Pokémon Retold: The Prepared Journey
is a Pokémon fanfiction written by Timeless Dreamer Neo. This story is an Alternate Universe retelling of the Anime.
In a world of Pokémorphs, the stage of the Pokémon League is rife with great battles be they involving Pokémon or fellow Pokémorphs. Many aspiring Pokémorphs journey forward to enter the League be they as Trainers, Fighters, or both as they aim to be the best there ever was. Ash Ketchum, a young Riolu Pokémorph living in Pallet Town is one such Pokémorph, dreaming of setting out on his Pokémon Journey to be a great, maybe even better, Trainer-Fighter than his father. To be a Pokémon Master.
After years of training and coaching from his parents and their family friend Professor Oak, Ash is more than eager to set off upon turning 14, and has had everything ready even planning which Starter Pokémon he would like...until he smashes his alarm clock and wakes up late on the big day.
And so begins a retelling of a familiar story, but set in a world that is different yet similar in various ways.
This work of fanfiction contains the following tropes:
- Adaptational Badass: Due to being prepared as well as due to being a Riolu Pokemorph Ash handles a lot of incidents better than he did in the Anime. Notable changes include being more prepared for Gym Battles, as well as properly earning the Boulder Badge and the Cascade Badge. Additionally, various Pokemorphs fight as well rather than leaving it all to their Pokemon, such as Misty fighting against Jessie and James in Viridian City.
- Adaptational Curves: Several characters are noted to be more curvaceous or muscular than canon, such as Delia Ketchum who is a straight-up hot mom in this version.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: Some characters appear sooner than their canon selves, such as Visquez
- Adaptational Intelligence: Ash as well as several other characters behave in decidedly smarter manners than in the anime.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Several characters are nicer than their canon selves. Among them Gary Oak has a more friendly rivalry with Ash from the get go compared to the Anime.
- Adaptational Species Change: Every human character is a Pokemorph in this story.
- Adaptational Villainy: Cross wasn't a good person in the movie, here he's a wanted criminal.
- Age Lift: Ash starts the story as a 14 year old rather than a 10 year old. The age increase is applied to several other characters too.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: While not strictly a rule, many Pokemorphs seem to favor unarmed combat in addition to their Moves.
- Beast Man: Pokemorphs in this story are of the anthropomorphic Pokemon variety.
- Disappeared Dad: Averted. Ash's Father, Carmine Ketchum is present and active in Ash's life...even if he has to leave for work here and there.
- Furry Reminder: The cast being changed into Pokemorphs factors in at certain points reflecting the abilities their canon human selves didn't have.
- Fur Is Clothing: Averted. According to
Word of God Pokemorphs from species that have appearances that resembled clothing are said to usually lack such features, albeit with some exceptions here and there. - In Spite of a Nail: Despite being better prepared...several things still say the same, among other things the fact that Ash wakes up late due to smashing his alarm clock.
- Named by the Adaptation: Ash's father is named in this story, Carmine Ketchum. On a lesser note, several other characters are given full names, such as Brock and Misty having family names which are Slate and Waterflower respectively.
- Related in the Adaptation: Canonically Ash and Red don't even exist in the same universe. Here, they are cousins with characters noting their similar physical traits despite being different Pokemorph species
- To Be a Master: Wouldn't be Pokemon without it. Ash's goal remains to be a Pokemon Master.
