Like No One Ever Was (Self insert/SI)

Chapter 1 - Meet Ted- I Mean Michael!

Michael had been in the Pokemon world for most of his new life now, and the one thing that stuck out, ahead of the other things at least, was how calm life was.

Life was almost Idyllic. 

Wake up and start the day with breakfast made by a woman you had come to see as your mother, along with an older brother and toddling sister. Go to school, mess around with the other kids, wind up the teacher a bit, then come home and waste the day away by doing pretty much whatever you wanted.

Research for the upcoming journeys kids are encouraged to take, perhaps just read up on some of the wacky fiction books the Pokemon world produces, or even just waste the day away with your family as if life was easy and it always would be. The life some might call it, I'm starting to think of it as the calm before the storm. Then again, I've never felt more relaxed than in a torrential thunder storm, so we'll see what happens later.

My older brother Adam didn't partake too much with the morning hustle and bustle, though he would still offer gentle greetings, along with light conversation while he caught up on local news. His brown, spiked back hair, longer than mine was something we inherited from our father. Along with the golden tan skin of our mother, we could be twins, if it wasn't for the 8 year age gap.

He was definitely the most patient member of the family, calm, soft spoken, and unfailingly kind. He'd never once looked at me weird, or been anything less than kind and accepting of his younger brother. A brother with the habit of creeping people out, or pissing them off, depending on who I was talking to of course.

Jaime-Lee would spend most of the morning loudly talking, with all the new words she's been able to master recently, even while not having mastered the art of eating without spilling food over herself and the table. Jaime-Lee while still having the sun kissed skin of the rest of the family, had golden hair in a wild mess, something she got from her father. Cute as a button she was, and no doubt the family's spoiled princess, but somehow it wasn't as annoying as I always imagined it would be, having no younger siblings in my previous life.

Of course, given just how little most things tended to effect me, that wasn't very telling. While I didn't really feel things too strongly, I still felt all the metaphorical colours of the Ho-Oh rainbow. While the spoiled younger sibling always grated in tv shows, games and books, Jaime-Lee wasn't a complete brat about the whole thing. Probably also helped that she was my sister and not someone else's.

Mom was the only obvious thing that hinted that this life wasn't as picture perfect as it presented itself as, both in this life and the show. The house tended to have a slight presence of melancholy. sometimes it would barely be there, other times, during key family moments or important days, you could practically feel its weight bearing down. Mom's eyes, usually bland and closed off, would occasionally go sad, hinting at loneliness. Given the love of her life died in the war, that was obviously to be expected. She wasn't an overtly kind or gentle woman, and that bled into her mothering style as well.

Though it was obvious she loved all her children, and took her role as carer, protector and provider very seriously. While mom's always been more of a rough, hardened presence, she still liked to tease her kids.

Case in point, the look she's giving me right now. The ol' raised single eyebrow with the bored, almost amused eyes. A mom look if I've ever seen one.

"What?"

Her second eyebrow raises.

"What!?"

Now she's smirking. That's never a good sign.

Mom lets out a slight chuckle, even as she scooped up the mashed fruit pudding off the table from where Jaime-Lee was missing her mouth... somehow.

"You've saved up every dollar you had for months in order to buy a few poke-balls, and now that you finally have them, you're not racing out into the wilds?"