Summary: What if Meowth's first human-word was "ash"?

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Warnings: May have some hints at krazyshipping in later chapters.

There he was. In a vent. In a schoolhouse. He listened to the things the children chanted and called out, especially when the teacher wasn't in the room.

He was especially intrigued in the arguments that started... and the fights.

He'd heard one of the bigger boys say to a smaller one, "Say that again, I'll beat you so hard I'll reduce you to ash!"

He heard this thrown from the older, bigger boy a lot. He began to believe this kid had an obsession with this 'ash' stuff, always saying he would reduce someone to ash. When the teacher came back, no one dared reveal to him what had transpired while he was gone.

It was during these periods when the Meowth learned his words, though he did learn words from the teacher. It was during his absence, however, that Meowth finally got his first word to come out in human-speak.

"Ash."

It had taken a while, but finally he had learned to speak like the humans, albeit with a sorta-annoying accent but hey, human-talk was human-talk.

It was after he'd finally successfully walked on his hind legs for more than ten minutes at a time that he went to find her. She was the one he went through all this trouble for, she was the reason he warped his body to accomadate both poké-walk and human-walk. All the pain he'd experienced in the process of going against his body's natural shape, it was all for her. All of it.

And yet... she still said no. Even went so far as to call him a freak when all he did was try to prove he was as good as any human.

That was when he turned his back on love. He walked away, brokenhearted, from the spoiled female Meowth-that Meowsie. The one who he had become more human than pokémon for... yet he still wasn't good enough for her.

He never forgot that.

It was barely two months after he'd left Hollywood that he came across a kid struggling with his pokémon. The pokémon in question was a pikachu, and it didn't seem to like its trainer.

Meowth couldn't blame it; the kid didn't seem to know what he was doing.

"C'mon, Pikachu!"

Meowth shook his head, muttering, "Ya can't force a pokémon ta do what it don't wanna do, kid."

Apparently, both the kid and pika heard him and turned in his direction. The kid's eyes widened. "A talking meowth?"

Meowth almost panicked. "Uh... Meowth?"

The kid and pika both walked over to him curiously. "Hey, was that you talking earlier?" the kid asked, pulling out his little pocket machine that, oddly enough, began talking.

"Meowth: Meowth withdraw their sharp claws into their paws to silently sneak about. For some reason, this Pokémon loves shiny coins that glitter with light"(Emerald version).

Meowth backed up slightly, eying the machine warily. "Yea, what's ya point?"

"That's so cool, I've never seen a talking pokemon before!" the kid laughed. "This is my pokemon, Pikachu, and I'm-"

"Ya not gonna give 'im a name?"

The kid blinked. "Um... it didn't say it wanted a name..."

Meowth frowned. "Okay, first off, the pika's a boy. Second off, ya don't speak Poké-talk, now do ya? Third of all, how would ya feel if ya motha or fatha went 'round callin' ya 'boy' all da time?"

"... Well, I didn't know, sorry," the kid apologized, glancing at his Pika. "I'm Ash, by the way. Ash Ketchum."

Meowth's eyes went slightly wide as he heard the name 'Ash' and he couldn't help but flashback to when he first spoke the human-language.

Ash was his first word.

He had always wondered what it really meant.

When the boy said "I'll reduce you to ash", did he mean he'd turn the kid into this kid, who's name was Ash? Or possibly was the boy made of ashes? Well, there was one way to find out...

"Wait, how can ya be ash? You're a human, aren't'cha?"

Ash looked at the Meowth, as did Pika, in a way that suggested Meowth should know better. "Ash is my name, silly."

"Oh, I t'ought so."

There was silence between them for a few moments before meowth suddenly said, "Ash was da foist word I learned in human-talk."

"You mean English?" Ash laughed, but the cat-poké could tell he wasn't laughing at him.

"Whateva it's called."

"Hey, run while you can, meowth! This kid doesn't know what he's doing!"

Meowth jumped slightly, startled, then looked at Pika. "Well, I could help wid dat!"

Ash looked confused while the Pika shook his head. "Did you understand what Pikachu said?"

"Of course I did! I am a pokémon afta all!" Meowth stated matter of factly, crossing his arms. "Now listen up, kid, dat pikachu will neva listen ta ya if ya can't train 'im properly. Now I'm gonna be nice ta ya since ya name's Ash 'nd all, so listen carefully. I'm no traina, but I know a pokémon better'n any of ya humans do!"

Neither knew it at the time, but this was the start of a beautiful friendship.

After the beedrill attack, Pikachu accepted Ash as his trainer, and Ash still didn't realize Meowth was actually a wild pokémon. He figured that, since he knew how to speak and walk, he already had a trainer.

He wondered why the cat was so accepting of just following him around and helping him out when he needed it. The cat actually became a much-needed translater between the pika and the human.

But one day Ash couldn't hold his curiosity any longer.

"Hey, Meowth, why haven't you returned to your trainer?"

Both pokémon looked up at this, and Pika looked curiously at Meowth and asked the same question in poké-talk.

Meowth laughed a little nervously and glanced at Ash's belt. "Uh, actually I don't got a traina." This seemed to surprise Ash, who asked why. "Well, I tend ta stay away from humans, 'cause I'm an independent pokémon. 'Sides, havin' a traina would mean poké-battles, and I can't fight very well."

"Why not?"

Meowth shook his head, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Dat's a story for anotha day, kid. Let's just say a walkin', talkin' meowth ain't natural."

"Well... why don't I become your trainer?" Ash asked, smiling and reaching for a pokéball.

"No! I'm an independent pokémon, 'nd if ya even so much as pull out a pokéball towards me, I'm leavin'!" Meowth cried out, jumping to his feet and startling the electric mouse and human boy. He forced himself to calm down a bit. "Listen, I dunno if I can trust ya, let's leave it at dat. I've seen trainas who abuse their pokémon. If ya want, ya can claim you're my traina, so I can't get caught by othas, but I don't want no ball. Havin' a pokéball not only signifies havin' a prison, but also increases da pain of abandonment."

Pika and Ash blinked, surprised. "Woah. You sure don't like pokéballs, do you?" Ash asked, laughing slightly.

"Pokémon aren't meant ta be trapped 'nd confined," Meowth stated, crossing his arms. "It makes travelin' for da traina easier, sure, but I hear it's very uncomfortable in dere. If I were ya, I wouldn't put any pokémon in dere unless absolutely necessary. Even da pikachu-who you still haven't named- don't like it, and he's a mouse-poké."

"Oh... I didn't even think of that," Ash admitted, throwing an apologizing glance to Pika.

"'nd dat's why every traina needs ta have at least one talkin' pokémon!" Meowth grinned, obviously thinking himself so high and mighty right then.

"... Hey look, shiny object," Ash stated blandly, tossing a gold coin at Meowth, whose eyes went wide and immediately pounced on it. "Works every time."

I wanted to end this first chapter on a funny note XD Anyway, Misty comes in next chappie, don't worry.

Sorry if anyone's OOC. And yea, Ash seems like a ditz, but that's 'cause he is. Heh. AND YES, PIKACHU IS MALE IN HERE. I support Pika being either, but I just prefer him being male.