Ash Ketchum rose with the sun. And why wouldn’t he? Today was the day he would get his starter Pokémon. He was going to start his journey. He was going to be a Pokémon master. He was…
Ash looked down and realized that he was naked in the middle of Professor Oak’s artificial forest.
Surprisingly, the young boy’s reaction was rather atypical. He didn’t panic, flail around uselessly, ask questions no one was around to answer or any number of things a person does when they find themselves in this type of situation. Instead he gave a mighty sigh, thanked whoever was listening that his mom didn’t live in the actual town of Pallet town, and began his hike back home.
Thankfully today was warm, the ground between where he woke up and his house was mostly free of rocks and burrs, and, typically, no one woke up this early.
The reason Ash seemed to act as if waking in the middle of the wilderness naked was a usual occurrence was because, to him, it was. While he couldn’t pinpoint the exact day it started he had, rather unfortunately, gotten used to such a thing in the past year or so.
Thankfully, Ash made it home without incident or stepping on any particularly sharp rocks (always a good thing in his opinion) and headed straight to the bathroom where a set of his clothes was waiting for him after his shower.
A quick washing and a frantic scramble to put clothes on correctly later, Ash was rushing out the door with a hasty “bye” for his mom. He’d come back later for a proper good-bye for her—after he got his starter Pokémon. After all, he wasn’t just going to leave her without a word like some people he really shouldn’t even think about.
Stopping that train of thought before it completely derailed him, Ash quickened his pace to Professor Oak’s lab, already running late, but maybe, at least Ash hoped so, the other trainers would be late too.
As Oak’s Lab came into view, so did Gary, Professor Oak’s grandson, who was heading Ash’s way with a bag over his shoulder.
“Hey, Gary!” said boy stopped a few feet away from Ash.
“Yeah?”
“You heading out already?” Ash inquired.
Gary smirked at the question, “Yeah, I am. Unlike some people, I was actually on time.”
Ash frowned but didn’t take the bait, “So you already got your Pokémon, right?” at the other boy’s sardonic nod, Ash continued, “So, which one is it?”
Gary laughed, “The best one, Ashy-boy, and considering how slow you’re going, you’ll never find out.” As Gary walked off, Ash growled at the barb and in frustration, never noticing the other boy quickening his pace at Ash’s animalistic sound.
Though he’d never admit it out loud, Gary was actually a little afraid of the slightly younger Ash. It wasn’t anything Gary could put into words—and hopefully with the start of his journey Gary wouldn’t have to deal with the unsettling boy again—but something on a more basic level.
Of course Ash was completely oblivious to this delving into Gary’s psyche, and didn’t notice Gary’s absences until the said boy was out of sight. This then gave Ash the reminder that he still needed to get his starter Pokémon. With a wordless exclamation Ash dashed off to Oak’s lab, barreled through the door, and skidded into the aged professor, toppling the poor man.
“Just because you’re running late, Ash, doesn’t mean you need to keep running.”
Ash quickly got up, and helped the professor up as well, chuckling nervously, “Sorry professor, I’m just a bit excited, you know?”
Professor Oak nodded, “And I’m guessing that’s why you’re late today, and not because you overslept.” Ash nodded in reply, Professor Oak knew about his problem, as the man had found Ash one early morning on his ranch, a somewhat embarrassing situation for the both of them.
“Yeah, but I’m ready to go, and I know which Pokémon I’m gonna take with me! Charmander!”
A fire-type, huh? Somewhat fitting. Unfortunately… Professor Oak sighed, “If you had been here earlier you might have gotten it, but another trainer took charmander…”
Ash’s grin faultered slightly, “Well, second choice isn’t that bad, so I’ll take bulbasaur…”
Ash’s words dropped off as he saw Oak shaking his head, “Sorry, bulbasaur was taken as well.”
Ash seemed to be steeling himself, “Well, a Pokémon is a Pokémon, so squirtle?”
Extremely reluctant to take the water-type… Oak tried to look everywhere but at Ash, “Unfortunately all of the other trainers were here before you…”
Ash was understandably upset, “How can I go on a Pokémon journey, without a Pokémon?!”
While Professor Oak did have an idea of how Ash could do it, he decided to try something else instead, “Now, I didn’t say I don’t have any Pokémon left, this is after all a Pokémon research lab. I just don’t have any of the starters which are issued by the Pokémon league to representatives such as myself. There is another option…” At this Professor Oak walked up to the device that previously held the pokéballs that held the starter Pokémon. Pressing a seemingly random button, a fourth ball emerged from within. “Now I’m a bit reluctant about this idea, but…”
Ash took the ball without hesitation, and immediately opened it up. A brief show of light from the ball, and a small, yellow rodent like creature appeared. Unfamiliar with this particular Pokémon, Ash picked it up to get a closer look, which the yellow creature didn’t seem to like, “What is this?”
Professor Oak was getting nervous with Ash’s manhandling the creature, “That is a pikachu, the electric mouse Pokémon. And normally they don’t like being touched and let people know it by—“
A loud “CHUUU!” from the golden rodent interrupted the professor, along with an electrical discharge which caught both the research and the new trainer.
“…Letting out a thunder attack …” the professor finished in a stunned manner.
“…Shocking…” Ash replied in a similar manner before they both fell to the ground.
---
It was sometime later that Ash was walking back to his home with his Pikachu on his head. The Pokémon refused to return to its pokéball, and a rather strange argument later, they had reached a compromise of sorts: Pikachu didn’t have to return to its ball, it did have to go with Ash however. Unfortunately for Ash this apparently meant he had to carry Pikachu, thankfully though, the lightning rodent was pretty light.
Just before Ash walked into his home for what may be the last time for a very long time, his eyes rolled up, although he couldn’t actually see the Pokémon on his head. “Now I want you to behave, this is gonna be the last time I see my mom for a while, and I want to give her a proper good-bye, so no shocking me or her, okay?”
Receiving an affirmative “Pika” from his new companion, Ash entered and headed for the kitchen where he found his backpack waiting on the table, and his mother in a nearby seat. She seemed to be lost in thought, with a faraway look in her eyes, a look she’d been taking on more and more as he was getting closer to starting his journey.
Ash cleared his throat loudly, startling his mom out of her thoughts, and grinned sheepishly as she turned to him, “Hi mom.”
Delia Ketchum got up from the table and embraced her son, “My little Ash, all grown up…” she seemed to finally take notice of the furry attachment to her son’s head, “Oh, and who is this?” she asked as she gently lifted the Pokémon from its resting place.
“Oh, that’s my Pokémon, Pikachu.”
“Oh, it’s so cute!” she exclaimed as gave the mouse a gentle hug and rubbed her cheek against its fur, which the Pikachu accepted with a small amount of joy, before setting the little creature on the table., and picking up the green backpack resting there. “I’ve made sure you have everything you’ll need, as well as some money for whenever you get to a town. Though this was prepared yesterday…”
Ash grinned sheepishly once more, “I know, I just wanted to see you once more before I left, you know, so it wouldn’t seem like I was just leaving everything behind and…” Ash’s voice drifted off as a frown came over his face.
Mrs. Ketchum frowned at her son, “Ash…” she warned him.
“I know, I know, but… He just—“
“Ashton Ketchem!”
Ash snapped out of his funk at his mother’s stern voice, “Sorry.” Ash slipped on the backpack and after a moment, hugged his mother tightly.
Delia Ketchum returned the hug with just as much force and emotion, “I know we’ll be apart for a long time, but you know that no matter what, this will always be your home, I’ll always be your mother, and I’ll always love you. No matter what happens, you’ll always be able to come back here.” Mrs. Ketchum’s voice hitched as she continued, “And no matter where you go, what you do, or what you become, world’s greatest Pokémon trainer or whatever, I will always be proud of you, my dearest boy.”
The Ketchums stood together for a moment longer, before Ash pulled away with a small smile, “I better get going, a lot of ground to cover before dark, and all that. Come on, Pikachu.” Said creature leaped from the table onto Ash’s backpack before climbing once more onto his head. With a wry grin, Ash left the Ketchum residence and headed off into the wilderness.
Delia stared after her son until she could no longer see him, and just as he vanished from sight, she whispered, “Please stay safe, Ash.”