Ash and Raiden were up early the next morning, training in the designated area for trainers to train their Pokemon.
"Raiden, I am going to start teaching you Iron Tail, but first I need to scan you to see what ability you have and the moves you currently know," Ash said while pulling out Dexter.
Pikachu the Mouse Pokemon. It has small electric sacs on both its cheeks. If threatened, it looses electric charges from the sacs. This Pikachu is male and has the ability Lightning Rod. This Pikachu knows the moves Tail Whip, Quick Attack, Thunder Shock, Thunderbolt, and Double Team.
"These are great moves Raiden," Ash said and watched as Raiden puffed out his chest with pride.
'Thank you Ash,' Raiden replied. 'The move I really want to learn the most is Volt Tackle, but I want to become stronger before trying to learn it.'
"That is a great idea," Ash responded with a smile. "I know the move and it can cause recoil damage if used incorrectly."
'It does,' Raiden said thoughtfully. 'When I was still a Pichu, the leader of our group had to protect the other Pichus and I from a flock of Pidgeys and Pidgeottos. He beat the flock with Volt Tackle and due to the damage from the flock and the move, it left him weak for a couple of days.'
"He sounds like an awesome leader," Ash said in awe. "What happened to the group of Pikachus you lived with?"
'I got captured by a girl trainer named Alaina, who decided to train me for cute contests, but I lost the first one and she had all her Pokemon attack me for losing. After I was hurt badly, she released me and left me to die. I only survived because the wild Pokemon in the area saw the whole thing and all worked together to make me better. That is why I was about to attack everyone in the lab because of what happened to me at the hands of one Pokemon trainer,' Raiden explained.
"I am so sorry you had to go through that Raiden," Ash said while getting to Raiden's level to rub his head. "If we ever run into her, if she is still a Pokemon trainer, then we will show her that you are stronger and better than any of her Pokemon."
'Thank you Ash,' Raiden replied.
Ash and Raiden then got busy with training by running some laps around the area together to build endurance. They then worked on agility and power. They took a break for breakfast and Misty joined them for training saying it would be good for both her and her Pokemon. After getting Raiden's permission, Ash tied some rocks onto to his tail to help build its strength. Shortly afterwards, Raiden's tail glowed for a few seconds while he was in mid-swing. After a few more tries, Raiden got the glow to stay and then he mastered Iron Tail. Ash congratulated Raiden with a hug and Misty rubbed the top of his head. Suddenly, Misty got an idea to have Raiden help her water Pokemon build resistance to Electric types. Ash responded that it was a good idea, but that it would be up to Raiden. Raiden agreed to it and Misty sent out her Staryu and Starmie, but said she couldn't send out Goldeen since there were no bodies of water in the training area. Staryu and Starmie were told about Misty's idea, which they both agreed to do. Raiden started off with a weak Thunder Shock and increased its power until they couldn't handle it anymore. Misty returned them back into their Pokeballs and they both went inside to have their Pokemon healed and to have lunch. Once they were finished, they retrieved their Pokemon and went to Route 1 where they found a body of water, which was a river. Ash pulled out his Old Rod while Misty was pulling out her Good Rod and they both cast their lines. It didn't take long for Ash to get a bite and when he reeled it in, it turned out to be a Shellder. Shellder was quickly caught with Raiden's help. Ash let Shellder out to heal it with a Potion and then he scanned Shellder with Dexter.
Shellder the Bivalve Pokemon. Its hard shell repels any kind of attack. It is vulnerable only when its shell is open. This Shellder is female and has the ability Shell Armor. This Shellder knows the moves Tackle, Withdraw, and Water Gun.
By this time, Misty got a bite on her line and caught a Poliwag with Goldeen's help. While Misty was healing Poliwag, Ash scanned it and Goldeen.
Poliwag the Tadpole Pokemon. Its newly grown legs prevent it from running. It appears to prefer swimming than trying to stand.
Goldeen the Goldfish Pokemon. Its tail fin billows like an elegant ballroom dress, giving it the nickname of the Water Queen.
Seeing Ash scanning her Pokemon, she sent out Staryu and Starmie for him to scan, which he did.
Staryu the Star Shape Pokemon. An enigmatic Pokemon that can effortlessly regenerate any appendage it loses in battle.
Starmie the Mysterious Pokemon. Its central core glows with the seven colors of the rainbow. Some people value the core as a gem.
"Cool," Ash said with a grin. "Thanks for letting me scan your Pokemon, Misty."
"No problem Ash," Misty replied with a smile. "Is there any other Pokemon you want to catch before we go back to the center?"
"Actually, there is," Ash said. "I want to catch a Magikarp and a Pidgey."
"Pidgey sounds like a great Pokemon for your team, but are you sure you want a Magikarp?" Misty asked.
"I am taking a wild guess that you had a bad experience with a Gyarados," Ash said with a sigh.
"Yeah," Misty replied while looking at her feet. "I nearly got swallowed by it, but I am trying to get over my fear of them just like I am trying to get over my fear of Bug Pokemon."
"Well, I am going to be going through Viridian Forest and a Caterpie could most likely help you get over your fear better than a Weedle since their final evolution is a Beedrill," Ash said thoughtfully.
"Was that your way of inviting me to join you on your journey?" Misty asked with a smile on her face.
"Yeah," Ash replied with a small blush.
"I would love to travel with you Ash since that gives me the perfect opportunity to catch and discover new Water Pokemon of all kinds!" Misty exclaimed with excitement.
Ash smiled with happiness hearing that Misty wanted to join him. He then threw the line back out into the water and a few seconds later, hooked a Magikarp, which he easily got not paying attention that the Makigarp was yellow. Misty, however, had been paying attention and she had wide eyes.
"Ash, you just caught a shiny Magikarp and you are not even fazed by that?" Misty asked in bewilderment.
"Huh?" Ash replied.
He tossed Magikarp's ball out over the water to let it and his jaw dropped open in shock seeing the shiny Magikarp. He pet Magikarp and then scanned it with Dexter.
Magikarp the Fish Pokemon. In the distant past, it was somewhat stronger than the horribly weak descendants that exist today. This Magikarp is female and has the ability Rattled. It knows the moves Splash and Tackle.
Ash slammed Dexter closed not liking the fact that it had insulted Magikarp. He began to pet Magikarp while apologizing for the insult from Dexter and Misty helped Magikarp feel better with some kind words of her own. Ash returned Magikarp and both of them put their rods away. They walked into the tree line to see that there were some Pidgeys hanging out on the branches, but Ash didn't want to accidentally hurt all the Pidgeys just to get one for his team. Suddenly, one flew off a tree branch, pecked Raiden on the head and then landed on the ground. Raiden jumped from Ash's shoulder onto the ground with sparks coming off his cheeks. Pidgey put up a great fight, but Raiden proved to be too much and Ash caught Pidgey. He let Pidgey out to heal with a Potion and then scanned it.
Pidgey the Tiny Bird Pokemon. A common sight in forests and woods. It flap its wings at ground level to kick up blinding sand. This Pidgey is male and has the ability Big Pecks. It knows the moves Tackle, Sand Attack, and Peck.
Ash returned Pidgey and put Dexter away in his pocket. Ash and Misty then headed back into Viridian City where they had Nurse Joy heal all their Pokemon. Once they received their Pokemon back, Ash went to the pool that Nurse Joy pointed out for Ash to use so he could get to know his Shellder and Magikarp better. Misty, however, decided to go look around town just to see if there was anything interesting. Ash let his three new Pokemon out with his Water Pokemon in the pool and Pidgey on the edge of the pool.
"Hi. My name is Ash and this Pikachu is Raiden," Ash said while pointing to Raiden. "I wanted to get to know the three of you better before doing any training and Magikarp I am still sorry that my Pokedex insulted you earlier."
'It doesn't matter. It is not likely that you can understand me,' Magikarp muttered sadly.
"Actually Magikarp, I can understand Pokemon," Ash replied. "I have had this ability as long as I can remember."
His three newest Pokemon looked at him in shock not wanting to believe their ears until Raiden confirmed it.
"What I want to know is if you have names and if so what are they?" Ash asked.
'My name is Aurora,' Shellder said. 'My mother gave me my name, but most don't give their children a name.'
'I don't have a name,' Magikarp again muttered sadly.
'I don't have a name either,' Pidgey replied.
"Aurora is a beautiful name," Ash said while smiling at Shellder. "Magikarp and Pidgey, would you like to have a name instead of calling you by your species name?"
'Yes,' they both replied at the same time.
"Well, the first name that popped up in my mind was Melody for Magikarp and Hermes for Pidgey," Ash thoughtfully said out loud.
'I like the name Melody,' Magikarp happily replied getting over her sadness.
'The all mighty Melody,' Pidgey stated while looking at Melody and then turned to Ash. 'I like the name Hermes.'
"Then, it is settled," Ash replied with a grin on his face. "Now, I want to train the three of you up for our first gym battle, but I can only use two Pokemon for the gym battle and sadly Melody I cannot use you for the first gym battle due to the fact that there won't be any water for you to swim in and you don't learn any Water type moves until you evolve into Gyarados."
'It's fine Ash,' Melody responded. 'I understand and I know you will still train me before and after I evolve.'
'What type of gym is it that you are going up against first?' Hermes asked.
"Rock," Ash replied. "I am going to use Raiden and before you say that there is a type disadvantage, I have already figured out a way around it by teaching Raiden Iron Tail today."
'As much as I would love to take on the first gym, I think you should use Aurora,' Hermes calmly stated.
'Me?' Aurora asked in shock. 'Hermes you are faster and stronger than me.'
'That is exactly why I think you should be Ash's second Pokemon to use because you need the experience and I have a feeling that Ash is going to build up our strength, power, endurance, agility, and possible have us build resistance to Electric types,' Hermes explained.
"What Hermes is saying is true Aurora," Ash cut in. "Raiden and I trained together this morning by running to build endurance, built up the power of his attacks, and had a friend of ours attack Raiden with her own Pokemon, so that he could practice dodging to build his agility up and his speed. The way I got Raiden to learn Iron Tail so fast was by tying some rocks to his tail to increase its strength since he has to swing his tail in order for it to work. I am sure that Misty, our friend, has Water Pokemon of her own and I am sure she would be willing to let you learn some more Water attacks from Staryu, Starmie, and Goldeen. I am not sure if her newest Pokemon, which is a Poliwag knows any Water moves and if it makes you feel more comfortable, then I will teach Hermes the move Steel Wing."
'It's just that I have never had a single battle since my mom and dad refused to let me fight even though my other sisters and brothers got to fight all the time and before you ask, I am not the baby of the family. My parents said that I was a weakling,' Aurora said sadly.
'I know how it feels to be a weakling and my parents tried to stop me from battling as well, but I showed them that I could hold out on my own by beating my older brother with Tackle, which I learned during the battle and he hadn't even bothered to build up his defense from his training,' Melody smirked.
"I am sorry both of you had to go through that, but I see that all four of you are not weaklings and I know with the right training then all four of you will become powerful in your own way," Ash said with honesty in his voice and then he saw Misty leaning up against the door jam with a smile on her face. "Aurora, Melody, and Hermes let me introduce you to Misty."
Misty walked over to the five of them with the smile still on her face and she bent down to pet all of Ash's Pokemon. She then got back up to stand next to Ash.
"That was really sweet of you to say those things to your Pokemon," Misty said.
"Well, it is the truth," Ash mumbled while rubbing the back of his head.
"I know," Misty happily replied. "Also, I won't tell anyone about your ability because people might try to take advantage of you."
"Thanks Misty. I really appreciate it. Here let me ask your Pokemon what their names are so you know for future reference," Ash responded.
"Are you sure Ash because I am not going to force you if you are uncomfortable about it," Misty asked in shock.
Ash nodded his head and Misty let her four Pokemon out with Poliwag happily jumping up into Misty's arms. When asked if they had names, Staryu and Starmie responded that they used psychic waves as names and therefore wouldn't be translatable. Goldeen's name was Giselle and Poliwag didn't have a name, but that she didn't want one and preferred to be called by her species name.
"Misty when Poliwag evolves into Poliwhirl, if she wants to that is, are you wanting a Poliwrath or a Politoed?" Ash asked.
'I want to be a Politoed,' Poliwag quickly jumped in.
"You want to be a Politoed?" Ash questioned Poliwag and received a nod from her. "Well, it looks like she answered my question."
"I am perfectly fine with you becoming a Politoed," Misty told Poliwag. "I will either catch another Poliwag or just see if I can find a Poliwrath in the wild, but that doesn't mean I am trying to replace you Poliwag. I want to become a Water Pokemon Master so it helps to have all sorts of Water Pokemon to help me achieve my dream and Melody I will eventually get a Magikarp to evolve into Gyarados, but for right now I need to get over my fear of them."
"Just don't rush yourself in trying to get over your fear," Ash said.
Melody had Ash translate for her that she understood and she ask if Misty would be comfortable getting a male Magikarp just so that she could eventually have a child of her own, which Misty said she would try her best to get a male Magikarp. Ash asked Misty to watch over the Pokemon while Raiden put them through some training of building their resistance to Electric types while he would do one-on-one training with Hermes to learn the move Steel Wing. Misty agreed and Ash thanked her while Raiden was slowly shocking Giselle. With Hermes on his shoulder, Ash went back to the training area and tied some rocks that were not too heavy, so Hermes would still be able to fly to build up the strength of his wings. Soon Hermes was flying around with ease that Ash took the rocks off and had Hermes practice focusing on his wings gaining a metal sheen. It took a little while for Hermes to get the sheen and hold while swinging his wings like he was going to attack an opponent. After a couple more tries, Hermes learned Steel Wing and they got to work on building its power. They then returned to the others to see that they were taking a break with Misty happily telling them that they were doing a great job. Ash had Raiden work with Hermes while he got in the pool with Aurora and Melody to do some laps with them around the pool with Misty joining him to do the same thing with her Pokemon. By the end of the training they were all hungry and tired. Ash and Misty fed their Pokemon before they returned them and handed them over to Nurse Joy, who happily healed them. Ash called his mom to let her know how he was doing so far on his journey and the new Pokemon he has met today. They talked for a little while and then Ash introduced his mother to Misty, when Delia had to get off before her dinner burned. Ash and Misty went and ate their own dinner, went to their room and crashed for the night.