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A Winkle in Reality: Chapter 14.
🕑 Added 2025-06-16 15:00:15 +0000 UTCThank you for reading.
Fucking finally we're an offical Trainer and getting out of Pallet. This is gonna be a 5 million words story at this rate. This shit was supposed to be prologue!
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Finally, the day had come. I tapped my foot impatiently while looking at the clock.
10 minutes left.
“Will you calm down!? You're being annoying.”
“Sorry.” I sighed, glancing at Gary as he stood with crossed arms in the middle of the Lab. “Though you're hardly one to talk.” I retorted, nodding to his own jumping foot.
He huffed and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “What's taking those losers so long anyway?”
“Now, now, Gary, they still have time.” The Professor said, flipping through some papers. I glanced at them briefly and recognized them as the notes he’d taken on the interaction between Betty and a Cranidos he’d been lent for study. That had been a thing, and not in a good way. Cranidos was an aggressive little bastard on a good day, as most fossil Pokémon were. They were the remnants of a more brutal age and didn't have the genetic memory of interacting with humans or other Pokémon in a friendly way.
Surprisingly, Cranidos had seemed quite fond of Betty and Oak had nearly frothed at the mouth when he started doing something the Professor claimed to be a mating ritual of some sort. Apparently, it was the first time a Cranidos had been observed doing it towards something other than a Ditto.
Unfortunately, Betty hadn't shared the interest. Quite the opposite. I’d barely managed to recall her before she killed the ancient Pokémon. Not that he’d been discouraged from that. If anything, Cranidos was even more eager.
Poor bastard. Didn't understand when he was out of his league.
“Yeah, sure, but who arrives at the last minute on a day like this!?” Gary complained.
I couldn’t help but agree, even if I stayed silent about it. I’d considered dropping by Ash's house to wake him up on time, but the future consequences stayed my hand. Not only was Pikachu an integral part of saving the world multiple times, but Ash would end up catching all three Kanto starters anyway, the lucky fuck. Not that I had any room to talk about luck with Pokémon, but still.
Any further discussion was cut off as the double doors out to the reserve opened and Flame the Arcanine walked in, two of her kids by her side. The big one was easily identified by his size and color, while the other one was the second largest of the litter, a lithe female that moved with a grace completely opposite of the Alpha's lumbering.
“Hey guys. We already said goodbye, what's up?” I asked. Both Gary and I had made the rounds at dawn to say farewell to the inhabitants.
Ignoring us, Flame laid down and allowed her children to come to her. They nuzzled each other gently, the Growlithes whining and Flame chuffing comfortingly. Taking turns, the lower evolutions pressed their foreheads against their mothers for a time before leaving her side. I blinked in confusion as the big one came to sit in front of me, his head nearly at eye level. I’d grown in the almost four years I’d spent in Pallet. Nearly 14 years old, I stood at 5’6, so Growlithe being even close spoke to his sheer size. The female did the same with Gary, though she didn't reach as high, even with Gary being roughly three inches shorter than me.
“No.” The adult Oak said immediately, once the bell rang on what was going on. “No, no, no. I can't allow-”
A deafening woof interrupted him, Flame staring him down.
“Flame-”
“WOOF!”
“Not only is it unfair, it's not safe-”
“WOOF!”
“Gary, maybe, but Peri already has-”
“WOOF!”
“Flame, I'm serious, it is not just your decision-”
“WOOF!”
The Professor pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep, growling breath. Snapping his eyes open, he glared at me like it was my fault.
“Give me that backpack.“
Quickly swinging the bag off the back of my long-sleeved purple shirt that matched Gary's, I handed it to Oak with a pounding heart. While I’d brought it up multiple times, I hadn't actually expected it to happen.
With fast and careless motions very unlike him, clearly frustrated with being overridden like that, the older man tore open the bag and upturned it on the floor.
A flood of bundled paper bills fell out, a cascade of legal tender pouring out like water. The Pokémon seemed nonplussed by our reactions while all three of our jaws dropped at the stream of cash. It was unending. Currency piled on the floor, growing up to our ankles, our shins, our knees, and just kept on coming. I’d thought there might be a couple hundred thousand or something in it. An operation like the Rocket Lab required a lot of funds. Yet I’d never expected anything close to the actual amount.
Fucking Slowking. No, fucking me. Why did I never check the fucking bag!?
By the time the ocean of money stopped, the pile reached Oak's waist, a small mountain of bills that we stared at in stunned silence. The Professor was the first to snap out of it, a giant grin spreading across his face.
“I accept your offer!” He said cheerfully, throwing me the bag again. It took a second for me to register the words, and by the time that I did, Aly the Alakazam Teleported in with a small distortion of space.
“Wai-”
Before the full word even left my lips, both Aly and the giant pile of my money vanished.
The Professor clapped his hands, suddenly full of joy. “Alright! I guess you two will need your Pokéballs early!”
“Wait, what the fuck!? How much money was that!?” I sputtered, completely taken aback by the recent events.
“Don't worry about it, it's not yours anymore anyway.”
“You can't just take my money!” I protested. Fucker could at least ask me!
“Oh?” Oak raised an eyebrow, seeming amused. “So you don't want Growlithe?”
I stopped, mouth open to retort. I looked down into the begging eyes of the large dog Pokémon and deflated.
Sneaky fuck.
“I didn't say that.” I mumbled, accepting the five Pokéballs the Professor handed me. I clipped four of them to the back of my black magnetic belt that held up my black cargo pants, keeping the last one in my hand.
“It's settled then! Go on, catch them.” Oak took a step back, all thoughts of nepotism or me being in more danger than I’d have been otherwise seemingly gone in the face of a major payday.
Sell-out bitch.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Gary's face pinch together and his mouth open to say something. Probably a complaint about me getting the big one. Yet, before he said anything, he looked down at his own Growlithe and closed his mouth. I gained a small smile. Antagonistic dickhead or not, he wasn't stupid and was actually very good with Pokémon.
Turning back to my own awaiting Fire-Type, I asked the most important question left before catching him.
“Do you want to come with me?” Flame could say whatever she wanted, but if Growlithe didn't want to, then he wasn't going.
Fortunately, the dog Pokémon nodded enthusiastically and jumped up to lay his paws on my shoulders. I let out a yelp as he put his weight behind it and took me down to the floor, laying down on me and licking my face happily. I tried desperately to avoid his tongue, finally just pressing the Pokéball against his yellow pelt, digitizing and sucking him into the ball. It shook furiously for a second as he tried to figure out what happened, but he quickly settled down and the ball let out a click!
What just happened was very exciting, and I’d probably freak out later, but for the moment I was busy wiping dog drool off my face. By the time I got back to my feet, Gary had caught his own Growlithe and both him and the Professor were looking at me amusedly, though the older Oak gave me a nod for actually asking before catching.
Clipping the ball on my belt next to Siren’s and Betty’s, I felt all three of them shake, like they were acknowledging each other.
Anything else to be said was delayed as the Professor looked over our shoulders and pointed.
“Ah, there they are now.”
True to the Professor's word, the doors opened and Green and a boy walked in. It took me a second, but I managed to identify the boy as Jonathan. I didn't really know the guy or remember having a conversation with him. Maybe it was Canon bias or something, but I couldn’t bring myself to care either. He was apparently good enough to graduate the admittedly pretty tough exam and get a regional starter from Oak, so he had to be in the top three, but that was all I had.
“Sorry we're late!” Green called out, running in to stand besides Gary and me, Jonathan following with a swaggering walk.
“Not at all, my girl, you're still,” the Professor checked the clock, “4 minutes earlier. I don't suppose you saw Ash on the way, did you?”
She shook her head. Looking her over, I saw she had changed her outfit for the occasion. She still wore a hat, though the new one had a smaller brim and was white, with a red half Pokéball symbol on the front. It was lucky that it was spring, I noted, seeing her light blue tank top and red skirt, sneakers on her feet. A yellow bag hung from her shoulder, finishing off her assembly.
I thought Jonathan might have changed his clothes as well, but who cared.
“Nice hat.” I complimented her.
“Thanks!” She beamed, bouncing lightly on her toes. “My brother gave it to me!”
“Yeah, you're slightly less of a fashion nightmare than usual.” Dickishness was deeply engrained in Gary and that might’ve been the closest I’d heard him come to a compliment.
Green glared at him, only to do a double take and look between him and me, a smirk pulling on her lips.
“Awww, you guys have matching shirts! That's so cute!”
Gary sputtered in denial, his face reddening in embarrassment, while I just returned the smirk lazily. “Delia got them for us.”
“Gramps, what's the hold up!?” Gary swiftly ended the conversation, still blushing.
“We are still waiting for Ash, Gary.”
“If the loser can't be on time, that's his fault, not ours! Don't even know why you're gonna give the dumbass a starter, he only got 8th in the class.”
Oak hesitated as the clock hit two minutes past 8, but finally sighed and put his notes away. “I suppose there is no point in punishing you kids. He'll just have to catch up then. Very well.” He clapped his hands. “Today is the day! Are you excited to finally become Trainers!?”
“Yeah!” We all chorused.
“That's good! You have worked hard to get here. I know my exam wasn't easy, but you four scored some of the highest marks I've seen since I started the school! You should all be very proud of yourselves.”
The other children straightened with pride, yet I didn’t really feel it. Sure, there had been some new physics and learning about Pokémon was dope, but it was still pretty easy, even if I only got 5th.
“First things first, Gretchen and Jonathan, your Pokéballs.” They readily accepted the small balls, putting them on their belt like Gary and I. “A week's worth of rations, though it won't last you, Peri, quite that long. Five Potions, and I've even thrown in a Super Potion for good measure. And last, but certainly not least, and this is really exciting, my new invention! Behold, the newest version of the PokéDex!” Like he was Mario who’d just gotten a new star, the Professor held the small red GameBoy-esk device out proudly. I stared at it hungrily.
There it was.
“The PokéDex, or the Pokémon Index, is a special invention that I made to catalog and identify Pokémon with only a quick scan! Simply point the machine at a nearby Pokémon, hit the button, and it will tell you everything from species and size, to the moves they know and their general state of health. I will even keep track of changes in repeatedly scanned Pokémon, so you can see progress or the effect of a change in diet.”
Oak started handing them out and I took mine reverently. Computer options at the Lab had been limited, so I hadn't had the time to look up as much stuff as I wanted.
“As I said, this is the newest version, so there are some extra features. Professor Rowan of Sinnoh has agreed to join our little cooperation, so the full list of known Pokémon from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh will be available to you, as well as my own notes on those from other regions, though said notes are not complete by any means. There is also a phone function, PokéNet access, and it will function as your Trainer ID. Hmm, I believe that's it. Oh, and a camera.”
That's it he said, like it wasn't already one of the most advanced machines around. Oak had mentioned in passing that he’d sold the original model to Silph Co. so that it would be available to the ordinary Trainer, but that one was connected to Silph's own database, which wasn’t as extensive, and that the Professor still got any new data from them.
Also, phone? That wasn't in canon, but it made a lot of fucking sense. Why the fuck could it not call people in the anime? What was with the 70's-era whole-ass NASA setup to make a fucking call? They could vacuum giant living beings into a small ball and bend space-time to make shit bigger on the inside like a fucking TARDIS, yet had never heard of a landline?
Weirdos.
“With these PokéDex's, I would like you to scan as many Pokémon as feasible for the databases, and, if possible, capture anything unusual. Of course, you must always remember,“ the cheerful mood as he ranted about technology was replaced by a sudden seriousness, “that Pokémon are living beings as worthy of respect as humans. Capture after battle or through agreement is perfectly fine, but should I hear that you have resorted to more shady means, your Trainer license will be revoked immediately. As my sponsored Trainers, you will be representing me out there and I have zero tolerance for that sort of behavior. Is that understood?”
We all agreed, equally serious. Well, Green and I were serious. Both Gary and Jonathan seemed bored while doing so. I wasn't sure if it was bias that made me give Gary some more slack, as Jonathan's attitude annoyed me while Gary only got semi-exasperated amusement, or if it was because I trusted Gary to treat his team well.
“Good! Well, with that sorted, I believe it's time for the truly exciting part!” Oak gestured to the big machine behind him. It was a large circular thing, with three Pokéballs placed in indentations. I wasn't sure what the purpose of the piece of tech was, but it sure looked impressive.
The moment I’d been debating arrived. I was cautious about altering the timeline too much, but there had to be limits as well. Future me beating the shit out of Team Rocket was going to make way more waves than giving the Professor a little warning.
“Uh, Professor? There's only three Pokémon.”
“Peri,” he looked at me sternly, wrinkled forehead creasing even further, “you are not getting a starter. Starting with two Pokémon was already pushing it, and now that you have three-”
“That's not it.” I quickly cut him off. In my peripheral vision I saw Green looking at me questioningly while Jonathan loudly exclaimed “THREE! THAT'S CHEATING!” glaring at me like I kicked his Growlithe. “I was thinking more about Ash.”
Oak looked at me with confusion for a moment, ignoring Jonathan's complaining, before turning to stare at the displayed Pokéballs.
He was silent for a second.
“Shit.”
I snorted as the color drained from his face before he hid it in his hands. “I knew I forgot something.” He groaned.
Gary loudly cleared his throat, tapping his foot pointedly. “Can we hurry this up already!?”
“Yes, yes, go on then. Charmander, right?” The Professor mumbled, visibly still kicking himself and trying to figure out a solution.
Gary sighed. “No, Gramps, Squirtle. You know that.”
“Right, yes, Squirtle. Of course.” Oak cleared his throat embarrassedly, gesturing to the left-most Pokéball and stepping out of the way. Gary walked up, trying not to run out of eagerness, and snatched up the ball. Wasting no time, he unleashed the occupant.
A Squirtle materialized, blinking around curiously. I gave it a quick once over reflexively. I’d spent a fair amount of time with the evolutionary line over the years, down by the lake. Its brown shell was smooth and scratch free, well taken care of and it stood a fair amount larger than the average for its species. Looking closer, I saw it had a small scar on its forehead and recognized it as one of Blasty's, Oak's Blastoise, male progeny. Gary had his eyes on that one in particular for a little over a year since it hatched.
Seeing Gary, Squirtle lit up, yet quickly settled when he saw the faux haughty expression on the boy's face, matching his crossed arms and sticking his nose in the air.
Gary huffed. “Alright squirt, today's the day. Do you think you have what it takes to be the starter of a future Champion!?”
Squirtle instantly lost his attempted solemness, cheering loudly and pumping an arm in the air.
“I can't hear you! Do you have what it takes to be a Champion!?”
Squirtle cheered even louder.
“Good!” Gary nodded firmly, his lips quivering. “Then from today on, your name shall be Squirty!”
I laughed loudly as the Professor and Green both facepalmed. Gary bent down and gave Squirty a high-five before recalling him and walking back to stand in line with the rest of us.
The Professor opened his mouth to say something, probably a reprimand, but Jonathan quickly cut in, storming forward.
“My turn! Gi’ me my Charmander!”
“Don't talk to Gramps like that, dipshit!”
“What'd you call me!?”
“Boys, settle down. Gary, language, Jonathan, ask Gretchen nicely if you can go first.”
Jonathan turned to Green with a suffering expression. “Can I go first? Please?” It was up there for the most insincere request I'd ever heard. I'd have refused out of spite.
Green was a nicer person than me, though, simply shrugging and saying “Sure.”
I tuned out Jonathan and Charmander's meeting. Beyond just being rude, I remembered anime Oak saying that the two other Trainers from Pallet besides Gary and Ash had dropped out. While that didn't sound correct for Green and was something I'd be keeping my eye on, I couldn’t find the energy to give a fuck about Jonathan if he was just going to give up anyway. Instead, I sunk into a light meditative state, trying to grasp at my Aura core, or whatever, as it flowed through my mental fingers like smoke.
I was close, I could feel it, but it just wouldn't stay fucking solid.
I tuned back in as Jonathan swaggered back. Green stepped forward and took the last ball with a somewhat worried glance at me. I took a deep breath and unclenched my hands, letting the anger flow out with the air.
Appearing from the Pokéball, a small blue-green amphibian with darker patches yawned with its wide mouth, gazing around with large droopy red eyes, its small ears twitching. Seeing Green crouched in front of it, it waddled forward fearlessly on its stubby, thick legs and plopped down before her. It yawned again and stretched, two vines extending from the small plant bulb on its back before retracting back in.
“Hello there!” Green greeted, keeping her voice low. The Bulbasaur returned it with a surprisingly deep growl. “I'm Gretchen, but I prefer Green. I've just become a Trainer and I want to be a Grass-Type Master. Do you want to help me?”
The small sauropod looked up at her sleepily for a time. Whatever it was that it was looking for it seemed to find it, nodding in agreement before closing its eyes and curling up. Green aww'd and gave it a couple of pads, much to its enjoyment, before returning it so it could rest.
The Professor clapped his hands again, beaming at us all with pride.
"Excellent! Truly excellent! I never doubted you of course, but it's always a treat to see young Trainers bond with their starters. It's one of my favorite parts of the year. Take good care of them and they will take care of you. Now, this old man has taken up too much of your time. Go, go! Be free! Go forth and seize your destinys! Oh, and be careful on your way to Viridian! The Spearow have been unusually aggressive as of late and I haven't had the time to look into it. A single Spearow might not be too much of a challenge, but I've been getting reports of a flock of over a hundred. Exaggerated, almost surely, yet caution is still advised.”
“Thank you Professor!” Both Green and Jonathan said, the boy immediately turning and running out the door, while Green mimed waiting outside. I gave her a nod and stayed back while Gary and the Professor said their goodbyes. As the youngest Oak stepped away, I went forward and took his place.
“Thank you for everything Professor.” I said, reaching my hand forward. He chuckled at my seriousness, taking the hand and shaking it.
“It was my pleasure, my boy. My assistants are going to be very sad that they have to get up before dawn again.”
I scoffed. “Lazy bastards. The entire Lab is gonna fall apart without me to push their work onto.”
“At least I have the money to hire someone new now.”
I raised my middle finger in response to his smirk. “Yeah, extorting children. The backbone of every successful institution. Good luck explaining to Ash why you don't have a Squirtle for him.”
Oak rubbed his eyes tiredly. “I can't believe I forgot. I'm not sure what to do. We have plenty of Pokémon, but they're either too young or not raised to be starter Pokémon. It takes a certain temperament to forgive the beginner mistakes of a completely new Trainer, the kind rarely seen in the wild. Hmmm, although,” he rubbed his chin as a metaphorical light bulb went off, “I did catch a young Pikachu sneaking into the Lab earlier today. Little guy was chewing on the wires. A bit ornery, perhaps, but nothing a determined young man can't deal with. Do you think Ash would like it?”
I carefully kept my face blank. “I'm sure he'd love it.”
“Hmmm, yes. Yes, that might be the play. Though I think I'll play a little prank on him first.” The Professor muttered, picking up a couple of the empty Pokéballs from the prepared pile. “Off you go, Peri. Keep me updated on Betty and Growlithe’s progress and be careful out there. These might be more peaceful times, but that doesn't mean it's safe. Plenty of people are willing to take advantage of a child for a payday. Though I suppose I don't need to remind you.”
The good mood faded, but I held off the worst of it through practice. “No, you don't.”
“Good. That's good. Then I'll speak with you soon.” Shooting me one last look as he placed the empty balls into the machine, he looked as serious as I'd ever seen him. “Don't do anything stupid.”
I waved him off over my shoulder as I walked out through the door. “I won't. See you. You too Gengy.”
The darker shadows in the corner of the ceiling undulated weirdly at my goodbye as the door closed behind me.
Taking a deep breath of the fresh late spring air through my nose, I exhaled happily. I almost couldn't believe it. I was finally a Pokémon Trainer. Sure, I'd had Siren and Betty for years, but now it was official. I could battle, challenge Gyms, go to the Conference, actual Trainer shit rather than being a glorified stable boy.
Not that I didn't enjoy my time taking care of the reserve’s Pokémon. It was great and I learned a lot, yet I was more than ready for the next step.
Being the strongest and standing at the top, Team Rocket a burning pile of rubble at my feet and the Champions of the world being laid low.
I was knocked from my dreams of grandeur when someone shorter than me hit my shoulder at speed while charging into the Lab.
“OUT OF MY WAY, PERI, I’M LATE!” I barely had time to make out the red hat covering black hair before the door slammed closed behind Ash.
Chuckling, I gazed out over the front of the Lab. Quite the crowd had assembled, nearly all of Pallet, it looked like. Tommy the baker, Lily the florist, and of course Delia Ketchum standing at the front in her usual apron. She smiled widely as I approached her.
“Peri, congratulations! Are you excited!?”
“I am Miss Ketchum, though I'll miss spending time with a beautiful woman like you.”
“Oh you.” She lightly hit me on the shoulder with one hand, while holding her blushing cheek with the other. I wasn't lying either. Delia must have been a teenager when she had Ash, as she didn't look a day over 30. “Maybe I should just keep you here. Spare all the girls having their hearts broken.”
“I almost wouldn't mind. Doubt there's better looking than you out there anyway.” I laid it on thick.
“Stop it.” She giggled. “Do you have everything? Tent, toothbrush, food, clothes? Clean underwear?”
“Yep, though you're always welcome to check my underwear.” I waggled my eyebrows, barely holding back a pitching a tent joke.
She laughed, pulling me in for a hug and ruffling my hair. “Oh, I'm going to miss you!” She clearly wasn't taking me seriously.
One day though.
Spotting Green standing by the side, I gave Delia the last parting words and walked over.
“Hey.”
“Hi!” She smiled.
“Heading to Celadon?” She’d talked about wanting to start her journey there rather than following Champion Indigo's traditional path and starting with Pewter.
“Yep. My brother’s gonna be here in a second and Teleport us. He even said he had a surprise for me!”
“Cool. Well, good luck with that. As far as I know, Erika isn't the toughest, but you still shouldn't take her lightly.”
“Oh, I won't. I'm not gonna challenge right away, my brother has promised to help me train, and then I'll probably go to Cerulean and Pewter.”
“That makes sense. Suppose it's easier when you have a Teleporter.” I wasn't jealous. Not even a little bit.
“As long as I have him, anyway.” She said. “He has his own Training to do for the Conference.”
“Makes sense.” I looked left and right. ”Have you seen where Gary went?”
She too started searching. “He was just here. Jonathan has already run off, but I didn’t see where Gary went.”
I hummed suspiciously. I feel like I was forgetting something Gary did in the anime, but my memories weren't as sharp after years. I just remember it being dumb.
HONK! HONK!
An obnoxiously loud horn made us spin around as the mystery of where Gary went was solved. I started laughing while Green loudly facepalmed and groaned beside me.
A red convertible sports car rolled around the corner of the building, from the direction of Flame's doghouse where I knew a side road led up to the Lab for deliveries. A woman in her late teens to early 20's that I didn't know sat behind the wheel with a pair of massive driving sunglasses and a cheerleader's uniform for some reason. Likewise, four similar dressed women were crammed into the backseat, pompoms covering their hands as they waved them wildly in the air and cheered.
And in the passenger seat, with a giant smirk and equally huge sunglasses, sat Gary.
“Sup scrubs?” He tried to act casual, yet it was kind of ruined by his chest being so puffed out that only his shoulders touched the backrest.
“Man, I knew you had a small dick, but I didn't know it was this tiny.” I teased him, smirking at the women in the back as they giggled at my insult.
“HEY! My dick’s huge, thank you very much! Not my fault if the world is finally recognizing the greatness that is Gary motherfucking Oak.”
“Uhuh, and how much did you pay ‘the world’ for them to recognize it? No wait, my bad. How much did your grandfather pay? And how many times did my name come up in that conversation?”
“Do you want a ride or not!?” He snarked, looking away as his face reddened. I cut him a break before he took off without me.
No way I was missing out on getting to ride in a car. Vehicles were rare in the Pokémon world, personal cars even more so. It was only the absolute upper-class that could afford dropping that kind of money on something slower than many Pokémon, not even mentioning just paying for a Teleport. Almost every major city had multiple companies that offered transport.
“Of course I want a ride. Scoot over ladies, handsome coming through.” I jumped over the low door and swung myself into the middle seat in a display of, in my humble opinion, awe-inspiring acrobatics born of long hours spent breaking my body with Champy. The cheerleaders seemed impressed if nothing else, giving the way they gasped and one even clapped as I leaned back and wrapped my arms around the two nearest ones that were practically already in my lab from the tight quarters.
“We ready then?” Gary asked, turning around in his seat to look at me. He frowned when he noticed the way I was holding his hype squad. I just waggled my eyebrows at him.
“Ash just headed in before you showed up. Oh, speak of Giratina, there he is.” I pointed as the youngest of us exited the Lab, his messy hair sticking out even more than usual. I smirked when I saw the cause, a small yellow mouse-like Pokémon, with long black tipped ears and red pouches on his cheeks, standing by Ash's side and looking none too happy about it.
I was seeing the birth of a legend right before my eyes, despite the humble beginnings. It was insane to imagine the kind of shit those two would get into as Ash tried to put Pikachu back in his Pokéball after something Delia said, only for the Electric-Type to send the ball back to him with a slap of his tail.
Both Gary and I howled with laughter as Pikachu seemed to get enough of the situation and let out a truly massive blast of electricity, shocking the entire crowd. I squirmed out of my comfortable spot buried in women and approached the boy as he picked himself up from the ground, smoking and groaning while Pikachu looked awfully smug.
“Holy shit Ash, off to a rough start, huh?”
“Peri!” He cried out. “It's not my fault! Professor Oak only had this stupid thing left and it won't stop shocking me!”
“Well, two things first of all. Stop calling him stupid and stop calling him a thing. Pikachu was a wild Pokémon until this morning, it's gonna take him a second to get used to people and even then, you didn't catch him yourself.” I tried to explain, crouching down before the mouse Pokémon as it glared at me. I held out a hand a decent distance from him and just left it there. Pikachu alternated between glaring at me and my hand, but slowly crept closer, sniffing furiously at my fingers. Only after his small black snout touched me did I slowly move them up to the top of his head. He froze, small bolts of lighting sparring from his cheeks as I gently scratched him behind the ears. I was convinced that I was about to get shocked, yet after a second he melted into the affection with a sigh.
Ash gaped at us with jealousy. “Why does he let you do that but not me!?”
“Maybe because you keep insulting him and trying to order him around? Have you even asked if he wants to come with you?”
The younger boy opened his mouth, only to freeze and close it again. I sighed in disappointment while Gary laughed mockingly from the car.
“Mew, I knew you were a loser, but even I didn't know the extent!”
“GARY! DID YOU ALREADY GET YOUR POKÉMON!?”
I tuned out the ensuing argument and focused on Pikachu.
“Take good care of the dumbass, will you? He means well and is a good guy, but sometimes I think he forgot his brain in the womb.“
The rodent scowled at Ash's back while he and Gary yelled at each other, making me chuckle as I gave him one of the vegan treats from my fanny pack and stood up. I was running out of them, but it didn't feel necessary to buy more as I had Water-Type treats for Siren and meat based ones for Betty and Growlithe.
Going back to the car, I jumped into my earlier spot and got comfortable. Listening to the argument, which had descended into insults, I asked a question that I already knew the answer to, just to move things along.
“You riding with us to Viridian, Ash?”
“The fuck he is!”
“No! I'm not gonna cheat!”
“Not really cheating when we'd walked there several times, but suit yourself. We’ll just beat all the Gyms and catch all the Pokémon before you get there. Punch it Gary.” I waved to Green who still stood by the side, seeming forgotten by the boys. She waved back with exasperated fondness, matching my own feelings.
“Smell ya later, loser!”
“WAIT, NO! LEAVE SOME POKÉMON FOR ME! THAT'S NOT FAIR! DAMN YOU GARY! PERI!”
I smiled as the shouts faded in the distance, the roar of the car engine overtaking it. Squeezed between beautiful women, two pairs of breasts pushing against me from either side, and with a new rare Pokémon on my belt, I had to admit.
Despite the rough prelude, my official journey was off to a great start.
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Cars, and vehicles all together even, in the Pokémon world confuse me, so in this fic, they interfere and annoy wild pokémon, so their use is limited.
Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed.
