What If...? : Chosen Ones

[Mouse Tourmaline]

What If...? : Making the Difference

OK, I'm back. This is a work in progress. Anime universe and characters. It just occurred to me as I considered the things that could be altered by one simple change in the story... This is one of my fics where, just because you recognise the scenery (and I hope you will!), you shouldn't assume all is the same...

What if...?

Prologue

Light. Light as dazzling as an explosion, making her cover her eyes with one hand. Then, in one moment, the return of the cold darkness. Slowly, her eyes adjusted to it, and she stared into its depths.

"Oh, no... Please..."

The words were torn from her, her voice a strangled gasp as she struggled to block out the scene in front of her. It was a dream. It had to be. It was a hallucination. It had to be. Yet as tightly as she jammed her tear-stained eyes shut, when she opened them he was still there, everything as it had been a moment ago. A tiny hand reached up and
touched her arm, the little Pokémon obviously wondering what was wrong.

The two slender, almost humanlike figures looked around, as though they had been woken from a dream. They seemed to be taking in every fragment of the vision, the darkened glass of the shattered windows, the Pokémon watching them from every corner, the human girl's stunned tears. The taller one hung his head, stepping back.

This was not supposed to happen...

Silence hung over the room, imprisoning the shocked, tired trainers and their Pokémon companions. Some recalled their fighters into Pokéballs; others simply gazed in horror at the fateful scene.

The dead silence, the calm after the storm, was broken by the sound of footsteps. Two young humans, boy and girl, stumbled wildly down the stairs and into the centre of the room, jumping back with a start when they saw the figures in front of them. All eyes fixed them with a glare, resenting their intrusion. This, of all moments, was not the time for silly rhymes and petty thefts. But the two lacked their usual air of foolish confidence and stylish charm. The young man was the first to recover enough breath to speak, clutching tightly the cat-Pokémon in his arms.

"Get out!" he gasped. "Get out! The..." before collapsing in a coughing fit. The red-haired girl took a gulp of air and continued for him.

"The roof's going to fall in. One of you guys must have done some damage to it. We've got to get out of here!" She pulled her companion from the ground and towards the hall.

In any normal circumstances, the trainers would have laughed, not believing the duo's story. Now, they panicked. Recalling monsters and snatching up belongings, they headed for the door, Pokémon following. The two figures standing in the centre of the floor looked at them for a moment, then vanished into a shimmer of clear light. Desperate, frantic, she grabbed him from the floor and began to follow the growing crowd. She could already hear a creaking noise far above her head, and pebbles scattered down from the ceiling. She shuddered, not knowing if any of them would get out.

It seemed an age before she reached the coldness of the night air, the starlit sky, the gritty sand beneath the trainers' feet. Setting him down on the cold sands, she blocked her ears with her fingers, trying to get away from the ever-louder creaking from behind her, giving way to a final, decisive crash. When a hand touched her, she nearly fainted with fright.

"It's okay," the teenage boy said gently, helping her to her feet. "It's me."

She fell against his shoulder, sobbing. Around them, trainers were huddling in frightened confusion. She heard snatches of conversation: two girls were discussing riding their Lapras to land for help. A man from Celadon City had lost his Kadabra, the only casualty in the accident: the noble Psychic had held up part of the roof while its trainer got to safety, holding his young Smoochum. The forty-year-old man sobbed in shock and loss.

The wind swept the girl's red hair as she stared blankly at the ocean, not wanting to look at the figure at her feet. Her little Pokémon clung to her in the sudden cold, and the older boy rested an arm on her shoulders. She was oblivious to them all, lost in her own thoughts, and her tears seemed to have faded into an icy shock.

But when the electric Pokémon came to her side, its eyes looking up at hers in confusion and worry, she cried.


----

TBC. Any good?

 

[Saffire Persian]

The title leads me to wonder what exactly this story is about.. but I'm not too worried about it. I'm actually quite impressed with this Prologue - very impressed. I assume this is your first fic and I think you're doing a good job so far. I think you portrayed the feelings about this "freak" accident very well - especially the part about the Alakazam holding up the building for everyone else, though perishing in the process (though one would think he could Teleport himself out). Still, it lends to the realism, and you portray all the thoughts accurately. I think I spotted a spelling error, though i can't be too sure, and I'm too lazy to go back and find out.

So, very nice job, and if you like, I could make a banner for this story, all you'd have to do is PM me details on how you'd like it. If you want examples of my work, feel free to check out my banner thread.

Anyway, nice job.

 

[Seijiro Mafuné]

Yanno, when you actually get what happened, it makes sense. Interesting premise. Write more!

 

[Mouse Tourmaline]

This isn't my first fic exactly, but it's my first proper try at anything longer than a one-shot, and I'm worried that I'll mess it up. Seijiro Mafune-- you think you know what the prologue's about? Thank goodness, I was worried it was too cryptic. PM me and I'll see if you're right.
I forgot to mention at first that this fic contained characters from the anime, as well as all that universe's parameters. Please don't let that put you off. I grew out of badly written trainer fics and predictable romance a while ago now. It's just that the situations that these characters have been in seem like an interesting backdrop for a what if?

 

[Saffire Persian]

Mm.. having the animé characters in it doensn't bother me in the slightest - well, I'm not a big fan of May, as I prefer Misty in the long run, and it looks like you're using her.. o.o and I'm guessing that Pikachu is Ash's - the teenager who's shoulder she's crying on is Brock's then.. xD Is Ash dead?

Heh.. anyway, keep going. ^^

 

[Mouse Tourmaline]

and I'm guessing that Pikachu is Ash's - the teenager who's shoulder she's crying on is Brock's then.. xD Is Ash dead?

...I'm not saying. Clue: Do you know who the two figures are that disappeared in a "shimmer of clear light"?

 

[Seijiro Mafuné]

I got it! ...at least I think I do. Does it regard a small cat?

 

[Saffire Persian]

hmm.. now that I read over it.. maybe it wasn't. 0-o... So, no I don't. But I have a few guesses.

 

[Seijiro Mafuné]

Oy. But it's not what I meant... if I'm right, it's something really important.

 

[Mouse Tourmaline]

Home

?Two years later



Author’s Note: Since “Pokédollars” isn’t really a very realistic name for a currency, I’ll evade giving them an actual name by using the abbreviation PK.




I’ve been away for far too long…

The red-haired girl jumped down from the train, pulling her suitcase behind her. Cradled in her other arm, a baby Pokémon gurgled happily. "We're home, Togepi," she told him with a slight smile. Then, tugging the case into position, she walked over to meet the boy who stood on the platform. A few kids clustered around her, snapping photographs, and she wasn’t surprised: after all, she was one of the most famous travelling trainers of her age.

"Hi," her friend smiled, taking her luggage. "How was Johto?"

"...Big," she said finally. "I've got to take you and the Pokémon there sometime. Look at this!" Holding out a Pokéball, she let it release its contents. A shimmering fish flashed in the evening sunshine. "Mantine! Mantine!"

The two of them headed out of Saffron Station and towards the street, where a man stood holding six Pidgeot, leashed to his hand. Brock tipped the trainer and pulled Misty onto the gentle bird Pokémon, telling it in a calm tone, "Pallet Town."

As the Pidgeot took off on the breeze, she breathed deeply and looked into the sky ahead. "Nothing...?" she asked in a voice that was almost matter-of-fact, and Brock shook his head.

Swooping down in circles towards a small house at the centre of Pallet Town, she felt herself knocked over by a yellow blur as soon as the bird's feet touched the ground. A voice yelled in her ear, "Pikachupi!"

"Yes, darling, it's Misty," said the tall figure standing in the doorway, smiling at the trainers. "Misty, dear, it's so nice to see you back here. Are you coming in for something to drink now, or are you going to see the Professor first?"

"I'm coming in!" Misty accepted the invitation gratefully. Stepping into the house, she kicked off her shoes and flopped into the nearest chair.

There were drinks on the kitchen bench, and freshly-baked cookies. Boy and girl sat in contented silence for a few minutes, sipping from tall glasses and munching on still-warm biscuit. "Wow, you're still as good a cook as when I left. Have you been practising?" Her voice was light and bubbly, but anyone listening might have thought that something about it, something barely discernible, wasn't quite right.

"Well, of course," smiled the older woman, watching happily as Brock and Misty demolished her cookies. "I bake them for Pikachu, don't I?"

"Pikachu eats your cookies?" Misty was surprised.

"Pikachu LOVES my cookies. Isn't that right, Pika?" she beamed, holding one out for the electric-mouse Pokémon to take. Sure enough, Pikachu squeaked in delight and crammed the delicious treat into its mouth.

"Go get a change of clothes from the spare room, Misty," the woman suggested as the gym-leader finished her drink. Obediently, Misty got up from her seat and climbed the stairs. Before she reached the door of the spare room, she hesitated and peeked around another door.

"I'm back," she said in a soft voice. "I just thought you should know."

There was silence.

"I've been to Johto. It's a beautiful country, but it's nice to be home."

Silence.

"Did you know that Pikachu eats cookies now? We have so much to talk about."

Then, unhappy and a little embarrassed, she fled down the hallway and towards the spare room.

When Misty returned to the kitchen, dressed now in a simple blue dress and with her hair brushed back, the woman at the table was holding a letter and reading it to Brock. She jumped slightly on seeing Misty, and broke off. "Misty, dear, you look wonderful dressed like that!"

"Thank you," Misty said with a smile. "What's that letter?"

"Oh, this?" She tried to seem casual, but it was clear that she cared a lot about the piece of paper in her hand. "I got it this morning. This private medical centre out in the Orange Archipelago wants me to come there for a few days. They're going to try some tests and see if they can..." Though her voice trailed off, her face was flushed with excitement at the prospect.

Great, Misty thought sarcastically. Another quack-doctor who’ll run seventy thousand PK worth of tests, shuffle about in a lab coat looking important, then tell her there’s nothing he can do and give her the bill. I’ve seen this far too many times.

She opened her mouth, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to say the words that would shatter this gentle, loving woman’s happiness. In her eyes, Misty saw the expression of someone who would never quite give up hope. When had she, Misty, abandoned it herself? She couldn’t remember any more.

“Sounds good, if it works,” were the words that she settled for, “and anyhow, I was thinking you needed a holiday. You look a bit tired.”

“Here,” Brock put in, smiling, “would you be very annoyed if I decided to tag along? I’ve always wanted to see the Orange Islands.”

“Brock…” Misty sighed, “you’re probably just going to look for cute girls. And besides, I don’t think she’s going to want to go on walking tours. We’d be better off staying here.”

“Oh, that’s a pity,” responded the boy, a mischievous smile playing across his features. “I hear they’ve got some really rare water Pokémon out there, like a coral reef full of Corsola, a whole colony of Starmie that light up in the ocean at night… shame you don’t fancy going, Mist.”

“Er…” The red-haired girl had no answer.

“I’ll make it four tickets, then,” the woman smiled. “Do I need a child’s ticket for Pikachu?”

The little Pokémon stuck out its pink tongue, demonstrating without hesitation exactly what it thought about that idea.

 

[Seijiro Mafuné]

Well, this proves it then. I guess it's spoilerable now. [SPOIL]Ash didn't unpetrify in movie 1.[/SPOIL]

The fic's getting interesting. Go on!

 

[Saffire Persian]

Ah - Seijiro seems to have hit the dot.. It hit me as I read this chapter - but still, it's rather endearing that Misty talks to him.. very cute. ^^ It's nice to see you're fleshing out more of the less 'seen' characters - namely Delilah.

The Orange Islands, eh? ^^ Well, I look forward to the next chapter, and I'm sorry I don't have more to comment on.. I'm quite the horrible reviewer sometimes.

 

[Mouse Tourmaline]

2: Travelling Hopefully


“Orange Islands main port, change here for all archipelago ferry services!”

Misty and Brock, suitcases in hand, were first off the boat. “I’ll catch you two up when I’ve finished sorting out the arrangements for the stay,” called a voice from the deck. “Have fun! Oh, and--” A pair of hands appeared over the rail, holding an annoyed bundle of yellow fur. “Take Pikachu with you!”

The island city was beautifully warm, its inhabitants wandering around in shorts and tee-shirts to take in the sunshine. Street traders were selling Pokémon medicine and candy from wooden stalls. Misty stopped to sample a pink sugar Rattata, letting it melt on her tongue. “I’ll take six!” she told the trader enthusiastically.

Brock was chatting to a girl selling Pokémon food, obviously equally captivated by the product and by its seller. Meanwhile, Pikachu nibbled on the food and seemed to agree totally with Brock’s assessment.

Misty loved the city already. She couldn’t remember the last place she’d visited that had made her feel so happy, so carefree, from the moment she set foot on the pavement. The atmosphere seemed to be rubbing off on Pikachu, too. The little Pokémon was bounding along beside her now, its ears twitching at the new sounds around it.

“Draw your picture, Miss?” A young man was sitting on the wall, sketchpad in hand. “Only twenty-five PK. I’m saving up for a bicycle.”

“A bicycle?” Misty was curious. “There’s a bike shop out here?”

“Heck, no. Do you think I’d still be saving up for it if it wasn’t for the delivery charge?” Giving a sincere smile, he began to sketch a few lines. “Should I draw you, or that cute Pikachu? Pokémon are my speciality really.”

“Oh, draw the Pikachu!” Misty exclaimed, and watched in delight as the lines on the boy’s sketchbook formed the perfect image of a charming, inquisitive Pikachu. With a final flourish of the pencil, he added the Pokémon’s black ear-tips and handed the drawing to Misty.

“Twenty PK, miss.”

“I thought you said twenty-five?” Misty asked, pulling out a handful of change.

“Twenty-five is for humans. Drawing Pokémon like that Pikachu of yours is so much more fun.”

“Oh, he’s not mine,” smiled Misty, hugging Pikachu tightly. “I’m just looking after him while a friend of ours books a hotel.”

“Well, your friend is certainly good at keeping Pokémon in condition,” nodded the boy, shutting his notebook. “What’s your name, anyway? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before, and I know ‘most everyone round here.”

“I’m Misty Waterflower,” she said. “I’m just visiting. This is my first time here.”

“You should go on a cruise,” he suggested. “They leave every day for a tour of the archipelago. Today’s has gone already, but I’ll show you where to get one if you come down here tomorrow.”

“I’ll be there.”

The conversation was broken off by the sight of a familiar figure. “Misty? Brock? I’m sorry, the hotel was overbooked. We’re sleeping at the Pokémon centre tonight. Nurse Joy said she’d take us in.”

Picking up Pikachu and waving to the artist, Misty followed Brock to unpack.


*


Somewhere deep in the ocean, a submarine was moving.

Inside the tin shell of the false fish, a young man with blue hair was pedalling furiously, a cat-Pokémon seated behind him and doing exactly the same. Further forward, a red-haired woman was looking at an electronic device and idly twirling her hair around one finger.

Suddenly she sat up, staring at the screen. “James!!” she exclaimed, holding her tracker up in excitement.

“Whaaaat?” Three days of pedalling had taken its toll on her companion, and he was in no mood to mess around.

“You’re not going to believe what Pokémon just came on my radar.” Getting up from his seat, he peered over the young woman’s shoulder.

“It’s a Pikachu,” he yawned. “So what? I can buy one of those if we get the money. They just aren’t rare enough to steal nowadays.”

“Moron!” she snapped, her sharp tone contradicting with the hopeless smile that was taking over her expression. “Look again.”

He looked, and goggled. “What…! but how?… I thought…”

“I don’t care how,” Jessie retorted. “We are going to the Orange Archipelago, and we are going now, so for goodness’ sake, step on it!”

“Yes, Jessie,” James sighed, swinging his leg over the saddle to place his feet on the pedals once again. “Stepping on it, Jessie.”

Meowth simply watched in interest as Jessie set course for the Islands. Somehow, he knew that it was not going to be an average day.


*


“So this is the famous Orange Archipelago,” Brock mused, leaning over the rail of the ship. “Hey Misty, look at all the Magikarp!”

Misty leant forward and smiled at the sight of the sparkling shoal of fish, far more complex and beautiful than the faraway villains’ submarine could ever be. “Wow, the water’s so clear. I’m going to go swimming after this.”

Sitting on a deckchair, the young artist was drawing yet another picture of Pikachu. “So what is it that you guys do, exactly?” he asked, flicking his notebook pages.

“Oh, I’m a gym leader,” Brock smiled. “Mostly I take on challenges from trainers, but every so often I go out to some other city to battle with their local champion. Misty here, she’s a travelling trainer. She just got back from Johto.”

Misty dangled Togepi over the rail. The egg-shaped Pokémon giggled as saltwater splashed against its face. Tired of the artist’s attentions, Pikachu clamoured for a turn, jumping down from its position in front of him and running along the deck.

“Hey, stay still!” the young man protested uselessly. He glanced down into the water and did a double-take, staring over the rail. “Brock? Look at this!”

The shoal of fish from before had been joined by other Pokémon: Wailmer, Horsea, Tentacool, Goldeen, even the occasional rare Seaking. They glittered like jewels in the calm, blue waters, drifting alongside the ship.

“I’ve never seen so many Pokémon together,” the young artist breathed. “Wow.”

“Yeah,” Brock agreed, gazing at the tide of water Pokémon. “Wow.”

 

[Seijiro Mafuné]

Heh, interesting. Two things:
-Are you gonna put a ship? I don't think another one's needed.
-Which submarine is TR using?

 

[Mouse Tourmaline]

-Are you gonna put a ship? I don't think another one's needed.

As in a boat, or a romance?

 

[Seijiro Mafuné]

Romance. %)

 

[Saffire Persian]

Another short chapter. And team Rocket make their appearance.. I was wondering when they were going to show up. o.o'. Again, there's not much to comment on here, but I loved James' dialogue.. XD Made me laugh.. I haven't watched the show in awhile, but you portray the characters very nicely.