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Chapter 1 - Chapter 1 — Breaking the Script

The alarm didn't even get the chance to ring.

I was already awake, sitting at my desk with my backpack packed, my shoes laced, and my heart pounding in that weird, electric hum that comes with knowing your life is about to fork into an entirely new timeline.

Today was starter Pokémon day.

And unlike the Ash Ketchum in the history books — I wasn't going to be late. I wasn't going to get some half-feral Pikachu that hated me. And I definitely wasn't going to flail my way through gym battles on plot armor.

By 5:30 AM, the streets of Pallet Town were still wrapped in pre-dawn mist. The Ketchum house smelled faintly of Mom's morning coffee, but I slipped past her with a mumbled excuse about "wanting to be first." She didn't suspect a thing.

Professor Oak was barely opening the lab's main door when I walked up, grinning.

"Ah, Ash, you're… early," he said, blinking at me like I'd just solved a math problem before breakfast.

"Gotta get the best start, Professor," I said, masking the real thought: Gotta break the board before the game even starts.

When he led me to the starter table, I already knew which ball I'd pick.

"Charmander," I said, without hesitation.

Oak blinked again but nodded, handing over the Poké Ball with a small smile. "A fine choice. Treat him well."

"Oh, I will."

I walked out of that lab with a Charmander at my side before the sun had even risen — and that's when Phase Two began.

---

The Pikachu Gambit

Pallet Town's outskirts weren't exactly teeming with wild Pokémon, but I knew where a certain stubborn, powerful little electric rodent liked to forage.

Within an hour, I spotted him — yellow fur bright even in the low morning light, cheeks sparking faintly as he rooted through a berry bush.

I crouched down a good distance away, tossing an Oran berry toward him.

No Poké Ball. No rush. Just trust.

He eyed me warily, sniffed the berry, and ate. I tossed another.

And then I made my pitch.

"I'm not gonna keep you in a Poké Ball," I said. "You'll travel with me, train with me, and you'll get stronger than anything Team Rocket or the League could throw at us. No cages. No forced battles. You choose every step."

Pikachu's ears twitched.

When I held out a hand, he didn't shock me. That was all I needed.

---

Day One Training Plan — The Breaker Method

We didn't head straight to Viridian. Instead, we camped just off the road and I laid out the foundation of the Breaker Method — my plan to turn two rookies into walking natural disasters.

Pikachu — The Raikage Project

Weighted anklets and tail cuffs (small river stones sewn into wraps — makes every step a workout).

Sprints in bursts, then immediate agility drills: zigzags, wall kicks, directional changes.

When his stamina tanks? Sit, close his eyes, and feel the electricity. No blind discharge — sense the current, bend it inward, and learn to shape it like a second set of muscles.

End goal: Raikage-style lightning armor for speed and durability, plus controlled lightning lances instead of random Thunderbolts.

Charmander — The Furnace Gladiator

Weighted wrist and ankle wraps.

Short-burst explosive movements: lunges, jumps, shoulder tackles.

Claw strikes and punches while channeling fire-type energy into limbs.

Ember training: no wide, weak spray — compress into superheated beams, almost white-hot.

Metal Claw in parallel, to marry fire and steel for devastating close combat.

---

We trained until the sun dipped low.

By the time we set up camp, both Pikachu and Charmander were exhausted but looking at me with that rare glint — the one that says they believe this will work.

Tomorrow, we'd head to Viridian. But unlike the "Ash" this world expected, we weren't here to stumble into adventure.

We were here to burn the map.

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