Pokémon: I Choose You!

(I do not own Pokémon, only my OCs)

Chapter 1: Two Brothers, Same Goal

Isamu's POV

What's... happening to me? I feel like I'm... drifting away... away from the suffering... Away from the pain that I felt from the large blows I've taken to protect him and... her...

My body felt numb, making me believe that I didn't have one anymore... I felt so weak... My spirit... It feels like it's fading away fast... Heh... I guess it's a good thing... I kept her safe inside her Pokéball.

My consciousness was fading as I managed to turn my head to see who was lying next to me. Wait... No, that can't be... No... Why? Why him, too? Why did he have to be taken down like I was...? That's not... what I wanted him to do...

I never... wanted him to disappear along with me... It... wasn't fair to him. He still needed to succeed in his dreams... His goals. Why did he have to be disappearing? Is this... really the end?

...

...

...No.

This... This can't end like this... Our friends need us... our partners need us... We can't... just disappear like this. I can't give up here. If I'm not giving up, then you're not planning on giving up too... Right, Ash?

A few months ago...

"Yes! This battle of the Pokémon League Finals is really picking up steam!" The MC commented as the crowd cheered for the two Trainers that were competing against each other in a tournament, which was known to be... the Pokémon League.

Two Pokémon were fighting one another, so that one of them would end up as the victor, allowing their Trainers and themselves be recognized as one of the strongest Trainers in the entire world. And right now, those two Pokémon were Blastoise and a Gengar!

Blastoise was spinning fast to bash the evolved Ghost Type away as it was commanded by a girl, as Gengar leaped to evade the speedy attack.

"Gengar dodges it!" The MC commented as he took notice of the quick evasion. As Blastoise stopped his spin, he landed on the battlefield to face his Ghost Type opponent, while preparing his cannons.

Gengar however, saw this as an opportunity and attacked, as he was ordered by his Trainer. It shot some rays coming from his eyes to immobilize his opponent, which the crowd seemed to have noticed as they cheered even louder!

"And it's Night Shade!" The MC commented again, as the attack seemed to have made a decent amount of damage to the evolved Water Type. But the Water Type glared back before resisting the Night Shade attack.

"But Blastoise withstands it!... Wait! That was an Ice Beam!" The MC commented again as he and the crowd watched to see the evolved Water Type shooting the Ice Type attack onto Gengar, causing it to be frozen and unable to move anymore!

"And Gengar is frozen! What will the Trainer do now?" The MC asked as the Trainer of Gengar gritted his teeth before he returned the Ghost Type back to his Pokéball. Taking out another one, the Trainer sent his next Pokémon out to face Blastoise, with the MC commentating on it!

"Here goes the Pokéball! And the next Pokémon up is... Venusaur!" The MC commented as the next battle between Blastoise and Venusaur had begun. As he was sent out, the evolved Grass Type shot sharp leaves to deal some serious damage, with the MC recognizing it.

"It's Razor Leaf!" The MC called out as the super effective attack dealt some major damage. As it did so, Blastoise managed to withstand his weakness and blast his opponent away with his cannons shooting out water.

"But Blastoise's Hydro Pump scores a direct hit!" The MC commented as the attack knocked Venusaur away, until it recovered and countered back with a Giga Impact attack! Blastoise charged in with Skull Bash, causing the two big battlers to crash into each other.

The impacts from the powerful attacks caused both of them to skid back to their Trainers, allowing them to recover for a few seconds. And those seconds were enough to let Venusaur charge a Solarbeam attack, while Blastoise countered with another Hydro Pump!

"Wow! Venusaur's Solarbeam and Blastoise's Hydro Pump! What power!" The MC commented as they battle raged on, with the Pokémon League fans cheering even louder than ever.

My name... is Isamu Ketchum. I'm a eleven-year old resident of my hometown called Pallet Town. I live with my little brother named Ash, along with my mother named Delia. The three of us lived together ever since our father left home to start on his journey.

And to be honest... we never got word from him on what happened to him. But Mom always believed, that he was continuing on, making his dreams come true while meeting many Pokémon along the way. And to my belief, I believe the same way as she was.

With Dad gone, I had to take care of my brother, which I really didn't mind. He kinda... reminded me of myself when I was a five year old. This is him crying out loud in excitement as he and I were watching TV, where the Pokémon League Finals were being shown.

"Man! Oh wow... YES! Yeah! Get 'em!"

You see what I mean? That burning spirit... the limitless energy... That's what my little brother is like. Even though I'm just a year older than him, I couldn't blame him for being so hyper to see a tough Pokémon battle going on.

And that's what I loved about him. What can I say? He's my little brother after all.

The two of us were preparing to start our journey together tomorrow morning, where the two of us would get our very first Pokémon. Although, kids that are ten years old were allowed to head out on a journey, I decided to wait for another year.

That way, I can travel with my little brother in the entire Kanto region, like I had promised with him a few years ago when we heard about kids becoming Pokémon Trainers the day that they turn ten.

Once we head out to choose our Pokémon, it would be one of the three that Professor Oak was planning to give to new Trainers: Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander. I won't say who I wanted to pick, because that's only going to be shown when I meet the Professor with Ash.

For my little brother, he couldn't decide to choose which. It's like he wanted to take all of them, despite of his knowledge of being able to only take one.

I can understand that, since when one kid wants to choose two of his favorite Pokémon, but is only allowed to pick one... Then that kid would have trouble deciding to choose which is better. So, he decided to choose when we arrive at the Research Lab tomorrow.

By the time the battle was over, with the winner being crowned, the two of us were told to go to bed by Mom.

But, while I was sleeping... I heard the top bunk above me creaking, causing me to realize that Ash was having a good dream, involving the three starter Pokémon. In fact, he even spoke their names sleepily, sounding happy as he spoke.

"Bulbasaur... Charmander... Squirtle... Alright..." Ash said sleepily. The way he spoke made me frown as I got my foot off of my bed to see what Ash was doing. And to my shock, he was holding our alarm clock!?

"Here we go... Alright... I choose you!" Ash called out as he threw our clock that was the shape of a Pokéball.

CRASH!

"What!?" I gasped as I watched Ash grin dreamily before he fell on his bed again. And with that, he was fast asleep once more, with that grin remaining on his face.

"Ash... How are you going to wake up if our alarm clock is broken...?" I groaned before I face palmed. That was the third alarm clock he broke while dreaming in his sleep!

But realizing I couldn't blame him for being excited for tomorrow, I didn't do anything else as I went back to sleep. What I didn't realize that tomorrow, our first day as Pokémon Trainers were about to go wild.

The next morning...

"Ash Ketchum? Isamu Ketchum? Are the two of you still asleep? You'll both be late getting to Professor Oak's Lab!" Mom said as she opened our room door. As a mother, she usually sometimes wakes up in the morning when it's time for us to get up.

But Ash insisted that the two of us could wake up by ourselves together, allowing her to let us try and wake ourselves up. But with our mother speaking, the two of us groaned before we began to wake up, after hearing our mother speak about a... lab?

"Right... Professor Oak's Lab..." Ash groaned as I managed to open my eyes before my little brother did.

At remembering today, I quickly got out of his bed and gasped in disbelief.

"Gah! We overslept!?" I gasped as Ash woke up to yell out in surprise as well. But unfortunately, while trying to jump out of the top bunk, he slipped on the ladder and crashed onto... ME!?

"AH!" "ARGH!"

Both of us groaned in pain for the painful collision before we recovered, with Ash being the first to stand.

"B-Bro?! I'm sorry! Are you okay!?" Ash asked in concern, allowing me to get up and shake my head, trying to get the dizzy feeling off of my head. He may have caused us to crash, but I knew full well that he didn't mean it, causing me to forgive him easily.

"Y-Yeah... Try to watch before you try to jump, okay?" I groaned until I was pulled out of the room by Ash.

"Whoa!? Slow down, little bro! We're still in our pajamas!" I yelled out, trying to remind him of the clothes we were still wearing. His green and yellow pajamas and my black and white pajamas weren't the right outfits to start on our journey!

"We'll worry about our clothes later! We're already late! Mom, why didn't you wake us up!?" Ash complained as we ran out of our room, with my brother dragging me away to where the downstairs were. Mom seemed annoyed a little as she reminded Ash of what he said before.

"You said yourself when you were ten, you would wake up on your own! And I thought you would be the first to wake up so you can help your brother, Isamu?" Mom said, causing me to sigh. I did say that I was going to be the first to wake up, huh...?

Not only that, I remembered what Ash said to Mom on the day of his tenth birthday, with mine being the eleventh.

Looks like neither of us was able to accomplish the promise that we made to Mom...

But other than that, Ash was running too fast that he slipped, causing me to slip as well as I was still being dragged by him! The two of us crashed and tumbled down the stairs... which was very painful! He didn't have to run to get downstairs...

"OW! ARGH! Ugh..."

"AHHH! AGH! Ow..."

But the two of us recovered fast enough to leave the house and run for Professor Oak's Lab... I almost forgot that we were running in barefoot... not that Ash cared, especially with how panicked he was with the two of us being late for the start of our journey together.

By the time we arrived at the Professor's Lab, Ash had finally released my hand, allowing me to walk at my own pace. I watched as my little brother call to Professor Oak by running to him and saying his name.

"Hey! Professor Oak! We made it! We're here!" Ash gasped out loud as he painted for all the running he did. The same could be said for me I was catching my breath as the Kanto Professor turned to the two of us with a kind smile on his face.

"Ah... Hello, Ash. Isamu." Prof. Oak said as my little brother felt hopeful for the Pokémon he wanted to pick.

"So... Professor Oak! Where's... my Pokémon!?" Ash gasped as he kept on catching his breathing. I had to pat him on the back to allow himself to calm himself down before he took a deep breath. By the time Ash did that, Prof. Oak smiled at the two of us, as if he suddenly realized something.

"Ah... So you two are the last of the five young ones starting on their journeys today!" Prof. Oak said, causing me to frown.

Wait... Last of the five young ones? But, if we were the last ones, then that could only mean...

I shook my head, taking that thought out of my mind.

No... I couldn't get myself to think negatively... it would only make things harder for me than it already had! I have to believe that there's still Pokémon left for Ash to take... Someone that would be good friends with him as our journey starts when we leave Pallet Town.

As we finally managed to catch our breath, the Kanto Professor took us inside his Lab as Ash began to explain his choice of who he decided to pick as his partner.

"I thought about it a lot and it took me a really long time, but I finally decided! I'm gonna choose Squirtle!" Ash declared, choosing the Water Type starter for his partner. I frowned, before looking at the Kanto Professor.

He gave a frown too, causing me to believe that my fears were starting to come true.

"I'm afraid Squirtle was chosen by a Trainer who wasn't late!" Prof. Oak said, causing Ash to groan, now hearing that the one he chose first was taken away by someone else. I didn't say anything, as I believed that I would only make him feel more depressed.

But as he rose his head up, he made his second choice, possibly to be make sure that if someone took the one he was going to choose first, then his second choice would be his partner.

"I've got no one to blame but myself! Okay... Then, I'll choose Bulbasaur!" Ash said as I turned to the Professor once more, before noticing the apologetic look he was giving to my brother. I narrowed my eyes, realizing on what he was going to say.

"Professor... Don't tell me that..." I started to say as the Kanto Professor nodded sadly, before giving Ash a sheepish look.

"Yes, Isamu... I'm afraid I know what you're guessing. Bulbasaur went with a Trainer who also got here on time." Professor Oak explained, causing Ash to feel depressed once again.

"Aw... Mm! Alright! I mean, I really want Charmander!" Ash cried out, making his third choice before I sighed. With Bulbasaur and Squirtle taken already, what chance was there that Charmander wasn't taken away by the third Trainer?

"Ash... I hate to say this, but with both Squirtle and Bulbasaur gone, there's a chance that the third Trainer might've taken Charmander with him... Someone who wasn't late like we were..." I said, causing my little brother to widen his eyes in shock, with the Professor confirming my guess.

"Yes, indeed. Being a second late for a train or being late for a Pokémon can be life-changing." Professor Oak said, causing Ash to slump in despair before he made a question to the Kanto Professor.

"Does that mean... that both Isamu and I go on our journey without a Pokémon?" Ash asked as I narrowed my eyes. To be honest, I do get a Pokémon... It's just that, it's not one of the three starter Pokémon I was aiming to choose, but it's the one that I already made friends with.

"Well... There is another, but..." Professor Oak started to say until Ash quickly made up his mind.

"Huh!? I'll take it!" Ash cried out, causing the Professor to frown at the quick answer. I noticed the frown, causing me to think that the Professor didn't know whether to comply to Ash's request or not.

"I think that I should warn you that there is a problem with this last one." Professor Oak said. Anyone would've reconsidered on this choice, but not Ash. He was willing to go through this, no matter what kinds of problem there was.

"So what!? Since I was late, then I've got a problem with me, too!" Ash cried out, leaving the Professor amused as he looked up to see where Ash's Pokémon could be. At seeing where he was looking at, both Ash and I looked up to see a yellow tail sticking up from the railing upstairs!

At seeing the tail, Ash grinned as he made a run for the Pokémon that was upstairs, leaving me to watch him go after his new friend or should I say, Pokémon?

"Awesome! Ha ha! Awesome! Alright, then you're my Pokémon!" Ash cried our happily as he made a dash upstairs, until he slipped! The little brother of mine tumbled down, causing me to wince as I sighed, seeing how his energy was making him reckless.

"Ash, try to be careful. And don't run so much! That's how we got bumps and small bruises while getting here, remember?" I called out to him, causing Ash to nod in understanding, despite the excitement he was currently showing on his face.

"Sorry, bro! I'm just so glad to meet my Pokémon!" Ash called as he made another dash up until something ran under his legs, much to his surprise. As he tried to catch up with the dashing Pokémon, he slipped once again, causing him to tumble down the stairs again.

Face palming to myself, I gave a sheepish smile to my little brother as I watched the yellow Pokémon hiding behind the Professor's leg. This Pokémon... I recognized it. It was a Pikachu! An Electric Type Pokemon that can be a bit difficult to handle for starting Trainers.

At seeing Ash get hurt by his fall, the Pikachu laughed, as if he was amused with the stunt my brother tried to pull as the Professor explained on what the Electric Type was.

"This Pokémon is called Pikachu." Prof. Oak explained, amazing Ash as he crept over it to give it a warm embrace.

"Ah... It's so cute! Looks like I got the best one!" Ash said happily, leaving the Kanto Professor amused once more as he watched Ash hold onto his new Electric Type partner.

"You'll see..." Prof. Oak said, causing me to raise an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, he'll see, Professor?" I asked as the Kanto Professor gave a sheepish smile. But before he could respond to my question, my little brother danced around while holding Pikachu in his hands, ecstatic of meeting his first Pokémon.

"Oh yeah... Hi, Pikachu! My name is Ash Ketchum! You and I are gonna be best friends!" Ash cried out happily. But as I took a closer look on the Mouse Pokémon, he didn't seem so interested on being a friend as he gave a glare to my little bro, with his red cheeks sparking!

I widened my eyes in shock while Ash blinked in confusion.

"Ash, put Pikachu down! He's going to-" I tried to say, only for my warning to come too late! The Mouse Pokémon shocked him, causing him to yell in pain as he felt the electricity coursing through his body as I watched with a sweat drop.

"It's the Electric Mouse Pokémon. Pikachu can be rather shy... but quite electrifying when touched by humans." Prof. Oak said as Ash became stiff from the shock he had taken just now.

"Hey... Little bro, you feeling alright?" I asked as Ash shook his head, trying to clear the damage from his head as he made a determined expression before turning to face me.

"Yeah, of course! I can take a little zap!" Ash declared, leaving me amused this time as I folded my arms. I gave a glance to the Professor, as if trying to tell him that Ash wouldn't change his mind now, especially with the burning determination he was giving off.

At seeing my expression, Professor Oak sighed before he gave a Pokéball with the electric symbol to my brother, making Ash the Trainer of this "electrifying" Pokémon.

"Alright then... If that's how you feel, then this is Pikachu's Pokéball." Prof. Oak said, as he handed the ball to Ash, making him feel thankful as he thanked the Kanto Professor.

"Ah... Thanks a lot, Professor!" Ash said thankfully until he realized that I was missing something.

"But, hold on... Big bro, what are you going to do? I forgot that there aren't any Pokémon left for you!" Ash said, causing me to blink before I smiled softly at my brother. I shook my head before turning to an area where any small Pokémon could hide in, which was under the stairs.

"You can come out now. There's nothing to be afraid of." I said, catching Ash's attention as he turned to where I was looking at. Before he could ask, a small brown fox-like Pokemon slowly came out of from hiding as she turned to where I was standing.

At seeing me, the Pokémon let out a happy cry before she ran to me and jumped into my arms. I embraced the little one as I laughed to see how happy she seemed to see me again.

"It's good to see you again, Eevee." I said as Eevee gave a cute smile.

"Eevee! Eev!" Eevee said as Ash was amazed to see a Pokémon he's never seen before.

"Whoa... Isamu? Who's that Pokémon?" Ash asked as I let Eevee ride on my left shoulder, much to her content as I explained. "This, little bro... is Eevee. I became friends with the little one several weeks ago when she was hurt by some other Pokémon." I explained.

Ash widened his eyes before he smiled at the Evolution Pokémon as he tried to greet my new partner.

"Hey, Eevee! Nice to meet you! I'm Ash!" Ash cried out happily, only for Eevee to blink before she turned her head away slowly, causing him to be confused.

"Huh...? Did I say something wrong?" Ash asked as I shook my head, before I tried to explain.

"You didn't do anything wrong, little bro. Eevee is the kind of Pokémon that's a bit shy, and gets timid when she sees a new person or Pokémon around, such as you." I explained, causing Ash to frown, before he smiled in understanding.

"Ash? Isamu?" Mom called out, catching all of our attention. Prof. Oak, Ash, and I all turned to see Mom walking towards me and Ash as she seemed to be holding some clothes in her arms.

"Remember, the two of you were going to head out on your journey together after getting your Pokémon! For goodness sake..." Mom said with a smile, causing me to smile back apologetically.

"Sorry, Mom... Things just got crazier today..." I said sheepishly, causing Ash to chuckle along with myself, as Eevee and Pikachu just stared at the two of us laughing together lightly, like what good brothers would always do.

Later...

Soon, the two of us were in our outdoor outfits, allowing us to look more prepared for our journey together. While Ash wore his outfit, I wore a gray, thin jacket, over my black shirt. My black fingerless gloves were put on, as well as my light-blue jeans.

While our outfits were worn, our mother gave us our backpack, with Ash wearing the turquoise-like backpack with a yellow symbol. I wore the black backpack with a white Pokéball symbol at the middle of it. While we were having it on, our mother explained of what she put in there.

"Here... I packed shirts, underwears, your toothbrushes, some towels and sleeping bags for the two of you!" Mom said as we nodded to our mother. I laid out my arm for Eevee to jump on, which she did so, climbing onto my shoulder in the process.

But for Ash however, this didn't result the same for him as he tried to make friends with Pikachu right away.

"Right... Let's go, Pikachu!" Ash called out, only to get a scoff from the Mouse Pokémon. This confused Ash and Mom, while leaving me a bit annoyed. That attitude of it is going to bring troible to not just Ash, but to itself as well if things were to get serious along the way.

"Don't Pokémon usually go into their Pokéballs?" Mom said as she noticed both Pikachu and Eevee still out as I shook my head with a smile, before I stroked Eevee's right ear, much to her content as she smiled with the affection I was showing her.

"Eevee may have a Pokéball, but she likes to stay out, because she wants to stay out with me. Isn't that right, girl?" I asked, causing Eevee to nod happily before she nuzzled my cheek, causing me to smile back at the little one.

"I think Pikachu likes to go in. Come on, Pikachu. Get in!" Ash said as he showed the Electric Type's Pokéball to him, only to be rejected once again. I watched as Ash blinked in confusion before he tried to be more demanding to his starter Pokémon.

"Mm... Get in your Pokéball!" Ash snapped, only to have the ball slapped back right onto his face! I winced at that, realizing on how painful it looked, considering the pained expression my brother was giving out. Eevee also seemed to feel bad as she reacted the same way as I did.

"Oh, right... This Pikachu hates getting into any sort of Pokéball..." Prof. Oak explained, causing me to glare at him for explaining this a bit late. I only shook my head though, as I knew that any person can forget to add an extra detail of what Pokémon would like or don't like.

Ash seemed to understand a little, until he tried to throw the ball to his Electric Type.

"Oh, it does...? Hm... Now, get in." Ash said as he tossed the ball, only for it to be hit back by Pikachu's tail! For Mom, Prof. Oak, and I, it seemed to be a game of catch, despite the fact that Pikachu didn't seem to like Ash at all.

With the ball being deflected several times, another deflection hit Ash's face, causing him to wince in pain again. That Pikachu laughed at as I sighed. Eevee didn't seem to understand Pikachu's behavior as she just kept watching with confusion on her face.

As for Mom, she didn't seem to understand the situation between the two as she thought that the two of them were playing catch with each other, believing that both Ash and Pikachu were friends already.

"Wow! If you're playing catch, then you're good friends already!" Mom said happily, causing both me and Ash to sweat drop before he tried to admit that they were.

"Yeah, you're right! We're best friends already, right?" Ash asked as he held Pikachu up in the air again. At seeing him do that, both Professor Oak and I widned our eyes, as we both realized on what's about to happen next between the two.

ZAP!

"AHHHHHHH!"

Yep... Electrifiying, like the Professor said. That's what Mom, Eevee, Ash, Prof. Oak, and I had felt when the Electric Type's electricity shocked all of us in the lab, causing all of us to be stiff before we could all recover.

And soon, the two of us were out on the road, heading for Route 1. Unfortunately, with the behavior Pikachu was giving to us, Ash had the idea to tie a rope to Pikachu, so he could take Pikachu with him as the Mouse Pokémon didn't want to go with Ash.

To be honest, I felt bad for the Electric Type, as he didn't deserved to be dragged like a pet. But with the way things are, this seems to be the only option little bro had as he didn't seem to like what he was doing either. We stopped for a moment, allowing Ash to try and get along with his starter.

"Ugh... Pikachu, are you going to be like this the whole way?" Ash asked, only to be scoffed at from his Electric Type partner.

"I'm guessing that's a yes, considering the tone and expression he's giving off." I said bitterly, as Eevee just watched with pity. Ash just sighed, before he walked over to his partner, trying to understand for the grouchy feeling Pikachu was giving to him.

"Is it because you don't like me?" Ash asked, earning a nod from the Mouse Pokémon.

"If that's the case, then why don't you like Ash?" I asked, trying to understand as well.

"Eevee vee?" Eevee seemed to question this as she wanted to know as well. But all we got was another scoff, signaling that he didn't want to let us know why that is. I stood back up, allowing my little bro to try and bond with Pikachu again as he tried to befriend him.

"Well, I like you a lot! And no matter what, I want to be your friend. So, we're all done with this!" Ash said as he undid the rope that was tied to the Electric Type. Once he made his Mouse Pokémon comfortable, he tried to make peace with the stubborn one with a smile.

"Now... Put 'er there!" Ash said, offering a finger. But stubborn as always, then Electric Type turned away as I scratched the back of my head. Ash only smiled sheepishly, realizing on how stubborn it was for being unfriendly to him.

"You're a handful..." Ash said I folded my arms, before I made my comment on the "bond" that was happening between my little bro and Pikachu right now.

"With the way things are going, I think it's going to be a tough journey before you become a Pokémon Master, Ash." I said sternly, causing little bro to frown before he seemed to agree.

"Guess you're right..." Ash said. But before anyone else could say something, the four of us all heard a chirp besides us, as we all turned to see what was there. Ash was the first to see as he was excited to see a new Pokémon already in the wild.

"Hey... A Pidgey! That's awesome! Yes!" Ash exclaimed as he ran to it before taking out a Pokéball. Before I could speak, Ash was already onto trying to catch it as he prepared to throw his first empty Pokéball.

"Catching that Pidgey is my first step on becoming a Pokémon Master! Go, Pokéball!" Ash called out as I gave out a waning to little bro.

"Wait, Ash! You won't be able to catch it now!" I cried out, only to be too late once again as the ball sucked in the Tiny Bird Pokémon. As the ball closed, it began to shake several times as Ash thought the capture was a success.

"I caught it!" Ash cried out happily. But that happy time was broken immediately when the ball broke open, releasing the Pidgey that was captured! As Ash stared at the Pidgey in disbelief, the Mouse Pokémon began to laugh, believing that little bro's failure was funny.

"Ash, in order to capture and befriend a Pokémon, you need to battle it first before you capture it. Although, that means you would have to work with Pikachu in order to make friends with that Pidgey over there." I explained, allowing little bro to understand as he turned to Pikachu.

"I think I can manage! Pikachu, go for it!" Ash commanded, only to be ignored once more as Pikachu didn't feel like helping, much to little bro's dismay as he tried to plead with the Electric Type.

"Oh, come on... Aren't you going to help?" Ash asked pleadingly. But with the response he got, I could easily take a guess when Pikachu shook his head in refusal.

"I'm taking that as a no." I said bitterly. At the Electric Type's refusal to cooperate, Ash grumbled in annoyance before he picked up a rock to throw as he began to get fed up with the attitude Pikachu was giving off.

"Fine then, I'll do it myself!" Ash snapped as he began to throw the rock, much to my shock and dismay.

"No! Ash, wait!" But I was ignored this time as little bro threw the rock, which missed the Pidgey! But in result, it hit something else instead! Both Eevee and I winced, believing that whoever was there was hurt as the figure of a Pokémon rose his head up angrily.

Both Ash and I widened our eyes as we recognized on what that Flying Type Pokémon was.

"It's a Spearow!" Ash gasped as he fell on the ground. Eevee got ready to fight back as I stood guard, preparing in case if Spearow was planning to attack. But as Pikachu was laughing for the bump that Spearow had got on his head, the Flying Type glared at the Mouse Pokémon.

It let out a battle cry before it shot towards Pikachu, much to our surprise. But as Spearow tried to attack, it missed! This gave Pikachu the chance to counterstrike as he shot a Thunderbolt to the Flying Type! As it made a hurt, Spearow angrily flew to a tree, making a loud cry.

As a result... This was when things got from bad to worse! A huge flock of Spearow flew out of the trees, forming a large mass as they flew towards the four of us! I gritted my teeth as I turned to both Ash and Pikachu, realizing that fighting would be pointless.

"Dammit! Move, now!" I yelled, pushing Ash to move while Eevee did the same for Pikachu. As of that, the four of us all began to run. But while we were doing so, our efforts to escape proved to be futile as the giant flock were already catching up to us!

It passed Eevee, Ash, and me for some reason...

Wait, the leader thought that Pikachu had thrown the rock at him. And with a Thunderbolt to add, this would mean... the flock was after Pikachu! My thoughts were correct as Pikachu began to be attacked by several Spearows!

Immediately he began to take multiple damage as I called out to Eevee to attack.

"No! Eevee, use Hidden Power!" I called out. At my order, Eevee shot glowing orbs at some of the Spearows attacking Pikachu while I bat some of them away. Ash did the most as he tried to make the Spearows blame him instead!

"Knock it off! I'm the one who threw the rock! You should be attacking me!" Ash snapped as he managed to get the Spearows out of the way. While Ash tried to pick Pikachu up, I batted some others away, causing me to be pecked at in the process!

Eevee also became a target when she knocked some others with Hidden Power, causing her to be pecked at as well! With the pain the four of us were feeling, with Pikachu being wounded the most, we all began to keep running while Ash kept Pikachu in his arms.

But while we were running, the pecking continued on until the two of us and a Eevee noticed a cliff up ahead with a river down below.

"Tch... Got no choice! Ash, jump!" I cried out, grabbing onto Ash's left hand. He didn't make any hesitation or complaints as the two of us jumped into the water, with Eevee following close behind. As we splashed into the water, the flock had stopped following us.

Since they couldn't fight while underwater, it was a perfect chance to us to ditch them as the currents carried us along the way. We narrowly managed to evade a Gyarados that was swimming right at us! As we managed to get far, I managed to get out of the water, while dragging Ash out, too.

With the two of us recovering, Ash looked down at his now wet and weak Electric Type. I looked down to see Eevee panting heavily as well. Oh no... It must be due to the rough current... and she wasn't used to swimming in tough rivers as well.

"Pikachu, are you okay...?" Ash asked, as Pikachu could only breathe heavily. I held onto Eevee in concern as she seemed to be having trouble of catching breath.

"Eevee, what about you?" I asked, causing Eevee to shake the water off of her fear before she nodded reluctantly. With the expression she was giving off, she was far from okay. At least... she wasn't in a worse condition than Pikachu was.

But while we were recovering, the two of us heard angry chirps as I realized on what it was.

"They found us already!? Let's move!" I snapped as I held Eevee in my left arm, before I grabbed onto Ash's left hand with my right hand. With that done, the chase continued on as we tried to run faster in order to escape the flock and protect our starters at the same time.

But it was at that time when rain clouds began to cover the sun, causing small droplets of rain to pour down. This didn't stop us, however, from having the determination to keep our Pokémon safe from the angry flock as they needed help more than we do.

"Pikachu! You're gonna be just fine! Hang in there!" Ash pleaded as Pikachu weakly looked up at both me and Ash.

Unfortunately, the flock caught up onto us once more, as the flock continued to peck both me and Ash as we tried to keep our partners safe from any further damage. But in doing so, because of the flock blinding us, we couldn't see where we were going!

Ahead was a small cliff as we jumped to keep running. But with the ground being slippery, we slipped before we jumped, causing the both of us to fall on the wet ground, hard. At the impact, both Eevee and Pikachu were forced out of our arms as they skidded on the muddy ground.

"Pikachu!?"

"Eevee!"

Little bro and I managed to run over to our partners as we checked on how they were doing. While Eevee managed to weakly stand on her feet, Pikachu couldn't as Ash looked like he was about to cry. For me, I gritted my teeth in both anger and despair.

This... This can't end like this! I clenched my fists on the muddy ground as I turned to see the Spearow flock circling around us. It's as if, they were mocking us and preparing to finish us off once they feel like it. It's pathetic...

"No, Pikachu...! This can't be happening, right?!" Ash said, his tone cracking as I turned to see little bro feeling upset for what's happening. At seeing on how outnumbered we were, I noticed Ash taking out Pikachu's Pokéball before he placed it in front of his Electric Type partner.

It was then, I realized on what he was trying to do. Understanding the stupid and risky chance Ash was planning to take, I took out Eevee's Pokéball and placed it in front of her, much to her confusion as she looked at me worriedly.

"Eevee... I know that you don like staying in the Pokéball much, but I want you to go inside where you can be safe. If the Spearow can't find you, then they'll give up on trying to hurt you. That's what I believe." I said weakly, causing Eevee to realize on what I was saying.

"Eev!? Eevee!? Eevee!" Eevee cried out as tears began to well in her eyes. I gave a forced smile to the little fox as Ash tried to get Pikachu inside his Pokéball as well.

"Pikachu, you too... You've got to go inside! I know you can't stand going in your Pokéball, but still! In there, you'll be protected! So, come on... Get inside, please? Then, leave the rest to me! I'll take care of this!" Ash said bravely.

Before he could stand however, I grabbed onto his arm firmly, catching little bro by surprise as he turned to me.

"Big bro...?" Ash could only say as I glared at my brother for trying to face this alone.

"If you think I'm going to let you handle them alone, that's where you're wrong, Ash Ketchum. You're my little brother... If you intend on facing dangerous stuff, then you have to let me in this... As a big brother." I said firmly, catching little bro by surprise.

Then, with a weak smile, little bro nodded to me before we stood to face our enemies together. With Ash twisting his cap backwards and with me standing besides him, we held our arms up, like we were walls in order to protect both Eevee and Pikachu.

"Alright, you! I don't think you know who you're dealing with, but... I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" Ash cried out.

"And I'm Isamu Ketchum from Pallet Town! And the two of us..." I started to say, allowing Ash to finish my words.

"...are going to become the world's greatest Pokémon Masters!" Ash cried out.

"Mess with the Ketchum brothers and you're all going to lose!" I continued on.

"We're going to catch all of you Pokémon at once! Just watch!" Ash finished as the two of us kept standing together. As we made our suicidal challenge to the angry flock, they responded angrily as they all prepared to attack the two of us at once!

"Pikachu, you've got to get inside your Pokéball now!" Ash ordered as Pikachu and Eevee watched us.

"That goes for you, Eevee! Come on! That's an order!" I cried out seriously.

As we made our orders, we turned back to the Spearows, demanding them to give all they've got.

"Alright, Spearows! Come on! Hit us everything we've got! We won't be satisfied until you show us all your strength!" The two of us yelled out together as we braced ourselves for the tremendous of pain we would feel soon.

As the flock flew up before they dove down to strike at us, that's when time slowed down. Everything continued on slowly. While we were standing still as walls, we felt something climbing onto our bodies as we widened our eyes to see that... it was both Pikachu and Eevee!

They jumped up together, facing the Spearows together. As Pikachu charged up his power with his cheeks, he shot the most powerful Thunderbolt to blast many of the Spearows away!

For Eevee, I... don't know what she did really. She suddenly began to glow bright, with an aura surrounding her body. It's as if, she was preparing to summon up some powerful energy to drive the entire flock away, with the help of Pikachu's Thunderbolt.

As she let out a battle cry with the light shining brightly from her body, I noticed eight pairs of eyes looking down at my little fox. Eight forms suddenly appeared as I recognized some of those Pokémon, but not the others.

They looked down at her, as if they were pooling their energy into Eevee's body, before she touched Pikachu's body with her paws to aid the Electric Type's power with Thunderbolt! As the two released their power together, it created a huge explosion!

It not just blew the entire flock away, but it blew us away as well, causing us to skid on the ground before we fell unconscious for a moment. As I was blown back, I didn't know what to say, or what to think of Eevee now.

All I could say on my mind was, she had already grown to be a strong Eevee in a short amount of time.

Later...

By the time I managed to open my eyes and take back my consciousness, I noticed Eevee staring back at me while lying on the wet ground. She gave a weak, happy cry and a smile as I smiled back at her, feeling both proud and happy for my little fox.

"Eevee... You little..." I said weakly before I pulled her into my arms. Eevee gave a teary smile before she gave a small lick on my cheek of affection as I rubbed her head to show my affection back.

"Are you okay, Eevee?" I asked softly, causing Eevee to nod without hesitation.

"That's such a relief..." I said silently as I rubbed her head again. But then, I suddenly remembered Ash, as I turned to see my little bro pulling a Pikachu into his arms. He was... smiling? Could this mean that Pikachu had finally accepted Ash as a friend and a true Trainer?

"Pikachu... You'll stay? You mean it?" Ash asked happily. At being licked at by the cheek and nuzzled, little bro smiled happily before he hugged his partner, their bond reaching to a whole new level.

I managed to stand up with Eevee on my shoulder as I shakily walked over to my brother. I offered a hand, which he accepted as I brought him up to confront him as I gave him a knowing smile.

"That was crazy, Ash... For you to start something like that..." I said to him jokingly, causing little bro to grin sheepishly back.

"Heh heh... Speak for yourself, big bro..." Ash said as the two of us began to laugh together again, with Eevee and Pikachu joining in together. But while we were having fun, the four of us all heard a loud cry coming from up the sky.

The cry caught our attention as we all looked up to see... a phoenix-like Pokémon? It looked so familiar to me for some reason... I didn't know why, but... Wait... Could that Pokémon be...?

"Ho-Oh...?" I whispered in surprise, catching Ash, Eevee, and Pikachu's attention.

To be continued...

Next chapters:

Chapter 2: Hunt for Entei! Enter Verity!

Chapter 3: Charmander's Hope! Sorrel's Help

Chapter 4: Cross' Conviction! Ash's Despair!?

Chapter 5: New Hope to Make Up For

Chapter 6: Hopes and Dreams! Aim High!

Events that occurred:

- Ash and Isamu starts on their journey

- Ash meets Pikachu as his partner

- Isamu meet Eevee as his partner

- Ash bonds with Pikachu

- Isamu and Ash sees Ho-Oh for the first time