c1: Choose You Part 1
"Oh, come on, that's complete bull crap!" Austin couldn't help but shout at the TV, the familiar frustration bubbling inside him. The screen showed Pikachu—Ash's Pikachu, the one who once defeated a Regice during the Battle Frontier and even fought a Latios to a draw in the Lily of the Valley Conference getting knocked out by a freshly caught Snivy. "How the hell does Pikachu, who went toe-to-toe with Tobias's freaking Latios, lose to a Snivy that hasn't even seen battle yet?" He clenched his fists, shaking his head in disbelief. Sure, Pikachu's electric attacks had been blocked by that electrical discharge standard anime excuse but even so, Iron Tail alone should've been enough to swat that Snivy out of the stadium.
This wasn't Austin's first time yelling at the anime. Back in Hoenn, Ash left his entire team behind and brought only Pikachu? What kind of trainer forgets his Charizard, Sceptile, or even Bulbasaur, all of whom had taken down powerful opponents? And then again in Sinnoh after so much development, he just reset himself. Austin had watched every single episode, every battle, hoping the writers would break the pattern. But now in Unova, they'd reset Pikachu's power levels again.
With a sigh, Austin turned off the TV. "Anyone could write a better arc than that," he muttered, plugging in his headphones. He needed something anything to drown out his irritation. He had about an hour before his parents got back, and school supply shopping wasn't something he was hyped about anyway.
The opening chords of New Divide began to fill his ears. He leaned back, letting the music block out the world. His mind drifted again to the wasted potential of the Black and White series. Ash had traveled through so many regions, built such a strong team. Imagine if he'd brought even one of them Infernape, who fought Paul's Electivire to a standstill, or Gliscor, who took on a Drapion like a champ. The idea that this Pikachu was somehow weaker than one from the Indigo League days? Ludicrous.
Then, without warning, a wave of fatigue crashed over Austin like a tidal wave. He blinked rapidly, trying to fight it off, but each blink dragged longer than the last. A yawn escaped before he could stop it. Maybe a quick nap wouldn't hurt before his parents got back. His eyelids drooped as he succumbed to sleep.
---
Something felt...wrong.
Austin's nose twitched as light streamed into the room, warmth pulling him from unconsciousness. He shifted instinctively under covers he didn't remember pulling over himself.
Wait.
He hadn't been under any covers before.
He cracked open one eye. Confusion quickly set in. This wasn't his room. His heart picked up speed as he shot upright, wobbling on unfamiliar legs. Everything looked alien: a Clefairy piggy bank, a Zubat plush dangling from the ceiling a Zubat plush? and a busted Voltorb alarm clock with a tiny Pidgey figure perched on top.
This couldn't be real. No way in hell was this real. He stumbled toward the mirror and froze. Slowly, he turned toward the reflection.
Ash Ketchum stared back at him.
No. No, no, no. This had to be a dream.
He took a hesitant step toward the glass. His reflection mimicked him. The spiky hair, the large brown eyes, the familiar zigzag cheek lines everything was unmistakably Ash.
He raised his hand.
So did the reflection.
He tried to speak but the voice that came out wasn't his.
It was Ash's voice.
That's when Austin did the only rational thing he could think of.
He screamed.
It didn't last long. Heavy footsteps thundered down the hall. Oh crap. He spun to the door just as it burst open—Delia Ketchum, Ash's mom, stood there. She looked exactly like in the show and manga: mahogany hair pulled back, soft amber eyes, and wearing that pink blouse with sky-blue pants.
"Ash, are you alright?" she asked, genuine concern in her voice.
Oh no. Oh no, no, no.
Austin's thoughts spiraled. What was he supposed to say? "Hey, Mrs. Ketchum, your son's consciousness has been hijacked by a teenager from another dimension"? That would go over great.
"I-I overslept!" he blurted, ducking past her. His legs felt too short, his limbs unfamiliar and awkward. But he had to keep moving. He couldn't just stand there and get caught in whatever cosmic joke this was.
He had no idea how to be ten years old again.
Let alone Ash freaking Ketchum.
"Ash, wait! You need to eat—" Delia's voice barely registered as Austin bolted out the front door, sneakers pounding against the dirt path.
His thoughts spun wildly with every step. This had to be a dream. It felt too real but it had to be. There was no other rational explanation. Any second now, he'd wake up in his room, probably with his headphones tangled, and he'd be heading off to get school supplies with his parents. Just another Saturday.
...Any second now.
Austin finally slowed to a stop near the outskirts of town Pallet Town, unmistakably so. He could still see Ash's house behind him, just past the windmill and the grove of berry trees. Leaning over, he braced his hands on his knees, trying to regulate his breathing.
"Okay… okay, think, think," he muttered, casting glances at the familiar town. "I'm in Pallet Town. I… somehow am Ash."
Even saying it aloud made his stomach turn. He rubbed a hand through his hair and felt Ash's spiky, stubbornly messy black locks between his fingers. His brain kept screaming impossible, but his senses disagreed.
A loud commotion jerked him out of his thoughts. He turned toward the unmistakable white dome of Professor Oak's Pokémon Research Lab, where a small crowd had begun to gather. That's when the realization hit him hard he knew this exact moment. He knew when this was.
"Oh no," he whispered, stepping toward the crowd as dread bubbled in his gut. This was the morning Ash was supposed to get his first Pokémon but he overslept, meaning…
"Ash, better late than never, I suppose."
Austin winced at the familiar voice and turned. Standing smugly a few feet away, wearing his Pokémon League Expo '88 T-shirt, was a brown-haired kid with arrogant eyes: Gary Oak. It figured. Of course it had to be Gary.
"Already got my Pokémon, Ashy-boy," Gary said with a smirk that reeked of condescension. "You're behind before you've even started."
Austin fought the urge to roll his eyes. Even in the Pokémon Adventures manga, Gary or rather, Blue had been cocky and battle-savvy, already displaying his strategic mindset from the start. "Must be some poor Pokémon if it has to deal with your over-inflated ego," Austin snapped back without thinking.
Gary blinked. For a second, he looked surprised Ash had rarely given back sass like that, especially in the anime. But Gary recovered fast, cocking a brow. "You wanna know which one I picked?"
"Squirtle," Austin answered flatly.
Gary's jaw slackened. "What?! How'd you how'd you know that?"
Crap. Austin had slipped. He played it cool, trying to act nonchalant. "Lucky guess. Only three options, right? Law of probability."
Gary squinted at him like he was trying to solve a puzzle. But after a beat, he seemed to dismiss it. "Heh. Whatever. I've got my partner and a head start. See ya around Ashy-boy."
And with that, he turned and sauntered off, waving mockingly over his shoulder like the cocky rival he always was.
Austin stood there, blinking, still trying to wrap his head around what was happening.
What. The. Hell.
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