"Ready to get a new teammate?" Alex asked as she looked at her Pokémon.

"Char!"

"Ni!"

Ansen gave a small noise, not appearing to care, but it was good enough for the young trainer. Two out of three are pumped and he wasn't throwing a fit, so that counts as a win in her book.

Getting themselves breakfast and ensuring that her bag was well stocked, she made a last minute trip to the Pokémon Mart.

As with her last trip, they still didn't have potions in stock. However, she was able to find some antidotes and a reasonable supply of pokéballs.

Fully stocked, she felt they were all set, the girl ready to camp out in the forest if needed if it meant catching herself a Caterpie. However, it wasn't just getting a Caterpie that made her willing to camp. Her minded had drifted back to what she's heard about this possible "shiny" Pokémon that's living there. she had her doubts about actually finding it, but with how many have been talking about it, it seemed plausible that one might show up.

If by some chance she did find it, she wasn't entirely sure if she would want to catch it or not. That is if it's not a Pokémon she's already obtained.

She thought back to what Elm had told her and Azure about shiny Pokémon and their survival rate in the wild. If it really stood out, then it might not get a chance to live a long life, not with potential predators lurking about. And she certainly didn't want to think about possible poachers or religious fanatics hunting it down either.

"Alright, then if I find it, I might as well try to catch it. It'll be safe at least," Alex hummed to herself.

The Pokémon would at least have plenty of friends to play and train with as well as plenty of food and water. And if it didn't like battling, she can send it back home to stay with her parents or the professor if he's interested.

As they got closer to the forest, they stared at the towering trees and how dense it looked.

"Chaar…"

"You said it," Alex awed.

She rarely went to the forest when she was in school since it was so easy to get lost. Anytime she did go near, it was during school trips. She would be on a bus going to Pewter City for museum trips or they'd be on the outer edges of the forest so teachers and their Pokémon can monitor them.

Remembering the map in her bag, Alex felt a little more confident about having to travel through it.

Despite its intimidating look, it was still beautiful. She could hear the various Pokémon and insects chattering deep within. The sounds got her pumped more than she would have thought it would.

"Come on, we're guaranteed to find an awesome Caterpie!"

Much to her surprise, there were Pokémon appearing even before entering the forest, her Pokémon battling against some of them. One of these Pokémon was a Caterpie, but it got chased away in the chaos.

Letting out a groan, Alex sulked against a tree, her Pokémon resting not far from her.

"Meel…" Sienna laughed nervously. She rubbed the back of her head with her claws as she sat with her partner.

"I overtrained you again, didn't I?" Alex asked, her Pokémon nodding. "So what are we going to do then?"

Alex let herself relax, not wanting to get herself worked up. She'll figure something out, she's certain of that.

After several minutes, a rustle caught the girl's attention. She looked by some trees, spotting a small Caterpie scuttling through the grass.

"It's so cute!" Alex gasped, jumping to her feet.

She was about to order one of her Pokémon to help weaken it but remembered how strong they've gotten.

She couldn't send Ansen out, he might not just beat the bug type, but eat it. She couldn't use Sienna, she's pretty strong along with Lance. Even their weakest attacks might render it unconscious or chase it off.

Alex had to think about it, keeping an eye on the caterpillar Pokémon. She didn't want to lose it, so she slowly followed it, determined to catch it.

Behind her, the Pokémon followed, though kept a distance, more not to scare the wild Pokémon off by mistake.

"Caterpie are pretty weak," Alex mumbled out loud. "Maybe I could just throw a pokéball at it?"

Even if she did, she didn't want to act careless and catch something by mistake if she missed or it broke out and retaliated.

Weak or not, she didn't want to deal with getting chased around by a bug or worse, it rallies others to chase them. Her Pokémon are strong, but not that strong.

Barely paying attention to her surroundings, Alex let out a yelp when she tripped over an exposed root. Not even a second passed when she fell, a bunch of Metapod had fallen out of the tree on top of her.

"Sienna! A little help here!"

Chuckling softly, the fire type helped move the dazed pupas, freeing her trainer, watching as she dusted herself off.

"Thanks," Alex smiled sheepishly. "Man, that was embarrassing."

She and Sienna proceeded to move the Metapod to a safer location than leaving them where they were. This way, they wouldn't be as exposed to the elements and predators.

"There we go. Sorry if I'm the reason that you guys fell out of the tree. Hope this spot will be okay until you finish evolving."

"Ree?"

Turning around at the sound, Alex saw that the tiny Caterpie hadn't left. Instead, it got closer, possibly curious of the kindness given to its own kind.

Ready to pull out a pokéball and throw, Alex stopped when an idea popped into her head. She almost felt silly for not thinking of it sooner.

Kneeling down, she reached her hand out, keeping the empty ball out of sight for now.

"Hi there. By any chance do you want to come with us? That is if you don't have anywhere to go," Alex asked gently. "I promise to do my best to take good care of you and help you get really strong. You won't have to worry about getting eaten by other Pokémon. we'll keep you safe."

It sounded silly saying this out loud, but the girl reminded herself that Pokémon are intelligent creatures. Most of them understand what people say, especially when it comes to battles or working in places like hospitals and construction.

The caterpillar seemed to contemplate what she offered, the black haired girl unsure if it was interested until crawled closer to her hand. The Pokémon began to gently nuzzle her palm, looking pleased with the offer and gentle approach that was given.

Picking it up, Alex cradled it gently before taking the ball back out, tapping it against the Pokémon, careful not to do it too hard. Immediately, it went inside, the ball clicking shut without any struggling.

Happy with her capture, Alex called her newest addition back out, wanting to think of a good name for it as she had done for the others.

Alex thought about different names, looking at her Pokémon, quickly noticing a pattern between several different Caterpie she's seen earlier. Some had larger antenna while others had smaller ones, hers having a smaller antenna as well.

Thinking more about it, she recalled how her mother's Butterfree had some different patterns on their wings. Some parts of the scales on the male Butterfree were white while the females were black.

That could very well mean a difference in their sex!

"How about I call you, Hana?" Alex giggled when a name finally formed. She picked her Pokémon up, hugging her close, feeling it wiggle around to nestle in closer. "I'm glad that you like it. Welcome to the team."

"Charmeeleon!" Sienna beamed brightly.

The fire type walked over to greet her new friend, letting the bug type inspect her and Lance when he joined them. Ansen was currently sitting on a branch, preening himself, barely acknowledging them.

"Hey, Sienna, think you and Lance could help Hana with catching up? I've been told bug types evolve pretty fast, but until she's a Butterfree and learns Confusion, she'll be pretty vulnerable."

Both Pokémon nodded, understanding the order as the small caterpillar was set down on the ground.

Taking out the map, mainly to gauge how much time it might take to get through Viridian Forest to Pewter City, Alex noticed something.

Pulling out her Pokédex, she compared its map function with the map itself. After a couple minutes, the girl broke out laughing when seeing they weren't even in the forest itself yet.

"Wow, talk about lucky, huh?" she giggled, the others appearing amused as well. "Guess we should actually get inside the forest? Maybe we can try to look around for any other Pokémon that live there."

"Ree!" Hana chattered excitedly.

Going into the deeper part of the forest, Alex found several wild Pokémon hers could battle against. Hana would watch from the sidelines, studying her seniors. The few times that she did battle would be against any Pokémon she would have an easier time against.

Within an hour, the smallest member paused, giving out a small cry as she instinctively began coating herself in silk while her body began to pulsate and glow.

"This is great, Hana! With a bit more training, you'll be able to hold your own!" Alex squealed as she picked the green pupa up, hugging the hard shell. "But before we do so, let's get you and the others healed up. You guys earned it."

"Pod, metapod," the cocoon replied, eyes showing her delight.

Alex quickly did a head count and informed them they were heading back to Viridian City.

Sienna was up front, using controlled bursts of Ember on any wild Pokémon that attempted to attack them.

Lance was trotting alongside his trainer, enjoying being able to walk alongside her and the rest of his newly made family.

Ansen flew overhead, occasionally making a dive at a weaker Pokémon. Alex couldn't be certain if he did it because it was going to attack or he was simply bored.

As for Hana, the trainer carried her, not finding her as heavy as she would have first thought. However, if she started to get too heavy to carry or it started to get dangerous, she'll put her and the others in their balls.

Getting closer to the exit, the dark-haired girl stopped when a flash of yellow ran by, having her jump with a small gasp. Sienna and Lance got closer, growling softly, thinking they were going to be attacked based on their trainer's reaction. Even Ansen had stopped attacking random Pokémon, landing on a branch to watch what had run in front of his trainer.

The grass rustled as the unknown Pokémon popped out, the trainer recognizing it immediately.

"Oh wow, that's a Pikachu!" Alex awed, hugging the bug type excitedly.

She giggled as they watched the electric mouse play with a berry or something, wiggling its rump before pouncing the fruit and rolled around with it. it sorted of reminded her of a cat, particularly Meowth, finding the actions rather cute. She wondered if it might be young.

Tempted as she was to catch it, she resisted, wanting to focus getting her Pokémon treated over getting more Pokémon.

The Pikachu stopped playing when it heard growling, ears flattening as it arched its back, sparks dancing off its body.

Pulling her Pokédex out, Alex listened to the device tell her about the Pokémon. while she knew about Pikachu, it couldn't hurt to not only refresh her memory but ensure the device continued to work.

"That's so cool," she smiled. Leaving the electric mouse alone, she waved it goodbye as the others followed her closely. "I hope we'll run into another in the future. They're really cute. Plus I bet we could use an electric type down the road."

"Nido," Lance grunted softly.

They eventually left the forest and followed the trail back to the city, the familiar building coming into view.

As they entered, the nurse greeted them with a warm smile.

"My, your Pokémon are growing exceptionally well, Alex," Nurse Joy beamed brightly. She looked at them before they were put in their pokéballs and handed to her for treatment. "It's not often I get to see a beginner with this many evolved Pokémon."

"Thank you. I wanted to make sure that they'll be safe by getting them as strong as possible before we go further," Alex answered with a light blush.

"Just keep doing what you're doing and I'm sure they'll become some of the strongest."

"Thank you, I will."

Roughly thirty minutes passed before the nurse called Alex, handing her back the pokéballs with a smile.

The young girl waved goodbye as she left, planning to do some more training.

Not even an hour later, the nurse was surprised when Alex came rushing back, a nervous smile on her face.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah… Apparently, Rattata and Pidgey can get pretty nasty when they're hungry," Alex laughed nervously.

"That's true, they're quite common pests for trainers on the road," the nurse responded with a comforting smile. "At least you're being cautious with your Pokémon. that's the best thing any Pokémon doctor loves to see; a well-cared for Pokémon on each and every visit.

Alex nodded as she handed her the pokéballs again, going to a bench to sit while she waited for everyone to be healed again.

Sitting down, she took her bag off, quickly noticing that there were some holes where a Rattata had been chewing on.

The girl gave it a frown, knowing this bag was practically brand new. Her mother had gotten this for her journey. Sure, she expected some wear and tear during her travels, but she had hoped it would be much later.

"I should get these fixed before they're too big."

Alex got back up, heading to one of the available PCs, logging into her account.

Greeted by the custom screen, she punched in what she wanted to transfer out. She waited a couple of minutes as a small sewing kit was digitally transported to her.

Taking it, Alex picked a table to sit at, emptying her bag so it would be easier to patch the holes. She was grateful that the holes were small, but there were a lot of them.

She'll have to be more mindful of what she packs not only with the weight but what could attract wild Pokémon. Same with saving enough to get a new bag down the road.

By the time she was done, her Pokémon were returned to her possession.

Alex decided that they could take another trip back to the forest. While it was a long walk getting there, it seemed a lot more peaceful than the other places they've trained. It would be a lot safer for Hana, that's for sure. It won't be for another week before she's fully matured to evolve again.

That in mind, Alex proceeded to do just that, having her and her Pokémon travel between the forest and Viridian City. They would take their time training, sometimes spending a night or two in the forest if it got too dark. The trainer would tell her Pokémon all sorts of stories when they camped out. they mostly consisted of her parents' days as trainers or any tales Professor Oak had shared with her and Azure.

Soon enough, the seventh day finally arrived, meaning at any point Hana would evolve.

Excited by this prospect, Alex decided to make it a little special by taking her back to the forest to evolve. She figured it might make the cocoon Pokémon feel more comfortable since her evolution was different from the others.

Upon reaching the dense forest, Alex wandered around, exploring the worn paths left by previous trainers. Occasionally she would find some discarded items here and there, keeping them when determining they still worked.

Pushing through some bushes, Alex felt her heart skip a beat at what she found.

"Oh wow, look you guys. It's another Pikachu!"

The trainer noticed there was something different, pulling her Pokédex out again. She compared the image with the Pokémon, finding the wild one's fur looked darker. It looked almost golden with a hint of orange. It seemed to have reddish-brown stripes and at the base of its tail. Even the cheeks seemed redder, but that could have been due to the brilliant color dominating its tiny body.

"It can't be… Is it really a shiny?" Alex wondered.

She stared at the Pokémon, remembering what Azure told her as well as what she heard around town.

Her of all people getting to see a shiny Pokémon, and it was her second encounter in her life no less!

"Pika?"

The golden mouse stopped what it was doing, cocking an ear in her direction. It turned to face her with large eyes.

Nervously, Alex knelt down so not to intimidate the Pokémon, keeping her movements slow, ordering her Pokémon not to attack.

"H-hi there, don't be scared. I won't hurt you," Alex reassured. She held her hand out so it could examine and sniff her.

Feeling like she was dreaming, the extraordinary creature walked over. It was alert, but curious as it studied her hand, sniffing it at different angles. It looked to Sienna and the others staring, the fire type giving a friendly smile as did Lance. Ansen looked indifferent, but not hostile and Hana's eyes showed her happiness.

"Pika!" it chirped excitedly, rubbing its furry head into Alex's hand.

The girl hesitantly scratched its head, feeling the body vibrate lightly, wondering if it was purring or trying to at least.

Small jolts of electricity coursed through her, sending a pleasant sensation instead of pain, making her giggle.

"Would you like to come with me?" Alex asked.

In the back of her mind, she had a hard time believe her incredible luck.

Even if this Pikachu wasn't shiny, given they hadn't caught anything in Viridian Forest left her free to obtain a Pokémon still, an electric type to be exact! At least, that's what she's hoping for.

"Chuu!" the Pikachu purred, nuzzling deeper into her hand. It seemed to be trying to get as close as possible to her body as it wiggled its way closer.

"He's so friendly," Alex mused, unable to hold back a smile.

With her free hand, she grabbed an empty pokéball. She held it out before the electric mouse, letting him take notice than bopping it on the head without warning.

"Pika!"

Alex watched in awe as the Pokémon smacked the ball, hitting the button, having it activate and suck him inside. When the ball closed, it barely wiggled for a moment before it stilled itself.

Alex stared at it in shock, dawning on her that she actually caught a shiny Pokémon.

With a toss of the ball, she called her new Pokémon out, watching him bristle in surprise and shake, likely to get used to the strange sensation. When he looked around and found her, a huge smile formed, appearing not fazed at all that he was captured.

"Welcome to the family, Ken," Alex beamed.

"Pika pi!" he cried out, leaping into her arms.

"Holy crap, it was real?" a familiar voice cried out as Azure ran up. "So it was a Pikachu and not a Weedle. Man, was I way off. How did you find him?"

"I wasn't even looking. I just spotted him while I was training Hana and exploring around."

"Who?"

"My Metapod. I caught her outside the forest."

"Oh wow, and she's already a Metapod? How long before she evolves?"

"Sometime today I'm hoping."

"That's so cool!"

The two talked a bit before another voice spoke up, causing the kids to glare and most of the girl's Pokémon growl.

"So, we meet again?" the young man from before greeted, sounding annoyed.

"You again?" Azure growled, standing protectively next to his friend. "What the hell do you want?"

Ignoring him, the young man turned his focus to Alex. "That's quite a rare Pokémon you've gotten. If you wanted to, you could sell it for a good price."

"There's no way I would ever sell Ken," Alex spat out as she hugged her Pokémon. the rest joined her, creating a protective circle around her and Azure. "I asked him to join so we can travel, not trade or sell him."

"You asked it? What sort of trainer asks a Pokémon?" the young man asked with a sharp laugh. "Only a fool would treat their Pokémon as friends. That professor really has filled your heads with nonsense."

"No, he hasn't! Don't you dare insult him, you bastard!" Azure snapped, fists curling as he glared at the older boy. "Who the hell do you think you are anyway?"

"A smart trainer unlike you two, brats," the other spat as he continued to eye the unique mouse as well as Sienna. "It's a real waste, really. Handing out rare Pokémon to useless brats such as you two."

"Don't you come near Sienna!" Alex cried out as she wrapped an arm around her Pokémon. "She's more than a rare Pokémon to me. She's my friend, all of my Pokémon are!"

"Talking like that will only serve to get them killed."

"No, it won't. So long as we trust each other, we'll get stronger."

"Are you sure about that, little girl?" the young man taunted. He pulled out a pokéball, enlarging it. "How about you prove it?"

Alex paled, unsure if they could win as the other released a mean looking Meowth.

"Leave her alone!" Azure shouted, throwing a pokéball of his own. "Spearow, be ready!"

"Meowth, make a meal out of it," the other chuckled.

The cat lets out a hungry growl, lunging for the bird, Spearow barley dodging.

"Keep dodging and use Leer!"

"Trying to lower Meowth's defenses?" the older trainer laughed. His Meowth had climbed its way up a tree, using its natural lithe to weave through the branches. "Pay Day!"

With another cry, the cat shot out a barrage of glowing coins, hitting its mark as the bird let out a shriek as one of its wings was torn apart.

"Spearow!" Azure screamed as he recalled his Pokémon.

"You still think they'll get stronger through friendship?"

Angry tears coursed down the brunet's face as he glared at him, letting out a shout when the Meowth suddenly lunged at Alex.

"Alex!"

"Pika!"

Without warning, Ken let loose with a strong Thunder Shock, electrocuting the area, shocking not only the cat but everyone else as well.

"Shit…" the teen growled, recalling his Pokémon. He got to his feet, staggering a little from the attack. "Don't think this will be the last time, brat."

With that he left, moving slowly as his body still tingled, knowing that it will last for a while before wearing off.

"Hn…" Azure groaned as he regained consciousness. He saw that the other was gone, the other Pokémon waking up, doing a quick head count to see they were all here, including his own. "Hey, Alex…"

He stopped, eyes wide when finding her on the ground unconscious still. Realizing she must have taken the brunt of the attack, he became scared.

Her Pikachu was sitting on Alex's chest, pawing at her face in an attempt to wake her up to no avail.

"Alex!" he cried out, running to her side. "Oh man, oh man, what do I do?"

Looking at the other Pokémon, he gave them a worried look before glancing at a path that leads to the exit.

"J-just hang in there, Alex. I'll be back. I'll get help, I swear it!"


Alex - Pokémon 5 - Badges 0 - Deaths 0

Team:

Sienna - Charmander - Charmeleon

Ansen - Pidgey

Lance - Nidoran M. - Nidorino

Hana - Caterpie - Metapod

Ken - Pikachu


I know there aren't any shiny Pokémon in the original R/B/Y games, but who says I can't take a creative twist? Ken was still a first encounter regardless.

If you enjoyed this, please leave a review and any helpful critique that may better improve the writing.