Humble Beginnings

Chapter 1: A Sinnoh Start

Ash Ketchum's day had started far from how he'd planned; today was supposed to be one of the best days of his life, the day he got his first Pokémon, and he'd overslept! He'd rushed all the way over to Professor Oak's lab in his pajamas so that he could get his first Pokémon, he just hoped there was one left for him. He'd already had the displeasure of running into Gary who claimed he'd gotten the best Pokémon from Professor Oak, who happened to be Gary's grandfather. Ash didn't put much stock into that, Professor Oak didn't seem the type that would play favorites.

"So you finally decided to show up after all." The gray haired Pokémon Professor stepped out of his lab and greeted Ash. While the man's voice was kind it was clear that he was exasperated by the young boy's tardiness.

"Oh, Professor Oak, where's my Pokémon?" Ash asked.

"Your Pokémon?" Oak asked bluntly.

"Yes, I'm ready," Ash said.

"You look like you're ready for bed, not for Pokémon training. I hope you don't think you're gonna train in your pajamas." Oak said as he looked Ash over with a frown. It was plain to see that the man was not impressed.

"Oh no, Professor, I got messed up this morning, and I was a little late, but believe me, I'm ready for a Pokémon," The young Trainer to be pleaded. Oak stepped wordlessly back into his lab and Ash followed assuming that it was what the older man wanted him to do. Anything further was cut off by the sound of Oak's videophone ringing.

"I have to take this," Oak said as he looked at the screen to find out who was calling. He answered and Ash could see that a man with a large white mustache was one the other end of the line. If Ash had to guess he was even older than Oak, "Ah, Professor Rowan, how are things in the Sinnoh region?" Oak's tone was jovial, this Rowan guy must have been a friend of his.

Sinnoh? He'd never heard of that place. Ash leaned in closer, now intrigued by the conversation that now involved far off places. He was going to be a Pokémon Master, and he had no doubt that this Sinnoh place had lots of cool Pokémon.

"Things are going quite well over here. Sinnoh's many unique Pokémon and legends make it the perfect place to conduct my research. Speaking of which I called to let you know I'm sending over the new Pokédex data I've gathered so you can incorporate it into yours," Rowan said.

"Thank you, I look forward to seeing what your research has uncovered, though I wish you had called a bit sooner, the new crop of Trainers is leaving Pallet today and I would have liked to have given them the most up to date Pokédex. Most of them already have." Oak said, glancing at Ash.

"Yes, well I've been quite busy preparing for new Trainers myself, otherwise it would have been ready sooner," Rowan explained.

"I understand, I appreciate the call, old friend," With that Oak ended the call and turned back to Ash. "Now I believe you said something about wanting a Pokémon young man." Oak was fiddling with a handheld machine of some kind.

"I thought about it a lot, and it took me a long time, but I finally decided to choose... Squirtle!" Ash picked up the ball, only to have it flop open and reveal that it was empty.

"Already taken by someone who was on time, " Oak said

"Oh, I wish I hadn't overslept. But now I would choose as my Pokémon... Bulbasaur! What?" This ball was also empty.

"That was also taken buy a kid who wasn't late," Oak explained.

"Oh, well that's no problem, because my Pokémon will be... Charmander." Another empty ball. This couldn't be happening. This had to be a nightmare, he was destined to start his journey to become a Pokémon Master today.

"The early bird gets the worm, or in this case, uhh, the Pokémon."

"Does that mean all the Pokémon are gone?" Ash's heart sank.

"Well, there is still one left, but I-" Oak never got to finish that sentence.

"Professor, I'll take it!" Ash's eagerness had transformed into impetuousness. Normally Ash was a bit more polite than this, but his dream was at stake here.

"I think I should warn you, there is a problem with this last one." Oak said.

"I have to have a Pokémon." It didn't matter to Ash at all what it was, he'd take a Magikarp at this point. He wanted nothing more than to start his journey and he'd deal with whatever he had to in order to live his dream.

"Well, in that case..." Oak hesitated before pressing a button on the mechanical pedestal that held the Pokéballs for the starter Pokémon. A new Pokéball rose up in the center of the other three; it looked normal except for the fact that it had a lighting bolt painted on it.

Ash grabbed the ball from the pedestal and pressed the button to open it. The room was lit in a golden hue as energy poured out of the capsule. After all the spectacle the Pokémon that came out was a little disappointing if Ash were completely honest, but at least it was his; it was just a yellow mouse with red cheeks.

"Pikachu," the Pokémon said.

"Its name is Pikachu." Professor Oak said, formally introducing the Pokémon.

"Oh, it's so cute, it's the best of all!" Finally he had his own Pokémon, this was the most amazing thing ever to ever happen to him he could already tell that he and Pikachu were going to be the best of friends. Together they would conquer the Pokémon League.

"You'll see," Oak warned. That probably should have set alarm bells off in Ash's head, but he was so thrilled to have his starter Pokémon that he barely even register what the Pokémon Professor had said, let alone begun to take it seriously.

"Oh, hi, Pikachu." Ash picked his Pokémon up to hug it. That was something perfectly natural for a beginning Trainer to do with their first Pokémon. Unfortunately for Ash, Pikachu wasn't the average starter Pokémon and was none too pleased with the friendly treatment.

"Pika... " The Pokémon muttered before unleashing untold volts from its cheeks that proceeded to course through Ash's body giving a sensation not unlike being struck by natural lightning. It was a testament to the boy's hardiness that he was still standing considering that Pikachu's evolved from had been documented knocking out Indian elephants with a touch.

It's also known as an electric mouse. It's usually shy, but can sometimes have an electrifying personality." Oak said.

"I see what you mean."

"Shocking, isn't it? Now take these, your Pokédex and Pokéballs." Oak handed the items to Ash. Unfortunately Pikachu didn't seem to appreciate the man's pun and shocked them both.

"Thank you!" Ash ground out through the pain.

"You're welcome!" Oak practically screamed through the pain. Once the numbness from the electric shock had passed they stepped outside. Ash was surprised to find his mother waiting for him as well as what looked like half of Pallet. "Mom?"

"Oh, Ash, I'm so proud of you! You're finally going to fulfill your dream and start your Pokémon training. But I'm, I'm going to miss you so much. Oh, my little boy! I packed your sneakers and jeans, nice clean shirts and underwear and your favorite snacks and some hot chocolate in case you want something hot, but be careful not to burn yourself! And a pair of rubber gloves to do your laundry and a new clothes line to hang it out to dry-" His mother rattled off items as she shoved them into his backpack.

"Mom, you're embarrassing me in front of all these people! Don't you know I'm a big kid now? Pokémon Trainers can take care of themselves. Besides I'm not leaving quite yet."

"I understand. Hmmm? That's your Pokémon?" His mother asked finally catching sight of Pikachu.

"Yep that's my Pokémon. With Pikachu at my side I'll get all the Pokémon in the world," Ash declared.

"I thought all Pokémon stayed inside their Pokéballs, why doesn't this one?" Delia asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah, right. Pikachu get in the ball now." He tossed the Pokéball at Pikachu, only to have the mouse Pokémon repeatedly bounce it back, much to his annoyance.

"Oh you're playing catch! You're friends already!" Delia seemed positively giddy at this.

"Uh, Sure. Pikachu and I are real pals! Right?" In this case Ash was actually glad for his mother's naivety, at least she wouldn't think he was incompetent.

"But it's a little weird," She said.

Ash felt a chill go through him, this wouldn't end well. "Weird?" Clearly offended Pikachu shocked the whole crowd.

"Those rubber gloves your mom packed will come in handy," Oak said.

"Why?"

"Rubber doesn't conduct electricity." Oak explained. Soon the crowd thinned leaving only Ash, Pikachu, Delia, and Professor Oak outside the lab. At this point all the humans were trying to keep a safe distance from Pikachu while they caught their breath.

"So I guess you'll be heading out toward Viridian City as soon as you get changed, won't you, honey? It's what your father did when he started." Ash paused, he did want to see the Kanto region, but this was his home, he could always come back here later and see it. He was a Pokémon Trainer now, he wanted to travel to distant lands and thanks to Professor Oak's phone call he had just the place in mind.

"No, I think I'm going to try heading out for the Sinnoh region instead. I heard they've got a lot of cool Pokémon there that can't be found in Kanto." He said shaking his head and smiling.

"Sinnoh, but that's so far away. I know you're going to travel now that you're a Trainer, but I didn't expect you to head off to a new region so soon Ash." Delia said.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the call I got from Professor Rowan would it, Ash? While Sinnoh does have many varieties of Pokémon that can't be found here in the Kanto region, I'm hesitant to recommend that a new Trainer travel quite so far to start their journey, especially when that Trainer has only that Pikachu with them. Perhaps it would best if you traveled more locally first. Though if you do decide to go to Sinnoh then you're incredibly lucky you were late; you're the only one who got the Pokédex upgrade Professor Rowan sent me," Oak said.

"I can travel through Kanto any time. I want to go to Sinnoh and see what kind of Pokémon live there. As for Pikachu, I'm sure I can win him over!" Ash declared.

Oak let out a tired sigh. "Well I can't stop you, you're legally allowed to do as you wish now that you have a Pokémon. The least I can do is help you prepare. I have a map of Sinnoh in my lab somewhere you can use, and I'll call ahead to let Professor Rowan know that you're heading his way; make sure to check in with him, keeping in contact with the regional professor is a good thing for any starting Trainer to do."

"Thanks, Professor Oak!" Ash said beaming.

"Don't thank me yet, Ash. By going to Sinnoh, you're leaving a lot of your safety net behind. You may soon find that going on a Pokémon journey is far more difficult than you imagined and with you being so far away your mother won't be able to provide you with any help. The next ship bound for Sinnoh leaves in a week. I suggest you prepare."

Ash was quickly discovering that sea travel could be a bit of a pain. Looking a bit green in the face he rushed to the railing and evacuated his stomach contents into the ocean below. Ash felt a strong hand pat him on the back and turned his head to find one of the sailors next to him.

"First time on a boat, kid?" The sailor asked.

"Yeah, I grew up in Pallet my whole life. I'm just starting my Pokémon journey. I'm Ash Ketchum." Ash extended a hand to the man. The sailor accepted the handshake giving Ash a good look at how calloused the man's hands were.

"Name's Curtis," The man grunted. "Pallet, ain't that Professor Oak's neck of the woods? What are you doin' with a Pikachu if you live there? A parent give it to ya, or are ya just rich enough to afford a Pokémon on your own?"

"No, nothing like that, I overslept and missed the starters being given out. Pikachu was all that was left and I'm starting to see why." Ash said. Pikachu's attitude had made him the butt of many jokes so far on this trip, Curtis was the first sailor on the boat not to make some sort of jab at him. He knew the men didn't mean any harm though so he'd let the jokes pass.

"Yeah that Pikachu of yours is a bit of a handful." Curtis bellowed out a laugh. "So that's how you ended up with that thing as a starter huh? Yeah, I figured a Pallet kid would have Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle, that's why I was confused. I mean you do know why the regional professors give out starter Pokémon, don'tcha, Ash?"

Ash shook his head. "I never really thought about it," He admitted.

"Well ya see, Pokémon are expensive, most people have their first Pokémon gifted to 'em by a family member, or if they're really lucky they're rich enough to buy one, so most people don't start off with a regional starter Pokémon. Heck, even I didn't, but for a different reason; I always knew I wanted to be a sailor and in certain professions having a certain Pokémon is seen as a rite of passage of sorts. In the case of a sailor like me it's usually a Water-type, or a Machop that we start off with. The three starter Pokémon are given to kids who want to become Trainers, but can't get their first Pokémon any other way; the bonus is they're generally easy to raise," Curtis explained.

Ash nodded, that made sense. "My Pikachu is anything but easy to raise. I get the feeling he really doesn't like me; I'm not sure what to do, Curtis."

"Some Pokémon are just like that, real spitfires. Here's some advice kid: Don't let it get to ya. That Pikachu of yours is real stubborn, there ain't no denyin' that. The trick is to just keep tryin' to win it over, 'cause once ya do, you'll never have a Pokémon more loyal. It's a bit like taming a wild Rapidash, ya gotta be firm, but gentle and understanding. Once you win that Pikachu's trust you'll never find a better partner."

"And how exactly do I win Pikachu over? He doesn't seem to want anything to do with me. I'm starting to wish I'd gotten a different Pokémon. If Pikachu doesn't start listening to me my journey isn't going to get anywhere." Ash mused.

"I can't help ya there, kid, every Pokémon is different. Just remember that respect is earned, not taken. You're a Kanto kid, why are ya headin' to Sinnoh?"

"I heard about all the cool Pokémon in the Sinnoh region and wanted to see them for myself."

"Yeah Sinnoh's amazin', Ash, one of the most beautiful regions in the world, with many amazin' Pokémon, ya made a great choice goin' there. Say where is Pikachu?"

"Back in my cabin, he really doesn't like being around me."

"Well you might want to go get him. We'll be coming up on Sandgem Town any minute now." Curtis said.

Dawn Berlitz had barely caught her breath by the time she got back to Professor Rowan's lab with Piplup. This little guy had caused a lot of trouble, fighting with Chimchar and causing the two Sinnoh starters to run off. Dawn had elected to go and try to find the two as one of them could be her first Pokémon.

The experience had not been a pleasant one. She and Piplup and nearly been eaten by a group of angry Ariados, but luckily with a little teamwork they'd manged to escape and Chimchar had been found by the lab assistants; not an ideal start to her journey, but as much as Dawn liked to tell people there was no need to worry things rarely worked out as planned for her. All that was left now was for Dawn to choose her starter.

"Now it's time for you to pick your starter Pokémon. These are three that are available to first time Trainers in the Sinnoh region: the Fire-type Chimchar, the Water-type Piplup, and the Grass-type Turtwig," Professor Rowan said. "Do you know which one you want?"

"Yes sir, I do. Piplup!" Dawn watched poor Chimchar face plant as he was sure that Dawn would choose him, she looked Piplup in the eye and spoke, "Piplup we've already been through an awful lot; we're already a team."

"You'll need Piplup's Pokéball." Professor Rowan handed Dawn the ball and she recalled Piplup. Before anything else could happen the door the lab opened revealing a boy her age wearing a blue jacket and a baseball cap. Oddly he was wearing rubber gloves and was dragging a Pikachu behind him... was it tied up in a clothesline?

"This is Professor Rowan's laboratory right? I'm Ash Ketchum from the Kanto region. Professor Oak told me to stop by here before I started my journey. I really hope I'm not in the wrong place," The boy, Ash said.

"Yes, this is my laboratory, Oak said you'd be stopping by. I can see why he told me to watch out for you." Rowan seemed as unimpressed with the boy as she was. As far as she could tell Ash couldn't even figure out how to use a Pokéball, that didn't exactly inspire confidence about his abilities.

Ash finally caught on to the fact that Professor Rowan was staring at Pikachu and the makeshift leash. "Yeah, sorry about that, this Pikachu is kind of a handful; he refuses to go into his Pokéball and doesn't seem to like me very much. I'm doing what I can to keep it under control." Ash scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I see," Rowan's frown showed that the man was still less than pleased with this development, "Ash, this is Dawn, she just starting out on her journey, just like you. If I may make a recommendation, why don't you two travel together? Since you're both beginners, you'll be safer that way."

Dawn had no real desire to travel with Ash, he seemed like he'd be more a hindrance than anything else, but one stern look from the Professor told her that he would have no argument. If she had to guess this arrangement was more for Ash's sake than her own. After all, if Ash couldn't get Pikachu to obey him he was likely to get mauled by a wild Pokémon and Dawn didn't need a death on her conscience.

"Alright," Dawn said with a nod.

"Yeah, sounds like fun!" Dawn would say one thing for Ash, he certainly was eager. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, but she still had some serious reluctance about this.

"Anything can happen on your journey, so if you two need anything feel free to call," Rowan said.

With that done Ash and Dawn set off toward Jubilife City, it wasn't like there was anywhere else to go. Dawn let Piplup out of his Pokéball. "You know, Piplup, I'm really psyched, but I'm starting to wonder what a beginning Pokémon Trainer like me does first," She said. Piplup looked up at her. "I know let's catch us some Pokémon."

"Who's that Pokémon?" Ash asked pulling out his Pokédex.

"Piplup, the Penguin Pokémon. Although not the most sure-footed, it is proud nonetheless, getting right back up after a fall with head held high." The device narrated. Piplup seemed embarrassed about what the entry said about his species. Pikachu laughed at the entry causing Piplup to chirp angrily at him. The two Trainers kept their Pokémon apart.

The group kept walking until they saw a Pokémon in the grass. It was one that Dawn recognized on sight. It was very popular on the Contest circuit after all. "A Buneary I'm going to catch it!" She said trembling with excitement She then turned to Piplup. "The best way to catch a Pokémon is to battle it with another Pokémon. Are you ready, Piplup?" The Water-type Pokémon nodded as Dawn pulled out her Pokédex and scanned Buneary.

"Buneary, the Rabbit Pokémon. By quickly extending its rolled-up ears, it can launch a powerful attack against its enemies." The device said.

"We need to watch out for those ears," Dawn mused. "Piplup, use Bubble Beam!" Her starter fired a concentrated stream of bubbles at the wild Buneary who jumped out of the way with ease and landed behind Piplup. "It's fast! Piplup use Peck, Buneary's behind you!"

Piplup turned with a glowing beak and rushed toward the wild Rabbit Pokémon. Buneary once again dodged easily only this time it stuck at Piplup with one of its ears stunning the little penguin. Buneary quickly hopped away.

Dawn rushed over to see if Piplup was okay, but the sound of Pikachu's hysterical laughter cut into the moment. Piplup quickly shook off the stun and fired a Bubble Beam at Pikachu who couldn't dodge because it was still tied up in a clothesline.

"Make Piplup apologize right now!" Ash demanded.

"Make Piplup apologize? Pikachu started it," Dawn shot back.

"Watching that Buneary beat you was kind of funny," Ash said. That was the wrong thing to say. Dawn felt herself flush with anger.

"Well at least Piplup listens to me and I don't have to drag him around on a leash!" She felt remorse immediately as she watched Ash recoil like he'd been slapped.

"I'll show you. I don't need this." Ash quickly took off his rubber gloves and untied Pikachu. "That's better isn't it, Pikachu? We're going to be best friends." Ash smiled at his starter. Pikachu's response was to shock the entire group.

"Ash, please just put that thing back in its Pokéball before it kills us." Dawn pleaded.

"I already told you I can't, Dawn. He just won't go back. If I could I wouldn't have been dragging him around like that."

"Show me," Dawn said. She barely resisted the urge to slap her forehead in embarrassment for the poor boy as he tossed the Pokéball at Pikachu only to have it bounced right back to him. He really didn't know much at all about being a Pokémon Trainer at all did he? I mean she was a rookie herself and had a lot to learn, but apparently Kanto was very lax in its Pokémon Trainer licensing courses.

"That's not how you return a Pokémon, Ash. Here, let me show you." Dawn held out her Pokéball and pressed the button that shot the red beam out of the ball that made the Pokémon it belonged to go back inside. Piplup returned with no fuss.

"Oh so that's what that button is for!" Ash said. He quickly did as Dawn had shown him and returned Pikachu to his Pokéball. He then turned to Dawn. "Thanks Dawn. Hey is Piplup going to be okay? Pikachu's attacks hurt."

"Yeah, Piplup's tough he'll be fine. That Pikachu of yours really is a handful huh?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure how I'm going to be a Pokémon Trainer when my only Pokémon hates me. It's going to make catching other Pokémon pretty difficult."

"No need to worry, Ash, Piplup and I will help you catch a Pokemon."

"You'd really do that for me, Dawn?" Ash seemed a bit shocked.

"Consider it an apology for the mean stuff I said," Dawn explained.

"Don't worry about it, I wasn't exactly being nice either."

Ash kept staring at Pikachu's Pokéball as he and Dawn walked through a wooded area on their way to Jubilife City, Dawn walked her bike alongside her because he didn't have one. The ball itself was perfectly normal save for a yellow lightning bolt on the red portion. Of course to him it meant much more. Pikachu was his first Pokémon, the one that was meant to accompany him all through his journey. Yet Pikachu wanted nothing to do with him; it seemed like a bit of a bad omen for his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. He was shook out of his thoughts by Dawn's voice.

"Hey, Ash, do you know what a Pokémon Contest is? My dream is to become a Top Coordinator like my mom," She said.

Ash blinked confused. He'd never heard of a Pokémon Contest before. Then again Sinnoh was a long way from Kanto. "Pokémon Contest, is that what they call the Pokémon League here in Sinnoh?" It was a shot in the dark, he just hoped he was right and didn't look like a total idiot. Dawn had already had to teach him how to get a Pokémon back in its Pokéball.

"No, a Pokémon Contest is something very different from the League. It involves a Trainer showing off the beauty of their Pokémon and their moves. They're holding one in Jubilife City soon so I need to catch and train as many Pokémon as I can before we get there so I'm ready."

"Sounds kind of dumb if you ask me. Pokémon are meant to be strong and tough, not pretty. League battles show true mastery of Pokémon," Ash replied.

"There is battling in Contests, and some amazing strategies and combinations," Dawn said with annoyance in her voice.

"If you say so," Ash said with a shrug.

"Well why don't you watch some and see what you think?" Dawn suggested.

"Sure, why not?" Ash agreed. The conversation stopped as they heard a rustling in the trees and they looked up to find a black Pokémon covered in leaves hanging on a branch.

"Oh it's a Burmy! That'll be a good Pokémon for you, Ash," Dawn said. "Come on out, Piplup." Dawn tossed Piplup's Pokéball and the small penguin Pokémon appeared.

Ash pulled out his Pokédex. "Burmy, the Bag Worm Pokémon. To protect itself from the cold wind, Burmy uses leaves and branches to make a cloak around itself, " The mechanical male voice of Dexter said.

"Catching that cutie should be a peace of cake. Piplup, use Bubble Beam!" Dawn ordered. Piplup followed the order and fired a stream of bubbles at the Burmy knocking it off the tree.

As Burmy recollected the trees and branches that made up its cloak as Piplup's attack had knocked them off Ash pulled out a Pokéball and threw it at the distracted Pokémon. The ball struck its target and opened up converting the Pokémon into energy before closing again. It shook once, twice, three times before making the pinging noise that indicated that Burmy had been caught. Ash rushed over and picked up the Pokéball.

"I caught a Burmy!" He said excitedly. "Thanks for your help, Dawn, Piplup."

"Not a problem, Ash." Dawn offered her had for a high five which Ash happily gave her. "Now you have a Pokémon that will actually listen to you unlike Pikachu so you can catch and train your own Pokémon now. You're one step closer to being a Pokémon Master."

Ash turned away from Dawn so she wouldn't see his smile falter. He hooked Burmy's Pokéball on to his belt and once again began staring at Pikachu's. He was grateful for what Dawn and Piplup had done for him. They weren't under any obligation to help him out and he was sure Burmy would be a great Pokémon. At the same time though Pikachu was his starter.

He had to get Pikachu to trust him somehow. He had no idea where to even start with the stubborn Mouse Pokémon, but that didn't mean he'd stop trying. Right now all he could do was take thing one step at a time and see where the journey took him.

So here we are at the start of a new Pearlshipping fic; the romance is going to be a slow burn because they're young, but it will happen. First of all thank you for taking the time to read this. Ash going to Sinnoh right away has already caused some big changes as you can see and it will continue to do so. I know this first chapter is a bit paint by numbers, but it kind of needed to be in order to set everything up. It will get better in later chapters.

Please leave a review. Feel free to speculate on how things will change in various ways, just know I won't be giving out any major spoilers via PM. I hope you enjoyed this and will come back for the next chapter.