The sun began to rise high above the Kanto region, as the lands earliest risers began their days. This was hard to tell in the Viridian Forest. The wood was as dark as ever, with only hints of daylight. The night time creatures were drifting off as the day dwellers ran about. But, this was not what woke Aden Caster that fine morning. Aden was woken by the shrill scream of his friend, TJ.

"What? What?" Aden said, as he shot upright. He was confused and half asleep, gripping his pillow like a weapon. He looked over at TJ. She had pulled her sleeping bag up to her nose and her eyes were huge. At her feet, a little caterpie was inching away quickly, obviously as spooked as TJ was. Aden laughed as TJ lowered her bag.

"You were scared by a caterpie?" he said. "A little caterpie?"

"Oh, shut up, will you?" TJ said defiantly. "I was only spooked because it was right in my face when I woke up. It had nothing to do with it being a caterpie."

"Ok, whatever." Aden said. "Well, since we're both up, let's head out. We should be out of this place long before sundown."

"That's if we don't get lost again…" TJ murmured.

"We won't, because you're leading, remember?" Aden said. TJ stuck her tongue out at him. The two began packing; rolling up sleeping bags, eating a quick breakfast, and slinging bags over shoulders. Except Aden. He went to put his things into his bag and couldn't find it.

"Um, TJ?" he said.

"What is it?"

"Did you move my bag?" TJ looked down at him.

"No." she said. "Why would I have done that?"

"I don't know." he replied. He tuned in a complete circle, searching. Then, he sat back on his heels. "Nope, it's not here. Do you see it anywhere?" TJ looked around the sleeping area, lifting up her own things.

"I don't see it." she said. "It's red, right?"

"Yeah. Oh, we have to find it! My egg was in that bag!"

"Uh, Aden?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I found it."

"Good!" Aden said happily. He stood and walked over to her. "Where is it?" TJ pointed. Aden's mouth dropped. Standing before them was a small pikachu. And, in its mouth, was Aden's bag.

"Don't move too quickly." TJ instructed. She backed up slowly and put Aden's things into her bag. Aden didn't move. He just watched the pokemon as it watched him.

"What are we gonna do?" Aden asked when TJ came to stand next to him again.

"First, we'll inch forward slowly…" TJ said. They took a few steps forward. The pikachu tilted its head. "And then…we get it!" TJ jumped at the pokemon, but it dodged and ran off. Aden ran after it.

"Indigo!" TJ said, releasing her pokemon. She hopped on his back and rode in the direction of Aden and the pikachu. She caught up to Aden and reached out her hand. He grabbed it and she pulled him on. They quickly caught up to the pikachu.

"Grab him!" TJ said. Aden nodded. TJ maneuvered Indigo so that he was running along side the pikachu. With one hand around TJ's waist, Aden leaned over and reached for the pokemon with the other. As he grabbed for him, the pikachu jumped further away. TJ got Indigo closer and Aden tried again. The pikachu dodged again, getting a sudden bust of speed. He looked behind him momentarily, and then back, only to come face to face with a large tree. TJ stopped Indigo as the pikachu rolled backwards and lied on the ground, Aden's bag still in his mouth. He jumped back up and shook its head furiously.

"Now I got you!" Aden said. He was about to jump off of Indigo when TJ put up her hand.

"Aden, wait." she said. "Listen." They were silent and there was a low buzzing coming from the tree that the pikachu had just ran into. Even the pikachu turned to look at it as the buzzing grew louder.

"Beedrill." Aden said under his breath. A slow second passed. "Run!" Indigo reared up as TJ changed his direction. They rode off, pikachu following, and a swarm of angry beedrill behind him. Aden turned around to check on the pikachu. He was swerving right and left as the beedrill came at him with their stingers. Pikachu stopped suddenly to let off a large thundershock attack, taking care of some of the bugs. But, as soon as he started running again, more beedrill were upon him.

"TJ!" Aden said. "Slow down! We have to help that pikachu!"

"Ok!" TJ replied. She slowed Indigo down a little. A beedrill stung Indigo a little in the rear, causing him to neigh loudly and speed back up. "I can't because of those bugs!"

"I'm on it!" Aden said, grabbing his pokeball. "Mags! Take care of them for us!" Mags sat on his shoulder and shot embers at the beedrill. TJ slowed Indigo down again and, with Mags doing target practice, they were able to get to the pikachu. Aden reached his hand down to him and he climbed up it to sit on Aden's lap.

"Ok, let's get out of here!" TJ said, kicking Indigo a bit. Indigo easily out ran the beedrill. They came to the edge of the forest and stopped at a hill that over looked Pewter City. Aden looked over his shoulder at the forest behind them.

"No sign of the beedrill." he said. "I think we lost them." He looked at the pikachu in his lap. "Now, I believe this is mine." Aden took his bag from the pikachu. The pikachu jumped from his lap and Aden dismounted Indigo. He put the bag on the ground and opened it up to check on his egg. Mags also looked into the bag earnestly, worried for the egg. Aden pulled it out and inspected it, breathing a sigh of relief.

"It's ok, thank goodness." he said, hugging it. With no one paying attention to it, the pikachu began rifling through Aden's bag. Out rolled an odd stone, which he chased. TJ noticed this and dismounted Indigo.

"Hey, Aden?" she said. "Our friend has found a toy in your bag."

"Oh really?" Aden replied, looking over at the pikachu. "Oh no." His eyes went wide when he saw what he was playing with. The pikachu was sniffing at the stone.

"What is that, Aden?" TJ asked.

"A thunderstone!" Aden said as the pikachu touched it. There was a bright light and the shape of the pikachu morphed and grew. When the light faded, a raichu stood before them and the stone was gone.

"Rai?" he said.

"Wow." TJ said. She turned to Aden. "Why did you have a thunderstone?"

"I found one." Aden replied. "It was valuable, so I kept it." The raichu was running around, playing with Mags and Indigo. TJ and Aden walked to the top of the hill to look out over Pewter. Far off in the distance, they could see Mt. Moon.

"So." Aden said. "What are we going to do once we get to Pewter?"

"Take a little break and then straight through Mt. Moon to Cerulean." TJ told him.

"Sounds easy enough." Aden said. He looked at the sky. The sun was still high. "It's not much later than noon. I told you we would be out of there before sundown."

"Yeah, no thanks to you." TJ said. "It was all because of my leading!"

"It was because of you're ponyta, maybe." Aden said. "But, that had nothing to do with any of your supposed leader skills."

"It doesn't matter! We're out, aren't we?" TJ said. Aden nodded, rolling his eyes. "Ok, then! Let's get going! Indigo, return. Off we go!" TJ and Aden headed off towards Pewter. Mags said good-bye to the raichu and ran to follow. TJ and Aden turned and waved to the raichu.

"Rai!" he called. He stood there for a moment and then ran to catch up with the others. Surprised when the raichu grabbed TJ's shirt, they stopped. The raichu looked up at TJ happily.

"It seems you really have made a new friend." Aden said.

"Yeah, seems like." TJ said. She knelt down to his level. "You want to come with us?"

"Rai-raichu!" he said happily, hopping in place.

"Well, ok then! Welcome to the team…um…" She stopped and thought for a second. "Piapot!"

"Piapot?" Aden said, wrinkling his nose. TJ put her nose up proudly.

"Yes, Piapot." she said. "Pia for short. What do you think? It is your name."

"Raichu!" he said, clapping it paws together.

"Good." TJ said, standing back up. "Now, to Pewter!" They started back down the road, Pia and Mags chattering happily in a language no human has yet to fully understand.

High in the treetops of Viridian Forest, a mysterious woman sat on a tree branch, looking down on TJ and Aden watchfully. One branch higher stood a murkrow who also looked down on the group. The woman's hair was short and dark colored. She shook her head disapprovingly.

"Stupid girl," she said to herself. She lifted her arm and pushed a button on the communicator around her wrist. "Daw, reporting."

"What information do you have for us, Daw?" a female voice said from the communicator.

"Nothing major to report." Daw said. "TJ has a new pokemon in her party; a raichu named Piapot. That makes a total of six."

"A full team." the voice said. "Anything else?"

"Only that they were chased out of the forest by a swarm of beedrill." Daw replied. She sighed, a laugh hiding underneath. "Are you sure she's the one?"

"Yes." the voice told her. "Being chased by beedrill in that forest is not an uncommon thing. There are many who have had the same thing happen and have become great trainers or what ever else they were aspiring to be."

"Whatever you say." she said. "There are on their way to Pewter, they should be there in a few minutes. What is my next move?"

"Wait for them outside of Mt. Moon and follow them to Cerulean." the voice instructed. "Report as soon as they exit."

"Yes ma'am. Out." Daw turned off her communicator and grumbled. "Come on, Keiren." She stood and her murkrow flew up and grabbed her shoulders. "We're going to Mt. Moon's entrance." Keiren took off. "I'm glad I'm getting paid for this…"

Far away, in the Sinnoh region, a man walked in to the Team Galactic HQ in Veilstone City. He headed straight for the leaders office, ignoring the guards. They didn't put up much of a fight, not after seeing his face. He pushed open the doors to the office and walked right up to the desk. Saturn looked at him and his eyes went wide at the sight of who stood before him. He stood.

"Um, uh, hello." Saturn stammered. "This is a bit of a surprise. Aren't you…?"

"Gary Oak; leader of the Viridian Gym and Professor Oak's grandson." the man said. "And, I have a proposition for you."