Spear Pillar, at the peak of Mount Coronet…
"This is my perfect world, governed by an order that does not require either heart… or conscience," Cyrus declared as he approached the newly formed universe, eyes never straying even as it began to shrink in on itself.
"Cyrus, stop!" Ash yelled, though it was too late to stop him.
Cyrus' feet left the ground, the gravitational pull of the shrinking universe pulling him in. "It's mine. MINE ALONE!" he yelled, his last words echoing as the universe shrunk to no more than the size of a Pokéball.
"Do you think… everything will be back to normal now?" Dawn hesitantly asked, shaken by the recent events.
Deafening, echoing roars stopped any forthcoming answers. Dialga and Palkia stood and, in cries of anger, launched a Roar of Time and Spacial Rend at the new universe.
The resulting explosion from the colliding moves knocked everyone off their feet. Then the mini-universe imploded, creating a swirling red-black vortex that drew in everything that wasn't securely rooted to the floor.
Including Pikachu.
"Piiii-kaaaa-piiiii!" Pikachu cried, desperately scrambling to get a grip on something.
"Pikachu!" Ash yelled as he ran after him.
"Wait, Ash, stop!" Brock yelled, but Ash couldn't hear him over the increasingly deafening drumming of thunder.
Ash jumped, both arms reaching after his first Pokémon and best friend. Suddenly, the violent winds shifted, taking Pikachu out of reach before the yellow mouse was sucked through the vortex.
"No! Pikachu!" Ash cried. His feet landed on the ground, and he crouched before jumping up and into the vortex himself.
All at once, the world went silent and turned black.
----------------------------------------
?
'Oh, my Chosen. You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?'
Ash blearily opened his eyes and screwed them shut again. The light from the sun hurt so much.
'My apologies, Chosen,' the voice said before the light dimmed.
Ash opened his eyes again and sat up to find that the light hadn't been coming from the sun.
"Arceus? Where am I? Am I in Michina Town again?" Ash asked, looking around to find he was standing on a familiar-looking platform.
"This sorta looks like Spear Pillar," Ash said.
'Long before you were born, before this became Spear Pillar, this was known as the Temple of Sinnoh. This is the birthplace of this universe,' Arceus explained.
"Wait, where's Pikachu!? Is Pikachu here?" Ash asked, looking around again.
'I'm afraid not, Chosen,' Arceus replied. 'When you leaped through the space-time rift, it was all I could do to save you from destruction. Your world… is no more.'
It took a moment for Arceus' words to sink in, and Ash dropped to his knees, his hat falling to the stone floor beside him. "No… Team Galactic won. Mom, Pikachu, Brock, Dawn, Cynthia… Everyone's gone?"
Arceus' silence gave Ash the answer he dreaded.
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Ash asked - no, pleaded.
'Well, there is one thing,' Arceus hesitated before speaking again. 'I can send you back and give you a second chance. I will only do this once, as repayment of my debt to you.
'I will send your spirit to the day you started your Pokémon journey. I will also prepare a guide for you to assist you.'
"What about Pikachu? Can you send him back, too?" Ash asked.
'...Very well. I will ensure Pikachu has the memories of your time together.'
"Thank you so much, Arceus! But why do I need a guide?" Ash asked. "I'm pretty sure I remember what happened on my journey."
'Think of it as a… What do humans call it? Ah, yes, an insurance policy. Now, sleep.'
Ash tried to fight. To keep his eyes open. He had so many more questions, but he lost the battle, succumbing as sleep overtook him.
----------------------------------------
Lehi, Utah - Human world - 5:59 pm local time
Beep beep!
I finished the line of code I was working on before glancing at the time on my watch—6 pm.
"Huh. Lost track of time. Again," I muttered tiredly before closing the lid of my work-issued laptop and unplugging the peripherals.
"I gotta go, Kylo. See you in a couple of weeks!" I said as I packed my bag.
"See ya, bud! Bring back a souvenir, will ya?" Kylo replied, holding up a fist.
I met Kylo's fist with my own. "I'll only be in St. George. Do you want a rock or some sand? Maybe a pet cockroach?"
"St. George? Is it even a vacation if you're not leaving the state?"
I shrugged and zipped up my backpack. "It's where the parents decided to have our family vacation this year. Wasn't my first choice, but there's still stuff to do down there."
"Well, have fun then! Don't forget to commit your code," Kylo reminded me.
"Eh, I'll do it when I get home. See ya!" I waved goodbye as I made my way to the stairs.
I took the stairs down two at a time, my fatigue fading as my legs moved and got my blood pumping. Truth be told, I was actually looking forward to this vacation, even if it was just to get away from work. True, I loved my job, but I felt I was on the edge of burnout for the past few weeks.
A mindless vacation sounded like just the thing I needed!
I tossed my backpack to the passenger's seat and closed the door. I slid my sunglasses on, buckled my seatbelt, and turned the key in the ignition before putting the old CRV in drive and pulling out.
As I usually did while driving, I listened to the radio to catch up on current events.
"...got a text from a KSL traffic trooper that a wrong-way semi is heading north on southbound I-15 from American Fork. If you're driving home right now, please, be careful."
"Nothing I can do about that. I'm already on the on-ramp," I muttered as I got up to speed, then sighed. "I'm gonna get stuck in traffic in five or ten minutes, aren't I? Way to start your vacation, me! Good freaking job."
----------------------------------------
Pallet Town - April 1, 1997 - 9:34 am
Ash grabbed his backpack and looped his arms through the straps, adjusting them to sit comfortably on his shoulders. He knew Pikachu would still be at the lab when he got there, so there was no reason to rush there in his pajamas like the last time.
Though he shouldn't take too much longer, he mused. It just felt wrong not to have Pikachu by his side.
As he looked at himself in the mirror, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic. He was wearing the clothes he wore from the beginning of his journey all the way until he headed to Hoenn. The limited-edition Pokémon League expo hat on his head brought back tons of memories.
"I hope Arceus came through," Ash said to no one in particular. Satisfied that he had everything he needed and wouldn't need to make a return trip, he left his room and took the stairs down, the smell of breakfast reaching his nose.
Ash smiled. "Morning, Mom!"
"Ash? What are you still doing here, young man?! You're supposed to be at the lab choosing your starter Pokémon," Delia said sternly, pointing a wooden spoon at him.
"I know, I'm going. I love you!" Ash said as he grabbed a slice of buttered toast and slipped his shoes on before taking off through the front door.
Delia fondly shook her head. "Just like his father."
----------------------------------------
Ash arrived at the bottom steps of Professor Oak's research laboratory as a crowd of people left, following a red convertible heading to the edge of town.
Come to think of it, why did Gary choose to travel like that anyway? Sure, he would be able to tackle the gyms faster, but throughout his travels, Ash found it was just as much the journey as the destination that mattered.
Ash shook his head and turned to walk the stairs up to the lab, only to come face-to-face with the professor himself.
"Gah! Professor Oak! Don't do that!" Ash cried as he tried to calm his spiking heart rate.
"To be fair, I was standing here long before you arrived," Oak replied before motioning Ash to follow him. "Well, come along."
Ash fell into stride as they ascended the steps. "Sorry about being late. I wanted to make sure I had everything I needed."
"A wise course of action," Professor Oak nodded. "Though, it would have been wiser to have done that no later than yesterday."
"You wouldn't believe the day I had yesterday," Ash muttered.
They strode through the lab until they were on the second floor, and the two stopped before a set of three Pokéballs.
"Well, go ahead and pick one, Ash," Oak said.
Ash walked up to the Pokéballs and took a look. None of them had the subtle light indicating that there was a Pokémon inside, and none of them had the lightning-bolt sticker that Pikachu's ball had.
"Professor, these Pokéballs are empty, and I know you wouldn't have brought me up here if there wasn't a Pokémon available," Ash said.
Professor Oak raised one of his thick, bushy eyebrows before sighing. "You're right, Ash. I do have one, though there is a problem with it."
"I'm sure I can handle it," Ash said confidently.
"Well, in that case, here you go," Oak said as he brought out a fourth Pokéball, one with a lightning-bolt sticker. He picked it up and handed it to Ash.
Ash eagerly pushed the button and was momentarily blinded as the Pokémon inside formed on the table in front of him.
The Pokémon blinked and looked around until their eyes met Ash's.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu exclaimed before jumping up to Ash's shoulders and nuzzling his face.
"Pikachu!" Ash said, lifting Pikachu off his shoulder and into his arms.
"Oh my! You two already know each other?" Oak asked, surprise written on his face.
"Oh, uh, yeah!" Ash said. "We've been buddies for a long time. Right, Pikachu?"
Pikachu's head tilted in confusion, looking between Professor Oak and Ash. "Pika?"
"I'll explain later," Ash whispered so that only Pikachu could hear.
"That's grand! You seem to be a perfect match," Professor Oak said. "Give me a few moments to grab your Pokédex and a few Pokéballs. I'll be right back."
Ash and Pikachu watched him leave the room before looking at each other again. "I'm so glad you remember me! I've got a lot to tell you, but let's wait until we're on the road."
"Pika-chu," Pikachu nodded.
----------------------------------------
Ash and Pikachu walked for a while, carefully skirting around spearow territory. They did not want a repeat of what happened last time if they could avoid it.
"...so I jumped in after you, then the world ended, and Arceus sent me back in time to this morning. I'm just glad I'm not alone in this," Ash said.
Pikachu blinked. Ash was a terrible storyteller, but it was still easy enough to figure out what he was trying to convey.
"Pika-chu," Pikachu nodded in understanding from his shoulder.
"Oh, and Arceus also mentioned something about sending us a guide? I'm not sure who or where they-"
A column of multicolored light slammed into the ground in front of them. Pikachu hopped down, getting on all fours, cheeks sparking.
"This didn't happen last time! What's going on?!" Ash yelled as he shielded his eyes from the light and the sudden wind that kicked up dirt and loose debris.
After a few more moments, the light vanished, leaving Ash blinking the spots out of his eyes. He heard wild Pokémon fleeing through the air or into the forest in a panic. When his eyes cleared up enough for him to see, he looked where the column of light once was.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried, running to the center of the scorched grass to where something lay.
Ash ran up and found out what that something was.
The riolu didn't look good. It was covered in cuts and burns, and its blue fur was blotched purple in several places. If it weren't for its shallow breathing, Ash would have thought it was dead.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Immediately, Ash pulled off his backpack and reached inside, his hand coming back out with a potion. After pulling out the tab, he looked for the worst injuries, just like Brock had taught him, and sprayed a liberal amount.
The bleeding subsided, but the riolu wasn't out of danger yet.
"We need to get it to a Pokémon Center!" Ash said. He looked at the riolu again. It would take too long to carry it, but if it were inside a Pokéball….
Ash pulled a Pokéball off his belt, not giving himself a chance to change his mind, and tapped the riolu. The ball pulled it in and offered no resistance as it dinged, signaling a successful capture. He tapped the button in a specific sequence, putting it in emergency stasis mode.
"C'mon, Pikachu, we need to hurry!" Ash said as he began running north to Viridian City with Pikachu close behind him.
----------------------------------------
I weakly opened my eyes to stare at nothing. Everywhere I looked, it was the same void of blackness.
"What-" I coughed. "What happened?"
Memories flooded my mind. Sirens. Trying to swerve out of the way as a wrong-way semi jackknifed. Being rear-ended by another car. The world flipping around me before the roof of my vehicle crumpled over a concrete barrier. Then nothing.
Somehow, I didn't freak out. Much.
"I died, didn't I? Kylo's going to kill me. Ten hours of code, gone," I chuckled. "This isn't what I imagined the spirit world being like."
'That is because thou art not entirely dead,' a disembodied voice said, echoing all around me.
I looked around, not that that did me much good. "Jesus? Is that you?" I asked.
'No, but He hath granted my request to borrow thee for a while. The reason for that shall become clear very soon. Thou hast nothing to fear. Now, awake.'
The world around me turned white.
----------------------------------------
Hurt. Pain. I cracked my eyes open only to shut them again. It was so bright.
I tried again, only squinting as my eyes got used to the light. Something nearby beeped in a steady rhythm.
Am I alive? I guess I lasted long enough to make it to a hospital.
"You're awake! Much sooner than I thought you would be. How do you feel?" a nearby voice asked. Female, if my foggy brain had to guess.
I just groaned. I didn't feel like talking.
"That bad, huh? It should only be some aches, pains, and fatigue now. We had to use a Full Restore and Ditto cells to fix you up."
My eyes snapped open. Did she just use Pokémon terms?
I looked up to see a woman with a striking resemblance to Nurse Joy. And she was tall. Like, really tall.
"Well, I've done all I can for you, Riolu. Let's get you back to your trainer, hmm?" the Nurse Joy look-alike said. "I just have to unhook this equipment from you. You won't feel a thing."
As she reached down to me, I noticed something odd. Where I thought my hands should be were paws covered in a layer of blue fur and white, oval-shaped protrusions where my wrists would be. Further up my left arm was an IV catheter that the nurse gently removed. She turned off the ECG and removed those wires as well.
Wait, did she call me Riolu? Well, that would explain the paws.
I thought I would be panicking, but oddly enough, I somehow remained calm. I'm gonna blame the painkillers that are probably in my system. I know I'll have that freak-out session later.
"Now, how about something to eat before we return you?" the probably-actually-is-Nurse-Joy said. "You're bigger than the average riolu, so I'm thinking a soft-boiled chansey egg and some Oran and Rawst berries will do."
I just nodded and allowed myself to be picked up. As I was carried away, a thought came to mind.
I have a trainer?!
----------------------------------------
The first few bites of my meal were awkward. Not being used to this new body, I struggled a bit with my foreign mouth as I chewed, but I learned pretty quickly. The remaining aches and pains fell away as I ate, leaving me with just some fatigue.
After I finished, I was placed back on a stretcher courtesy of Nurse Joy and carted out to the lobby. As we passed through the doors from the medical wing, I felt a tangible wave of anger pass through me and heard a loud voice.
"...start talking, Mr. Pokémon Master!"
"Misty! I'll explain everything, but not out here."
I perked up. That sounded like the voice Sarah Natochenny used to voice… Ash Ketchum. Oh no.
"Ash? Your riolu is fully healed and ready to be picked up," Nurse Joy announced.
…Crap.
There stood Ash in all his Kanto/Johto glory. Misty was there as well but with no Togepi in sight. Brock was nowhere to be seen.
Great. That probably means I'm either in Viridian or Pewter with season one Ash. Anything Hoenn or beyond would have been better. Except maybe Unova. Unova Ash is just season one Ash but with extra helpings of disappointment. At least Ash treats his Pokémon well enough.
Why am I just taking this in stride? Oh, right. Painkillers. Painkillers that are making this feel like a fever dream.
"I didn't know you caught a riolu, Ash. He's so cute!" Misty cooed, walking up to me and petting me on the head. I didn't know what to think, with my mind still reeling from what I had just learned. My baby Pokémon instincts or whatever must have taken control right then because I found myself leaning into her touch.
"Hey, Riolu! Glad to see you're feeling better," Ash said. "You gave us a real scare earlier. How are you feeling?"
I shrugged and decided to respond. "Like I died then woke up in the body of a Pokémon. Other than that," I made a clicking noise with my tongue and gave the best thumbs up I could, considering I didn't have thumbs, "just peachy."
"Good to hear!" Ash said. "You're much taller than the last Riolu I saw."
That was about the time I noticed that I was at eye level with Ash's stomach. Isn't the average Riolu supposed to be a little over two feet tall? I'd guess that I'm about a foot taller than that.
"Hi there!"
I looked down to see Pikachu looking up at me. "Uh, hi?" I awkwardly waved.
Pikachu giggled. "Was that a question or a greeting?"
I was confused. Not by the question but because Pikachu's voice sounded so feminine. I looked at Pikachu's tail and noticed that it didn't have a v-shaped notch like female pikachu do.
Pikachu giggled again. "You're wondering if I'm a boy or girl, huh?"
I sheepishly rubbed my arms together. "Yeah. Sorry."
"It's fine! All Kantonian Pikachu have flat tails, whether they're male or female. I happen to be a girl," Pikachu said, then winked at me conspiratorially. "I don't think Ash has figured that out yet. Don't tell him!"
"Glad to see you two are getting along," Ash laughed.
It looked like Ash was getting on his knees to say something more but was cut off by a PA system.
"Your attention, please. Our Viridian radar sensors have detected an aircraft belonging to a gang of Pokémon thieves. If you have a Pokémon in your possession, exercise extreme caution!"
"Ugh, I forgot about them," Ash groaned.
Nothing made sense. I'm pretty sure now that I ended up in the second episode of the Pokémon anime, but Ash was acting as if he knew what was coming. Maybe he did?
I looked up at the skylight, sensing something that gave me a bad feeling. Is that my aura sense? Cool. At least now I know we're in Viridian City. Wait, shouldn't Pikachu be recovering from blasting away an entire flock of spearow?
I guess it doesn't matter now. I'm here, and if I can prevent Team Rocket from tailing Ash all the time, I might as well do so.
The skylight shattered as two Pokéballs fell through it. I tensed my legs, and before the balls fell much farther, I jumped and caught them before they could release the Pokémon inside them.
"Woah. Nice catch, Riolu!" Ash praised.
Jumping was the easy part. The landing? Not so much. As my paws touched the linoleum floor, I slipped and used my front paws to catch myself.
Unfortunately, that meant I let the Pokéballs go.
The balls hit the ground and opened with a snap-hiss. Ekans and Koffing emerged, spewing a thick, black Smokescreen.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack!"
The sound of flesh meeting flesh sounded behind me, and I turned around to see that Pikachu had sent Ekans tumbling away.
"Thanks!" I said.
"No problem!" Pikachu replied before facing our attackers again. "You ever been in a battle before?"
I shook my head. "Not really. I mean, I got a yellow belt in karate, but I'm not sure that counts."
Pikachu stared at me. "I don't know what that is, but it sounds impressive. And how have you never battled before? You're a fighting type!"
I laughed nervously. "It's complicated. I'll tell you later."
A voice pierced through the smoke. "It's rude to start the battle before introductions," they said. Jessie, probably.
"So allow us to introduce ourselves," James said.
As they recited the Team Rocket motto, I turned to whisper to Pikachu. "Do you think we can just not blast them off and get them arrested so they don't follow us everywhere?"
Pikachu looked at me funny. "How would we do that?"
"Maybe by not hitting them with an attack powerful enough to send them flying? I dunno. Do you know Thunder Wave?" I asked.
"Oh, boy. It's been a while since I've used that one. But yeah, I know it."
"Good. Let's use it to restrain them, then. And make sure Koffing isn't spewing smoke when you do it. You don't want to blow up the Pokémon Center again, right?" I asked with a grin.
"How do you even know about that!?" Pikachu demanded. "That hasn't even happened in this timeline."
"I'll explain later. And thanks for confirming my suspicion that you and Ash somehow time-traveled."
Pikachu looked at me suspiciously. "Your explanation better be good," she said before turning back to the members of Team Rocket as they finished their motto.
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth! That's right!"
Pikachu looked at her trainer. "Ash, let us deal with them!"
Ash nodded in understanding. "Sure! Go for it, Pikachu."
"Looks like the mouse wants to play, meowth!" Meowth said, then looked at me. "And what are you?"
"Just a deformed machop," I replied without missing a beat.
"It's saying 'Riolu'," James said. "I've never heard of it before, so it must be a rare Pokémon!"
"Uh oh," I muttered to myself.
"Then let's grab it!" Jessie decided. "Ekans, Wrap it up!"
As Ekans slowly slithered towards me, a feeling welled up in my chest. Not fear, like I thought I would typically have in this kind of situation, but something else.
Excitement.
I was actually looking forward to this fight! Whatever remaining fatigue I had left me as I placed one foot in front of the other.
"The snake is mine. You get the gasbag and the cat," I said with a grin.
"What about the plan?" Pikachu asked.
"Reducing their numbers will make it easier to restrain them. After we've beaten their Pokémon, go ahead and paralyze them."
"Got it!"
Pikachu took off, blurring out of existence before reappearing above Koffing and slamming it into the floor with an Iron Tail hard enough to crater the ground and send it into blissful unconsciousness. The other members of Team Rocket looked back to see what happened, and their jaws dropped.
"Woah," I said to myself. Seeing the action in person was infinitely more impressive than seeing it in a cartoon. And I'll probably be able to do things just like that someday!
I took advantage of the display and rushed the distracted ekans. I reared my fist back and, as Ekans noticed and turned to face me, I punched it in the jaw, sending it flying up and back in a hiss of pain.
"Riolu, behind you!" Ash yelled.
I immediately about-faced and brought up my arms to shield myself. Good thing, too, because no sooner than I had done so, something rebounded off the bone protrusions of my wrists with a plink plink sound.
"Heya, Meowth!" I greeted cheerfully.
That seemed to throw Meowth off. "Um, hi?"
"I'm gonna beat you up!" I said, stealing a line from my favorite fictional eevee.
"Wait, what?" was all Meowth could say before I gave him a good ole' one-two. One in the gut and two right in the charm.
"Ow ow ow! Why? Why'd it have to be the charm?" Meowth whimpered as he hunched over, rubbing his forehead.
"It's shiny. It was begging me to punch it!" I growled before deciding to karate chop him on the side of his neck. Not the move Karate Chop. I haven't figured out how to use moves yet.
Meowth went out like a light and landed face-down, butt-up.
"Huh. That actually works," I whispered.
"About time you finished!" Pikachu said. "Go ahead and add Meowth to the pile."
I looked to where Pikachu indicated to see that Ash and Misty were tying up a twitching Jessie and James. Ash was holding a couple of Pokéballs, which were probably Ekans' and Koffing's balls. Nurse Joy was at the front desk, presumably talking with the police. Outside the windows, I could see the lights and hear the sirens of police cars just pulling up.
"Wow. You're awesome," I whispered.
Pikachu must have heard me because she quickly looked away. "Th-thanks. You weren't so bad yourself. For a rookie."
"That's me! The rookie at being a Pokémon."
Pikachu laughed. "You're kind of weird."
"I'd be worried if I wasn't," I chuckled.
Footsteps stopped any further conversation. We both looked up to see Ash as he kneeled next to us. "You both did great. Team Rocket has been such a problem for a long time. Thank you for making sure they got what they deserved."
Ash then scratched us both between our ears. Oh, and if anyone asks, no, I did not let out an involuntary yip of happiness. I don't know what you're talking about.
"And, Riolu?"
It took me a moment to realize he was addressing me.
"I didn't really catch you the right way. Nurse Joy said you might not have made it if I didn't have you in a Pokéball. I'd love to have you on my team, but I'd understand if you want me to let you go."
I just shook my head. "I don't have anywhere I need to be. I'll stick around," I replied.
"Ash Ketchum?"
Ash stood up as Officer Jenny saluted him. "Thank you for apprehending these Pokémon thieves. I'll ensure the bounty gets sent to your trainer account after they're secure."
"Bounty?" Ash asked.
Officer Jenny nodded. "They were wanted criminals. They had a bounty of 30,000 credits out for their capture. I'm sure that will be a boon to you since you just started your journey."
"Oh, right. Thanks!" Ash said and bowed lightly.
Officer Jenny nodded and left to rejoin the rest of her squad, who were loading Jessie and James into a truck, while another one of their number put the still-unconscious Meowth into a cage.
"C'mon, you guys, let's get a room. I'm beat," Ash said. "Hey, Misty! You want to share a room?"
"Sure. But don't think I've forgotten that you owe me an explanation for what's going on!" Misty said sternly.
"Oh, right," Ash sighed. "Well, let's get it over with."
----------------------------------------
After the others had gone to sleep, I sat on the balcony just outside the room, looking at the stars and thinking of what Ash had told everyone. He related the events of what happened on Mount Coronet. Most of it happened as I remembered it from the anime, up until Pikachu was sucked through the rift and Ash jumped in after her.
Misty regained her memories when she saw Ash in the Pokémon Center, though her Pokémon didn't, meaning Pikachu may be the only Pokémon to keep her memories of the other timeline.
I also pondered the words Arceus told Ash, specifically about the guide as an "insurance policy". I was admittedly upset to learn about that since I'm pretty sure that's why I'm here. It sure would have been nice if Arceus had told me that. I'm probably going to be a third wheel most of the time, aren't I? Ugh.
Ash also related the events of how he found me, of how I appeared badly wounded in a column of light. I chuckled a bit at that, thinking that the way Ash described it made it sound like the Bifrost from the MCU. Man, I'm never going to see the upcoming Thor movie now. Sad.
Something I found out while thinking about home was that I could remember my life, places, and what I used to do, but I couldn't remember my name or anything about people I was close to. I remember that I was getting ready for a vacation with my family, but I couldn't remember who they were. Did I love them? I must have if I was going on a family trip with them.
"I guess I'm on a more permanent vacation now," I chuckled hollowly. I looked down at my paws, clenching and unclenching them. I knew I always wanted to know what it was like to be a Pokémon, but if leaving my life behind was the price, then I wish I could back out.
But…
Since I can't, maybe I should try to make the most of this new life. I've always had the firm belief that families are forever, so I know that I'll see them again someday.
"Hey. You okay, rookie?"
I didn't need to turn around to know who that was. "Yeah, just thinking."
Pikachu plopped down next to me. "Care to share?"
I'm not sure if I wanted to, but I felt I needed someone to confide in. I had a feeling that Pikachu wouldn't judge me and was there to listen.
"Would you believe that I am, or was, a human from another world? Before I ended up here, I was in a bad car crash, and I think I died. In my world, Pokémon only existed in fiction."
Pikachu remained silent, probably processing my words, so I continued.
"In fact, there was a Pokémon cartoon that followed your and Ash's adventures in Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and even beyond that."
"Wait, wait, hold up! Does that mean Ash and I aren't real?" Pikachu asked.
I decided to nip this in the bud. "Stop that line of thinking right there! You and Ash and everyone and everything in this world are as real as me and my world. You can breathe, think, eat, love, and everything else. Don't go having an existential crisis on me now."
Pikachu let out a sigh as her ears folded. "You're right. I'm sorry."
I reached out to Pikachu with a paw and hesitated before pulling it back.
"It's okay. Do you know what sucks about this? I can't remember anyone I cared about. I'm pretty sure I have family and friends who loved and cared about me, but I can't remember them. It's like whoever plopped me into this world decided I didn't need to remember them!" I was near to tears at this point.
Pikachu's cheeks sparked. "It must have been Arceus. You must be that guide Arceus told Ash about. It makes too much sense now!"
"I was thinking that too," I agreed.
"You mean you weren't told?!" Pikachu asked.
I shook my head. "Nope. Arceus didn't think to tell me. At all. I'm wondering if they chose me because it was convenient that I died and happened to know a lot about you and Ash. But I guess that doesn't really matter now."
Another moment of silence reigned between us, and I managed to get my emotions under control.
"Pikachu? Could you help me learn how to be a Pokémon?" I asked.
"I guess you weren't kidding about being a human before, huh?" Pikachu chuckled.
"I hope that doesn't bother you," I said quietly.
"Nah. It's just a little weird to think about, but you look and smell like a Pokémon. Compared to the other riolu I've seen, the only things visibly different about you are your height and your eye color."
I placed a paw on my cheek under my right eye. "My eye color?"
"Yeah. The first riolu I met had red eyes. Yours are… I want to say aura blue."
I don't know why, but that brought tears to my eyes. I just felt so relieved. "My human eyes were blue. At least I kept something of myself from before."
I felt something wrap around my middle, but not all the way. I looked down to find Pikachu struggling to reach around me. She looked up at me and giggled. "Pick me up so I can hug you properly. You need one."
"...Okay. Yeah, I'd like that," I whispered. I picked up Pikachu and brought her up so she could wrap her arms around my neck. My left arm was used as support so she could stand on it, and my right arm wrapped around her.
As we wrapped our arms around each other, I felt something so strongly that I hadn't felt in a while.
Peace.
I'm not sure why, but I felt like things were going to be okay. That whatever happened, I was going to get through it.
"Thanks, Pikachu," I said softly.
When I didn't get a response, I looked at Pikachu and found that she had fallen asleep in my arms. I chuckled softly and stood slowly before walking back into the room. I gently placed her under Ash's arm, where she shifted before getting comfortable.
I walked across the room and settled into one of the unoccupied bunks, trying to find a comfortable position that would accommodate my unfamiliar tail and aura thingies on either side of my head. I eventually settled for placing a pillow upright and leaning back against it.
"Well, good night," I said before closing my eyes and waiting for sleep to take me.