Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's Pokémon franchise.
Legend:
"A human or a Pokémon is talking."
'A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'
"A machine is being used."
Chapter Two:
(Kanto—Route One)
It had been about four hours since Ash Ketchum and his Starter Pokémon—Eevee—had left Pallet Town to begin their very own Pokémon Journey.
Since they had left Pallet Town, they had been travelling down the well-trodden, dirt road that made up Route One. However, about thirty minutes ago, Ash had decided to stop for some lunch, as he was getting pretty hungry.
After finding a small clearing to eat lunch, Ash had withdrawn a sandwich and a bottle of water for himself. He had then found a small bag of PokéChow and a small bowl inside. Those hadn't been inside his backpack before.
'Mom put this stuff in here.' Ash thought in realization. He grinned, "Thanks, Mom."
"Ve?"
Ash looked down to where Eevee was now sitting, looking at him with a curious gleam in its eyes and a tilted head. He grinned at his Pokémon before he showed it the bag of PokéChow which caused it to lick its lips.
"You're hungry to, aren't you?" Ash stated more than asked. He then ripped open the top of the bag before pouring it into the metal bowl, after seeing Eevee nod. "Well, my Mom put this into my backpack. I was just thanking her… even if she isn't here…"
Saying it aloud, Ash realized how odd his actions were. Ears flushed, he reached over to his sandwich and bit into it. Eevee however noticed none of this, chomping, chewing, and then swallowing its mouthful after mouthful of PokéChow.
Eventually Ash's embarrassment died out, just as he was finishing his lunch. He then put away his half-drained bottle, his bunched-up sandwich wrapper, Eevee's empty bowl, and the bag of PokéChow into his backpack.
Ash had just about finished when he caught sight of a small Pokémon not too far away from where he and Eevee were.
The Pokémon resembled a small, plump-bodied bird. It was a brown color, with the tips of its wings, belly, and throat being a nice cream color. Both of its taloned feet and beak were a pinkish-gray color. It also had black markings around its eyes and a small crest of brown and cream feathers above its eyes.
This bird-like Pokémon was foraging around in the grass around it, appearing to be looking for its own lunch. What made it perfect was that this Pokémon's back was turned to him and Eevee.
"This is perfect, Eevee." Ash whispered, careful to keep his voice down lest the Pokémon hear him and be startled away.
Quickly taking out his Pokédex, he flipped it open before he pointed it towards the bird Pokémon. A moment later the screen flashed before a picture of Pidgey—on a blue background—appeared.
The Pokédex then began to speak, "Pidgey: The Tiny Bird Pokémon. Pidgey are generally docile and prefer to avoid conflict. If disturbed, however, they can ferociously strike back."
After taking in this information, Ash put his Pokédex into his right pants pocket before he looked over at Eevee. His Pokémon was looking at the Pidgey with a curious, if eager, expression on its face.
Sensing his look, Eevee turned her head. "Eve Ee-V-E Eevee?"
"We're going to catch that Pokémon, Eevee." Ash answered with a grin.
"Ve!" Eevee yipped, wagging her tail, as she got up. The sound caused Pidgey to tense up slightly as Eevee rushed forward. "Eevee Ve Eevee!"
Hearing Eevee coming, Pidgey was successfully able to jump Eevee's attack by jumping to the side before it looked at Eevee with an angry expression. Eevee rushed forward once again, only for Pidgey to jump into the air—wings outstretched—before it began to hover a couple of feet above the ground.
Eevee's ears lowered in disappointment, "Eevee..."
"Gigi Gi! Pidgey Gi!" Pidgey screeched before it dived towards Eevee, a vengeful gleam in its beady little eyes.
"Eevee!" Ash called out, getting his Pokémon's attention. "You need to dodge it! Dodge and then use your Tackle attack!"
One of the things that Ash had done before he had left Professor Oak's lab was to use his newfound Pokédex to look up Eevee. He had found out that Eevee was actually a female and could use three attacks at the moment; Tackle, Tail Whip, and Helping-Hand.
Eevee yipped before she ran to the side, dodging Pidgey's own Tackle, before she raced forward. Pidgey didn't have the time to regain altitude before it was struck in the side by the full force of Eevee's body, knocking it out of the air.
Pidgey crashed on the ground, ripping up a fair amount of grass, dirt, and a little bit of dust as it skidded over the ground. Eevee yipped happily while Ash grinned.
"Nice job, Eevee!" Ash cheered. "Now, finish it off with another Tackle attack!"
Eevee nodded before it rushed towards Pidgey's downed form. By the point that Pidgey had managed to regain its footing, Eevee was only a few inches away. Pidgey chirped out in distress as Eevee tackled it again before the force of the attack sent it flying backwards.
There was a faint thud as Pidgey's body crashed against the trunk of a nearby tree—causing Pidgey to cry out again—before it slowly fell towards the earth. It was easy to see that the two Tackles, along with crashing into a tree, were too much for it.
Moving quickly, Ash removed a Poké Ball from his belt, enlarged it, and threw it towards the unconscious Pidgey. When it struck, the Poké Ball converted Pidgey into red-tinted energy that was then absorbed into it.
Dropping onto the ground with a dull thunk, the Poké Ball then began to rock back and forth. This rocking was caused by Pidgey's subconscious will fighting the Poké Ball to escape. It continued to rock, three times a second, for a couple of moments before it glowed red.
This was followed with a faint ding as the Poké Ball finally stopped rocking. It appeared as if Pidgey's will wasn't strong enough to break free after all.
It was only mere seconds after the Poké Ball had stopped rocking that Ash had realized what he had just done; he had captured his first Pokémon! He quickly walked over, picked up the Poké Ball, turned towards Eevee, and grinned.
"We did it Eevee!" Ash cheered, thrusting the Poké Ball into the air. "We did it! We caught our first Pokémon!"
Eevee yipped, "Eevee, Ee-V-E! Eevee Eve Ve Eevee!" Wagging her tail, she padded towards Ash before putting her paws onto Ash's knees. "Ve Ee-V-E!"
Ash laughed.
Further celebration was interrupted as both Trainer and Pokémon heard something going "Rat-a-Tat-Tat" behind them. Turning, Ash saw another Pokémon which was currently rummaging around through his backpack.
This Pokémon was a small, quadruped rodent. Its most notable feature was its large teeth. It had long whiskers and a long, slightly curled tail. This Pokémon also had purple fur on its back, cream-colored fur on its stomach, and crimson-colored eyes.
Ash quickly pulled out his Pokédex before he flicked it open, "Rattata: the Mouse Pokémon. Cautious in the extreme, this Pokémon's hard vitality lets it live in any kind of environment."
"Ve?" Eevee asked, looked up towards Ash.
"A Rattata, huh?" Ash thought aloud as he quickly put his Pokédex away. Then, looking down, he stared into Eevee's eyes. "Are you up for it, Eevee?"
"Ve, Eevee Ee-V-E!" Eevee nodded.
Ash smiled before he moved slightly, causing Eevee's forepaws to plop onto the ground. "Alright then… let's do this." Eevee's ears flattened against her head. "Now, use your Tackle attack!"
Eevee yipped excitedly before she rushed forward. However, like Pidgey had done before, Rattata dodged to the side. Unlike Pidgey, however, it hadn't heard Eevee; it had smelled her.
"Rattata!" Rattata accused with an angry frown. "Rata tatta Ra Rattata!"
With that, Rattata lunged forward as body developed a slight glow around its body. This glow seemed to somehow increase the small Pokémon's speed as it was easily able to catch up to Eevee before slamming into her.
Eevee stumbled backwards slightly before she managed to regain her balance. While Rattata's attack had hurt, it didn't pact that much of a punch yet, so she was easily able to shrug off the damage.
Rattata's eyes narrowed as it charged forward once again, "Rattata!"
"Dodge it, Eevee!" Ash quickly ordered. He waited on virtual eggshells until Eevee had obeyed, sidestepping Rattata before she got behind it. He smiled. "Good! Now, use Growl!"
Eevee opened her mouth before she let out a loud, piercing yip that quickly began to distort the area around it. This sound caused Rattata to stumble, as it was unable to dodge, before it fell over, wincing from the harsh sound.
Ash cheered, "Great job, Eevee! Now finish it off with a Tackle!"
Eevee charged Rattata once more. Now closer than she had been before, and with Rattata only just recovering from her Growl, Eevee managed to tackle it.
Like what happened with Pidgey, the force behind Eevee's Tackle sent Rattata tumbling. Skidding to a stop, Rattata recovered, slowly getting back onto its feet. By then, however, Eevee was already upon it with another Tackle.
This time, along with forcing Rattata backwards, the force behind Eevee's attack was enough to have knocked Rattata unconscious. Ash quickly unclipped another Poké Ball from his belt before he threw it towards the downed Pokémon and said:
"Go, Poké Ball!"
After a few seconds, the Poké Ball struck Rattata before it converted the unconscious Pokémon into red energy and sucked it inside of itself. Falling towards the ground, the Poké Ball began to rock. Five seconds passed before it stopped rocking and released a ding.
Ash quickly retrieved his new Pokémon's Poké Ball before he turned towards Eevee, "Yes! We caught a Rattata!"
XXXXXX
(Later—Kanto—Viridian City)
Three hours had passed since Ash had caught Pidgey and Rattata, picked up and put away his stuff, and got back onto Route One.
He had just officially exited Route One and was about to enter Viridian City when somebody stopped him with a harsh command:
"Halt!"
Turning around, Ash caught sight of a woman with shoulder-length spiky blue hair underneath a blue policewoman's hat and teal-colored eyes. She was wearing a standard police uniform but with a knee-length skirt instead of pants.
"Before you can enter into Viridian City, I'll need to see proof of your identification." The policewoman said before extending a gloved hand. "Please hand over your Pokédex for inspection."
Not wanting any trouble, Ash obeyed; quickly taking out his Pokédex and handing it over to the policewoman. Confused and a little bit worried, he watched as she flipped his Pokédex open and then press a few buttons.
After a moment, the Pokédex spoke. "I am Dexter, the Pokédex programmed by Professor Oak for Pokémon Trainer Ash Ketchum. I have been programmed to provide Ash with information about Pokemon. If lost or stolen, I cannot be replaced."
The policewoman nodded before she sighed—apparently not getting the information that she wanted—and pressed another few buttons.
"Ash Ketchum has captured a total of three Pokémon; he received Eevee as his Starter Pokémon while catching a Pidgey and a Rattata in the wild."
With that, the policewoman nodded before she gave Ash his Pokédex back. "Sorry about that. It's just that Viridian City has been experiencing a lot of Team Rocket activity as of late. I had to make sure you weren't stealing that Eevee."
"That's okay, Officer… Uh…." Ash furrowed his eyebrows. "What is your name again?"
This actually caused the policewoman to blush slightly, gloved hands moving to rub the back of her head sheepishly. "Oh, sorry… My name is Officer Suzanne Jenny—one of the Officer Jenny that patrol Viridian City." Calming, she then asked. "Now, can I help you with anything young man?"
"Yeah. Do you know where the nearest Pokemon Center is?" Ash asked.
"That's easy! All you have to do is continue on this street for a couple of blocks. The Pokémon Center will be the huge roof that looks like a Poké Ball." Officer Jenny informed. "You really can't miss it."
Ash nodded—repeating the information in his head—before he smiled, "Thanks for your help, Officer Jenny!" Turning, he began walking into Viridian City proper. "C'mon, Eevee; let's go!"
"Stay out of trouble!"
XXXXXXX
(Meanwhile—Kanto—Viridian City)
A little over 300 feet in the air above Officer Jenny's guard station was a giant, Meowth-shaped balloon with three figures standing inside of it. Two of these three figures appeared to be humans while the third was a Pokémon that stood on its hind-legs.
The two humans were currently staring a wanted poster that they had just used a fishing wire to remove from Officer Jenny's guard station. Staring at it, it was like they were looking in a mirror.
After a few moments, the female figure crumbled the poster into a large ball before she threw it over her shoulder.
"A wanted poster… how flattering." The woman sneered.
"Flattering?" The man asked as if offended. "This picture makes me look terrible!"
The woman smirked, "Then you should be happy that the photographer captured the real you!"
"Exactly."
There was a moment of silence before the woman looked down at the lighted, sleeping city underneath their balloon. "We'll show these bumpkins."
"The people of Viridian City will be sorry that they ever had to see this face." The man agreed as he wiped a lock of lavender-colored hair away from his eyes.
"We are all sorry to your face, James!" The Pokémon hissed as it came up from behind the two humans, looking at them disapprovingly. "You two need to stay focused! We're here to capture rare, valuable, or unusual Pokémon! Don't ever forget that! Me-owth!"
"Absolutely!" The woman replied.
"But of course!" The man—James—said.
"And just remember…" The Pokémon warned. "That I'm the top cat around here!"
XXXXXX
(Later—With Ash Ketchum)
Following Officer Jenny's directions, it had been really easy to find the Pokémon Center. And, she was right, you couldn't miss it. After all, who would miss the sign reading "Pokémon Center" just below the enormous Poké Ball-like roof?
Ash walked up to the building through its paved courtyard, watched as the solid glass doors slide open with a brief hiss, and entered the lobby.
The lobby itself had polished green tiles as floor and light yellow walls that were supported up by a few yellow columns. In the middle of the lobby was the reception desk with staircases—and a small catwalk—on either sides of it.
Standing behind the reception desk was a woman with pink hair tied into two loops underneath a white nurse's hat and blue eyes. She was wearing a pale pink shirt underneath a white dress and white slippers.
"Hello young man." The nurse greeted with a faint, polite smile on her face. "My name is Nurse Joy. How may I help you?"
"Could you heal my Pokémon, Nurse Joy?" Ash asked.
"Just hand me your Pokémon honey." Nurse Joy answered. "It shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes."
Ash nodded before he quickly unclipped Pidgey and Rattata's Poké Balls from his belt and put them on the counter. He then told Eevee to hold onto the counter—which she did—before Nurse Joy retrieved a metal tray from underneath the desk.
Nurse Joy enlarged his two Poké Balls to their full sizes before she put them into two of the six spherical holes in the tray. She then picked up Eevee before putting her on top of a third hole.
"I'll be back in a few minutes, honey." Nurse Joy stated as she took the tray and walked towards the door near the mural behind her desk.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy!"
"No need to thank me, honey; it's what I do!" Nurse Joy said, waving off his thanks, before she disappeared through the door.
XXXXXX
(Meanwhile—Kanto—Pallet Town—Ketchum Residence)
"Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone call! Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone Call! Ring, Ring—"
The Video Phone's annoying little ditty was rudely interrupted when Delia—dressed in a bathrobe with her hair wrapped in a towel—picked up the receiver. Before she did though, she made sure that the phone was on "audio only" so the person on the other end wouldn't see her.
"Hello? This is the Ketchum residence. How may I help you?" Delia asked.
"Hi, Mom."
"Ash!" Delia happily cried as she quickly removed the towel from her hair before flipping her hair behind her ears. Then, she turned on the video feed, coming face to face with her son a few seconds later. "Hi honey! Is everything alright with you? Where are you?"
"I'm alright, Mom. And I'm at the Pokémon Center—in Viridian City." Ash answered.
"… You're already in Viridian City, Ash?" Delia asked, shocked. "It took your father and I days to get there when we started our journeys… Oh, your father will be so proud when I tell him the good news." She smiled. "You know you're the apple in his eye!"
"Really? I didn't know that." Ash said.
"Mm-hm. You're father had a VERY unwilling Bulbasaur as his Starter Pokémon… you do remember his Venusaur, don't you?" Ash nodded. "Well, that was his Bulbasaur."
"Really? What made Bulbasaur listen to him?" Ash asked.
Delia smiled, "Your father saved it from a wild Raticate on the third day of his own journey. After that, they became the best of friends."
'I wonder why he never told me that…' Ash thought.
"Anyways, your dad will be so happy when I tell him you made it to Viridian in less than a day since you started your own Pokémon journey!" Delia continued on.
"You think so?" Ash asked.
Delia nodded, "I know so, sweetie. And have a good night…" She smiled at Ash, tears prickling the edges of her eyes. "I love you, honey."
"I love you to, Mom. And I will."
With that, Delia ended their video chat before she began pressing a small sequence of numbers. She needed to make a phone call to a certain someone to tell him of the news.
XXXXXX
(Unova—Striaton City—Pokémon Center)
"Ash already made it to Viridian City?" Jonathan Ketchum asked as he stared at his wife—through the Video Phone—with a shocked expression on his face.
Jonathan was a rather tall, tan man with spiky black hair and dark-blue eyes. He was wearing a simple white, button-down shirt, a pair of black slacks with a belt, and black shoes.
"He did." Delia affirmed.
Jonathan sat down on the stool next to him, stunned. Despite his best efforts, it had taken him at least four days to get to Viridian City when he had begun his own journey. For his son to make it there in less than a day, it was simply extraordinary.
"That's amazing." Jonathan whispered. After a couple of moments, he lifted his head. "Which Starter Pokémon did he chose? Has he caught anything yet?"
Deliver smiled, "Well… he didn't actually get one of the three basic Starter Pokémon… instead, he got an Eevee." Ignoring Jonathan's questioning glance, she continued on. "And yes, I do think he caught two Pokémon… but he didn't tell me what. I'll have to ask him the next time he calls."
Jonathan nodded, stroking his beard. With that information it only made Ash's quick arrival to Viridian City all the more impressive.
"Can you send him my regards, sweetie? Tell him how proud I am?" Jonathan asked. "I would myself but I'm kinda busy at the moment…"
XXXXXX
(Meanwhile—With Ash Ketchum)
After finishing his call to his mother, Ash had been drawn to the mural that stood on the computer screen behind the reception desk. The mural showed what appeared to be four ancient Pokémon carved onto four different colored stones.
'I wonder why that bird Pokémon is so familiar looking.' Ash mused to himself, frowning. 'I know I haven't seen it before. So, why...'
Further thought was interrupted as the computer started to blare with an all-too familiar ring, "Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone call! Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone call! Ring—!"
Having made his way over to the computer, Ash quickly pressed a couple buttons before he saw the words "audio only" flash across the screen.
"Uh… hello. This is Ash Ketchum… Who's calling?" Ash asked.
"Here! I'm over here, Ash!"
Hearing the voice coming from behind, Ash turned around, only to see that the lower-left drawing of the mural had been replaced. Instead of the stone that depicted an ancient Pokémon was what looked like a live feed of Professor Oak's laboratory. At the moment, Professor Oak was looking at a screen that had Ash's face on it, seemingly unaware that Ash could only see the aged Professor's backside.
"Don't you recognize me, Ash?" Professor Oak asked. "I mean, we only saw each other just this morning!"
Ash smirked, "No Professor, I didn't recognize the back of your head!"
"Huh?" Professor Oak asked, turning around. "Oops! Wrong camera!" Pressing a button, the screen shifted to show Professor Oak's face. "There! I just finished speaking to your father. He told me that you had made it to the Pokémon Center in Viridian City. Is that true?"
"Yep. 'Cause that's where I am." Ash nodded.
"I see… the other Pokémon Trainers from Pallet Town have also arrived there. I'm certainly surprised that you got there so soon Ash… I had my doubts that you could handle the Eevee I gave you."
"Huh?" Ash asked, confused.
"After I told Gary that you had gotten your own Pokémon, he insisted that you wouldn't be able to catch a single Pokémon by the time you got to Viridian City." Professor Oak smiled. "So I bet him 1 million that he'd be wrong!"
Ash's eyes widened, "Really?" Upon seeing the Professor nod, Ash allowed a huge grin to spread across his face. "Well, Professor… you won your bet; I caught two Pokémon!" Then, seeing Professor Oak's inquiring expression, he elaborated. "A Pidgey and a Rattata."
"Yes! I knew I was right in giving you that Eevee!" Professor Oak cheered happily. "I knew you could do it!"
Further conversation was halted when Professor Oak's doorbell began to ring. Professor Oak quickly said goodbye before he rushed to the stairway and towards his door.
"That must be my pizza!" Professor Oak exclaimed, only for the doorbell to ring again. "Just wait a minute; I'm coming!"
It was only a minute later when Ash heard Professor Oak returning up to his lab—admiring the toppings that he had chosen for his pizza. He shivered at the combination just before the screen went blank.
'Who puts anchovies, spinach, and pineapples on a pizza?' Ash asked himself.
Ash's Pokémon Team
Eevee (Female): Level Six.
Attacks: Tail Whip (Normal), Tackle (Normal), Growl (Normal), and Helping-Hand (Normal).
Pidgey (Male): Level Five.
Attacks: Tackle (Normal), and Sand-Attack (Ground).
Rattata (Male): Level Four.
Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), and Quick Attack (Normal).
A/N: Author's Note: So, that's the end of chapter two! Tell me what you think; comments, how I could make it better… you know. That stuff. This chapter was updated as of 5/08/2012.