How different would the journey to Hoenn have been if Misty had not returned to Cerulean City to become the new Gym Leader, and instead carried on travelling with Ash? In this variation of events, Misty goes along with her friends to Littleroot Town...
As Team Rocket disappeared from sight, Pikachu had landed safely on the ground, before collapsing in a dead faint!
"Pikachu!" cried Ash as he ran over to the unconscious Pokémon. "Pikachu, are you okay?"
Pikachu was too tired to wake up. However, it was no longer sparking randomly, and soon they were all back in the lab, where Birch and Joshua quickly checked Pikachu over to make sure its condition was stable.
"Professor, it appears that Pikachu's electricity pressure has reached normal levels," reported Joshua as he finished reading the medical monitors.
"So Pikachu's no longer in danger of blowing up?" asked Misty hopefully.
"No, it seems that machine of Team Rocket's must have absorbed all of Pikachu's unneeded electricity," replied Professor Birch. "A good night's sleep ought to do the trick."
"Pikachu," said Ash in relief, as he looked down at his old buddy sleeping on the table.
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"What'd you know?" smiled Misty. "Team Rocket ended up fixing the very problem they caused!"
"Togi priii!" said Togepi happily.
Just then, May came into the room and accidentally knocked over a flower pot, which she hastily grabbed before it had a chance to hit the floor.
"Uh hi," she said sheepishly, quickly putting the pot back on the table. "I just thought I'd introduce myself. I'm May."
"Oh yeah, we never got the chance to say hello properly," said Misty. "I'm Misty, from Cerulean City."
"And I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town," grinned Ash.
"So, how's Pikachu?" asked May in concern.
"Sleeping pretty good, finally," said Ash happily.
Birch nodded in satisfaction. "By tomorrow, Pikachu should be as good as new."
"That's good news," smiled May.
"Well now, May," said Professor Birch, turning to the young girl. "Are you ready to choose your first Pokémon?"
"What? Your first Pokémon?" Ash asked May, his interest piqued.
Birch gestured to his three Poké Balls on a nearby table. "These Poké Balls contain three beginner Pokémon. First up, Treecko!"
The Professor opened up one ball, releasing a Pokémon that looked like a small, green reptile, with big yellow eyes and a large dark green tail.
"Hey, that looks an interesting Pokémon," remarked Misty.
"Yeah! Is it a water type?" Ash asked the Professor.
