Age 9, April 10 — "My Name is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town"
I hit my head at the Pallet Town Pokémon Camp and regained the memories of my previous life. I figured I should start keeping a diary today.
My name is Ash. Yes, that Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town.
I'm the same Ash who spent over twenty years as the protagonist of the anime, somehow getting weaker every time he moved to a new region, only to finally win the Pokémon League after two decades.
Some might think I'm acting strangely mature for Ash, but it seems my personality has been heavily influenced by the memories of my past life merging with this one. My mom has been looking at me with worry for the past few days, wondering if I'm sick because my temperament changed so drastically.
I can't really help it, though. My original personality has been layered over with the memories of who I was before. At first, I was completely disoriented. I spent several days in bed with a fever, and by the time I finally reconciled both sets of memories, my mindset had shifted toward that of an adult. Asking me to act exactly like the old Ash at this point is a tall order.
Fortunately, my name in my previous life was also Satoshi. From here on out, I'm going to give it my all as "New Ash." For now, I suppose I should focus on helping Mom get used to the new me for the sake of her peace of mind.
***
Age 9, April 15 — "This Isn't an Anime or a Game. This is Pokémon."
Based on my memories as both Ash and my past self, I know I'm set to receive my first Pokémon and begin my journey in exactly one year.
There's no way I'm letting a one-year head start go to waste.
To start, I'm going to practically live at Professor Oak's Lab. I'll pour through every book I can find to bridge the gap between my past-life knowledge and the reality of Pokémon in this world.
Mom was confused by my personality shift for a while, but she seems to be coming around. When I asked for books on Pokémon, she just tilted her head and asked, "Ash? Reading?" She wasn't nearly as shocked as she was a few days ago.
Looking into the specifics of this world, I've realized there are many differences from the anime and the games. The way moves work is the biggest change. In the games and anime, a Pokémon is usually limited to four moves, and learning a new one requires forgetting an old one. In this world, a Pokémon can theoretically learn an unlimited number of moves, but they are legally restricted to using only four in an official battle.
Because of this, a Trainer's strategy changes depending on the opponent, and choosing which four moves to "set" for a match is a fundamental skill. If a Pokémon uses a fifth move during a match, it's a foul and an immediate disqualification.
According to Professor Oak, a Trainer in the Pokémon League was disqualified a few years ago because they used a powerful Pokémon that wouldn't listen, and it went on to use its entire move pool during the fight.
If I end up getting Charizard like I did in the anime, I'll have to be extra careful.
***
Age 9, April 17 — "Did You Seriously Think You Could Beat a Pokémon Pro?"
I ran into Gary today. He was being incredibly obnoxious, just like he was in the early parts of the anime.
He's clearly diligent, though. He took every opportunity to flaunt his knowledge, lecturing me on the move sets of Pidgey and Rattata until I was bored to tears.
He seemed particularly confident about his battle theory, so I decided to shut him down with a "knowledge bomb" from my competitive-pro memories. By the time I was finished, he was left speechless, mouth agape.
Acting so high and mighty... Listen here, kid! I've got every Level-up move, Egg move, Move Tutor move, TM, and TR memorized across every generation! Go back and study some more before you try to lecture me!
***
Age 9, April 18 — "Not Interested."
Since kids officially start their journeys at age ten, Pallet Town holds regular Pokémon Camps to ensure they're prepared.
Apparently, these camps happen every six months, and the original Ash had a perfect attendance record. Looking back through my memories, I have a vague recollection of meeting a girl who was likely Serena.
Honestly, it's not like you can catch Pokémon at these camps, and I've already triggered the necessary "flags," so I don't feel a strong need to go. However, if I stop doing "Ash-like" things entirely, Mom will just worry more. I decided to sign up for the camp happening in six months.
***
Age 9, April 19 — "Eeveelutions are Common Knowledge, Right?"
I went to help out at Professor Oak's Lab today—part of my new routine—and met a beautiful young woman I didn't recognize.
As it turns out, she's Gary's older sister, Daisy Oak. She's the one who gives you the Town Map in the games, but she never existed in the anime. Between her and the mechanics of moves, it's clear this world isn't a carbon copy of the show. That might change my plans. I'll have to think on it.
While I was lost in thought, Gary showed up. I gave him a casual wave, but he kept his distance, looking uncomfortable. I guess I bullied him a bit too much last time. The adults looked confused by the awkward tension between us, but I ignored it.
Daisy is currently traveling as a Pokémon Coordinator and just happened to be visiting Pallet Town. When I asked to see her team, she let out Chansey, Clefairy, and Eevee. She also has a Lapras, Arcanine, and Nidoqueen, but they're too big to bring out indoors. Bummer.
She explained that she raises them for Contests: Arcanine for Coolness, Chansey for Beauty, Clefairy and Eevee for Cuteness, Lapras for Cleverness, and Nidoqueen for Toughness. Since Contests often feature Double Battles, she trains multiple Pokémon even for the same category.
As a thank-you for the information, I told her about Eevee's evolutions.
Daisy and Gary were stunned, but even Professor Oak looked shocked. Apparently, Eevee's evolution is still a major field of research here. While they knew about Evolutionary Stones and Friendship, the specific timing and move requirements for certain forms hadn't been discovered yet.
Well, Sylveon's requirements vary between games (Affection vs. Friendship), but looking at the bond between Daisy and her Eevee, it's only a matter of time.
After I finished my explanation, Professor Oak looked at me suspiciously. "Ash... where on earth did you learn all that?"
"Some guy I met at camp told me," I lied. There's no way he'd believe the truth, and drawing more attention to myself would just be a headache.
The Professor still looked skeptical, but Daisy interrupted by asking, "What kind of Pokémon is Sylveon?" That pulled his attention away. Nice save, Daisy.
The Professor explained that while Sylveon had been sighted, there was zero data on it. They suspected a connection because of its resemblance to Eevee, but the evolution method was a total mystery. He showed her a photo, and Daisy went into a frenzy of excitement.
She was determined to evolve her Eevee into Sylveon right then and there, but her Eevee didn't know any Fairy-type moves like Baby-Doll Eyes or Charm. In the games, they learn them by leveling up, but in this world, maybe they have to be consciously taught. That would explain why Sylveon is so rare and why people keep evolving Eevee into Espeon or Umbreon by mistake.
Taking the opportunity, Daisy decided to use her Clefairy's help to teach Eevee some Fairy moves.
I don't know if the evolution happened before she left Pallet Town, but I heard later that Professor Oak submitted a new research paper on Eeveelutions to the Academy. I didn't mean anything by it, but I gave the Professor a long, silent stare. A few days later, he offered to introduce me to Lance of the Kanto Elite Four.
Score!