TO CATCH 'EM ALL!

It had only been a few hours since Ash had been on the road, but to him, it felt like forever. Pikachu sat on his shoulder, taking in all the sights. They were on Route 1, which was more-or-less just a long winding road, surrounded by grassland. Ash pulled out his PokéDex to check his location and was astonished to find out how little progress they made.

Their goal was Pewter City, which would be the first city where Ash could challenge a gym leader for a badge to begin his mission of collecting the region's eight to compete in the Pokémon League. But before all that, Ash had quite the journey to go. After checking his PokéDex, he quickly realized how far it really was. Before he would arrive in Pewter City, he would first come to Viridian City. Ash had been there a few times with his mom when she needed to go shopping. It was a big city with a lot of interesting people and Pokémon. It was also the nearest city to the Indigo Plateau, which is where the Pokémon League was held.

Afterward, he would have to travel through the dense Viridian Forest, notorious for all of its bug-type Pokémon. Ash made a note that he better stock up on Antidotes and Paralyze Heal. Maybe some Awakening too, just in case. There, he decided he would spend some time catching Pokémon. He looked through the commonly found Pokémon in the area.

Caterpie... Weevil... Pinsir... Scyther?! Ash thought to himself. There were sure a lot of bug-types in the Viridian Forest that piqued Ash's interest. Ash was lost in his thoughts; daydreaming of catching all of the bug-types in Viridian Forest... Maybe even ones uncommonly found! That would be great. Maybe he would find some trainers to battle to get Pikachu stronger... And -

"RATTATA!"

Ash jumped into the air! In front of him was a small Rattata, holding its tail, clearly in pain after Ash unknowingly trampled it.

"I'm sorry! I didn't see you there!" Ash tried to explain.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing to my Pokémon?" The voice came from beside Ash.

A young trainer with a backward blue cap and white t-shirt stomped up to him, angry at the event that just transpired.

"I'm sorry! I didn't see it there!"

"Pay attention!" the youngster grumbled.

The youngster picked up his Rattata and rubbed its tail. The anger on his face quickly faded when he noticed the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder.

"Hey, you're a Pokémon Trainer?" the youngster asked.

"Yeah, I just started my journey to become a Pokémon Master. My name's Ash -"

"Let's battle!" the youngster exclaimed, jumping back with his Rattata.

Ash, slightly taken back, smiled.

"Our first battle. Okay, you got it," Ash said. He nodded to Pikachu who shared his grin.

Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder and landed in front of him, electricity dancing on his rosy electric pouches.

"Hey, how about a double battle?" the youngster suggested, reaching for his second PokéBall.

"Uh, I actually only have one," Ash admitted.

"What? Do you only have one Pokémon? Lame. You do realize you need to catch Pokémon to become a Pokémon Master, right?" the youngster said with attitude.

"Yeah, I know. We just haven't found any Pokémon yet," Ash said.

The youngster chuckled, making Ash furious.

"Fine, why don't you use two Pokémon and I'll just use the one," Ash said, letting his anger and pride get the best of him.

"Really? A two on one? Are you sure you can handle that, rookie?"

"Just bring out your second Pokémon," Ash growled.

"So be it." The Youngster shrugged and tossed another PokéBall into the air.

The PokéBall opened and released his second Pokémon: a Spearow.


Ash vs. the Youngster

A Spearow and a Rattata... Pikachu has the type-advantage over Spearow, and no question is stronger than his Rattata. Ash thought to himself.

"I'll let you go first," the youngster said with a hint of rudeness.

"Pikachu, go! Use Thunder Shock!" Ash called.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, as he jumped into the air, and unleashed electricity from the sacks on his cheeks.

"Dodge it!" the youngster yelled.

Spearow took to the air, avoiding the electric-attack. Unfortunately, Rattata was too slow and took the hit head-on.

"Good job, Pikachu!"

"Don't celebrate just yet - Spearow, go, use peck!"

"Dodge it!"

Spearow dove down from the sky, its beak surrounded by a white glow. Pikachu jumped out of the way as Spearow only missed by an inch. Spearow quickly recovered, spinning around, and catching Pikachu in the chest on its second attack.

"Pikachu, hang in there!" Ash exclaimed as Pikachu bounced off the ground and back to his feet.

"Rattata, use Quick Attack!"

From behind Pikachu, Rattata launched into the attack, speeding towards Pikachu, its speed blowing dust behind it. Pikachu tried to move, but wasn't quick enough. Rattata smashed into Pikachu, sending him back to the ground. This time, it took Pikachu a moment to get back to his feet.

"Are you okay, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pika." Pikachu nodded.

Ash smiled. "Pikachu, use Tail Whip!"

Pikachu leaped into the air and waved its tail at the two opposing Pokémon. Faint red energy flowed down both Spearow and Rattata, lowering their defensive strength.

"Now, use Thunder Shock!" Ash ordered, beginning to feel the energy from the battle.

Pikachu unleashed another electric blast, and this time, neither could escape. Both were engulfed in an electrical shock.

"Spearow! Rattata!" the youngster cried.

Pikachu landed proudly.

"Good job, buddy!"

"Pika!"

"Spearow, use Peck!"

Caught off-guard, Spearow landed a direct hit on Pikachu once again.

"Rattata, use Bite!"

Unable to recover in time, Rattata caught Pikachu between its white-glowing fangs. Pikachu fell to the ground, and this time, he was unable to get up.

Winner: the Youngster


"What? You thought one good attack was enough to stop my Pokémon?" the youngster said.

Ash ran to Pikachu and cradled him in his arms.

"Pikachu, are you okay?" Ash asked, voice shaky and hands trembling.

"Pika," Pikachu mumbled softly.

"Not bad, Ash, but not good enough. See you around, Pokémon Master," the youngster teased as he and his Pokémon walked away.

Ash watched the youngster leave, fire in his eyes. He wasn't strong enough. But it wasn't a fair fight, it was one versus two. That's why they lost. It doesn't matter that they agreed to it, it wasn't fair from the get-go.


Ash didn't make it much farther before finding a small area surrounded by trees to set up camp. Pikachu was still very exhausted, so Ash did most of the work. He set up the tent, which was more or else tossing a small folded up package that expanded into a nice sized tent. He then collected sticks to form the base for a fire. Once the fire was lit, he gathered some water from a nearby stream and boiled it to make it safe to drink.

"Here," Ash said, handing Pikachu a glass of water.

Pikachu drank it happily. But Ash did not share Pikachu's enthusiasm.

"I'm sorry, Pikachu," Ash said softly, "I shouldn't have made you do that double battle. It was my fault you got hurt. I let my pride control my decision. And I'm sorry."

Ash hung his head in shame. Pikachu knew how guilty Ash felt. He rubbed his small paw on Ash's shoulder, a gesture of forgiveness.

"He was right. I need to catch more Pokémon. I was so preoccupied with worrying about getting to Pewter City I totally forgot to enjoy the journey right now. Besides, even if I got there today, I don't have enough Pokémon to even take on the gym leader. I need to catch more Pokémon."

Ash sat by the fire for another hour, staring into the flame. Pikachu had fallen asleep next to him. Ash smiled at his friend. He took Pikachu to the tent before going on a walk. Night had fallen and Ash could hear the whispers of the nocturnal animals. They didn't scare him. As he walked he thought about the battle he had. His first battle and his first loss. It wasn't the greatest first day.

Ash stepped on a twig, snapping it easily. The noise startled a flock of Pidgey in a nearby tree to flee and take to the sky. But Ash noticed one Pidgey sitting on a branch, refusing to flee. Looking at Ash, directly in his eyes, unwilling to surrender its bed for the night. Ash took out his PokeDex and pointed it at the Pidgey.

"Pidgey, the tiny bird Pokémon. Pidgey is a normal-flying-type. Pidgey is often very docile, and when confronted for battle, will usually try and flee, utilizing its speed and defensive moves." The PokeDex explained.

You're not running away, Ash thought to himself. You're brave, not a coward.

"Pidgey!" Ash shouted, finding new energy, "You're not like the others, you don't run when things get tough - you get tougher! And that's why I'm going to capture you!"

Ash took a PokéBall from his belt and tapped the center button. The PokéBall enlarged. Ash readied himself and spun his hat backward on his head. This was serious.

"PokéBall, go!" Ash called, throwing the PokéBall.

The PokéBall struck Pidgey on the head and opened. Pidgey evaporated into red energy which was pulled into the PokéBall. The PokéBall dropped to the grass below and began to rumble. Ash watched it, as every second the PokéBall would shift... again... and again... until... click.

"Ha! I caught a Pidgey!" Ash cheered.

He took the PokéBall from the ground and stared at it.

"Pidgey, you're the first Pokémon I've ever caught. But you won't be the last. I'm going to catch all of them."