16He knew staying up as late as he did would have come to bite him in the rear the next day. He was late on the one day that mattered to him more than any other day till now. Today was the day he was starting his Pokemon Journey.
Breakfast was a thing he'd do later, it was not more important than him getting to pick his starter Pokemon! He rushed out of his house and ran all the way to Professor Oak's Laboratory. Professor Oak was not a stranger to Ash. As a kid, he had attended the man's Pokemon Camp once and earned the Professor's interest when he befriended wild Pokemon easily. Over the years the Professor had invited him as an 'assistant', where his only work would be to interact with the Pokemon in the Professor's care or with wild Pokemon who made home in the Laboratory backyard. All of this was done under strict supervision, it would be irresponsible to do it any other way.
"Professor!" Ash slammed the door open.
"Hello Ash" the Professor called out from the second level of the building.
Ash climbed the steps to find the Professor sorting through the Pokeballs on a podium. Those were the balls that contained the starter Pokemon. Ash had seen a few trainers start their journey, always wishing he could start his journey. And now he was going to begin his journey.
"I don't believe I need to give the whole speech," the Professor said with a smile. Ash had it memorized by heart.
Excitedly the boy rushed over to the Pokeballs and grabbed one with a grin.
"I've been thinking hard about who I wanted for my starter Pokemon, and I know this one is the one."
The Pokeball opened… and a burst of energy flew out from it. Squirtle stood before him with a smile, swaying its tail slowly.
"It's quite energetic," the Professor said with a smile, "one worth raising," it was clear that the Professor approved of the choice.
The sound of the door downstairs slamming could be heard again, followed by sedated footsteps on the stairs. Gary soon made himself known, smirking smugly like he always did.
"Grandpa, I am here for my Pokemon."
Professor Oak sighed while Ash rolled his eyes.
Ash had known Gary almost all his life, more rivals than friends or enemies. The grandson of the Professor was spoiled, had a superiority complex, and did not see Ash as his equal even with the boy helping Professor Oak from time to time. Even now he was ignoring Ash entirely.
Gary sauntered over to the podium and picked up one of the two remaining Pokeballs. The device opened, only to reveal it was empty. With a frown, he put it back and picked up the other one, which was empty as well.
"Grandpa what-"
"The Pokemon were taken by trainers who were on time," the Pokemon Professor said sternly.
Shocked Gary looked at Ash, then Squirtle, both of whom were grinning ear to ear.
"But… I'm your grandson!"
"And I have a duty to treat all trainers who come to me equally."
"But… but what now? I need a Pokemon!"
It would be a lie if Ash said he did not feel bad for Gary. If Ash was even a minute more late than he was, it would have been him there and not Gary.
The Professor sighed. "There is one Pokemon but-"
"I don't care! I want it!" Gary demanded.
The midsection of the podium opened at the press of a button and another Pokeball slowly came up.
"This one is lively and a troublemaker" Professor Oak warned, but halfway into his warning Gary swiped the Pokemon and brought the Pokemon inside out. It was a Pikachu.
"This is it?" Gary asked with a frown.
Pikachu glared at Gary and blasted him with Thundershock, which spread to hit everyone in the room, including Ash and Squirtle.
Squirtle, agitated by the hit, blasted Pikachu in the face with a Water Gun.
Both Pokemon soon broke into a fight, blasting one another with Thundershock and Water Gun.
"Enough! Call them back!" Professor Oak snapped.
Ash quickly called Squirtle back to its Pokeball.
But Gary was not having any luck with his attempt. Pikachu dodged the recalling laser, jumping around the room before diving out the window. Gary rushed out to find his starter.
"That boy" Professor Oak sighed. He turned his attention back to Ash and explained the basics of being a Pokemon Trainer to him before he handed the Pokeball and Pokedex over.
-X-
"Mom I'm home!" Ash called out while walking through the front door of his house. His mother must have been waiting because she was right in front of him in no time.
"No breakfast, left in just your pajamas and without telling me a thing! Young man you are in so much trouble," his mother said sternly, hands on hips and a frown on her lips.
"I went to Professor Oak's!" Ash complained. "I was supposed to start my journey today?"
"I remember. But that does not excuse any of what you've done" The frown was set even more now, her eyes pinned her son with a slight glare.
Ash knew how to fix that. He brought out Squirtle.
And immediately his mother melted. She loved Pokemon just as much as he did after all.
Breakfast was a quick affair with Ash gobbling his meal while his mother continued to gush over Squirtle. The Pokemon seemed to enjoy the attention. Ash changed into his new clothes and finished his packing after breakfast before he was ready to leave.
"Did you pack everything properly? Your toothbrush, your new pajamas, your underwear?"
"Yes!" Ash shouted with a blush. Talking about his underwear like that was embarrassing…
His mother giggled in reply. "Remember to call home so I know you're doing alright. And stay in the Pokemon Center lodgings if you're close to a Pokemon Center. They make better food than whatever you can make in the wild."
"I can make rice balls…"
Again Deliah giggled. "You be safe, okay? And look after Squirtle too! He may be the Pokemon but a trainer has an equal responsibility of looking after his Pokemon. It's what partners do."
"Yes Mom" Ash smiled. Sometimes the way his mother talks makes him think whether she was ever a trainer or not. He hadn't seen any Pokemon of hers around, so she probably wasn't.
"Oh, before you leave" the woman fished a letter from her apron. "Serena wrote to you."
Serena was a friend Ash made at the camp Professor Oak held every year. Though she had moved away to another region not long after it. The two kept correspondence over letters.
Ash opened the letter and read through it excitedly. Serena was starting her journey today as well or had already started by the time this letter reached Ash. The boy wondered how different things were between the two regions, the kind of Pokemon that lived there, and what moves they used. Professor Oak once said something about how the environment of a region affected a Pokemon in how they evolved and what kind of moves they were able to learn. Maybe Ash would learn about it as he journeyed through Kanto.
He returned the letter to his mother.
"I'll be going now," said Ash, engulfing his mother in a tight hug.
His mother hugged him back. "Take care, okay?"
"I will" Ash pulled back with a grin.
-X-
"The world outside is vast, that's what Professor Oak told me when I asked him what it was like to be a Pokemon Trainer. He says we need to find ourselves in this world and see what kind of a Pokemon Trainer we can be. And for that, we have to have each other's backs. I'm going to become a Pokemon Master, and I will need your help to get there."
Squirtle had been listening intently while walking beside Ash, nodding along to the words. The Pokemon stopped and his trainer with him. Squirtle turned and raised his tail. Ash with a smile grabbed it and shook it gently.
The two continue their walk to Viridian City when they run into a Pokemon in the grass.
Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokemon. It usually hides in tall grass. Because it dislikes fighting, it protects itself by kicking up sand.
"Our first catch" Ash grabbed an empty Pokeball. He sends Squirtle to weaken Pidgey first, to make it easier to catch.
Pidgey caught on to Ash's intentions when he called out Squirtle's move. It dodged the Water Gun, before kicking up a lot of sand as it flew away.
"Guess we were too loud" Ash spat out the sand that got in his mouth. A blast of water to his face made him choke. Squirtle was grinning at him. Ash broke into a smile as well, before the two were laughing.
Hello! So yes this is a different story from the other one I am writing and I have a very good reason for it! My head said to write a What If scenario but changed things around so it isn't an exact one to one similarity to the anime. Idk how dissimilar I can keep it but ya know, What if...?