Whee! Plotbunny fic! What if it was Lance who fished Ash out of the river in the first pokemon episode? Add a few more changes, and viola, new life!

Started 4/16/04

Disclaimer: I really wish I owned pokemon. Sadly, I don’t. It belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This is non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfic that I wrote so I own it.

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Lance is Catelyn, but she uses Catelyn as a girl and Lance as Champion.

Title: Tapestry

*THIS FIC IS DEDICATED TO SPIRIT HELLFIRE*

Chapter 1

Why oh why oh why had he overslept? The mantra continued running through Ash’s mind as he frantically kicked his way up towards the surface of the river for air. If he hadn’t been late, he wouldn’t have missed getting a starter pokemon, instead of the struggling Pichu now in his arms, and they definitely wouldn’t be running from a crazy Gyarados!

Eek! Waterfall coming up!
The impact knocked him out as he fell off the waterfall, well, down it actually, and blacked out, Pichu was protected from the impact, much to her surprise, but when she tried to wake her trainer, thinking maybe he wouldn’t be so bad, he wouldn’t wake.

Wake up! She cried in pokespeech. I’m not mad at you anymore!

It didn’t help.

The drifted along the river, she didn’t know how long the time passed, but soon, something caught him and hooked him up.

She clung on to his black shirt with paws and teeth. What was going to happen now?

Lance studied the unconscious trainer she had fished up. “Wow, almost broke my Good Rod…”

A pichu clung to the boy’s shirt, and judging from the lack of other pokemon, she decided he was a beginning trainer.

“How is he?”

I can’t wake him up!

Lance nodded. * Makes sense. In that case… *

From her backpack, she took a pillbox, popped it open, and removed a small red pill, which she placed in his mouth.

Ash swallowed it.

He woke up a few minutes later.

Are you okay! Pichu asked, jumping on him in worry.

“P-pichu?’

Ash was totally taken aback when Pichu hugged him. * What happened? And why does she suddenly like me? *

Pichu sniffed him and crawled onto his head, before settling back in his lap glad he was okay.

“What happened?”

“Well, I don’t know. I found you unconscious when I fished you out of the river.” A lilting voice said.

Ash turned, seeing a blonde girl with blue eyes in blue jeans and a red jacket talking to him. She wore a black mini backpack and from her poke belt dangled three poke balls.

“Thanks for saving me.” Ash said politely.

“No problem, just helping out a fellow trainer. My name’s Catelyn.”

“I’m Ash Ketchum from Pallet town, and I want to be the world’s greatest pokemon master!”

Catelyn laughed. “Well, you’ve got a ways to go then. Take care of yourself, and don’t fall into any more rivers.”

Ash colored. “Well, I kind of jumped in.”

“Jumped in?”

“We were escaping from a flock of wild Spearow.”

“Oh… well, they’re gone now. Lei took care of them.”

“Hm?”

“My Ampharos.”

“Thanks again.” Ash said, doing a double take. * She has an Ampharos? Wow! She must be a really good trainer then! *

“Well, I’ll see you around.” Catelyn said, as she jumped on her bicycle. “Good luck on your journey!”

“Yours too!” Ash waved goodbye.

Pichu waved too, and then they walked onwards.

Wild Pidgey appeared!

“Pichu, can you do Thundershock?”

“Pi!” The mouse agreed, cheeks sparking. Yes!

A fried Pidgey fell to the ground.

This pattern repeated itself with many more Pidgey, the occasional Spearow, and a horde of Rattata, before they reached Viridian.

Pichu felt stronger and more confident by the time they arrived, but that was reasonable.

Ash called his mom that night.

“Hi, mom, I made it to Viridian.”

“Oh! It only took you a day? It took your father four days to get there I remember.” Delia smiled. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, Pichu and I are fine.”

“That’s good to hear. Now remember to shower tonight and change your underwear!”

Ash blushed, as he was using a public phone. “I will, mom.”

“Good luck, Ash. Call me often!”

“Don’t worry, I will.”

“And remember to visit! Don’t forget, talk to your dad while you’re in Viridian, he said he’ll have something for you.”

Ash promised to do so, and hung up.

Pichu looked curious. Why don’t your parents live together?

“Hmm?”

Ash couldn’t quite understand electric mice language yet; he had only gotten pichu just yesterday…

He’d better not tell his dad about the Spearow incident though. After all, he was eleven years old and had been taking classes from his dad for almost six years! He couldn’t let his dad know he’d forgotten some of the most simple rules and knowledge…

But he had been stressed.

Ash made a mental note not to panic at the slightest sign of danger. His dad always said to be calm, after all….

Well, he’d go see him tomorrow.

Ash and pichu went to bed.

End Chapter

Whee! Fluff! ^-^

Lei, the name of Lance’s Ampharos, is the mandarin Chinese word for thunder.

Completed 5/31/04