DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON!
Chapter 1: I Choose You!
"And Nidorino begins the battle with a Horn Attack!" Proclaimed the commentator enthusiastically as the light purple quadruped Pokemon charged at the opponents' Pokemon, a Gengar, and thrusted its poison secreting horn towards the large ground-dwelling bat-like creature.
In an amazing display of ability, Gengar deflects the attack with its right arm, forcing Nidorino to back off into its side of the arena. Not giving up, the Nidorino charges its opponent again, again and again, only to have its barrage of attacks be dodged by the speedy Gengar.
Following its trainer's command, Gengar gets on top of the Nidorino's head, nimbly avoiding the poisonous horn, and jumps up into the air in order to gain the upper hand. Taking advantage of its helium bladder, Gengar levitates into the other side of the arena, right behind its opponent.
"Oh! But Gengar bounces right back!" The commentator said in a surprised manner, mimicking the reaction of the audience.
Once the Nidorino turned around it was already too late as the so-called 'Shadow Pokemon' started emitting its infrasound-based attack right at the opponent.
"And there it is, ladies and gentlemen, the amazing power of Gengar's Hypnosis!" The commentator added as Nidorino fell down unconscious. It was at times like these that Nidorino's powerful earing ability became a disadvantage. Sound-based attacks affect Nidorino nearly twice as fast as they would when used on most Pokemon. "This could be the end of Nidorino!"
Finding himself at a crossroad the trainer concludes that it wasn't worth keeping its incapacitated friend in battle and have him take unnecessary damage. With an air of confidence surrounding him, the tall and muscular Trainer decides to change tactics.
"Wait, the Trainer recalls Nidorino!" Said the commentator as a red beam of light left the open Pokeball and enveloped Nidorino. In a matter of seconds, the 'Poison Pin Pokemon' was miniaturized and stored inside an Ideal Environment provided by this marvel of technology. "What Pokemon will he use now?!"
The Trainer grabs another Pokeball from his belt and throws it towards the arena. In a cautious move Gengar jumps back to his side of the battleground and waits for its new opponent to be revealed.
The Pokeball lands on the ground and opens. Another red beam of light flies out of it as it materializes into a giant 8.8 meters long (28'10'' feet) dull grey snake-like creature.
"Oh, it's Onix!" The commentator announced in admiration as the newcomer roared. In one huge and powerful movement the Onix attempts to Body Slam its opponents' Gengar. "Now this giant Pokemon is on the attack!"
"Oh, but Gengar jumps aside!" Continued the commentator as the Gengar displayed its amazing speed, leaving the two opponents staring each other down. "Gengar is moving beautifully today! Its training has come to fruition, no doubt about it!"
Meanwhile, in Pallet Town, a young boy found himself daydreaming about his future as a trainer while this amazing battle was being broadcasted in his bedroom's television.
"Yes, I am Ash Ketchum and now that I'm ten I can finally get my Pokemon License!" He thought as he tried out the clothes and equipment he would start using from the next day onward.
He wore a white and blue short-sleeved jacket with a gold trim, white collar and sleeves, a dark teal T-shirt, blue jeans with blue cuffs, black and white sneakers with red dots, green fingerless gloves with light green borders and a red and white cap with green stylized 'L'.
"I will journey to gain the wisdom of Pokemon training and I hereby declare to the Pokemon of the world: I will be a Pokemon Master!" He proclaimed as he held some sort of fake Pokeball in his hand, pointing it at the poster of the Kanto starters in the wall. "A Pokemon Master, that is what I –"
"Ash, get to bed!" Ordered his mother, Delia Ketchum, who stood by the doorframe with an annoyed expression plastered on her face.
Surprised by the sudden command Ash trips on something and sends the fake Pokeball flying. Catching it, Delia opens the toy and reveals it to be a Pokeball-shaped cuckoo clock.
"It's eleven o'clock and you should be asleep!" She said, scolding the young raven haired boy.
"But tomorrow I begin my Pokemon journey!" He argued. "I can't sleep…"
"Well, if you can't sleep at least you could get ready for tomorrow," Delia said as she changed the channel on the TV, revealing an old man with greying hair in a white lab coat. Behind him were pictures of three distinct Pokemon most rookie trainers were already acquainted with, including Ash. "Here, watch this."
"Good evening, Pallet Town! Tomorrow is the big day for the newest class of Pokemon Trainers," The old man spoke. He was none other than Professor Samuel Oak, the leading Pokemon Expert in the Kanto Region and one of the most well-known inhabitants of Pallet Town. Slowly, the camera started to zoom on the pictures behind him. "I'd like to introduce you to…"
"Bulbasaur, a Grass-type Pokemon. They are very easy to raise and quite useful for new trainers!"
"Squirtle, a Water-type Pokemon. These can be quite worth raising, especially because of their high mobility in water!"
"Charmander, a Fire-type Pokemon. Only patient trainers can be successful in raising one of these due to their hot tempers and scorching flames!"
"Each one of these Pokemon is available for new trainees! Which one will you choose?" Finished the Professor as he moved on to the next subject.
"Go to bed when this is done!" The brown haired woman said sternly.
"Alright, I'm going," Ash said as he stared at the TV.
"And don't forget to change into your pajamas, ok?" She reminded Ash before leaving the room.
"I'm going…" Said Ash mindlessly as he watched the show.
"Which one will I choose?" Ash wondered. "This choice is was too hard to make!"
"RING!"
The sudden noise of the alarm clock wakes up Ash, who promptly fell onto the floor after taking a look at the time.
"I can't believe I overslept!" Ash screamed internally as he ran out of his room and into the kitchen. It seemed like he had gotten lost in his dreams during the night. He had dreamt of what it would be to train each of the starters provided by Professor Oak.
"Good Morning, Ash," Greeted Delia as she saw her son enter the kitchen. "Oh my, aren't you full of energy today?"
"I'm late, Mom!" Ash yelled after drinking his milk in a huge gulp. "I need to get going!"
"At least eat your breakfast before you leave!" Delia said as the energetic boy drank his morning milk in one big gulp and left the house. She wondered if Ash knew he was still in his pajamas.
She could recall all the past ten years she had spent with Ash. Ten years, ten months and ten days. All of the hardships. The times it was too painful to go on. Ash's father – much like her father – had left to start a Pokemon Journey of his own, leaving Delia to raise their only child single handedly. Motherhood really was a struggle but it was worth it in her eyes. After all, she got to see her son grow up to become the young man he now was. She would never admit it, but a part of her was happy he was going to leave. She could have more time to take care of herself and to live a bit of the youth she had lost when she got pregnant at 18.
"And there he goes…" She thought as she went upstairs to prepare her son's travel bag.
"Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander, anyone's fine!" Ash said in a pleading tone whilst running. "Just please save one for me!"
After a few minutes of non-stop running, Ash finally reached Professor Oaks' Lab. The large building was located up a hill on the edge of Pallet Town and was a big landmark due to the large wind turbine that was located on the back.
Unfortunately, Ash found a new obstacle in the large crowd that stood between him and the gate. It seemed like he had completely missed Professor Oak's speech.
As Ash maneuvers his way through the crowd the sound of girls singing becomes more and more audible.
"Gary, Gary, he's our man! If he can't do it no one can!" The chorus of girls sang repeatedly before Ash moved past them and crashed against someone else.
"Hey, watch where you're going! Oh, look who we have here… Ashy-boy." Said the boy with brown spiky hair who Ash had just crashed against. "Better late than never, I guess? At least you get the chance to send me off!"
"Gary?" Ash said, still regaining his bearings after falling down.
Indeed, in front of him stood none other than Gary Oak, Ash's childhood friend and the youngest child of the Oak family. Suddenly the absurd amount of people surrounding the building started to make sense for Ash. Only an Oak could get this so much attention. It's no surprise either, being that the town is actually named after an ancestor of his. Pallet Oak was his name. The first successful trainer to leave the town previously known as Purity Town. If Ash had his facts straight it had happened over a century ago. The people of the town even erected a bronze statue in his honor. Ash couldn't help but wonder what those people would've done if they knew that one of his descendants was the current Indigo League Champion.
Blue Oak, Gary's father.
"I wonder where he is…" Ash thought as he got up from the floor. It seemed strange that the only living parent of Gary wasn't present. His mother had died in a car accident years ago.
"Well, Ash, you snooze you lose. And you are way behind right from the start," Gary said, teasingly. "I've got a Pokemon and you don't!"
"You… got you're first Pokemon?" Ash asked incredulously.
"That's right, loser! And it's right inside this Pokeball," Gary responded arrogantly while spinning the new and shiny Pokeball in his finger.
After Gary's display of 'dominance' the girls dressed in cheerleader attire started to sing once again. The applause of the surrounding crowd followed suit.
"Thank you, fans! Thank you all for this great honor!" Gary said with his arms wide open.
Out of nowhere, Gary feels sudden sharp pain in its felt ear as it is pushed down by a young woman with long light brown hair and green eyes dressed in a lab coat.
"Stop being so arrogant, Gary!" Said the woman, scolding him.
"Ow, ow, ow! Stop!" Gary protested. "Daisy, stop it!"
"Daisy?" Ash said in surprise. "Oh, Gary's sister! Good morning!"
"Hi, Ash!" Greeted Daisy, letting go of Gary's ear immediately after gaining Ash's attention. Unfortunately for him, Ash was also going to be scolded. "Why are you so late?!"
"Well… I… hum… overslept." He answered in an almost inaudible tone.
"How can you oversleep in a day so important?!" She scolded. "You've missed Grampa's entire speech!"
"Hum… I'm sorry?" Ash said, attempting to calm the fuming woman before him. "Maybe the Professor can give me an abridged version of the speech."
"Oh, Ash… what am we going to do with you?" Daisy said with a sigh and a facepalm. Dealing with these two kids was really a handful. "The professor is waiting for you upstairs so you can have your first Pokemon."
"Great!" The pajama wearing boy said as a sudden question came up in his mind. "By the way, Gary, are you really going to travel all by yourself?"
"Of course not, Ashy-boy! Look around you!" Gary said, extending his arms once again. "My fans will be traveling with me!"
"Right…" Ash mumbled, not really knowing what to say.
"But I must take my leave now," Gary continued as he got in the back of a red car filled with his so-called 'fans'. "Thank you for coming out to see history in the making! Now I, Gary Oak, am off to learn the ways of the Pokemon Trainer!"
"And he's off…" Daisy said shortly. "So, Ash, are you ready to go?"
"Of course, Daisy," Ash said with confidence as he started to go up the flight of stairs. "This is how my journey begins!"
"And you still managed to oversleep…" Daisy said, deciding it would be better to forget about that. "You should've been there."
"Where?" Ash asked as they made their way into the building.
"In the meeting," She answered. "It was filled with all sorts of people from all over Pallet Town. I think one or two of them were even planning to travel to a different region."
"Different regions, huh?" Ash wondered. "I want to travel the entire world and catch all sorts of Pokemon!"
Inside the room was a large amount of different sorts of machinery, all of them whose functions were beyond the two kids knowledge. In the middle of the room was a small podium with Professor Oak right next to it.
"So, decided to show up after all?" Professor Oak said as he turned to face Ash and Daisy.
"Professor Oak, where's my Pokemon?" Ash asked excitedly.
"Your Pokemon?" Asked Professor Oak.
"Yes, I'm ready!" Ash answered, his heart filled with anticipation. This was the moment he had been waiting for.
"It looks like you are ready for bed…" The Professor said. "Not for Pokemon training. I hope you don't think you are going to train in your pajamas!"
"Oh no, Professor!" The boy argued. "I got messed up this morning and was a little late, but believe me, I'm ready for a Pokemon!"
"Very well," the Pokemon Professor said with a sigh. Moving back towards the metallic podium, he click a small button that removed the glass sphere encapsulating the three Pokeballs. "Here you are."
Taking a deep breath, Ash approaches the podium and looks at the three Pokeballs.
"I've thought about it a lot," Ash said as he grabbed one of the red and white balls. "And it took me a long time, but I've finally decide to choose Squirtle!"
Pressing the button in the middle of the Pokeball, the device opens and reveals that there is in fact no Pokemon contained in it.
"Huh?" Ash mumbled in confusion.
"Already taken by someone who was on time," Professor Oak explained. "In this case by my grandson."
"So Gary chose Squirtle, huh?" He thought while grabbing another Pokeball. "No problem, I'll just have to go for my second pick, Bulbasaur!"
Ash pressed the button but, once again, no Pokemon materialized.
"That one was also taken by a kid who wasn't late!" The Professor said, making Ash even more regretful for oversleeping.
"Well, that's no problem either, because my Pokemon is going to be… Charmander!" Ash said while pressing the balls' button.
But there was nothing inside it this time either.
"They say the early Pidgey gets the Weedle or, in this case, the Pokemon," Professor Oak said, destroying the hopes of the ten year old boy.
"Does that mean all the Pokemon are gone?" The boy asked sadly.
"Well, there is still one left." The Professor said unsurely. "But I –"
"Professor, I'll take it!" Ash announced.
After the press of a button, Professor Oak grabs the last Pokeball he had available. This one had a small lightning symbol in it, most likely meaning that the Pokemon inside was an Electric-type.
"I think I should warn you…" Professor Oak started. "There is a problem with this last one."
"I have to have a Pokemon," Ash said, pleadingly.
"In that case…" The old Professor said while handing the boy the Pokeball.
And with the click of a button, Ash releases the unknown Pokemon. A beam of red light flows out of the ball and slowly materializes into a short rodent-like creature. It was covered in yellow fur with two horizontal brown stripes on its back. Much like a Rattata, it had two visible incisors coming out of its upper jaw, although they were smaller when compared with the previously mentioned rat-like Pokemon. Two of its most distinguishing features were two red circles on its cheeks that seemed to be emitting some sort of electrical current and an almost lightning bolt-shaped tail with a brown patch of fur at its base.
"Pikachu," It said, announcing its name.
"It's so cute, it's the best of all!" Ash said happily. He finally got his first Pokemon!
"Oh, you'll see…" The Professor said has he moved back a few feet.
In an attempt to have a better look at his new Pokemon, Ash grabs Pikachu and holds him up close to his face.
"Hi, Pikachu!" He said whilst hugging it.
"Pika," The Pokemon growled as small sparks started coming out of its cheeks.
Suddenly, the sparks grow in size and begin flowing through Ash's body, making him fall into the ground. Luckily, the electrical current wasn't strong enough to leave any permanent damage such as burns or heart problems. Although it was enough to send an obvious message to the rookie trainer. Don't mess with me.
"Ash, are you ok?" Daisy asked in horror. It was obvious that Pikachu was holding back the strength of its lighting and in some twisted way that made the little mouse-like creature even scarier.
"It's also known as the 'Electric Mouse Pokemon'," The Pokemon Professor explained. "It is usually shy but sometimes it can display an electrifying personality!"
"I see what you mean…" Ash said to himself as Serena helped him get up.
"Shocking, isn't it?" The Professor said with a small smirk and closed eyes. That was Ash's punishment for being late.
With Ash's punishment taken care of, Professor Oak made his way to his desk in order to grab a few useful devices for the boy.
"Here, your Pokedex and Pokeballs." Said the Professor while handing the mentioned utensils to Ash, who somehow still held the electric creature in his arms.
As he grabbed his new Pokedex and Pokeballs, the Pikachu releases another Thundershock, although this time it also reached Professor Oak.
"Are you two alright?" Daisy asked in a less worried tone. For some reason she was already predicting that this was going to happen. She extends her hand towards her grandfather to help him can get up.
"Yeah..." Ash said while getting up and massaging his back.
"You know training that Pikachu isn't going to be easy, right?" An unknown voice said. Looking to his right, Ash saw a black haired boy with a short strand of hair sticking upwards standing right beside him.
"Wait, who are you?" Ash asked, confused by the boys' sudden reveal. "And how long have you been here?!"
"My name is Dante and I've been from the very beginning," The boy answered calmly with a hint of shyness in his voice and avoiding eye contact.
"Then how come we didn't notice you?" Ash continued.
"Dante is a very quiet kid, it's not unusual for people to take a while to notice his presence." Daisy Oak said with a smile, attempting to explain the new arrivals' ninja-like abilities. "But moving on, this was the last Pokemon, Dante, you're free to go on your journey now."
"Right, I guess I'll be going then," The boy said as he made his way towards the exit. "Have a good day everyone."
"Wait!" Ash shouted, stopping the kid on his tracks. "Why were you waiting for the last Pokemon to be taken? And how do you know Pikachu will be a difficult Pokemon to train?"
"I saw almost all the Pokemon who were handed out today being born. I also took care of them for a while so I wanted to be sure they were alright with their new trainers." Dante explained with a nostalgic smile that gradually changed into a saddened expression. "You're Pikachu was mistreated by its former trainer and because of that it distrusts humans. Just getting him to trust the people at the ranch was hard enough, so I can't imagine an unexperienced trainer being taming it."
"That's horrible!" Ash said after learning such an important fact about his new partner. "What can I do to help Pikachu get over its fear of humans?"
"I wish I could give you a straight answer…" Dante said as he fell into a moment of silent. After looking at Ash's hands and Pikachu, the boy finally comes up with an idea that could help his fellow trainer. "Rubber gloves."
"Rubber gloves?" Ash asked in curiosity. Meanwhile, Professor Oak simply nodded in understanding before going to a nearby chest.
"Rubber doesn't conduct electricity," Dante elucidated. "That means your friend will be able to pick up Pikachu without risking another… shocking experience."
"Good idea, Dante." Daisy said as Professor Oak handed Ash a pair of rubber gloves he had taken out of the chest.
"That sounds good! Thank you for the advice, Dante!" Thanked Ash with a thumbs-up before putting on his new pair of gloves.
"It's my pleasure." The shy boy said before leaving the room with his hands inside his pants pockets.
"It's good to see that the boy is getting used to being around other people his age!" Professor Oak said happily. "His family also took care of your first Pokemon, Daisy, did you know that?"
"Is that so? I didn't know that…" Daisy said, she would have to thank them when she next met them.
"That's right, I almost forgot you were a coordinator when you were younger, Daisy!" Said Ash, who seemed to have recharged his batteries. Maybe it was the Thundershock. "What Pokemon did you pick?"
"Well, Ash, I chose to pick a reserve Pokemon just like your Pikachu," Started Serena, giving Ash one last jab for making her wait. "We also had a hard time in the beginning, but we managed to become great friends."
"Do you have it with you right now?" Ash asked, excited by the prospect of meeting a new Pokemon.
"Yes," Daisy said as she took out a white and pink Pokeball. "Here it is."
Pressing the button of the Pokeball, a white beam of light comes out and materializes into the shape of a chubby and round bunny-like creature. Its fur was pink and on its forehead was a curling tuft of fur, much like its larger, upward-curling tail. Even so, its two most defining features were the two dark pink oval markings on its cheeks and the multiple strands of air that stood up on its back, almost resembling small wings.
"Clefairy!" The creature said as it began slowly jumping around the room in a manner similar to the Gengar that appeared on yesterday's battle. Little did Ash know that the 0.6 meters tall (2'00'' feet) creature shared the same type of organ as the Gengar line, a helium bladder.
"Wow, a Clefairy!" Ash said in amazement. "Aren't those really rare?"
"Indeed," Said Professor Oak. "They're also known as the 'Fairy Pokemon' and can only be found on Mount Moon, near Pewter City. If you're lucky you might be able to ear it sing and dance to the full moon. It's quite the spectacle!"
"That's awesome…" Said Ash as he tried to imagine the bunny-like creature dancing. Needless to say, he couldn't come up with a clear image of how it would look like. "I can't wait to visit Mount Moon now!"
"That really does bring up some wonderful memories…" Whispered Daisy as she held her old friend in her arms and took a look at her watch. "Oh, look at the time, we should get going!"
"You're right, let's go!" Ash said to Daisy.
"This kid…" Thought Daisy as she recalled Clefairy into its Pokeball.
Once the three left the building they were met by a small group of people. In its center was Ash's mom, Delia, who held a green backpack in her arms.
"Oh, Ash, I'm so proud of you!" She said with some tears in the corner of her eyes. "You're finally going to fulfill your dream and start your Pokemon training. But I… I'm going to miss you so much! Oh my little boy!"
Caught off guard by his mother's sudden tears, Ash puts Pikachu on the ground and approaches Delia, who was already cleaning the tears off her eyes.
"Pika?" The yellow mouse said in confusion. Something odd was going on.
"I got you your sneakers and jeans, your t-shirts and underwear, your favorite snacks and some hot chocolate in case you want something to hot." She said whilst taking everything out of the bag. "But be careful not to burn yourself! Also, here's a new clothes line to dry your clothes…"
"Mom, you're embarrassing me!" Ash said as he put everything inside the bag once again. Little did he know that behind him was a giggling Daisy. She most certainly wasn't expecting for Delia too show his underwear to everybody. "We're in front of all this people! Don't you know I'm a legal adult now? Pokemon trainers can take care of themselves."
"I understand…" Delia said flatly. All kids say they can take care of themselves until something goes horribly wrong. "Oh, that's your Pokemon?"
"Pikachu," it said.
"Yep, that's my Pokemon!" Ash said proudly, only for Pikachu to turn its head away from him. Attempting to ignore his new partner lack of respect, he continues. "With Pikachu on my side I will catch all the Pokemon in the world!"
"I thought all Pokemon stayed inside their Pokeball…" Delia said as she looked at Pikachu. "Why doesn't this one?"
"R-Right!" Ash said has he searched for and took out Pikachu's Pokeball, throwing the ball at it. "Pikachu, get in the ball now!"
"Pika," Said Pikachu as it used its head and tail to send the ball back towards Ash.
This endeavor repeated itself for a few more times until a certain someone came to a wrong conclusion.
"How cute, you're playing catch!" Said Delia with an endearing smile. "You're friends already."
"Oh sure," Ash assured his mother. "Pikachu and I are real pals! Right?"
Pikachu simply stared blankly at his new trainer.
"It's a little weird…" Delia said, unknowingly enraging the small electric beast.
"Weird?" Ash asked, a feeling of dread going up his spine.
"PIKA!" Screeched the yellow monster as it zapped everyone in its vicinity with the exception of Professor Oak, who found safe haven behind his Labs' gates.
"I think those rubber gloves would really come in handy right about now, Ash!" Reminded Professor Oak as everyone fell on the floor.
"Don't forget to change your underwear every single day…" Said Delia in a half unconscious state.
"Ok…" Replied Ash.
"Pikachu!" Said the happy little mouse in victory. Dante was right, training this Pikachu was really going to be difficult… but Ash had some ideas.
Minutes later, after saying his final goodbye to his family and the people of Pallet Town, Ash and Pikachu found themselves traversing Route 1 in a rather unusual way.
Leading the way was Ash, who was wearing his rubber gloves. In his left hand he was holding a rope, or a clothes line to be more precise, that was stuck around Pikachu, who was being dragged against its will.
"Pikachu, are you going to be like this the whole way?" Ash asked, already getting tired of Pikachu's attitude.
"Pi!" Answered the Pokemon proudly. It didn't plan on stopping acting this way towards him.
"You don't like me?" Ash continued asking Pikachu.
"Pika, Pika," It answered in a dismissive manner.
"Well, I like you a lot!" The boy said. "And, since you're the Pokemon I'm training, don't you think you could be little nicer, open your mouth and just tell what's wrong?"
"Kaa…" It said as it opened its little mouth wide open, revealing its set of rodent-like teeth.
"That's not exactly what I meant…" Ash complained. "Is your name all you can say?"
"Pika," Pikachu answered. It was an obvious answer.
"Since you're just like any other Pokemon you should act like one," Ash reprimanded the small creature. "And get inside the Pokeball, just it says in the Pokedex."
"While being trained a Pokemon usually stays inside its Pokeball," said the machine as Ash selected the Pokeball info section.
"You see?" Ash said in a tone similar to that of a scolding mother.
"However, there are many exceptions," The Pokedex continued. "Some Pokemon hate being confined."
"Ok, then," Ash said, understanding that this was a fight he could not win. "This ought to make this better!"
"We'll get rid of these," He said. Slowly, Ash took of this rubber gloves and unstrapped the rope that was around Pikachu, throwing it off into the dirt path.
"How about now?" The boy asked as he put his index finger next to the Pokemon, hoping that it would lay its paw on top of it.
"Pi!" Pikachu said, still dismissing his trainers attempt at befriending it.
Seemingly out of nowhere the sound of rustling grass is heard not far away. Approaching the origin of the sound, Ash and Pikachu find the first wild Pokemon in their journey.
"A Pidgey," Ash said, immediately recognizing the bird-like Pokemon. Wanting to get more information about it, Ash points his Pokedex camera at the creature.
"Pidgey has an extreme sharp sense of direction and homing instincts. It can locate its nest even when far removed from familiar surroundings. It is a docile Pokemon, and generally prefers to flee its enemies rather than fight them." The machine explained. "By flapping its wings rapidly, it can whip up dust clouds and create whirlwinds to protect itself and flush out potential prey. Pidgey is very common throughout its range and can often be seen in meadows and forests. Ekans is a natural predator of Pidgey."
"This is great!" Proclaimed Ash. "It's our lucky day!"
"Pikachu, go get it!" He commanded, only to have his order be ignored. "Aren't you ever going to listen to me?"
"Chu," Pikachu said as he ran towards a nearby tree and climbed it using its sharp claws. It intended on watching everything go down from up there. "Kaa!"
"Ok, I get the message!" The trainer said, clearly annoyed. "I don't want your help or need it. I can get that thing all by myself!"
Throwing his bag into the side and grabbing a Pokeball, Ash starts to approach the small, plump-bodied avian Pokemon.
"Alright, I've pledged to catch all the Pokemon in the world," Ash said as he pressed the button of the empty Pokeball, enlarging it in size. "Now I'm ready to take the next step to be the number one Pokemon Master!"
Meanwhile, the 'Tiny Bird Pokemon' simply continued to peck the ground in search of food, completely oblivious to the rookie trainer that intended on catching it.
"Enjoy you're last moments of freedom, Pidgey," Ash continued. "Because you're mine!"
Turning the red, white and green official Pokemon League Expo hat that he had to send about a million postcards in order to obtain, Ash prepares himself to throw the Pokeball at Pidgey.
"Pokeball, go!" He yelled enthusiastically as the ball flew towards his target, hitting it in a great display of precision and ability.
A red beam of light envelops the Pokemon as it is miniaturized and sent into its Ideal Environment. Ash just had to wait for the Pokeball to click three times so that he could be sure the capture had been successful. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to know that…
"I did it!" He yelled in joy with a flick of his fingers. The ball wiggles and the Pidgey is once again sent into the wild as he flees the newbie trainer. "I blew it…"
"Pi, Pi, Pi, Pi," Pikachu snickered in an almost human way as it watched from a tree's branch.
Ash was getting mad, if Pikachu had helped him battle the Pidgey surely would've been defeated and successfully caught.
"But I have to do everything myself," Ash complained. Looking back at his bag, Ash has an idea. "Wait, I've got an idea!"
"Ok," Taking his pajamas shirt from inside the bag, Ash begins to slowly and silently approach the Pidgey once again. His plan is to cover the Pidgey with the piece of clothing to stop it from fleeing again in order to get another chance at catching it. "Just be quiet, there's nothing to be afraid of."
"Pid…" The bird-like Pokemon said as it turned and made eye contact with Ash.
"Hi, little friend," Ash said slowly as he prepared to put his plan into action. With one swoop, Ash covers the Pidgey with his shirt, impeding its escape. "Sorry, buddy!"
The Pidgey fought valiantly and incessantly to find some way out of its predicament, pecking at everything and nothing at the same time. Suddenly, it changes tactics as it begins to flap its wings and whipping up the dust gathered in the ground under it, creating a powerful whirlwind inside Ash's pajama shirt and forcing the boy to back off.
But that wasn't the end of it, as Pidgey shuffles its large feet into the ground, making more dust rise up and then flapping its wings in Ash's direction.
"A Sand-Attack?!" The unprepared boy said as millions of tiny particles of dust were thrown into his direction, forcing him to close his eyes in defense. Finally, Pidgey had created a window of opportunity for it to escape. The last thing Ash saw as he opened his eyes was the Pidgey flying away. "I guess it's not my lucky day…"
"Pika, Pika, Pika," Snickered Pikachu, mocking its trainers lack of success.
Turning around, Ash finds something rummaging in its bag.
It was small and had purple fur. The only prominent feature of the creature that Ash could see was a long tail that curled at the tip.
"Hey," Ash yelled, scaring the small rat-like Pokemon away. "Get out of there!"
Bringing his Pokedex out, Ash points its camera at the fleeing creature as it stops to hiss at him before running away.
"Rattata," It said, enunciating the Pokemon's name. "Rattata can live wherever it can find food, which it searches for most of the day. Thanks to its sharp fangs, it is able to eat nearly anything. When it feels threatened, Rattata can deliver a powerful bite. Its hardiness lets it live in many environments, although it mainly lives on plains and savannas. Because it reproduces so quickly, a pair of Rattata can quickly colonize an area."
"So that Rattata was searching for food in my bag, huh?" Ash said.
"Pidgey," Multiple Pidgey hooted, announcing their presence to any nearby creature, which was Ash in this case.
Grabbing a stone, Ash throws it towards one of the Pidgey in rage but misses, scaring the Pidgeys away. Noticing another bird-like creature in the grass, Ash decides to have another go with his new catching method.
He throws the rock and hits the Pokemon right in the head. Unbeknownst to him, Ash had just hit and angered a far more dangerous creature than a Pidgey.
"I got it!" Ash celebrated.
The Pokemon turns, revealing its look to Ash. Finding out that it had never seen the Pokemon, Ash takes out his Pokedex once again.
"Although inept at other aspects of its flying, such as height and distance, Spearow is still capable of flying quickly to protect its territory. However, it must flap its wings at high speeds to stay aloft. Spearow's loud shrieks can be heard over half a mile (one kilometer) away, and are used to warn other of its kind of danger." The Pokedex explained. "Despite its similarity with Pidgey, this Pokemon is far more aggressive in nature and should be handled with caution. Spearow sees in black and white and will chase its foes in a large flock. Ekans is a natural predator of Spearow."
Looking back up towards the angered Pokemon, Ash finds himself becoming the target of Spearow's aggression as it flew towards him at high speed. Attempting to defend himself, Ash grabs his bag and swings it around, keeping the Spearow at a safer distance. The Spearow flies up and searches for its target, but has difficulty finding Ash, who hid behind the tree. Instead, Spearow changes his focus to the small yellow rodent that sat on the tree's branch.
The angry bird begins to attack Pikachu as it swooped closer and closer to it.
"Hey," Ash yelled in an attempt to catch Spearow's attention. "Knock it off, Pikachu didn't throw the rock!"
But it was no use, the Spearow continued its attack and Pikachu was just about to fall of the tree.
"Pikachu!" Ash screamed in fear as the Spearow got closer to Pikachu.
"PIKACHUUUU!" In defense Pikachu starts emitting a strong current from its cheeks, which promptly fly towards the relentless Spearow. The shock was strong enough to knock the Pokemon out of its flight and crashing into the ground.
"You got it!" Ash said, congratulating his partner.
But things weren't over yet. No, they were just starting as Spearow stood up once again, with some of his feathers burnt, and shrieks loudly, calling and warning his kind. Hearing its call, a large flock of Spearow flight out of their nests.
"Oh no," Ash said as the flock flew towards him at a fast pace. "Should we run?!"
For the first time, Ash and Pikachu agreed on something. The two take off into the opposite direction of the Spearow, the neighboring Pokemon coming out of their homes to see what was going on outside.
"Don't worry, Pikachu," Ash said, attempting to comfort his Pokemon. "No matter what happens, I'll save you!"
But Pikachu simply ran ahead, picking up speed and leaving Ash behind.
"Hey, don't run ahead!" Ash reprimanded. "I said I would protect you!"
The flock of Spearow managed to catch up to them and began pecking at Ash and Pikachu ferociously. Overwhelmed by the attack, Pikachu trips on a rock and crashes into the ground. The merciless Spearows land next to it and resume their attacks.
"Pikachu!" Ash screamed as he fought his way towards the defenseless creature. The surrounding Spearows back off in surprise and Ash picks up his wounded partner. Its entire body was filled with scratches and certain parts of his back were bleeding due to the Spearow tearing away some fur and skin with their powerful hooked beaks.
It was horrible to see, but Ash kept running with the bleeding Pokemon in his arms. It was slowly going unconscious from blood loss.
As he ran Ash comes upon a large waterfall. He found himself at a crossroad. If he jumped he would be safe from the Spearow, even though the fall could be potentially dangerous. But not jumping would most likely mean death by pecking, which wasn't particularly enticing either.
"Well," He said, taking a look back to see how far the Spearow were. "Here we go!"
Taking a few steps back, Ash begins to run as fast as he can and jumps down the waterfall while screaming. Falling into the water was more painful than he thought, luckily he didn't hit the bottom or crash into any rocks.
The current was strong and pushed the two further into the river.
Meanwhile, on the surface, an orange haired girl was leisurely fishing in hopes of capturing a Water-type Pokemon to add to her team. Suddenly, something in the water catches her eye.
"Is that a kid?!" She asked incredulously. Without a moment's thought, the girl jumped into the water and swam towards the kid.
"I got you!" She said as she got a hold of the boy. She quickly swam back into solid ground. "A boy and a Pokemon? Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm ok," Ash said after regaining his breath. "Thanks for saving us."
"I'm glad you're safe, but how could you be so careless and fall into the river?!" The girl asked angrily. "Look at your Pokemon's state, is it breathing?!"
"I-I'm not sure," Ash said as he started to panic. "I think it is!"
"Don't just sit there," The girl commanded. "You need to take it to the Pokemon Center, otherwise it's going to die!"
"I… hum…" Ash mumbled.
"There's a Center not too far away from here," She continued. "You need to get moving now! It's that way!"
"Ok, thanks for the help," Ash said as he spotted the Spearows in the distance. Looking around he sees an orange bike, runs towards it and starts pedaling away, much to the girl's dismay. "I'm also going to be borrowing this! I'll give it back someday!"
And so he pedaled, with Pikachu laying down inside the bike's basket, still fighting to stay conscious as the sky grew darker. The flock of Spearows was once again regaining terrain. They were getting closer by the second.
"Pikachu," Said Pikachu in a whisper.
"Don't worry, Pikachu," Ash said, comforting both himself and the Pokemon. "We're almost there!"
The Spearow finally reached them and started pecking Ash's head, which was thankfully protected by his hat. Unfortunately, Ash found himself losing his balance and crashed his bike into the ground, sending both him and Pikachu flying.
Ash struggles to stand up but is stopped by the image of Pikachu laying on the floor in front of him, the light from a nearby lightning making Pikachu's state more obvious to perceive. It wasn't moving. Its eyes were starting to glaze over. Its eyelids were gradually closing and its forehead was bleeding severely. If things kept going like this, Pikachu wasn't going to make it.
"Pikachu," The panicking trainer called, trying to keep his starter from going unconscious. He slowly manages to crawl towards it. Once he reached the poor creature, Ash lays his hand on its body. Its fur was cold, soaked and certain parts were growing redder in color from the blood.
"chu…" Pikachu whispers, his voice almost impossible to hear in the middle of the pouring rain.
"Pikachu?" Ash called as drops of water fell onto Pikachu, he couldn't tell whether they were rain drops or his tears. But it didn't matter right now. Ash had heard many stories during his childhood. Stories about the dangers of traveling alone and unprepared. Stories about the deaths of both trainers and Pokemon alike. Those stories always seemed so distant, they didn't seem real. The Pokemon he had met as a child were always so nice and happy. Why were wild Pokemon so different? Why didn't he listen to everyone's warnings? Why couldn't he save Pikachu? "This can't happen…"
"Pikachu, get inside," He pleaded as he took out Pikachu's Pokeball and placed it on the ground in front of it. Only this way could he save his Pokemon. "I know you're afraid of going in there but if you're inside maybe I can save you! Please, Pikachu, listen to me. Listen to me and go inside! Just trust me!"
Ash stands up with arms wide open in an attempt to block the Spearows.
"Spearows, do you know who I am?" He asked, capturing the attention of the birds. "I am Ash, from Pallet Town, and I'm destined to be the worlds' number one Pokemon Master! I won't be defeated by the likes of you! I'm going to capture and defeat you all, you hear me?!"
"Pikachu, get inside the Pokeball, it's the only way." Ash said as he gave Pikachu one last look. The Spearow were ready to attack. "Come and get me!"
Pikachu could only stare in disbelief as Ash stood valiantly in between the Spearows and itself. It couldn't believe a human would ever sacrifice himself for a Pokemon and yet, there he was. The Spearows approached rapidly as thunder sounded in the background, nearly muffled by the Spearow's screeches.
No, this couldn't be the end of their journey… could it?
No, it wouldn't be! Pikachu wouldn't let that happen!
Steeling itself with new found resolve, Pikachu gets up and starts running towards the enemy. It catches Ash by surprise as it climbed up his back and jumped towards the flock of Spearows.
The entire world seemed to slow down for Ash and Pikachu as thunder illuminated the cruel world around them.
Pikachu's cheeks begin to charge up, capturing nearby electrical currents. Suddenly, a lightning strikes it, producing an electric shock wave that blast everyone in the vicinity, including Ash and Pikachu.
The bad weather began to dissipate.
On the ground laid Ash, Pikachu and about a dozen Spearow.
"Well…" Ash began as he felt his consciousness drift away. "We beat them."
"Chu…" Agreed Pikachu.
The two look up at the bright, blue sky.
In the distance a large golden bird-like creature flied away as a rainbow formed behind it. Neither Ash nor Pikachu knew what that Pokemon was. But it felt like it was there to congratulate them. Was it for their victory? Or perhaps for the fact they survived? They didn't know. Maybe they'll come to understand in the future.
Pikachu comes closer to Ash and licked his cheek.
But at least there was one thing they knew and that was that a beautiful new friendship had just been formed.
This is just the beginning of the adventures of Ash and Pikachu. Their journey is destined to be stocked with non-stop action, millions of laughs, heart pounding perils and endless excitement. Together they'll encounter fantastic friends, evil enemies and meet creatures beyond their wildest imagination. And as their story unfolds, we'll unlock the magic and mystery of a most wondrous place.
The wonderful world of Pokemon!
.
.
.
.
To be continued…
AN:
Hello and welcome to my attempt at retelling the Pokemon Anime in my own way!
Yes, I know this chapter has HEAVILY borrowed from the anime, especially when it came to the dialogue. This will gradually stop happening as the story progresses and diverges from the original path. You might've also noticed that I'm attempting to make the Pokemon more realistic in their descriptions and biology. I've always found the concept of realistic-looking Pokemon to be amazing, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to add that into the story.
This story was also influenced by FanaticLAguy06's fanfictions, although my version of the anime will be a little bit darker than his own, something that you might've noticed in this chapter.
Something else I want to try bringing into the Pokemon Anime is more reacurring characters with their own individual stories happening parellel to Ash's adventure. Depending on whether you actually want to see that or not I might decide publish the story of Dante, the OC that appeared in this chapter.
That'll be all from me for now! Please remember to leave a review with your opinions and questions, I'll be sure to answer all of them!
See you next chapter!