Hello! Thank you for choosing to read my story. I wanted to let you know that this story follows the anime episodes closely, however, it has my own original characters and a more mature take on how the events happen in the anime. I'll be posting chapters 2 and 3 within the next week or so. Afterward, I'll try to post on a monthly to bi-monthly bases, depending on my work schedule. I hope you enjoy the chapter and continue to follow the story.
CHAPTER 1
As the sun began to set over the horizon, it bathed the surrounding area in a beautiful hue of blended soft colors that gave off a comfortable serene feel. The lights in the nearing city turned on one at a time as the sun slowly faded and the crisp November steadily fell colder.
A young boy named Ayden sat in the backseat of the car gazing out the window. His small hands pressed firmly on the glass and he occasionally moved his short and spiky black hair out of the way.
His brother, older by five years, sat next to him. He too shared the same jet-black hair color. He watched him as he continued to gaze out the window wearing a huge smile. His eyes sparkled with the infinite amount of colored lights and buildings.
As they made their way out of the highway and onto the mountain road, Ayden's brother continued to stare at him until Ayden finally took notice. "What? What are you staring at me for, Big Brother? Quit it!"
His brother smiled and chuckled. "Sorry, Ayden. I just can't believe you're five today. I hope you've had a great birthday so far."
Ayden nodded. "Yep, it was the best! The chocolate cake was really good! Mom makes the best chocolate cake!"
His mother, sitting in the front passenger seat, giggled. "Why thank you, Honey. I'm glad you've had fun today, but you have one more surprise coming up."
Ayden's face lit up. "Really? What is it? What is it?"
His parents looked at each other and then nodded. His mother turned in her seat and faced Ayden. "We're taking you to the finals of the Pokémon League at the Indigo Plateau."
Ayden beamed. He wanted to see the finals of the tournament more than anything else. He threw his hands in the air and screamed the biggest "yay" his voice could produce.
His brother laughed. "I had a feeling that would make your day!"
Ayden turned to him and smiled. "Hey, Big Brother! When you start your journey, which pokémon are you gonna pick?"
His brother put his hand to his chin and pretended to think for a moment. He turned back to Ayden and grinned. "That's a secret. Wouldn't want you choosing the type that has the advantage over mine."
Ayden scowled in frustration. "Hey! No fair, Big Brother!"
He laughed and ruffled up Ayden's hair. "What? Wouldn't it be more exciting if you didn't know which one I chose?"
Ayden thought for a moment. "Well… maybe. But I still wanna know! Come on! Tell me! Tell me!"
His brother crossed his arms. "No can do, Little Brother. If you want to find out so bad, you're gonna have to battle me to find out."
Ayden perked up at the challenge. "Fine! I'll go on a journey too and then I'll battle you! And I'm gonna win!"
His brother laughed. "Well, we'll see about that. By the time you fight me, I'd already reached my dream of winning the League tournament. But I look forward to the day you and I battle, Ayden. Promise me you'll become a great trainer and challenge me."
Ayden nodded. "You bet! It's a promise!"
Ayden felt a bump as the car went over a pothole and he opened his eyes. He slept with his head leaning against the bus window; his mind filled with visions of the dream, but they were quickly replaced with roars of the engine and the feeling of the bumpy road. He sat up, wiped his brow, and then combed his hand through his now metallic-silver hair. Around his neck hung a gold locket on a silver chain. He fiddled with it as he gazed out the window.
With his mind finally at ease, he sat back and thought about what the day had in store for him. He rode the Express Bus from Viridian City to Pallet Town to visit Professor Oak, the world's leading researcher on pokémon. Today, he would receive his first.
Ayden took the opportunity as the only other passenger on the bus to think. The driver, an elderly bald man with a gray beard who wore suspenders over a white shirt, spoke to Ayden in a voice that insinuated he'd smoked for years. Ayden paid him no mind. He had other things to focus on. He still hadn't decided which of the three starters he would choose. It had been eight years since he had made that promise to his brother. However, to Ayden, it honestly didn't matter. Any one of them would be fine, but to keep the promise, he had to choose the right one.
As Ayden continued to stare out the window thinking about which pokémon he would choose, something off in the woods caught his eye. A little yellow dot ran through the shrubbery. Behind it a couple of people dressed in all black and their pokémon, two Poochyena; a small gray wolf cub with a black face and red eyes, chased it.
He continued to watch the yellow dot run and fire off electric attacks at its pursuers. Suddenly, Ayden's eyes widened as a sudden jolt of pain struck his head. He attempted to ease the excruciating throbbing, but it simply intensified. He opened his eyes to a vision. A Pikachu, a small, yellow mouse pokémon with pointy long ears, red cheeks, and a tail shaped like a lightning bolt with the tip curved like a heart, had its limbs strapped to a table; its body attached to several cords and circuits. A person dressed in a white lab coat, forced a syringe into its body.
Its eyes widened as its body numbed from the injection. The scientist flipped a switch and the Pikachu writhed in pain as more and more energy invaded its body. Its cheeks changed colors from red to blue. Eventually, its body couldn't handle all the energy and the remaining amount was rejected. The flux caused all the lab equipment to catch fire and explode. The Pikachu shot an attack out of fear and broke free of the table. It ran out of the lab being quickly followed by the scientists.
The vision ended and Ayden's head stopped hurting. It happened again. Every so often, he would get involuntary visions. They would normally be of someone needing help and they were always right. He looked around and saw the Pikachu still running away from its pursuers.
At that moment, Ayden went up to the driver. "Sir, please, you have to let me off here!"
The driver looked at Ayden with an upturned eyebrow and then went back to focusing on the road. "Sonny, you know we're still quite a few miles from Pallet. If you get off here, the next bus won't come until later in the day."
Ayden placed his hand on the man's shoulders and gave him a look of unnerving determination. "I'm aware, but this is more important. Please, you have to stop this bus."
The driver still looked at him as though he were crazy, but gently applied the brake and opened the door. "Sonny, I hope you know what you're doing."
Ayden quickly hopped off and thanked the driver. He then took off as fast as he could toward the Pikachu.
Pikachu continued doing everything she could to evade its pursuers. The Poochyena continued to follow her scent and lead their trainers toward her. Pikachu fired an attack at them, but the fatigue affected her accuracy greatly, resulting in the attacks missing. Soon, they all came to the edge of a cliff. Pikachu looked down and then behind and saw her pursuers slowly advancing toward her. She went into a fighting stance, but her pursuers looked anything but worried.
One of them picked up a cigarette and lit it. After heaving a long puff, he grinned and then placed the cigarette in his mouth. "Look, stop making it harder on yourself and just come back with us. You've got nowhere to run and you're running out of steam. Face it, you've lost."
Pikachu gasped for air, exhausted from all the running and attacking. She slowly backed up until her feet dangled off the cliff.
One of the men grinned and then picked up a pokéball, a half red half white ball, and then hurled it at the frightened pokémon.
Pikachu braced herself, but then opened her eyes when she saw Ayden come through and smack the pokéball away. It flew off the cliff and into the river below.
The two men looked surprised as they stared at the kid who popped out of nowhere. He stood half their size and wore a dark purple shirt with baggy blue jeans and his long black jacket billowed behind him. His hazelnut eyes were fierce as he glared at the two men.
Ayden stood up and finally got a good look at them. Clad in all black, save for the large silver 'C' on their chests, they resembled robbers with their faces covered.
One of the men took a step toward Ayden. "Hey, kid, what do you think you're doing? Get lost!"
Ayden simply glared at the black clad pursuer. "I was about to tell you the same thing. I don't know who you are, but I really don't appreciate pokémon being used as test subjects." The men paused as they wondered how he knew about that. "Pokémon are not your playthings for you to do your sick experiments on. Forcing them to endure whatever your twisted minds come up with against its will really pisses me off. So, I'm only going to say this once. Leave this Pikachu alone. Otherwise, you'll be meeting up with your pokéball real soon."
Pikachu stared up at Ayden with relieved eyes. For the first time, someone actually cared about her well-being. There was something different about this human she couldn't figure out, but she felt she could place her trust in him.
The man with the cigarette heaved another puff and chuckled. "This kid's lost his mind. Acting all tough like that. What does he think he's gonna do? Come on, let's break him and get that Pikachu. Poochyena, Tackle!"
The Poochyena took a fighting stance, growled, and then charged at Ayden. Before it could get anywhere near him, an electric attack knocked it back at its master's feet.
Ayden looked at Pikachu as she positioned itself in front of him. "I see. So, you want to partner up against these guys?" Pikachu nodded and Ayden balled his hand. "All right, let's take them out."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out two black fingerless gloves and buckled them around his wrist. The man with the cigarette heaved another puff and then grinned. "Nice job winning that Pikachu over kid, but you've got no chance. She's already at her limit and you're outnumbered. Normally, I'd tell you to just get out of the way, but since you gave that little speech, I'm gonna enjoy snapping your little punk neck in half."
Both men ordered their Poochyena to attack together. Ayden looked at the oncoming pokémon and then ordered Pikachu to do Thundershock. Pikachu launched an attack, but not what Ayden had expected. Dazzling blue lightning emerged instead of the usual yellow. The attack took out both Poochyena and the two men, knocking all four of them to the ground.
Ayden froze in amazement. He looked at Pikachu and wondered how she did that. Pikachu heaved a few breaths before collapsing to the ground. Ayden ran up and gathered her in his arms. Pikachu opened her eyes and smiled at Ayden. "Hey, you did great. That was one powerful attack you did and don't worry, these guys won't be bothering you anymore."
With materials he found on them, Ayden tied the men to nearby trees and contacted the Viridian City police department. "That should do for now. You two behave yourselves until the police get here."
The men scowled. "You little brat! Untie us right now!"
Ayden ignored them and turned his attention to Pikachu. "Hey, these guys aren't going to hurt you anymore. You're free. Head on back into the forest. I bet your family's worried sick about you. But do me a favor. Keep an eye on these guys until the police get here, okay?"
Pikachu stared up at him as he walked away.
The sun rose directly overhead and the wind gave a soothingly warm breeze. It took until noon, but Ayden finally made it to Pallet Town. He looked over the city and its rustic atmosphere. The clean air filled his lungs and the sounds of nature filled his ears.
He wiped his brow and lightly smiled. "Big Brother, are you watching? I'm finally here in Pallet. I swear I'll keep our promise."
Ayden walked down the rough dirt road. He just made it to the top of the last hill when he saw Professor Oak's laboratory. The large white building stood at the heart of the town like a monument. In front of it, stood Professor Oak, an elderly man with short gray hair. He wore a long white lab coat over a red shirt and khaki pants. He stared at the sky as though he were waiting on something.
As he approached the lab, Professor Oak took notice of Ayden's arrival. His silver hair immediately caught the professor's eye. "Ah, you must be Ayden, yes? I've heard so much about you. Some of my colleagues say you're the 'New Generation Genius'. It is quite a pleasure to finally meet you."
The two shook hands and Ayden gave the professor a light smile. "Thank you, Professor, but the pleasure's all mine. I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for this day. I'm ready to get started on my journey."
Professor Oak looked at him with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry, Ayden, but I don't have any pokémon left to give out this year. All of them were taken."
Ayden's eyes widened in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. After all those years of studying and preparing, he wasn't going to be able to fulfill his brother's dream. "Professor, please! You have to have at least one more left? Please, I have to go on this journey!"
Professor Oak shook his head. "I know you do, Ayden, and I understand. Believe me, I do. However, I really don't have any more pokémon left to give out. The last one was taken not too long ago. I know it's frustrating, but you'll have to wait until next year."
Ayden felt all the warmth leave his body. He lowered his head and thought about what to do next. It didn't make any sense. He helped a pokémon in trouble, and yet, despite all he had done, he would pay the penalty. If he didn't go on this journey, he wouldn't be able to fulfill his promise. This is what one gets for helping others?
Professor Oak looked at Ayden with a concerned expression. "Ayden? Are you okay?"
Ayden straightened up and bowed to the professor. "Thank you for your time, Professor Oak."
With that, Ayden turned back toward the road and walked until he came across a boulder. He sat down, clenched his fists, and cursed himself for failing his brother. As he wondered what to do next, he heard rustling in the bushes. He looked up and saw the blue-cheeked Pikachu from before.
Ayden's eyes widened as he gazed at the electric mouse. "Hey, why did you follow me all the way out here? I thought you'd want to get back to your family."
Pikachu shook her head and spoke rapidly. Even though all she said was her name, Ayden understood her perfectly.
He knelt down. "Say, Pikachu, would you do me the honor of being my first pokémon?" She perked up at the thought. "I could use an earnest pokémon like you. I need to fulfill a promise to someone. With your help, I know I can keep it. So, what do you say?"
Ayden extended his hand out to her. Pikachu blushed while looking at his hand. Then she ran up his arm and onto his shoulders.
Ayden chuckled. "All right! Let's do it, just you and me, Piik!"
Pikachu looked at him for a moment and then smiled at the new nickname.
With that, Ayden ran back to Oak's lab. He banged on the door as loud as he could until the Professor finally opened. Confusion fell upon his face as Ayden stood in front of him. "Ayden, what a surprise. I honestly wasn't expecting you again so soon. What can I do for you?"
Ayden looked up at him. "Professor, I'd like to start my journey with this Pikachu."
Oak took notice of the Pikachu on Ayden's shoulder and instantly became fascinated. He had never seen a Pikachu like this before. The color of its cheeks was completely different from the norm. "My, this is certainly a very interesting Pikachu, Ayden. Where did you come across such a rare find?"
Ayden explained all that had happened prior to arriving in Pallet. Professor Oak nodded in understanding. "I see, well that's what I'd call a 'fateful encounter'. I'm sure you'll have plenty of those along your journey." He headed toward the back of his lab and came back with a small red device and a few pokéballs. "Here you go, my boy. A few pokéballs to help get you started, and your own pokédex. Please help me continue my research by encountering lots of new and unseen pokémon. I'm sure you and Pikachu here will be very successful. Good luck to you both."
Ayden bowed and thanked the professor. He activated one of the pokéballs and tapped Piik on the forehead with it. She disappeared in a beam of red light into the pokéball. The ball wiggled in Ayden's hand for a moment before sitting still after a loud 'click'.
A moment later, Piik burst out of the pokéball and ran up Ayden's head. She shivered and stared at the pokéball, the horrid device that gave her nightmares back in the lab.
Professor Oak leaned in with his fingers scratching his chin. "This is unusual. Ordinarily, pokémon stay in their pokéballs. This one however, simply refuses to go anywhere near one."
"She hates pokéballs. That's okay though, she can ride on my shoulder. I think she prefers it better, right?"
Piik nodded and wished he'd put the pokéball away.
Professor Oak nodded as his understanding of the situation became clearer. "Well then, my boy, you seem to have everything under control. I wish you two the best of luck."
Ayden gave a nod and left the lab. He had everything he needed to start his journey. Now he could finally fulfill that promise.
Ayden and Piik walked until they came to a clearing around mid-afternoon. Ayden saw how Piik barely kept up with him and knew she needed to take a break. They sat in front a tree with a thick trunk. He reached into his bag and pulled out a chocolate bar. He gave half of it to Piik and watched her gobble it up. He chuckled as he looked at her voraciously scarf down the bar and getting chocolate over her cheeks and paws. He thought about all she had been through and how her trust in humans had nearly diminished. He wanted to make sure she never felt that way again.
As he took a bite out of his half of the bar, an explosion drew his attention. Smoke spread throughout the clearing, covering it in a thick black cloud. Ayden grabbed Piik and held her close.
He heard growling and narrowly dodged a pokémon as it charged toward him. Another one pounced and scratched his leg before disappearing into the cover of the smoke.
Soon the smoke dissipated and he found two people dressed in black waiting for him with their Poochyena standing in front ready for the next set of orders. They both had a large 'C' on their shirts. Ayden held Piik closer as he recognized them as the men from before.
One of them pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "You almost got us, kid. A little bit after you left, that rat took off after you. We used that chance to get away. And we're not letting you off the hook so easy this time. We're gonna make sure to retrieve that Pikachu and pay you back for what you did."
Ayden looked at Piik as she coughed and gasped for air. The smoke took its toll on her and she barely had any strength left.
He turned his attention to the two men. "Who are you two and what do you want with Piik?"
The one with the cigarette scoffed. "I suppose there's no harm telling you. We're members of Team Chaos. We specialize in obtaining the powers of the gods."
Ayden looked at them in confusion. "Power of the gods? What are you talking about?"
He took another puff of smoke. "We seek to harness the powers of legendary pokémon and use that power on our own pokémon."
The moment he said that, it all became clear to Ayden. The vision he saw of Piik in the lab finally made sense. "So, you used the powers of a legendary on Piik, huh?"
The Chaos member took one last deep puff before throwing the cigarette down and extinguishing it. "That's right, and we're taking it back with us. We need to figure out the limits of the Power Transfer. Considering that rat is the only one to survive the experiment, we need to do further testing on it."
Ayden trembled trying to keep his rage in. It was inconceivable to him how anyone could do such a thing to living creatures.
Both men laughed. "What's wrong, boy? With that rat drained, you can't fight back this time, huh? Poochyena, take this brat down!"
At his command the Poochyena charged at Ayden. As Ayden thought about what do to, Piik jumped from his arms and charged up her cheeks. She fired with everything she had, but the Poochyena simply side-stepped. She braced herself for the assault when Ayden stepped in front of her and took the attacks himself. Both Poochyena sank their fangs deep into his arm and leg.
Ayden simply turned to Piik and lightly smiled. "Don't worry, Piik, everything's fine."
The two men clenched their fists in frustration. "Poochyena, quit playing around and finish that brat off! Use your Shadow Ball!"
Both Poochyena obeyed the order and fired a spiraling black ball toward Ayden. Both attacks hit their mark. When the smoke cleared, Ayden stood with his arms covering his face. He looked up and the two men were taken aback. His eyes changed colors. His left eye turned to an icy blue while his right, a fiery gold. After a bit, his eyes returned to their normal hazelnut color.
"If you think, I'm going to let you hurt Piik, my first pokémon, you're sadly mistaken."
One of the men turned to his smoking superior. "Sir, could he be the one we're looking for?"
The other nodded. "Yeah, there's no mistaking it. He definitely has it. Change of plans. Forget the Pikachu, we're taking the kid. Poochyena, Shadow Ball!"
Poochyena followed up with another set of attacks. Piik jumped in and countered. An explosion followed causing both men to cover their eyes. Piik hid behind Ayden while he stood his ground.
The attacks caught the attention of a spearow nearby. In its rage, Spearow called out to its brethren. Soon after the smoke cleared, a giant flock of spearow flew toward them. They attacked, trying to protect their area from the invaders.
The Chaos grunts tried swatting the spearow away with no luck. Ayden covered Piik as the spearow attacked him. Their claws and beaks shredded his clothes and torn into his skin; but he continued to shield Piik. "Don't worry, Piik. I won't let anything happen to you."
The Chaos grunts tried to get out of the spearows' line of fire, but they would simply follow them to another part of the clearing. "Poochyena! Shadow Ball!"
The Poochyena fired their attacks at the flock and caused the spearow to temporarily disperse. Ayden took that moment and ran. The Chaos grunts tried to follow, but one half of the flock continued their attacks on them while the other half followed Ayden.
Ayden ran through the woods until he came to a cliff. He looked down and saw a river below. The moment he saw the water, his body froze. His breathing shallowed and sweat dampened his brow down to his neck.
The sound of the spearow woke him up. They approached with amazing speed, closing the distance between them. Ayden closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and jumped. The moment he hit the water; everything went black. His body wouldn't move and he couldn't even feel the river carry him away.
The warm afternoon air swept through the forest rustling the leaves and swaying the tree branches. On the side of the river, two young ladies sat with their fishing poles firmly in place. They stared at their lures as they danced along the ripples of the river.
One of them tucked a bit of her hair behind her ear and then rested her head on her hands. "Kinda slow day for fishing, huh? We haven't caught a thing. What do you think, Mendy?"
Mendy took a long yawn, stretched, and then laid back on the earth. She tucked her hands behind her head as she gazed up at the sky. "Well, it could be worse. I'm sure we'll get a big catch coming up soon. Just be a little more patient, Nami."
Nami heaved a large sigh and turned to her carefree compatriot. "That's what you said three hours ago! And again an hour after that! This is the last time I let you pick the fishing spot!"
Mendy giggled and shrugged. "Hey, can't win 'em all. Just relax and let our lines do all the work. This is supposed to be a relaxing journey, remember?"
Nami looked at her and then toward the ground. "Hey, Mendy, are you sure you're-,"
Mendy interrupted her before she finished the question. "I've already told you. I don't want to talk about it. I made this decision and I'm going to go through with it. So just drop it already."
Nami backed off. She knew the sensitivity of the topic, but still wanted verification. Her attention soon switched to Mendy's fishing line. "Hey, looks like you've finally caught something!"
Mendy jumped up and took hold of her fishing pole. It jerked her forward, but she regained her footing. "Nami! Help me real this sucker in! This is it! The one we've been waiting for!"
Nami took hold of her waist and pulled as hard as she could. With one final pull, they heaved their catch out of the river and onto the bank. However, what they caught surprised them into confusion. They didn't expect to catch a boy holding a Pikachu. His torn clothes and scratched up body quickly caught their attention.
"Nami! Get the first-aid out of my backpack! Hurry!"
Nami went straight for Mendy's yellow backpack and shifted through the contents. Mendy placed her ear on the boy's chest. Although slight, she felt him breathing. She then checked the Pikachu and found her alive as well.
A bright light blinded him. His ears filled with car horns and screeching tires. He felt the car hit the guardrail and topple over. The car did several flips before it finally hit the ocean.
The moment the vehicle hit the water, Ayden's eyes shot open and he gasped for air. He looked around and saw a girl standing over him with a first-aid box in her hands. She had purple hair that extended to her shoulders, and had bright sky-blue eyes. She wore jeans and a black tank top.
He listened to her motion Nami over. Nami had green eyes and brown hair tied in a ponytail. She wore denim shorts and a pink hoodie.
He sat up and then remembered the spearow and the two guys from Team Chaos. He looked down at Piik and stood up.
Mendy placed her hands on his shoulders. "Wait, you have to take it easy. We still need to give you and your Pikachu first-aid."
Ayden knocked her hand away. "No, first-aid won't help Piik. She's been through too much for simple bandages. She needs to get to a Pokémon Center."
Nami stepped up. "We understand that. But it'll help your Pikachu to have a few bandages on her injuries. You could use some as well."
Ayden turned and faced the two. "Don't you get it? This is more than just a few wounds, this is-,"
He trailed off when he saw the flock of spearow headed in their direction. He didn't have time to argue, he had to get Piik out of there. He looked around and saw a bicycle near the backpacks. He ran up to it and kicked up the brake.
Mendy called out to him. "Hey! What do you think you're doing? That's my bike!"
Ayden mounted it and turned toward her. "You can pick it up at the Viridian Pokémon Center. I need to get Piik there as fast as possible."
He took off through the forest leaving the two girls bewildered.
Ayden pedaled as hard as he could trying to out speed the flock of spearow and carry Piik in one arm. Storm clouds quickly gathered and the rain came just as fast. Ayden ignored it all. He only had one thing on his mind, to get Piik to the Pokémon Center.
Piik opened her eyes and smiled at Ayden. Ayden looked at her and lightly smiled. "Don't worry, Piik. We're almost there. Just hang on!"
The bike wobbled in the midst of the speed and the heavy rain. He regained his balance before a large rock caught the front wheel. He lost control and they both fell off the bike. He landed on his arm, scrapping off the skin down to the elbow, and Piik fell on her side. He looked up and saw the spearow had caught up with them.
He stared up at them and watched as they analyzed him over. In front of the flock was a spearow with an x-shaped scar over its left eye. The other spearow had it well within their sights as if waiting for it to make the command.
Ayden concluded that had to be the leader. It waited for him to try and run away again. He looked over at Piik and then down at the ground. He had to think of a way out of this. He couldn't afford to be beaten now.
He felt something touch his leg and turned to see Piik beside him. She gave him a reassuring smile and then slowly stood up. She knew she didn't have enough energy left, but if she could pull off one more attack for the one person who thought of her as more than just an experiment, who went out of his way to save her from that kind of life, then she prepared herself to risk everything.
Ayden lightly smiled and then stood up as well. "Well, if you're not willing to give up, then who am I to complain? Do you hear that, spearow? Hit us with everything you've got!" At that, the spearow all charged in every direction. As soon as they closed in, Ayden called the attack. "Piik, Thundershock!"
Piik ran up his leg and jumped off his shoulder. The moment Piik launched the attack, a bolt of lightning crashed down on her. Her attack lit up the sky and electrified the air. With the extra energy, Piik's attack resulted in a whirling blue sphere of electricity. Every spearow took the attack and their squawks echoed throughout the forest.
Ayden saw an opportunity. He took a pokéball out and threw it at the flock. Before he could see it connect, the electric attack caused an explosion knocking everything away.
Ayden awoke face down on the ground. The sleeves of his jacket stuck to his arm as the blood spilled out. Piik lay next to him and in no better shape. The bike he borrowed lay battered, torched, and unrecognizable. However, the two looked at each other and managed to smile. "We… won."
Piik nodded. Ayden rolled over and found his pokéball near a bush. He stood up, took Piik in his arms, and picked up the ball. He examined it and lightly smiled. In the midst of all the chaos, he had managed his first capture, the leader of the flock of spearow.
The sunlight grew dim as the sun set behind the mountains, but Ayden and Piik had finally made it out of the woods and into Viridian City.
With their Poochyena leading the way, the two members of Team Chaos stepped out of the forest and gazed up at Viridian City. One of them lit a cigarette and then picked up his cell phone. "Hey, Captain! Tell the boss we found the Carrier. He's headed for the Viridian City Pokémon Center. Yeah, we'll be sure to bring him back alive."