Chapter Text
^^^READ THE NOTES, THEY ARE IMPORTANT.^^^
Since he was five years old, quirkless Izuku Midoriya has always found incomparable pleasure in playing retro games found in his attic. It started off by him finding a small chest that held the initials of his great grandfather's when he had asked his mother if he could explore the loft in their small house. She had smiled and agreed, knowing how adventurous her flamboyant son could be, warning him to not breath in too much dust but sending him on his way up the ladder (safely).
At first, he had wondered what could be so special that it needed to be preserved inside such an ornate wooden box like this one was, since it had been hidden underneath a dusty tarp. He would have missed it if he hadn't checked in the corner of the room.
Upon opening it, Izuku found one of the most life-changing devices to impact his future. For inside that box that predated several centuries, was a small, antique collection of devices and consoles that were considered as legendary to the current day.
Of course, Izuku didn't know any of this at all. All he saw was a device that flipped open like a portable, sideways phone with two screens and buttons. Izuku assumed that 'Nintendo DS' was the label of the device as it was written on the back. He also found another handheld device, only this one was single-screened and read 'Gameboy Advance' on it in vibrant, red colours. Both devices looked worn, yet thoroughly loved, as neither had a single scratch on them, only displaying a slight discolouration from being obviously continuously held in the past.
Beside these two devices that he did not recognise but stared at in childish awe and curiosity, lay an entire horde of miniature little game-cartridges and roms. All of them were colourful and eye-catching, displaying varying graphical designs and patterns, but many of them splitting into clear groups by the names. He found that a large majority of them all began with the word 'Pokémon' and ended with varying adjectives such as 'Crystal', or 'Emerald'.
His eyes caught one cartridge called 'Pokémon Diamond version', which had a very cool looking design and seemed to fit the hole in the 'Nintendo DS', but then beside that one was an even more unique looking one, except this one had a bit of tape wrapped around it and read 'Pokémon Glazed Rom' in red ink. This one was much larger, and seemed to plug into the back of the 'Gameboy Advance' snuggly.
Izuku was about to try and turn one of the devices on to see if it still worked, but was thoroughly disappointed when he heard his mother call him from downstairs for dinner, chuckling at how long he had spent up there scouring through the old tidbits and 'fossils' (as Inko liked to call them as she never found any interest in most of the junk she had stored away).
Izuku pouted at not having enough time to find out what these devices were or did, however decided not to let that get him down. He carefully picked up the box, latching it closed for safety, before walking back over to the hole in the floor where his mother awaited with open arms to lift him back down the ladder.
"Oh, what have you found there, Izu-kun?" the woman smiled as she noticed the small chest that was cradled between the boy's arms.
"It looks like some kind of games system, but I dunno." he grinned, which lit a flame beneath the mother's heart.
"Well, okay then, but don't go staying up too late playing them -if they still work that is. Dinner's ready now, too, so how about we leave those for tomorrow?"
"Awww... alright mum." he then zoomed out of her grip and down the corridor, down the stairs and into the dining room to feast on the food there to distract his occupied mind.
It was well past Izuku's bedtime, but still he lay there, mind unable to enforce sleep. His eyes kept drifting over towards the box that now lay ever so tantalisingly close to his bed.
He wasn't sure why, but something seemed to be pulling him towards it. Like gravity, or something more...
He tore away his gaze when he caught himself staring blankly at the thing, before rolling over in bed to face away from it.
'Not gonna open it. Not gonna open it. I need sleep for school and other stuff, I'll be super tired if I start playing now!-" The last sentence hardly finished when he caught himself leaning backwards and staring once more at the box, which brought a blush to his face at his own obliviousness and his strange obsessive behaviour.
"... Ugh, fine..." he grumbled as he eventually resigned to simply pull the box towards him and open it up. Within less than a minute, he found himself devastatingly disappointed to find that neither of the two devices seemed to be working. For a moment, he felt like that was that and he'd never know why he was feeling so drawn to them, however in a surge of desperation, the young boy had an idea.
Looking at the back, he found that one of the two devices ran on replaceable batteries, and the other said it could be recharged with a charging cable. Looking at the size of the cable and knowing that they didn't own one that shape, he settled to try looking for some batteries around his room. Eventually, he found one inside a robotic puppy toy from his last birthday, and another within a remote that controlled a toy car.
A strange surge of energy tingled through his skin as he turned on the Gameboy, checking that the same game from earlier, 'Pokémon Glazed (Rom)', was still inside.
The moment the device booted up and shone a brilliant glow in the darkness of night, Izuku knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep any time soon.
Starting up the game, the boy smiled in awe at the clean yet retro look on the screen. It was clear that this game must have predated the era of emerging quirks, however that just made it seem so much cooler and authentic to him. The title screen was vibrant and the intro sequence was awesome, with him seeing some kinds of strange yet cool looking animals just about everywhere.
Pressing 'START', he was instantly introduced to an old looking man wearing smart, casual clothes. He had a grey moustache and looked warm and friendly.
A box of text appeared at the bottom of the screen: 'Hello! Welcome to the Tunod region! My name is Professor Willow, but most people just call me the Pokémon Professor. This is what we call a "Pokémon":'
Right before Izuku's eyes, a small, adorably cute green animal flashed out of a small red and white ball in the man's hand. The animal was green and brown, with a small twig standing out of its head. It's eyes seemed to radiate with joy.
'This world is widely inhabited by creatures known as Pokémon. We humans live alongside Pokémon, at times as friendly playmates, and at times as cooperative workmates. Sometimes, we band together to battle or compete against others. These are known as "Pokémon Trainers".'
'Despite everything, however, we still don't know everything about Pokémon. In fact, there are many, many secrets surrounding Pokémon! To unravel Pokémon mysteries, I've dedicated my life towards researching them, mostly in hopes to bridge an even closer bond between humans and their Pokémon. This is where you come in, however. I am far too old to explore the world and discover new things like I used to, and so I therefore require a bold, young individual such as yourself to take up my reigns!'
'Would you like to become a Pokémon Trainer?'
YES/no
'Oh, excellent! I'm sure you must be excited for what new adventures await!. Now, are you a boy or are you a girl?'
BOY/girl
'Aha, so you're a rowdy boy, eh? And what is your name?'
Izuku typed out his own name, not really wanting to change it for anything else.
The smile on the screen faltered only briefly as man paused, almost as though he was startled by this answer, before coughing and recovering, the motions looking unnatural within the pixelated screen. Izuku lifted an eyebrow at the strange moment. That didn't seem like that should have happened.
'Hmm, I-Izuku, is it? I see, that's definitely a name I can see competing at the top of the region's Pokémon League! -and more." the last two words weren't spoken by the Professor, but seemed to have glitched onto the screen only a fractured second, leaving the boy even further baffled by these enigmatic things that he could only convince himself were meant to be part of the game. "Anyway, don't let this old coot hold you for so long. I'm sure you have a legendary adventure awaiting to unfold, so are you ready? Take courage and be brave; there are many regions for you to explore, all filled with opportunities to form bonds of dreams, adventure and friendship with Pokémon! I'll be waiting for you in my lab, young Midoriya! Don't take too long, your Pokémon partner is waiting for you!"
The screen blacked out, before showing a small bedroom inside a house, however that was not what Izuku was currently focussed on.
H-how did he know my last name...? I never entered anything about 'Midoriya' in there anywhere...!
Gulping and pushing away as much of his worry as he could (as it was only a game, after all -right?), he then spent the beginning mostly just trying to figure out how the buttons worked. It was a simple layout, thankfully, so once he worked out the movement and basics, he was all set to begin.
Leaving the small house he began in, he was briefly greeted by his 'virtual mum and dad', before he was left to roam and explore the small town he 'lived' in.
After entering every house and talking with all the people he could find, eventually Izuku came across a large white building that seemed like it may be the 'Lab' that the Professor was talking about. Upon entering, he was indeed greeted by said professor, before he was told that he could choose between the starting Pokémon of this region.
Walking up to the small, round capsules, Izuku was prompted with five choices:
Turtwig - The Tiny Leaf Pokémon: Photosynthesis occurs across its body under the sun, producing oxygen. The shell on its back is actually hardened soil, which hardens further when it drinks, however the leaves on its head wilt whenever it is dehydrated. This was the same Pokémon he had seen at the very beginning. It seemed to have some connection to nature, and Izuku already decided that he rather liked this one, as it smiled warmly and looked really cool. It also reminded him of himself and his own personality.
Chimchar - The Chimp Pokémon: Its fiery rear end is fueled by gas made in its belly. Even rain can’t extinguish the fire, and it is only extinguished when it sleeps. It agilely scales sheer cliffs to live atop craggy mountains. This one was a small, red monkey who had a a curly tuft of hair, as well as fire coming from its rear. At first Izuku was worried that the poor creature was burning, but then realised that it must have been pretty normal if it was smiling so much. This one clearly had a connection to fire.
Piplup - The Penguin Pokémon: It lives along shores in northern countries. A skilled swimmer, it dives for over 10 minutes to hunt. Because it is very proud, it hates accepting food from people. Its thick down guards it from cold. This one was undeniably adorable, as it seemed to be modelled off a baby penguin. If Izuku had to guess, then this one must have something to do with water if the other two were nature and fire themed.
Shinx - The Flash Pokémon. When Shinx flexes its muscles, it generates electricity. When it senses danger, the hairs on its body light up and it runs away, leaving its opponent dazed. This one looked like a small, blue and black lion who had yellow features and a smile on its face. Unlike the other three, Izuku had no idea what type this one could be from looks, but according to the entry on it, it had something to do with electricity?
Finally, he looked at the last one and his eyes widened at the small sprite on the screen. Riolu - The Emanation Pokémon: When sad or scared, Riolu's aura becomes stronger as a way of signalling its allies. Riolu has the power to see and understand emotions like happiness and anger in aura waves.
Summarising them all, Izuku's favourites were Turtwig and Riolu. The Turtwig due to its affinity for nature and how it seemed very friendly and kind, and the Riolu for how impressive it looked. It was bipedal, and seemed to be referenced to a jackal in its features, however it had bright blue and black fur. On the backs of its paws were small ridges that seemed to be bone sticking out to protect it from breaking its arms, and it stood in a combat-red posture, red eyes piercing the screen with fearsome serenity and focus.
"I wish I could have both, I just don't know how to choose! The Turtwig I feel has more resemblance to me, but the Riolu looks way cooler! Plus it reminds me of Kacchan in some ways..."
It took a minute or two of deliberation, however eventually, Izuku decided to go with the Riolu. Exactly like earlier with the old box, he felt a strange, indescribable tug towards both of the Pokémon, however sadly he knew he could only have one. The moment he confirmed his choice, Izuku could have sworn he saw the smallest smirk tug at the pixelated creature's mouth, almost as though the Riolu were gloating or proud of some inside knowledge it held -perhaps akin to winning a bet- however the moment Izuku squinted and checked again, the small quirk in it's seemingly eternally stoic and narrowed expression had disappeared, leaving him to wonder if he had ever seen it at all.
W-weird... But must have been my imagination...
Just as Izuku went to leave the laboratory and start his adventure, the Professor stopped him abruptly. 'Oh? What's this? I seem to have miscounted how many Pokémon I caught for you young trainers... Young Izuku, this Turtwig doesn't seem to have any future trainer. It's up to you, however should you want to, I'm willing to give you this Turtwig to join you as well, otherwise it would simply be stuck in its Pokéball for who knows how long!' the pixellated Professor beamed at the screen as Izuku blanched.
'Would you like to accept the Turtwig as well?'
YES/no
"D-did... w-was... Was this planned? O-or did he actually hear what I said?!" Izuku blinked at the screen, trying to comprehend the offer. He had wanted both of these Pokémon... but was it just coincidence that he got them both? What were the odds of that if it were random?
Before his head could overheat any further (and ultimately explode), Izuku just clicked YES and tried to push past his worry, marking it down as pure luck.
'Great! I'm glad I could give this Turtwig to a good home, I'm sure you'll treat it well -call it a suspicion! Now, one last thing: I'd like to give you one of these!'
'Professor Willow handed over the POKéTCH!'
'Now this here is a superb device for dedicated trainers such as yourself! What it does is record data on any Pokémon you find, as well as extra info on any you catch in its POKéDEX! Not only that, but it can track your party Pokémons' moveset, natures, statistics and more! But even that's not all! As with this latest model, I've even managed to add modification apps such as an inbuilt CALCULATOR, WATCH, MAP and many more! I've also just finished developing a prototype app that is exclusive to this Pokétch alone, which is a feature that translates the Pokémon language for you to understand! This should allow for you to grow much closer to your own Pokémon, as well as wild ones!'
'Izuku obtained the POKéTCH! He secured it on his wrist like a watch.'
"Whoa, that all sounds awesome! If only I had one of these in real life, it must be so useful!" Izuku gazed wide-eyed at the screen.
'Now, young Izuku, I believe it is time you set off! Your grand journey of adventure awaits; don't keep it waiting! Oh, I almost forgot! I should probably also give you some POKéBALLs to start off as well!'
'Izuku obtained five POKéBALLs. He put them in his bag.'
'Good luck!' the door to the lab closed as Izuku's sprite was left standing outside.
For hours, he then continued to play, figuring out how to fight with the creatures; his first experience as a trainer being a fight against an adorable yet sassy, yellow, mouse-like Pokémon called a 'Pikachu'. It wore a bright red scarf, which seemed like an unusual thing to expect from the small critters (even if Izuku had hardly seen any of them yet), however it also seemed confusingly feisty towards him in-game, and though Izuku managed to win with both his level 5 Riolu and Turtwig, after the fight, his sprite asked the Pikachu why it was so angry at him. It then demanded Izuku's name (knowing he could understand it due to the in-game sprite telling it). The moment it heard 'Izuku', however, it's expression fell entirely into one of shock, before the Pikachu sprite instantly began apologising profusely, before it asked for him to catch it and help it become really strong.
Thinking over adding The Pokémon to his party, Izuku decided to catch it. Partly because it had asked nicely and apologised for being mean earlier, and also because he thought having an electric Pokémon would be super helpful and strong.
As time unknowingly flew by, gradually Izuku managed to level up his first three Pokémon, who he had nicknamed 'Riu' the Riolu, 'Tor' the Turtwig and 'Volt' the Pikachu. It was another thing that he wasn't sure why, but an urge in his gut was telling him that the Pokémon would all like those names.
By the time they had gained quite a chunk of experience, as well as learnt a couple new moves, it was bright outside Izuku's window, with birds chirping as his alarm to get ready for school went off.
"Well guys, I guess I should probably get ready for school..." he made no effort to mask the disappointment in his voice, but only a few seconds later, he then felt an unexplainable sense of overwhelming happiness and reassurance overcome him, washing over his disappointment and helping remind him that he was still able to return to the game the moment he got back from school. "Yeah, I shouldn't get sad about this! I'll have all afternoon to come back and keep training you to be big and strong, and soon, we're both going to become the best Team that this world has ever seen!" the four year-old exclaimed ecstatically, before jumping out of bed and powering off the game -thankfully not before remembering to save it -lest he lose all of that progress made so far!
Feeling a little sleepy, however having most of his exhaustion be swept away by adrenaline-inducing prospect of continuing later, he rushed to get ready. His first thought was to tell Kacchan all about the incredible new game he found in his attic.
Maybe Kacchan would like to see him play too sometime?
Little did Izuku know to what degree, however, that fate through forces of divine intervention had brought forth the beginning of something monumental.