Ash and Friends. Team rewrite. Pokémon: Capturing Our Dreams (Kanto). My AU.
Pokémon Teams Redone.
This is my personal rewrite of the Pokémon anime. Note, for this, I will be making Ash age fourteen instead of ten. He and his friends are all high school freshmen or older. Ash has just finished Junior High. They will be attending Pallet Town High School UNLESS chosen to go on a Pokémon Adventure.
So Ash woke up and sprinted to the lab, still in his pajamas. Only to realize he arrived slightly later than the other three kids who already claimed the three Pokémon so Oak gave Pikachu to Ash.
- Jigglypuff: The first Pokémon they ever caught. She showed up, sang them to sleep, got mad, scribbled on their faces, and accidentally tapped one of Ash's Pokéballs, getting caught.
- Spearow -> Fearow: I feel like Ash should’ve gotten a Spearow/Fearow instead of Pidgeotto/Pidgeot. I mean, I love the Pidgey line and I kinda get how it shows Ash’s growth with Pikachu. They caught the evolved form of the first Pokémon they failed to catch. But Spearow just fits Ash’s personality in gen 1 more. Also, catching the Pokémon that legit attacked him on day one shows more growth. Maybe it could be the same Spearow as before. It followed them for revenge. It came after them, battled Pikachu, lost, and was caught. Later evolved into Fearow while fighting off some Beedrill swarm.
- Rhyhorn -> Rhydon: A Pokémon I kinda feel bad for is Rhydon. It was the first ever Pokémon designed. But it barely gets any marketing. Ash should’ve had one on his team. Red should’ve used one in the games. But, nooo! Only Giovanni and Blue get them! This causes fans to always associate it with Giovanni and Team Rocket and the rival which are all negative. So in my AU, he captures a Rhyhorn in the Rock Tunnel. Basically, Bulbasaur’s capture episode but cave version. Though unlike Bulbasaur, it will in fact evolve.
- Charmander -> Charmeleon -> Charizard: Same as canon. Abandoned by Damian. Adopted by Ash. Maybe it’ll evolve a little earlier than in canon. But will mostly stay the same.
- Mankey -> Primeape: Catches it as a Mankey. It refuses to listen to Ash though. It evolves into a Primeape while competing in the tournament, Ash earning its respect, from that one episode with the deadbeat dad with the Hitmonchan. That guy is named Anthony, right? So, when Anthony offers to train Primeape for Ash if Ash would leave it behind, Ash actually says, “Heck, no. You can’t even care for your family. I’m not leaving my Pokémon with you.”
Now, I know you are probably wondering… WHO THE HECK IS MIDORI GREENFIELD!?
Remember this chick? In the opening when Pikachu runs under her legs? We’re making her an actual character.
Her name is Midori Greenfield.
She was born into a very wealthy household and while she enjoys her lavish lifestyle, she didn’t want to be DEFINED by it. She wants to go on adventures. She likes outdoorsy things. She is close with Ash due to their similar interests. She has a pet Clefairy. She wants to have experiences. Like, she hangs around with Ash because of all the crazy stuff that happens to him. She doesn’t seek glory or fame or collect badges. She just wants to collect MEMORIES. She is NEVER DRESSED for adventure. At all. She looks like she's ready for some fancy event or party. She's a Lass. But she loves being outside despite her fashion. Her friends just call her “Dori” though. She likes it. She was the trainer who chose Bulbasaur from Professor Oak.
So, in this AU, we get the bike theft and Spearow fight from Ash. Only Misty doesn’t confront him at the Pokémon Center. He fends off Team Rocket himself.
So in the forest, he encounters her. She purposely got herself lost so she could make more memories. It’s one of her quirks.
Her team is…
- Bulbasaur: The Pokémon she chose from Professor Oak.
- Clefairy: Her pet Pokémon from back home. She brought it with her on her adventure
- Pidgeotto -> Pidgeot: She caught it some time before meeting Ash. Later evolves… some time. Not sure when yet. But it does. He is her main battler Pokémon.
Now obviously, we need to discuss Oak. His team is Exeggutor, Nidorino, Kangaskhan, Tauros, Dragonite, and Seaking. We never see Oak’s full team or anything. He isn’t a battler. But we know Oak was a trainer back in the day, so… it is confirmed that this is the team he used.
For this AU, Professor Oak is this strict, stern, serious, no nonsense professor. Very solitary and unusual. He only allows kids with potential to be trainers. He rarely gives out Starter Pokémon. Only doing so on April 1st. Pokémon Day. Where he gives three or four chosen trainers Pokémon and Pokédexes. Though sometimes he skips Trainer Day in general and doesn't make anyone trainers. At all. This means when he picked Ash and his friends to be trainers, it was a miracle. nd, yes. Oak is secretly dating Ash's mom. They are in a relationship. No, they have not told Ash. He would not take it well. Oak and Delia’s relationship is for comedy. Like it is so obvious and Ash never realizes while Brock, Misty, and Dori all look so uncomfortable, wondering if they should tell him.
So… Brock.
His team consists of…
Onix: Same as canon. His ace. Strongest one.
Chansey: He raised 9 siblings. He needed a Pokémon to help do that, so he caught Chansey.
Geodude: Same as canon.
Vulpix: Same as canon. He doesn’t get it until later though. So it isn’t present in the Gym Episode.
So… Ash and Dori get to Pewter. Pretty much same as canon but with the new teams (Chansey on Brock’s team). With Ash originally losing to Brock. Getting help from the rock salesman to train. Then beating Brock. Salesman revealing himself as Brock’s dad and back to stay and raise the kids so Brock can go on. Brock accepts and joins Dori and Ash. Then in Cerulean, we meet Misty. She remembers Ash for trashing her bike. Anyways, Ash goes to the gym. Shocked to find out Misty is the Gym Leader. Fights her Gym Team: Goldeen. Squirtle. Starmie. However, the win is much easier than it should’ve been. Squirtle wasn’t listening to her. When leaving the town, Team Rocket attacks. Sic a giant Tentacruel on the city. Ash, his friends, and Misty try to fight it off. It targets Squirtle. Goldeen evolves into Seaking to reach the turtle in time and intercept the hit. Taking the damage for him. The fish’s heroic action motivates Squirtle to fight alongside Misty. Despite this, they still can’t win until Misty’s useless, non-battling Psyduck gets a headache and comically DESTROYS Tentacruel. Misty captures the giant Tentacruel. Ash steals the Dig TM off of Jessie and James for… ✨compenstation ✨ Anyways, the trio gets ready to leave but Misty decides to tag along. Why? She is going to follow Ash to the ends of the Earth until he pays her back for the bike.
Misty’s Team is…
- Starmie: Her ace. Most commonly used Pokémon.
- Goldeen -> Seaking: He proved he really is the king of the sea by saving Squirtle.
- Squirtle: Lead firefighter of the Squirtle Squad. Mischievous but a good fighter.
- Psyduck: Her comic relief. She wanted to leave him at the Gym but her sisters made her take him.
- Tentacruel: The absolute GIANT. Her strongest Pokémon.
- Togepi: Found Egg. With Brock’s help, she raised it and it hatched.
Now for the Team Rocket Trio!
Let’s make Meowth like the godfather. Deep voice. Italian accent. Sounds like a mafia mob boss. Comedy comes from his genuinely scary vibe and intimidating personality but in reality… he’s a Meowth. Those things are only one foot and four inches tall. Not very scary. Sure, most Pokemon cannot talk. But, like, Meowth can. See, for his origins…
He was one of the Pokémon tested and experimented on by Team Rocket. The tests made him hyper intelligent. So smart he taught himself human language. Giovanni purposely put him with the two worst henchmen to hold Meowth back because if there is a Grunt who could become equal or Arceus forbid, surpass and overthrow him… that would not be good
In this version, he is the leader of the trio. Jessie and James are his henchmen. He likes Jessie more though since she’s the more competent one.
We want to keep some of the goofy, cartoony comical relief charm they had in canon while still making them a threat and, like, Team Rocket is actually scary here. So… make them scary. But funny. Like Ghostface. Comedy horror.
So for Meowth's character here. He can battle. Very well. Very powerful Pokémon. But he only battles Pikachu. The two absolutely HATE each other. It is ON SIGHT! Meowth refuses to fight anyone who ISN'T Pikachu.
Jessie and James both have teams of three each.
Jessie’s Pokémon:
- Ekans -> Arbok: Same as canon.
- Lickitung: Same as canon.
- Jynx: Not sure when Jessie’d catch her but her gag is that she wants all the spotlight, shoving the rest of the team aside to claim the spotlight. Competing with her trainer and teammates.
James’s Pokémon…
- Koffing -> Weezing: Same as canon.
- Victreebel: Same as canon. Only he has it AS a Victreebel. Had it like that from the start.
- Slowpoke: I feel like it would be funny to see James try (and fail) to battle with a Pokémon as stationary and clueless as Slowpoke.
Now… rivals.
Ritchie Holden. (Yes, I made up a surname for Ritchie).
Maybe he could be a reoccurring rival. Just so we get built up and people can like him more. He was a childhood friend of Ash’s but his family moved. And like in canon, he’s basically a better version of Ash. Still all high energy, impulsive, overly friendly and cheerful, but he is smarter, more careful, and… yeah. Him and Ash get along GREAT. Amazing. Totally in sync. Zero malice or anything AT ALL. 100% friendship. No competition either. Like, when they're in a contest and battling, they're just complimenting and praising each other the entire time. Like in canon, his main Pokémon is a Pikachu named Sparky.
- Pikachu (Sparky): Much more controlled and calmer than Ash’s Pikachu.
- Butterfree (Happy): Much more docile and cheery than Ash’s Fearow.
- Charizard (Zippo): Much more obedient and humble than Ash’s Charizard.
- Poliwrath (Dizzy): Much more calm and steady than Ash’s Primeape.
- Wigglytuff (Jelly): Much nicer and understanding than Ash’s Jigglypuff.
- Sandslash (Spike): Much less stubborn than Ash’s Rhydon.
Gary Oak.
Gary Oak is better than Ash. Smarter. More careful. More money. Just... not as nice. Kind of a jerk. But has all the Pokémon knowledge and skill in the world. He is Oak's grandson. He loves when he has the chance to mock and undermine Ash. Calling him “Ashy-Boy” infuriates Ketchum to no end. Gary is completely unaware of the fact that Ash could absolutely DEMOLISH him in a fist fight. Oak CLEARLY favors his grandson over the others. I mean, he'll barely glance at Ash if Gary's doing something. Gary and Ash hate each other but are also friends. It is purely friendly competition. Frenemies. We see them get along just as much as they infuriate each other. A little friendly competition never hurt anyone. Gary’s team changes A LOT but he almost always keeps his Blastoise (he picked Squirtle from Oak) on it.
His team changes a lot between:
- Blastoise
- Nidoqueen
- Nidoking
- Golem
- Arcanine
- Scyther
- Electabuzz
- Eevee
- Magmar
- Raticate
- Gyarados
- Porygon
- Machamp
So… yeah. It changes a LOT.
Also, forgot to mention this.
There's this other kid named Riku Sterling. Spiky, bright blue hair that sticks up in all directions. Sharp, determined amber eyes. A short-sleeved red zip-up vest over a black t-shirt, blue denim shorts, and red-and-white sneakers. A fingerless black glove on his left hand and a worn leather pouch for his Poké Balls. Eager, competitive, and fiercely loyal to his friends. Loves fire types. Wants to prove Fire can beat any type advantage—even Water. He wants to become the Gym Leader in Cinnabar to take over from the should-be-retired-aged Blaine. But... yeah. He chose Charmander from Oak. He almost NEVER appears. Only shows up a couple times.
So, finally…
Giovanni. The Leader of Team Rocket.
Despite being a Ground-Type Gym Leader, he doesn’t stick to his typing very much. LIke, he has so many unfair Pokémon on his team. Only two of them are Ground-Type.
Giovanni’s Team is…
- Persian: His favorite Pokémon.
- Pinsir: To handle those pesky Grass-Types.
- Gyarados: To handle any fighting. Its Flying-Typing gives it resistance to Fighting attacks.
- Gengar: All kinds of moves like Hypnosis and other magical attacks to throw off enemies.
- Dugtrio: One of his two Ground Pokémon.
- Shiny Rhydon: This is Giovanni’s strongest Pokémon. The symbol of Team Rocket. Basically, we’re gonna have Ash’s Rhydon vs Giovanni’s Rhydon. Peak fiction.
And… yeah. Those are all my teams for now. I may do more later. I don’t know. This is just how I would write the Pokémon Anime.
Yeah. I could really use some comments and upvotes on this. It look me SO LONG!
Please tell me your opinions in the comments!