Oak was sitting in his chair in his lab. He stretched his arms and slouched into the chair. It had been a few hours, and he was finally finished with his report.
It's been pretty busy for him, with the League business and the experiments and research they asked him to do. But he chose this, and hey, it is a lot better than when he was Champion. Yeah… never again. He sure was glad he'd decided to retire, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't sometimes miss it.
As he was lost in thought, suddenly he heard his phone ring. He sighed as he got up and walked over to the three Poké Balls he had set on a table, the starters he was preparing to give out to Ash, Green, and Gary.
He picked up the phone and brought it to his ear.
"Hello—"
Then he heard the voice on the other side, the same one that had been calling him for the past few months.
"No… how many times do I have to tell you this? No means no, th—"
He was cut off.
"…How much?"
He sighed. "Fine. When can he come get it?"
Oak had to hold himself back from punching his own face. Seriously, getting bribed? He was getting washed up, and he knew it. The old him would have hung up and had his Dragonite fly over to that person's house and tell him no directly.
He shook his head and looked at the three Poké Balls on the table. He knew which Pokémon the kids were planning on choosing. Green wanted Bulbasaur, and unlike Ash, she didn't have an extra Pokémon to help her, so that was a no. Gary wanted Squirtle, and he had made that very clear. He also told him that he didn't want to take that Eevee of his out on the journey yet; he wanted to get more experience first, to get the evolution he wanted. So Gary was out, too.
That, unfortunately, left Ash… and the one he wanted: Charmander.
And unfortunately, that seemed to be what he had to do, even if he didn't want to.
He could have contacted the breeders to get a new Egg, since the starters he gives out aren't the same as the ones you can find in the wild. But after Professor Sycamore and Professor Birch had requested a shipment of Kanto Royal starter eggs, they were running low.
And it would take way too long. The best he could do was hope Ash could understand. Maybe he could make it up to him and get him a new Charmander Egg once the breeders restocked.
So he sighed and took the Poké Ball. There was something nagging at the back of his mind about this Pokémon, something he couldn't quite remember… but if he couldn't remember it, it probably wasn't important.
Oak sighed again as he looked over at his desk and pulled out an old picture he had drawn back when he was young.
It was a picture of Pikachu… and Ash, drawn over forty years ago.
"I hope everything works out in the end…" he muttered as he left the lab.
—-
(Ash's POV)
🎵 Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Ash,
Happy Birthday to you... 🎵
It was Ash's birthday. His friends, Professor Oak, and Daisy had come by to wish him a happy birthday. He was finally 10, and tomorrow, he'd be starting his Pokémon journey. Everyone was excited, well, almost everyone. Delia tried her best to smile, but Ash could tell she was feeling a little sad. Her boy was about to leave home.
As the cake was brought out, Daisy grinned and clapped her hands, "Congratulations, Ash! Now you, Gary, and Green are all going on your journey together! So, what are you going to wish for?"
"Now, now, my dear," Oak cut in with a chuckle. "He shouldn't tell us his birthday wish, otherwise it won't come true!" His voice was overly cheerful, almost forced, and his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. It was like he was hiding something.
But before Ash could think too much about that, Gary jumped in, holding a present in his hands.
"Yeah, yeah! Blow out your candles already, so you can open your presents. But open mine first!" He smirked.
"Hey! No fair!" Green huffed, elbowing Gary. "I want him to open mine first! I worked really hard on it!"
Ash laughed, holding up his hands. "Okay, okay! Chill, guys!" He picked up Pikachu and set him on the table.
"Ready, buddy?"
"Pika!" Pikachu grinned, his cheeks sparking slightly.
They both took a deep breath, and with a big whoosh, Ash and Pikachu blew out the candles together.
—
(Later that night)
Ash lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, while Pikachu snuggled on his chest, softly snoozing. Ash smiled, absently rubbing Pikachu's head.
'Finally', he thought, 'the journey begins…' But as the excitement started to wear off, a few nagging thoughts crept in.
'Wait a minute… It's just me, Gary, and Green. So… does that mean I'm getting a starter? I mean, I don't mind, but… what's going to happen to that poor abandoned Charmander?'
He frowned a little 'I wouldn't mind having two Fire-types following me around. Fire dragons are cool, but…ahh, future me's problem not mine,'
He yawned and shook his head, trying to relax. 'Ah, I should just sleep. I might have an alarm clock, unlike the OG Ash, but even that won't help if I stay up too late and sleep through it.'
Ash gently patted Pikachu's head, feeling his little friend's soft fur under his fingers. Then he leaned back into the pillows and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.
—-
(The next morning)
Ash woke up early, feeling surprisingly refreshed. He quickly got dressed, he'd chosen the same classic outfit the original Ash wore, blue jacket, black t-shirt, fingerless gloves, and all. The hat had arrived in the mail from the League, just like it had in the original story.
Pikachu sat on the dresser, happily hugging the bottle of ketchup he'd gotten as a present. He looked like he was in heaven.
Ash chuckled, "Guess I better bring extra ketchup."
He started packing his bag, but honestly, it was mostly for show. He kept most of his necessities and supplies in his storage space,
Once everything was ready, Ash slung his bag over his shoulder, gave Pikachu a grin and picked him up, letting him snuggle up on his shoulder, and stepped out of his room.
As he came down the stairs, Delia was waiting for him at the bottom. Her eyes sparkled with pride, but there was a bittersweet smile on her face.
"Ready, honey?" she asked softly.
"Looks like I should be the one asking you that," Ash said, giving his mom a small, teasing smile. "You look like you're holding back tears."
Delia sniffled and wiped at her eyes with her finger. "Can you really blame me? My little boy is all grown up and leaving home… I'm going to be so lonely."
Ash sighed. The truth was, he had gotten attached to Delia as his mother. It felt a little sad to leave her behind like this, but he had put too much effort into his journey to stop now. That didn't mean he was heartless.
He walked over and hugged Delia tightly. "I love you too, Mom. And I'm going to miss you. I promise I'll call."
Delia smiled softly, wiping another tear away as she hugged him back. "I know. I love you too, Ash. You're the best son a mother could ask for."
Pikachu's ears drooped as he hopped onto Delia's shoulder, patting her gently on the head as if trying to cheer her up. Delia chuckled at the sight and gave Pikachu a hug as well.
"Now, Pikachu," Delia said, gently booping his nose, "promise me you'll take care of Ash for me. Make sure he stays out of trouble, okay?"
Pikachu saluted with a determined look. "Pika!"
Delia smiled and hugged them both one last time, though she was clearly reluctant to let them go. "Go on now. Before Gary and Green get angry waiting for you."
Ash nodded, giving her one more smile as he headed for the door. He paused, waving back at her with a small smile, then stepped out and closed the door behind him.
He made his way over to Oak's lab, where he spotted Green and Gary waiting for him just outside. They were both dressed differently today, Green in her game-inspired shirt and skirt, and Gary in his classic Season One clothes.
As Ash approached, Gary noticed him and waved.
"Hey, took you long enough! You were almost late."
Ash jogged up and smirked. "Come on, when have I ever actually been late in all the years you two have known me?"
Pikachu, perched on Ash's shoulder, gave a little shrug and waved his paw in front of him. "Pika pika [I mean, there have been a few close calls]."
Of course, none of them except Ash could understand Pikachu's words, thanks to his Aura, but that didn't stop Green from reaching over and hugging the little mouse tightly.
"Aww, aren't you just the cutest!" she cooed.
Still hugging Pikachu, she glanced up at Ash and Gary. "So, how should we decide who picks their Pokémon first?"
Ash shrugged casually. "You two go ahead. You got here before me, and honestly, we all know what Pokémon we're picking."
Gary crossed his arms and smirked. "Yeah, fair enough. We don't even need to ask, do we?"
Green nodded as she handed Pikachu back to Ash. "Nope. Didn't we decide this, like, last year?"
They stepped inside the lab, where Professor Oak was waiting for them with a warm smile.
"Welcome! I'm glad to see you three made it," Oak said cheerfully. "I've got everything ready for your journeys. I hope you'll all help me with my research, so I've prepared a Pokédex for each of you."
He handed a Pokédex to each of them then stepped back to look at them, "Now then… who wants to choose their Pokémon first?"
Gary immediately stepped up. "I already know who I'm getting," he said confidently, grabbing the Pokéball for Squirtle. "I'll wait outside for you guys, gonna get to know my new partner." With that, he walked out.
"Guess I'll go next," Green said, striding over to the Pokéball for Bulbasaur. "I'll meet you outside too Ash." She followed Gary out, leaving Ash standing there with Pikachu.
"Well, I guess that just leaves you, Ash," Oak said with a warm smile, though there was something else in his eyes, a flicker of sadness. "U-um..." He hesitated, as if he was holding something back, but shook his head. "I think it's best if you open the last Pokéball."
Ash nodded and reached for the final Pokéball, pressing the button to open it. But as he did, it was empty, making both Ash and Pikachu freeze.
"Eh…?"
Oak scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm sorry, my boy. The truth is… well, a boy named Damian came by and already chose Charmander as his starter Pokémon. His father paid a lot of money for me to reserve it for him."
Ash and Pikachu blinked. "Wha—then why wouldn't you just get another one? It's not like Charmander are legendary Pokémon," Ash asked, frowning.
"That's… err, complicated. I'm sorry, but the breeders ran out of Charmander eggs, and… I just thought it would at least be fine for now, since you have Pikachu with you. So you won't have nothing," Oak said, trying to sound like it was a reasonable excuse.
But neither Ash nor Pikachu bought it. All three of them knew this was just a cop-out answer.
"Uh… huh… So if I didn't have Pikachu, then what would you have done?" Ash asked, his eyes narrowing.
"I… err…" Oak trailed off, unable to answer. He just sighed and looked down. "I'm sorry. I wish I could get you a proper starter, but the best I can do is promise I'll find some way in the future to make it up to you. I wouldn't blame you if you're mad at me."
Pikachu narrowed his eyes, cheeks sparking as if ready to zap Oak, but Ash rested a hand on Pikachu's head to calm him down.
"Well, I'd be lying if I said this wasn't annoying, but what's the point of getting angry? It's not like me hurting you will do anything. Fine. But until you actually make it up to me, I'm not going to let you live this down," Ash said.
"That's… understandable…" Oak sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Here, take some Poké Balls. I threw in a few extra. It's not much, but it's a start."
"Yeah… It's fine. No—wait, what am I saying? It's not fine, but it's also not the worst thing in the world. I might have needed to go out and catch a Pokémon with nothing to defend myself, but I mean what I said, you better think of something."
Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder, and together they walked out. Just before leaving, Ash decided to insert the chip into his Pokédex. As he did, the screen displayed: 'Updating... Please wait.' Ash shrugged and left the building.
As soon as he stepped outside, he was greeted by a large crowd, most of Pallet Town had gathered to cheer for him, Gary, and Green before they set off. Gary and Green were already surrounded by a sea of people, and as soon as they saw Ash, a fresh wave of cheers washed over him too.
After what felt like an eternity, the crowd finally dispersed, leaving all three of them exhausted and sprawled on the ground with their Pokémon by their sides.
Ash was the first to sit up. "Man, if that's how bad it is just to be known in Pallet, I'm not looking forward to how it'll be when we get to the League."
Gary dusted himself off as he stood, grinning. "You'll get used to it. I have to deal with this being the grandson of Professor Oak. But I gotta admit, this was bigger than usual. I guess since people call us 'Pallet's prodigies,' they're extra excited for us."
Ash walked over and offered Green a hand. She took it and stood up with a grateful smile, "Anyways, Ash, come on. Let out your Charmander, let's have the three of our Pokémon stand together for a picture," Green said, holding up her Bulbasaur
Ash sighed and crossed his arms, "About that… I kinda don't have a Charmander," he admitted.
Gary blinked. "What?!"
Green frowned. "Huh? Didn't you get one from the Professor just now?"
Ash sighed. "Nope. Turns out some guy named Damian got it, his dad paid for Oak to reserve Charmander. So, yeah… I'm stuck with just Pikachu." Ash said as Pikachu elbowed his head since he said that it was a bad thing.
Green's eyes widened. "Wait, seriously? That's not fair!"
Gary crossed his arms, and his Squirtle tried to copy him, puffing up its little chest and crossing its stubby arms, which looked more like a determined shrug. Gary glanced down at it with a grin, then turned back to Ash.
"Yeah, want me to march back in there and make Oak cough up at least some kind of Pokémon for you?"
Ash shook his head and waved dismissively. "Nah, don't bother. He said he'd make it up to me... somehow. No clue when or how, but for now, I've got Pikachu. That's all I need."
Pikachu perked up at that, his ears twitching proudly. He crossed his arms too, sparks crackling faintly in his cheeks, clearly approving of Ash's answer.
Gary gave a half-laugh, shaking his head. "Tch. That's rough, buddy."
Green gave a helpless little smile and clapped her hands together to try and change the subject, "Anyway! Since we're all heading the same way, why don't we travel together at least until we get through Viridian Forest? I heard there's a Spearow infestation right now, might be safer if we stick together."
Ash and Gary exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement.
"Sure, sounds good," Ash said.
"I have no problem with it," Gary added.
So the three of them set off, walking together toward Route 1. As they walked, Ash kept an eye on his Pokédex. Curious, he flipped it open to check if the chip had finished updating. The screen blinked, and new text began to scroll across it:
[Congratulations for activating the Pokédex Chip.]
[Current features unlocked: Basic Pokédex Function, Wireless PC Access, Pokémon Progress Tracking.]
[Selecting first bonus update… Bonus update chosen: Ability to see Pokémon's current and future abilities.]
[New update will be unlocked after a sufficient number of Pokémon are caught.]
Ash raised an eyebrow, tilting his head, 'Huh. That's new. I wonder what it means by future abilities?'
He glanced at Pikachu, curiosity getting the better of him, and scanned him. The Pokédex beeped softly as it displayed the results:
[Pikachu (M), the Mouse Pokémon. It can generate electric attacks from the pouches located in both of its cheeks.]
[Abilities: Static. Hidden Ability: Lightning Rod. Future Ability remains the same.]
[Current Moves: Thunder Shock, Growl, Tail Whip, Thunder Wave, Iron Tail, Nuzzle, Quick Attack, Double Team]
[Mutation detected… Analyzing… Error: Unable to analyze mutation.]
Ash blinked, 'Mutation? What mutation?' He frowned, puzzled, as he turned the scanner toward some nearby Pokémon, a Pidgey fluttering past, a Spearow cawing from a tree, a Rattata darting in the grass. None of them showed anything out of the ordinary, just the standard entries.
Green noticed Ash scanning the Pokémon and tilted her head curiously and tried to peek at what Ash was doing, "Are you trying to catch a Pokémon already, Ash?" she asked.
"Maybe. I mean, I wouldn't say no to catching a Pokémon or two… but none of these guys look that interesting. What about you guys? Any you're after?" Ash asked, looking at his friends.
Gary shook his head, crossing his arms. "Nah. I'm holding out for something different. Besides, we should be thinking ahead, any idea what the first Gym's gonna be like?"
Ash chimed in, "Apparently, the first Gym Leader is a guy named Brock. He's a Rock-type specialist. You two should be fine, but I'm gonna need to hunt around Viridian Forest for a Bellsprout or an Oddish."
Green nodded in understanding, and Gary gave him a pat on the back, "Yeah… you're in for a rough time," Gary muttered with a smirk.
"You wanna borrow my Bulbasaur?" Green offered, pointing down to her little frog Pokémon, who was waddling behind them, trying to keep up. "I can loan him to you, but you'll owe me a favor~"
Ash shook his head, "Nah. I've always worked harder than you guys, hard work's what I do best. And besides… I know better than to make deals with you."
Green snorted, raising her hands in surrender. "You got me. But still, good luck with Brock." Then she glanced at Gary, a sly glint in her eye. "By the way, are you really not bringing your Eevee?"
Gary sighed, looking away. "We already talked about this. Last time you came to my house, remember? I'm not ready to take care of Eevee the way I want. So, I left him with Daisy for now. I'll come back for him… just not yet."
Ash raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin spreading across his face. "Riiight. You sure it's not just 'cause Pikachu beat him~?"
Pikachu perked up, snickering quietly.
Gary scowled. "That was a fluke! We had a rematch, and I won, remember?"
Ash smirked, arms behind his head. "Yeah, but last I checked, the score was 5 wins for Pikachu, 3 for Eevee. Soooo… cry about it."
Gary grumbled under his breath, and Green giggled at the banter.
As they continued down the path, Ash's eyes caught a flash of feathers in the field ahead. A lone Spearow was standing there, wings flaring, glaring straight at Pikachu with narrowed eyes. Its aggressive stance set off warning bells in Ash's head.
He quickly pulled out his Pokédex.
[Spearow (M), the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Unlike Pidgey, Spearow has a terrible attitude. It is highly aggressive and will often attack other Pokémon and humans without provocation.]
[Ability: Keen Eye. Hidden Ability: Sniper. Future Ability: Remains the same.]
[Current Moves: Peck Double Team, Assurance ]
[Mutation detected… Analyzing… Alpha Gene detected.]
'Huh' Ash thought, 'Well isn't that interesting'