Chapter 1

Bouncing back and forth, almost as if trying to anticipate the movements of its opponent, a pink Pokémon had its eyes locked with the dark Pokémon like a shadow come to life across from it as both tried to figure out the next strike. A sinister grin locked on the larger bipedal Pokémon's face, it raised its arm and struck out at the Pokémon that stood on all fours, but the quadruped jumped back and dodged it. Rearing up on its hind legs, it leapt forward, only to be knocked back with an arm swipe by its opponent. Bouncing off its arm, the pink Pokémon flipped backwards and landed skillfully on its feet.

The crowd in the huge stadium cheered loudly as the Pokémon didn't even waste a second and dove at its opponent again, this time lowering the sharp horn protruding out of its forehead. "And Nidorino begins the battle with a Horn Attack!" the announcer cried, his voice echoing over the loudspeakers and drowning out the crowd as the Pokémon, Nidorino, jabbed its horn repeatedly at its opponent. The mischievous Pokémon in front of it weaved in and out of its strikes, and took a short jump up, landing on Nidorino's head and pushing it to the ground before using it as a spring board and bouncing higher into the air. "Oh, but Gengar bounces right back!"

Landing on the ground below and some distance away from Nidorino, Gengar's red eyes stared unflinching as Nidorino struggled back up onto its feet. It shook off the dirty tactic and turned back to the Shadow Pokémon. Prepared for this, Gengar immediately clapped its hands together and held them out. Rings of dark energy came pulsing out between Gengar's palms, and swept past Nidorino. "And there it is, the Hypnosis power of Gengar!" Slowly, Nidorino's eyelids began to droop, and it swayed back and forth as it struggled to stay awake. Finally, unable to keep consciousness, the Poison Pin Pokémon's knees buckled and it fell on its side as its eyes closed in a deep sleep. "This could be the end of Nidorino!"

From the side of the stadium floor, a red beam of energy shot out and Nidorino and enveloped it, converting the Poison Pokémon into red energy and recalling it into where the red beam originated from – a green and white sphere in the hand of a muscled Trainer with long, spiky black hair. "Wait! The Trainer recalled Nidorino! Which Pokémon will he use now?" Replacing the Poké Ball with another from his pocket, he pressed the button in the center to enlarge the green and white sphere, and threw it out onto the stadium. The ball landed on the floor in front of Gengar, and the Ghost Pokémon jumped backwards as it opened up, releasing a geyser of white energy that shot straight up into the air, and finally condensed together into a massive snake-like Pokémon that seemed to be comprised of a collection of gray boulders. "Oh, it's Onix!" The Rock-type gave out a growl before its beady pupils locked onto the much smaller Pokémon down below and dove down at it. "Now this giant Pokémon's on the attack!" Ramming its head into the ground at Gengar, Onix's opponent jumped out of the way, backwards to avoid the attack, and Onix crashed into the ground, visibly shaking the stadium and kicking up dirt and debris. "Uh oh, but Gengar jumps aside! Gengar is moving beautifully today! Its training is top-notch, no doubt about it!"

The boy watching the program playing out on television stared at the TV with determined brown eyes, adjusting the green fingerless glove that covered his hand. This program was an old program of the Champion League back when it was first established, and it was aired quite frequently. Ash had seen it many times, so he didn't have to force his eyes away as he knelt down and adjusted the shoe laces on his running shoes, brand new for his big day tomorrow. Tomorrow was the day that he was going to become what he had always dreamed of becoming: a Pokémon Trainer.

The room of the boy that inhabited it was filled with Pokémon memorabilia, from pencil sharpeners to piggy banks, and even alarm clocks that all resembled different Pokémon. Last April, he had finally turned ten, which allowed him to be able to sign up to get his first Pokémon from Professor Oak, the town's Pokémon expert. And excitement was bubbling in his chest, keeping his eyelids open when he should be sleeping.

Slipping his red and white hat with the Pokémon League logo on the front of it over his messy black hair, he pinched the brim and twisted it backward. "I will journey to gain the wisdom of Pokémon training. And I hereby declare to the Pokémon of the world... I will be a Pokémon Master!" Reaching out and grabbing the first thing in his reach that was ball-shaped, which happened to be the alarm clock on his bedside that was shaped like a Voltorb, he held it out with his arm outstretched. "Pokémon Master! That's what I'll-"

"Ash! Get to bed!" A stern voice interrupted his monologue, shocking him. The flinch caused the alarm clock to fly from his hand, but the owner of the voice, his mother, caught the alarm clock effortlessly. Her eyebrows were pulled together in an angry look he hardly ever saw, and his eyes bounced from her angry eyes to the clock she held up beside her face, clicking it open to reveal the time inside: 11:00 at night. A brown and cream colored bird Pokémon came out of the center on a spring. "It's eleven-o-clock, and you should be asleep!" A young, pretty woman, her auburn colored hair was tied up into a ponytail at the base of her neck. With his heart beating in his chest from fright still, Ash deflated onto the large Snorlax plush in the middle of the room.

"But tomorrow I begin my Pokémon journey," he argued sadly. "I can't sleep."

"Well, if you can't sleep, you should at least get ready for tomorrow," she said quickly, and grabbed the remote control from his bureau where his clothes were held and clicked a button. "Here, watch this." The screen flashed from a screen of Onix and Gengar still battling to an older man with tired lines on his face showing both age and wisdom and wearing a lab coat over a maroon collared shirt appeared, standing next to three posters of different Pokémon.

"Good evening, Pallet. Tomorrow's the big day for the newest class of Pokémon students," he said while looking directly at the camera. "I'd like to introduce you to Bulbasaur-" The camera panned over to the poster all the way to the right, and showed a blue quadruped Pokémon with a large bulb on its back. "Charmander-" It panned over to the left, and the image showed an orange lizard Pokémon that stood on two legs and a fire burning brightly on the tip of its tail as its mouth was open as if crying out. "-and Squirtle." Finally, it ended on the poster closest to the man in the lab coat, which depicted a blue turtle Pokémon with stubby arms and legs sticking out of a shell, as well as a curly tail behind it.

"Each one is available for new trainees. Which one shall you choose?"

"Go to bed when this is done," Ash's mother scolded, noticing the elated look on Ash's face growing once again as his eyes glued once again to the television set.

"All right, I'm going," Ash whined, barely paying attention but drowning out the man's voice as he said this so he couldn't hear what he said.

"And change into your pajamas, okay?" And with that, she shut the door to his room, but his glance never wavered as did his excitement.

"I'm going...!"

o 0 o

It was the moment he had been waiting for his whole life. It was the decision he had been thinking about since learned what a Pokémon Trainer was. But even now, as he lay in bed with the TV set on another Pokémon battle program, the thought that in less than 24 hours he would have his own Pokémon was still rolling around in his brain. But furthermore, he still hadn't decided on which Pokémon he was going to get.

"Raising Bulbasaur... That'd be really simple – it's perfect for beginners..." he muttered to himself, looking past the ceiling and imaging himself throwing a Poké Ball and letting out the Grass Pokémon. As he lingered on the thought, another Pokémon flashed in his mind, and he shifted positions, sitting upright. "Then there's Squirtle..." Its bright red eyes, its sturdy shell and battling potential came together for a perfect Pokémon. A smirk appeared on his face, and one would think it would be because the Dragonite on the television set was taken out by a Lapras's Ice Beam, winning its Trainer the match, but that was not the case. His eyes may have been on the TV, but his brain was elsewhere.

o 0 o

It was the break of dawn when Ash came barreling down from the stairs. The smell of food cooking wafted through the house from the kitchen from his mom beginning the start of breakfast. Hearing the boy come trouncing down the stairs, the auburn-haired woman's black eyes widened as she turned around, steam rising from the pan in her hand as he went rushing past the kitchen table.

"Ash!" she exclaimed. "You're up awfully early! I almost had half a mind that you would even sleep past your alarm."

"Didn't sleep! Too excited!" he spat out quickly in response, hat in hand as he attempted to get past her to get to the front door.

"Y-you didn't sleep?!" she responded, her voice almost drowned out by the sizzle of the food in the pan. As she saw he was trying to get to the front door, she called out, "Don't you at least want to wait for breakfast?!"

"No time! I gotta get there first!" Ash cried, throwing the front door open and running outside without even closing it. In the time for the older Ketchum woman to let out a sigh of exasperation, Ash came rushing back in, hat sideways on his head from hastily putting it over his black locks and scarfed down the small bowl of rice that was sitting on the table before running back outside, this time for good.

o 0 o

Not too far up the dirt path from Ash's house was a huge laboratory at the edge of Pallet. This was the lab and home of Professor Oak, the man who would be giving Ash and two other Trainers their starting Pokémon that day. Ash had been here many times when he was younger, and his mother used to be a student of the Pokémon Professor. But as he ran to the huge white building set at the top of a huge hill that overlooked Pallet Town, none of these were on his mind.

If it had been just a bit later in the morning, there would have been people starting their day, going to their day job, or taking a nice morning walk to prepare for the day ahead. However, Pallet Town was a small town, and the fact that not one, but three children were getting their first Pokémon was the talk of the town, and something that was a big deal. So some weren't even going to work to begin with.

He arrived at the front gate and stomped up the stairs to get to the front door of the lab just as a Dodrio somewhere in the distance gave a loud cry signifying the start of morning, tripping only a couple times on his way up in his hurry. Finally reaching the door at the end of the upturned path, he pressed on the doorbell and waited impatiently. He could hear the dinging echoing throughout the lab, and after a few moments of silence, he pressed the doorbell once again. This time, after another space of quiet, he could finally hear footsteps on the other side of the door, and he heard the tumblers turn as the door unlocked.

Eyes bright and wide, he looked at the confused face of the man who had opened the door. It was the man who had been on TV last night, his salt and pepper hair gray from years of experience sticking up a little more than normal. "Ash," he said as both a greeting and in surprise. "I wasn't expecting anyone to show up for at least an hour, and especially not you!" He was quiet for a moment as he studied the bags under Ash's eyes. "Do you know you have some rice on your face?" With the back of his arm, Ash quickly wiped at his mouth, discarding said rice grains on his face onto the concrete ground.

"Sorry, I didn't sleep last night. I was too excited! But believe me, I'm ready for a Pokémon!" The Pokémon Professor stared at Ash for some time, but his hardened look softened a little upon seeing the determination in the younger boy's eyes, and he finally opened the door wider, inviting him inside. The older man led the way, walking through the lab to a staircase that Ash had never been up before. When they finally reached the top, they were in a crowded room that smelled of sanitation products but was filled to the brim with hi-tech machines and technology Ash couldn't even begin to explain what they did. In the center was a machine was a dome glass over the top, and inside sat three Poké Balls, each of the temporary Poké Balls having the names of the Pokémon that they contained inside over the silver button on the front.

Ash marveled at the Poké Balls displayed in the glass case. "Do I get to choose, Professor Oak?"

"Not yet," he answered with a shake of his head. "We'll wait for the other two kids that are supposed to get their Pokémon today as well. Although I hear there's a fourth one that may be showing up as well, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it..." Before Ash could open his mouth and ask who they were, the doorbell rang once again, echoing from the stairs going down onto the main floor. "Ah, that must be one of them now. Awfully early as well. I'll be right back, Ash."

The silence was deafening in the room, and even the electronic beeps from the various computers wasn't enough to keep Ash distracted from the Poké Balls before him. Inside one of these balls was the Pokémon that he would be traveling with for the rest of his life. It was almost like this was a dream.

Just before Ash could touch the glass dome, he heard movement and talking, and up came Professor Oak and another boy with spiky auburn hair that Ash recognized right away. "Gary!" he exclaimed, his mouth opening into an 'O'. Seeing that someone was here before him, Gary blinked back his surprise, and then smirked at the younger boy.

"Mr. Gary to you – show some respect. I'm surprised you got up so early. Thought you'd be catching some z's while the rest of us competent Trainers got a head start," he sneered, and Ash's eyebrows came together.

"Why you..." Clenching his fist, he glared at his childhood rival. The two had grown up together, and were very close as children, but as they grew older, their friendship turned into a rivalry, which then blossomed into hatred. Gary was popular, and knew a lot about Pokémon, and used this to turn the neighborhood against Ash where he was repeatedly teased.

"Now now, boys," Professor Oak warned lightly, but before he could continue, another figure walked up the stairs, her violet eyes dancing from one of the males to the other.

"I saw you let in that boy, so I let myself in," she admitted, rubbing the back of her fanned out deep blue hair. "I was told to come meet Professor Oak, but I'm a little early. My name is Marina."

"Actually, it seems all three of you were all early, so you're just in time," the Pokémon Professor stated, rubbing his hands together and clearing his throat. They all stepped into a line in front of him like a Sargent looking at his troops. Ash's eyes lingered on the Marina girl. He hadn't really interacted with her, but he recognized her from school. He didn't know that she was the one who was starting her journey with them as well. "Now, I won't bore you with the normal mumbo jumbo of becoming a Pokémon Trainer. As you know, it isn't going to be easy, but if you treat your Pokémon with respect, kindness, and give it the love and training that it deserves, your journey will prove successful.

"As you know, in this glass contains three Pokémon: Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. Each of you will choose one, and it will be up to you to nurture and help it to grow to not only help its character, but yours. Do you understand?" The three children nodded, and Professor Oak's eyes landed on Ash. "Ash, you were the first one to arrive here, so I think it should be you who gets to pick first."

"But Gramps!" Gary interjected immediately, his own eyebrows coming together in annoyance, but Professor Oak raised his hand to stop him from speaking further.

"It is only fair after all, Gary."

Anxiety filled his chest as he stepped forward, and with a push of a button on Professor Oak's end, the glass dome split in the middle and raised the Poké Balls inside. His eyes danced between the Poké Balls, but he finally let out a deep breath. "I've thought about it a lot, and it took me a long time, but I've finally decided to choose... Squirtle!" Reaching out, he picked up the Poké Ball that had Squirtle's name in blue letters, and the ball opened up in his hand as he let the white side rest in his palms. A burst of light came out, and sitting in front of him was the blue Tiny Turtle Pokémon he had seen many times on TV.

"Squirt?" it muttered, looking around, then up at Ash.

"Squirtle is a Water-type Pokémon, and a very good choice, Ash," Professor Oak commended, and Ash reached out and picked up the Water-type into his arms.

"Hi Squirtle. My name is Ash!" he introduced. Both Gary and Marina seemed to pout as they looked on, and Ash stepped backwards with his Pokémon in his arms, only to be replaced in spot by Gary.

"Well then, if Ash chose Squirtle, I'm going to choose Bulbasaur," Gary said, throwing Ash a cocky side-glance before picking up the Pokémon's Poké Ball. He released it as well, and the Seed Pokémon appeared with a grunt. A confused look was exchanged between Gary and Bulbasaur from Ash's eyes, as if he didn't understand Gary's statement, but Gary simply grinned down at his new Pokémon and recalled it into its Poké Ball, letting the ball spin around on his index finger before pressing the button on the center to shrink it to the size of a ping pong ball and putting it into his pocket.

Finally, it was Marina's turn, and she stepped forward. "Well, I really like Water Pokémon, so my first choice was Squirtle, but that's what I get for being the last one here," she said with a slight chuckle, and picked up the remaining Poké Ball. Opening it up, Charmander appeared from the light, and smiled up at her. The two exchanged friendly smiles, and Professor Oak handed her a Poké Ball.

"These will be the new Poké Balls that you will keep your new Pokémon in," he explained to them, and Marina enlarged hers before tapping it on Charmander's forehead, pulling it inside and locking with a click. He also brought forward a cart, and each one contained trays that contained five Poké Balls and a small red box. "Now take these. Your Pokédex and Poké Balls. The Pokédex is a hi-tech encyclopedia that will answer any questions you have on your journey, so be sure to take full advantage of it.

"Now that that is out of the way, it's time for you three to take your first steps into your Pokémon journey. Good luck to you all, and don't forget to give me updates time and again!"

o 0 o

Not only were they blinded by the sun that had risen higher into the sky from when they first arrived at the lab, but the cheering crowd at the bottom of Professor Oak's front gate was deafening them as well. Ash's mouth opened up in awe as him and Squirtle looked down at the sea of people once his eyes adjusted. It seemed like the whole town of Pallet was there to congratulate them.

With Professor Oak staying behind them, they walked down the steps, and as they got closer, Ash could hear a chanting from within the crowd. "Gary Gary, he's our man! If he can't do it, no one can!" At the front of the crowd was a line of cheerleaders, each of them waving pompoms and kicking their legs out in time and unison. Once Gary heard the cheers, he pushed on ahead, his nose in the air and eyes closed smugly as he took the lead. Ash stopped and stared in the background, and he saw Marina quietly slip into the crowd without a second word to either one of them, disappearing amongst the people.

Gary seemed not to have noticed that she was gone or even remembered she existed as he pulled out his Poké Ball that contained his Bulbasaur and spun it on his index finger before the crowd. They let out a deafening roar and the cheerleaders changed their chant to another. "Let's go Gary, let's go!"

"Thank you, fans! Thank you all for this great honor!" he called out to them, raising his hands in the air over his head while still holding his Poké Ball in his palm. "I promise you that I will become a Pokémon Master and make the town of Pallet known all around the world!" His speech prompted applause and more cheers, and seemed to raise his already over-inflamed ego. Before the cheers had a chance to die down, he walked into the crowd, the people parting as he went to the road, where a red convertible was idling with another girl sitting and waiting. Him and the girls all got in, and he waved out behind him. "Thank you for coming out to see history in the making! Now I, Gary Oak, am off to learn the ways of the Pokémon Trainer!" And as the car drove off, the large crowd of people followed.

Reality set in as the situation passed, and as he processed it in his brain, Ash scowled and clenched his fists. "That Gary..." His thoughts were drowned out by a small fanfare consisting of kazoos, tambourines, and the clacking of pots and pans, and he looked over to see a small amount of people he recognized as neighbors and regulars of his mother's restaurant beaming up at him. A homemade banner which had 'Go Ash Go!' painted on it in red was held up by two people, but overall, it was sad-looking when compared to Gary's own entourage. But, in the center, with a slightly embarrassed look on her face was Ash's mom. The look on her face almost seemed to say 'Sorry this isn't like Gary's crowd', but Ash's didn't care, and only raised his eyebrows at her as he put down Squirtle.

"Mom!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, Ash, I'm so proud of you," she told him, clutching the green backpack in her arms as if it were a life preserver. "You're finally going to fulfill your dream and start your Pokémon training." As she said this, the smile on her face slowly faded, and replaced with a tearful look. "But I'm... I'm going to miss you so much..." she said, hiding wiping her falling tears on the backpack she held. "Oh, my little boy!" Squirtle walked up beside Ash, and gave a smile up at its Trainer's mother.

"Squir-tle."

As quickly as the tears started, they went away, and she quickly unzipped the main pocket of the bag and reached inside. Without warning, she started dumping things into Ash's arms. "I packed extra sneakers and jeans, nice clean shirts and underwear, and your favorite snacks, and some hot chocolate in case you want something hot, but be careful not to burn yourself. And a pair of rubber gloves to do your laundry, and a new clothesline to hang it out to dry-"

"Mom! You're embarrassing me!" Ash cut off, snatching the backpack out of her hands best he could with his arms full of stuff and gave her a bashful look. "In front of all these people?! Don't you know I'm a big kid now? Pokémon Trainers can take care of themselves!"

"I understand," she replied, and looked down at the Pokémon at his feet. "And that's your Pokémon!"

"Squirt," it nodded.

"Yup, that's my Pokémon!" A grin appeared on his face, and Ash clutched his fist at the air in front of him. "With Squirtle at my side, I'll get all the Pokémon in the world!"

"I thought all Pokémon stayed inside their Poké Balls..." the brunette muttered behind a folded hand. "Why doesn't this one?"

"Oh! Oh, yeah, right," Ash said, the words reminding him, and he took out the new Poké Ball that Professor Oak had given him as Squirtle's new Poké Ball. "Squirtle, get in the ball now!" Giving the ball a light throw, the red and white sphere bopped on Squirtle's head, converting it into red energy and sucking it inside. The ball soared back into Ash's hand, and clicked shut. "Squirtle and I are already great pals."

A warm, comforted look crossed his mother's face, and Ash's words and how easily it had gone into the ball seemed to ease her sadness. And then, she said the phrase that he was dreading she would say in front of all these people. "Don't forget to change your underwear... Every single day."

"...okay."

o 0 o

With Pallet Town at his back, Ash clutched the straps of his new backpack as he walked up the main dirt path through Route 1. It was a strange feeling going up this path unattended, as the only time that he did was with his mother by vehicle. In school, they were told not to go past the town line unless you had an adult or a Pokémon of your own with you, and it was almost a rebellious feeling for him to be walking along. It would definitely take some getting used to.

Stopping for a break, he looked behind him to see how much progress he had made. Pallet Town was a speck now, and the brightly painted roofs of the houses were only dots that stuck out among the green grassy background at the base of the mountains on its other side.

Slowly, his hand drifted down the belt around his waist. He had clipped the empty Poké Balls that Professor Oak had given him to his belt for easy access, and among them was Squirtle's Poké Ball as well. He knew his mother had said that all Pokémon stayed in their Poké Balls, but he felt bad keeping it in there, all cramped up while he was enjoying the outside on the side of the trail. And so, he pulled the ball from his belt and enlarged it to the size of a softball with the button in the center. Excitement bursting in his chest, he threw the Poké Ball forward. "Squirtle, I choose you!" The ball soared through the air and opened, releasing a burst of white light that eventually formed into the Tiny Turtle Pokémon.

"Squirtle!" it cried, and looked around realizing there were no Pokémon to battle, so it looked at its new Trainer with a curious look on its face.

"Hi Squirtle," he greeted, kneeling down to be at a closer level to the Water-type. "I just wanted to know if you were hungry or anything."

"Squirt?"

"Um, yeah, what do you like to eat?"

"Squirtle squirt."

"Is your name... all you can say?" Squirtle nodded, cocking its brow at him. "O-oh..." Ash let out a sigh, but the sound of movement grabbed both of their attentions. Turning around, they saw the sound was footfalls coming from a small brown and cream colored bird Pokémon that came out from the side of the path. The Pokémon looked around, but was oblivious to the pair and started to peck at the ground for seeds.

"A Pidgey!" Ash exclaimed, standing upright and pulling the Pokédex from the pocket of his blue jacket. Pointing the scanner at it, the device came to life as he opened the front cover, and it brought up a picture of the Pokémon in front of him on its screen.

"Pidgey is a Flying Pokémon. Among all the Flying Pokémon, it is the gentlest and easiest to capture – a perfect target for the beginning Pokémon Trainer to test his Pokémon skills."

"This is great!" Ash muttered, and smiled as he clicked the cover shut. "It's our lucky day!" Replacing it back in the pocket of his jacket, he smirked down at Squirtle. "Squirtle, go get it!"

"Squirtle!" his Pokémon declared, and trotted forward. The movement grabbed the Flying-type's attention, and it cocked its head at the blue turtle Pokémon.

"All right Squirtle! Use-" Before the words could escape his mouth, Ash blinked, and realized he had no idea what kind of moves Squirtle could use. Pulling his Pokédex back out, he scanned Squirtle, and once again the device sprung to life.

"Squirtle's known moves are: Number one – Tackle."

"All right Squirtle, use Tackle!" With its command finally being issued, Squirtle let out a cry and charged forward. Pidgey was surprised by the sudden attack, and opened its wings, but it was too slow and the attack connected as Squirtle rammed its body into the Normal and Flying Pokémon. Pidgey let out a cry as it was knocked backwards, but quickly got up and began flapping its wings close to the ground. A strong wind current came from its wings and spiraled in front of it which swallowed Squirtle and lifted it off its feet. The Water-type cried out in surprise as its arms and legs flailed, and it was finally thrown backward where it skidded on its stomach. "Squirtle! Are you okay?"

"Pidgey's Gust power creates tornadoes," the Pokédex said electronically, and Ash looked down at the image of Pidgey the screen was displaying. "It also has a Sand-Attack."

"Sand?!" Ash repeated in shock as Pidgey started to flap its wings again, this time kicking up another windstorm, this time filled with sand from the path below. Both he and Squirtle began to cough, but they shook it away as he pointed his Pokédex at Squirtle again. "Okay, another move!"

"Squirtle's known moves: Number two – Tail Whip."

"Squirtle, use Tail Whip!" the black-haired boy commanded. Rushing towards Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokémon had been preparing to fly away with its Sand-Attack hitting its target, but the Water-type swung its tail as it closed in, striking Pidgey with it and knocking it on its side.

Throwing his backpack near a tree, he pulled an empty Poké Ball from his belt and pressed the center button, enlarging it. "Alright. I've pledged to get all the Pokémon of the world. Now I'm ready to take the next step to be the number one Pokémon Master." Holding out the Poké Ball before him, he looked down at the Pokémon that was struggling to get up. "Enjoy your last moments of freedom, Pidgey, cause you're mine!" His free hand pinching the brim of his cap, he pulled the hat backwards, and reared his arm back. "Poké Ball... go!" With a strong whip of his arm, the ball left his fingers, and spiraled through the air. It seemed to go in slow motion as it sailed towards the Flying-type, and upon impact, it opened and converted it into red energy before sucking it inside.

"I did it!" Ash exclaimed, snapping his fingers as the ball landed on the ground. But his grin quickly faded as the ball began to rock back and forth, and the button flashed red as the Pidgey inside tried to break out. Clenching his fists, a bead of sweat dripped down his face as he stared at the ball in concentration, willing it shut with his mind as hard as he could. Finally, the ball locked with an audible click, and his eyebrow twitched. Slowly, the corners of his mouth curled up, and his face contorted as he tried to contain his excitement and failed. "YES! I DID IT!"

Pumping his fist into the air, he ran up to the Poké Ball on the ground and picked it up, cradling it in his hands as if it were a fragile egg. "I did it! I caught Pidgey!" Raising the Poké Ball high into the air, and then started bouncing back and forth while holding the Poké Ball. "I did it all by myself! I caught my first Pokémon! This is the first step on my way of becoming the number one Pokémon Master in the whole world!" Laughing happily, he started skipping around in circles, holding the Poké Ball high above his head in victory as Squirtle looked on, watching him run around and eventually making its eyes spin around and around until it eventually fell onto its back. "Look out Pokémon! Nothing's gonna stop me now!" Stopping in front of Squirtle, he held the Poké Ball out in its face, and the Tiny Turtle Pokémon shook its head and crossed its eyes as it stared at the metal orb inches away from it.

"Look! Inside this ball is the very first Pokémon I've ever caught in my whole entire life!" Pulling his arm back, he smiled down at it. "It must be great for Pidgey inside the Poké Ball all cute and comfortable inside there," he muttered, and started rubbing his cheek against the metal. "I love my new little Pokémon!" Turning back to Squirtle – the turtle Pokémon finally getting off its back – he called out to it. Approaching, he knelt down and cradled the ball in his hands much more gently than before. "Squirtle, we've got a new friend!" The initial shock wearing off, Squirtle gave a cheer and waved its arms in the air.

"Squirtle!"

"Oh, Squirtle, I'm glad you like it!" Standing up, his happiness turned into a look of determination. "Annnndddd, from now on we'll catch a whole bunch of new friends!" Before he could say anything else, he heard a strange noise coming from his backpack, and he looked over to where he had thrown it to see it was moving back and forth, while a pair of purple hind legs and a curled tail was sticking out from the open pocket.

"Hey! Get outta there!" Ash cried, rushing up to his bag. Hearing the movements of footsteps coming up to it, the thief – a purple mouse-like Pokémon with large front teeth and equally large red eyes – stuck its head out, and seeing that it had been caught red-handed, ran away and up a hill. Ash stopped, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to catch up to the speedy little Pokémon, and the Pokédex came to life as it turned around and hissed at him before scurrying away.

"A forest Pokémon, Rattata." Upon hearing the device come to life in his pocket, Ash knelt down and opened the front cover as the image of the Rat Pokémon appeared on the front screen. "It likes cheese, nuts, fruits, and berries."

"Yeah, but this isn't a forest; it's an open field," the Pallet boy muttered angrily, and the Pokédex continued.

"It also comes out into open fields to steal food from stupid travelers."

"That means I-I'm stupid?" Off to the side, Squirtle fell onto its back once again, this time in laughter upon hearing Ash's realization. Ash sent his starter Pokémon a dirty look, and quickly pocketed the Pokédex that was the cause of Squirtle's laughter as he tried to push away the blush of embarrassment that threatened to reach past his neck and settle on his cheeks. "I'll show that Rattata who's stupid when I capture it."

With Squirtle following behind but losing pace since its little legs couldn't keep up with its Trainer, Ash headed up the slope that Rattata had run up, and stopped when he reached the top. Though he had an empty Poké Ball ready in his hand, the Rattata was long gone, disappearing amongst the tall, untamed grass off the main path. A childish look of him sticking out his lower lip colored his face, and his eyebrows knitted together in annoyance. His puffing Squirtle came up behind him, breathing heavily from the distance it ran. "It got away..." Ash murmured, frowning as he looked down at the landscape before him. The open fields ended some time away, and gave way to a thin forest that had Viridian City on the other side of it.

Just then, Ash felt something cold splash his cheek, and he looked up at the sky. The blue sky from earlier had drastically changed, and the sun just disappeared behind thick black clouds. Thunder rumbled from them, and with it, raindrops began to fall. Letting out a cry, he used his backpack as an umbrella and held it over his hat and hair as he took off into a run towards the woods, Squirtle closely in tow. "We have to find cover out of this storm!" he cried, almost slipping in the wet grass that brushed against his ankles. What grass did manage to get under the brim of his jeans sent shivers up his spine from the moisture touching his dry skin.

The pair ran for what seemed like a half an hour before finally finding a tree that had been emptied out, and they dove into it for shelter. Letting out a sigh of relief, Ash removed his hat and shook the water droplets from his dark locks. He was soaked to the bone. While Squirtle was as well, the Water-type obviously didn't seem to mind, and only looked out at the raindrops that were escaping from the treetops with glittery eyes.

"Guess there's nothing more we can do but wait for the storm to pass..." Ash murmured, leaning back and resting his head on his backpack while his fingers intertwined behind the back of his head. Seeing as he did not sleep the night before, and how much energy he had just spent up until then, it didn't take long for exhaustion to catch up with the young, new Pokémon Trainer, and within moments, he was asleep with Squirtle leaning up against him.

o 0 o

The shadows of Flying Pokémon darting by the sunlight seeping in through the opening in the tree woke Ash up from a deep slumber. Slowly, his eyelids opened, and reality set in in a few moments. He was laying on his side, and his Squirtle on its stomach beside him. Blinking a few times, a tired smile settled on Ash's face. It wasn't all just a dream: he actually had a Pokémon.

The tweeting of the bird Pokémon also woke Squirtle, and the small blue Pokémon's eyes fluttered open. "Squirt..."

Both of them stepped out from the hollow tree, and gave a stretch. The main path wasn't too far from where they were, and puddles dotting the area was all that remained from the rainstorm that drove them inside. His clothes were still damp, but he didn't mind, and he threw his backpack over his shoulders to start the trek north.

However, a glittering gold speck peeking through the trees and a mystical cry grabbed the pair's attention, and they whipped their heads upward. They could barely see what was moving through the surface of leaves, so they ran a clearing in the main path on a slope to see it clearly. Words could not describe what he was staring at – the creature was huge, and was covered in gold feathers that glittered so brightly it seemed to reflect the rainbow that it was flying over. "What's that?" Ash asked rhetorically, though the Pokédex in his jacket pocket answered for him.

"There is no data. There are still Pokémon yet to be identified." And as the Pokédex turned off, Ash and Squirtle continued to stare at the mystical Pokémon above until it was completely out of sight, and the two of them then turned and looked at each other. Both knowing the same thing was on their mind, they knew it was a sign. A sign that their journey together was destined to be packed with nonstop action, millions of laughs, heart-pounding perils, and endless excitement. Letting this new development fuel them, the two found the main path, and continued down the road, towards the next step in their Pokémon journey.

-end-

Ash:

Party:

Squirtle (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip

Pidgey (Poké Ball)

Moves: Gust, Sand-Attack