Disclaimer: Do not own!

Misty was annoying.

That was all Pikachu could think of as she solemnly trailed behind him, fidgeting at every small rustle she heard.

Ash walked by his side, shooting her curious and annoyed looks. At one point, he tugged on Pikachu's pant leg to point at Misty and shook his head. Pikachu felt his heart ache slightly, his little partner looked so tired and annoyed at this point.

"I know bud but-"

"AIEEEEE!" Pikachu screwed his eyes shut, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

Turning, he watched as Misty scuttled away from some tiny pokemon, it was probably a Caterpie from its green coat but-

Pikachu leaned over, plucking his pokedex from his pocket and pointed it to the tiny blob of cute, Ash curiously peaking over from his spot beside him.

"Caterpie, the worm pokemon. A bug type. For protection, it releases a horrible stench from the antenna on its head to drive away enemies."

The tiny green worm turned, curiously chirping at them as it slithered its way over. Ash, the tiny little sweetheart, met the Caterpie halfway, chirping and cooing curiously.

Pikachu had to hold back a smile when Ash crouched low, wagging his tail like a Growlithe ready to play.

Maybe he wasn't a mouse, Ash seemed to be a mix of a dog or cat. It sure seemed that way with how Ash pressed his face against Caterpie, cooing and chirping in delight when the bug recuperated.

Instead, he dragged his focus back to Misty, sighing.

"Hey can you shut the hell up, you're scaring the Pokemon away." Pikachu grunted, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. "What's your problem anyway? It's just a Caterpie."

"Look, there are a few things I can't stand, Peppers, Carrots and BUGS!" She shrieked the last bit, stumbling back from the Caterpie who began to crawl towards her again.

Ash slumped over, dejectedly dragging his body over to Pikachu and tugging at his pant leg. Leaning over to gently scratch Ash's head, he handed the poor pokemon an unused pokeball.

Ash gripped the ball curiously, giving it a test lick before tossing it to the side. The sudden shine of the pokeball caught Ash's attention quickly, following the reflective light before he began to chase and pounce on the ball.

Pikachu bit back a smile, he'd have to get toys for all his pokemon eventually.

"I don't see what's so wrong with bug types." Pikachu snorted, giving Misty a bored glare as Ash happily batted the pokeball around. "I mean, a pokemon is a pokemon, and Bug types look really cool!"

Misty bared her teeth, obviously disgusted. Caterpie jumped forward, and with quick feet, she managed to stumble closer to Pikachu, keeping an eye on Caterpie as Ash passed by them when the pokeball came rolling.

"Oh so you'd catch one of those disgusting Beedrill? Or worse! Bug types are gross, disgusting and I'd prefer not having to look at them. At. All!" She stomped her foot, getting more heated by the second.

"Well that'd be kinda hard when your face looks like a bug." Pikachu sneered, sticking his tongue out while Misty's face began to blister red.

"Why yOU LITTLE-." There was a click.

Instantly, the duo looked around confused by the sudden loud click from nowhere.

That's when Ash, adorable little black fur ball that he is, came rushing towards Pikachu with the pokeball in his mouth. He began chirping, spinning in tight circles and kept raising the ball high, like he'd done something…

Oh..

OH!

Pikachu carefully plucked the pokeball from his partner's mouth, letting the mouse scramble onto his shoulders as he casually passed the ball between his hands.

It was heavy, heavier then the ball he had given Ash.

The button was all pronounced, a nice shiny white compared to the dull gray it had been before.

"Wait a second, did your pikachu-"

"Catch a pokemon for me?" Pikachu finished her statement, fingering the band around the ball. "I...i think so?"

In an instant, Pikachu reached for his pokedex, clicking it open and scanning the pokeball. A red beam of light enveloped the pokeball, the pure white button flashing red before clicking back to white.

"Congratulations, you caught Caterpie. Pokemon registered, Caterpie. A bug type pokemon." The Dex beeped, a picture of a Caterpie popping up with some basic stats. "Caterpie, male, is currently level 3 with the ability Shield Dust. He has the moves Tackle and String Shot."

"Huh." Pikachu curled his fingers around the pokeball, raising it a touch bit higher so Ash could take a look. "Looks like you caught us a new partner bud."

Ash chirped, butting the pokeball with his head and nuzzling it. Pulling the ball back, Pikachu clicked the middle button, releasing his new pokemon to look at.

Instantly Misty shrieked, stumbling back quickly. Not that the bug type noticed, instead focusing on his new trainer that was kneeling down. The poor bug looked disoriented and confused, but seemingly pleased with the turn of actions.

Pikachu smiled, reaching over and gently curling his fingers underneath the bug type's chin. Caterpie screwed his eyes shut, tensing immediately at the touch. Gently and surely, Pikachu began to scratch under his chin, giggling as the Caterpie melted into his touch, squeaking his delight.

Ash hopped off Pikachu's shoulder's saddling up quickly next to Caterpie and nuzzling the bug type, letting out delighted squeaks when Caterpie nuzzled back.

Now that Pikachu could see his pokemon side by side, it looked like Caterpie and Ash were roughly the same height. So Ash was beyond tiny moreso than a normal Pikachu…

"Well Caterpie." Pikachu drawled out slowly, gaining the attention of both his pokemon. "I guess you're a part of our team now, how bout it pal?"

Caterpie squeaked, his tiny little nub legs waving excitedly. Pikachu cracked a smile.

"NO-" Misty bellowed, stomping her foot and startling the trio of newbies. "I HAD IT WITH THE BUGS BUT I ABSOLUTELY DRAW THE LINE OF TRAVELING WITH A BUG POKEMON!"

He could feel his eye twitch, face puffing up angrily.

"You have no say in this!" Pikachu barked back, shooting to his feet. "He's my pokemon, and I ain't leaving him just cause you hate him. If you can't travel with MY pokemon then just take your attitude and leave!"

Misty leered at him crossing her arms as Pikachu stubbornly placed both hands on his hips.

The two pokemon cautiously looked at both of them, glancing at each other and shrugging helplessly.

Caterpie began crawling towards Misty quickly, squeaking in question and catching her attention. Instantly Misty's face ran white, and with a sudden jump back, she managed to crawl her way around the bug grabbing Ash on the way. Pikachu blinked, turning as Misty basically ran a few feet behind him in an attempt to avoid his bug pokemon.

"How about this, you can care for that disgusting bug and I'll care for Pikachu here!" she cooed, scratching beneath Ash's chin.

Ash squirmed in her grip, going from absolutely happy to downright miserable in seconds. Tears, real looking tears, sprung to the mouse's eyes. Unable to move in the ginger's grip he did the only thing he could do.

"PICHU!" Ash threw his head back, tears falling off his face.

Startled, Misty opened her arms, letting Ash jump out of her arms and onto the floor. As soon as all four paws touched the floor Ash sprinted towards him, crawling up his body and into the crook of his neck. Curling as best he could, he continued to shake and sob.

Concerned Pikachu looked over, glancing at Ash and then to Caterpie who crawled beside him looking just as concerned as he felt. With a small tilt, he picked up Caterpie and placed him on his right shoulder. It didn't seem to matter as Caterpie quickly crawled to his left in an attempt to comfort Ash.

"Again, his name is Ash, Not Pikachu." Pikachu glared at her. "Second of all, don't just grab someone else's Pokemon like that! You really scared him, just cause your afraid of a bug type, of a Caterpie. One of the least intimidating Bug types there is!"

He stomped his foot in an attempt to show her that she was really frustrated. Not that it matters, Pikachu was almost certain his face was blotchy and red at this point.

But her face morphed from guilt to anger in an instant, crossing her arms once more and looking away from him.

"I didn't mean to, it's not my fault that your Pikachu is such a baby!" She huffed. "And I'm not scared of Bug types, I just really hate them and I won't travel with a Bug!"

Pikachu huffed, tightening his grip on his backpack and stomping forward. With Caterpie still on his shoulder, Misty stumbled back and out of his way, trying her absolute hardest to not even be within 3 feet of his bug.

It would have been absolutely hilarious if it wasn't so frustrating!

"Fine then don't travel." He turned around to face her, face still puffed in anger. "Buzz off you jerk!"

"Fine then!" Misty barked back. "Like i want to be with a pair of stupid baby Pikachus and a dumb Bug!"

He ignored the twinge of discomfort spark in his chest, angrily stomping off and ignoring the tears springing to his eyes. His pokemon began cooing in his ears, soft rubbery skin and equally fluffy fur began to rub against his neck and face as he pushed past bushes, leaves and trees. He tried his best to stay near the path, but eventually just lost his way.

When they finally came upon an open clearing, he dropped his bag to the floor, pacing slightly as he continued to replay the fight in his head.

Screw her. A pair of Pikachu his ass.

"I'm not a Pikachu." He muttered, kicking a rock a few feet away.

"Pika~." "Cater…"

Pikachu paused, glancing at the pokemon on his shoulders. Caterpie looked concerned but Ash looked downright miserable, ears falling flat and eyes wide and watery.

He gently reached up and patted both their heads, smiling gingerly.

"Neh...Sorry, I don't like to be referred to as a pokemon just cause my name is Pikachu." Pikachu murmured softly. "It's neither of your faults, she was being… well… she was being a huge butt face over it and I didnt want to be near someone who could say stuff like that."

Caterpie nodded, crawling onto the floor, but Ash stayed on his shoulder, looking at the floor and then peeking up to see if he was looking. Pikachu let out a smile, rubbing his head affectionately.

"Ash, don't worry bout it bud. Like i said, she was being mean over something so dumb." He then gave the mouse a concerned loom. "But i know she freaked you out, you alright there bud?"

Ash bobbed his head, finally crawling down Pikachu's jacket and by Caterpie's side. Like nothing was wrong, both of them began to play with each other.

Pikachu wiggled the backpack off his shoulders, swinging it around carelessly before plopping it to the floor. They had had breakfast not too long ago, and it was still too early for a snack, so maybe some training was in order.

He gripped at his pokedex, popping it open and looking at the levels of his pokemon.

Caterpie needed to catch up, but Ash didn't know how to do anything with electricity.

So training was a thing he should do.

Right?

Pikachu coughed awkwardly, twisting the pokedex between his fingers before holding it out a bit.

"Dexter-" The pokedex beeped in affirmative, its bright screen turning black as a line of white appeared that moved as he talked. "What moves can a Caterpie learn?"

It beeped again, a flash of information scrolling past Pikachu's line of sight and had him drawn closer.

Caterpie, upon hearing his name, wiggled towards him. Ash quickly followed, as they both chirped in confusion.

"Caterpie can learn a total of four moves at this point in time. String Shot, Tackle, Bug Bite and Electroweb."

"Electroweb?" Pikachu raised a brow, startled when the pokedex beeped again.

"Electroweb, an electric type move in the Special Category. The user attacks the opposing Pokemon in a net of electricity, dealing minor damage and lowering the enemies speed." The screen proceeded to show a Caterpie using Electroweb on a dummy pokemon. "Both pokemon in your current Party can be trained to use Electroweb."

Pikachu pursed his lips, an idea coursing through his head.

If both Pikachu and Caterpie could learn that move… that'd be amazing! They could learn off each other and Ash could finally have an electric move in his repertoire of moves. Not to mention, Caterpie could have something for those Flying types, heck, it could even be a surprise attack!

"Alright you guys!" Pikachu cheered, leaning back to look at his pokemon. "We're gonna teach you guys some Electric type moves!"

Caterpie cheered, wiggling his tiny nubs while Ash pounced off Pikachu's shoulder to paw at the ground, tail wagging excitedly.

"Pi Pichu!" Ash cheered, rolling in the dirt as Caterpie happily agreed, following the oddly dog-like pikachu.

They immediately set to work as best they could. Both pokemon staring each other down in an attempt to learn a move no one knew how to start.

Pikachu himself was unsure, and often looked back at the Dex in an attempt to figure out what to do.

They ended up crowding around the Dex for a full fifteen minutes as an instructional video played, with a human and pokemon talking over or beside each other so both trainer and pokemon understood.

Caterpie was super smart for a tiny pokemon, as he seemed to get the motions of the move down pretty fast. Little webs of electricity already spitting out his tail and sticking to the rocks.

Ash on the other hand…

"Congratulations, your Pokemon Caterpie has learned Electroweb." The Dex chimed out.

Pikachu clicked a button absently, letting the pop up disappear only for it to reappear.

"Congratulations, Your Pokemon Ash has learned Copycat!"

"Eh?" Pikachu reached into his back pocket, scrambling to read the message it read. "What's Copycat?"

"Copycat, a Normal type move in the Status Category. The user mimics the move used immediately before it. It fails if no other move has been used before it."

Pikachu blinked owlishly, tapping the screen a few times to get rid of the messages before pocketing his device.

Caterpie seemed to be getting a decent hang at Electroweb, but Ash…

Ash's Electroweb seemed to be on par with Caterpie's, but he didn't know it… did he?

"Neh, Caterpie." Pikachu called out, letting the bug glance at him for a second. "I want you to use String shot for a few seconds and build that up okay?"

Caterpie looked sad, reeling back and shooting some quick string at the tree before it. The difference was astounding, it was clear that Caterpie had a much better mastery at it then Electroweb. Thick string coating the trees in a few seconds flat.

Focusing on Ash, Pikachu watched as the mouse glanced at Caterpie confused. Eyes darting at Caterpie and then the tree. With a shrug of the tiny mouse's shoulders, he reeled back, paws rising before slamming into the dirt as a string of web left his mouth, coating the tree in the same substance at the exact same power.

"Well… it's… it's still a move." Pikachu muttered softly, confusion leaking from his tone.

Still, he made sure to keep Ash practicing.

Which was hard when Caterpie had only three moves, sure they could alternate between string shots and Electroweb, but what about the weirder moves like… like fly? Or pin needle?

Could Ash breathe fire with Flamethrower? Would he burn his mouth?

"CATER-PEEE!" Pikachu jolted up, eyes darting everywhere for his tiny bug friend.

But he was nowhere.

Eyes darted towards Ash, who hastily shot a string shot from his mouth high above the tree that was his target. Tiny paws gripping the sticky substance and yanking as hard he could.

Pikachu's head darted up, noting a black bob and-

He shrieked in surprise, flailing back as a large bird pokemon slammed into the floor, writhing in agony.

And on top of Ash.

"Pichu!" Ash let out a wail, blue tears falling from his eyes.

A harsh light of purple surrounded the bird pokemon causing it to shiver as it stumbled back. Caterpie, who was previously beneath their claws darted out, standing protectively in front of Pikachu, if a bit damaged.

Bright black eyes stared at him, training his every movement as Ash dared to try and scramble back.

But the Mouse may have been too slow. With a mighty screech, the bird plucked Ash by his tail and tossed him into the air. Pikachu could only watch on in horror as his friend careened to the floor. The bird had other ideas.

It darted up quickly, too fast for Pikachu to track. Luckily, it seemed to be limited by the thick coating of string attached to its bottom right claw, unable to go any higher than it was previously. With a loud screech, it raised a wing and slammed it down hard and fast. Ash's downward momentum doubled as he plummeted even quicker.

"ASH!" Pikachu shrieked, unable to wrench the growing horror in his throat.

He darted forward, Caterpie hot on his heels.

Ash slammed into the floor hard, the ground puffed up and out, sending dirt and sand everywhere.

"Congratulations, your Ash has learned Endure." Pikachu glanced at the pokedex in his hands.

The dust settled quickly, and Ash stood in the middle of it all, bruised and shaking but awake and seemingly okay.

A quick look up had Ash darting to Pikachu slamming into his arms as he glared at the Pokemon floating downward in challenge.

With a shaky hand, Pikachu brought up his pokedex, keeping an eye on the bird still intent on chasing them.

"Pidgeotto, the bird pokemon, a flying and normal type. This pokemon is full of Vitality and is often seen circling its territory in search of prey. This Pokemon is level 17."

The Pidgeotto puffed out, quite obviously proud of its achievements before leering at them. An almost smug look crossing the bird's face.

Pikachu thought long and hard. He couldn't send Ash out with such low health, but Caterpie was severely under leveled for this fight.

Shit-

"Caterpie use string shot and keep it in place, don't try to stay still!" Pikachu barked, throwing a hand out.

The yell startled Pidgeotto enough to let its guard down, as his tiny bug came through and came through fast. Strings of web instantly attaching to the bird's wings and pinning them towards the ground. The Pidgeotto writhed in the string, squawking angrily as it furiously began to nip at the string. Taking a few rough seconds to even break a single band.

With it distracted, Caterpie darted forward a strip of web leaving his tail and surrounding the Pidgeotto in a bright web of yellow. Shocking it in increments and severely slowing down it's process of cutting Caterpie's string.

"Alright Caterpie, now use tackle repeatedly, we gotta widdle it down bud!" Pikachu called out again, worry coating his voice ever so slightly.

But Caterpie followed through, smashing the bird as hard as he possibly could. Slowly more and more he started to do more damage, just narrowly avoiding the occasional peck Pidgeotto was able to manage here and there.

Ash pounded on Pikachu's chest, chittering and pointing at his belt. The empty pokeballs he had shone in the setting sunlight. And with a start Pikachu realized what Ash needed - no- wanted him to do.

So had Pidgeotto.

With a mighty screech the bird began thrashing much more, managing to knock Caterpie away with a small shove as it managed to unravel the web it was surrounded in. It turned away from them, wings spread wide as it tried it's hardest to take off.

Caterpie darted forward one more, an odd energy showcasing in front of its mouth before it clamped harshly on Pidgeotto's left wing.

The bird screeched, wincing and trying its hardest to wave Caterpie off. Distracted and no longer trying to fly off, Pikachu quickly hucked the pokeball, slamming the orb against the bird's chest.

He waited, with bated breath as the bird disappeared within the edges of his pokeball. Shaking and humming as it struggled to pull the bird under reigns.

And it dinged, falling still.

"Congratulations, Caterpie has learned Bug Bite." The pokedex rang out, words loud against the previously silent area. "Congratulations, You caught Pidgeotto!"

"PI PIKACHU!" Ash cheered, rushing over to slam into Caterpie as they rolled around happily.

Caterpie waved his tiny little nubs in excitement, squeaking and squealing in absolute delight.

Pikachu stood, slightly frozen before urging his body to move forward. Picking up the pokeball between his fingers before turning to look at it.

Carefully, he rubbed his thumb across the black band pulsating a very gentle warmth against the pad of his thumb. Smiling slightly, he tossed the ball into the air, catching it in excitement as it fell back down.

"Alright!" Pikachu cheered, holding the pokeball high. "I caught a Pidgeotto!"

"Pi pichu!" "Cater-PEEE!"

He glanced at his two battered pokemon, near panic setting in as he finally registered their condition.

There was no way his Pidgeotto was any better.

"Hey Dexter," Pikachu beckoned his pokemon forward. "How do I heal my Pokemon?"

The Dex beeped as both pokemon crawled forward.

"You can heal your party en masse via the Pokecenter located in every town with a gym. You can also use potions to heal your pokemon up individually." Dexter beeped. "You have four starter potions that are registered to this Dex, courtesy of your sponsored Professor."

Pikachu blinked, walking back to his bag and digging through it. Sure enough, there were four potions wrapped tightly in a bundle with some other things he couldn't identify off the bat. Instead, he pulled out the potions he needed, carefully flipping them in his hands as he looked for the instructions.

"Just point and spray?" Pikachu hummed, just as Ash jumped onto his lap to sniff the bottle curiously.

He glanced at his partner, rubbing his cheek gingerly before spraying the bottle on the marks that marred the mouse's body.

Ash cooed, relaxing easily under his touch and ignoring the meticulous sprays until the bottle was all gone. No more bruises and all the unkempt fur was brushed back easily, but Ash looked to be a bit wet.

"Let rest for five minutes before rinsing." Pikachu nodded his head, letting Ash spin in his lap before beckoning Caterpie over and repeating the same process. He still had about half the bottle left by the time Caterpie was done. The small bug lucky enough to avoid getting too injured.

But now…

He stared at the pokeball in his hand nervously. Pikachu had no idea how pokemon caught from fighting would react. Did it even want to stay with him? With a thick swallow he pressed the middle button and out came the exhausted bird.

Pidgeotto gave him a look, and he meekly held up the bottle of potion with his hand. It puffed up dramatically giving him the stink eye.

"I uh… I'm here to heal you?" Pikachu grinned uneasily, shaking the bottle for emphasis.

It stared at him, eyes darting towards his face to the two pokemon resting near him. Like a switch, Pidgeotto's eyes softened considerably. It carefully maneuvered it's body closer, mindful for the times he flinched before easing its body down, resting its chin on his knee.

His other two pokemon don't seem to care. They eased off his lap, ignorant, or not caring of the wet spots they left behind, before casually lumbering up to the bird and plopping down, nuzzling into soft feathers without a second thought.

Carefully, he shifted the potion in his hand and gently sprayed any and all wounds he could see. He froze, breath hitching, when the bird flipped over without a sound to showcase the bruises marring its underbelly.

Now that all his pokemon were potioned up, and definitely not going to kill each other, he took his Dex out and pointed it at his new bird.

"Pokemon Registered, Pidgeotto. A normal and flying type pokemon. Pidgeotto, female, is currently level 17 with the ability Keen Eye. Her move-set contains Wing Attack, Tackle, Gust, and Sand Attack."

Pikachu hummed, clicking through the Dex to look at his whole party.

Ash seemed to have raised a single level from all that, now at Level 16, whereas Caterpie soared into a stunning level 12.

"Caterpie is now able to evolve." The Dex beeped, unable to register Pikachu's raised brow.

Ignoring that, he gently dragged his pokemon to the nearby pond, rinsing the potion gently off their skins, furs and feathers with much difficulty before letting them air dry and relax by the now budding fire.

"Neh, what a day." Pikachu hummed, eyes closing slightly.

His Pidgeotto cooed, both Ash and Caterpie following her sentiments.

Pikachu glanced at both Caterpie and Pidgeotto, eyebrows creasing curiously.

"Hey, do you guys want nicknames like Ash?" Ash perked up, squeaking as he pounced to his shoulder, crawling onto Pikachu's head. "Uh… now that i think about it, you two don't know much about me, huh?"

Pidgeotto opened an eye curiously, but Caterpie perked up from his spot on her back, tilting his tiny head to the side.

Pikachu smiled, his body curling in on itself slightly.

"Oops, uh.." He tried to straighten out. "My name is Pikachu Ketchum, from Pallet Town. It's why I gave Ash a nickname, so I wouldn't be calling him Pikachu all the time too. So if you want nicknames I can..."

"Pidgeotto." Pidgeotto crooned, leaning over to push against Ash and nuzzle into Pikachu's neck.

"Caterpie!" The bug quickly crawled up Pidgeotto's body and rested easily on her shoulder area. Butting his head playfully against Pikachu's right cheek, rubbing his antenna against him.

"Pikachu!" Ash cooed, scrambling over to nuzzle Against Pikachu's empty side.

Pikachu felt the words he wanted to say catch in his throat. For years he had been mocked for his name, and even though he couldn't understand any of them. Their small acts did wonders to what most people did.

He tried his hardest to not cry, blinking rapidly but laughing a touch easier than before.

"Thanks guys." Pikachu wiped away nonexistent tears, "That meant a lot to me."

They stayed curled up against him, breathing evenly as the sun slowly began to fall. The rustling of the grass picked up as soft winds blew.

"HYAAHH!"

Pikachu startled up, freezing as soon as a blade entered his field of view, a strange looking character on the other end.

Ash quickly burst into tears, loud echoing sobs screaming in the area. The sound startled the person enough to stumble back, their helmet? Nearly fumbling off their head.

Pikachu took the opportunity and hastily recalled Pidgeotto as he sprinted into the forest, desperately trying to grab his bag along the way.

He missed continuing his trek into the forest and slamming his back against a tree, still being able to view the opening without them seeing him. Deciding to duck behind the bushes as the strange character finally righted himself, looking around in confusion.

"Hello?" The boy called out, looking for Pikachu as he lowered his blade. "I'm very sorry, I didn't mean to startle you that much."

Pikachu tried his hardest to ignore his fast paced beating heart, swallowing roughly and blinking back tears. Ash curled into his side, hissing and glaring at the direction they ran from. Caterpie similarly glared his tiny little eyes a hiss building up in his throat.

Suddenly, Caterpie righted himself, spreading his little nubs wide as he shot string into the air. Surrounding his body as a blue glow began to peak around his skin.

Pikachu and Ash stared wide-eyed, as the glow faded and Caterpie began to change. Turning into a…

A cocoon?

"Congratulations, your Caterpie has evolved into a Metapod. Pokemon Registered." his Dex rang from his pocket, slightly muffled.

He ignored it in favor of turning to his newly evolved friend. But Metapod? Seemed to only glare in the direction just above his shoulder.

Finally his friend moved, throwing his entire body forward and towards Pikachu's left.

In an instant Pikachu turned, startled as Metapod slammed into the mystery person sending them throttling back.

Quick as he could, he scooped Metapod and Ash up tightly in his arms, sprinting into the open field to grab his bag. Hastily, he recalled Metapod and hurriedly sprinted into the opposite end of the forest. Maybe in hopes of reaching the trail he had lost earlier.

Instead…

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING YOU MORON!" Misty screeched from beneath him, slamming an open palm against his back. "Geez! If I had known you would slam into me when I came to warn you, I wouldn't have come at all!"

"Pi CHUU!" Ash broke into tears again, startling Misty long enough for Ash to slap her with a tiny furious paw.

Completely forgetting his prior anger at her, Pikachu grabbed at her hand, stumbling to his feet as he tried to pull her along.

"There's a fucking psychopath with a blade, Misty we have to-" she wretched her hand away from his grasp ignoring his hushed whispers as she rolled her eyes.

"He's not a psychopath you dork." She then turned away from him, back to the open field and waved her hand, beckoning him forward. "Come on, follow me."

Pikachu hummed uneasily, glancing at Ash who was still glaring at Misty, before deciding, uneasily, to listen to her.

The boy from before stood uneasily in the middle of the opening by the fore. His blade sheathed against his back and his helmet now back on his head.

Misty pointed at the kid, and gave Pikachu an unimpressed look.

"This is Samurai, a trainer, you know...The kind that asks other trainers to battle." She then put a finger on her chin, looking up mockingly. "Oh you know? Like a certain someone from Pallet town."

The boy perked up, clapping his hands together uneasily and a rough almost apologetic smile touched his lips.

"Ah yes, I am looking for a boy from Pallet town!" He pursed his lips. "Though I apologize for frightening you, I did not expect you to scare easily."

Misty began to snicker, but Pikachu gave them both a deadpan stare, squinting at them to debate their stupidity.

"You pointed a blade… to my fucking face...And expect me not to panic.." Instantly, the boy flushed. "Right… and you wanted someone from Pallet town… Why?"

This time the boy grinned, unsheathing his sword and pointing it dramatically at Pikachu again, already forgetting the previous predicament.

"Yes! For I, Samurai, have quested myself into defeating the strongest trainers! The last three that i had battled thoroughly japed me in battle and in an effort to redeem myself, requested one last shot from the last boy in Pallet Town!" Samurai then gave Pikachu an unamused glare, thrusting his katana forward. "My previous opponent said you would be a fairly easy battle considering you were just a Pikachu. I assumed you had a Pikachu in your party, and it looks like I was right."

Pikachu starred in anger. Mouth agape as he tried to form words.

Instantly, he could feel the hot flush of shame rush down his back and tying knots in his stomach. How could they say that to him, about him?

Ash chittered angrily, leaning forward and barring his teeth at Samurai. But the boy gave his mouse an unamused stare.

"And I can see why they say it'd be an easy battle. Your Pikachu cries too easily, it's nothing but a baby. A weak pokemon for an equally bad trainer. Who can't even train it properly enough to put it in a-"

Ash reeled forward, grabbing the very edge of the Katana with a snarl, startling Pikachu out of his own misery party.

Panic set in as the mouse grabbed it with both paws and with a shriek a jolt of blue circled his body and focused on his palms. The jolt turned into a bright blue ball, that knocked the Katana aside and made a small crater into the floor. Ash glared a second longer, nodding his head and licking his paws almost casually. Ignoring the stare of the Samurai boy and Misty.

But Pikachu blinked.

"Ash, you didnt cut your paw did you?" Pikachu managed to blurt out, trying his hardest to ignore the other people there.

Ash turned to him, annoyed look gone in an instant as he proudly showed off his two paws, opening and closing them to prove that there were no cuts.

"Pichu!" Ash purred, leaning over to nuzzle Pikachu as he ran his tongue across Pikachu's temple.

"Okay, okay, thanks bud." Pikachu snorted out, gently poking the pokemon before he dragged his attention back to the Samurai picking up his blade. "Listen, Samurai? I told you not to point that thing at us, I don't appreciate it. Secondly, you don't know anything about me, Yes my partner, ASH, gets frightened easily, but that doesn't make him weak! So you can buzz off, I'm declining your offer to a battle."

The boy dropped his sword in surprise, staring wide eyed at Pikachu. Misty similarly looked shocked, shaking her head to look at the two.

"Your seriously going to deny a battle against another trainer?" Misty glanced at him like he grew a second head. "You're kidding, right!?"

"Look, I don't care if there's some kind of code or whatever, I don't want to battle some bully!" Pikachu stomped his foot, slamming his hands to his side. "If he had asked me like a normal person and didn't insult me the whole way I may have accepted, so yes, I am denying a battle!"

Samurai yelped hastily rounding around to place a hand on Pikachu's shoulder. Not that Ash let him, his tiny little furball baring teeth at the other trainer. The boy hurriedly snatched his hand back, hands open to show he meant no harm.

"Please, I mean no offense, I'm merely stating what I see." Samurai explained quickly. "Please a duel, a one on one duel if you would."

Pikachu glared as Ash sniffed at his side, he took a step back and sighed.

"I'm gonna get harassed no matter what I say or do right." Pikachu snorted. "Fine, but a one on one battle only."

"With two pokemon yes!" Samurai quickly lunged to the other half of the open area, ignoring Pikachu's denial.

Misty grinned, less cheeky and more in relief as she stood in the middle. She raised her hands in the air and gave both trainers a leveled glance.

"Alright, this is 2 one on one battles between Samurai and Pikachu. No substitutions are allowed!" She jumped back both hands slamming down her sides. "Begin!"

"Pikac-" "Go Pidgeotto!" Pikachu yelled quickly, cutting off Samurai's surprised shout.

His bird quickly showed up in a preen of grace, cooing easily before following it up with a challenging caw.

Samurai grinned and Pikachu found himself at a loss. Without a word, Ash quickly pulled out Pikachu's Dex and pointed it at Pinsir, letting the robotic voice speak out.

"Pinsir the stag pokemon, a bug type. Pinsir grips its prey in its pincers and squeezes hard! It can't move if it's cold, so it lives in warm places." The bug type growled, odd piano like teeth tilting in and out of its open maw, its pinchers clicking aggressively.

Distantly, he could make out Misty's muffled shriek.

"Okay, away from the claw head, got it." Pikachu breathed out. "Pidgeotto lets start this off with a sand attack!"

"Dodge it and use tackle!"

Pidgeotto rushed forward, claws digging into the dirt and whipping the sand up as she dragged her body high. Narrowly missing the pincers and needing to right herself quickly.

"Focus Energy!" Samurai barked, waiting for something.

Pikachu watched as the bug type stood in place a blue energy surrounding its arms and crawling down its body. The bug was stationary, it probably couldn't move if it wanted to finish it.

"Quick! Use Gust!" Pikachu shot out a hand, eyes tracing the bug.

Pidgeotto cawed, flapping her wings in steady easy beats before a gust began to build.

"Tackle!" Pinsir rushed forward, narrowly missing the flying type attack, and headed straight for the low flying Pidgeotto.

"You use tackle too!" Pikachu cried out, panic settling in his chest.

She swerved in mid air, doing a fancy flying somersault to gain some sort of speed and dashed with equal fever towards the bug.

And Pikachu realized his mistake.

"NO WAIT!" "Vice Grip now, Pinsir!"

It was far too late to swerve, his flying type bracing for impact as the pinchers clung tight around her body.

Pikachu watched on in horror as his pokemon went limp, swirls appearing on her face as Pinsir easily let her fall. He ignored the words being tossed about, running straight for his pokemon who was laying there unconscious.

Carefully lifting her head, Pikachu watched with relief as she very warily opened her eyes, disappointment clear on her face.

"Thanks girl, you did an awesome job." Pikachu grinned uneasily.

Pidgeotto cooed, closing her eyes as Pikachu recalled her humming his dismay.

"Pi-Pichu!" Ash snarled only to watch as the Pinsir brushed him away easily.

Ash growled louder, fur spiking up before he turned to Pikachu.

"You wanna fight bud?" The thought made him nauseous, he had seen Ash fight and so far… It wasn't very good in the mouse's favor.

To his surprise, Ash shook his head and pointed at the remaining pokeball on his belt.

"Metapod." Pikachu unclipped his second pokeball and nodded at Ash.

With a toss, he let his own bug type out. He had learned a new move, no?

"Metapod! Come on out and use Harden!"

His green bug came out in a brilliant flash of light, and with a white sheen began to grow glossy.

Samurai's eyes narrowed, and with a flick of his hand Pinsir charged.

"Use Vice Grip!"

"Again, Harden!" Another brilliant white sheen.

Pinsir managed to grip Metapod in his claws, prompting Pikachu to sweat slightly. That move took Pidgeotto out in a single shot and-

The pincers snapped.

He watched wide eyed as Pinsir stumbled back, the bug whining and groaning before falling flat on its back.

"Pinsir is unable to battle, choose your next pokemon." Misty called out, suspiciously high pitched in her tone.

"Ah-" Samurai blinked dumbly, calling back his pokemon in silence. "Metapod, go?"

And like that another green bug came out, looking awfully similar to his own Metapod.

"Harden!" "Use Harden!"

The two glowed white, a glossy sheen encasing their bodies.

"Oh come on…." Pikachu muttered, watching as the duo just held up hardens over and over and over.

"Pikapi." He glanced at Ash, his tiny pikachu partner puffing up his cheeks dramatically and pretended to spit.

That's right, didnt pokemon keep their moves when they evolved?

"Metapod use String shot!" Metapod hummed in affirmative, a thick white string pinning the other Metapod to its place. "Alright! Now use tackle!"

"Harden!" Samurai panicked, eyes going wide as Pikachu's Metapod slammed his own repeatedly.

Pikachu excitedly began to jump, unable to contain his excitement.

"Now use Electro-"

Something buzzed and dived between the battlers, and in a flash, Pikachu watched as a Beedrill took his confused and startled Metapod away from them.

Away from him.

"METAPOD!" Pikachu hastily reached his pokeball, desperately attempting to recall his partner.

Only for the beam to fall just short of it, the Beedrill dancing out of the way in delight.

"Pi Pichu!" Ash jumped from his shoulder a string shot shooting out towards the Beedrill before dashing forward in a furious attempt to get Metapod back.

Except more Beedrill came, one nearly shish kebabing Ash with its stinger.

Luckily his partner fell back, missing the pincer with a hiss.

"Ash use-" Instead of Ash listening, he burst into tears, harsh purple lights encasing each Beedrill in the immediate area.

Pikachu blinked, watching the Beedrill stumble back.

"Okay now use Aura Sphere!" Ash darted back, jumping into the air as he conjured up a single aura sphere, a large shriek echoing his throat as he launched it towards Beedrill.

Some of the ones farther back broke out their stride, shuffling back, it seemed to be aiming to hit the ones dead center.

Then it moved.

The Aura Sphere weaved through the other Beedrill aiming for the one holding Metapod.

Pikachu watched surprised, shakily grabbing his pokedex as the Beedrill launched back in surprise.

"Aura Sphere, a fighting type move In the special category. The user lets loose a blast of aura deep within its body against its opponent. This attack never misses."

He blinked, sliding it away from him as it rang out Beedrill's entry.

The Beedrill holding his Metapod hissed, poison sting shooting out its stingers as Ash clumsily dodged, shuffling back with gritted teeth.

Seeing his chance, Pikachu ran forward towards them, surprising the Beedrill and the two trainers behind him.

"Ash use Fake Tears one more time!" Pikachu called, warily glancing at the Beedrill around him.

Ash burst into tears again, trying not to stop as Pikachu ran past him. Instantly, the group of Beedrill flinched, twitching away from both Ash and Pikachu and inadvertently leaving an opening for Metapod.

"Aura Sphere!" Pikachu called, jumping up and gripping his Metapod by the shell.

The green bug stared at him in surprise, eyes tearing up as Pikachu managed to yank him out of the Beedrills grasp.

They both stumbled out of Beedrill's grasp, slamming onto the floor with a harsh thud.

"Driiiiiiii." The Bee pokemon buzzed angrily, head snapping down as its stingers glowed an ominous Purple.

The display was quickly ruined as an Aura Sphere slammed into it, knocking it away and knocking both Pikachu and Metapod back.

"Pikachu! Pichupi!" Ash called, and for a moment Pikachu nearly forgot the second part of his plan.

"Pikachu!"

He scrambled to his feet, holding onto Metapod tight as he rushed back, easily picking Ash up as he raced to the two other trainers. The closer he got, the more he realized they were pulling their hair out, eyes wide in horror.

"Are you Stupid?!" Samurai cried, fear clear in his voice. "Hit the Floor!"

"Pikapi!" "Meta!"

Pikachu twisted back, eyes wide in shock as a Beedrill filled his vision, stinger high in the air ready to strike him.

He was too late to dive to the floor.

Fear lodged itself into his throat, and Pikachu turned away in horror.

Then something moved.

Just as quickly as he turned away, Metapod leaped out of his arms.

"Congratulations, Metapod has learned Iron Defense."

Pikachu could faintly hear the tings of iron defense slowly chip away as Beedrill struck hard and fast in a flurry of swipes. He was surprised that Metapod could stay in the air for that long…

Protecting him…

There was a crack and the Beedrill fell back, as Metapod fell down.

Into his arms.

"Metapod." He ignored the screams of the trainers behind him, he ignored the buzzing of the Beedrills heading to him.

He ignored Ash clawing at his arm to see his friend.

All Pikachu could see was the ugly gash running down Metapod's shell. Its eyes an unnatural white as it laid lifeless in his hands.

His first pokemon.

"Metapod." He whispered again, shaking the shell lightly, the weight heavy against his arms. "Metapod, Metapod!"

Tears welled in his eyes, blurring his vision as his pokemon refused to move. His lip quivering in horror and disbelief.

Not his friend. Not Metapod.

What was he gonna tell Pidgeotto? The Professor? His mom?

For a short time, the bug and the bird and the mouse had been with him, Pikachu couldn't imagine his life without any of them, and now…

"Meta-"

"Congratulations, your Metapod has evolved into a Butterfree."

Pikachu jerked up, staring unblinking as a bright flash of white encased Metapod's shell, the sound of stretching and moaning echoing in his ears.

Slowly, the shape of the shell began to change into two round bulbs. A small splurge of skin stretching from the back as two little strings appeared from nowhere.

The light show disappeared, white spots dancing across Pikachu's vision as he tried to make sense of the new pokemon before him.

His pokemon… his-

"Buh-Reeeeee!" Butterfree screeched, wings flailing out as he took flight.

Suddenly, Pikachu was intimately reminded of the Beedrill inching closer, as Butterfree's now red eyes shone pink. The same pink glow encasing the group of Beedrill and tossing them back.

He watched in blanketed awe as a yellow and green powder escaped Butterfree's wings, his pokemon diving over the Beedrill and sprinkling the powder over them.

Some fell asleep and others twitched as electricity danced across the skin of others.

Butterfree turned back to him, giving him a happy smile as he dived towards him.

"Butterfree, you evolved!" Pikachu cheered, trying to grip around his partners newly developed wings.

From being barely up to his knee, it was odd to know his pokemon was now a head shorter than he was. Evolving was an odd thing.

"Okay Congrats, but that paralysis won't last forever." Misty cried out.

"Yes. Please let us get out of here before things get worse!" Samurai, quickly beckoned them over, eyes darting to the pile of Beedrill.

Butterfree sneered at them, turning to Ash and chittering at the tiny pikachu.

Ash perked up, cackling gleefully and giving Pikachu a pat as they both faced the group of Beedrill.

Again Butterfree's eyes glowed pink, and after a second, Ash's eyes followed, the pink stronger now as it encased the group of Bugs.

With barely contained glee, both pokemon cried out, thrusting their claw/paw forward and launching the Beedrill further into the forest.

"We're blasting off Ag-aaaaain!" Pikachu jerked up, watched a flail of Pink and blue hair with a golden blotch of fur launch across the sky.

He hadn't even noticed there were other people here.

Butterfree and Ash turned to him proudly, the bug scooping up the mouse comfortably in his two tiny claws before floating forward.

"Bu-reee." Butterfree cooed, leaning forward to nuzzle his cheek.

Pikachu could still feel the warm hot tears slowly gliding down his face and bit back a chuckle. His adrenaline falling and turning into a numbed acceptance.

"I'm glad you're okay bud."

Heyo! hope you all enjoyed, feel free to drop a review!

and with that

- Maiden out.