly waiting for the day it was his turn.
"Go ahead, pick one," the Professor said.
"I've been thinking hard about this" Ash said as he plucked the Pokeball with a water symbol on its top, "and I think Squirtle is the best fit for me."
When he pressed the button on the Pokeball, it opened to reveal that the thing was empty.
"Squirtle was picked by a trainer who was actually on time" the Professor explained with a sigh.
"T-that's okay" Ash cleared his throat and placed the Pokeball back on the pedestal before he picked the one with the leaf symbol on it. "Bulbasaur is also a good choice."
This one too was revealed to be empty.
"Another trainer agreed with you, and was on time to choose it" the Professor explained.
Now panicked Ash put the Pokeball down and picked the one with the fire symbol on it. If this one turned out to be empty too…
He pressed the button and prayed to whatever god was listening to him. A burst of white light shot out of it and Charmander stood before Ash with a smile.
Relief flooded Ash's body and he quickly scooped Charmander into his arms and hugged him tight, happy that there was still one Pokemon left for him to take.
"You were not too late to pick Charmander," the Professor said, a small smile on his lips seeing Ash hug the Charmander. The man then moved away from the pedestal to the table with his computer set on. He connected a device to it and typed a few commands before waiting for a bit. He disconnected the device once it made a noise, picked up six Pokeballs from one of the drawers of his desk, and walked back to Ash.
"This is a Pokedex" the Professor held up the device he'd just disconnected from his computer, "You've seen me give it to other trainers and probably already know what it does. But, you are a new trainer and I will still explain it because I deem it something like a tradition" the Professor smiled kindly. "A Pokedex is an encyclopedia of information about Pokemon found all across the Kanto Region, an invaluable tool for any trainer who wants to learn all about the Pokemon on this fair land."
He flipped the device open and pointed it at Charmander.
"Charmander, the Lizard Pokemon. The flame that burns at the tip of its tail is an indication of its emotions. The flame wavers when Charmander is enjoying itself. If the Pokémon becomes enraged, the flame burns fiercely."
The Professor shut the Pokedex again.
"But that is not all it does. This Pokedex is also your identity card. It holds your information, your name, date of birth, and your registration serial as a trainer. So if anyone ever asks you to show proof of being a trainer, you simply open your Pokedex like this and press this button."
The Professor opened the Pokedex and pressed the small black button. The screen on the right side of the device lit up to show a picture of Ash and all his information.
"You can use this Pokedex in the shops as well to buy things. I have an agreement with the shops across Kanto and have set up packages you can buy from them. These usually contain a set number of Pokeballs, Potions, Status Healing Items, Pokemon Food, and an amount for you to use on yourself. Just shop them the Pokedesx and they'll hand the package over to you. That is a perk of having me as your sponsor" the man smiled. "Now" he placed a Pokeball in Ash's hand. "Call Charmander back in this Pokeball. The one he was in was a temporary one."
Ash nodded and called Charmander back.
The Professor handed the boy the Pokedex and the five Pokeballs as well.
Ash was no stranger to Pokemon Battles. From watching them on the television to picking things up from Professor Oak's lectures while he assisted him, Ash had a clear idea of what a Pokemon Battle was.
For a trainer battle, both trainers pit their Pokemon against the other and battle until only Pokemon is left standing.
For a wild battle, the theory was the same, the last Pokemon standing won. But for this kind of battle, the trainers had the option to capture the fallen Pokemon after.
Ash was doing well on the battle part ever since he'd left Pallet Town. He'd fought some wild Rattatas and Pidgeys, but every time he was ready to throw a Pokeball, the Pokemon made their escape.
"I guess we aren't weakening them enough," Ash said to Charmander, who too sighed at their failure.
The grass rustled and Ash wasted no time in having Charmander use Ember on it. A pained cry came from the grass when the attack hit and a moment later a Pokemon stumbled out of the Grass.
"Spearow, the Tiny Bird Pokemon. 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."
The Spearow threw Ash and Charmander a nasty look before looking up at the sky and letting out a sharp cry. In the distance, Ash and Charmander could see a flock of Spearows emerging from a tree.
Ash called Charmander back immediately and dashed as fast as he could. He could hear the sound of the Spearow behind him, crying out, flapping their wings menacingly. Ash dived into the river to escape, only to be swept away by the current and slammed into something before being swept away from it. The water calmed and Ash felt something pull him out of the water.
"Are you okay?" a girl asked once Ash was out of the water and on solid ground.
Ash could only gasp and wheeze in reply before the sound of the flock of Spearow had him panic once more. The girl heard it too, but from the looks of it, she was not panicked like Ash.
She put her hand in the little bag around her hip and produced two Pokeballs from it. Two star-like Pokemon popped out from the Pokeballs and began to attack the flock with Water Gun.
Ash brought out his Pokedex.
"Staryu, the Star Shape Pokemon. Staryu's center section has an organ called the core that shines bright red. If you go to a beach toward the end of summer, the glowing cores of these Pokémon look like the stars in the sky."
"Starmie, the Mysterious Pokemon. Evolved form of Staryu. Starmie's center section - the core - glows brightly in seven colors. Because of its luminous nature, this Pokémon has been given the nickname the gem of the sea."
Staryu and Starmie made quick work of the Spearow, demonstrating to Ash that both Pokemon were well-trained.
"What did you do to those Spearows that they were after you?" the girl asked.
"I was trying to capture one of them, it was all on its own. But then it called on the rest and I ran" Ash explained as the last of the Spearows ran.
The girl looked unimpressed.
"You don't sound like a good trainer…"
"I only just started!" Ash snapped back.
The girl's brows eased out and she nodded in understanding. The river exploded before the conversation could move forward. A roar came from the erupted water and the girl stiffened.
"Gyarados, the Atrocious Pokemon. Once Gyarados goes on a rampage, its ferociously violent blood doesn't calm until it has burned everything down. There are records of this Pokémon's rampages lasting a whole month."
"We should run. Now" the girl hissed.
Ash nodded along and slowly got to his feet.
The two slowly made their way away from the Pokemon, only to stop when it fired a beam that hit right behind them.
"I don't think it'll let us escape" Ash whispered.
The girl nodded stiffly.
Staryu and Starmie both attacked the Gyarados with Water Gun, while the girl sent out another Pokemon for help.
"Goldeen, the Goldfish Pokemon. Goldeen is a very beautiful Pokémon with fins that billow elegantly in water. However, don't let your guard down around this Pokémon - it could ram you powerfully with its horn."
Ash also sent his Charmander out to help.
The Gyarados fired Hyper Beam that all four Pokemon dodged before they took advantage of the Pokemon's recovery turn to land some good blows with Water Gun, Horn Attack, and Ember. Gyarados tackled Staryu and slammed its tail into Starmie. Another Hyper Beam almost blasted Charmander and Goldeen took the opportunity to land Fury Attack and Horn Attack. Staryu and Starmie got up easily, but Charmander struggled back to his feet.
Right then the Lizard Pokemon's tail flame flared to life, growing larger and brighter.
The girl eyed the Pokemon curiously.
Another wave of Hyper Beam was dodged by the mall and all four Pokemon attacked the Gyarados with their strongest attacks. Charmander's Ember left it burned, Starmie and Staryu used the status affliction to hit with Tackle and Swift while Goldeen landed a critical Horn Attack. The burn took the force out of Gyarados' attacks, making it easier to deal with.
It took them a while but the four of them finally took down the Gyarados, the girl quickly catching it in a Pokeball.
Charmander fell to his knees panting and his tail flame went back to normal. Ash quickly called him back.
"Come on, I'll drop you off at the Viridian City Pokemon Center," the girl said as she got on her bicycle.
The girl who helped Ash to Viridian City was called Misty and she was a somewhat experienced Pokemon trainer. The two did not speak on their journey to Viridian City, but once they were at the Pokemon Center and Ash handed his Charmander over to heal, the two had some time to speak to each other.
Misty wanted to be the best Water trainer ni al lof Kanto, before aiming to become the best in the world. Seeing how strong her Pokemon were, Ash felt like she could achieve that dream of hers.
She then got to know Ash and gave him some pointers for battling and catching.
But their conversation was interrupted when Nurse Joy returned with Misty's Pokemon while telling Ash to wait since Charmander was going to need a little more time to heal.
"Next time don't push the poor thing too much" she chastised, before moving back through the back door.
"Charmander's going to be fine" Misty assured the sad trainer.
Then the glass ceiling broke and a Pokeball dropped down to the ground. A Pokemon came out of it and immediately covered the area with thick black smoke.
" Prepare for trouble!
Make it double!
To protect the world from devastation!
To unite all peoples within our nation!
To denounce the evils of truth and love!
To extend our reach to the stars above!
Jessie!
James!
Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!
Surrender now, or prepare to fight!
Meowth! That's right!"
The smoke cleared to reveal a man, a woman, and three Pokemon with them.
"Meowth, the Scratch Cat Pokemon. Meowth withdraws its sharp claws into its paws to slinkily sneak about without making any incriminating footsteps. For some reason, this Pokémon loves shiny coins that glitter with light."
"Koffing, the Poison Gas Pokemon. If Koffing becomes agitated, it raises the toxicity of its internal gases and jets them out from all over its body. This Pokémon may also overinflate its round body, then explode."
"Ekans, the Snake Pokemon. Ekans curls itself up in a spiral while it rests. Assuming this position allows it to quickly respond to a threat from any direction with a glare from its upraised head."
Ash stared at them and remembered seeing their faces on the wanted poster Office Jenny showed them. Team Rocket…
"What do you want? "Misty asked, glaring at the two and their Pokemon.
"The Pokemon, of course," Jessie answered haughtily.
"We'll be taking all of the Pokemon in this Pokemon Center, even yours," James said, pointing at Ash and Misty.
"We'll see about that" Misty sent out her Staryu, Starmie, and Gyarados. The latter of the three threw Misty and looked before turning to Team Rocket.
Team Rocket looked a little taken aback seeing the Pokemon.
"Wait, not like this!" Meowth exclaimed.
But Gyarados' Hyper Beam, and Staryu and Starmie's Water Guns promptly sent them blasting off.
"Well, that's that then" Misty called her Pokemon back. She even looked a little relieved.
Ash on the other hand looked a little stunned.
"That Meowth was talking" he pointed out to Misty in shock.
Hellooooo! So the reason why I am writing this story is that I was reading 'The Celestial Redo' and saw that the writer was not going to make too many changes from canon. I saw the vision, but at the same time, I had a vision of my own. If we are going to be writing fanfiction, might as well go at it hard change as much as many things as possible, and move forward.
Some elements I'll be taking from the writer's work and the games and incorporating into my story. Here's to hoping I can do something lol.
