Entry #016: Pidgey

The goal of a researcher is to spend hours to days (to months to years) studying their area of focus. Ruby kept her time on Route 1 down to half a day because Professor Oak lives right beside it. If he or his assistants can't keep track of the Pokémon neighboring the town, then why even bother studying Pokémon?

Route 2 has bug types crawling around it. While Bulbasaur and Rattata tussle around her – and while they discourage wild Pokémon from coming near – Ruby keeps tally of Pokémon sightings.

So far there's been fifty-eight Pidgey, less than twenty Rattata, and barely a dozen of the other route's natives. Unless the search is taken off the route, there can only be hypotheses about overpopulation of Pidgey or Pokémon scared of humans.

"Another Pidgey," Ruby groans and marks her sheet. Rattata jumps on her lap while Bulbasaur makes friends with the few brave Bellsprout. "There's a saying that you reach a point in your life where you only see shiny Pokémon. I've never seen one."

There's a little tap by her hands. Ruby glances over, and a quirky Pidgey cheeps with a dopy 'grin'.

"Hi there," Ruby coos, slowly moving to rub its head. "What brings you- Bulbasaur, don't attack."

He grumbles but retracts his vines.

"Thank you." She turns back to the preening flying type Pokémon. "I don't have any food, if that's what you want."

It settles against her, tucking its head against her leg.

"Well, okay," Ruby drawls and marks down the sighting on her notes. "It's not like we're going anywhere any time soon."

Bulbasaur turns away with rolling eyes. He's not sure why he was even worried. He convinces Rattata to come off her break and double team more wild Pokémon with him.

Ruby sighs when the mark hits two hundred Pidgey sightings. A few light pets to the bird beside her, and then she's stretching her legs. "Alright, guys. Time to head back to the Pokémon Center. You two looked like you were having fun! Did you make any friends?"

Rattata huffs. Bulbasaur glances at the Oddish limping away and just smiles at his Trainer.

"Cheep."

Ruby looks down, where the Pidgey is rubbing against her leg. "Cheep."

It's not a normal sound Pidgeys makes. She's a bit worried. "Would you like to come with us? I'm taking the Gym Challenge, so you may need to battle…"

It is nodding before the question finishes. Ruby can't stop her excitement as she taps a Poké Ball on it. A critical success.

"Let's… head back to the Pokémon Center," Ruby says again, releasing the Pidgey. Her team looks at their member, becoming hesitant at whatever he says. "Ah, come on, Pidgey. I can carry you."

The dazed Pidgey chirps again when she picks it up.

"Yah, let's go."

"Nothing's wrong," the nurse assures Ruby. "He's actually big for his age. Pidgey's don't begin swacking until they're a few months old. I'm surprised the nest caretaker didn't come to get him." No one notices Bulbasaur's and Rattata's guilty looks. "But he's imprinted on you, so that's good. He'll need softer food for another few weeks, and I recommend no battling until he's able to chew harder foods."

"Thank you, nurse!" Ruby writes down the last of her notes. She's lived in a popular area of Pidgeys and never learned any of this. It's a bit frightening to hear he's imprinted, but being a Trainer means she's at least accepted being a primary caretaker. That he's imprinted on her means his flock won't forcibly try to take him back. Once outside, she grimaces. "Sorry, guys. I'm only supposed to have one of you out at most. I'll let you all out in our room tonight, but…"

Bulbasaur keeps at her side as they walk the edges of the small town. The only things interesting about Viridian City are its Gym and how close it is to the Elite Four. Trainers likely flock through here, though it's strangely quiet now.

"I wonder what happened here," Ruby mutters, looking at the freshly redone wall of the Gym's back. "My mother almost held me back from coming to Kanto when she heard about the explosion. Apparently, it was big news for weeks."

"Bulba," he didn't hear it when it happened, but the professor aides were running around like crazy. Every Pokémon in the routes around felt the unease from the amount of power in the air.

"Hey," Ruby whispers, aura tingling for a second. "What's that over there?"

It's a way past the town boundary, and she only got a glimpse because the wind blew hard enough, just for a second, to let the pearly pink shine through. Bulbasaur is a sweetheart, bounding ahead and lifting the branch she points to.

"An egg," Ruby softly exclaims, already pulling out the egg-carrying supplies all Trainers are equipped with. "Can you hold that a bit longer?"

"Bulba," he is barely breaking a sweat.

There are scuffs on the egg, which is almost more worrying than why it's under debris. Ruby and Bulbasaur rush back to the Pokémon Center where a very surprised Nurse Joy greets them.

"Where did you find this?" she asks as she checks over condition.

Ruby – a terrible liar – pauses before explaining, technically, "Off of Route 2."

She takes the scolding about going off-route, nodding along and swearing not to do it again. The nurse declares the egg healthy, and that she will be keeping it overnight for observation if Ruby wants to get it in the morning.

"It will be a lot of responsibility," the nurse warns. The egg isn't hard to look after, but if it hatches soon she'll have two young Pokémon to look after.

"I can handle this." Ruby really hopes she can. This is what a journey is supposed to be about, growing as a person. This, however, isn't a normal beginning.

"Bulba," you can handle this.

Ruby smiles. "Thanks, Bulbasaur. Would you mind helping me tell the others tonight?"

"Bulbasaur." Not at all.

Ruby sighs and leans back on the Pokémon Center couch. She hasn't expected a lot of this journey so far.

It's really about time to start for next town. Pewter City.

A Gym Challenge town.


A/N: Thanks for reading! A really big thank-you to everyone who reviewed (MacrotheAcro, markaren, kfawcett1998, FFReader123, and Spartastic 4)! The support really means a lot.

I hope everyone has an awesome day. Thank you again for reading