Ash Ketchum.
The protagonist. The chosen one.
How do I want to handle him?
By the original timeline, we're supposed to be rivals. But is that really something I need?
I won't deny that Ash is a trainer who pushes people to improve. His battles force opponents to think outside the box, adapt on the fly. He wins through sheer unpredictability, by refusing to back down, by taking a hit and somehow always getting back up. In that sense, having him as a rival could be useful. But at the same time…
I can't see him ever actually beating me.
Paul crushed him over and over again. The only time Ash ever won was at the very end—and even then, it was because of Infernape.
But I'm not giving him Chimchar.
Without Chimchar, how much harder will it be for him? Without that defining moment of rejection, without the drive to prove himself, will he even have the motivation to chase after me?
And without Chimchar, where does that leave our rivalry? If I don't give him something to prove, if I don't abandon the Pokémon he'll rely on most, will we even cross paths the same way?
Honestly… forcing a rivalry would be cringe. Pretending to be nonchalant while deliberately antagonizing him? Acting like I don't care while making sure he's always watching?
No thanks.
If Ash is only using his Sinnoh team, he will never stand a chance against me.
If he brought back his best—his strongest Pokémon from every region—maybe he could push me to my limits. But that's not what's going to happen. He'll build his team from scratch, stumble his way through training, make mistakes. That's just who he is.
And me? I don't have time for that.
I have bigger things to worry about. Team Galactic is still lurking in the background. The League is my main focus. Every moment I waste feeding into a rivalry that won't even be satisfying is a moment I should be using to make myself stronger.
So I won't seek him out. I won't fake a condescending attitude to force tension. I won't stand around waiting for the day he finally gets good enough to matter.
But.
Just this once, I'll do it.
A guilty pleasure—indulging in something I don't need, but can't quite resist.
To thoroughly defeat the trainer who will one day become the strongest. The one who will go on to beat Champions, who will stand at the top of the world. Right now, he's not there yet. Right now, he's just another trainer. And right now…
He doesn't stand a chance.
This one time, I'll create the opportunity. I'll make the battle happen. I'll make my first real battle in this world the one where I crush the protagonist.
My declaration that this isn't his story.
It's mine.
Though now that I think about it, he'll at least have one pokemon worth battling.
Ash's Pikachu.
Fresh off a victory against Brandon's Regice.
Out of all the Pokémon he has on hand, it's the only one truly worth battling. The rodent has taken down Legendaries, survived impossible fights, and pushed through with sheer willpower time and time again. Even without an evolution, it's managed to stand on equal ground with Pokémon that should, by all logic, completely overpower it.
The only thing that might surpass it is Charizard, but I doubt Ash will bring that back anytime soon—probably not until the League. Which means, right now, Pikachu is his ace. His trump card.
Pikachu should be with Dawn right now, separated from Ash after Team Rocket's attack.
If I really wanted to force an encounter, it'd be easy. Have Elekid fire off a Thunder—Ash would come running, mistaking it for Pikachu. That's how things went originally, wasn't it? Paul mocked Ash's Starly, throwing the first spark into the fire of their rivalry.
I could do the same thing here. Play the part. Make some cutting remark about his Pokémon, set the stage for him to get fired up.
But no. There's no point in doing all that.
I'll handle this the simplest way possible.
I'll help him take down Team Rocket. They're just fodder to be beaten around.
And when that's over—
I'll challenge him to a battle.
And I'll win.
If Ash sees me as an opponent, that's on him. If he wants to chase after me, fine.
But after this, I'm not bending over backward to make him my rival. I have more important things to worry about.
__________
A bright yellow streak cuts through the sky.
Volt Tackle.
I recognize the attack instantly. Pikachu slams into Team Rocket's latest hunk of junk—a bulky, orange mech with reinforced plating—but the impact barely dents it. Sparks fizzle against the metal exterior before the machine retaliates, swinging a massive mechanical arm straight at Pikachu.
So that's where all their budget goes.
I step forward, taking in the situation. Dawn stands with Piplup, both looking tense, while Pikachu lands lightly on its feet, tail flicking.
Team Rocket is perched inside the mech's cockpit, running their mouths as usual.
"Twerps, you'll never defeat us this time!" Jessie sneers.
"This baby's Pikachu-proof!" James boasts, tapping a control panel.
Meowth smirks. "We upgraded da insulation, see? That electric attack barely tickled!"
The mech's durability could be annoying. A frontal attack won't cut it.
Without a word, I step past Dawn and release my Pokémon.
Three flashes of light.
Larvitar. Elekid. Chimchar.
Dawn blinks, startled. "Wait—who are you?"
I ignore her, eyes on the battlefield. "We're ending this quickly."
The mech's arm rears back again—aiming for Pikachu.
Not happening.
"Larvitar, use Rock Slide! Aim for the shoulder!"
Chunks of rock materialize in the air before slamming into the mech's shoulder joint. The impact rattles the machine, and Team Rocket yelps as the whole cockpit shakes.
"Elekid, Thunder Punch—same spot."
Elekid dashes forward, electricity crackling around its fist before driving the punch straight into the weakened joint softened up by Larvitar's rock slide. Sparks explode on impact.
A direct hit. The arm seizes up, twitching erratically.
"Chimchar, Ember—inside the crack."
Chimchar leaps up, flames building in its mouth before unleashing Ember. A wild, scattered burst, aimed at the exact point Elekid's Thunder Punch fractured the metal. The superheated metal warps, and smoke starts billowing from the joint.
The robot shuddered, its mechanical limbs spasming as the internal systems began to short-circuit from the sudden, focused surge of thermal energy.
Team Rocket panics.
"Wha—HEY! Dat wasn't in da calculations!" Meowth screeches.
The entire left arm of the mech collapses, metal groaning under its own weight. The machine sways, unbalanced.
Pikachu doesn't hesitate. It sees the opening.
Another streak of yellow. Pikachu dashing towards the mech with a Volt Tackle. This time, the attack connects where the armor is weakest. Sparks erupt from inside the machine, and for a brief moment, the cockpit is a frenzy of flashing lights and error messages.
Then—
BOOM.
The whole thing detonates, sending Team Rocket blasting off into the sky.
I watch them disappear, their voices fading into the distance.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off agaaaaiiiin—!"
Gone.
I click my tongue. Pathetic.
Dawn exhales in relief. "Wow… that was… fast."
I glance down at my Pokémon. No injuries. Barely even a warm-up.
With Team Rocket taken care of, I turn my attention to Pikachu. It's in good shape despite the battle, standing firm with sparks still crackling from its cheeks. Even after all that, it doesn't look tired.
I glance at Dawn. "Those guys," I say, glancing towards the direction Team Rocket blasted off. "Why were they after your Pikachu?"
She blinks. "Oh—uh, it's not mine." She gestures toward Pikachu. "It belongs to another trainer."
I pause, acting as if I'm just now putting things together. "I see."
She hesitates for a moment before adding, "And Team Rocket… they're a group of thieves. They try to steal Pokémon from trainers."
I cross my arms, pretending to process the information. "Tch. Pretty pathetic thieves if they keep getting sent flying like that." My gaze shifts back to Pikachu. "That thing must be important if they went through all that trouble."
Dawn nods. "Yeah, I think so. Pikachu's really strong." She pauses before offering a smile. "Oh! I should probably introduce myself. I'm Dawn, a Pokémon Coordinator—well, just starting out."
She looks at me expectantly. Right—introductions.
"I'm Paul, from Veilstone City."
Before she can respond, the sound of hurried footsteps echoes through the clearing.
"Pikachu!"
A familiar voice.
I glance up as Ash and Brock come running in.
Pikachu's ears perk up at the sound of its trainer's voice, and in the blink of an eye, it dashes toward Ash, leaping into his arms. Sparks crackle around its cheeks as it nuzzles against him, clearly relieved.
"Pikachu! You're okay!" Ash hugs it tightly before looking around, taking in the scene. His eyes land on Dawn first. "You're the one Pikachu was with, right?"
Dawn nods. "Yeah, I found Pikachu on its own earlier. Those weird people in white uniforms tried to take it, but—" she glances at me, "Paul helped."
Ash turns to me, his expression shifting to curiosity. "You're the one who stopped Team Rocket?"
I shrug. "They weren't much of a challenge."
Ash blinks, processing my response, then grins. "Thanks! That was really awesome of you."
I don't respond immediately, just giving a small nod. No point in making a big deal out of it.
Brock's gaze shifts past me, and I follow his line of sight to where my Pokémon are gathered near the remnants of Team Rocket's wrecked mech. Larvitar stands firm, arms crossed, while Elekid casually sparks its prongs. Chimchar sits on the rubble, flicking its tail flame idly. None of them look particularly tired.
Brock raises an eyebrow. "Your Pokémon don't seem worn out at all. That takes skill. You must be a pretty strong Trainer!"
Dawn nods in agreement. "Yeah! Paul's Larvitar, Elekid, and Chimchar worked together and completely wrecked those weirdos. It was over in no time!"
Ash rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Man… Team Rocket gives me trouble all the time, but you took them out like it was nothing." He looks at me, his expression turning serious. "Seriously, thanks again."
I glance at him, then at Pikachu, which sits on his shoulder looking energetic despite everything. "I saw your Pikachu use Volt Tackle earlier."
Ash blinks at the sudden comment but then grins. "Yeah! Pikachu's been training really hard with that move."
I nod slightly. "It's strong." Then, after a brief pause, I add, "Let's battle."
Ash's eyes light up instantly. "For real? Oh, man—this is gonna be great!"
Before we can move, Brock steps between us, holding up his hands. "Hold on. Pikachu's been through a lot today, even if it doesn't look tired. I should at least give it a quick potion to help with stamina."
I cross my arms. "Fine by me."
Ash nods. "Good idea. Pikachu, let's get you patched up real quick."
Brock kneels down and takes a small spray bottle from his bag. Pikachu hops off Ash's shoulder and stands still as Brock applies the potion. It lets out a small squeak as the medicine takes effect, but within moments, its fur bristles with renewed energy.
"There you go." Brock stands up, smiling. "That should help."
Ash pumps his fist. "Alright, Pikachu! Ready for battle?"
"Pika!" Pikachu sparks its cheeks in response.
Brock glances at both of us, then looks at the open field ahead. "Since Paul has three Pokémon, and Ash also has three with him, let's make it a three-on-three battle."
I nod. "Works for me."
Ash grins. "Same here! This is gonna be awesome."
We step onto opposite sides of the clearing, the rubble from Team Rocket's mech far behind us. The atmosphere shifts—Ash's excitement is obvious, but I stay focused. If I'm going to be in this world, I might as well start getting used to real battles.
Brock raises a hand. "Alright, I'll referee. Choose your first Pokémon!"
I reach for a Poké Ball, feeling the weight of the moment settle in. This is it—my first real battle in this world. Time to see what the protagonist is really made of.