Here is the next chapter of my new Pokémon novel fiction. I will update the story as I go.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I never have, and I never will; so get off my back, you stupid lawyers… seriously, you're giving my a hernia.
Pokémon Adventure: Generation Genesis
Chapter 2: The Adventure Begins
"It's a Pikachu," Ash whispered, "Gary! Check this out!"
"What's it doing around here?" Gary wondered as he spotted the Pokémon, "It looks pretty bad."
The Pikachu had bruises and cuts all over its body, its fur was ruffled up badly, and its breathing was terribly labored.
"We have to get it to Gramps' lab right away!" Gary suggested as he took out a Poke Ball. At the sound of the ball's click, the Pikachu woke up and tried to move, but it injuries kept it from going anywhere.
"Pi…ka…"
"Wait a minute, Pikachu," Ash said calmly, "It's too dangerous for you to try to move."
"Pika…" It said, shaking its head.
"Ash, I'm going to try and catch it," Gary told him. Pikachu tried to attack the boys with a Thundershock attack, but it was far too weak.
"Gary, stop!" Ash shouted at his friend, "Pikachu's scared! It doesn't want to be caught like that. Hand me that Poke Ball."
Gary, although confused, obeyed and gave Ash his Poke Ball.
"Pikachu, please try to listen to me," Ash began, "We don't want to hurt you. We only want to help you, but it will be harder if you keep trying to run away, hurting yourself in the process."
Pikachu kept silent as the human boy spoke. He seemed to be sincere in what he said.
"Please… Let us help you."
Pikachu looked into Ash and Gary's eyes to try to see if Ash was telling the truth. Neither of the boys appeared to show any intent in trying to hurt it; however, when it looked into Ash's eyes, it saw had a strong feeling that it could trust the boy with its very life. As Pikachu looked away from them, it nodded its head, giving them its approval. Ash and Gary smiled at the Pokémon, and Ash tapped it with the Poke Ball. A red laser shot out from the ball and hit Pikachu causing the Pokémon to glow red and shrink into the Poke Ball.
Ash stood up and sighed, and then he looked at Gary and smiled, "Thanks Gary. I owe you one."
Gary smirked, "Yeah, big time. Anyway, I don't think Gramps is out here. Let's check back at the lab."
Ash and Gary raced back to Prof. Oak's lab, with Gary taking the lead. Once inside the lab, the boys found Prof. Oak already waiting for them.
"Ash! Gary! I see you finally made it!" The Pokémon Professor stated, "Where were you two?"
"We were looking for you, Gramps." Gary replied.
"We thought you might have been in the woods," Ash explained. "We went out there looking for you; but instead, we found an injured Pikachu. Can you look after it?"
"First off, both of you know that going into tall grassy areas without your own Pokémon is dangerous," Oak scolded, "But, you only went out there due to concern, and you two did help an injured Pokémon, so I guess I can let it slide this time. I'll need to take a look at the Pikachu."
Ash gave Pikachu's Poke Ball to Prof. Oak.
"Thank you. I'm afraid I can't give either of you a new Pokémon while I'm taking care of Pikachu."
"WHAT?" Ash and Gary both shouted.
"Don't worry. Hopefully, this shouldn't take long."
The boys sighed at the turn of events. Ash spoke up, "You want to play some Pokémon Stadium 2?"
Gary shrugged, "Sure."
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An hour has passed, and while Ash and Gary left to play games to pass the time, Prof. Oak was busy with Pikachu. He hooked up the Pokémon to a diagnostics machine and studied the readouts carefully.
"This is amazing! This Pikachu is recovering quite well!" Prof. Oak thought to himself, "Its injuries were very extensive! I have seen many Pokémon with injuries this severe take longer to recover; some Pokémon have even died from their wounds. But this Pikachu…its voltage levels are at normal levels, its wounds are healing very quickly, and its breathing is becoming increasingly steady."
"This Pikachu must be a very special Pokémon to be able to heal so quickly," he said quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping Pokémon.
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"I win again!" Gary shouted raising a fist in triumph. He defeated Ash in Free Battle mode twice before with little trouble, "You know Ash, if can't beat me in a simple game, there's no way you'll beat me in a real Pokémon battle."
"I can too beat you, Gary!" Ash protested.
"Not from the way I've seen. Pokémon battles are not just about strategy. Pokémon also need strength to be victorious."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying you have to make your Pokémon much stronger if you want to become a Pokémon Champion."
"RING-RING-RING! RING-RING-RING! PHONE CALL! PHONE CALL!" The video phone shouted from downstairs. Ash and Gary waited as Mrs. Ketchum answered the phone. When Delia finished her short conversation, she walked upstairs to see the boys already waiting for her.
"I guess you two already know who just called?" Delia asked. The boys nodded so she continued, "Prof. Oak said that he's finished looking after the injured Pokémon, so you can go see him now."
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Ash and Gary returned to Professor Oak's laboratory with the same eagerness that had before.
"Gramps! I'm fed up with waiting!" Gary told him.
"Yeah! We want to get our Pokémon!" Ash added.
"Hold your horses, boys!" Prof. Oak said trying to calm them down, "Now let's see… uh-oh…"
"What do you mean by 'uh-oh'?" The boys asked.
The old man took out a handkerchief and began wiping sweat from his forehead. He already knew the boys were not going to like what he had to say next, "Um, well, I know how much you boys wanted to get a starter Pokémon like Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle, but the problem is… I forget to catch some new ones."
Ash and Gary's eyes bugged out and their mouths hung open for a good ten seconds. When the information finally soaked in, they sighed as Gary spoke up first. "Gramps…"
"How can you forget something like that?" Ash pouted.
"I can't help it! I'm old!" Oak tried defending himself, "Oh well, there's no since in crying about it or waiting until I catch more Pokémon. However, I'm afraid I only have one Pokémon left to give out. Ash, do you see that Poke Ball over there?"
"You mean the one on the table?" the raven-haired youth asked, pointing to a lone Poke Ball.
"Yes, that's it. It already contains a Pokémon. Go on, take it."
"Hey Gramps, what about me?" Gary inquired.
"Be patient Gary, I'll give you one later! Go ahead and take it, Ash!"
Ash went over to the table to get the Poke Ball and his new first Pokémon; however, as he reached for it, Gary pushed him away and snatched it.
"Gary? What'd you do that for?" Ash shouted. Gary looked at him and sighed, "Sorry Ash, but you do owe for helping you out earlier."
"I was reserving that one for Ash, but I guess you can have that one."
"Don't worry about it." Ash shrugged, "I'll just wait for the next one. By the way, how is that Pikachu doing?"
"Yeah, is it okay?" Gary added.
"Oh yes! That Pikachu made an incredible recovery!" Oak grinned, "Most Pokémon with injures so severe take much longer to recover! Ash, come over here, please."
Ash walked up to Prof. Oak who then took out another Poke Ball. The boy recognized it right away, "Is that what I think it is?"
Oak nodded, "Yes. This Poke Ball contains the Pikachu you and Gary rescued earlier today. At first, I was thinking of holding on to it, but I think it will be much better off with you."
"Are you sure, Professor?"
"I agree." Gary said gaining their attention, "After all Ash, you were the one who convinced it to go in the Poke Ball in the first place. You deserve it."
"Be careful with it Ash," Oak warned him, "It's not quite tame yet."
"Thank you, Prof. Oak," Ash said then turned to Gary, "I guess everything worked out after all."
"Sure did!" his brunette friend agreed, "I bet my Pokémon is stronger than yours, Ash. But just to be sure, let's have a warm-up Pokémon battle!"
"That sounds good to me!"
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By Professor Oak's request, the boys took the battle outside to the Pokémon reservation field behind his laboratory. Oak bought this vast field so that trainers' stored Pokémon would have a place to roam in when they are not inside their Poke Balls. Since a great number of people went to Prof. Oak to register as trainers, the plains held hundreds of assorted Pokémon. A gated Pokémon battlefield sat at the center of the field for beginning trainers to practice against one another.
Ash took his post on one side of the arena, at Prof. Oak's left, while Gary stood on the other side of the battlefield. Since Professor Oak is the top authority on Pokémon, every now and then he will act as referee for Pokémon battles.
"This will be an official 1-on-1 Pokémon battle between Gary Oak and Ash Ketchum, with no time limit!" Oak announced to no one in particular, "Each Pokémon will battle until one, or both Pokémon are unable to battle! Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"
Ash started out and threw his Poke Ball first, "Pikachu! I choose you!"
Ash the ball flew, it opened and shot forth a white beam of light, which hit the ground and formed into Pikachu. "Pika?"
"I guess I'm next." Gary said as he threw his Poke Ball into the air, "Poke Ball, GO!"
Out from the ball came a small Pokémon with brown fur on most of its body, with light tuffs of tan fur around its neck, large ears, and a bushy tail.
"Wow! It's an Eevee!" Gary gasped with excitement. "This is so cool! I hope you're ready, Ash!"
"I'm more than ready, Gary!"
"This battle will be between Gary's Eevee and Ash's Pikachu!" Oak announced, "Ready…? Begin!!"
"Alright Eevee, show them what you're made of!" Gary shouted, "Attack Pikachu with a Tackle!"
Eevee nodded and charged ahead, building up speed as it went. Pikachu appeared to be nervous as it stood in its place. Ash, however, was as psyched as his opponent was. "That Eevee is pretty fast." He said grinning, "But I know you're faster, Pikachu! Hit it with Thundershock!"
Pikachu did not obey, but instead lowered its ears and glanced at its trainer. "Pi-ka…"
"Pikachu, what's wrong?" Ash asked his Pokémon but remembered the situation at hand, "Pikachu! Get out of the way!"
Pikachu regained its bearing and evaded Eevee just as it came by. Eevee skidded to a halt soon after it passed Pikachu and awaited its next command. Pikachu, however, remained reluctant to fight. Ash and Professor Oak could not help but wonder why this Pokémon would be so afraid to fight back. Gary's focus was still on the battle.
"Eevee, go for another Tackle!" He shouted. Eevee charged and wanted to make it hit this time.
"Pikachu, you have to make a move! Use Growl!" Ash told his Pokémon. Pikachu shook its head, but quickly ducked as its foe dove at it. Both Gary and Eevee were becoming increasingly impatient at Pikachu's hesitance.
"What's Pikachu doing?" Oak's grandson asked, "It won't win able any battles by merely ducking and dodging!"
"I know that, but what else can I do?" Ash thought then spoke to Pikachu as calmly as possible, "Listen Pikachu, I think I understand that you don't want to fight back; so I right now, I want you to focus on avoiding Eevee's attacks, okay?"
Pikachu thought this over and slowly nodded. As it faced its opponent, Eevee primed itself as it glared at Pikachu. Gary decided to change tactics, "Eevee, use Tail Whip!" The Evolution Pokémon complied and jumped over to Pikachu. Next, it began swishing its tail back and forth in Pikachu's face, making Pikachu drop its guard.
"Now use Tackle again!"
Eevee jumped back and charge at Pikachu again; and this time, it made full contact. Pikachu fell to the ground on its back but rolled back to its feet. It shook off the damage as Ash called to it, "Are you okay, Pikachu?"
"Pikachu…" It nodded.
"Stop the match!" A certain voice interrupted. Both trainers and their Pokémon looked over to see Prof. Oak with his arms spread out. "I've seen enough."
Gary went over to Eevee and began rubbing the back of its head before recalling it into its Poke Ball, "You did great out there, Eevee… Well Ash, that wasn't the kind of battling I expected to see."
"I don't know what happened." The other boy commented. Pikachu looked at him with eyes full of remorse, but Ash smiled and patted it head, "Don't worry about it, Pikachu."
"I'm not sure, but perhaps the condition you found Pikachu in has made an impact on its will to fight." Oak analyzed, "You do realized that your quest will be much more difficult if your Pikachu is afraid to battle, don't you?"
"Yeah, but I won't worry about that right now." Ash replied before taking out Pikachu's Poke Ball, "Pikachu, return."
Pikachu repeatedly dodged the laser beams, trying to tell Ash that it did not want to go back into the Poke Ball; Ash, however, was not too bright and trying until Pikachu was forced to use Thundershock on him. Now burned to a crisp, Ash collapsed to the ground while still conscious.
"What did you do that for?" he coughed. Pikachu scratched its head, unable to explain.
"Perhaps Pikachu doesn't want to go into its Poke Ball." Prof. Oak explained, "You just keep it with you. That might make more comfortable. Try talking to it often and see how it feels about you."
"I think I should get going." Gary announced, "I'll make my Pokémon stronger by making it battle. Ash, Gramps, smell ya later!"
With that, Gary left to begin his Pokémon journey. Ash also said his goodbyes to Prof. Oak and left the laboratory with Pikachu in tow. The new trainer chose to visit his mom before leaving once again. At his home, Delia finished preparing lunch for her son and his new Pokémon.
"Mom, I'm home!" Ash said as he entered.
"Welcome back." she replied.
As she noticed Pikachu, Delia squealed in delight and ran over to Pikachu. Ash knew what his mother had in mind, and he was sure Pikachu would not like it. Before he could warn her, Delia already scooped up the Pokémon and squeezed it as if it was a newborn kitten. True to Ash's fears, Pikachu got mad and quickly zapped Mrs. Ketchum with over two hundred volts of electricity – fast enough to keep from doing serious damaged, but high enough to teach her a good lesson.
Ash caught Pikachu as Delia dropped it and collapsed, "Sorry Mom. I tried to warn you."
Later on, Ash and Pikachu finished their lunch, thanking Delia for the delicious food. Pikachu also apologized for electrocuting her, but Delia thought nothing of the attack.
"So Ash." Delia questioned, "How did you end up with Pikachu?"
"It started when Gary and I were looking for Prof. Oak outside of Pallet." Ash explained, "I found Pikachu badly wounded in a patch of grass in front of me. Gary wanted to catch it and take it to Prof. Oak's lab for treatment, but Pikachu tried to get away hurting itself in the process. I had to talk to it before it would come with us.
"So later on, when Gary and I went back to the lab and gave Pikachu to Prof. Oak, we found out Prof. Oak forgot to catch any new Pokémon and had only one left in reserve. Gary ended up getting an Eevee, while I got Pikachu. He challenged me to a Pokémon battle, but Prof. Oak called it off after Pikachu was too hesitant to battle."
Pikachu looked at Ash wondering if he might have regretted choosing it; however, Ash could sense its worry and rubbed Pikachu's chin letting it know that he will still care for it.
"Maybe if Pikachu battled a little more, it could ease its fears." Ash suggested.
"That could help." His mother replied, "Just be careful about it. I remember something your father told me once: You should never drive your Pokémon too hard, or else they will end up disliking you. You should rest whenever you can."
"Thanks, Mom."
"I know you father would be so proud that his son became a Pokémon trainer. Please take care, Ash!"
"I will, Mom," Ash said as he and Pikachu got up to leave, "Are you ready, Pikachu?"
"Pikachu."
…And so, Ash and Pikachu departed from the Ketchum household to begin their own Pokémon adventure.
To be continued…
Another day has gone, and another chapter is done. Please let me know what you think.