Previously on Nature Does Not Knock: Finally letting go of Fearow's neck, much to the bird's relief, Ash pointed north.

"Let's go Fearow. To Viridian City!"

Chapter 3: Green Light

"Attention, citizens of Viridian City! Due to recent activities by Pokémon thieves in our area, the Viridian Police Department urges everyone to be on the lookout for suspicious looking characters. We ask that anyone with information pertaining to last night's attack to contact our dispatch center immediately."

The ominous warning was heard over the city's loudspeakers in a distorted, yet distinctly feminine voice. The sun was sitting high in the sky, yet the height of the buildings set huge swathes of darkness all over the town. It was here that champion in the making, Ash Ketchum, entered on the next step on his Pokémon journey. Hovering above his head, his new partner Fearow flew along with him, his broad wingspan easily carrying him the entire journey.

Ash supposed it was an Officer Jenny, the moniker that all of Kanto's policewomen go by, that was making the announcement. The thought that somebody would steal other people's Pokémon sickened Ash. Pallet Town was a relatively crime-free place; most people didn't even lock their doors at night. Just imagining that there existed people in the world heartless enough to strip trainers from their friends and companions made Ash feel a strong desire for justice to be brought upon them. Not that he hoped to be the one to do so. Ash had enough problems as it was.

At that thought, a flash of blue to his left caught Ash's attention, so he turned in that direction only to spot Officer Jenny herself out on a patrol. Paranoia swept through him at the sight of the officer. Surely his disappearance from Pallet Town would have been noted by now. It was quite possible Professor Oak had called ahead to Viridian in order to have him brought back. For the time being, Ash needed to keep that from happening.

He gestured for Fearow to hurry around the corner, hoping to find the Pokémon Center before the officer spotted him. The bird had to swoop low to accommodate him, but he did as his soon-to-be trainer commanded.

Before they could escape, a bright light struck him. "Hold it right there!" The familiar voice sent a shiver up Ash's spine. He'd been caught. It was as though the mere thought of not getting caught had jinxed him. Turning to the light's source, he shielded his vision from the slowly approaching silhouette. "You haven't noticed any suspicious looking characters around here, have you?"

Ash tried to focus on the officer addressing him, for surely it was the policewoman he had seen earlier, but her body looked like nothing but a black frame behind a flashlight. Realizing he should respond quickly, he said, "Oh, no officer! I was just on my way to the Pokémon Center." He tried to shield Fearow from view out of an odd sense of guilt, however unfounded that guilt may be. Ash didn't know what the law concerning the possession of wild Pokémon was, but he wasn't going to wait around to find out. Besides, he'd never been addressed by a police officer before, and being so was quite nerve wracking for the ten year old.

It was then that Fearow shifted behind Ash, and immediately the light swung to strike him instead. Fearow recoiled in surprise, then spread his wings and cawed in indignation. For one moment, it looked as though he was about to charge. Ash flung himself between the two in order to prevent being responsible for attacking an officer of the law. "Fearow, calm down!" he ordered.

"Control your Pokémon!" Jenny commanded. She started to reach for her belt, but whether for handcuffs or a Poké Ball, Ash didn't know.

He switched targets then, raising his hands to the officer in the hopes of deescalating the situation before he ended up in jail rather than merely back in Pallet. "I know! It's just new, is all." Ash turned his head to the angry bird, and, in a muted and frustrated voice, said, "Cut it out!" Fearow looked miffed for a moment, but when he spotted the look of seriousness in his trainer's eyes, he reluctantly backed down.

Jenny's hand hovered over from her belt for a long moment, and in the next, she lowered her flashlight. Despite her show of good faith, her eyes are were still narrowed in suspicion on the two. She said, "You know, Pokémon usually stay in their Poké Balls. How do I know you didn't steal that Fearow?"

"Please Ma'am! It's with me, I just..." Ash struggled for words, but any attempts to come up with an explanation just seemed to hurt him more than anything.

Thankfully, Officer Jenny seemed to understand, and with a sigh, she let the matter drop. Still, she felt she needed to pass some wisdom on to the reckless boy, and said, "Just try to be more responsible. There are Pokémon thieves on the loose, you know. Just yesterday, a group attacked the Pokémon Center."

The mention of his destination's fate caught his attention. "The Pokémon Center? That's where they attacked?"

"Yes. Fortunately, nobody was seriously harmed, thanks to a boy and his Pikachu."

The blonde kid from the day before flashed through Ash's mind. How fitting that Yellow should be here to save the day. He hadn't considered it before, but Yellow had said that he was from Viridian. He might still be in the area even now. Maybe he would apologize for being so aloof the day before. The thought of how his mother would react to his childish behavior sent a chill down his spine. Unfortunately, thoughts of his mother brought upon Ash an entirely different feeling of intense guilt, but like any sensible person, he pushed aside those feelings for future torment.

While Ash was delving into thoughts of home, a buzz from the radio had caught the officer's attention. She reached down to answer it, static noise streaming forth that Ash couldn't quite make out, but Jenny seemed to understand just fine. After conversing with the man on the other end of the walkie talkie, Officer Jenny turned to Ash. "I have to go. You be careful out there now, you hear me?"

Ash nodded eagerly, more than happy to accept whatever was needed to be able to leave. "I will, don't worry." He hitched his backpack higher upon his shoulders, and with a bow, turned to leave. Suddenly, it occurred to him that there was still something he needed to know. He asked the officer, "Do you know where I can find the Poké Mart?"

Jenny directed him to the nearest shopping center. As it was, she had her hands full with that team of criminals terrorizing her city. One boy and his Fearow weren't exactly a priority right now. It was for this reason that she never thought to ask Ash for his ID. If she had, she would have discovered that he had no identification to give.

It occurred to Ash that he never considered how many types of Poké Balls there actually were. He had entered the shop with only the vaguest plan of grabbing whatever was available, but that idea was put to rest upon seeing how large of a selection they had to choose from. And the Viridian City Poké Mart did boast a large selection: Poké Balls, Great Balls, Balls of every color. One even looked to be shaped from some kind of fruit.

He was in the middle of considering an expensive looking black Poké Ball with a golden button when the shopkeeper's bell caught his attention with a quiet ring. Ash turned around to see a girl around his age enter the shop. She immediately straight towards the section Ash was in, and as she drew near, the two made eye contact.

If Ash was being honest with himself, he found her sort of cute, in a tomboy kind of way. Her most striking feature was her fiery red hair, which she kept held up in a side ponytail. Ash turned his eyes away, pretending not to notice her attention, and focused on his task. Looking back at the Poké Balls, he was again without a clue.

The redhead's voice broke into his thoughts. "If you can't tell the difference between them, you should probably stick with the basics." She stood next to him now, and was holding out a shiny red Poké Ball.

Ash stared at her in surprise for a moment, not having expected to be addressed. Still, he decided to introduce himself. "Thank you. I'm Ash."

She smiled in return. "I'm Misty. Nice to meet you."

After exchanging their greetings, the two trainers brought their purchases to the front desk to wait in line behind a boy with a net purchasing repels. Ash hopped impatiently from one foot to the other as he waited for his turn.

Misty watched the excited boy with curiosity. "You seem to be excited for a boy buying Poké Balls."

"This is actually my first time. I just started today," he said.

"A new trainer, huh? Did you just come Professor Oak's Lab in Pallet Town?"

Ash paused in his dance, and nodded a hesitant yes. It looked like Professor Oak's reputation was larger than he thought.

Misty continued on, unaware of Ash's apprehension. "I hear Professor Oak gives out three rare Pokémon several times a year. I've always wanted a Squirtle myself! Which one did you pick?"

Ash stepped forward in line, and let out an embarrassed laugh. Fortunately, he was saved from answering, for just then, the shopkeeper lit up in excitement, and, completely ignoring Ash, who was now next in line, he addressed Misty in an overexcited manner. "Good morning, Misty! How are you and your lovely sisters doing today?"

A small twitch came to Misty's eye at the comment, but she bit back her anger enough to mutter a barely civilized, "Fine," in return.

It was Ash's turn to be curious, as he thought Misty's reply an odd way to respond to such a simple question. He started to ask if he had missed something, but from the barely controlled look on her face, he knew not to press the issue. How bizarre, he thought to himself.

The man continued to address Misty, earning Ash's ire as well, who was clearly next in line. "What can I get you?"

"Just three Net Balls." She placed her purchase on the counter, and soon after, Ash did the same.

After finishing up his shopping trip, which, at Misty's advice, included several Potions, together they stepped out of the shop and walked over to where Ash had left Fearow. Not spotting the bird, the fleeting thought came to him that Fearow, bored of waiting, had flown off after his flock after all. That worry didn't last long though, as Fearow, on spotting Ash emerging from the building, flew down from his perch on the roof.

Relief filled Ash as Fearow landed in front of him, and he held out his hand in greeting. "Hey there, buddy." Fearow ignored the hand reaching for him, but let out a small chirp in recognition.

Misty's skeptical voice pierced the two's interaction. "That's your Pokémon?"

"Huh?" Ash looked to Fearow, not seeing what anything about him for her to consider odd. "Yeah, why?"

"Fearow can be hard to train, you know. You should think about catching something easier to start with."

Ash shook his head, not even considering the idea for a moment, and said, "It doesn't matter! Nothing's going to stop me from becoming a Pokémon Master!"

Misty was still skeptical, and rightfully so. Many new trainers overestimate their skills, requiring a severe reality check before they can appreciate how difficult it truly can be to succeed. To Misty, Ash was no different. "Well then, good luck. You're gonna need it if you hope to beat this town's Gym Leader."

"Gym Leader?" Ash asked, momentarily blanking on the fact.

Misty nodded her head and pointed north. Just over a high wall stood a tall bronze building. "His name is Giovanni. You need to defeat his Gym to qualify for the Pokémon League. You should challenge him if you feel you're up to it!"

What she didn't mention was that Giovanni is considered the strongest of Kanto's Gym Leaders, and is often the last to be challenged before the Indigo League Tournament.

"Of course I'm up to it! Giovanni won't stand a chance, right Fearow?"

Fearow, however, had other plans in mind. With his beak, he snapped at the bag containing the newly purchased Balls, which was still clutched in Ash's raised hand.

The proverbial light clicked on in Ash's head. "Oh, that's right!" Grabbing a Poké Ball at random, Ash pressed the center button, expanding it in his hand. With a grin of excitement upon his face, he threw the Ball at Fearow. "Okay Fearow, I choose you!"

The Poké Ball struck Fearow dead on, easily trapping him inside with a chime.

It was then that Misty suddenly cried out in disbelief. "You didn't even catch it yet?!"

Ash leapt in surprise at the loud interruption. "Well, no..." Ash said, embarrassed to admit such a thing. However, he immediately moved to cover up any discomfort with reassuring excuses. "But it wanted to come along, really! I just needed a Poké Ball to start."

Misty began pulling at her hair in bewilderment. Of all the thickheaded moves a trainer could make, bringing a feral Pokémon like Fearow into a major city uncaught was among the worst! Fearow weren't just difficult, they were downright volatile. She offered no such explanation though, and instead went with, "You really are dumb, aren't you!"

The girl was now beginning to get on Ash's nerves. "I told you I just started! And everything worked out alright, so what do you know?!"

Misty groaned in frustration, and a tense silence formed between the pair, but after a time, she conceded to herself that what Ash had said was the truth. No harm came to anyone because of his thoughtlessness. Perhaps it was just a particularly calm Fearow. She decided to offer what was meant as an apology: "Fine. Take your bird. See if I care."

Packing away her bike's lock and chain, Misty mounted her bicycle and prepared to ride off. But she paused, eyeing Ash, who was, in his frustration at the argument, fiddling with the Poké Ball of his new partner. His mishandling caused Fearow to be released from inside. The bird cried out his name and started darting his head from side to side in search of a battle. Misty sighed at Ash's surprise. A boy like that needed all the help he could get.

"Listen." Misty's soft voice caught the attention of the boy who was struggling tofight through the pain.

"I'm planning on heading to Olivine Lake, but after that I'll be staying in Pewter City for a few days. It's right through Viridian Forest. If you manage to beat Giovanni, maybe you could meet me there."

Ash sent Misty a smile back, touched by her offer. As it was, he could use a friend out there, even if she was sort of crazy. "You can count on it."

Misty nodded her head, satisfied, and said her final goodbye. "Catch you later, Ketchum." With that, Misty rode off north.

Ash continued to stare at the spot Misty departed from, his face set in a fanciful stupor, until a sharp pain brought the world crashing back into focus. "Ow!" Ash flailed his arms up at Fearow, who had brought his beak crashing down onto the boy's head.

Fearow looked at the face of his trainer, which was so quickly brought to annoyance and confusion over his Pokémon's behavior. Fearow snapped his beak in reply, and tilted his head to rest on the bronze building to the north. He was ready for a challenge.

While Ash didn't approve of Fearow's methods, he understood the message. He replied with a nod, and answered, "You're right." Ash followed Fearow's line of sight and set his eyes on the Viridian Gym. "Giovanni, here we come!"

"Okay... what gives?"

Ash stood staring up at the Gym, confusion the only emotion he felt. He had went to make his challenge, but the door had been locked. Upon further inspection, he found a large sign posted across the front of the building with the message: "VIRIDIAN CITY GYM CLOSED". Ash didn't get it. This was obviously the right place. Why was the Gym closed?

A familiar voice spoke up from behind. "I thought I'd find you here."

Ash turned around at being addressed, only to spot one of the last faces he had hoped to run into. "Professor!"

There, in his long white lab coat, stood Samuel Oak. He began walking towards Ash, saying, "You're a hard kid to track down."

Ash hadn't expected to have been found so early. He had hoped for a few more days at the least, which would have given him enough time to earn himself a badge and prove he deserved to be a trainer. He had no time to think about it now, though. He needed to make his case. "Professor, please don't take me back!"

Professor Oak now stood in front of the boy. Upon hearing the plea, Oak dropped his stern look in a moment of concern, and softly said, "Ash-"

Still, Ash was quick to interject. "Please listen! I wanna be a Pokémon Trainer! I know you said that I should wait, but I can't! Gary's out there right now, and he'll only get stronger. How am I supposed to be the best if he has a head start?"

"Lots of trainers have a head start over you, Ash. Besides, you don't even have a Pokémon!"

"I do have a Pokémon!" Ash fumbled with his belt to pull out Fearow's ball, and held it up for the Professor to see. "I caught it earlier today. We were going to battle at the Gym, but...

Oak turned his head to stare up a the abandoned building. "Yes, it seems Giovanni has left town. He helps with some of my research. Good man, that Giovanni. Someone should be by in a few days to take over for him, but..." Professor Oak trailed off, unsure of himself for a moment, before holding out his hand to Ash expectantly. "Well, hand it over."

Ash blinked foolishly at the Professor's request for a few dull moments. "What?"

"The Poké Ball, boy! If you're so determined to travel, we might as well get this over with." He sighed, before adding, "No doubt I'll never hear the end of it from Delia..."

Ash could hardly believe the request. Here he was, paranoid about being arrested or kidnapped, and yet Oak, after just a few words, was ready to hand over the world to him. Ash had to admit that perhaps he had misjudged the state of things.

He quickly handed over the Poké Ball. "Here, Professor."

Professor Oak took the Poké Ball from Ash and opened it to once again reveal Fearow's large form. Oak took a step back in alarm, having expected something small, like a Rattata. Leave it to Ash to capture such a beast unaided. The boy had spirit, Oak would give him that. The surprise gone, he leaned forward without fear to inspect the Pokémon, looking for signs of poor health.

Ash needlessly interjected into the inspection, saying, "It's a Fearow. I met it on Route 1."

"Him," Oak corrected offhandedly, now studying the bird's plumage. "He's male."

"Oh." The thought hadn't occurred to Ash before, but of course Fearow was a guy! Fearow seized an opportunity to posture by sticking out his chest in a show of masculine pride, the existence of which Ash had been clearly oblivious to before this moment.

Meanwhile, Professor Oak stood up from his appraisal, and said to Ash, "Everything seems in order here. You'll still need to follow me back to Pallet Town for your Pokédex, though."

At first, Ash didn't reply. A quiet moment settled over them for a few seconds, until Ash finally declared, "I'm going to Viridian Forest." Professor Oak looked ready to argue, but Ash pressed onwards. "I can't waste another day. If I can't fight Giovanni, I'll beat the Pewter City Gym, and show everyone that I can be a Pokémon Master."

"You can't put yourself at such a disadvantage. The Pokédex is a useful tool you won't want to do without." Oak tried his hardest to press this fact. He should know how useful it could be; it was his own invention, and a small part of him wanted to see Ash succeed with its help.

"No need to worry," said Ash. "I still have this." From his bag, Ash pulled out the worn copy of the Official Pokémon Handbook.

"I-it's not really in any condition to be a field guide..." Oak said, mostly to himself.

Several differing interest fought within the old professor, as he found himself caught between duty and desire. He wouldn't have known what to do if it wasn't for his handbook. Something about the sight of that old tome must have touched upon distant memories, as emotions of past adventures twisted through his mind. Eventually, his face settled into a look of resignation and pride. "I see your mind is set on this. I can enter in your challenge to the Pokémon League, but promise me you'll be careful."

"Aren't I always?" Ash turned to an unaware Fearow, who was now busying himself with preening his feathers. He quickly returned him to the Poké Ball, and set himself ready for adventure.

Oak stared at Ash, pack set upon his back, and Poké Balls firmly clipped into his belt. He was ready for adventure. "Look at you. Your mother raised you right. Aside from the running away from home, that is," Oak joked.

Ash rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, but stood tall. With Oak's blessing, he was now an official Pokémon trainer. No need to slouch; he was Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Master!

Before sending him off, Professor Oak decided to make one last request. "Contact me from time to time. I look forward to any reports on unusual Pokémon."

Ash nodded in affirmation, and turned to leave. "Well then, I'm off!"

"Take care!"

Ash faded from view, but his presence endured within Oak's mind. He knew for a fact that it would have been in Ash's best interests to take the day to return to Pallet Town for a proper farewell, but a boy like Ash won't turn away from his goal no matter what anyone says. His father was very much the same, if he remembered correctly. In cases like theirs, the most you can do is support them as best as you can, and direct them when they get lost on their journey.

Besides, Oak told himself, less prepared trainers than Ash have managed to find success in this world. What's the worst that could happen?

Deep in the Viridian Forest, in the dark of night, the wildlife stirred. A thick smog coated the trees. From the poisonous smoke, a Pikachu leapt free. He immediately darted south, desperate to escape the danger behind him. From tree branch to tree branch it flew, dodging the the occasional spray of poison needles shot by his pursuers. He refused to return fire though, and instead focused his efforts on evading capture.

Without warning, a small figure tore out of hiding with a growl, and flew directly at the mouse. Sharp claws dug into Pikachu's fur, and the two toppled to the forest floor.

They briefly struggled in their embrace, but being tired and unprepared, Pikachu was quickly pinned to the ground, bringing a swift end to their game of cat and mouse. Two figures drew up behind Pikachu's attacker, and together, the three let out a dark chuckle. The woman of the trio stepped forward to address their prey.

"Prepare for trouble."

Author Notes: I think I've learned why most authors don't give hard dates on when their next chapter will be out. I know that I said this will be out over two months ago, but after a laptop crash, finals, Pokémon X and Y coming out, holidays, and just overall laziness, this chapter took so much longer than needed. I won't give any more promises on when updates will be released from now on, but work has already been put into future chapters, so you shouldn't expect as long of a wait this time.

Ignore the updates for the first two chapters, as the only changes I've made are some small adjustments to grammar and the like. My thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, and to those loyal few who have stuck with me these last few weeks. Dynamo, awaaay!