Chapter 4: Forest of Friends

Ash tapped his foot, waiting for Dr. Joy at the front desk of the Pokémon Center with Serena. He thought back to the previous night and how Pikachu helped out and even heeded his command. At the time, all he wanted to do was to get payback at Team Rocket. After a night of sleep, he wondered if Pikachu wanted to stay with him.

Dr. Joy approached the front desk with Pikachu and Eevee on a tray. Upon placing the tray on the counter, the Pokémon hopped into their respective Trainer's arms.

Serena lifted Eevee into the air before snuggling tight with it. The Evolution Pokémon wagged its tail the entire time.

Ash was caught off guard by Pikachu's newfound attitude. The Mouse Pokémon pressed its cheeks against his chest. The young man simply rubbed its back with a smile.

"I simply can't thank you two enough for last night," Dr. Joy smiled. "Not only was this treatment for free, but I've called other Pokémon Centers. They'll be at the very least give you a free night stay while others might give you a free examination for your Pokémon."

"That's nice," Serena chuckled. "But you didn't have to do that. We would have gladly accepted the free care."

The doctor swatted the air. "Nonsense. It's the least I can do for bringing to our attention the lengths that Team Rocket will go to obtain powerful Pokémon. I can't fathom what would have happened if you two didn't bravely help Giovanni to defeat those villains."

Ash held Pikachu in one arm while using his free hand to scratch his cheek. "I'm sure if others had their Pokémon, they would have joined in as well."

"Regardless, the Pokémon Health Organization appreciates your efforts," Dr. Joy giggled. "Is there anything else I can help you with before I head back to work?"

Serena looked upward before snapping her fingers. "Is there anything we need to know about Viridian Forest? We were planning on heading out there to explore."

"Hmm," Dr. Joy scratched her chin. "Given all the bug-types, I would suggest you stock up on a few Paralyze Heals and Antidotes just to be safe and be careful of Beedrill nests. Sticking to the main path should help you avoid them."

"Thanks, Dr. Joy," both teens said in unison.

"Not a problem," she replied. "I look forward to your return." She waved goodbye and headed back into the campus.

The teens walked closer to the entrance, now guarded by a pair of officers. Anyone entering the Pokémon Center had to present their ID as far as they could tell.

Ash stopped in the middle of the lobby to set Pikachu on the ground. He kneeled in front of it and took a deep breath. "A deal is a deal. I appreciate the help last night, but you did try to zap me before everything went south. I'll find you a place to live, assuming that's still what you want."

Pikachu looked at Ash, Serena, and Eevee. Then it ran up Ash's body and onto his shoulder. "Pikachu!"

"Y-You want to stay with me?" Ash gasped with the electric mouse nodding in response. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. No amount of words could describe how happy this moment made him. "All right! We're going to conquer all the Gyms and then win the Regional League!"

"Pi-Pikachu!" It pumped a paw in the air.

"Eevee!" The Evolution Pokémon performed a midair summersault. Then it ran up Serena's body and onto her shoulder. "Vee!" It licked Serena's face.

The honey-blonde was clapping until Eevee licked her. "Does this mean you want to stay out of your Pokéball as well?"

"Vee!" It nodded.

"This should be fun!" Serena giggled. "Shall we head out to buy those supplies?"

"Before we go, I have something for you." Ash opened up his jacket and pulled the Rainbow Feather out of a pocket. His eyes fixated on the sparkling feather as he extended his arm out. "I want you to have it. I was going to give it to you yesterday, but then Team Rocket happened."

Serena blinked several times. Her cheeks appeared to be turning pink. "I-I can't accept that. That's a one in a million item and clearly, Ho-Oh dropped it for you."

"Maybe it is a one in a million item, but you're a one in a million friend!" Ash smiled.

His best friend covered her dropped jaw with her hair. Her eyes turned upward for what felt like an eternity before she shook her head side-to-side. Looking at the feather, she shakily took it from his hand. "How can I say no to such a sweet compliant?"

Ash noticed that the feather stopped sparkling in her hands, but the colors were still vibrant.

Serena took off her hat and inserted the feather in the black band and placed it back on her head. "How do I look?"

"Amazing!" Ash gave a thumbs up.

The honey-blonde winked. "Race ya to the store and then the forest! Loser has to set up both tents tonight!"


Ash braced himself against a tree, catching his breath. He had trailed Serena ever since obtaining the supplies at the local PokéMart. He should have figured she would have done such a cheap trick. No matter. He supposed he would have ended up lending a hand anyways.

His best friend took some pictures of their Pokémon and of the scenery. Apparently, her Rhyhorn Racing training paid off in a different way as she did not appear tired at all.

By the time he regained his strength, Pikachu and Eevee ran off ahead. The Mouse Pokémon sniffed the air while the Evolution Pokémon sniffed the ground.

"I told them that we wanted to search for new friends today," Serena giggled. "Any particular Pokémon you're hoping to track?"

Ash shrugged as he began trailing the Pokémon. "I didn't think too much about it. Though, a grass type or water type would be nice considering the Pewter City Gym specializes in rock-types."

"Fighting, ground, and steel types aren't bad options either." Serena placed a finger against her lips. "Though I suppose those are hard to come by around here. Come to think about it, Pikachu could learn moves of those typings."

"True, but most rock-types tend to be a ground-type as well," he laughed. "Pikachu would be too limited and it doesn't learn those moves naturally. I would have to consult a move guide. Ideally, having a different Pokemon that already knows a move of those typings would be better. What about you?"

Serena bobbed her head side-to-side. "Hmm. I guess a Pokémon whose cute would be ideal. Not to say I would be opposed to training a tough-looking Pokémon."

Ash was not surprised by her fascination with cute-looking Pokémon. She did tend to groom cute-looking Pokémon at the lab. He laughed out loud with Serena soon joining him.

"Pika!" The Mouse Pokémon shouted. It pointed up at a tree.

On one of the branches, there was a caterpillar-like Pokémon with a yellow underside and a tear-dropped shaped tail. The Pokémon appeared to be eating a leaf.

"Cool, a Caterpie!" Ash exclaimed. He reached for a Pokéball on his belt and enlarged it. "I'm going to catch it!" He then turned to Serena. "Unless you want to catch it."

Serena shook her head. "You can catch it."

He smirked. "Ready Pikachu?"

Pikachu began sparking its cheeks.

Caterpie continued eating its leaf.

"Thunder Shock!" Ash commanded.

The Electric Mouse launched an electrical shock at the unexpected Caterpie. The attack hit its mark. When it was over, Caterpie fell off of the branch.

Ash twisted his cap backward and tossed the Pokéball. "Go, Pokéball!"

In a red beam of light, Caterpie entered the ball. The ball hit the ground wiggling back and forth. Once. Then twice and finally a third time before it ding.

Ash excitedly ran over and picked up the ball to strike a pose. "Alright! I caught a Caterpie!"

"Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu joined in the celebration.

Serena appeared to have taken a photo before clapping with Eevee. "Congrats, Ash." She scratched her cheek. "Though, did you really have to zap it?"

Ash hung his head, thinking the same thing. There was a good possibility where he could have thrown the ball and captured it that way. "Probably not." He decided to take a look at his Pokédex to learn more about his newly captured Pokémon.

Caterpie, the Worm Pokémon. Its short feet are tipped with suction pads that enable them to endlessly climb slopes and walls. For protection, it will release a horrible stench from its antenna on its head to drive away enemies.

Gender: Male
Ability: Stardust
Nature: Modest

He released the Worm Pokémon. It turned its head side-to-side before turning around to see everyone. Its eyes widened as it slowly crawled backward. "Caterpie?"

Ash crouched down while slinging his backpack over one shoulder. Opening the top zipper, he reached inside for a potion. "Hello Caterpie. I'm Ash and this is my best friend, Serena." He pointed at Serena and then at Pikachu and Eevee and introduced them as well. "We're going to have many great adventures together and be great friends!"

"You're so adorable, Caterpie!" Serena joined in with the crouching.

"Pika. Pikachu!" Pikachu waved its paws.

"Eevee. Vee!" Eevee skipped around the other Pokémon.

Caterpie tilted its head before smiling. "Caterpie!"

Ash extended his hand so Caterpie could climb upon it. He examined its entire body and found that its back was in pain. With the potion, he sprayed its back. Caterpie looked as if it wanted to cry and it started to spray Ash with a terrible yellow stench. He started to cough while everyone else steered clear.

"Are you okay?" Serena covered her mouth.

He coughed a few times before nodding. He pinched his nose while looking at Caterpie. "That does smell bad. Sorry, I forgot to tell you that'll sting. I was only trying to ease your pain."

Caterpie lowered its head. "Caterpie."

"It's okay," Ash petted it. "You were just startled by the pain." He looked upward towards the sky. "Let's continue exploring!"

Serena pinched her nose. "Why don't we find you a river so you can wash off that horrible smell?"

Ash sniffed his clothes and had another coughing attack. Caterpie laughed at its new trainer.


Ash patted his body with a towel after washing his clothes and upper torso of the stench in the river that Caterpie guided them towards. He glanced over by Pikachu who had been chasing Eevee around a stump. Odd to see it adamant about making friends yesterday to being playful, but he wasn't going to dwell on it. Caterpie seemed to be enjoying watching the Pokémon play with one another. Occasionally, it would look towards the sky.

Serena set a couple of plates onto a wooden table with some sandwiches. Previously she had set up a clothesline for Ash and set out some Pokémon food.

The raven-haired man put on some fresh clothes before joining Serena at the table. Quickly, he grabbed a sandwich and started to eat. Then he looked at his phone to catch up on any news.

Among the first articles was their heroic feat. Turns out, several trainers recorded what had transpired inside the Pokémon Center. Serena and Ash looked at one another, probably having similar uncertainty about being famous without competition in any competitions. The story only added to the pressure.

Moving away from current events, Ash decided to check the League website to learn more about the Pewter City Gym Leader, Brock Harrison. Every Gym had its own rules on tackling Rookie Trainers with zero badges. It appeared that the format would be a 2v2 with a select few of Pokémon. He browsed through the shortlist before glancing at his Pokémon.

On top of training, he needed to catch more Pokémon if he wanted to stand a chance and not embarrass himself.

His eyes diverted back to Serena. She hummed a song with her eyes lit.

"Something good?" He asked.

Serena nodded with a smile. "Apparently, Aria will be competing in a Contest tonight. She had declined to participate in a Super Contest and decided to continue her career in the Galar Region."

Ash didn't know much of the Contest Circuits. He should have figured it was similarly structured like the League. "Why would she declined going up a level of difficulty?"

"Lots of people questioned her rookie season," Serena explained. "I would too if I was an expert in the field. One would have to get lucky to outperform and outmatch established Coordinators. Though a better explanation might be her coach did something similar in her climb to be a Contest Master to hone her skills."

Ash nodded slowly. "Interesting. Say, why don't we watch it tonight?"

Serena jerked her head back. "You really want to watch a Contest with me? I mean, it sounds like a fun time but I don't want to be rude and hijack our night and travel plans. Don't you want to look for other Pokémon?"

"We're not going anywhere with my wet clothes that needs to be air-dried," Ash chuckled. "Besides, weren't you the one who suggested we consider some applications of physique and Contests had a ton of examples? We wanted to look at some clips from them and League until Team Rocket happened."

"I suppose." She scratched her head. "Think Leaf will mind us stealing her topic?"

Ash hung his head. He supposed his topic was broad that could encompass all of their topics. He didn't want to overstep in their territory. "Let's just take a few basic notes, especially the battle portions and leave the rest to Leaf."

Serena began frowning. "Speaking of League, are you sure you want to participate in them?"

"Of course," Ash stared at his best friend. "Where is this coming from?"

"When you were explaining yesterday about people expecting you to do them because of Gary, all I could think about was how miserable you must be feeling." Serena played with her hair. "I mean, my mom expected me to follow in her footsteps and that itself was a lot of pressure on me until I finally stood up to her. I can't imagine how you're feeling with hundreds to thousands of people comparing you to your father and even Gary."

"I see." Ash looked up towards the blue sky. He would be lying if that didn't weigh on his mind. Could he possibly surpass his father or even keep up with Gary? Then he thought about some of his past experiences at some of the summer camps. "If it makes you feel better, I think it'll be a lot of fun regardless of what people say about me." He returned his gaze at Serena. "If summer camp has taught me anything, I can't please everyone. Besides, if people can't accept me for being my own person, then it's their loss."

Serena grinned while pushing some hair to the side. "As long as you're having fun, then I'll support you no matter what."

Nightfall came sooner than Ash anticipated after playing with Pikachu and Caterpie. Even Serena joined in on all the fun and groomed Eevee.

On Serena's laptop, they watched a Galar Region Contest. They had a couple of notebooks on the table to take some notes while their Pokémon hung on their shoulders, probably curious about what they were watching. The only exception was Caterpie who appeared to be resting by the tents that Ash had set up prior to dinner.

Serena took more notes during the performance stage compared to Ash who was more interested in the battle stage. Unlike regular battles, Contest Battles were more intricate. Not only did they have a five-minute time limit, but the Coordinators had to keep track of their points. A good way to lose points was one without elegance like a Gym Battle.

Ash noticed how many Coordinators trained their Pokémon in fluid, nibble movement. A majority of the time, the Pokémon's movement had a purpose. When two of them were reading each other's moves, it looked like a beautiful and tactical dance.

In the final round, it was Aria up against another Coordinator. The Kalos Queen wore a sparkling red dress while having her Ace Pokémon, Delphox, out on stage. Her opponent sent out a Dubwool. Both Coordinators had a hundred points to work with.

A bar at the bottom of the screen represented their points with the time limit in between the bars.

"Delphox use Mystical Fire!" Aria began the match.

The Fox Pokémon twirled its magical stick before extending it outward with fire spewing outwards in a loop that surrounded the confused Dubwool. On the bottom of the screen, the Coordinator's points decreased to 90 points.

"Cotton Guard!" Her opponent countered.

The Sheep Pokémon shed its wool to make way for fresh wool. The fallen wool formed a cloud-like platform that the Pokémon stood upon while increasing its defensive might. Aria's points decreased to 93.

"Now, Wild Charge!" The Coordinator followed up.

Dubwool surrounded itself with electricity and charged forward. Static caused the fallen wool to follow it across the stage as if it was running across a cloud-like road. Aria's points decreased to 81.

"Make it dance for us with Psychic!" Aria countered.

Delphox's eyes began glowing bright blue as a faint blue aura outlined the Sheep Pokémon. The Fox Pokémon flicked its wand and guided Dubwool along the side in a circle before making it run into the air above much to everyone's surprise in the audience. Delphox made Dubwool run in circles before having it crash into the ground. The Coordinator's points decreased from 90 to 71.

Ash noted how Aria used her opponent's attack against them and how her opponent used Dubwool's wool as part of the battle. He was impressed with the creativity and usage of physique; however, he doubts having a cloud-like road would be beneficial in most Gym Battles.

His eyes turned to Serena who seemed more interested in the battle than taking notes. Eevee wagged its tail in the excitement as well.

Pikachu was also wagging its tail in the excitement but then it stopped. It tapped Ash on the head and pointed towards the tent.

Caterpie appeared to be missing. Ash gradually stood up and looked around for the Worm Pokémon to that it had climbed a nearby tree.

What could Caterpie be doing up there? He walked over by the tree and started to climb it with Pikachu heading up ahead of him.

Upon them reaching the branch, Caterpie turned towards them. "Caterpie?"

"We were worried about you," Ash said while finding his balance on the branch. "Is something wrong?"

Caterpie lowered its head. "Caterpie. Cater. Pie. Pie."

Pikachu patted Caterpie on the back. "Pika. Pika."

Ash scratched his head, wishing he could understand Pokémon or that Meowth wasn't apart of Team Rocket. Though, he was able to understand their feelings. He felt Caterpie's discontentment and sorrows. Why could it be sad? Did it not want to be with them?

Pikachu attempted a translation. With its paws, it flapped them like a bird and pretended to jump off the branch.

Caterpie laughed at Pikachu's acting.

Ash had a rough idea now of what was making Caterpie sad and pulled out his Pokédex. He searched for entry number 12.

Butterfree, the butterfly Pokémon. The evolved form of Metapod and the final evolved form of Caterpie. It loves honey of flowers and can locate patches that have the tiniest amount of pollen. Water-repellent powder in its wings enables it to collect honey even in the heaviest of rains.

He showed Caterpie a picture. "You want to become a Butterfree one day right?"

Caterpie's eyes sparkled at the picture and nodded. Then it turned to face the moon. "Caterpie! Caterpie!"

Ash followed its gaze and sure enough, a Butterfree was flying in the distance. He decided to take a photo before turning towards Caterpie, who appeared to be marveled by it.

"Then it's settled!" He declared. "I'll help you become a Butterfree! All we need is some training and I bet you'll become the world's strongest Butterfree!"

Caterpie jumped onto Ash and began kissing his cheek. The tiny kisses tickled Ash as he began laughing.


Serena focused her attention on the match in the Contest. Aria had a demanding lead over her opponent, 70 to 59. Whenever Aria was on screen, she tends to daydream about being a Coordinator. No other person she had seen had done that before. Sure, they could dazzle her with stunning performances or steal her breath with an intense ballet dance-off but no one had made her want to be a Coordinator more than the Kalos Queen.

In this fantasy world, she was facing off against the Coordinator with Eevee by her side. She came up with the perfect counters like Aria and the right combination moves to dazzle the audience as well as land serious hits towards her opponent. Nothing could stop her.

"ARGH!" Shouted Ash with a thud.

The honey-blonde turned to her right before quickly standing up to search for her best friend. Upon seeing him on his back, she ran to his side and helped him up. Eevee hopped off her shoulder to continue watching the battle.

"Are you okay?" Serena supported Ash while he rubbed his back. "What were you doing in a tree?"

Ash faced her. "You didn't notice that I got up?"

Her cheeks flushed. "I-I noticed. I just thought you wanted to stretch your legs."

"When it comes to Contests, I suppose you might as well be Leaf," he sighed.

Serena stopped supporting Ash all together and crossed her arms while he fell on his back. "Fine, I won't help you next time when you fall."

Ash got up on his own power and chuckled. "Sorry. Caterpie was looking at a Butterfree in the distance. I believe I discovered Caterpie's first goal in that it wants to become a Butterfree one day. I made it a promise that I'll help when it tickled me off the branch."

The honey-blonde couldn't help but be impressed by Ash. Already, he had been considering what would make Caterpie happy. Soon, he'll figure out Pikachu's goal and be off to the races with his research. She bet Gary wasn't far into his research so he could shut it when it comes to being the all great and mighty.

"VEE!" Eevee exclaimed. It performed a little dance on the table.

Serena rushed over to see the final results. Aria had won her first Ribbon in the Galar Region with a final score of 63 to 36. It looked like Delphox had used Future Sight to deal a serious hit at an opportune time. She smiled while imagining herself in front of that crowd. Only in a fantasy where could truly shine.

Her battling skills were lacking compared to Ash and Gary. Then she lacked the discipline to even practice because of her rigorous Rhyhorn Racing practices. These competitions were not a joke.

Surprisingly to her, Eevee hopped onto her head and onto the ground. It skipped in a circle with every third step, it performed a twirl before alternating between twirling and a summersault. It continued the pattern for some time before skipping back and forth. It performed a backflip and landing on its back legs to perform one last spin.

By the end, Pikachu and Caterpie ran up to it, cheering on a wonderful performance. It had been a while since she had seen Eevee perform a full dance.

"Vee! Vee!" Eevee then hopped back onto the table where it pawed at the laptop.

Serena blinked, wondering what had gotten Eevee all fired up. "Sorry Eevee, but that Contest is over, but I'm sure a different one might be on somewhere. We can watch another one if you wanted."

"Eevee. Vee!" It shook its head.

The honey-blonde scratched her head. If Eevee didn't want to watch another Contest, then why was it acting so strange?

Ash laughed, further adding to her confusion. "I think Eevee wants to participate in a Contest."

"Vee!" It nodded while wagging its tail.

Serena frowned and had her hands close to her heart. "Are you sure? Contests aren't performed in an empty arena, but hundreds of people come to watch live. Do you really think you can perform in front of all of those people?"

Eevee looked at Serena, possibly thinking over what it wanted. Years ago, it would always run away from people no matter what. It had only warmed up to Pokémon and people because Serena found ways to earn its trust like leaving a flower crown among other cute accessories that it wore at a time. Then it only performed its special dance in front of her and slowly with her friends. An intimate setting to a huge audience was a leap.

"Eevee!" It barked and performed a backflip.

Serena took a step back in astonishment. Was Ash right about Eevee not being as shy as she thought? Did Aria inspire Eevee or was it just amazed by all of the performances?

Her eyes turned to Ash who had a big old goofy grin on his face. What would he do in this situation? Would he let the fear of failing get in his way or proceed to make his Pokémon happy? Like that was even a question.

"Alright, Eevee." Serena picked up her Pokémon. "If you want be in one, then we'll be in one!"

"Vee!" Eevee licked her face.

Serena laughed while thinking about her first Contest and how amazing she had to look. Of course, she needed to learn every dance move Eevee had up of her disposal. Getting through the performance round was going to be tough. "Let's work on some moves!"

Ash turned to his Pokémon. "In that case, we'll do some special training!"

Eevee showed off every possible dance move and attacking move. Gears turned in Serena's mind on how to utilize all of it for a decent showing. Though, Eevee's move set was an issue so she began thinking of potential moves that'll help.

Occasionally, she would look over by Ash who had pinned Pikachu and Caterpie against one another. It appeared as if they were working on the accuracy of hitting long-range attacks. Whenever Pikachu performed an electric move, Caterpie's eyes sparkled.


Serena took a deep breath of cool air while thinking of how she wanted to approach her upcoming battle with Ash. They had agreed last night to battle one another so Serena could get more experience. Considering Pikachu had been previously trained, Ash decided to use Caterpie as a fairer battle. Pikachu pleaded with Ash to battle upon waking up as Eevee did cast Attract on it once again.

"Tackle!" Serena shouted.

"Tackle!" Ash countered.

Both Pokémon collided with Eevee overpowering Caterpie. The Evolution Pokémon gracefully performed a backflip to get back on Serena's side.

Caterpie flopped against the grassy terrain and slowly getting up.

"Great landing, Eevee," Serena smirked. In little time, Eevee had incorporated the basics of the Contest battling style. "Follow up with Swift!"

"Roll to dodge!" Ash commanded.

Wagging its tail, Eevee sent a flurry of star-bolts.

Caterpie rolled out of the way to avoid it.

"Keep it up!" Ash encouraged. "Now, String Shot!"

The Worm Pokémon spit out webbing from its mouth.

Eevee hopped and skipped along the bank of the river, making its way closer to its opponent.

Serena blinked as she thought she had seen an electrical spark, but Pikachu was watching on the sideline. Could her mind be playing tricks on her? "Quick Attack!" She shouted.

The Evolution Pokémon dashed before tripping due to Caterpie's impeccable timing that roped Eevee's legs together.

"Great work, Caterpie!" Ash praised. "Tackle!"

Caterpie slammed its body against Eevee repeatedly.

Eevee struggled to break free of the webbing.

Serena gritted her teeth. Her best friend limited Eevee's mobility. In a Contest, she would be losing many points alone. There had to be a way to turn the battle around. Her eyes focused on Eevee's tail and an idea sparked. "Relax Eevee and move your body while using Swift!"

Eevee swayed its tail while casting a flurry of star-bolts that propelled its body in a circular pattern.

The star-bolts slammed against Caterpie's body who stood strong as long as it could before being sent flying towards a tree. Its body hit the ground, probably unable to battle.

"Caterpie!" Ash rushed over to check on it. Caterpie slowly lifted its head with a few tears around its eyes. Ash petted it gently. "Don't be sad. You did great. We just need to work on a few things."

Serena helped Eevee with the webbing. "Great work, Eevee. I'm proud that we won our first battle together. Though, we need to work on your footing and awareness. Tripping as you did could lose us a battle or two."

Eevee got up with a determined look on its face. "Vee!"

The honey-blonde giggled before turning her attention towards Ash. "So Ash, was it always your plan to tie up Eevee's legs like that?"

He scratched his cheek. "Last night, Pikachu did something similar so I thought of a way to get around it. All we needed to work on was timing. Though, now I need to figure out how to take advantage of Caterpie's limited move pool."

"Well great job, Caterpie," Serena smiled. "You'll get them next time, I know it." The Worm Pokémon smiled. "I'm going to work on a routine with Eevee for an hour or so. Do you want to continue looking for Pokémon after lunch?"

"Sounds good!" Ash gave a thumbs up.

They trained separately with Serena drawing up routines with Eevee in a notebook and executing some of the moves while Ash worked on some new battling strategies.


Serena and Ash traveled along the riverbank, thinking it would be a good place to search for wild Pokémon getting a drink of water. Pikachu and Eevee had scouted ahead with no luck in picking up any scent. Caterpie sat upon Ash's head, seemingly enjoying the view.

The honey-blonde kept looking on the opposite side of the river as well as the trees of the forest. Considering Ash had caught his first Pokémon, she wanted to make a new friend too. On top of that, it would be wise of her to obtain another one for the multiple rounds of a Contest.'

Her best friend frowned and sighed. "I thought we would have run into a Pokémon by now."

"Maybe some of them are still sleeping," Serena suggested, even though it was past noon.

Ash shrugged while taking out his phone and browsing through some apps. "Let's see, I recall Nurse Joy saying that lots of bug-types make their home here. According to the Pokédex, the Poliwag line, Pidgey line, Nidoran line, and Oddish line have been known to make their homes here. Being spotted and rumored would be the Noctowl line, Sentret line, and Stantler."

Upon hearing Poliwag, Serena recalled how she had met Ash. Rather silly years later despite having a phobia of ghost-types and her mother did not help by telling her scary stories about Trevenants. Her body shivered with those thoughts in mind. She quickly got back onto Poliwag as she had always wanted to thank it for helping Ash find her; however, no one has ever been able to find said Poliwag.

"I bet you want to find a Poliwag and maybe an Oddish for your Gym Battle," Serena remarked.

Ash nodded. "One or the other would help increase my chances by a lot. Hear anything interesting that you might want to try to find?"

"Hmm…" Serena pressed a finger against her lips. Having a Poliwag would be nice, but if he was planning on getting one, then she might have to consider another option. "I suppose finding a Sentret would be nice, but considering its only rumored, then it might be a lost cause."

"The day is still young," Ash assured. "We can try if you would like."

Serena found it sweet of him to try regardless of the odds. As they were about to head out, they heard a buzzing sound.

Eevee's and Pikachu's ears twitched while turning to a bush. Both got into their battle stances.

Serena prepared herself as something was clearly coming their way. Ash adjusted his head with Caterpie appearing to stay alert.

Rushing out of the bushes was a pair of Nidorans. They appeared to be in a panic as they reached the river. Chasing after them was a trio of Beedrills.

Serena wanted to scream but Ash covered her mouth. Though it seemed as if it wouldn't have mattered anyway as they seemed interested in the Nidoran.

The male Nidoran turned around with impressive jumping capabilities. Its tooth was surrounded by light blue energy that turned it into a beak. With a super-effective Peck, it managed to score a direct hit.

Following up that attack, the female Nidoran leaped into the air and used Bite. With a flick of its head, it slammed the same Beedrill to the ground.

The other two Beedrill swooped in with their stingers encased in a purple ooze, no doubt it was a Poison Jab. Despite not being super effective, they appeared to be hurting the Nidoran out of sheer power. Even worst, the third Beedrill recovered and started to bombard the Nidoran with Pin Missiles.

"Knock it off!" Ash shouted. "Thunder Shock!"

Serena furrowed her brows, she hated seeing Pokémon get hurt. "Swift!"

Both Pokémon rushed in closer before launching their attacks. The combination of a star-bolt shower and bolts of electricity got their attention as they managed to quickly evade.

Two Beedrills dove towards the Pokémon with their Poison Jabs ready. One of them stayed behind, presumably the leader, and fired off another barrage of Pin Missiles.

"Quick Attack!" Serena commanded.

Eevee dashed in a zigzag to avoid the Pin Missiles. With its speed, it attempted to bash one of the Beedrill.

That Beedrill slammed one of its stingers against Eevee and slamming the Evolution Pokémon into the ground. A series of Pin Missiles also rained down upon it.

Serena's eyes widened as she struggled coming up with what to do. She hoped Ash was able to turn the tides of battle. She mentally slapped herself. Eevee was her Pokémon and she wasn't going to let Ash protect it again. There had to be something Eevee could do to scare off the Beedrill.

"Electro Ball!" Ash yelled.

A concentration of electric energy formed around Pikachu's tail, swinging its tail to launch the attack at the other Beedrill.

Beedrill sliced the Electro Ball, causing an explosion. Amazingly, it continued forward but at a much slower rate.

"Thunder Shock!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu zapped it before it could get close, causing the Beedrill to retreat.

Serena gave a nod to Ash for an excellent job. Now it was her turn to make one retreat. Her eyes caught a glimpse at the Nidoran. They appeared to be knocked out and need some attention as soon as possible. The longer she looked, an idea popped in her head.

"Quick Attack into Bite!" She ordered.

Eevee got to its feet and managed to slam its body into the nearest Beedrill. In the same motion, it bit into the body and hurled it to the ground like Nidoran did earlier.

That Beedrill also retreated.

One more to go. "Great work. Now Swift!"

"Thunder Shock!"

Both Pokémon combined their moves. While they ended up missing, the Beedrill must have realized that it was outnumbered and headed back to the forest.

A sigh of relief came out of the teens as they headed towards the Nidoran to check on their injuries. With a closer look and initial exam, Serena could see the female Nidoran had some scrapes and bruises.

Ash decided to put on a pair of gloves as a safety measure to gently pick it up and roll it over. Similarly, the male one had some bruises and scrapes.

Before they could move, they heard a buzzing sound once again. Turning around, the Beedrill leader had returned. They had been tricked into believing it would have stayed away from them. From its stingers, it launched a series of Pin Missiles.

Without many options, the teens used their bodies to shield the Nidoran. Serena braced herself for the pain.

"Caterpie!" The Worm Pokémon shouted with the sound of electricity crackling in the air followed by an explosion.

Ash looked up. "Did you just use an electric move?"

No time to dwell as the Beedrill dove towards them.

Caterpie angrily stared at Beedrill and waited until it was closer to shoot an Electro Web from its mouth.

The web encapsulated Beedrill, zapping it until it broke free with its stingers.

Pikachu zapped it once again with a Thunder Shock with Eevee adding a Swift to the mix. The combination of moves caused a mini-explosion with Beedrill huffing and puffing while flying away.

"Thanks, Pikachu and Eevee," Ash stated. "Something tells me that Beedrill won't stop and probably get some of its friends. Let's get to somewhere safe before treating them."

Serena agreed while holding onto her Nidoran tighter. Based on how her body or fingers haven't hurt yet, she could safely conclude that the female one did not have the Poison Point ability.

Together, they raced down the river to get as far as way as possible before stopping. Upon feeling safe, they took out a few potions to spray the areas that have been scraped and bruises. They applied some bandages before placing them on their pillows for soft bedding.

Ash wiped his forehead while sighing of relief. "Looks like we're stuck here until they're good to go."

"I suppose," Serena giggled while checking on Eevee for its injuries. "Since when did Caterpie learn Electro Web?"

"No idea," he looked up at the Worm Pokémon who was laughing. "I guess you're full of surprises."

Serena scratched her head. "If you didn't teach it, then did Pikachu?"

The Electric Mouse titled its head. "Pika?"

"Hmm," Ash pondered the thought. "Maybe after being zapped, it was able to figure out how to channel it. Then after watching Pikachu perform them closely, maybe it picked up on the nuances."

"Good thing Caterpie learned then," Serena smiled. "Definitely came in handy today."

"Yeah, great work Caterpie!" Ash chuckled. "I suppose I'll find you some tasty leaves to munch on." His Pokémon jumped on his head at the prospect.

Several hours had passed since the Beedrill incident. Eevee and Pikachu patrolled their camp while Ash set up t their camp. They were sure the Beedrill would have a hard time finding them but were not opposed to their Pokémon looking out for them. Caterpie hung on Ash's shoulder as his support so to speak. It was cute.

The Nidorans rested upon their pillows on the dining table. Serena kept a watchful eye on them as both started to wake up.

"Ash, they're waking!" Serena exclaimed.

Ash quickly sat down next to her while setting down a couple of dishes.

The Nidorans jumped in alert upon seeing the Trainers. "Ran!" They barked.

"Easy there," Ash chuckled. "We helped you against those Beedrill. I'm sure you must be hungry so eat up. We have plenty of Pokémon food to go around."

The Nidoran sniffed the food before biting into a piece. They smiled and started to consume the rest.

Serena clapped lightly. "Yay! I'm glad we could help. Though, you should be more careful of the Beedrills. Luckily there were only three of them this time around. Usually, they'll be at least ten in a swarm."

The Nidoran looked at one another before nodding. "Nidoran!" They said in unison.

"I think they're thanking us," Ash chuckled.

Then they ran off the table to face towards the Trainers. The male dug its front foot into the ground while the female stared down Eevee.

"What are they doing?" Serena asked.

Ash smiled. "Cool! I think they want to battle and potentially stay with us if they find us worthy."

Serena and Eevee faced off against the female Nidoran. For whatever the reason, that Nidoran had been giving Eevee the sink eye. High chance of it having the Rivalry ability. She had to be careful.

"Quick Attack!" She made the first move.

Eevee smacked into Nidoran before it had a chance to react.

Nidoran stood its grounds while using the opportunity to scratch away at Eevee.

"Bite!" Serena shouted.

Nidoran pivoted on its front legs and used its back legs to kick Eevee twice, no doubt it used Double Kick.

Eevee slid across the dirt before rolling against it.

Serena narrowed her eyes, impressed by Nidoran's strength and quickness. It only made her want to catch it more. "Come on, Eevee! We can do it! Swift!"

The Evolution Pokémon stood up and wagged its tail, showering star-bolts against Nidoran.

Nidoran stood its ground and used Poison Sting in an attempt to defend. The Swift overpowered the Poison Needle, causing Nidoran to jump and skip before being overwhelmed by the sheer volume. It crashed into the ground.

"Go Pokéball!" Serena tossed the ball that captured it. With three wiggles, it dinged. Serena picked up the ball and performed a twirl and stroke a pose with Eevee. "Alright! I just caught a Nidoran!" Childish but she could now understand why Ash did it yesterday. It was a lot of fun.

She checked her Pokédex for more information. Nidoran, the poison pin Pokémon. Female Nidorans tend to have smaller horns. While it prefers not to fight, even one drop of its poison can be fatal.

Gender: Female
Ability: Rivalry
Nature: Docile

Ash and Caterpie faced off against the male Nidoran. Despite Pikachu's pleas, he wanted to give Caterpie another shot to make up for some of his failings during his match with Serena.

"String Shot!" He began.

Caterpie spat out webbing at Nidoran, who easily evaded and closed the distance.

Its tooth turned into a beak.

Ash grunted as he didn't know if Caterpie could withstand the hit. "Electroweb!"

The Worm Pokémon cast an electrifying web straight ahead.

Nidoran surprisingly had good enough reflexes to jump into the air. It formed a tight ball while spinning upwards. At the top of its height, it uncurled. This time it led with its horn that landed directly on top of Caterpie.

Caterpie weakly stood up.

Ash was impressed at the acrobatics as well as reflexes. No doubt it would make a powerful addition to his team. "Electroweb!" He pointed at Nidoran and then at other locations.

Caterpie cast one Electroweb after another after turning around.

Nidoran once again evaded the first one by jumping into the air. When it uncurled, its eyes widened.

As Ash planned, Caterpie had surrounded the entire ground with Electrowebs. Even if they lasted for a few seconds on solid ground, it was enough for Nidoran to panic and get hit by an Electroweb.

"Great! Now, String Shot and pull!" Ash followed up.

The electric net dissipated, leaving Nidoran wrapped in webbing. Even more now with Caterpie wrapping it up with more. Nidoran resisted Caterpie's might.

"Catapult yourself into a Tackle!" Ash commanded.

The Worm Pokémon loosed its grip and suction to the ground in order to soar across the air, slamming into Nidoran with all of its might.

"Go Pokeball!" Ash threw a Pokéball that captured Nidoran. After three wiggles, it dinged. He picked up the ball. "Alright! I caught a Nidoran!" He stroke a pose with Pikachu and Caterpie joining in.

He checked his Pokédex for more information. Nidoran, the poison pin Pokémon. It stiffens its ears to sense danger. The larger its horns, the more poisonous its venom is.

Gender: Male
Ability: Poison Point
Nature: Jolly

"What are the odds we would have found two Pokémon of the same species and different genders?" Serena asked. Her Pokémon appeared to be having a staring contest.

Ash laughed while shrugging. "Potentially low, but we can't forget about Pokémon breeding with one another. Take that as you will."

A bright light emitting from Caterpie grabbed their attention. Caterpie's body started to change into more crescent-shaped. When the light disappeared, a Metapod was in its place.

Ash smiled, couldn't believe that Caterpie had just evolved. "Congratulations Cater-I mean Metapod!" He went in to hug his Pokémon. "You're one step closer to becoming a Butterfree!"

"Metapod!" It cheered happily.

Ash checked his Pokédex once again just to make sure he knew what ability it had. Metapod, the cocoon Pokémon and evolved form of Caterpie. It hardens its shell to protect itself. However, if hit hard enough, it may cause it to pop out of its body.

Gender: Male
Ability: Shed Skin
Nature: Modest

Serena joined in on hugging Metapod along with every Pokémon in their respective parties. For the rest of the night, they celebrated making new friends with dancing and games.


AN: I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Let me know some of your thoughts in a review or PM.

Next Time: Stranded Flame ("You're the idiot around here!")

Questions You Might Have

Q: Why did Ash lose against Serena?

Primarily because he wasn't using Pikachu and he was being nice. If he was using Pikachu, he would have won. Also note it was not an official battle. More on that next time.

Q: Why did I give Ash and Serena Nidorans?

I like the symbolism and they do learn different moves as opposed to a different Pokemon and trying to find how to make both unique. I also remember using a Nidoking fondly in Firered.

Q: Why did I give the Rainbow Wing to Serena?

Mainly because it'll be a mystery and it'll be easier for people to see it rather than having to take it out whenever possible. Plus, I don't plan on having a blue ribbon here so I figured it would be a nice substitute.

Q: Since when does Caterpie know Electroweb?

Sword and Shield. You can look it if you don't believe me.

Q: How do Pokemon learn new moves?

Naturally, as they gain more experience and sort of "level up" after using certain moves or as I tried to explain, move guides. Essentially, Ash and Serena can look up the specific steps needed to help guide their Pokemon in learning certain moves. Generally speaking, this is slower than having a Move Tutor person help out. The other method is having a Pokemon help out which speeds up the process.