"Pika…"
"Hang in there, little man… we're almost there," Seth said, holding the mouse Pokémon to provide him some comfort.
They had been driving for about 30 minutes now, city lights illuminating the streets as the sun set completely. Officer Jenny had been doing her best to guide them to the Pokémon Center as fast as she could, which he appreciated. Glad he could find someone who could handle the situation better than him.
It's been a rough couple of hours, to say the least. Even with Jenny's attempts to break him out of his stupor, he felt hollow. Ash was a person who fundamentally altered the lives of many by helping them in one way or another just by being himself: an inspiration. Seth knew he didn't have those qualifications, he was just… average. I wish I can just take a moment to just—he pauses. Almost there, just a little while longer…
"How much longer until we reach the Pokémon Center?" Seth croaked out, causing Jenny to turn towards him.
"Almost there! You and your Pikachu will be fine, I promise," She said revving the engine once more as they rapidly approached the city's center at high speeds, kicking dust in their wake.
It wouldn't be long before the duo approached the city square and the Pokémon Center. If Seth had to describe it, it was honestly pretty normal, nothing too glamorous about it; it was just a big hospital. The biggest thing that caught his eye was the top half of a Pokéball that has a huge 'P' in the center.
"Uhhh, shouldn't we stop to park?" Seth questioned with some worry in his tone. They were rapidly approaching the building with no signs of stopping, which is what caused his worry to begin with.
"Don't worry; I know what I'm doing," Jenny said confidently as she sped towards the stairs of the Pokémon center, causing Seth to turn to look at her with shock evident on his face, as he slowly began paling.
"Hold on! Wait! Wait! Wait! STOP!" Seth began to shriek as the bike continued along the steps, causing Seth to hold on to Pikachu for dear life as the double doors miraculously opened in time for the Vehicle to pass through as it skidded across the floor by the desk, muffling Seth's screams of terror.
"Alright, we're here!" Jenny said, seemingly oblivious to the outcries from earlier, Seth shakily got up from the pillion. He doesn't wanna be in one of these for at least until he could drive.
"We have a driveway you know," said the voice at the counter with an obviously annoyed tone, Seth sluggishly glanced over to recognize her as Nurse Joy in the standard uniform from the original series.
"I'll pay for the damage on the floor later, but right now, it's an emergency!" Jenny exclaimed, drawing Seth out of his stupor as he got up and rushed over to the front desk.
"Help him, please!" Seth cried, causing Joy to look at the wounded Pikachu as she adopted a look of seriousness, pushing down one of concern so as to not alert the young Trainer.
"I understand, Chansey, bring me a stretcher STAT!" Joy ordered as she furiously started typing on the PC at the desk.
"Chansey!"
Within moments, two Chansey entered the lobby, carrying a stretcher as fast as their little legs could take them.
"Place Pikachu on the stretcher and leave the rest to us," Joy commanded, as Seth could only nod and place the Mouse Pokémon on there, as its breathing slowly worsened.
Just before Seth could do his best to reach out and comfort the mouse, it was already hauled off to the recovery room as he could only watch as the doors closed before him. He breathed a sigh of relief; at least that hurdle was over with.
"I understand that you are inexperienced," Joy said, gently touching his shoulder. "But it's important to always look after your Pokémon's wellbeing to avoid situations like this. Do you understand?" She continued with a soothing tone.
Seth's eye twitched; it wasn't even his fault! He woke up and had to scramble to—he sighed, it didn't matter. She was just doing her job, all she saw was a 10-year-old and a Pikachu in critical condition. Anyone would have come to that conclusion.
"I understand, thank you for your help Nurse Joy," Seth said, giving his best attempt at a smile, which seemed to satisfy Nurse Joy as she nodded and turned to Officer Jenny.
"Thank you for bringing him here in time Officer. However, next time please remember that we have a driveway," She told her in amusement, gesturing to the motorcycle in front of the reception desk as the Officer sheepishly chuckled.
"Hehehe. Of course, Joy, my bad," Jenny replied as she got back onto her bike, revving it up, before exiting the Pokémon Center.
Joy then smiled and turned to Seth. "Please head to the waiting room in the meantime. We'll call you when your Pikachu's treatment is done," she informed him as she headed into the recovery room, leaving Seth alone with his thoughts.
Well… I got what I wanted, didn't I? He thought as he walked over and sat down at the lobby, collapsing on the first chair he found as his hands cradled his head. He was truly here, wasn't he? He truly didn't know how to feel, with a mix of emotions clouding his mind—both positive and negative. Where does he even start? Might as well start with the elephant in the room.
Seth pulled out his Pokédex and gazed at his reflection through the glass, while not particularly vivid, he could still make out the major features of 'his' face. He was now Ash Ketchum. What was he even supposed to do with that information? Threats are constantly lurking about, and could emerge on a random Tuesday and the person destined to stop them has just been… erased from existence.
Seth grabbed his head. His breathing started to accelerate, as the realization finally sank in. He was stuck here, away from the comfort of home, his family's warm embrace, and his friends' companionship. Seth began to pull his hair, almost if he was trying to wake himself from this nightmare that had been the past few hours. Wake up, wake up, wake up! WAKE UP! Only for him to wince as tears began to form in the corners of his eyes. It was all still real, the events of today flashing before him.
He let out a hysterical laugh as he relaxed his posture, so not only would he inevitably throw his life on the line for a world he wanted nothing to do with, but even with the foresight he had, putting it into practice was an entirely different matter. He could barely handle seeing Pikachu injured, even if he didn't know why he was so adamant about helping him. Maybe there was a bit of Ash left in him for all he knew.
He leaned back, with a defeated expression on his face, staring at the ceiling above, he was screwed no matter which way you put it. Arceus and the Ultra Wormholes were options to give him even a sliver of hope to head back home, but those would take skill, and perhaps years, even to happen when those two aren't even close to current canon. He wanted to scream, deny the events of today, to have someone call him mad—
Seth's descent into his thoughts stopped as the sound of a cuckoo clock with a Pidgey popping out dragged him back. Madness… perhaps that was what he was at this point, it would explain a lot, really. In that case, he might as well attempt to fill his role, lest he dwells on the thoughts even further, he shivered in thought of this. He'll just simply fill the role until… he didn't know. It's best not to think about it.
Seth's eyes quickly darted around the room, there had to be something interesting to focus on, right? Thankfully, just as he thought about this, he discovered something. He quickly got up from his seat to walk toward an ancient-looking painting right behind the front desk. In the painting, there were carvings of the three legendary birds, as well as an Arcanine, for some reason that Seth couldn't remember.
I wonder how they made something like this, he thought. It was a fascinating sight to see. Back when he was younger, he used to ask to see stuff like this all the time. It was something that honestly felt like it should be in a museum. Pewter had something like that in the games, right? He pondered for a bit as he marveled at the painting. It was probably something that he'd need to ask about later.
Seth continued to admire the painting until he was startled by a ringing from the front desk's PC. Curiously he walked toward it, turning and looking at the contact's name: Samuel Oak. Oh right, he was a thing here. Seth took a deep breath and rubbed his temples. Might as well move things along…
Seth steeled himself before answering the call, giving him a few moments to recollect himself mentally. It's gonna be short and sweet—or at least that was what he planned on. "Hello? Professor?" He answered.
"Ash? Is that you? Look over here," Seth turned his head to the mural as the Arcanine slid down to reveal a monitor as the back of the Professor came into view.
"Glad to see you managed to reach Viridian City—"
"Professor, you might wanna fix your camera," Seth pointed out with a sweatdrop. Was this seriously the world's greatest researcher? Or was technology just something that he needed some more research on?
"Eh?" Professor Oak said, turning around and seeing Seth giving him a raised brow. "Oh! Wrong camera!" The Professor said frantically adjusting his settings, allowing Seth a proper look at the man. He was pretty identical to the anime, except he had noticeable wrinkles on his face showing his age catching up to him.
"I see you have made it to Viridian City! Very good, I'm pleasantly surprised," Professor Oak told him with a smile, his voice filled with warmth.
"Of course! I can't let something as small as Route 1 get in the way of me and Pikachu!" Seth said with faux confidence as he grinned. Ash was a confident but naive trainer at the start; if he amps that up he might be able to sell this! At least he hoped so.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. It seems like the path to Viridian left a number on you," The Professor said, pointing to the rather disheveled state he was in. His face, while passive, Seth could make out a bit of concern starting to show. His grin faltered a bit—don't look at him like that.
"O-oh you don't need to worry about that," Seth said a bit too quickly with a shake of his hand. "It was just a few bumps on the road, everyone gets them." Seth scratched the back of his head and nervously laughed, hoping that Professor Oak wouldn't catch him on that.
"Well, I'm not so sure about that. The other Trainers seemed to make it to Viridian quite seamlessly," Oak pointed out. "But, I digress. I certainly had my doubts about giving you that Pikachu, but it seems like I may have underestimated you. Well done." He continued with a hint of pride reaching into his voice.
Seth averted his gaze from the old man as he looked at him with pure sincerity. Stop it. He wasn't the one that deserved these words of encouragement.
Stop talking about me as if I could do this. Stop comparing me to people I don't even know. I'm not your boy, I'm. Not. Him. He bit his cheek, trying not to lose focus. Almost there, just a bit more.
"Why, I even made a bet with Gary about your—"
"I don't care!" Seth shouted, repressed emotions bubbling to the surface, startling the Professor into a stupor. Why would he even want to hear about people who mean nothing to him! People who he has only ever heard about! Over and over, he tried to hold it in, but try as he may to accept it, but there was a very obvious thing holding him back. He. Was. Not. ASH. Why couldn't they get—
"Ash! Are you alright?" Professor Oak called out to him, now fully concerned for the boy. Seth paled. Oh no, he fumbled. He fumbled hard.
"I'm..." Seth hesitated for a second, as if contemplating his options. "I'm fine, Professor." He said, giving the Professor a tired smile. "It's been a stressful day you know? I guess seeing how far behind I am really got to me for a sec," He continued as he rubbed the back of his head.
"I see, well I'll be sure to be a tad more cautious next time," Oak replied after a moment, his voice wary, but accepting of the explanation.
"I'll be sure to tell Nurse Joy that you called," Seth told him eager to change the subject as quickly as possible.
"Thank you," Oak replied with a hint of caution in his tone. However, before he could ask any more questions, Seth heard a doorbell coming from his side of the call.
"Oh, that must be my pizza, I'll have to talk to you later Ash. Be sure to call your mother soon, she'd be elated to see your progress," Oak told him as Seth gave him a stiff nod.
"I'll… be sure to Professor, talk to you later!" Seth gave his farewells, before cutting the call as he breathed a sigh of relief. Thank god, he managed to save that, he… almost got found on day one.
It's best that no one knows, Seth mentally affirmed. While there were ways that he could get the Professor to believe in his case. Psychic Pokémon existed and could probably work wonders, however… it'd be pretty messed up to explain. Hey, I erased a kid you knew for a decade; mind helping me out? No way he's putting them through that existential dread and heartbreak.
Now, it's best that he takes a step back and—
"Hey, you!"
…You have got to be kidding me.
Seth turned around, startled, to spot a girl with orange hair, tied into a short ponytail on the side, panting behind him carrying a charred bicycle as she glared daggers at him.
Oh crap, it's Misty.
"I knew I'd find you here! You little loser!" Misty angrily shouted at him with a red face.
Seth gave her a confused look before looking at what remained of her bike. Oh right, Ash did that.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot—"
"You really thought that you could run away that easily? Well, think again!" Misty exclaimed as she pointed a finger at Seth. His brow twitched in agitation at the accusation.
"I wasn't trying to run away, I was trying to get to safety," Seth said in a strained, but controlled, tone of voice. "I'll help you as soon as I can, but just can't right now," he continued trying his best to keep his cool, but it was clear that it was an uphill battle, as Misty wasn't having any of it.
"Save your lame excuses, I just want a new bike!" Misty said, her resolve unyielding. Seth clenched his head, a headache starting to form.
"Oh, what? Meowth got your tongue? Well, too bad! You're stuck with me until you—"
"I know!" Seth raged, slamming his hands on the desk, causing Misty to lose her hold on her bike as it crashed onto the floor.
"You think I wanted to do that!? To be here? No!" Seth shouted, causing unease in the room. You can cut the tension with a knife.
"I've been hanging from the skin of my goddamn teeth all day! My Pikachu is in the emergency room! Forced away from everything I knew and loved!" Seth ranted on. How does she have the right to judge him?
"I just! I just…" He continued pulling his hair, almost pleading for something, for anything to cause this nightmare to end.
"Are you alright?" Misty asked, suddenly in front of him with a look of concern stricken on her face.
"You…" She continued gesturing to his face, Seth paused for a second as he reached for his cheek and he felt a tear hit his finger.
"Seems like you've had a rough day," Misty told him as she flashed Seth a sympathetic smile.
Seth let out a dry laugh. "You don't even know half of it."
Seth took a deep breath, taking a few moments to steady himself before facing Misty again. "Look," he began with a calmer voice. "It's been a rough couple of hours. I'm sorry for what happened to your bike, I will pay you back, but not right now. Sounds good?" Seth said, extending a hand.
Misty contemplated what he said for a second before sighing and taking the hand. "Fine, but I am not leaving until you do," she huffed. Seth blinked at the remark. Traveling companion obtained?
"That's fine with me," Seth said with a soft smile. At least that's one less failure on his part.
"Oh, I'm Se—" He paused for a bit, oh right, he wasn't Seth anymore, not in this world. "Ash, I'm Ash Ketchum," he introduced himself with an uneasy smile, a little awkward, but she didn't seem to notice it much.
"Misty, just Misty," She told him, as an awkward silence began to settle between them. There really wasn't much to talk about, huh?
Suddenly, as if the world heard them, the doors to the emergency room opened as Nurse Joy appeared from behind them, pushing a small stretcher with Pikachu on it, patched up and breathing steadily, which quickly dissolved the tension in the room.
"Oh, thank god!" Seth said as he hopped over the desk rushing towards the stretcher, Misty following right behind him.
"Your Pikachu has made it through the brunt of the damage it's received and now it just needs to rest for a while. I'd advise against strenuous activities for the next few days." Nurse Joy explained as Seth nodded in response, understanding what she was saying completely, and feeling relief that it wasn't worse than it could be.
"Understood, thanks Nurse Joy," Seth gave her his thanks, before petting the sleeping mouse which was adorable in its sleeping state; he's not shy to admit it. He could even feel some static coming from the mouse's fur making his hand feel all tingly. It was quite nice.
"It was quicker than expected. How'd you do it so fast?" Seth asked curiously. It had only been what felt like an hour.
"Well, I did go to medical school as well as being given the assistance of Chansey. With them around, there is almost nothing that we can't heal," Joy said confidently.
"Cool," Seth replied back almost absentmindedly, he was expecting something a bit more, but he won't complain. She's probably just following procedure. However, before he could go more in-depth, the alarm suddenly started to sound.
"Attention! Large unidentified aircraft spotted hovering over Viridian! Please remain indoors with your Pokémon! I repeat, unidentified aircraft spotted hovering over Viridian! Please remain indoors with your Pokémon!" Officer Jenny's voice echoed from the loudspeaker.
Oh no, Seth thought as the realization struck him fast. He got Pikachu checked and met Misty that would only leave one more event for the night—but just as he finished that thought, two Pokéballs broke through the glass ceiling hitting the floor as they popped open with a bright, white light.
"Ekans!"
"Koffing!"
They declared the names of their Pokémon, before Koffing covered the room in its fumes, causing the trio to be unable to see through the black smoke.
Oh god, it really is them! Seth inwardly groaned, preparing for the inevitable as from the smoke, three figures emerged.
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all people within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth! That's right!" Meowth finished as the trio posed flamboyantly, something which Seth expected completely and was thus not even the least bit surprised from.
"Team Rocket?" Misty questioned.
"Long story short, they are the bad guys," Seth answered.
"Seems like one of you is well-educated," Jessie said.
"Which means that you know what we're after," James continued.
"Hand over the Pokémon so no one gets hurt!" Meowth finished as Ekans and Koffing stared daggers into them.
"As if!" Misty declared pulling out one of her own Pokéballs, though not yet releasing it.
"You're wasting your time here! All the Pokémon Center has are weak Pokémon due to the influx of Rookie Trainers!" Nurse Joy pleaded, clearly trying to keep her cool.
"While true, you forget something," Jessie exclaimed.
"It's always the newbies with rare Pokémon ripe for the picking!" Meowth declared.
"With that said, let's crush them!" James smirked, signaling Koffing for an attack.
"Move!" Misty exclaimed in a hurry, grabbing Seth out of the way and avoiding an incoming tackle from Koffing.
"Ekans! Use tackle!" Jessie commanded as our trio thankfully managed to run into a room for safety, as Ekans destroyed the laptop, causing its circuits to scatter.
Silence filled the dark room, as Seth was deep in thought. Out of all the things to slip his mind, it had to be those guys. Ok, so how were they gonna deal with them? Pikachu was still asleep. Misty wouldn't be much help here. Most of the Pokémon here were too weak…Ughh! Nothing!
"Looks like they took out the power, luckily we have our own backup source," Joy told the pair as they walked towards a side room filled with Pikachu, and within moments, they began charging up the backup generator. It only took a few seconds, and almost on cue, the lights on the room turned on.
That's it! A devious smile crossed his face.
He had an idea.
A wonderfully devious idea.
"Nurse Joy, I have an idea to get rid of your Rocket problem," Seth said as Joy quickly turned to him with surprise.
"You do?" She said, raising a brow.
"Yes, and I need to borrow your backup generator!"
"What are you going to do with a horde of Pikachu?" Misty questioned, as Seth gave her a wry grin.
"Oh, don't worry, let's just say… it'll be a blast," Seth told them as he looked at his Pikachu. But for now, they needed as much time as possible. "Barricade the door, this is gonna take awhile."
The duo nodded as they quickly got to work. The plan was very well capable of working, but time was not on their side as Team Rocket furiously attacked the door. It wouldn't hold for very long; they had to hurry.
Nurse Joy quickly started barricading the door as Seth and Misty swiftly opened the side door leading into the generator rooms as the horde of Pikachu continued to supply the generator with power.
"So, what's the plan?" Misty asked.
"We don't have the strength to take on Team Rocket as we currently stand, so using the power of the horde we can amp up my Pikachu," Seth explained as Misty gave him a shocked look.
"Are you crazy!? Your Pikachu is still resting from getting grievously injured! How is he supposed to fight three criminals?! That's a death wish!" Misty furiously whispered, but Seth was unimpressed.
"Pikachu can transfer energy to each other using the electric sacs on their cheeks, and believe me when I say that my Pikachu can handle a lot of electricity," Seth explained. He absorbed and redirected raw lightning to save Ash. He knows he'll be able to handle this.
"That may be, but even so—"
"Look, I get that it seems risky, but the information is literally in this world's version of a pocket-size Wikipedia," Seth interrupted showing her the Pokédex. "I wouldn't risk it if I wasn't sure." He assured Misty with a nod, his voice calm and relaxed.
"Are you sure this will work?" questioned Misty after a few moments of thought.
"Trust me," Seth said, with Misty nodding after a second. Seth then carefully placed his Pikachu in the middle of the horde, and they looked at him in confusion. Oh right, he should explain what he wanted them to do. Seth sat down beside them and explained the plan to the horde, and while they were a bit hesitant, thankfully, Nurse Joy quickly came to the rescue by endorsing the plan, though not without an earful about Pokémon safety toward him, but nonetheless, she agreed to administer the procedure because it was their only real shot at winning as the horde began sharing their energy with Pikachu.
Suddenly just as the process started, the doors to the main room burst open, revealing the Rocket trio as they began to laugh as they looked throughout the room that was filled with Pokéballs.
Crap! Forgot about that! Seth thought to himself in a panic. He clenched a fist as the evil trio began admiring the room, beginning to pluck the carefully placed Pokéballs into a comically large-sized bag.
"How's the process?" Seth whispered toward Joy.
"Still needs a little more time," Joy told him.
"I'll stall them."
"Are you crazy!?" Misty whispered in disbelief.
"No, just confident. Wish me luck," Seth said as he bolted out of the electrical room before they could argue, revealing himself to the trio.
"Oh? It seems like one of the twerps came out to play," Jessie said mockingly.
"Should have kept hidden kid, don't wanna get into grown-up business," James added.
"Actually... I wanted to ask about your business," Seth said, causing the trio to raise a brow. Bingo.
"Tell me more about being in Team Rocket. After all, stealing Pokémon, nobody telling you what to do, it sounds really cool," Seth told them, giving his best look of awe as he quickly glanced at the dimly lit door behind him. Just a little more time.
"Well then, if you really are interested then—" James said before Meowth hit him on the head, causing James to glare at the cat Pokémon with a furious look on his face. "Hey! What was that for!"
"Don't ya get it? The kid is clearly lying," the feline replied as Seth mentally cursed the cat. "He's trying to trick us!"
James turned to Seth, offended at the attempt. "You think you can swindle us? Think again!" He declared, causing Seth to take a step back as Ekans and Koffing approached him.
Come on, hurry up! Seth thought, now alarmed, but unaware of the glow from earlier steadily getting brighter as he was slowly backed up into a corner. Ekans and Koffing approached him with evil smiles on their faces as if contemplating how much venom and poison to inject into him.
"Shouldn't have played with fire kid, now Ekans use—" Jessie was interrupted by the bright yellow glow surrounding the room, stunning her in surprise.
"Jackpot!" Seth exclaimed as the glass to the window shattered and his Pikachu came out, electricity coating him like an aura.
"Pika!" Pikachu declared his presence to the room as Seth used the distraction to rush over to his partner's side, a relieved grin on his face
"Took ya long enough little man," Seth said as Pikachu gave him a sheepish smile, as if to apologize for the late entrance.
"Is this really your trump card?" Jessie challenged, almost insulted.
"What's a small mouse going to do, give us a small jolt?" James goaded.
"Yes, actually," Seth stated as the Rocket trio laughed, unaware of what's to come.
"Pikachu, Thundershock them!" Seth exclaimed.
"Pi… ka… chuuuuu!" Charging up an electrifying surge of power, Pikachu released a bolt of lightning which easily hit both Poison-type Pokémon, causing them to cry out in shocked pain.
"What?!" The Rocket Trio exclaimed in confusion as both Ekans and Koffing both collapsed to the floor with spirals in their eyes.
Seth smirked at the power. Looks like those dex entries don't lie, now let's finish this up! "What's wrong? Don't tell me that's all you had," He asked smugly as the Rocket Trio could only look dumbfounded at the display.
"How!?" Jessie growled furious as she cradled her unconscious Ekans.
"That's cheating!" James cried out.
"You really thought I'd play fair dealing with criminals? You guys are dumber than you look," Seth said with a smirk as Pikachu cheeks sparked threateningly.
"How'd the twerp's Pikachu even get that strong!?" Meowth shrieked a hint of fear in his voice.
"Lots of pushups, situps, and he drinks his juice," Seth replied with a shrug… as well as, like, 9 different Pikachu charging him up, but they don't need to know that.
Speaking of them…
"Pikachu," He called out to his partner, and without even needing to say a word, Pikachu let out another violent Thundershock toward the trio, causing them to cry out in pain as an explosion occurred without warning, sending them flying away.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off!" The trio cried as they blasted off into the night, disappearing with a twinkle in the sky.
Thank god, Seth thought before collapsing onto the floor, that was the most stressful experience he had ever done in his life.
"Pika!" Pikachu called out, shaking him as if to coax him up off the ground as Seth groaned.
"I'm fine, little guy," he rasped out as Pikachu gave him a relieved look before… hugging him, Seth paused for a second almost unsure how to react.
"Go on, you earned a moment together," Joy smiled sweetly, leaving the room with Misty as Seth returned the embrace.
"You pack a mean punch, little guy, bump it," Seth said, raising a fist at the mouse.
"Pika?" Pikachu tilted his head in confusion.
"Oh right, you probably never heard of that. Do this," Seth explained, bumping his two fists together. "It's a human thing for friendship, if you'll have me of course." Seth finished with a small smile forming over his face.
"Pika, pika!" Pikachu cried, returning the fist bump as Seth's smile widened. Things really are going according to—
"Wait, don't touch him! The excess electricity will cause Pikachu to—," Nurse Joy cried out from the other room, but it was already too late. The moment the two made contact, a powerful shock coursed through Seth causing him to collapse in spot once again with spirals in his eyes.
It was super effective.
Seth fainted.