Chapter 001: Drowning, Traveling
"Delia Aunt, Delia Aunt!! Hurry, Ash fell into the river!"
"What?! What happened?" Hearing the panicked voice outside, Delia Ketchum wearing her familiar pink apron with floral embroidery rushed out of the house, her hands still damp from washing vegetables for dinner.
"We were at the Viridian River outside the village, trying to catch some Magikarp and Goldeen. Gary and Ash both pulled up an old Poké Ball from the water at the same time."
"They both claimed it as their catch. Then they started arguing Ash said it was his first lucky find, and Gary said he saw it first. While wrestling over it, Gary shoved Ash by accident and Ash fell into the river!"
The young boy sobbed as he led Delia down the trail toward the river's edge, passing patches of Sunkern and the familiar tall grass bordering Route 1.
"..."
"Ding, successfully synchronized with host."
"Current World: Pokémon Universe (Kanto Region)"
"Initializing system... 10%"
"Initializing system... 20%"
"System is booting"
"Ding! Host has encountered a hostile response from the world's will. Engaging emergency countermeasures."
"Ding! System energy insufficient to resist dimensional pressure..."
"Ding! System energy critical. Engaging fallback protocol..."
"..."
"Warning: System severely damaged!"
"Warning: System integrity compromised!"
———
His consciousness floated aimlessly in darkness—lost in void, as if time itself stood still. But then, a flicker of light—soft, distant pierced the black abyss.
That flicker grew, and to Xiao Zhi, it felt like hope. As if a hand reached for him. His translucent soul, unanchored, drifted toward the light.
As he neared the source, sounds became clearer. A voice vaguely familiar, full of emotion called to him through the haze.
"Ash... Ash..."
"Miss Joy, is my son okay? Did he cough up the water? Why hasn't he woken up yet?"
"Don't worry, Delia. His pulse is stable. The water he swallowed has been expelled. Ash will be fine," the pink-haired Nurse Joy comforted, a Chansey standing beside her with a bowl of Oran Berry paste.
"..."
"..."
The light enveloped him, and the once-muffled voices now rang in his ears. He blinked against the brightness, and slowly, the blur sharpened.
He was on a hospital bed in the Viridian City Pokémon Center. Beside him, a tearful woman with warm brown eyes clutched his hand.
Her voice trembled as she repeated his name, her apron slightly damp from wiping her face.
"Ash, you're awake!! Oh, my baby, you nearly scared me to death!" she sobbed, burying her face against him.
"Mom..." The word left his lips instinctively, as if drawn from a memory he hadn't yet claimed.
"It's okay now... It's okay," she whispered, holding him tighter, her relief palpable in the sterile room lit by the evening sun.
"..."
"..."
While being held, Xiao Zhi—who now realized he wasn't just dreaming—let his eyes wander around the room. There were healing machines, a framed poster of a Pokémon League Championship, and Gary Oak's name scribbled on a get-well card near the bedside.
"Did I... travel through time?" he muttered, blinking rapidly.
Yes. He was sure of it. He had died.
Back in his previous life, while on a trip during a nationwide outbreak, he had dived into a river to save a drowning stranger. A decent swimmer, he managed to push the person to safety—but got caught in the undertow himself.
He had no family to mourn him; raised in an orphanage, he'd only recently graduated college, ready to begin a new chapter. But fate had other plans.
And now... he was Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town.
The realization hit him like a Thunderbolt attack. Not just any Ash—the Ash. The protagonist of the world he had admired since childhood.
"Hiss—!" A sudden surge of memories flooded his mind, his body shuddering from the force. It was like a download—images, sounds, feelings—all pouring in.
The memories of the six-year-old Ash—his dreams of becoming a Pokémon Master, his rivalry with Gary, his awe at Professor Oak's lab—all now pulsed inside Xiao Zhi's head.
Fortunately, Ash hadn't lived long enough to accumulate too many complex memories. After a few agonizing moments, Xiao Zhi had fully integrated with the body's soul.
He hadn't paid attention at first, thinking he was just reborn into some generic character. But now—knowing this was Ash—he felt stunned.
"I really became Ash Ketchum... in the Kanto region... just before the Indigo League arc begins." He marveled.
His heart surged with joy—not just because he had escaped death, but because he had landed in the very world he had adored since childhood.
He could remember every detail: the story arcs, the Pokémon types, the badge requirements, and even which moves were most effective against whom.
He had lived a life of fantasy through anime reruns, Game Boy cartridges, and manga volumes. When he finally earned enough as an adult, he immersed himself fully in the games, studying type charts and champion strategies.
And now, fate had granted him what he once only daydreamed about: the chance to live it.
But his joy was tinged with guilt.
He looked at Delia Ketchum—his new mother—and a pang struck his heart. In this world, Ash had died. Drowned in a river he shouldn't have fallen into. If Nurse Joy's revival hadn't worked, that meant Xiao Zhi's soul had filled the void.
"But what if… Ash's consciousness could have returned?"
That thought gnawed at him. Maybe his coming had cost the original Ash his chance to live. The memories had transferred, but the soul was different now.
Still, Xiao Zhi wasn't one to wallow in guilt. What was done could not be undone. He hadn't asked for this—but now that he was here, he owed it to both himself and Ash to live well.
To truly become the Pokémon Master Ash had always dreamed of becoming.
...