>>54310385https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10779528/1/When-One-Door-Closes-Two-More-OpenAnother dead with an interesting, though not exactly original premise.
Ash starts for a different starter, but not for a lack of trying with Pikachu.
Long story short, Ash actually manages not to fuck up his encounter with a little spearow, and even managed to be friendly with a little rattata.
But the little rat bastard Pikachu was having none of it. Without the incident of the flyers to bond the two together, Pikachu turns out about as one would expect of a hostile electric mouse mon, and proceeds to try and fry said spearow with a thunderbolt after the two have heated words with each other. Naturally, our reckless but good hearted protagonist Ash decides to intercept said thunderbolt, saving the spearow in the process, at the cost of critically wounding him from that point forward.
But luckily for our protagonist, he survives, and gains two new friends for the cost of... Well, not friend, and even gains the ability to speak with mons. Go figure. But per his nasty shock with Pikachu, this Ash isn't as confident with his own abilities due to an understandable incident with said rat bastard. The journey then becomes one of him trying to fortify his own will back into shape, and grow into a proper trainer with his friends at his side. Otherwise typical, but decent enough for what it is worth. It won't be winning any awards, but I liked the novelty.
