Chapter Text
Today was just a terrible day for Ashlyn “Ash” Ketchum.
It should had been the most important and best day of her life. The day a child turn ten was a great milestone for all children for that was the day they gain their Trainer License. The day where her Pokemon Journey began… where she can figure out who she is and… find a place to belong.
Except, not only did she wake up late due to accidentally throwing her clock like it was a Pokeball… she had also waken up to find her mom gone.
Ash didn’t really know her mom. She fed her (when she remembered) and clothe her, never really abused her… but she wasn’t there. She would just sit there, blank and unreachable...nothing like the stories people had told her when she had asked what her mother was really like. Her mother had been an aide to Professor Oak, and been happily married to what she had been told was a gym leader...but when Ash had been four, her older brother had been kidnapped and her mom… had just wasted away. Her dad never came home, sending care packages and presents on her birthday and Winter Solstice but Ash had knew she was busy with both the gym and trying to find her brother.
So Ash had been raised mostly by Professor Oak, the creator of the first electronic Pokedex. He was a nice man though a bit funny. He had allowed her to stay at his house plenty of times when the silence became too much or when her mom would go to bed without feeding Ash. The only problem was his grandson, Gary was a big class jerk in Ash’s eyes. He thought that because he was the grandson of Professor Oak who had also been Kanto’s first Champion, that he was better than anyone else and that other trainers shouldn’t even try with him around. Her and Gary had used to be friends, but when Ash struggle in school and he was praised by the teachers over how smart he was, he decided to cut her off because he thought she would drag him down from his full potential. He then started bullying her, mocking her for forgetting that Jigglypuff was not a fairy type like Cleafable (when it should, its freaking pink) or forgetting that Flabebe was in fact a fairy type and not a grass type. Not that it didn’t matter to Gary that the fairy typing was a new discovery for Kanto after Champion Lance finally got rid of the old prejudiced hags who had affected their educational system because they thought Kanto was better than all the other regions and didn’t want to open their borders to anyone but their sister region Johto, which they shared a League with. But still, it had hit Ash hard trying to remember everything with the new revamp lesson plans that all trainer schools in Kanto had to go through.
But still, Ash had passed the test for her trainer license and even gotten the second highest score for the sponsor rank version (Gary got first place of course). Which meant that she was supposed to have either gotten a Charmander, Squirtle or Bulbasaur as her starter. Which she even sat down and study endlessly so she could train them right for whoever she chose!
But then she woke up late, discovered her mom was gone… Ash would admit that she had broken down crying a bit before she realize she needed to get going. Running down in just her pajamas was embarrassing, being mocked by Gary was humiliating, but being told that the night before, the Bulbasaur had been stolen in the middle of the night and Gary and Damien had come to the lab before her. So all the starters had been gone… that was despairing…
Luckily, at least at the beginning, Ash had been given a Pikachu that Professor Oak had recently caught. Unfortunately, Pikachu it seems to hate humans. He would growl at her, hiss, send warning shots of sparks at her, and even shock her a few times. It took Ash using a clothesline and a pair of rubber gloves to drag him to her house to change clothes and to grab her bag, before dragging him onto Route One. Ash had tried everything to get him to at least trust her a little. From taking the clothesline off to offering him food, to letting him sniff her hand. But all Pikachu did was climbed up a tree and glare at her. So, Ash had decided to do the smart thing and give him space...even though she looked longingly at the Pidgey and Rattata that were scampering around, but Ash wasn’t stupid enough to try and fight a Pokemon on her own.
But, her attempt to try and get along with Pikachu again so they could keep going to Vidiran City… backfired badly. Pikachu had decided to give her another warning by shooting off a Thundershock that wasn’t aimed at her… but it had hit a Spearow who didn’t take too kindly at being hit.
“So here we are now, running along Route 1 to avoid being killed by a flock of Spearow!” Ash thought with wide eyes as she runs along the dirt covered path, heart beating rapidly against her chest, lungs burning as she tries to breathe. She could hear the Spearows cawing behind them, some in anger, some in glee at the thrill of the hunt. Her eyes flicker to Pikachu was a few steps ahead of her, making sure he was ok since she knew that wild Pokemon would attack caught Pokemon due to either jealousy or other hatred for humans.
Ash was brought out of her thoughts as she felt something gripped her ankle, and Ash finds herself grunting as she lands face first in the dirt. Her eyes squeeze in pain as she pushes herself up, slowly opening to watch in horror as Pikachu runs father ahead, diving into the bushes. Ash didn’t have time to react as soon the flock swarm around her. Screaming in pain as a talon rips deep into her throat, Ash covers her face with her arms as she curls in a ball trying to protect herself. But their beaks and talons still hit their marks, ripping into the skin of her face and arms. Ash tries to bat them away with her arm, but the Spearow flew out of the way and dive right back in. She let out another scream as a claw cut deep underneath her eye, just barely missing the organ.
Sobbing, Ash curls up tightly, keeping her face into the ground to trying to protect herself as much as she could. She could feel a warm substance dripping down her face and the metallic taste pooling in her mouth told Ash that it was her blood. Fear grabbed at Ash’s heart though when her vision was slowly going black as she slowly choked on it, finding it hard to breathe. “No… it can’t end like this… please… someone… anyone… help,”
Before she fell into the peaceful darkness, Ash swore she heard a beautiful mournful cry before flames shot over her and the Spearow, sending the birds flying.
Ho-oh narrowed his eyes in disgust at the retreating Spearow, “Bullies the lot of them,” he thought angrily before turning sorrow filled red eyes towards the girl that he had been waiting for. That all legendaries had been waiting for, since the day that Arceus had been force to sleep after his… betrayal. They had all been warned that this child will be something special by both Dialga and Celebi, that the child will have a big heart for Pokémon and will help them all even with her life on the line.
Ho-oh is shame to admit that he didn’t know how much he believed that. He had met many Chosen Ones in his life, Sir Aaron, Lucius, Damos and Akari so he didn’t know what was different about this Chosen One beside fitting the name with Lugia’s prophecy and being female. The last female Chosen One was Akari.
But still, his disbelief wouldn’t stop him from feeling anger and fury at the state of her. She was a child, and even territorial Pokémon such as Spearow should know better. That harming a child would just anger the adult humans. Sure, many trainers died but it was mostly because they were cruel, or they were just too cocky and didn’t see the signs. But those have all been adults, those old enough to know what they were getting into. It was all but a law to not harm a child. Chase them a bit? Yes. Spook them a bit? Yes. But to do harm to them? No. “Still… I need to get her help, there is no one nearby… that orange hair girl left the stream an hour ago,” he frowns, knowing that this may draw the eyes of many humans, especially unwanted humans but Ho-oh knew that he could easily hide from them, he has for many years.
Saving this Chosen One was more important than staying hidden from human eyes. So carefully, he gently grabs her with foot, making sure that his own talons don’t hurt her, before taking flight, heading towards Viridian.
Giovanni smirks, watching as the Tarous struggle in Mewtwo’s psychic grip, watching as the grunts hurl their Pokeballs at them, capturing them with no problem. A sense of pride and he had to admit arrogance filled him. He was all but unstoppable with Mewtwo by his side and as long as he doesn’t fuck things up, Team Rocket will have all the power it needs. “People will fear the name of Team Rocket, no one would dare go against us…and maybe… maybe I’ll be able to find Silver… and make the bastard who took him pay,”
“Sir,” pulling out of his thoughts, Giovanni turns his gaze to Matori walked over, holding a cellphone up to him, “You’re getting a called from the Viridian Emergency Hospital, they say that it’s important,”
Confusion filled him, making Giovanni frowned before he takes the phone and holds it up to his ear, “This is Giovanni, how can I help you?”
“Hello, sir. I’m sorry to bother a busy man such as yourself. But do you know an Ashlyn Ketchum?”
Actual terror gripped at his throat like a vice grip, the soft gasp that left him even drawer Mewtwo’s attention towards him, “What happen to her?!” Giovanni snaps, gripping his phone tightly in his hand.
“Sir I need to know your relationship with-“
“She’s my daughter and if you don’t tell me what happen to her you will find yourself out of your job!” He snarls, eyes narrow and wishing nothing more to be able to glare at the woman on the other side of the phone.
He was please to hear a quiver in her voice, “She was found outside our door… some sort of Pokémon we never seen before dropped her off before flying away. She has wounds across her face, shoulders and arms…. We think she been attacked by the Spearow Flock,” Giovanni growls and grits his teeth in rage even as his stomach churn with guilt. He had been told many times to get a more handle hold on the Spearow flock but he had thought that as long as there was no Fearow leading the group. Experience trainers could handle them and besides a few scrapes, the flock usually ignored the younger ones. But this time they didn’t, and his daughter paid the price. “She is fine, but we couldn’t get a hold of her first emergency contact, you were the second,”
Giovanni couldn’t help but feel touch. He hasn’t seen Ashlyn since she was four. He kept in contact with her with letters, sending her gifts on her birthday and Winter Solstice but… he hadn’t seen her in person… it had been Delia who had asked for it… she held full custody of Ashlyn after their divorce… after he lost… Silver… but while she couldn’t stop him from sending letters and gifts she could and did stop him from ever seeing his youngest. But then his brow furrows, “You can’t get in contact with her mother? Delia Ketchum?”
“No sir, every time we tried to call the number it tells us it’s out of service. We got in contact with Professor Oak since he’s her sponsor but we needed to get in contact with a parent or guardian,”
“I’m her father, and give her the best treatment you have ever given anyone. Spare no expense. I’ll be there in a few minutes,” he snaps the phone shut before the woman could say anything and turns to Matori, “You’re in charge for the rest of the operation,” Matori nodded her head but Giovanni could see a flicker of concern in her reddish brown eyes. He turns to Mewtwo who floated down towards him, “I need you to teleport me back to Viridian,”
“Who is this Ashlyn?” Giovanni blinks at this startled at the curious tone in Mewtwo’s voice, “I do not know why… but it feels like I should… know this Ashlyn,”
Giovanni frowns, wondering if some part of Mewtwo remembers Ambertwo. He knew that during the process of creating Mewtwo, Doctor Fuji tried to clone his deceased daughter alongside cloning the Kanto Starters. The scientist had reported that due to the young legendary clone's powers he had accidentally latched onto the minds of the other clones. They had been force to make him forget though, when he had started to lash out after their deaths. “Ashlyn is my daughter. She had started her journey today and was unfortunately attacked by a flock of Spearow,”
Mewtwo hums at this, “Very well… I shall take you back to Viridian,” Giovanni raised an eyebrow at the sound of… fear in the clone’s voice, but he didn’t have time to question it as suddenly his vision turn black, before he found himself back at his Gym.
He nodded his head in thanks, “Go and take a rest,” he stated, before he all but ran out of the gym. It didn’t take him long to reach the hospital, though he saw that he made a few in the lobby flinched as he all but charges in, “Ashlyn Ketchum’s room,”
“It’s… it’s Room 318… wait sir! You should wait for the doctor!” The nurse cried out to him but Giovanni didn’t wait. He made it to Room 318 with only bumping into a few shoulders on the way.
He stares with wide eyes at the sight of his ten year old daughter, looking so small on the hospital bed, with bandages wrapped around her face, shoulders and arms. He let out a growl, arms trembling in rage as plans of setting Nidoking and Nidoqueen on that dam flock flash through his mind. “Sir?” Taking a deep breath, Giovanni turns to see a woman wearing a doctor’s coat, curly brown hair falling to her shoulders and orange eyes walked over to him. “I’m Doctor Marie,” she holds out her hand for Giovanni to shake, “I was put in charge of Ashlyn,”
Giovanni shakes her hand but cuts straight to the point, “How is she?”
“She is very lucky,” Doctor Marie informs, a frown on her face, “It was definitely a Spearow attack, I recognize the markings of the wounds on her. Thankfully not all of them were deep, except for the one on her throat. But by the time she was here it was already healed,”
“Healed?” Giovanni frowns, “If one would had been healed why weren't the others healed?” He shakes his head it didn’t matter, “But she is going to be ok?”
“Oh sure!” Doctor Marie nodded her head, “She will have scars, but other than that her recovery will be quick. She’ll be out in a few days,” Giovanni’s shoulders sag at this news, closing his eyes and praying to Arceus and Mew for thanks.
“I’m here!” Giovanni frowns and turns his head over his shoulder as Professor Oak sags against the wall, breathing heavily. Giovanni frowns as Oak shoots with with a look of perplextion, as if the old man couldn’t comprehend him being here. Giovanni never really like the man and he knows that the feeling are mutual, the man have never forgiven him for utterly destroying his son, Morgan at the Indigo Conference during their first year as trainers. “Not my fault that Morgan stood on the coattails of your fame and never actually trained his Pokémon,” “Giovanni… what are you doing here?” He stutters a bit.
“I’m Ash’s second emergency contact on her ID,” Giovanni explained, “Since apparently they couldn’t get in contact with Delia,” his eyes narrow as Oak flinched, “Samuel,” he growls out through gritted teeth, “What happened?”
Oak sighs, closing his eyes as he patted his sweated brow with a napkin, “Ever since… Silver’s kidnapping, Delia changed. She was an excellent mother at first, maybe a bit over protective… but after years of no news, of nothing… she started to waste away. Drinking more and staring at nothing, completely ignoring Ash… most days Ash spend the night at my place…” he trails off as Giovanni glowers at him. The old man knew that if looks could kill, he would be six feet under already.
“And you didn’t think I should know about this?!” He snarls, “I might be estrange with Delia but I kept in contact with Ash throughout the years through letters! Did you tell her to not inform me either?! If I have known about this I would had taken her in!”
“No!” Oak’s eyes went wide, “I just… Delia already lost her son, she would had been devastated if you took Ash!”
“THEN WHERE IS SHE?!” Giovanni roars, taking a step towards the man making him flinch, “WHY AM I HERE IF SHE CARES SO MUCH FOR ASH?!”
Oak stares at him before he squeezes his eyes shut, “I went to check on her, knowing Delia would be sad now that Ash had went on her journey… when I got there the door was unlock but she wasn’t there. All her clothes, all her money, her passport… they were all gone… Delia left,” he whispers in shame.
Giovanni clenches his fist, fighting the urge to slam them in Oak’s face, “I understand you cared for Delia since she is your former student but you had a child bear the burden of being an adult’s emotional support child!” He snarls furious with not only with the Professor but himself. He should had checked on her, he should had been there.
A cough interrupted him, and he was startled, though didn’t show it, at the sight of Doctor Marie glaring at the both of them, “Gentleman please this is a hospital,” Giovanni cough a bit before straightening himself, nodding apologetically to her. The doctor then turns towards Oak, “Professor, as Miss Ketchum’s sponsor, so you may have some ideas. We looked up for any Pokémon she has claim, in case they were injured as well and we could send them to the Pokémon Center for treatment. It says that she has a Pikachu and while we did find it’s Pokeball, it was empty,”
Giovanni felt his anger rise up and burn in him as Professor Oak’s face turns pale, “Oh no…” he whispers, dread all but soak in the tone of his voice.
“A Pikachu?” Giovanni frowns, “Ash got second place in the Trainer License Exam, she should had gotten either a Charmander, Bulbasaur or Squirtle and I know in fact that Ash wrote to me that she was going to pick Charmander.
Professor Oak swallows at the glare that Giovanni shot him, “Pikachu was a Pokemon that I got recently, eating away at my cable wires. He was a bit wild, but low level, a perfect Starter for a beginner trainer,” he then lets out a yowl of pain as Giovanni could no longer hold himself back, slamming his fist into his face.
Giovanni could hear Doctor Marie yell in shock and he could feel the crunching of bones under his fist as Oak’s nose breaks, “You gave my daughter a feral Pokemon that hadn’t been trained?!”
“I didn’t know that Pikachu would run away at the sign of danger,” Oak groans, holding his hand to his nose as it gushes out blood, “Ash is usually wonderful with Pokemon,” he waves frantically at Giovanni when the man growls once more and looked like he was about to throw another punch, “I’m not blaming Ash, I’m just pointing out my reason. I thought that maybe after a day or two they would had bonded… that was my mistake,” he whispers and Giovanni was about to go and snap at him when the other signal him in the league’s official sign language that was taught to higher ups in the league. Giovanni’s eyes narrow, wondering what more is to explain that Oak couldn’t tell him now… but then he thought of Mewtwo’s reaction to Ash’s name… and that it was some mysterious bird Pokemon that saved his daughter, “Don’t worry I will fix this… I’ll call to some people who own me and give Asha perfect-”
“Don’t bother,” Giovanni snaps, making the man stutter to a halt, “I’ll be giving Ash her Starter,” he gives Oak no time for arguments, and slips inside Ash’s room, releasing Persian who mews in confusion, wondering where they were. When she noticed Ash, she mews in sorrow, leaping onto the bed and curling ontop of her legs.
Giovanni sits down in the chair, staring at his daughter’s sleeping form. A choking feeling forming in his throat as he gently takes her small hand into his own. Taking a deep breath, he once more grabs his phone and calls a number that he hasn’t dial in years.
“Hello?”
“Hey Drake… how would you like to help your granddaughter on her journey?”