Pokemon : An Unexpected Journey

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As Austin approached the video phones, he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in the back of his mind. Call Ash's mom. The thought pestered him. Delia had gotten a call from Ash in the canon, so it made sense to reassure her.

I guess I better call to ensure her that her 'son' is safe.

His hand hesitated before typing the number. His fingers almost felt like they were moving on their own, drawing out some memory from this body—Ash's body—and punching it in. The video phone blinked to life with a few rings, and Austin realized it was already eight in the evening. Hopefully, she’s still awake.

“Hello, this is the Ketchum residence.”

The voice was warm, familiar, and kind, but Austin's gut twisted. The video feed was off, and he knew exactly why. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to fall into character.

“Hello, Mom?”

Her cry of joy nearly made him flinch. He swallowed back the guilt that rose in his throat, knowing he was playing with someone’s emotions. Delia’s face lit up on the screen, and she was in a bathrobe, her hair damp as if she'd just gotten out of the shower.

“Hi, honey, is everything okay? Where are you, Ash?”

Austin tried to keep his voice steady, matching Ash's carefree tone. “The Pokémon Center in Viridian City.”

Her smile widened, pride shining in her eyes. “You’re already in Viridian City? It took your father four days to get there when he started Pokémon training! Oh, he’ll be so proud. You’re the apple of his eye.”

Austin forced a nervous laugh, the words catching in his throat. Father. Yeah, sure. “Haha, yeah, apple…”

But then she noticed the scratches on him. Her face fell.

“What happened to you?!”

“Spearow flock,” Austin muttered, anxiety spiking as her worry seemed to stab through the screen. “One attacked Pikachu, and when I caught it, the flock came after us.”

She gasped. “Are you hurt?”

“Uh, no, I’m fine.” Lie. Austin shifted uncomfortably. “Pikachu protected me.”

Delia’s expression softened again, a proud, loving smile back on her face. “That’s great, honey. You should go to sleep, though. Tomorrow’s another big day. I love you.”

"I love you," Delia said warmly.

The words hit Austin harder than expected, creating a lump in his throat.

"Me too," he replied softly, before hanging up. As he disconnected, he sat back, the weight of the conversation settling around him. This world, these connections—they were becoming more real with each passing moment, and he was right in the middle of it all, struggling to navigate through his own unexpected journey.

As he turned away from the phone, his mind raced. What should I do? Follow canon and aim for the Pokémon League? But more than that, he needed answers. How did I even end up in Ash’s body? His dream... If it was real, Dialga and Palkia could be involved. The legendary Pokémon of time and space.

He barely had time to think before the jarring, mechanical voice of the video phone cut through his thoughts.

“Ring, ring, ring. Phone call, phone call.”

God, why that sound? Austin rubbed his temples before answering the call. “Hello? Who is this?”

"Here, over here." Prof. Oak's familiar voice crackled through as his face appeared—well, sort of. He was showing the back of his head.

Austin couldn’t help but snort. “I would if I wasn’t looking at the back of your head.”

The Professor fumbled, turning the camera around, his sheepish face coming into view. “There! I just got off the phone with your mother. She told me you made it to Viridian City. Is that right?”

Austin raised an eyebrow. “What do you think? You called here.”

Oak coughed to cover his embarrassment. “Ah, yes, well, the others made it to Viridian City. Gary and Ritchie have already left, and Luna—well, she’s staying at her home in Viridian.” He paused, a twinkle of amusement in his eye. “I bet my grandson a million Pokédollars you’d get there with a new Pokémon. He said you wouldn’t have one yet.”

A sigh slipped out of Austin. “You won that bet.” Spearow is no Charmander, but still... Luna? Who the hell is Luna? “Nurse Joy’s checking on Spearow and Pikachu now.”

The Professor’s eyebrows shot up. “A Spearow? That's a tricky one for a new trainer.”

Austin shrugged. “We’ll see.” Not like I had much of a choice.

Before Oak could say anything else, a doorbell rang offscreen. “Ah, there’s my pizza! Nice talking to you, Ash.”

Austin hung up, barely holding back a laugh as he wondered what kind of weird flavor the Professor had ordered. Probably something ridiculous like pineapple and extra anchovies.

But before he could dwell on that, Nurse Joy walked out, holding Pikachu’s Pokéball and another one containing Spearow. “Here you go, Ash.”

“Thanks,” Austin muttered, kneeling down to pick up Pikachu.

“CHU!”

Pain surged through Austin, every nerve screaming as electricity coursed from Pikachu’s body. “ACK!” He stumbled, blinking through the shock. “I thought we were friends.”

Pikachu’s sheepish look didn’t help much, though the little guy still seemed guarded.

Seriously? That hurt like hell.

Nurse Joy looked taken aback, and so was Austin. What did Pikachu even want? There was something more than just a friendship test happening here.

“Pika, Pika Pi,” Pikachu muttered, his eyes darting away. It took Austin a second, but then it clicked. He’s not my friend. Not yet. All I earned was a chance.

“You didn’t have to shock me…” Austin grumbled, pushing himself up.

Before he could fully recover, Misty burst into the Pokémon Center. “Is there a room open?”

Nurse Joy nodded. “We have plenty of room tonight.”

Misty sighed in relief. “Thank you.” Then, her eyes caught Austin's. “Hey, you’re that kid—”

Suddenly, an alarm blared through the center.

“Attention please. Our Viridian City Radar System has detected a suspicious aircraft belonging to a gang of Pokémon thieves. If you have a Pokémon in your possession, exercise extreme caution.”

Austin tensed, biting back a groan. I know exactly what that means.

A few seconds later, the sound of breaking glass echoed through the center, and two Pokéballs fell from the ceiling. Out popped a purple, spherical Pokémon leaking toxic fumes, and a purple snake with yellow rings coiling around its body.

Koffing and Ekans. Austin wasn’t surprised, but something about seeing them up close again felt different—more dangerous.

Koffing started spraying fumes everywhere, filling the room with thick, toxic air. Austin's throat burned, and he started coughing, his vision swimming. Not deadly… but disorienting. He struggled to stay upright, forcing himself to focus as Misty choked out, “What’s going on?”

A high-pitched laugh answered her. "We'll answer your question, little girl."

Then a smooth male voice followed. "Allow us to introduce ourselves."

The smoke cleared just enough for Austin to see them—two people in white uniforms with a giant red "R" on their chests. Jessie, with her long mahogany hair, and James, twirling his rose.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people within our nation."

Oh, no. Not this.

They went through the whole motto, word for word, and Austin just stood there, coughing and barely able to believe it. I used to think this was cool as a kid, but now? This is just ridiculous.

"Meowth, that’s right!"