Chapter 1 – Meeting Pyra

"Hmm... This should not be. How did your spirit get here, I wonder?" A voice that encompasses all of space and time echos in the void. The creature stares down into a pool of clear liquid that projects the image of a hospital and the proceedings of a human child's birth. 

"Watcher," The voice calls a command, "I have a task for you and your kind. See after the child and report to me on any irregularities."

"Mew..."

"Indeed. I believe this could be a sign of great change. His memories are quite interesting..."

---

5 Years Later - Pallet City, Dratini Children's School

"Prepare for trouble!"

'Oh God. No.'

"And make it double!"

'Please, God, I will do anything...'

"To protect the world from devastation!"

'Arceus, listen dude, let's work out a deal, yeah?'

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

'Come on! You know I am going to kill this trainer shit! Give me a break!'

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

'No, no no no no nonononono.....'

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

'Can I die again? Is that an option?'

"Jessie!" 

A spotlight shines down onto a theater stage in front of me highlighting a woman posing on the catwalk above the stage. She has purple hair in a long swooping tail down from her head to her waist and she is sinfully dressed. Like a super MILF cosplaying to spice up her bedroom life. She wears a white crop top with the letter "R" in red and a black sports bra underneath that does nothing to hide her curves. Her short white skirt doesn't seem to fit right and is busting at the seems to keep in her THICC thighs and she has long black boots that reach up to the start of those same thighs. Her belly is not as flat as it once was but is curvy in all the right ways. All of the grown men around me have their mouths hanging open while their wives hit them for staring, and I am pretty sure some of the young teens in the room just had their sexual awakening. 

'Jesus Mom...really?'

"James!"

Another spotlight shines on the opposite end of the catwalk and my father comes out in his chiseled glory. He has spent lots of time working in machine shops in recent years and it shows as he has altered his costume, a mirror of my mother's with a black half shirt displaying his six-pack and rippling biceps for all to see. Great. Now both sets of parents around me are staring in lewd ways and there are more realizations of sexuality going on all around.

I do my best to slide down in my auditorium seat to be less noticeable. Who knows, maybe no one will realize we are related? 

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

-Silence-

*Cough* "Persian!" 

*Sigh* "Fine. But this is seriously the last time I do this."

"Meowth! That's right!" Says a totally uninterested Persian pretending to be a Meowth while standing on his hind legs in his own spotlight in the middle of the catwalk. 

"Today, we will finally catch that annoying Pikachu...and maybe we will give it to our son!" My mom, Jessie, says with an evil smile as she holds her hand up parallel to her eyes so she can see out in the audience past the spotlight. "Finn? Are you there sweetie?"

Covering my face and sliding down practically into the aisle, I desperately pretend to be part of the furniture.

Before my suffering can continue, however, the spotlights cut out and intense music plays.

"Not today Team Rocket! We will defeat you just like old times!" A voice calls out through the theater speakers.

The stage lights come on in glowing reds and blues as a fog machine coats the auditorium in white mist. From the center of the stage, rising out slowly is a silhouetted figure wearing a hat and with some kind of Pokémon on his shoulder. A new spotlight shines down on him revealing.....Ash Ketchum and Pikachu. Yea, he is in this world too. Weird since both he and Red existed at roughly the same time...

Music starts blaring from the speakers and the audience roars in cheers as he finishes dramatically ascending. The stage lights turn their normal yellow-white to show my mom and dad at one end of the stage with Persian and Ash and Pikachu quickly taking the other side.

They stare each other down with fake intensity as if they are going to battle. Pikachu's cheeks even start flickering with electricity, at which point an exasperated voice says, "I am NOT getting shocked again. Continue this if you want, I am going to find Finn."

With the tension and dramatics gone, my parents and Ash laugh as Persian jumps off the stage and makes his way to me easily. Persian gives me a pitying look before laying his head on my foot and going to sleep. Now everyone stares at me realizing I am this 'Finn' kid.

-sigh- Great... so much for flying under the radar... I noticed that Pikachu followed suit and makes his way onto a girl's lap in the front row nearby me. We make eye contact and share an embarrassed eye roll. At least I am not alone in this!

Ash and my parents hug - weird yes, but that will be explained later - before coming to the front of the stage and addressing the crowd. 

"Ladies and gentleman, Pokefans young and old. Welcome to the First Pokemon Picking Day of the new year!"  My dad, James, announces to the loud cheers of those behind me. "My name is James Cambridge, lead engineer for the Pokemon Leauge R&D division in Kanto, and this is my lovely wife Jessica Cambridge."

"Hello everyone!" My mom beams as she hangs herself off of my dad. "I am Jessie Cambridge, Dean of Criminal Studies at Dragonite University. My husband and I are here to talk to you about the more mundane job opportunities for those who are not interested in becoming Pokemon Trainers, but that can wait. I am sure you are all more interested in talking to our cities resident champion and gym leader, so without further ado, here is Ash Ketchum!"

The audience shares polite applause for my parents, but it ramps up in volume for when Ash takes center stage. He beams out a smile and scans the audience before waving at the girl with Pikachu in the front row.

"Hello! It is an honor to be able to speak here today! Thanks again to Jessie and James for coming to speak about the mundane jobs. Those are really important and they keep the Pokemon League and all the cities running. I hope you enjoyed the little theatrics we had," He and everyone in the audience laugh, "Just a bit of a joke from our younger days. Don't worry, Team Rocket is still long gone...not that most of you even know who they were...but we were just excited to show off a bit for our kids today!"

Ash waves at the girl again and my parents find me in the audience and wave with goofy grins. Goofy, but loving. They may be corny and cringe-inducing, but they are still super loving and supportive. I honestly couldn't have asked for nicer parents for my second time around.

How did things become like this? Simple. The power of friendship.

.......

No really, I swear. The story goes that about 7 years ago, after another embarrassing defeat and the disbandment of Team Rocket, my parents were lost and without purpose. Apparently, Ash, their one time greatest rival, offered an olive branch. Instead of yelling at them, cursing them, or turning them over to the police like the criminals they were, he offered them friendship and told them of his plans to settle down with his new wife and start a family. He offered them connections to get real jobs and a chance for them to start over. 

So, like that, my parents turned over a new leaf and became model citizens. They started with nothing and worked their asses off to become the top experts in their fields. James, being the one who made all the machines and gizmos that they had used over the years, was hired on with the League's R&D department while Jessie was offered to teach criminal studies at the newly updated Pallet City's Dragonite University. They both got these jobs through Ash's recommendations and they never forgot that kindness and both our families remain close to this day. 

The girl I mentioned is named Lara and she is the daughter of Ash, duh, and a woman named Serena. I vaguely recall hearing Serena was important in the anime, but I stopped watching long ago, so I am not sure why she was important. Basically, after Joto, I have no idea what Ash did. I was honestly a little disappointed he didn't end up with Misty, since the whole 2nd movie where he kissed her...but I guess that didn't count or something? I don't know. It is all a bit confusing.

Anyway, Lara is my childhood friend, I guess you can say. She and I are the same age and her brother Conor and my sister Rose are the same age (3), so it always just worked out with us all playing together. 

Now, before you freak out about it being weird that an 18-year-old in the body of a 5-year-old is playing with toddlers, I have news for you. Isekais were wrong. Not all of them, but most of them. See, you can't just merge the fully grown mind of an adult with that of a baby. If that happened, I probably would have died or had a weirdly misshapen head. Hell, brains don't stop developing until 25! I only recently remembered a whole bunch of my past life, and honestly, most of it is hazy at best. In all other words, other than brief flashes of recognition and a tendency to act a bit older than my age sometimes, I AM a kid.

Another thing Isekais got wrong were the hormones and the emotions of children. See, I can't always control the way I act, or rather, I forget to make myself control the way I act. I have the body, mind, and emotions of a 5-year-old so I am easily thrown off from my old persona. I routinely find myself playing some childish game or crying about something dumb only to come back and wonder why I am doing it! It is really confusing and disorienting, and I have just decided to stop fighting it. I wasn't reborn, I just have memories of a past life. It makes it SO much easier to think of it that way and stop fighting it at every step. I am a kid, and I am allowed to be a kid, act like a kid, and cry like a kid. I just have some memories of some other dude. I AM Finn Cambridge. I AM NOT Max Frazier. Thinking anyway else is honestly bad for my sanity.

Existential monolog done, back to the present. 

Ash continues his speech, "Now I know you are all excited about picking your first Pokemon, but before that, I want to give you a bit more information about what being a trainer really means. After which, Jessie & James will both give you the basics of the non-trainer jobs. Please listen closely as it may help you pick your path in the future!" The audience cheers and then quiets down to focus on the 22-year-old gym leader.

"Being a trainer is all about...."

* | * | *

"Your dad sure does like to go on and on about machinery. I am honestly surprised anyone was still awake!" Lara smirks at me after the assembly was finally done and we were heading back to our classrooms.

It was the first day of school, so we had just been assigned a homeroom teacher, Miss Poren. We were heading to our classrooms to wait until it was our turn to pick our Pokemon. Being rich kids, Lara and I were in 1-A, so we were first to pick. Our class size was about 20 kids, all from influential families in Pallet City. My parents worked hard for this, so I wasn't ashamed to be a rich kid. In fact, I was damned proud at the 180 they were able to do. 

"Yeah, but at least my dad didn't spend 30 minutes talking about his dream of catching all the Pokemon and bragging about his adventures...and his daughter...What was it he said? 'I can't wait for my baby Lara to share in the joy of your first Pokemon! I am Soooooooo proud of her and I love her Sooooooo much. She is just a little princess...'" I say with an overdramatic interpretation of Ash. She interrupts me at the end with an elbow to the side while blushing. 

"Alright class, we will be heading to the gymnasium shortly." Miss Poren says making Lara and I focus on her. "When we get there, we will be forming a line in alphabetical order based on your last names. You will each then get your PokePhone that works as your PokeGear and Pokedex from the Pokemon League representative who will have a small desk set up at the entrance. It is important not to lose this, so please keep it with you at all times." She explains and all eyes are locked on her. This is a huge moment for all of us and we know it.

"Once you get your PokePhone, you will enter into the gymnasium proper. There you can meet up with your parents or guardians to help you with your choice. You will be able to see what is available on the big screen by the entrance. Each of the different Pokemon will be in their own enclosures with breeders nearby. If you want to look or interact with a Pokemon inside these enclosures, you must go inside with the breeder nearby. Never forget that Pokemon can be dangerous if they are frightened or mishandled, so only touch or interact with them when you are given permission and shown how. Once you have interacted with a few, you can make your choice on which you would like. Talk to the breeder nearby again to confirm your decision and you will be given your first PokeBall with that Pokemon shortly after. Do not release the Pokemon from their Pokeball until instructed to do so or until you are back at home. We don't want any accidental damage to the gym or our classroom."

Having finished laying out the instructions, she then lines us up in alphabetical order. I wave goodbye and good luck to Lara who will be about 7 people behind me.  I turn out to be 2nd in line. Not bad!

The interaction with the League worker and getting my PokePhone follows exactly as Miss Poren said. I briefly look over the screen showing all the different Pokemon available, such as Oddish, Growlithe, Meowth, Vulpix, Eevee, Bellsprout, Nidoran, Mankey, Pidgey, Geodude, and Machop just to name a few, but, in reality, there is only one choice for me. The Kanto starters are, of course, also listed and it is finally time for me to live my childhood dream. Both childhoods!

I see my parents talking with Ash and Serena across the gym, so I quickly make my way over to the Charmander enclosure to avoid them. I love them, but I don't want to be around them while they are dressed like that...Sorry...The enclosure looks like a 10x10 ft greenhouse made of white-colored metal and glass. Inside is a small field of fake grass where about 6 Charmanders play. Seeing the real thing, even through the glass of the enclosure, made my heart skip a beat. Charmander was what you would expect from the pokemon based on the cards, games, or anime, only it had smooth scales instead of skin. Seeing the actual live fire at the tip of its tail was amazing. It really brought home that all of this was real...I can't believe this is really happening!

"Hello, are you interested in the Charizard line? They can be a bit stubborn and hard to train but are fiercely loyal and one of the strongest Pokemon lines we have available."

"YES!" I say far too loud and blush, "I-I mean, yes, please..." I say sheepishly after my outburst. 

The noise of running feet on wood can be heard behind me and I turn my head to see Jeremy Drex heading over. He is the son of the Mayor of Pallet City, Grant Drex, and is kinda a douche. Case in point - Jeremy roughly pushes himself past me and stands before the breeder. I see his mom rushing over to him, a bit out of breath. I just take a step back and sigh to let the prince have his turn first.

If this were a typical Isekai story, you would have the snobbish nobles that look down on characters. In this world, that is Jeremy and his mother Natalie. Mayor Grant is actually a really cool guy, he is just a bit weak-willed when it comes to his wife, and her, and now Jeremy, walk all over him. 

"Is it ready?" Jeremy demands in a haughty tone. His mother, now standing right behind him, nods her head at the worker who looks at me with an apologetic smile. 

"Yes, Mr. Drex, we have the unique Charmander all ready for you." Saying so, the breeder pulls out a fancy-looking Pokeball. It was white at the base like normal, but the top was intricately engraved with the pictures of the Charizard line, imagery of crackling fire in between and around the edges, and a unique firestone jewel inlaid on the red lid. The Pokeball probably cost upwards of $100,000 (Remember this is Japanese style currency so this translates into roughly $960 USD) and was overboard to the max.

Receiving the Pokeball, Jeremy wastes no time at all and clicks the button in the center releasing the Charmander outside of the enclosure and completely ignoring the squawk of protest from the breeder. The worker was silenced by a severe look from Mrs. Drex.

The most beautiful Charmander I have ever seen is released from the Pokeball in a blinding flash of light. Its scales are slightly lighter in color, a light yellow tint instead of orange, and it looks up at Jeremy and his mother in a way I can only describe as shy. It holds its small paws to its face as if to peak through the tiny fingers. Holy shit...is that a shiny...timid...Charmander? No wonder it was saved for the Mayor's son...It is so damn cute!~~~

"WHAT!?!" Jeremey yells and turns on the breeder. "I thought I said I wanted a male! This is a female Charmander according to my Pokedex!!!" His exclamation draws the attention of the rest of the gym. "I don't want this useless thing. Get me the right one, now!"

"...Mr. Drex, this was the only unique Charmander born of this gener..." The breeder tries but is quickly interrupted by Mrs. Drex.

"Are you talking back to my son? Do you know who we are? Where is your manager, I want to speak to him now!" She yells, proving that Karen's are around in every world. A crowd is quickly forming around us as the yelling continues. 

"I don't have time to wait until the next breeding period! Urg. I will just pick from the others I guess. Just release this useless..." Jeremy says but is interrupted by a quiet voice behind him.

"I-I'll take her..."

-Silence-

Oh shit...that was me, wasn't it?

Turning and sneering at me in his best interpretation of a king looking at a peasant, Jeremy snarls, "Stealing from your betters? How like a criminal of you. Your parents must be so proud..." Looking down at the Charmander, his sneer turns into an outright hateful glare, "You want this useless beast? Fine. Catch." And with that, he throws me the Charmander's Pokeball. 

I fumble for a second but manage to catch the expensive Pokeball as Jeremy and his mother open the enclosure full of Charmanders and enter without the breeder's permission. He rushes in after them to make sure they are not hurt.

Despite the crowd still around me, at that moment there were just two creatures in existence. Me and the baby Charmander who was covering her face with her small paws and who looked on the verge of crying. Pokemon were very intelligent creatures and they could easily understand our language. So, of course, the poor girl heard and understood that she was abandoned the second she met her trainer. I had to fix this, and fast.

Kneeling down so I was at eye level with her, I smile and say, "I'm sorry about that jerk, girl." She looks at me through her paws, tears welling in her eyes as I continue slowly, "My name is Finn. I came here today looking for the best Charmander I could find. The second I saw you, I knew that you were the very best Charmander ever and the only one for me. How Jeremy could ever call you useless is beyond comprehension. I promise that I will never treat you the way he did," I extend both my arms out as if awaiting a hug from a friend, "How would you like to join me and together we can become the strongest team ever? And we can kick Jeremy's and his boy Charmander's butts and show them that girls are just as strong, if not stronger! ...What do you say?"

There is a brief pause where she hesitates and as no one around us breathes. Then, finally, she takes a slow step towards me. Then another, and another, and then a faster one, until she ends up fully running into my arms and just about knocking me over! I manage to brace myself by moving one leg back just in time and catch her in a warm hug. She buries her head into my neck and I can feel both the softness and smoothness of her scales as well as the wet spots forming on my shirt from her tears. I notice now that she is less yellow and more pinkish in color. It is not too surprising, however, as Pokemon have much more color variation here. "Shinies" are not actually that rare in this world. I hug her tight and whisper reassuring words to her before finally come back to myself and my surroundings after a collective "Awwww" from the crowd around me.  

I look up to see that I am mostly surrounded by women. From mothers to teens to kids my age, women stare at me with glittering eyes and giant smiles. It is nice, but a little off-putting to be honest. I see several mothers and older sisters leaning into younger girls' ears and whispering something to which the younger girls nod slowly. Yup...that was a shiver down my spine... Luckily for me, my family, Lara and her family, and even Mayor Drex push through the crowd at that moment. 

Mayor Drex sees me with the unique Charmander in my arms, the special edition Pokeball he bought for his son in my hands, and his wife and son in the enclosure with a manic breeder trying to stop them from touching any of the Pokemon. He then sighs deeply. He nods to me and then heads inside the enclosure himself, looking ready for war. I get to keep her after all? Got the Mayor's approval and everything! I smile at my new Pokemon who seems to have fallen asleep in my arms.

"What happened, sweetie?" My mom asks.

"Yeah, we are not supposed to have the Pokemon outside of their balls in the gym," Lara says, "Why is the Charmander holding you like that?"

Little did any of us know that the mothers, teens, and little girls couldn't wait to regale others about my valiant and heroic act of saving the female Charmander. I was blushing, thoroughly embarrassed, as they told the story and just focused on petting the sleeping Charmander laying her head on my shoulder. After they finished a mostly accurate account of what happened with only a little embellishment, my mother came up and ruffled my hair and gave me a kiss on the forehead.

"That's my boy. I'm very proud of you, Finn."

"We both are!" My father says while gently patting my back as to not wake the sleeping princess up.

"Thanks, mom and dad, I just did what you taught me," I say and smile up at them. Ridiculous clothing or not, they were my caring, dopey, and loveable parents and I was proud to be their son. 

"Wow...um...that was a nice thing to do...I'm glad you got the Pokemon you wanted," Lara says, not making eye contact with me and blushing slightly.

"Yeah! Me too," I say, standing slowly and cradling Charmander in my arms, being careful to keep her tail up so we were all safe from the fire.  "Did you get the Eevee you wanted?" I ask in return. Lara gives me a great big smile and nods emphatically.

"I'll show you after school! I named her Grace! What are you going to name your Charmander?"

I look over to my Charmander's face and watch as she opens her big silver eyes with flakes of crimson mixed in. She turns her head to face me and we stare deeply into each other's eyes as an irreplaceable and unbreakable bond is formed. A name jumps out to me and I speak it allowed, softly as if it was a question to be asked. Asking reverently if it was worthy of her. 

"Pyra?"

Pyra nods her head and closes her eyes putting her head on my shoulder once more. Deeming this name worthy. I smile brightly as I look back at Lara, "Her name is Pyra."