As I opened my eyes I was momentarily confused by my surroundings, before my gaze focused on a small source of flickering flame.
"Right..." I uttered quietly as the little Charmander reminded me of the previous day's events. MY little Charmander.
Though part of me REALLY wanted to know why Charmander's tail flame wasn't setting the bedding on fire, I decided it wasn't too important as my bladder demanded immediate relief. So I carefully crawled out of bed and made my way to the bathroom to releive myself, returning a moment later to find Charmander also waking up as it stretched and opened it's mouth wide.
"Chaaaaaaa..." It yawned cutely while sitting up.
"Good morning to you too." I said with a smirk as I pulled on the same tight shirt from yesterday, along with a pair of grey sweatpants.
By the time I was done dressing Charmander hopped down from the bed and follwed me as I exited the room, right as May exited the room across from me.
"Oh! Good morning!" She immediately said.
"Morning." I replied, trying not to stare at her due to the sleepwear she was walking around in, a silk tanktop that exposed quite a bit of cleavage, and a pair of tight little short shorts.
"Remember anything yet?" She asked as we walked down the hall together, Charmander right behind me.
"Nothing." I answered truthfully, prompting her to tilt her head cutely.
"That's too bad... But maybe it'll all come back eventually." She said as we entered the living area, and I paused when I saw who was there.
"So, you're the one who fell from the sky." Said the man who was seated on the couch, dressed in a dark blue suit with a cape hanging from his shoulders.
"Lance..." I uttered in recognition instead of the strange sense of familiarity I felt with professor Oak and May. Probably because I actually knew where I was now. But then I registered soemthing else he said.
"Fell from the sky?" I asked while looking at him curiously.
"So, you supposedly don't even remember that." Lance muttered quietly, though I still heard him. What I was concerned about was what he said before though.
"That's right Noah." The professor said suddenly as he walked into the room.
"We didn't bring it up yesterday with everything going on, but your arrival here was quite unexpected and unorthodox." He said while pressing a button, and a screen lit up to show May.
I watched as May talked to her viewers in what she dubbed to be May's Expeditions, before a hole opened up in the sky where it was caught on camera. And then I saw the solitary figure descend from the hole, before crashing into the ocean below. After that May quickly tore off her skirt and dove into the water with her Squirtle, while the boat they were on turned in that direction as well.
I watched as the boat pulled up to where May was swimming, before they pulled her out of the water along with her Squirtle and a third figure. Me. Completely naked.
The rest of the video was them trying to resuscitate my seemingly lifeless form, before I began breathing again. It was then cut off when May realized they were still broadcasting, and told the camera to stop it.
"So how many people saw this?" I asked as soon as it was over.
"By this point? Probably a few million." Lance answered while studying me carefully.
"Usually I only have viewers in the lower tens of thousands," May began as she entered the conversation. "But even then, by the time I thought about taking the video down it was already being copied a reposted all over Pokevision by other people. So I just left it up to get an idea of how many people have seen it."
I nodded slowly in understanding, though something told me that people recognizing me from this would be a bad thing. I didn't understand why until Lance asked his next question.
"I'll get right to the point of my visit then. Do you have any connection to Team Rocket?"
"!?!"
I looked up at him sharply when he mentioned the infamous group.
"Absolutely not." I immediately answered, earning me a look of surprise from the Champion, May and the professor.
"You've heard of them?" The professor asked curiously.
"The criminal syndicate that rules both Kanto and Johto from the shadows?" I answered, surprising them yet again.
"Yes, that's them." Lance replied while directing an intense look at me. "Do you know anything about them?"
I frowned as I tried to recall anything else about the group, but I felt as if the information was just barely out of reach despite being there. This was starting to get really annoying.
"I feel like I should know something about them, but I can't recall at this moment." I answered with frustration.
"That seems awfully convient." Lance answered.
"Apologies Lance, but that's just how it is with Noah." The professor immediately spoke up.
"We confirmed with him last night that there are numerous holes in his memory, especially information about himself before he woke up. If he does possess any information about Team Rocket, then we should just trust that it'll come to him in time." He explained in my place.
"I see..." Lance said while looking at me intently, studying me.
"This is my card." He finally said while standing and holding something out to me, a slip of paper with his name and all of his contact info on it. "If you remember anything of importance, then let me know." The Champion stated, before taking his leave.
I noted that as Lance left we were all wearing various expressions, May watching him leave in awe, the professor shaking his head wryly, and I'm pretty sure I had a look of incredulation on my face.
"Is he always so...intense?" I asked the professor once I was sure he was gone.
"Lance feels as if he has a lot to prove, plus he's been under a lot of stress thanks to Team Rocket." The professor explained as we moved to the kitchen for breakfast.
"There's also the fact that he's the only Champion to have juridiction over two regions!" May pointed out as we sat down, and the professor's cook brought us some food.
"Which is why he feels like he has a lot to prove." The professor said as we started to eat. "But that's not important right now. We need to focus on you, Noah."
"What about me?" I asked while tearing into my eggs and bacon.
"I put in a call to the Viridian city Pokemon Center last night. They're sending a Nurse Joy out here this afternoon to do a complete physical on your body. You'll be in their system in case you ever need treatment in the future, and we can see if there's anything hidden in the body you say isn't yours." He explained while buttering a slice of toast.
"Why would there be something different with his body?" May asked while looking me up and down curiously.
"Why would he have a different body here than what he had before?" The professor countered, and May slowly nodded in agreement. Though I couldn't help but to feel there would be a few different circumstances that would also result in a different body for someone.
"Speaking of bodies..." May began while looking me up and down again. "If the Nurse Joy won't be here until this afternoon, does that mean we have this morning free?"
"Perhaps. I was hoping to introduce him to more of the pokemon I have living around here." Professor Oak answered.
"Well how about going to get some clothes that actually fit him first?" May suggested, and this time the professor looked me up and down analytically. Especially the shirt that felt a couple sizes too small.
"Yes... Perhaps that should take priority..." He admitted awkwardly, and May's expression lit up.
"Yay! I love shopping!"
...
"Come on!" May declared as she literally dragged me through Pallet town, drawing all kinds of looks from the people around us as we went to the only shop in town.
Pallet town was a comfortable little hamlet that appeared to be mostly composed of elderly who were retired. There were picturesque houses scattered here and there with no discernable pattern to their layout, each one surrounded by colorful beds of flowers or vegetables. In the middle of all of them though was what looked like a town square, complete with a pub, a notice board, and a small store that looked as if it a had a little bit of everything.
Of course, May dragged me into the store as a bell jingled to alert the proprietor.
"Good morning! Is there anything I can help you two with?" She asked as soon as she saw us.
"We need to buy an entire wardrobe!" May declared, and I swear the clerk's eyes lit up.
"Right this way." She said with a dramatic sweep of her arms, and we made our way to the clothing section of the store.
What followed was perhaps the most grueling few hours of my two-day life.
I swear, May had me try on every single article of male clothing in that damned store. There wasn't a lot, thank Arceus, but it still took forever. She even had me model, and then picked out my underwear alongside the enthusiastic clerk.
FINALLY, May made her decision and had the clerk wrap up several different pairs of pants, shorts, packages of briefs, socks, shoes, shirts, and a couple sweaters for me. But then I realized a massive problem.
"How am I supposed to pay for all of this?" I asked her worriedly while adjusting the clothes I was already wearing, a pair of blue jeans with a Gyarados graphic t-shirt.
"Don't be silly. I'll pay for it." She stated like it was obvious, but she didn't head for the counter to do so. Instead, May then proceeded to turn the tables as she tried on anything she remotely thought was cute. And of course, she wanted my opinion on every single one.
I don't know how she did it, but May managed to model everything like she was on the runway. Even the pair of overalls that were designed to be nothing more than work clothes looked flawless on her.
The most memorable one she tried on was a flowy red sundress. I nearly choked when she came out of the dressing room with how low the chest was cut. I DID choke when she did a twirl and flashed me her black panties on her way back to the dressing room.
Thankfully, despite having more female clothing options than male, May worked her way through all of the clothes she was interested in, and also had them prepared as she bought everything we decided to take. Before we could leave though, I noticed something on the counter beside the register.
Apparently May noticed my noticing, and bought it as well.
She then surprised me by stuffing EVERYTHING into the pack that hung on her hips.
"How does that all fit?" I asked her curiously as we left the store.
"Technology that expands our bags so they can fit all of our stuff while we travel. Have you never seen that before?" She answered then asked.
"No, I haven't." I said while looking at it curiously.
"I got mine from my dad, but I think the professor will give you one as well before we start our journey." May said as the lab came into view.
"Speaking of, what is your journey about?" I asked her curiously.
"I'm not challenging Gyms, if that's what you're asking." She said playfully.
"I spent my entire life in Littleroot town while only really getting to visit Oldale town occassionally. The first time I got to visit a city was a few years ago when my dad brought me along to one of his conferences in Mauville city. Everything about it, the lights, the people, the smells, the food... I was instantly captivated. It made me wonder about everything else out there to see and do.
"It's why I started May's Expeditions. Most of the places I've been to in Hoenn were suggested to me by my viewers, and I can show them the things that some of them might never get to. Like the girl in Kalos who wanted to see the Meteor Falls, or the man living in Johto who's never seen a real jungle before, like the one that could be found around Fortree city. Not to mention all of the pokemon they would never get to see in their home regions, like a plume of Camerupt, Flygon, or a pod of Wailord.
"Even now, I came to Kanto to explore the sights and pokemon it and Johto can offer me while challenging some of the trainers here. I may even battle a few Gym Leaders if I visit their Gyms, but only for fun."
"That sounds amazing." I said with genuine amazement, now wondering if I should start watching her videos before we go on our respective journeys.
"Thanks... Do you want to come with?" She suddenly asked me, and I halted in place.
"What?" I asked her, thinking I might have misheard.
"Do you want to come with me, on my journey?" May asked again, turning to look at me seriously.
"I....don't know..." I answered slowly, not being able to meet her eyes.
"Really? I figured you would want to, since I see so many different types of pokemon while I travel." May said while quirking a brow.
"I do!" I told her hurriedly. After all, it wasn't like I truly knew anyone else in the whole wide world. "Its just... I have this feeling that things will be dangerous for me while I look for all of the pokemon. I don't want to you to get hurt because we're traveling together." I told her lamely.
Surprisingly, May smiled from my concern. Then she did something I never saw coming, and stepped up to kiss my cheek.
"You're sweet." May said as she stepped back, and I reached up to feel the spot on my face where her lips touched me. "But I have a Blaziken that can bend you like a pretzel. And that's not even considering my Ludicolo, Beautifly, Manectric, or my Altaria. I think I'll be fine compared to someone who just got a baby Charmander yesterday."
May then turned around and continued walking back towards the lab, my eyes on her the entire way as I stood there dumbly. And I tried REALLY hard not to just stare at her ass as she walked away.
Eventually, I followed May back to the lab to find Charmander running around with the other two starter pokemon that the professor had waiting for new trainers, Squirtle and Bulbasaur.
"Char char!" He cried as he saw me, running up to my side excitedly.
"Hey buddy!" I said while kneeling down to his level. "We got something for you." I added while reaching into the pocket of my new jeans.
"Char?"
"Close your eyes." I told him, and he did so. I then took out the item May bought me right before we left the store, and tied it around his neck.
"Alright, open them." I finally told him, and Charmander did so before looking down curiously to see the striped green scarf that decorated his neck.
"CHAR CHAR!" He cried happily from his new accessory.
(A.N. Does anyone want me to include Ash in any way in this story? I wanted to get reader opinions about that before I got much further.)