Pokemon : An Unexpected Journey

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To his surprise, Delia—no, Mom—wasn’t standing in front of the Ranch with the group of people like in the anime. That was the first sign something was different. Austin let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He was going to have to get used to calling her "Mom." The thought felt like swallowing a stone. It would take a while before it stopped feeling like a lie. Still, he didn’t want her to worry about what happened to the real Ash.

"So come on, Pikachu," Austin said, trying to sound upbeat, but Pikachu turned his head away from him with a disdainful "Pikachu. Pika Pi," not even sparing him a glance.

Right. Ash gained Pikachu's friendship because of that whole Spearow mess. Austin knew he should probably set something similar up to gain Pikachu's trust, but… no. He shook his head, dismissing the thought. He wasn’t going to pull that stunt.

Austin sighed, trying to keep his frustration in check. "Come on, don't I get the benefit of the doubt for not putting you in the Pokéball?"

Pikachu gave him a look—a blank stare that somehow managed to feel condescending. "Pika Pi." Austin didn’t need to understand Pokémon language to know that tone; it was definitely an insult. Great, even the electric mouse thought he was a joke.

He glanced down at his pajamas, and yeah, okay, maybe Pikachu had a point. He probably looked ridiculous.

Austin trudged back to Professor Oak’s lab, trying to ignore Pikachu scratching his head with his foot, completely ignoring him. When he came back out, he was wearing rubber gloves—the best he could do on short notice. He reached out and picked up Pikachu. Predictably, Pikachu tried to shock him, his cheeks sparking furiously, but the gloves did their job. Nothing.

"I’ll put you down in a few minutes, but I just want to get home and change out of these pajamas," Austin said, glancing at Pikachu. His glare could’ve melted steel.

On the way to the house, Austin could feel Pikachu’s eyes burning holes into him, even when he finally set him down on the ground. Pikachu growled at him, and Austin couldn’t help but snap back, "Hey, you’re the one that didn’t want to go anywhere." Pikachu’s cheeks started sparking again, and Austin held up his hands defensively. "Look, can’t we just have a compromise?"

Pikachu raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical.

"We go through Route 1, and if you still don’t like me by the time we get to Viridian, you can go your own way," Austin offered, holding out his hand. "Deal?"

Pikachu frowned, not trusting him one bit. "Pika Pi Chu Pika!" His eyes were practically daring Austin to break his word.

"Ash, is that you?" Delia's voice pulled Austin back to reality. She was standing there, a gentle smile on her face, but he panicked a bit inside.

"Uh, yeah, I panicked when I woke up Mrs.—er, Mom," Austin corrected himself, wincing inwardly at the slip-up.

Pikachu gave him a curious glance, as if he were piecing something together. "Pika?"

Delia, bless her heart, didn’t seem to notice Austin's nervousness. "Oh, is that your Pokémon?" she asked, bending down to pick Pikachu up.

"Wait! D—er—Mom—" Austin started, his voice rising in panic.

Pikachu was about to zap her, he could tell, but then she scratched a spot between his ears. To Austin's utter shock, Pikachu’s eyes glazed over with pure bliss. He leaned into her touch, smiling like a satisfied house cat. "Chaa."

Austin stared, dumbfounded. Now that’s not fair.

"Your clothes are out on your bed," Delia said with a smile, while Pikachu was practically drooling from the head rub.

"R-right," Austin muttered, heading up to his—Ash’s—room. As soon as he stepped inside, he was hit with a wave of déjà vu. It was like walking into a set from the anime, everything just so painfully familiar.

He changed into the black shirt, threw the blue vest over it, slipped on the blue jeans, and tied the red and white hat over his head. Pulling on those fingerless green gloves, Austin caught his reflection in the mirror and almost flinched. He looked like Ash Ketchum more than ever now—like he was really becoming him. And it scared him a little.

When Austin went downstairs, Delia had breakfast ready. The smell hit him like a punch in the gut. There she was, treating him like her son, all warm and loving, and here he was lying to her face. Pretending to be Ash when he had no idea how this even happened. And worse, he was about to steal Ash's journey from him.

Pikachu was busy eating some Pokémon food that Delia kept on hand, looking happier than Austin had ever seen him. He gave it another shot, hoping to bridge the gap. "Hey Pikachu," he said, almost pleading.

Pikachu didn’t even look at him. Just turned his head away like he wasn’t even there. Yeah… still a dick, Austin thought.

"Eat up," Delia said, oblivious to Austin's inner turmoil. "You’ll need your strength before your journey." Austin forced a smile for her sake.

"Got it, M—Mom," he stammered, trying not to seem suspicious. She gave him a slightly puzzled look, like she was noticing all the little things he was doing differently—eating slower, using manners, not wolfing down his food like Ash supposedly would.

When it was finally time to leave, Delia gave Austin one of those awkward mom hugs, telling him to be careful and to change his underwear. All he could do was nod, fighting the rising tide of guilt.

Out on Route 1, Pikachu was walking a few steps behind Austin, probably to avoid being carried again. He still had those rubber gloves on standby just in case. "Well, here we are," Austin said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "Our journey awaits."

Pikachu gave him a deadpan look. "Pika Pi?" Translation: 'Our journey? Seriously?'

Austin took a deep breath, pushing forward despite the sinking feeling in his gut. He could see Pidgeys flitting about the trees, no trainers in sight, which was probably for the best. Pikachu was still keeping his distance when he suddenly darted up a tree, looking at Austin like he’d just outsmarted him.

"Seriously, Pikachu?" Austin called up to him, crossing his arms. Pikachu just sat there, smug as ever, sticking his tongue out. Great, so this is how it’s going to be, Austin thought.

He sat down on the grass, refusing to give Pikachu the satisfaction of a reaction. "Well, you’ll have to come down eventually," Austin said, smirking up at him.

Pikachu looked genuinely surprised. He must've expected Austin to try and force him down with a Pokéball or something. But Austin wasn’t going to play that game. Not yet, anyway.

A thought crossed Austin's mind. Maybe he should just forget about recreating the Spearow incident to gain Pikachu’s trust. It was tempting, considering how pivotal it was in the series, but risking both of their lives on a stunt like that? Not a chance. If Pikachu ever found out he did it on purpose, it would ruin everything.

But then again… if Austin didn't recreate that event, what else might change? The butterfly effect—or maybe in this world, the Butterfree effect—was already at play. How much could one choice screw up the timeline?

Austin shook his head again, forcing the doubt to the back of his mind as he spotted a wild Spearow nearby. He reached into his backpack for one of the empty Pokéballs Professor Oak gave him. "I don’t suppose you’ll help me catch a Pokémon?" Austin asked Pikachu with a hopeful smile.

Pikachu laughed. Actually laughed. Like Austin had just told the funniest joke in the world. "...Yeah, didn’t think so," Austin muttered.

As he moved away from the tree to give it a shot on his own, Pikachu’s smirk grew wider. Then, to Austin's shock, Pikachu actually bolted. Took off running down the tree like he was making a break for it. That little—

Before Austin could react, Pikachu collided head-on with something—a Spearow, glaring back at him with the same intensity. "Spear!" it cried, taking to the air in an aggressive stance. Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me, Austin thought.

"Pikachu, use Thundershock!" Austin shouted instinctively as the Spearow dove at him. Pikachu didn’t hesitate. Sparks flew from his cheeks as he unleashed a jolt of electricity, and the Spearow screeched in pain before Austin threw the Pokéball, holding his breath as it wobbled on the ground.

It clicked shut, the capture confirmed. Relief washed over Austin for half a second. "Are you alright, Pikachu?" he asked, but there was no time for an answer.

The sky seemed to darken as a flock of Spearows took to the air, their angry cries filling Austin's ears. He barely had time to react before they were coming straight for him. "Oh come on!" Austin yelled as he grabbed Pikachu and ran for it, his heart pounding out of his chest. Every muscle screamed in protest as he forced himself to keep moving.

‘This is insane! I didn’t even throw the rock that caused this in the anime, and it’s happening anyway!’ Austin thought bitterly, trying to push himself to run faster.

The Spearows were closing in, and one of them slammed into the back of his head hard enough to make him see stars. Austin gritted his teeth, feeling the adrenaline pumping through him. "Pikachu, get in your Pokéball!" he shouted.

"Pi?!" Pikachu glared at him, outraged.

"Listen to me," Austin gasped, almost tripping over his own feet. "I’m not going to let you get hurt." And besides, he could run faster without Pikachu weighing him down.

Another Spearow jabbed at his arm, and Austin winced in pain as he tried to shield Pikachu with his vest. Suddenly another Spearow slammed into his head, sending him tumbling to the ground. He rolled, dazed and in pain, hearing Pikachu cry out in alarm.

Austin forced himself to his feet, the world spinning around him. "Pikachu, get out of here!" he yelled, his voice cracking.

Pikachu stared at him, eyes wide with shock, but Austin didn’t give him time to react. He grabbed a rock and hurled it at the lead Spearow, nailing it in the beak. "Over here!" Austin taunted, drawing their attention away from Pikachu. He braced himself, knowing he was about to pay dearly for that.

‘Regret! Regret! Major regret!’ Austin thought wildly, sprinting like his life depended on it—because it probably did. He couldn’t believe he was actually doing this. His lungs felt like they were on fire, his legs about to give out, but he kept going, knowing he had no choice.

Just when Austin thought he might outrun them, he tripped again, face-planting hard into the dirt. Pain exploded through him as the Spearows swarmed, their beaks and claws ripping into his skin. He tried to shield his face, crying out in agony.

This is it, Austin thought, his vision going hazy. I’m gonna die like this. Pecked to death by a bunch of angry birds.

Then suddenly, a flash of light burst through his eyelids. "CHU!" Pikachu’s Thundershock cracked through the air, scattering the Spearows in a burst of electricity.

Austin looked up through the haze of pain, seeing Pikachu standing there, cheeks sparking, glaring down the flock of Spearows like he was daring them to come closer.

"Pikachu, there’s too many," Austin rasped, trying to push himself up, his body trembling. "Get out of here."

Pikachu shook his head, standing his ground. For the first time since they’d met, he wasn’t going to run away.

Austin's vision was fading fast, his body giving up on him, but as he slipped into unconsciousness, the last thing he heard was a voice calling out. "Staryu, use Water Gun!"