"236, 237, 238, 239," I counted under my breath as I did pushups. I woke up before the sun, which surprised me because I expected to be out for much longer, considering how bad I was told my injuries were. I decided then that Pokémon Centers are amazing.
Ash and the others were still asleep, so I found my way to one of the training fields out back to get more familiar with my new body.
Fighting types must have phenomenal strength and stamina because I'd been doing pushups nonstop for several minutes and hadn't slowed down. I'm pretty sure I could keep going like this for quite a while, but I had other things I wanted to try.
I got up after losing count around pushup 500 and walked to a corner of the field. The next thing I wanted to figure out better was moving. More specifically, running. I could walk just fine after some trial and error. It was just a matter of getting used to having digitigrade feet rather than plantigrade feet and working out how to use my tail as a counterbalance. Oh! Better add figuring out my tail some more to the list.
Anyway, this next exercise would help me ascertain whether swinging my arms or running like… an anime character I can't recall the name of is the faster way to go. If memory serves me correctly, I've only ever seen the Lucario line run with their arms behind them unless they were charging some kind of attack. Something about making them more aerodynamic? It's some anime physics thing, I think. Or is it just physics now? I wonder how much this universe runs on anime logic and rules….
Eh, that's something to think about later. Focus on one thing at a time.
I bounced on my toes for several seconds before getting into a four-point starting position. I'll start with swinging my arms first for a sprint or two, time myself, and then do it again with my arms behind me.
"Morning, rookie! What are you up to?"
I glanced to my right to see Pikachu walking up to me.
"Just figuring out the new body. Are the others still asleep?" I asked.
Pikachu looked at me funny for a moment before realization dawned on her face. "Right. Former human. I forgot. Ash is still out, but Misty's moving. Want any help?"
"Actually, if you could time how long it takes me to run a lap around the field, that would be appreciated," I said.
Pikachu began swinging her tail back and forth in a rhythmic motion before nodding. "Training, huh? Sure! Whenever you're ready."
I got back to my starting position and took off. I nearly stumbled in surprise with how fast I was going. This definitely beats what I used to be able to do. I ran around the lines marking the borders of the field, passed Pikachu, and slowed to a stop.
"That was about eight seconds," Pikachu said. "Not a bad time. For a muk."
"What do you mean?! That had to be a 100-meter sprint. That time was at least a second and a half faster than the fastest human in my world!" I exclaimed.
"Congratulations, you're faster than a human," Pikachu clapped, then giggled at the deadpan expression on my face. "Relax, I'm just having some fun."
"Well, that was only the first run. Time me again. I'm going to try something different," I said before returning to the starting position. I took a moment to center myself, then took off again, this time leaning forward and keeping my arms spread behind me as I ran. Before I knew it, I passed Pikachu again. Huh. Maybe there is something to this.
"Five seconds. Much better, though not as good as my best time," Pikachu said.
"Why don't you give it a go, and I'll keep count?" I offered.
"You're on!" Pikachu grinned as she took a position on the corner of the field, got on all fours, and took off. She ran the same route I did before coming to a stop when she passed me.
"How was that?" she asked.
"I counted six seconds," I replied with a grin. "No, really. It was six seconds."
"That can't be right. How can that be right?!" Pikachu cried. "I was going as fast as I could without using any moves!"
I thought about it for a second before looking Pikachu over. "I have an idea why. Your mind and spirit were sent back in time, but not your body. You're able to use moves like Iron Tail because you brought that knowledge with you, but your body is the same as it was when you first started out with Ash. In order to get back to where you were in the future, you're going to need to train. A lot."
I blinked. "The end of that sentence sounds really confusing if you don't have context."
Pikachu sighed and massaged the fur around her belly. "I guess that makes sense. I forgot how fat I used to be."
"As far as I'm concerned, you look adorable," I said, chuckling when Pikachu didn't seem to know how to take that. "Tell you what. Since you're helping me learn how to be a Pokémon, I'll help you get back in shape. How does that sound?"
Pikachu thought it over. "Well, I wouldn't mind the extra help. Sure!"
"Great! We'll start another time, though. I'm sure Ash won't want to miss catching Caterpie," I said as I started walking back inside with Pikachu by my side.
Pikachu's eyes widened. "It would be so great to see Butterfree again! Oh, I have a question for you since you're our guide and all. What exactly do you think we should do first?"
"Oh! Thanks for reminding me. I need to look something up. Follow me," I said as I angled towards the computers set aside for trainers to use. I pulled out a chair and hopped on. Pikachu jumped up to the table near the keyboard, and I carefully navigated the cursor to open up a web browser straight out of the 90s. I saw someone looking at us out of the corner of my eye, but they quickly averted their gaze when I looked their way.
"You know how to use these?" Pikachu asked as she tapped the monitor.
"Well, these computers are ancient compared to what I used as a human. But yeah, I know how to use them," I said as I entered a query into the first search engine I found, being careful so I wouldn't fat-finger another key. I didn't even question how everything appeared to be in English. "Pikachu, you know Ash better than anyone. What would you say are his biggest regrets? What does he feel the most guilty about? I can think of a few possibilities off the top of my head."
Pikachu thought for a moment. "There are people and Pokémon we couldn't save. Lots died from the natural disasters caused by what happened at Shamouti. The most personal ones, though, were a Latios we met in Alto Mare and a Lucario we met in the Rota Kingdom."
"...Wow. The show never mentioned the widespread consequences of what happened at Shamouti, but I guess that makes sense since it was a cartoon targeted at children. Sorry if I brought up bad memories, but now that we're in the past, none of that has happened! Those are things we know of and can do something about," I explained, finally finding what I was looking for and sending it to the local printer before logging off.
Pikachu perked up. "You're right! But what can we do? Those things don't happen for a while."
"True, but there is something we can do, and soon," I said as I stood next to the printer and waited for the document as it slowly printed line by line. "Is this an inkjet printer? Man, I forgot they even existed. Give me a laser or toner printer any day."
After another half-minute, the page finished printing, and I carefully grabbed it and waved it around to help the ink dry. "This here has information about an upcoming tournament at Cameron Castle in Rota. The winner becomes this year's 'Guardian of the Aura', and they get the honor of holding the staff of Sir Aaron for the evening during the celebratory ball. Now, who could be asleep in that staff right now, waiting to be freed?"
Pikachu's ears shot up. "Lucario! Riolu, you're a genius!"
I couldn't help but grin. "I notice you didn't call me rookie that time. Anyway, if we can release Lucario early, he could teach Ash and me how to use and control aura. We already know Ash has some innate talent with aura, but he doesn't know how to control it. I feel that being able to control aura freely will give Ash an edge he needs in all the crazy shenanigans he gets involved in. Lucario would also be a great ally to have if he decided to travel around with us."
"Wow, you really thought this out," Pikachu remarked.
I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head. "Well, I had a lot of thinking time last night. Speaking of which, I think Ash has slept long enough. I've always wanted to see what a Pikachu-brand Awakening is like in person."
Pikachu's cheeks sparked as she matched my mischievous grin with her own. "I can do that."
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Much to our disappointment, Ash was already up and packing when we got back to the room. I heard a hairdryer running from the adjacent bathroom, so I assumed that that's where Misty was.
"Hey, Pikachu, Riolu, we're going to do a little shopping before we head through Viridian Forest," Ash said before looking at us. "What do you have there, Riolu?"
I walked up to Ash and handed him the flyer. He took it and read it over, eyes widening more and more the further down the page he got. He looked at me, down to the flyer, then at me again. "Where did you get this?" he asked.
"Internet," I said as I mimicked typing on a keyboard.
Ash suddenly grabbed me in a hug and spun around, laughing. "This is great! We can save Lucario!"
He finally set me down, and I released the breath I was holding. "Two things: First, get some deodorant. You're a stinky pre-teen on the verge of puberty. Second, look at the date here," I said as I took the flyer and pointed to said date.
"Oh man, We've only got a few weeks to get there," Ash worriedly said. "We'll have to book it through the forest to get there in time."
"We can get through the forest pretty quickly if we stick to the established paths. You know, instead of running after every Pokémon you see," Misty said as she came out of the bathroom, tying her hair into her iconic side-ponytail. "That's why it took us so long to get through last time. It normally takes two or three days to get through it."
"Really? That's what we'll do then," Ash decided.
"Do you think he forgot about Caterpie and Pidgeotto?" Pikachu asked me.
"Don't know," I said. "He'll probably remember by the time we're out of the city."
Pikachu nodded. "Well, we can be on the lookout for them too. Just in case."
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We made a few stops around the city. After Ash took stock of what he had, he discarded things he didn't need and bought some essentials he said he found helpful throughout his travels. This included, but was not limited to, a variety of berries, different kinds of Pokémon food, medicine, and a few Silph Company capsules - storage containers that grow and shrink and store lots more than they rightfully should - to store it all in so he could carry everything. The bounty he got from capturing Team Rocket primarily went towards the capsules.
I may have also slipped a stick of deodorant and a few other wilderness survival essentials into the basket.
We also stopped by a shipping company with a pidgeot as their mascot so Misty could ship her unfried bicycle home. Pikachu totally breathed a sigh of relief when it was gone.
I was outside my Pokéball the whole time, and it felt kind of awkward to have almost everyone we passed by looking at me. I did my best to ignore them so I could enjoy my first good glimpse of the world of Pokémon.
At long last, we were outside the city and heading for the forest in the distance. A tension I didn't know was building up bled out of my shoulders, and I could finally relax.
"I get how you feel, rookie. You get used to it after a while," Pikachu said from Ash's shoulder.
I shrugged. "I don't know how it is for you, but me being a rare Pokémon - and one not seen in this region at that - I think, makes it ten times worse."
"I didn't think about that. And you were human before. I guess it makes it even worse," Pikachu said.
"I guess? I never liked being the center of attention, so to have so many people staring at me was… I don't know," I shrugged. "Why don't you hop down here and walk with us? You're not going to get in better shape from up there."
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
"I guess you're right," Pikachu sighed before jumping down.
"You alright, Pikachu?" Ash asked.
"Yeah. Just getting some exercise," Pikachu replied before walking next to me.
"So, you wanted lessons on how to be a Pokémon? Well, one thing about Pokémon like you and me is that we like to play," Pikachu said before lightly swatting me with her tail and running away. "Tag! You're it!"
I blinked before smiling and running after her.
"Don't go too far, you two!" Ash yelled.
I acknowledged him with a wave of my paw before resuming the chase.
"Pikachu! Wait up!" I cried as I picked up the pace.
Pikachu just laughed. "That's not how this works, you know!"
I grunted. She had a point. Well, time to step on the gas. I spread my arms behind me and shot off. I quickly closed the distance to Pikachu as we wove through the trees, who glanced back at me with a grin.
As I was about to tag her, she suddenly went up, and I came to a sudden stop as I crashed headfirst into something. Hard. I fell back with a yelp, more surprised than hurt after the initial bout of pain.
"You know you're supposed to tag me, not a tree, right? You okay?" I heard Pikachu ask with some concern from next to me.
I groaned and slowly stood up, a paw on my head. At least I didn't take the impact on my nose.
"Yeah, just a little dizzy. By the way," I said as I poked her shoulder. "Tag."
I took off, laughing at the look of surprise Pikachu had before her expression became serious. "So that's how you want to play, huh? So be it."
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We went back and forth like this for the better part of an hour. I was the faster runner, but Pikachu was way better at turning on a dime. In short, we were pretty even. Or we would be if I were better experienced at climbing and jumping through the treetops.
By the end, we were both tired, and Pikachu rode triumphantly on my shoulders as the master of tag.
"You did good, rookie," Pikachu said. "But I'll always be at least one step ahead of you."
"Eh, give it a few weeks. You've spent your entire life as a Pokémon. I'd say I'm doing pretty well for only having a day under my belt," I said.
"Your 'yellow belt?'" Pikachu asked as she looked down. "You're not wearing a belt."
"Har har. You know what I mean. It's a figure of speech," I replied, rolling my eyes.
Pikachu opened her mouth to say something, then stopped and sniffed the air. "I smell Ash and Misty. They're that way," she said, pointing ahead and to our right.
I sniffed the air as well. "I can't distinguish everything I'm smelling. Guess I'll have to work on that too."
Pikachu shrugged as we made our way over. "I think my sense of smell might just be better than yours."
"I can't argue with that," I said. "It'll just take time to get used to this."
"That's the spirit!" Pikachu encouragingly smiled as she patted the back of my head.
We emerged from the trees a short while later and spotted the two humans sitting down for a break. Ash looked up when he noticed us and waved us over.
"Hey, you two! Look who I found," Ash said, pointing to the bug on his shoulder who was nibbling on a slice of Oran berry.
"Caterpie!" Pikachu excitedly cried as she jumped down to greet her old friend.
Well, Ash remembered to catch Caterpie, so odds are, he also has Pidgeotto on his mind. Huh. With Team Rocket out of the picture - hopefully at least - how will Caterpie develop this time around?
Something poked my shoulder. "Hey, Riolu, you in there? We've got lunch out," Misty said.
I refocused and nodded. Food sounded good after all that running.
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By early afternoon, we stopped in a small clearing. Ash pointed out a nearby stump, saying he recognized this as the place where he caught Pidgeotto. We decided to stop here the rest of the day and set up camp despite the remaining daylight.
With the sun still over our heads, it was as good a time as any for training. Misty went to the nearby river to go and retrain her Pokémon. Ash tasked Pikachu to help Caterpie work on his moves and gain experience, leaving Ash free to coach me one-on-one.
"Okay, Riolu, let's get started. First, let's figure out where you stand. I know fighting types instinctively know how to fight since my Monferno started using Mach Punch the moment he evolved. Can you show me what moves you know?" Ash asked.
I looked down and rubbed the back of my head, breathing out slowly. I knew that I probably knew some moves, but I had no idea what they were or how to use them. Wait, can't Ash's Pokédex check what moves I know?
Since I was already standing next to Ash, I pulled out the Pokédex that was partially sticking out of his jacket pocket and held it out for him.
Ash looked at it before realization dawned on his face. He took the proffered Pokémon encyclopedia, opened it, and pointed it at me.
"There is no data. There are still Pokémon yet to be identified," Dexter helpfully pointed out.
"Of course," I muttered, slapping a paw on top of my muzzle. Of course this would happen. This is the earliest iteration of the Kanto Pokédex. It wouldn't have any data on anything non-native to Kanto.
"Man, I wish I had my Sinnoh Pokédex. Oh well," Ash sighed as he pocketed the device. "Good idea, though. The only other Riolu I met could use Aura Sphere, though he was more of an exception than the norm. I wouldn't be surprised if you can't use it yet."
Yeah, I highly doubt I could do that. Only riolu with near-perfect – if not perfect – control of aura could pull off an Aura Sphere before they evolve.
Ash walked up to a nearby tree and inspected it before nodding. "This should do. Hey, Riolu, can you show me one of your moves on this tree?"
Okay. Okay, I can do this. What moves did Ash's Riolu know in the Pokémon Journeys anime? Vacuum Wave, Force Palm, Double Team, and… Reversal? Reversal.
That's not to say those are the only moves I may or may not know. I could just as easily know Endure or Quick Attack or Counter or… any number of moves.
Now for the other problem. How the heck do I use these moves?! Do I just imagine what I want to do or something? I don't know….
Where's the confidence I had last night?
"Riolu, you okay?" Ash asked worriedly, having crouched next to me without me noticing. Though, the sudden closeness didn't startle me. "Wait. You didn't use any moves against Team Rocket last night, did you? Do you… Do you not know how to use your energy?"
I looked Ash in the eyes for a moment before looking at the ground and shaking my head. "Not a clue. I could guess how, but I don't know where to start."
Ash closed his eyes as if he was concentrating, then looked at me and smiled. "That's no problem! I can kind of understand what you mean because I can feel your aura. If I can feel your aura, I'm pretty sure that means you can use your energy. We just need to help you find out how! Plus, you still fought really well without moves."
I smiled and chuckled. "I mean, considering it was Team Rocket, that's not saying much. But thanks."
Ash nodded and stood. "I have an idea! Follow me."
I looked at him questioningly but still got up and followed him, wondering what he had planned. If I had to guess, his plan was to-
"Hey, Misty, let's have a battle!"
…have me battle. I grimaced a little, but I could see what Ash was going for. Maybe something will happen, and I'll end up using a move completely by accident.
One can hope, anyway.
"What for?" Misty asked as she pulled her feet out of the cool river.
Ash nodded in my direction. "Riolu doesn't know how to use his energy yet, so I figured the best way to help him figure that out is with a battle!"
Misty sighed as she looked at Ash. "I want to say that sounds ridiculous, but I've known you too long to know that that's probably what would happen. It's kind of odd for a Pokémon not to know how to use their energy, though. It's usually infant Pokémon that have trouble, and I think Riolu's too big to be an infant."
"I guess he could be a big baby," Ash thought out loud before yelping in pain from a light punch delivered to his thigh by yours truly.
Ash winced as he rubbed the spot. "What did I do?"
Misty poorly disguised a chuckle as she rolled her eyes. "You just called him a baby. No one likes being called that."
"Oh, sorry, Riolu," Ash apologized before backing up a few steps. "Ready to battle?"
I shrugged and took a stance in front of Ash. "As ready as I can be," I replied.
"Ash, Nurse Joy said no battling for at least a few days for Riolu. Remember?" Misty pointed out.
I twirled one of my aura appendages with a paw as I thought back to last night. Did Nurse Joy say to take it easy? I must have missed it.
"Oh, that's right," Ash muttered before snapping his fingers. "I have another idea! I remember from talking with Riley on Iron Island that lucario spend a lot of time meditating to get in touch with their inner aura and learn to control it. Why don't you give that a shot? I'm going to check on Pikachu and Caterpie. You got it from here?"
"I'm sure I can manage," I nodded. I had been thinking of trying that out since most riolu and lucario, from official media to fan fictions, had done that with mostly positive results.
I jogged back to camp and sat on the tree stump before crossing my legs and setting my paws on my lap. I thought of how to go about doing this before deciding not to overcomplicate it and just close my eyes and breathe. My goal was to figure out my internal energies, so that's where I turned my focus to.
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I'm not sure how much time passed, but eventually, I started to feel something in my core. It was subtle at first, but the more I focused on it, the more obvious it became.
I tried poking at it to see what would happen. The energy seemed to shy away from my mental prodding, causing me some confusion. Was my energy sentient? I tried touching it again, but it shied away again and seemed to shudder.
"Hey, there's no reason to be afraid. I won't hurt you," I said to it, deciding to try and talk to it.
At my words, it stopped shivering and looked at my extended hand and me. At least, that's what it felt like.
Tendrils of energy slowly extended and touched my mental hand as though it were more curious than afraid now. It moved on, seeming to look over every inch of me before a feeling of excitement emanated from it.
The energy shrunk into itself before flinging into my chest, seeming to merge into my very being.
Then I screamed.
Every nerve in my body came alive all at once, making me feel like I was on fire. I was suddenly aware of the different type energies in my body; Suddenly aware of my environment; Suddenly aware of the people around me.
Suddenly aware of my powers.
I don't think the pain lasted too long. I opened my eyes to find I was breathing heavily, and Ash was holding me in his arms.
"Riolu! What happened? Are you okay? Say something!" Ash cried.
I rolled out of Ash's arms, steadying myself against the tree stump that had a small puddle of sweat and a few strands of blue and black fur. I took a moment to catch my breath, very much aware of the four sets of worried eyes that were on me.
"I'm fine now. Just had some major sensory overload," I assured them. "On the bright side, I found my energy! Look at this!"
I took a stance and closed my eyes. I curled my paws into fists and willed the energy that was now part of me into them. The aura appendages on either side of my face lifted as if they had a mind of their own. I corrected my footing and opened my paws before opening my eyes. Spheres of energy formed on each palm, and a light wind rushed around me.
I thrust one paw forward, then the other. Two blades of wind flew through the air and struck their target: a fallen log about twenty yards away that splintered from the first hit before being cleaved in half by the second strike.
I then found myself on the ground, courtesy of Pikachu. "That's so awesome that you can use your energy now!" she said excitedly from atop my chest.
"Th-Thanks, Pikachu," I coughed out. I wasn't sure if my face was reddening, but I was suddenly glad to have fur to cover that up if I was.
"Awesome, Riolu!" Ash said. "That was Vacuum Wave, right?"
I nodded as I shooed Pikachu off me. It was then I noticed just how dark it had gotten. I must have been meditating all afternoon and well into the evening. I felt sweat dripping down my back and looked down at myself.
"I'm going to go wash off. I feel gross," I said before walking off.
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After a late dinner, Ash and Misty retired for the night. I laid against the side of the stump that I had meditated on earlier, with my paws behind my head, looking at the moon and stars. Pikachu and Caterpie were talking quietly about their dreams on that stump.
Caterpie wanted to evolve and become a butterfree so he could fly to the moon. Hearing him talk was interesting. His voice sounded like a young child's, and he was so earnest when he spoke.
It made me wonder if I had had any family like that. What I wouldn't give to remember.
I was brought out of my thoughts when two buggy eyes entered my field of vision. Caterpie had found his way on my head and was looking at me with what I felt was a smile.
"Hi, Mr. Riolu! What's your dream?" he asked with that innocent, childlike excitement.
I smiled and picked him up off my head before placing him in my arms. "You want to know what my dream is, huh?"
Caterpie earnestly nodded as Pikachu hopped down and sat next to me against the stump.
"Well," I began, "I'm not sure. I haven't decided yet."
"Why's that?" Pikachu asked.
"My old dreams involved owning a house, finding a girl I wanted to marry, and getting better at what I did for a living. You know, generally human stuff. I'm not exactly human anymore," I chuckled.
"Oh. Makes sense," Pikachu nodded.
I sighed and rubbed Caterpie's back. "I guess I could still do some of that. Though, I'm definitely not comfortable enough to find someone to marry. Er, I guess Pokémon call them mates, huh?"
"Yeah," Pikachu confirmed with a thoughtful look.
"And as far as my old job with software development," I continued, "I guess I could still do that, though I don't think I'll have much of a chance in the foreseeable future. I've kind of been drafted to help you and Ash out. I don't mind that now, of course. I guess, in a way, I'm living a dream, you know? Being able to travel with you all, I mean, even if Ash is a trouble magnet."
Pikachu laughed at that before covering her mouth and craning her neck to make sure she didn't wake anyone up. "I'll agree to that."
"I guess I've had a career change now anyway, being a competitive Pokémon trainer's Pokémon now. Who knows? It could be exciting!"
I looked at Caterpie to find he had dozed off in my arms.
"Well, looks like I'm stuck here for the night. We better get some sleep," I yawned, shifting to lay down on the softer grass, making sure not to jostle Caterpie.
I was surprised when I felt Pikachu curl up against me. "Good night," Pikachu said before closing her eyes.
"Uh, good night," I said. Pokémon sleeping together for warmth and protection isn't unusual, I had to remind myself. With that thought, I went to sleep.