"PIKACHUUUUUU," cried the new identifiable Pikachu as it let loose a vicious point blank Thundershock at the defenseless Doduo. The twin-headed avian lit up like a Christmas tree and promptly fainted on the spot.

Presented with another single-hit knock out, Damien experienced a significant lapse in judgement. "YOU SCRAWNY LITTLE RAT! TAKE THIS," shouted Damien as began a surprising charge towards the mouse Pokemon with his fist raised high.

"PIKACHUUUUUU!"

Frozen in literal shock and extra crispy, Damien too fell to the floor and fainted.

Ash and Professor Oak could do nothing but gape at the Pikachu, who looked quite pleased with the destruction it had wrought.

Professor Oak recovered first as he soon recognized the Pikachu as the little pest that had been riling up several of the local Pokemon with its attempts to engage them in battle. As it was currently standing right next to Ash and his Charmander, the Professor decided that a gentle approach might be best... especially since the little Pokemon showed no hesitation in unleashing lightning on anything that moved. "Be careful Ash. That Pikachu can be quite dangerous and has been stirring up trouble with the Pokemon in the various habitats on the ranch for the past few weeks. Now get up and back away slowly."

Ash of course, ignored him, prompting the Professor to face-fault. Ash looked at Pikachu in the eyes with a fierce expression and Pikachu returned the gaze with equal fervor. Moments passed as no sounds were made. Ash spared a glance at Charmander and got a nod. Finally, Ash stood up and got pumped before looking at Pikachu and declaring, "PIKACHU, WE CHALLENGE YOU TO A BATTLE!"

"PIKA PIKACHU," cried the yellow mouse as it jumped back and sparks came out of its cheeks in anticipation of an actual challenge.

Having recovered and dusted himself off, Professor Oak tried to intervene with another plea to Ash's rationality. "ASH! I know you are skilled, but no amount of skill can compensate for the power that Pikachu has. FOR GOODNESS SAKE USE THAT BRAIN OF YOURS BOY!"

"Maybe you're right Professor, but I said it once and I will say it again. I don't know why, but this feels right and i'm going to do it," the cheeky boy replied.

The Professor face-faulted once more, allowing Ash and Charmander to focus on the battle at hand. Once again, time seemed to slow down for the young man as he surveyed the battlefield before him. He had to admit that the Professor had it right. Pikachu had the clear advantage here. The mouse Pokemon was easily faster than Charmander and its ability to use its given element further widened the gap. If he was going to pull this off, Ash needed a lucky break. Thinking on his feet, he quickly pulled out his Pokedex and analyzed his partner's moveset. Well, that was unexpected, thought Ash as he saw a certain egg move. Looking at his terrain more closely, Ash realized it might be just what they need to win.

"Stay alert Charmander! This Pikachu will be far tougher to beat than Damien and Bulbasaur." The fire type focused right away and braced himself for another battle. Feeling like it waited long enough, Pikachu quickly sprinted at the fire type with a quick attack.

"Don't try to dodge it Charmander. Instead, meet it head on with a scratch attack and follow up with Growl!" The two Pokemon struck one another with great intensity. Thanks to Pikachu's speed and experience, Charmander suffered more damage, but it still managed to get off the growl and lower Pikachu's attack.

"Hang in there Charmander, you are doing great!"

"PIKACHUUUUUU," cried the Pokemon as it shot a Thundershock at the Charmander. "Dodge and jump 10 feet to the left. Fire off a Growl in mid-air," shouted Ash! Since this attack came from a distance, Charmander was able to dodge with ease and managed to further lower Pikachu's attack.

Contrary to the belief of some individuals, Pokemon are quite intelligent, and Pikachu was no exception. This looked like the same strategy that the trainer used against the blue-haired punk. If he was going to keep dodging and having Charmander lower his attack, Pikachu would need to get closer.

Pikachu began to charge straight at Charmander as the fire type landed in the spot his trainer had indicated on a spot with no grass and some rock. Once again, Ash allowed a small smile. "Charmander, hold your ground and let Pikachu come right at you." The fire type trusted his trainer and stood still.

Though slightly confused, Pikachu continued his charge and stopped right in front of Charmander ready to let loose a powerful Thundershock... Just as Ash planned.

"Grab onto Pikachu with one hand and don't let go! With your other hand, USE METAL CLAW AND DIG INTO THE ROCKY GROUND BELOW YOUR FEET!"

"PIKACHUUUUUU," cried Pikachu once more, but it was quickly surprised when the wincing Charmander grabbed onto him and stuck its shining claw into the ground.

Charmander meanwhile, felt a great pain at first, but fought through it. As soon as its Metal Claw hit the ground, the pain stopped, but the electricity kept flowing from the mouse to Charmander's claw, and into the ground.

Realizing that its attack was doing no good, Pikachu tried to stop the flow of electricity, but was ironically shocked when it found it could not cut off the circulation. Like a lightning rod, the Metal Claw continued to absorb lightning. Charmander held on tight, preventing the electric type from jumping away as well and the mouse began to panic.

It took a few minutes, but soon enough, Pikachu ran out of electricity and began to dizzily sway. It was then that Ash made his finishing move. "Let it go and give it your best Metal Claw Charmander!"

Charmander released the electric mouse and put the rest of its energy into one powerful attack as it swiped the Pikachu with his glowing claws! Pikachu was launched high into the air before making its decent. Ash had no plans on letting it hit the ground though.

He grabbed a small round ball from his belt, pressed a button enlarging the device, and made the first throw of his Pokemon trainer career. "GO POKEBALL!" Right on target, the ball crashed into the yellow mouse a good 6-7 feet above the ground. Pikachu immediately turned into a source of red energy and was sucked into the device, which then hit the floor.

Ash, Charmander, and Professor Oak watching in silence as the Pokeball began to wiggle back and forth. After what felt like ages, the jiggling stopped and a clear ding was heard. Ash Red Ketchum had captured his very first Pokemon.

The revalation began to sink in and a huge grin appeared on Ash's face as he picked up his Charmander and began to celebrate. "WE DID IT! YOU'RE THE BEST CHARMANDER! LOOK AT THAT OUR FIRST NEW FRIEND AND OUR FIRST STEP TOWARDS BEING THE BEST!" The two continued to dance and make fools out of themselves until the Professor finally cleared his throat, catching their attention.

"Ash... What you did was idiotic, reckless, irresponsible, lucky, and well... Down right impressive. To think a Rookie trainer was able to subdue a powerful wild Pokemon like that Pikachu, and on the first day of his journey no less."

Embarrassed at the praise, Ash couldn't help but blush. "Ah well. It was just as much thanks to Charmander here that we caught Pikachu in the first place. His ability to use metal claw to conduct the electricity and his bravery in taking the initial Thundershock really made the difference!" Now Charmander was blushing red, despite his already orange complexion.

"On the other hand, and I am not sure how much good this will do, but please try be more careful in the future Ash. You have friends and family at home that will worry a great deal about you, myself include," said Professor Oak in a softer tone.

Now feeling slightly guilty, Ash nodded his head before picking up the Pokeball of his new Pikachu.

"You've had quite the ordeal for your first day young man," Oak noted as he looked at the weary trainer and his even more weary Pokemon. "I suppose since Gary did spend the night yesterday, it is only fair I give you the same option. Why don't you head inside and wash up. You can stay here for the evening and leave at first light tomorrow," the Professor offered with a smile.

Ash gratefully accepted the offer and took his Charmander and new Pikachu inside to rest, leaving Professor Oak to deal with the unconscious Damien, Doduo, and Bulbasaur. He really was getting too old for this, thought the Professor as he began to clean up the mess.

END CHAPTER

Pikachu joins the squad in what was hopefully an epic battle! Bonus points to whoever can guess which anime battle I took inspiration from for Ash's Metal Claw strategy. Next chapter we will deal with the aftermath of Damien's actions and Ash will finally leave Pallet town!

Guest44 - Thank you for the review! Glad you are loving the story.

Remember to review with your thoughts/critique :)