As the sun shined above, the gang made their way out of the city, heading towards Viridian forest. Ash and Meowth were particularly excited to see the forest and everything it had to offer.

"Man, isn't it exciting to be here in Viridian forest?" said Ash.

"You betcha," said Meowth. "I can't wait to find some new friends to train with!"

"Yeah," said Sam, "this forest has a lot of Pokemon. Granted, most of them are bug types, but you could still get a lot of new teammates here.

"That sounds like a lot of fun!" said Mikaela. "What do you think, Eevee?"

"Eevee!" Eevee said in approval.

"Well, we'll see what we can find," said Ash. "I sure hope we find some cool teammates, though!"

"You betcha we'll find something," said Meowth, "it's just a matter of finding them!"

The two nodded in agreement as they moved forwards. The woods steadily became thicker as they moved further inwards, but it never got to the point that it was too thick to move through. Ash idly thought back to a forest he had heard of from the distant Galar region, where the trees were so thick that one could barely see any sunlight, and most of the illumination was provided by strange glowing mushrooms. It was apparently infested with fairy type Pokemon, who had a tendency of leading travelers astray, never to be heard from again.

He shuddered at the thought, and was thankful that Viridian forest just had bug types.

"Hey, look at that!" Meowth said, pulling him away from his thoughts. As he looked in the direction his starter was pointing, his eyes widening in excitement.

"Hey, it's a Caterpie!" he said as he pulled out his Pokedex.

"Caterpie, the Worm Pokemon. Caterpie's short feet are tipped with suction pads that enable it to tirelessly climb slopes and walls."

"Ooh," said Mikaela, "are you gonna catch it?"

"Oh yeah!" Ash said as he grabbed a Pokeball. "And I have just the Pokemon for the job."

He then flung the Pokeball out, letting out his Spearow.

"Good idea," said Sam. "Flying types are really strong against bug types."

They then watched in shock as Spearow grabbed Caterpie and attempted to swallow it whole.

"Caterpiiiie!"

"Spearow!" Ash yelled. "I can't catch Caterpie if you eat it!"

The tiny bird Pokemon looked up in surprise, the horrified bug type still struggling in her beak. Disappointed, she spat it out, pecking it in frustration.

"I mean… I guess that works?" said Ash as he grabbed an empty Pokeball. He then tossed it at the injured bug type, who was sucked in immediately. After a few seconds, the ball let out a couple of sparks, indicating a successful catch.

"Well," he said, "At least we caught it?"

"Hey, that works for me," said Meowth. "Catch number two!"

"Yeah!" said Ash. "Isn't that exciting, Spearow?"

Spearow huffed, seemingly disappointed at not getting to eat the bug type. Sighing in amusement, Ash decided to let Caterpie out of the ball.

"Hey, Caterpie," said Ash as he bent down to greet the worm Pokemon, "my name is Ash, and I'm your new trainer. Aren't you excited?"

Caterpie looked up at the boy curiously for a moment. He then looked over at Spearow, and a panicked look formed on his face.

"Don't worry," said Ash. "She's not going to eat you."

The tiny bird Pokemon rolled her eyes, clearly still hungry. However, she nodded and acknowledged her trainer's words. Caterpie wasn't entirely confident, but he decided to trust Ash's words. He then jumped up onto his new trainer's hand and slowly crawled up onto the boy's shoulder.

"Great!" said Ash. "Guess we're a team now!"

Caterpie cried out happily, then looked up at Ash's companions.

"That was pretty neat," said Sam.

"Yeah," said Mikaela. "Too bad Spearow tried to eat him, though."

"Well, yeah," said Ash. "She's a flying type, and flying types often like to eat bug types."

"Oh, yeah," said Mikaela. "That would make things kind of awkward, though. Kind of like if one of us was made of cheeseburgers."

The rest of the group stared at her.

"Well… yeah, I guess," said Sam. "Not the exact phrase I would have used, but it works."

The gang was gathered around the table, where Mikaela had just set a big pot of stew. Ash and Sam were rather surprised when the brunette had offered to cook for them, but they were happy to get something other than pre-packaged sandwiches to eat.

"Here you go, guys!" Mikaela said with a smile on her face. Ash and Sam looked at the pot eagerly, only to be knocked over when their Pokemon rushed over to eat.

"Oh yeah!" Meowth said as he reached for a fork.

"Spearow!"

"Caterpiiie!"

"Pika."

The trainers watched as the Pokemon began to dig in. As they did, however, Ash noticed something rather unusual.

"Hey, Mikaela? Why isn't Eevee eating too?"

Mikaela looked down at her starter, seemingly confused.

"What's wrong, buddy?" she asked. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Vee!" the smiling normal type said, a large drop of sweat rolling down his cheek.

"Is it just me, or does Eevee really not want to eat Mikaela's cooking?" said Ash.

"Yeah," said Sam. "I have a bad feeling about this."

As if on due, the other Pokemon rushed away from the table towards the bushes. As they vanished behind the greenery, their trainers could hear the sound of retching, leading Ash and Sam to glance at each other nervously.

"What did you put in that stew?" said Ash, a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead.

"Oh, a little bit of everything!" said Mikaela with a hint of pride. "I think it turned out pretty good!"

Sam raised an eyebrow at the girl's explanation, then turned to look at the stew. Curious, he grabbed a spoon and dipped it into the pot. He then took a taste.

He immediately wished he hadn't done so.

"Man," Mikaela said as she watched Sam rush off towards the bushes. "Some people just have no appreciation for fine cuisine."

Ash stared at her, unsure of how to respond. In the end, however, he decided he would stick to the pre-packaged sandwiches.

"Ugh," Meowth said as he held a bottle of water in his paws, "I really should have just stuck to the Pokemon food."

His fellow Pokemon groaned in agreement as they took in small sips of water.

"Well," said Ash, "at least you tried something new, right?"

"Oh, that was something new, alright," said Sam, who still looked somewhat green. "I think I'll stick with the old, thank you very much."

Off to the side, Mikaela grumbled to herself. Ash couldn't quite make out what she was saying, but he could hear something about ungratefulness being mentioned.

Fortunately, by the time the gang was about to go to bed, everyone was feeling much better. As the three humans got into their sleeping bags, their Pokemon snuggled next to them.

"Well, I know that this wasn't the best day we could have had," said Ash. "But at least we got a new partner, right guys?"

"Yeah, we did," Meowth said as he glanced at Caterpie. "And you're gonna be great on our team, buddy!"

"Cat! Caterpie!"

Spearow grunted, still disappointed that she wasn't allowed to eat her newest teammate. That stew the brown haired girl had made was the worst thing she'd ever eaten, and she'd eaten bugs covered in mud and… other things.

"Well, I think it was pretty great," said Mikaela. "We took our first step on our journey to make our dreams come true!"

"Eevee!"

"Sure," muttered Sam, "as long as you don't end up ending that journey."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"Pikachu."

Ash couldn't help but chuckle. He then yawned as he retreated into the bag.

"Well, I'm going to sleep. Good night guys."

"Night," said Meowth."

"Sleep tight," said Sam.

"Don't let the bug types bite," said Mikaela.

The group then slowly drifted off to sleep. Or, at least, they tried to.

"Cat?"

Meowth poked an eye open and spotted Caterpie sitting on a tree stump, looking upwards towards the moon. He slowly got up, curious as to what the little bug type was thinking.

"Yo, Caterpie," he said as he approached the stump. "What's up?"

Surprised, the worm Pokemon turned to him.

"Caterpie Cat?"

"I saw you looking kinda melancholy," said Meowth. "You alright?"

Caterpie seemed slightly apprehensive about speaking with his new teammate, but he still was willing to share some of his thoughts.

"Cat, Caterpie," the bug said, explaining how he'd never expected to be caught by a trainer.

"Yeah, I don't think any of us saw it coming," said Meowth. "Right Spearow?"

The bug type's eye widened, and he turned around and saw the tiny bird Pokemon next to him. He very nearly freaked out, but Meowth placed a reassuring paw on him.

"Don't worry," Meowth said, "she won't eat you. Ash made sure of that."

Spearow rolled her eyes. It was rather irritating that her trainer's newest catch was something so appetizing, but she was unwilling to incur his wrath, so she would show restraint.

"But we all want to get strong, right?" said Meowth. "We can get pretty strong in the wild, but everyone knows you can only go so far. Trainers can be annoying, but they help us reach far beyond our natural limits. So why don't we all give Ash a chance?"

Caterpie was silent for a moment, considering what Meowth was saying. He had always longed to reach his final stage, to be able to fly effortlessly, just as his parents could. And yet, he was bound to the ground, barely stronger than when he hatched, and nowhere near his evolution. Heck, he'd almost been eaten, only able to avoid an untimely demise due to the fact that the bird who tried to eat him had been forbidden to do so be Ash.

Speaking of which, the flying type in question was perilously close, and he was really hoping that she was obedient enough to not try any funny business while their trainer was asleep.

But that was just another reason to join Ash's team. Not only could he help Caterpie become stronger, he could offer protection against the many dangerous flying types that would no doubt be lurking throughout the region. And while the food wasn't always the best, there was at least plenty of it!

As long as the brown haired girl wasn't the one cooking, it was a very appealing proposition.

"Cat! Caterpie!" Caterpie said with an enthusiastic tone.

"I knew you'd love the idea!" said Meowth. "We're gonna be such an awesome team!"

"Caterpie! Caterpie!"

"Spearow, Spear!"

The three Pokemon cheered together as they vowed to become stronger together.

The next morning, Ash and his Pokemon stood in a circle as they prepared to start their training.

"Okay, guys," said Ash, "we have a pretty tough road ahead of us. The Pokemon League is full of really strong trainers and Pokemon. And before we can get anywhere near there, we need to beat eight really tough trainers called Gym Leaders. So we need to get really strong to stand a chance. So who's with me?"

"All of us!" Meowth said with determination. "There's no way we're giving up!"

"Caterpie!"

"Row, Spearow!"

"That's what I like to hear," said Ash. "So let's get going! Meowth, I want to see you practice your Scratch on that tree over there. Caterpie, try using String Shot on those bushes. And Spearow, I want you to use Peck on the branches and try to see how many you can knock off. Got that?"

The group chirped in excitement, determined to be the best. Immediately, Meowth began to slash at the tree, leaving several deep claw marks in the bark. Above him, Spearow flew through the branches, pecking at them with as much force as she could muster, and managing to break a few of the smaller ones. And down below, Caterpie did his best to spin his silky string onto the branches until they were thoroughly coated.

"Okay guys, let's rest for a moment."

The three Pokemon stopped and rushed up to Ash, looking up at him as they caught their breath. The Raven haired trainer surveyed the area, taking note of the broken branches, as well as the scratched tree and string wrapped bushes.

"Not bad," he said, happy to see what his team was capable of. "But you can't just expect your opponent to take those attacks without fighting back. So I want to see you guys try something a bit harder."

He pointed at Caterpie, then to a short distance away, indicating where he needed to go. He then pointed at Meowth.

"Alright. Caterpie, I want you to try to wrap up Meowth."

"You want him to what?!"

"And you, Meowth, need to use your Fury Swipes to prevent yourself from being wrapped up."

"Oh," said Meowth, now less worried than before. "Alright, I guess. So, I just need to avoid getting wrapped up?"

"Yeah," said Ash. "We'll see how long you last."

"Okay then," said Meowth. "Come at me, wormy!"

Grunting with determination, Caterpie unleashed a flurry of string. Meowth cried out as he slashed furiously, cutting the strings into pieces. For a moment, he managed to keep up the pace and avoid getting tied up. However, as he slashed, string began to build up in his claws, and they slowly lost their cutting edge.

"Uh, this is getting a bit hard!" Meowth cried out as his arms got wrapped up by string, followed by the rest of his body.

"Okay, Caterpie! Stop now!"

The bug type immediately cancelled its attack, then looked on at what had happened. Meowth was now completely covered in silky thread, his limbs stuck right next to his body.

"Uh," said Ash, "Sorry?"

Meowth tried to speak, but his face was covered up, preventing him from saying anything. Caterpie seemed embarrassed, and was trying to look away. Spearow rolled her eyes and pecked at Meowth, releasing him from the string.

"Ugh!" Meowth said as he shook himself free. "Can we not try that again?"

Thankfully for Meowth, it was soon time for breakfast, and the group was able to take a breather to eat.

"Not bad," said Ash as he munched on a breakfast bar. "Definitely not the best food I've ever eaten, though."

"You know," said Mikaela, "I could always make something a lot better."

"NO!" Ash, Sam, and Meowth said quickly, causing the girl to pout.

"You guys are no fun."

"Eev-Eevee!" Eevee said happily.

"See, guys? Eevee gets it!"

Pikachu stared at the evolution Pokemon, wondering how he could always have that dumb smile on his face even when his trainer was offering potentially lethal food mixes. Was the smile just frozen on his face?

Honestly, though, Ash's Pokemon weren't really normal either. There was the talking Meowth, (honestly, what kind of Pokemon even talked?) the grumpy Spearow, (though to be fair, he'd be pretty grumpy too if he was forbidden from eating his favorite food,) and the Caterpie who was currently being carried off by a Pidgeotto…

Wait, what?

"Piiiiiieee!" Caterpie cried as it struggled to escape the clutches of the flying type.

"Caterpie!" Ash yelled. "Spearow! Get him!"

"Spear!" Spearow yelled as she took off. With a burst of speed, she caught up to the bird Pokemon and unleashed a Fury Attack, causing it to drop Caterpie in shock.

"Caaaat!" the bug type cried as he dropped towards the ground. Fortunately, Ash rushed forwards and caught him before he could land.

"I got you!"

Meanwhile, Pidgeotto and Spearow were struggling up in the sky. While Spearow was fighting valiantly, she was struggling to keep the larger flying type at bay. To make matters worse, Pidgeotto was clearly angry at the loss of its meal, and was taking out much of its frustration on the smaller bird.

"Spearow!" Ash called out, concerned for the safety of his Pokemon.

"We need to do something!" said Mikaela.

"I got it!" said Sam. "Pikachu! Thundershock!"

"Pika!" Pikachu yelled as it let loose a burst of electricity upwards, hitting the larger bird. Pidgeotto cried out in pain as it fell, and Sam decided to take advantage of it.

"I got this!" he said as he grabbed an empty pokeball. "Go, pokeball!"

He flung it at the bird Pokemon, who was sucked in instantly. The ball landed on the ground, where it shook three times before shooting out sparks, indicating a successful catch.

"Oh yeah!" Sam said as he held up the ball. "I just caught my first Pokemon!"

"Pika, Pikachu."

"Alright!" said Mikaela. "That was awesome!"

"Yeah," said Ash, "not to mention that Caterpie is safe now!"

"Caterpie!"

"Spear," Spearow huffed, feeling that she deserved most of the credit for getting Pidgeotto to drop the worm in the first place. Still, she supposed she was thankful towards Sam and Pikachu for getting the big bird away from her.

"Thanks guys," said Sam as he put the ball away. "Gotta say, it's pretty awesome to catch my own pokemon."

"Yeah, it is," said Ash. "I had a lot of fun when I caught Spearow and Caterpie."

"Aw," said Mikaela, "Now I'm the only one who hasn't caught a Pokemon yet."

Ash shrugged at this, then noticed something squirming behind a tree.

"Well, I think you might get a chance now."

The brown haired girl blinked, then turned around. She then noticed a group of Weedle crawling around, seemingly searching for food.

"Oh my gosh, that's perfect!" she said with a huge grin. "Let's get 'em, Eevee!"

"Ev-Eevee!" said her starter as they both rushed off. The group of Weedle quickly noticed them, and immediately began to panic.

"Weedle!" they cried as they began to crawl away. However, one of them was not as attentive as the others, and didn't notice the newcomers until it was too late.

"Use tackle!"

The hairy Pokemon was knocked back as it was hit by Eevee. It quickly recovered, however, and fired off a Poison Sting attack.

"Dodge it!"

"Eevee!" the normal type said as he bounced upwards, avoiding the poison type attack. He then tackled Weedle again, knocking it back once again.

"Okay," she said as she grabbed a pokeball. "Let's do this! Pokeball go!"

She then tossed the ball, which sucked Weedle in before landing. After a few shakes, it let off a few sparks of its own.

"I did it!" Mikaela said as she held up the ball. "I caught my very own Pokemon!"

"Eevee Eevee!"

"That's awesome!" said Sam. "You did great!"

"Pika."

"Yeah," said Ash. "Now we all caught our own Pokemon!"

"And that means we're all even closer to our dreams!" said Meowth.

"Caterpie!"

"Weedle!"

Mikaela grinned as she looked down at the pokeball that now contained her very first catch. She knew that it would be a long road to becoming the best Pokemon breeder, but she felt that she had taken her first step in that direction.

There was nothing in the world that could ruin this moment.

"Hey, what's that noise?" said Sam.

The rest of the group looked at him in surprise. They then turned their heads, listening closely.

"It sounds like buzzing," said Ash.

"Yeah," said Mikaela. "And it's getting closer."

Meowth then felt a chill crawl up his spine.

"Hey, Mikaela?" he asked. "Wasn't there a bunch of other Weedle with yours?"

"Oh yeah," said Mikaela. "There was. Why?"

"Well, where did they go?"

They then looked up, and saw a mass of yellow and black rushing straight towards them.

"They went to call their buddies!" said Ash

"They're coming for us!" said Sam. "Run!"

The group then ran off, with a huge swarm of Beedrill in hot pursuit.

A/N: Well, looks like our heroes are doing pretty well as they begin their journey. I mean, they all managed to catch a new partner today!

Oh yeah, and they made some Pokemon angry. Oh well, guess you can't get everything right all the time.