Pokémon: Road to Indigo Glory

Road to Indigo Glory 

We don't own anything except OC's: All content goes to its proper owners.

Writing Credits: Monsterhuntergod, Uzumaki Ricky, Sharad the hedgehog, and Traines

Electrifying Beginnings

The world of Pokémon is a place of true wonder, of magic, and mystery. With over a thousand species, and still counting, too many it seems as if the world could never lose its wonder. However, for many, merely having so many wondrous creatures in their lives was not enough. Pokémon lived as companions, as workplace peers, family members, and even celebrities. Yet the one thing that has always stood out to humanity is the ability to battle. Pokémon battling was not just a sport, but a way of life. Where the mettle of man and Pokémon was put to its ultimate test. Forged in hard work, determination, and struggle.

Yet the art of Pokémon battling didn't start out so gloriously. At first, Pokémon were used for defense against bandits and wild Pokémon, to keep people safe. Then it was friendly spars to keep their wits about them. However, humanity's eyes drew to war. After what felt like ages, the world recoiled from the horror, and great reforms changed. Pokémon battling was always in the background, growing and changing with the culture. And from anarchy came the desire for order.

Like sport leagues, the International Pokémon League was set up. With each region gaining their own Leagues as long as it could support itself with demand. From there, the Gyms came as a way to test Pokémon trainers, to forge them into the best they could be. Each Gym takes a type and strategy to force trainers to adapt and not get complacent. Yet even this was not enough, as the number of trainers skyrocketed. Which was where the Academies came in.

Each region would set up at least one Academy, a multi-year schooling program to teach would-be trainers everything that they would need to know in what they wanted. Be it Battling, Research, Contests, and even Breeding. Yet not all regions were equal. Some, like Unova and Paldea, were able to put great amounts of resources and pride into their schools. Others were not so lucky, and some regions lost them along with their League all together. Yet one remained humble through all the strife and evolution. The Ichigo Pokémon Academy, located in Viridian City, remained stoic and defiant in so many ways, unchanging through all this strife. And its trainers were renowned for grit, determination, and defiant attitudes. And the newest crop was going to be no different, from equally unchanging locales.

One such locale was Pallet Town. A small town like so many in the world, with almost nothing to make it stand out from so many others, that rarely produced Pokémon Trainers for the school. Such small-town folk rarely left their town to explore the wider world. However, unlike many other such towns, it held the laboratory of Professor Oak, one of the most famous and well-respected professors on Pokémon in the world. Through his research and providing starter Pokémon, he kept the academy with great knowledge that many greater schools lacked. And, this year, he was about to provide new blood to the school in addition to that.

Working hard in his laboratory were two assistants, local boys with a deep connection to the professor. One of which being his own grandson, Gary Oak. A boy of only about ten, he grew up well in the simple country lifestyle and the hard labor of helping out his esteemed grandfather. He kept the Oak's propensity for brown hair, though his eyes took more to a dark viridian.

Like the rest of his family, Gary's branch of the Oak family didn't leave, and his parents stayed close to the professor. Even his own Granduncles were part of the fabric of the town, one being the long-standing Mayor and the other the Postmaster. However, as the boy worked on installing a new computer module, he heard the clanging and heavy movement of his fellow assistant.

Ash was only somewhat shorter than Gary, with striking messy black hair, tanned skin, and a deceptively powerful body. While he had some more muscle than Gary, he was always on the leaner side, he was far stronger than anyone should be at his age. He could always be found with a red cap with a Pokéball symbol on it, acting like a marker to wherever he was. To Gary, he was the closest thing he had to a brother, as he only had a sister in his family. That wasn't to say the two boys perfectly got along, however. For example, Ash's clumsiness, or at least Gary thought it was, was a point of friction between the two.

"Ash, can you not crash around like a Tauros? I got a lot of wires to put into this thing!" Gary yelled from under the console, laying on a skateboard to get under there properly.

"The delivery truck wasn't gonna wait for you! I had to get these computer towers in or they'd take them with them!" Came the voice of Ash. "Can't ever do anything right around here, I swear."

"I heard that!" Gary snapped from under the massive console.

"Wasn't trying to hide it!" Ash snapped back as went off to get more of the stuff dropped off.

"Guy's built like a Tauros too, I swear. Where's he hide all that…?" Gary replied, rolling his eyes as he went back to hooking up the wiring.

"Gary? Are you there? How is the installation going?" A familiar, kindly man's voice called out from the other room.

Gary smiled. "Hey, Grandpa. Installation's going well. In fact, Ashy Boy just went to go get more computer towers in so I can continue with it." He told the source of the voice.

"Oh, excellent! The old computer was getting so slow it was intolerable. Back when I was starting out, all we had were tomes upon tomes of research notes to work with. If you weren't careful, it gave one heck of a writing cramp." The old man's voice said as he walked into the room.

"Glad you're one to keep with the times, Grandpa. But you really should've traded up to a new computer sooner like I suggested." Gary told the old professor as he concentrated on a tricky bit of wiring.

"I've found in my long life, Gary, that you don't get to really choose when you have to do something. Things have been so busy around here lately. Especially with the bumper crop of young trainers needing starter Pokémon this year. Goodness me…" the man said.

However, before Gary could speak, he heard from under the computer the tell-tale stomping of Ash Ketchum. Ash, meanwhile, was carrying another computer tower over, almost as tall as the poor boy was. Gently setting it down, he took his red hat off to wipe off his brow. At that moment, he noticed the old man before him and gave a smile.

"Afternoon, Professor Oak. Shouldn't have too much more to install. The delivery truck dropped everything off already." Ash said with a smile.

Professor Samuel Oak smiled at that, his tanned face curling along with it. Though the sun kissed blondish-gray hair moved with a small draft, it was clear the man still had a vibrance and vigor even young men could barely rival. His brown eyes looked squarely at the boy as he brushed off his white lab coat.

"Well done, Ash, Gary. I must say, all of the manual labor around my lab is certainly paying off for you, isn't it my boy? You're practically a human Machoke with how strong you are now." Professor Oak replied with a smile.

A chuckle could be heard coming from Gary. "I still remember when he couldn't pick up a bag of feed for the Ponyta's." Gary snickered, thinking back to when they were little.

"Aw come on, Gary! It was my first day and I was five!" Ash complained with a small pout.

"Well, I'm certainly thankful you were able to convince your mother back then Ash. The lab wouldn't be the same without you." Professor Oak said with a warm smile, putting his left hand on Ash's shoulder.

Gary chuckled a bit. "Got that right, Grandpa. I wouldn't be half as good as I am now without Ashy Boy here to have around to stick it to." he replied playfully.

"You couldn't have got rid of me if you tried, Gary." Ash answered with a knowing smirk.

"As if I'd want to." Gary replied with a smirk of his own before sliding himself out. "Alright, Ash. Hook up that tower you just brought in and hand me the wiring so I can hook it up down here." 

Ash nodded as he picked up the tower again. As the two boys worked, Oak stood there and watched them get to it. It was still hard to believe they had grown up so fast. He still remembered them as wide-eyed, innocent, overly competitive kids who yearned to learn and grow. Sure, he had to do his best to work the more… tempestuous sides of them out, but, considering their current comradery, he liked to believe he did a good job. Soon, Ash put the computer in its place and let Gary get to work.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay during the week while we are off at Ichigo Academy?" Ash asked, his concern leaking from his voice towards his mentor.

"Yeah, Grandpa. I know things can be pretty tough around here on your own. You sure you don't wanna hire an assistant to help you out while we're gone?" Gary added, his own concern leaking into his voice as well.

"Oh, I'll be fine, you two. I lasted almost three decades without you two helping me. And besides, I know you both. You two will still want to help out when you can during the week after school and at the weekends. But I don't want you two to solely coop yourselves up in here. To become trainers, you need to expand your horizons. Gain new experiences of all types. Only then can you grow as trainers, and as a person." Oak explained, trying to downplay their worry.

"Speaking of the Academy. Ash, you got a Pokémon for that? I know it's not mandatory, but it would help your education." Gary asked his friend, trying to attach a stubborn wire. "C'mon, go in ya' stubborn thing…"

"Not yet, Gary. I slept in last time after working late. Besides, I haven't really found myself a first Pokémon that I think fits me, you know?" Ash replied, giving a shrug.

Gary thought for a moment about a wonderfully terrible idea that came to his head. "Hey, Gramps! How about we give him the Electric-Hellspawn!?" Gary yelled, unfortunately leaping upwards from his eureka moment, smashing his head into the console above. "OW! Gonna have a lump there…"

"A lump? Come on, Gary. Your head's as hard as a Golem." Ash told him before his eyes widened as he realized what Gary said. "Wait, 'Electric-Hellspawn'? Professor, you and Gary have been holding out on me?"

"It's not so much holding out as it's never come up. We got an… unusually rowdy Pokémon from someone just outside of town not too long ago. And it's not an ideal choice for a first-time trainer, Gary." Professor Oak explained, looking at his grandson sternly.

"Come on, Gramps. Ash here has a way with Pokémon. If anyone can get through to the little shock-happy rat, it's him." Gary assured his grandfather.

"Wait… you guys have a Pikachu!?" Ash asked excitedly. "Those are rare around here!"

"We do, Ash. But, unfortunately, this one has a bit of an… 'attitude problem', I think would be the appropriate way to describe it…" Professor Oak told his student.

"How many times did he shock you and Char, Grandpa?" Gary asked, as if trying to remember the event.

"Enough that my old partner tried to burn him alive…" Professor Oak sighed.

This shocked Ash greatly. Char was a venerable Charizard, the longtime partner of the Professor. Despite his imposing figure and venerable reputation, he was as mild and polite to all as his trainer. For Char of all beings to want to do something to a Pikachu… Ash simply couldn't imagine the situation required for that.

"Yeah. But, at the same time, he's a potent little guy. If you ask me, this Pikachu's power might exceed his evolutionary level." Gary added, thinking it over.

"Professor! Please let me take it! I need a Pokémon for the Academy!" Ash begged, his eyes sparkling brightly.

"Alright… but be careful. He's a temperamental one." Professor Oak told the boy before going to get the Electric Mouse Pokémon's Pokéball.

"Squirtle! Get the rubber gloves!" Gary called out into the other room.

"Squirtle!" A small voice called out before, eventually, a small, adorable, light blue turtle Pokémon with a curly tail walked in with a pair of rubber gloves. "Squirtle!" It piped up, holding up the rubber gloves to Ash.

"I don't know why, but I always thought you'd get a Charmander." Ash said as he took the gloves from the turtle Pokémon and gave it a small pat on the head. Which it liked.

"I thought about it, but a Squirtle would be easier for the Gyms. Work smarter, not harder, Ashy Boy." Gary replied with a smile.

"Squirtle! Squirtle, Squirt!" His Squirtle protested before putting its hands on the sides of its shell.

"Relax, little buddy! That was part of it! And I did choose you, didn't I?" Gary replied a bit defensively.

"Alright, I've got it!" Professor Oak said as he came out, Pokéball in hand.

It was indeed said fabled ball, with its signature red top and white bottom. It had clearly been sitting for a while, as a few smudge lines of dust from the Professor's attempts to clean it were still there. However, what surprised him was the fact it had a small lightning bolt above the button, indicative of the Electric Type. You only ever had that from handcrafted, very expensive custom Pokéballs. Why the Professor needed to make a custom Pokéball for a single Pikachu was beyond him. But, at the same time, it piqued his curiosity and excitement. He finally was going to get a Pokémon!

Ash stood there as Professor Oak put the fabled item in his hand. Turning around, he took a deep breath.

"Pikachu! I choose you!" Ash yelled, throwing the Pokéball across the room.

The ball soon opened up at the arc, sending out a near blinding flash of calm, blue light. Standing a bit lower than Ash's knee, it was clearly of a rodent type, with long, thin pointed ears, small and fat limbs, a lightning bolt shaped tail, and a wide pudgy face with red circles on the cheeks. For a member of its species, Ash noticed it was quite rotund, lacking the slim and athletic shape of others of its kind. Its back had several brown stripes on its back, while its ears had black tips to it. Black eyes with white pupils closed as it shook itself off before scanning its eyes up to look at Ash.

"Pika-chu." The round rodent said, as if to greet those around it.

"Aw, it's so cute!" Ash called out in joy while picking the Electric Mouse up as the little thing perked up proudly at being called cute.

"Careful, Ash…" Gary noted cautiously.

"Aw, come on, Gary. Look at the little. It's so adorable and chubby!" Ash replied, hugging his new partner gently.

"Pik-a-CHU!!!!" Pikachu angrily called out loudly as yellow electricity launched from its red cheeks, sending an intense bolt through Ash.

Both Professor Oak and Gary leapt for cover, Gary making sure to leap towards his Squirtle to keep it safe. Ash yelped in pain as he felt everything get shocked. When it was over, it was safe to assume he was somewhat singed. 

"You… weren't kidding… that's some pretty high voltage…" Ash weakly called out as he trembled from the aftershocks of the electric blast.

"Man, Ash! I knew you were tough, but I didn't think you were made of rubber." Gary said, coming out from under a table.

"Pika-Pika, Pi-Pikachu." Pikachu replied irritably as he leapt out of his new "trainer's" arms and onto the console, scratching his ear with his foot while looking up at the boy in irritation.

"Did I say something wrong?" Ash asked rhetorically, confused at the reason for it shocking him.

"He doesn't like people commenting on his weight. But to be fair, he hasn't been getting enough exercise lately…" Professor Oak replied.

"Sorry, Pikachu. I didn't know. Please, accept my sincere apology." Ash replied, holding his hand out to shake Pikachu's hand.

Pikachu glared at the boy out of the corner of his eye. Turning away, it turned his nose up but put its hand out and shook the boy's hand. As if to say "Fine, but don't do it again."

"Wait. Straight end of the tail. That means he's male. I guess that makes us brothers now!" Ash said with a smile, impressing both Gary and Oak. He picked up on that detail.

"Not bad, Ash. Looks like you've been studying recently." Gary replied with a teasing, playful tone.

"Hey! I'm not dumb, you know! I've watched every single one of Professor Oak's Pokémon teaching videos!" Ash snapped at his fellow lab assistant.

"I'm quite impressed, Ash. Most university students don't watch all of those. Believe me, I've checked the views." Oak answered with a smile, though saying the last part in a quieter tone.

"I can't see why. It's really interesting seeing you break down information on Pokémon, Professor." Ash replied as he put away Pikachu's ball.

"Not everyone is as voracious and curious about Pokémon as you and Gary are, Ash. But don't let that slacken. Even though I am a Pokémon Professor, I am still a student of the world of Pokémon." Professor Oak answered humbly.

"Aren't we all, Gramps? No matter how much we learn, it seems like the world still has so much more to teach us." Gary replied, showing a surprising bit of wisdom.

"Well said, Gary. Oh goodness me, look at the time! You two should head home. Lord knows your mothers will get cross at me for keeping you from dinner. You two can finish all of this up tomorrow." Professor Oak said after looking at the clock.

"Right! C'mon, Pikachu! Let's get home and have some dinner! I'll bet my mom is gonna wanna meet you!" Ash enthusiastically told his new partner.

Pikachu's ears perked at the mention of dinner. He knew enough about humans to know dinner means food. Soon, his scrunched, upturned face turned to a chipper one and nodded to his new trainer's idea.

"Pika-chu!" He chipperly answered his trainer.

"Follow me, Pikachu! We'll make a run out of it! A little pre-meal exercise always makes the food taste better!" Ash told his partner as he got into a runner's stance.

Soon, the two were off and out the door, at a speed shocking Gary, Professor Oak, and Squirtle. Rushing down the driveway and rounding the mailbox. As the two began to bolt down the road into town, Gary, Squirtle, and Professor Oak looked out the window at them. Squirtle clinging to its trainers shoulder as they gazed on.

"Wow… those two are quick. I don't think I've ever seen that Pikachu move that fast." Gary commented in disbelief.

"Squirtle-Squirt…" Squirtle added in amazed disbelief.

"I've found that food is the best motivator out there for both humans and Pokémon. In some ways, we really aren't that different from each other." Professor Oak said with a smile. "That reminds me of a Haiku I once wrote…"

"Oh, not again, Gramps…!" Gary replied with a groan.

"Squirtle…!" Squirtle groaned alongside his trainer.

Back with the speed defying duo, they soon made it to the edge of town. However, Ash soon noticed the noises coming from Pikachu becoming more and more distant. Slowing down, he soon turned to see Pikachu stopped in the middle of the road. He was barely able to stand even on all fours, panting and sweating profusely. Ash was about to say something, until he remembered what both Professor Oak and Gary said. He soon jogged over and bent down to speak to him.

"I understand if you can't keep running, Pikachu. You seem like you haven't been out of your ball in a while. Why don't you climb on my shoulder and rest a bit while I take us the rest of the way at a slower pace? That way, you can enjoy the sights around town on the way." Ash offered it to his partner.

At first, Pikachu didn't really know what to think, as his dumbfounded expression clearly showed. However, he wasn't one to turn down a free ride, so he gave a nod. With a single leap, one a bit harder than he would ever admit it was, he was on Ash's shoulder. As he settled in while Ash began to jog, he began to feel something. Something felt right with him sitting on his trainer's shoulder.

A few more minutes of jogging later and the two arrived home. Pikachu looked it over, as if inspecting it. It was a two-story house, though not the tallest one he had ever seen. It had white sidings and red tile roofs, with some simple windows. The small white picketed yard was stuffed to the brim with bushes, trees and vegetable gardens, and even a sprinkling of flowers. It was a very humble affair, but not an unpleasant one.

"Mom! I'm home! And I got a Pokémon Partner from Professor Oak!" Ash called out as he walked in the door and took off his shoes.

"Oh, that's wonderful, Ash! I was just finishing up dinner, so bring your partner in for me to see!" A woman's voice called out from the kitchen.

"What's for dinner, Mom?" Ash asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"I made some cheeseburgers and fries tonight." Mrs. Ketchum told her son as he and Pikachu came into the kitchen.

Pikachu got a good look at the woman. She practically towered over his trainer, which caught him off guard. She had lighter skin than Ash and wore a pink top, purple blouse, and a blue apron around her. Her long, Mahogany-colored hair was tied up behind her as she was hard at work. Turning around, he got to see her sparkling amber eyes. Soon a lovely smile came across her lips at the sight of her son and his new partner.

"Oh, how cute! You got a Pikachu! Aren't those rare around here?" Delia Ketchum commented with excitement.

"Closest place you find them is the Viridian Forest." Ash said as he helped Pikachu onto the table.

"I'll make a plate for the little thing. Since this is a special occasion, we'll even use the fine china and we can go pick up Pokémon food tomorrow." Delia told her son as she set to work flipping burger patties.

"You're gonna love my mother's food, Pikachu! She makes the best food in the whole town! Even Gary admitted it." Ash said with pride as he set the table for the three of them.

Pikachu sat at the table with his plate in front of him as Delia soon got the food out for everyone and poured milk for all of them. However, Pikachu soon noticed a strange red bottle next to a yellow one. Waddling over, he squeezed the bottle a bit to taste what was inside. The taste of what was a strange kind of liquid blew his mind, as both Ash and Delia saw Pikachu with a thousand-yard stare, and his mouth agape.

"Do you like ketchup, Pikachu? It goes great on burgers and fries." Delia commented with a happy giggle.

Pikachu turned his head rapidly upon hearing that. His face stretched with amazement that he got to have this magical liquid on his food. Both Delia and Ash chuckled at the Pokémon's antics. Soon everyone was plated up, and Pikachu got to work slathering his food with ketchup.

"I think he likes ketchup, mom." Ash said with a big smile.

"Then I'll make a note to make him foods that go well with ketchup for special occasions." Delia said with an amused grin.

Like a little kid, Pikachu ran over and leapt into Delia's lap before beginning to snuggle. This briefly fazed Delia before rubbing his back as Ash rubbed his head. The Ketchum household had officially gained a new member. A small, yellow and rotund one with a brand-new addiction for the mystical substance known as ketchup.