Welcome to chapter 2. This one took a little longer than the first chapter took to write. I kept stopping and changing my mind about what was going to happen. I eventually decided on this.

I'd also like to thank anyone who reviewed, favourited or followed. I didn't expect this good of a response, and I really appreciate it.

Anyways, I'll let you read the story now. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 2 – The Journey Begins!

Route 1 – 11:30AM

There were few clouds in the sky, as the bright sunlight dominated the flat, and open landscape of Route 1. A single dirt path cut through the area, with the teen, Ash Ketchum walking in a Northern direction.

Ash had taken this path many times before. His former school was on the outskirts of Viridian City. He knew that he could reach the city within a few hours if he was quick.

But part of him didn't want the journey to be quick. He'd spent years suppressing the urge for adventure, and now he was finally given that freedom.

Snapping out of his thoughts, the teen looked down at the yellow rodent. Ash noticed that the Pokemon was having a hard time keeping up. The Mouse Pokemon was practically running to keep up.

'Do you need to take a break Pikachu?' Ash asked while giving the small Pokemon a look of worry.

'Pika.' The Pokemon nodded, and dropped comically on it's front.

Ash gave a light chuckle as he carefully placed the egg he was still carrying on the ground. He reached down to pick the tired Pokemon up.

'Alright, well we can take a break here then. You know if there is a problem, you can tell me. This is your journey as much as mine, Pikachu.' Ash softly said, as he ran his rand through the fur on the yellow rodent's back. 'We are going to have to work on your stamina though. But that'll come once we start training. I want to get to Viridian Forest before we start.'

'Pikachu!' The small Pokemon gave a determined cry, as he raised his right paw in the air.

Ash gave another light chuckle. Realising he now had a chance to read the letter that Mr Stone had left for him, he reached into his jacket,and pulled out the envelope.

Looking at the envelope in his hands, Ash saw his name written in handwriting on the front. The boy turned it over, and opened the crease. Ash pulled a single piece of paper out of the envelope, and unfolded it.

To Ash

Hello, it's been quite some time hasn't it? You're probably wondering why I left you the Pokemon Egg and the tent. Well the answer is to return that favour that you gave me almost 2 years ago. You know, when asked you to go out and find that fossil. My son Steven was very impressed with the specimen you found. And we've made some big steps towards reviving Pokemon Fossils thanks to you.

So, as a thank you, I'd like you to have the Pokemon Egg. And I threw in the tent as an added bonus. To use it, just press the button on the top, and aim it where you want the tent to go. The technology is pretty cutting edge, so please, take care of it.

Thanks again, Ash, for all of you help. Know if you ever need anything, then I'm just a phone call away.

I hope to hear from you soon,

Mr Stone

Ash smiled as he refolded the paper and place it back in his pocket. He remembered how Mr Stone had approached him after being involved in one of Ash's classes.

Mr Stone had explained that there was an area just west of Route 1 that harboured many ancient fossils. The president had asked Ash to go to the area to find one of these fossils.

And Ash did just that. The day he was asked, he went to the area that Mr Stone had talked about. After about an hour of frustration, Ash finally stumbled across something that looked like a fossil. He'd put the fossil in his bag, and raced home.

Ash shook his head, with a small grin on his face. His mother wasn't pleased about him being late home, but she eventually forgave him.

And the next day Ash had found Mr Stone before his class, much to the older man's surprise, Ash presented Mr Stone with the fossil he'd found. The fossil turned out to be a particularly rare type, and Mr Stone had called Ash directly a few weeks later to inform him about it.

Ash snapped out of his thoughts as he felt Pikachu prod him with one of it's claws.

'You ready to go then, Pikachu?' Ash asked, as he looked down at the yellow rodent.

'Pi.' The small mouse nodded. But instead of walking on ahead, the Mouse Pokemon climbed up onto Ash's shoulder.

Ash gave Pikachu a grin, while letting out a quiet laugh.

'I guess you don't want to walk, huh?'

The yellow rodent shook it's head. The teen opened his bag, and placed the blue egg inside. It was becoming really awkward to carry, and there was more than enough room in his bag.

Ash then stood up, in doing so, he felt the small Pokemon cling onto his shoulder, trying to find a comfortable, but secure position. After a short while, Pikachu finally seemed settled, and Ash began to walk.

Viridian City – 2:21PM

The city was alive with activity. The pavements filled with people walking briskly to their destinations. Cars filled the streets, and the faint sound of sirens could be heard from the distance.

Ash was never a fan of big cities. The people seemed very cold, and uncaring. The fumes from the cars, and industry were sometimes overwhelming. It seemed Pikachu was having an equally, if not worse, time in the city.

The small Pokemon's nose was more sensitive than your average human. And the fumes in the air had an amplified odour to the poor rodent.

Ash noticed the sour look on the Pokemon's face, and decided that a trip to the Pokemon Center was probably for the best. He reminded himself that he needed to call his mother, and finalised his decision.

After walking a few blocks, Ash and Pikachu finally arrived at the Pokemon Center.

The building was fairly large, and was fairly unique to the buildings around it. There was green shrubs surrounding the building, and a large red sphere was the centre-point of the roof.

Ash walked up the short set of steps, with Pikachu still clinging to the teen's shoulder.

'Alright, I'm going to have Nurse Joy check you up, to make sure you're in top form. While that's happening, I'm going to go out an get some supplies.' Giving the Pokemon a quick look before continuing. 'I would take you with me, but you don't seem to be enjoying the city too much. You okay with that Pikachu?' Ash asked.

'Pikachu pikapi.' The yellow rodent squeaked in approval, and it nodded it's small head.

Ash grinned at his partner's response. He had suspected that the Mouse Pokemon wasn't too keen on cities. He was a forest mouse, after all. And Pikachu's sour face from earlier only added to his logic.

Ash and Pikachu walked into the Pokemon Center, the glass doors opening automatically when the duo came close. Ash quickly located the nurse, and made his way towards the fairly short woman. To Ash, at least.

The nurse was dressed in a large dress that came down to her knees. Her hair was a light pink colour, and was tied skilfully at the back. In such a way that two large loops protruded out in opposite directions. On her head was a white hat with a small red cross on it.

Upon noticing the raven haired teen, and the yellow rodent, she smiled.

'Hello there, welcome to the Viridian Pokemon Center. Can I help you?' Ash returned the smile.

'Yes, actually. I was wondering if you could check up on Pikachu for me?' The teen asked politely.

'Of course, has Pikachu been in any battles, or had any accidents?' The nurse asked with a slight feeling of worry. The Pokemon didn't seem to be in any discomfort. The nurse's look vanished, as she looked up at the teen.

'Oh, no. You see I've just got this Pikachu today. I just wanted to make sure everything was alright with him before I started training.'

'That's very thoughtful. Not many new trainers would do this.' The nurse looked at Ash with an intrigued look before continuing. 'I'll give your Pikachu a check. It shouldn't take too long, but it'll probably take about an hour.' The nurse seemed impressed with the maturity, and responsible attitude of the teen. She remembered various other new trainers that she would consider unfit to have Pokemon.

The nurse quickly snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Ash reply.

'That's fine, I needed to go out and get some supplies anyway.' Ash turned to his Pokemon. 'You going to be okay Pikachu?' As he saw the yellow rodent nod, he smiled before allowing the electric rodent to jump off his shoulder towards the nurse. 'I won't be long Pikachu. And thank you Nurse Joy!'

'Not a problem. I need your name before you head out though.' Joy quickly added.

'Oh, of course. My name is Ash Ketchum.' The teen looked at the nurse sheepishly.

'Okay, Ash. Well once you're done getting your supplies, just come to the desk over there.' Joy pointed towards the front desk. 'And myself or a Chansey should come to help you out.'

'Alright, thanks again Nurse Joy!' Ash then hurriedly exited the Pokemon Center, and headed out to the nearest shopping district.

After about five minutes of walking, Ash had reached an area with plenty of shops. He thanked Arceus that he knew his way around here, thanks to the shopping trips that his mother used to drag him out on. Otherwise the teen would have had a much harder time finding shops.

Ash spotted an appropriate shop, and headed towards it. The shop looked like an outdoor sports shop.

As Ash entered, he saw various sections for separate sports. He quickly picked out the hiking section, and briskly made his way over after grabbing a basket from the entrance. The raven haired teen wasted no time in picking up supplies and dropping them into a basket. Heat packs, a couple of still energy drinks, some packets of energy paste and a handbook on berries that caught the teens eye.

In addition, the teen bought some potions and various status healers. The boy then quickly went to pay for the items, and left.

Ash then turned his attention to a Pokemon Breeder shop. This building was significantly smaller than the sports shop, and had a fairly traditional look to it.

The teen entered, with food for electric type Pokemon on his list. He easily found what he was looking for. He grabbed a fairly large tub from the shelf, went to pay and then left the shop.

The raven haired teen then began to head back towards the Pokemon Center. But another shop caught his attention. Looking into the shop, Ash saw that it was some sort of gadget shop. Intrigued, the teen entered.

Ash quickly saw Pokeballs, which reminded him, he needed to stock up on these.

Seeing as starter trainers no longer got free Pokeballs when they picked a starter. Apparently it was too expensive.

Eyeing the different types, Ash grabbed two packs of five regular Pokeballs. He then went and paid, a surprisingly large amount, and then left.

With his shopping now actually complete, Ash initiated his walk back to the Pokemon Center.

The raven haired teen had arrived back with about 20 minutes spare. So the teen decided it would be a wise idea to call his mother.

Walking up to a phone booth and sitting down. Ash imputed his home number, and then waited for a few seconds for someone to answer.

Not after long, the call was answered, and Ash's mother appeared on the screen in front of the boy.

'Hello? Oh, hi Ash! How are you doing?' The mother asked with a bright smile on here face. Happy to see her son was well.

'Hi Mum! I'm doing fine thanks. I called to let you know that I've made it to Viridian City in one piece.'

'Well I'm glad that your journey has started well. Which starter did you pick?' The mother enquired.

'I didn't pick any of them.' Ash smirked as he saw the confused look on his mother's face. ' I actually asked the professor if he had a different Pokemon to chose.'

Things now started to make sense for Delia. The two weeks leading up to today, Ash had been complaining about not being able to pick between the starters. Delia just assumed that he'd eventually reach a solution. And he did, it just wasn't the solution the mother had anticipated.

'So what Pokemon did you get for your starter then?' The young woman asked curiously.

'I chose a Pikachu.' Ash replied quickly with a bright smile on his face.

'A Pikachu? Well I trust you made the right choice.' The mother spoke sweetly while giving Ash a smile. 'So where is Pikachu? In a Pokeball?'

'No, Pikachu doesn't like Pokeballs apparently. He's just getting a check up from Nurse Joy.' Ash responded.

'He's not hurt is he?' The mother gave a worried look.

'No, no. I just wanted to make sure he was fine to start training.' Ash laughed.

Delia sighed, she thought the Pokemon may have gotten hurt somehow.

'Well, that's a relief. How come Pikachu doesn't like Pokeballs?' Delia asked, with an odd look on her face.

'Your guess is as good as mine. The best I've come up with so far is, would you like to be trapped in a ball?' Ash gave a small smirk.

'I guess that's a point.' Delia giggled. 'So is that everything then?'

'Well actually. Mr Stone left me some things as well.'

'He did? What did he leave you?' The mother seemed very curious. She knew Ash had helped Mr Stone out in the past. But she didn't expect Mr Stone to give Ash things.

'A Pokemon egg, and a tent.' Ash again looked at his mother in amusement, as she gave a bewildered look.

'He gave you an egg!' The mother's face changed to show an expression of shock. 'Do you know what type of egg it is?'

'Nope, I asked Professor Oak about it, and he said he didn't know. Mr Stone didn't say anything in the letter he left with me either.' The raven haired teen responded. 'Here, I'll let you take a look.'

Ash opened up his bag pack, and carefully lifted out the glass container, with the egg still safely inside. The boy lifted the container up so his mother could get a good look at it.

Delia was surprised at how large the egg was, she'd never seen one before. She looked in wonder at the blue and black egg. A smile forming on her face.

'I hope you look after it Ash. This is a really special gift, and it needs to be taken care of.' The young woman said, with a serious stare.

'I know, Mum. They taught us how to look after eggs while I was in school, so I think I should be fine.' Ash stated, as he gave his mother a clam look.

'I trust you know what to do. I'll let you go now, I'm sure you'll have other things to do. Let me know when you get to Pewter City.' The mother gave a cheery smile.

'Yeah, I will do. I'll see you soon!' Giving his mother a wave, he ended the call. He watched as the video image of his mother vanished, and was replaced by black.

Before standing back up, Ash replaced the egg back in his bag, then returned it onto his back. Then making his was to the front desk where Nurse Joy was working on a computer.

The nurse smiled as Ash approached, remembering the boy from earlier.

'Hello Ash, I've finished the check up on your Pikachu, and everything seems fine. Just take it easy on the training, some Pokemon can get stressed very easily while training.'

'Of course, Pikachu can tell me if he's getting tired. We can take breaks when he needs.' Ash replied with a smile.

'Good. I'll just go get him from the examining room. I won't be long.' With that, the nurse turned, and walked through a door that was directly behind the desk.

Not long later, Nurse Joy returned through the same door she had exited from. With a happy smile on her face, she handed Pikachu over to the teen.

'Thanks again, Nurse Joy!' The boy happily said. 'I do need one more thing though.' Ash watched the nurse as she nodded, beckoning the teen to continue. 'Could I get a room for the night?'

Ash had noted that the sun would be going down in a few hours. He thought it'd be best if he just stayed at the Pokemon Center for the night, and head out towards Viridian Forest in the morning.

'Yes, we have a few rooms left. It's just for one, right?' Nurse Joy asked.

'Yeah, just me and Pikachu.' Ash quickly responded.

'Okay, here's a key.' The nurse reached under the desk and grabbed a key. She took a quick glance at the number on the tag, before looking back up at the teen. 'It's room 7, the fourth room on the left. Just over there.'

Ash followed the outstretched arm of the nurse, and saw a corridor to the left of the desk. Thanking the nurse for her help, Ash with Pikachu reunited with the boy's shoulder, headed towards the corridor.

Finding the correct room, Ash slid the key into the lock, and opened the door.

The room was fairly small. It had a standard single bed in the far right corner. And the walls were painted a plain light blue colour.

Walking into the room, Ash dropped his bag onto the bed. Opening the bag back up, the boy slowly pulled out the egg container again. He placed it carefully on the bedside table, before staring at it for a few seconds.

Shaking his head out of the trance, he turned his head to the Pikachu on his shoulder.

'So we've got a few hours to kill, what do you want to do?' Asking the Pokemon for a suggestion.

'Pika.' The Pokemon shrugged it's tiny shoulders, as Ash let out a sigh.

'I guess it's going to be a boring first night then...'

End of Chapter 2

I figured I'd use this to respond to some of the reviews I got.

LightRayPearlshipper: Thanks! I'm glad that you found the story to your taste.

RoxaShadow: I guess I just have to be a bit more confident huh? Looking back on it, it didn't really make sense to put the much detail into the breakfast. I was just trying to outline how much Ash eats. I'll try and avoid this in future. Thank you!

Bijuu vs jinchuuriki: I'm thinking about adding a travelling companion for Ash, and I'd only turn it into a pairing if it advanced the story in some way. As for the actual character, I wouldn't use characters like Cynthia and Annabel because they have roles in the Pokemon world. It wouldn't make sense for me to take them out of that. But if you have any other suggestions on who I could include, then I'd be happy to take them on board. Thanks for reviewing!

Adjuster: Ah, you'll just have to wait and see about that one ;)

FanaticLAguy06: Yeah, I always preferred the smart Ash stories as well. I guess I'm just not a fan of the anime's consistently naive Ash.

As I said just above, I am thinking about adding a travelling companion for Ash. I need a realistic partner, and I'm not going to start working on the next chapter until I've worked out if I'm going to do this or not. And which character. So you can help me out or not, but doing so will probably help me make up my mind.

Thanks again for reading. I'll see you in the next chapter!