Chapter 2
I do not own Pokemon. I only own my OCs.
Route 1 was a long path that stretched from Pallet Town to Viridian City, and it was a three-day walk on foot to get from one end of the route to the other. There were only a few species of Pokemon that lived on the route, most of which were Pidgey and Rattata. The area consisted of forest, with patches of open fields that Pokemon could roam in, as well as small rivers where Water-types lived.
However, some Trainers had reported seeing the odd Bellsprout or Oddish along the route. The dual Grass/Poison types tended to be found farther south, where the climate was warmer and more humid. Every so often Ash would spot a patch of wilted plants, which was possibly due to the acid both species possessed.
(A/N: This is from the Let's Go games, will be important this chapter)
He'd gotten a good amount of money from battling, which would be useful once they got to Viridian City. Generally Trainers tended to bet money on who would win a match, around 250 PokeDollars or so. League sanctioned matches such as gym battles and conference matches banned any sort of gambling, since these battles had more at stake and were mandatory for a Trainer to progress through their journey anyways. Trainers with less than two thousand Pokedollars in their wallet were forbidden to gamble on their battles until they got their cash from another source, such as selling items or doing manual labor.
Since the cash was digital, their balance would be locked from being used for battle until it went above that threshold. Most Trainers simply had a card that had their Trainer ID and their cash. However, the Pokedex doubled as a wallet and Trainer ID.
A lot of the Trainers he'd battled that day weren't particularly challenging, and Nate's Charmander had been able to successfully roast a Trainer's entire team of bugs, which turned out to be all Kakuna and Metapod. Nate's opponent wasn't especially happy about losing a good portion of his money to someone who had taken out his entire team with little effort.
Aside from that though, a lot of Trainers seemed to gather around the edge of Pallet Town, training their Pokemon and looking for battles. Many of the Trainers Ash had battled used Pidgey and Rattata, Pokemon that were commonly found nearby. However, all of them fell to two or three hits from Porygon. Ash couldn't blame them though, they'd probably never seen one in their lifetime. Heck, one kid who looked to be a year or two younger than Ash accused him of cheating after Porygon had been able to down his Pidgey within a few moments.
Speaking of which, he had his sights set on a Pidgey that was pecking at some seeds just a few yards away from their campsite. Pidgey were common partners for Trainers starting out, which was evident from the multiple individuals he had battled earlier that day. They were loyal Pokemon that made great companions for anyone needing a flying Pokemon. Pidgeot were fast, faster than Fearow, which were considered to be its natural enemy in the wild. They were docile, and usually scattered near the presence of humans, so he had to do this quickly.
He reached inside his bag to grab a PokeBall and…
… grabbed nothing but air.
He frantically rummaged through his bag, looking for any sign of the red and white balls. Nothing.
Ash groaned out loud and held his head in his hands. In his haste to get to the Professor's Lab he had forgotten to pack one of the most important tools a Trainer could have. He'd have to wait to catch something until they got to Viridian City. Angelina noticed his dismay and handed him a PokeBall, but the Pidgey had already noticed his attempt to catch it and hastily flew away before he could throw a ball, stirring up dust with its wings. The boy sighed in defeat. There was nothing he could do now.
Just a few feet away however, he spied a lone Spearow pecking at the ground. While he could have Porygon attack it, its stamina had been exhausted from the day's battles, and he didn't want to force it to fight yet another Pokemon. There were a few rocks around the area, but Ash banished the idea. Only an idiot would throw a rock at an aggressive Pokemon species such as Spearow.
Ash, Nate, and Angelina had decided to camp for the night. They'd made good progress on their trek from Pallet Town, and it would only be a couple more days of walking before they made it to the aptly named "City of Evergreen". While it was much more developed than Pallet Town, many trees were planted in and around the city, giving the settlement a relaxing feel.
Ash turned his attention toward the camp, where Nate's Charmander had already started a fire. He realized he hadn't done a single thing to help his friends set up camp, and spotted Nate hauling some more firewood over. He walked over to the bespectacled boy and held out his arms.
"Need help with that?" Ash asked with a smile.
"Yeah." Nate said, placing the wood in his hands and sitting down with a sigh. "Thanks."
Ash dropped the wood on the already burning pile of logs, which made the fire grow in intensity. He unraveled his sleeping bag and started digging into his rations. His mom had packed him some of her homemade spaghetti, and he made sure to savor it. It would be his last chance to have one of her meals for a long time. His mom was a legendary cook, and Ash couldn't resist eating up every last bite of her food. Whenever his mom was cooking, you could bet Ash would be there eating everything in sight.
"So Ash." Angelina said, trying to start some light banter. She paused as she moved her hand down Bulbasaur's neck, eliciting a croon from her partner. "How'd you end up with… that thing as your starter?" She pointed at Porygon, who didn't seem phased by Angelina's confusion. "Is it safe? I've never seen it before." Ash managed to swallow his food before responding.
"I got it from the Professor since he ran out of starter Pokemon." Ash said. "It's called Porygon. It's a man-made Pokemon from Cinnabar Island. Professor Oak told me that it can go into computers."
"You're so lucky..." Nate grumbled. "I mean, that thing is one of the only ones of its kind in the world, right? Do you know how many people would kill to have what you have right now!?" Ash was about to answer, although he supposed Nate had a point. Professor Oak had pretty much just placed one of the rarest Pokemon in the world in his hands, with no doubts or reservations. He either just had that much faith in Ash, or just really wanted to get some quick and accurate research results for Porygon. Either way, Ash wasn't complaining.
"I mean, Charmander's pretty cool too, right?" Ash said as the fire lizard shot Nate a glare. "What did the Pokedex tell you about it?"
Nate shrugged. "Eh. Dexter mostly told me stuff about how its important to keep Charmander's flame healthy by giving it a balanced diet." he said. Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Who's Dexter?" he asked.
"Oh, that's what I call my Pokedex now." Nate explained, his smile widening. "Dexter. Get it? Cause it's a Pokedex?" He started to chuckle at his joke, and Angelina and Ash just rolled their eyes.
"You can't just name a device, Nate. It's not alive." she said. "That's like naming your microwave. What would you even name it anyways?"
Nate paused. "...Mike."
"I hate you."
Nate started to burst out laughing, catching the attention of Charmander, who just gave his Trainer a disapproving look. Angelina shook her head and spoke up. "Well, now that we've established Nate's terrible sense of humor, I have a question for you Ash." she said. Ash looked toward Angelina, waiting for her inquiry. "How do you know so much about Pokemon? I heard that you scored the highest out of anyone in our class, including me and Nate." She leaned forward. "What's your secret?"
Ash took some time to think up an answer. "Well, I've wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer since I was little." Ash explained. "I always watched League battles on TV, and went to Oak's corral sometimes to interact with the Pokemon there. It was really fun meeting so many cool Pokemon." His expression became wistful as he started to remember the good times he had at the Professor's corral.
While it was rare, sometimes Oak would take his class to his corral to see and play with the Pokemon other Trainers had left there, under the watchful eye of his Arcanine. However, even before that, Ash and Gary used to go to his corral often and try to seek out the biggest Pokemon there. One time they spotted a ginormous Tangrowth lounging under the shade of a tree, and another time they had almost tried to get closer to a Gyarados that was sleeping in the huge lake at the center of the corral. However, Arcanine had stopped them in their tracks before they could get closer, and Oak had given them both a scolding right after about the dangers of being in the line of sight of a Gyarados.
"Sounds like you've got your future all planned out." Nate said, throwing a rice ball into his mouth and swallowing. "I'm not really sure what I want to do though."
Angelina nodded. "Yeah, me neither." she agreed. "I just want to make a name for myself at the conference."
Ash nodded vigorously in agreement. The Indigo Conference was a region-wide tournament held once every two years, broadcast all around the world. Talented Trainers who managed to collect eight Gym badges from Kanto were eligible to participate. The Johto region, while being part of the Indigo territory, had its own circuit that led up the Silver Conference, which tended to be held during the years that the Indigo Conference wasn't. It was a chance for Trainers old and new to test their skills and truly see who was the very best. It was a single elimination bracket, giving Trainers only one chance to stream-roll the competition.
However, even if they managed to win the Indigo Conference, Trainers still had to face off against the Indigo Elite Four. The Trainers who made up this group mainly specialized in one type, and were extremely powerful, leagues above most Trainers and Gym Leaders. Ash could only dream that he'd get to their level in the coming years.
First there was Lorelei, the Ice-type expert who hailed from the Sevii Islands. She was cold and calculating, and Trainers were tasked with breaking through her monster of a Lapras, something that very few could claim to do. While she wasn't a "specialist" in the traditional sense, as she still had a few Water-types on her team, it didn't make her any less of a threat.
Then there was Bruno, the Fighting-type master. His Pokemon could throw punches as easily as they could breathe. Those who managed to make it past Lorelei had to deal with his Machamp, who was said to have been with him for most of his life. Along with training his Pokemon, he also trained himself, striving each and every day to get stronger.
Next was Agatha, the Ghost-type expert. Many people had said she was past her prime, but any recording of her in battle disproved that statement. She was ruthless, and her Gengar even moreso. There had been rumors that the League was looking for a replacement for her. Despite her being just over seventy years old, she was still going strong, and Ash just couldn't see her being replaced. She was just too important of an asset to the Elite Four.
Finally, there was Lance, the final member of the Elite Four and the current reigning Champion, who was known as a dragon master. The very few Trainers who managed to get past Agatha fell to the might of his dragons. Dragon-types were considered the hardest Pokemon to train, yet he had amassed an army of them he could summon with the release of a PokeBall. There was a reason why so many young Trainers aspired to be like him, including Ash.
So far, no one had been able to get past Agatha in several years, and Ash had been dreaming of the day he would battle in the Indigo Conference and face off against the Elite Four. Even qualifying for it showed you had skill as a Trainer. The conference ended in February, and it was now April, which meant Ash and his friends had a little less than two years to prepare.
"We still need to get eight badges before we can even think about signing up." Angelina continued, scanning over her shiny new Pokedex. "Pewter City is a 2-day walk from Viridian City, where the Rock-type Gym is located. The gym leader there, Brock, is pretty strong. I packed plenty of bandages, and a map in case we get lost."
Nate rolled his eyes. "You're starting to sound like my mom." he remarked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought the entire point of this journey was to get away from our parents."
Angelina narrowed her eyes. "The point of this journey is to find out what we want to do in life and become actual Trainers, not act like hooligans!" she said firmly. "Besides, is it so wrong to be a little more safe at times?"
"It is if you're gonna be a stickler about it..." Nate grumbled. Ash gulped. He thought Nate and Angelina would get along just fine, but it became clear to him that he failed to predict how they would act around each other once both of them were tired, dirty, and exhausted. A fight was bound to break out, and he didn't want to be caught in the middle. Ash cleared his throat, hoping to change the subject before things got out of hand.
"So how are you guys gonna plan for Brock?" Ash asked the both of them, hoping to change the subject. There was silence for a few moments as Nate and Angelina both shot each other glares. Finally Nate decided to speak up.
"I haven't really thought about it." he said, glancing at Charmander, who had already fallen asleep next to him. "I guess I could teach Charmander Metal Claw. I probably have to catch something else though. Charmander can't take on all of Brock's Pokemon by himself."
Brock was one of the harder Gym Leaders to face, mainly because not many Pokemon lived in the surrounding area that could deal with Rock-types easily, making it so Trainers that came from the west side of Kanto tended to face problems regarding his team. Newer Trainers were better off heading to Cerulean or Vermillion City and challenging the gyms there, then coming back to Pewter City to face Brock once they had a solid team and a couple of badges.
Luckily, Gym Leaders used certain Pokemon based on the challengers skill level, and against rookie challengers Brock tended to use a Geodude and an Onix. Still, Brock was a tough opponent to battle, no matter whether you were a newbie or an Elite Trainer. He always went all out, and people in Pewter City and the surrounding areas called him the Stone Cold Scrapper for a reason.
"I'm not worried." Angelina said. "I have Saur." She patted the head of the small Grass-type, who leaned into her touch happily.
Ash was lost in thought. While Porygon seemed like a strong Pokemon, the only move it had that could actually deal reliable damage to Brock's Pokemon was Ice Beam. Even though it didn't have a weakness to Rock-type moves, Ash doubted it could take on two Pokemon itself. He had faith in it, but not that much faith. Which meant like Nate, he had to catch something else.
He could catch a Mankey from Route 22, which was located west of Viridian City and was a long pathway that led to the place where the Indigo Conference was held. It was a fighting-type, and would definitely help smash Brock's Pokemon into bits. However, Ash banished the idea. Mankey were known for their temper, and although it would help to have a Fighting-type, Ash didn't want one that was so angry all the time. He'd heard stories of Trainers who tried and failed to take of their Mankey, ultimately ending up releasing them, not just because of their temper, but because of their voracious appetite. All that anger required lots of energy after all.
There was also a possibility of finding a Water-type Pokemon in any nearby streams. Poliwag and Goldeen liked to hang around rivers and ponds, whereas Staryu and Psyduck were found closer to the ocean. Getting one would definitely be a huge help, but would require him to do a bit of searching. He didn't have a fishing rod either, so chances were that he'd have to look for something else.
"I guess I'm in the same boat as you, Nate." Ash commented. "Porygon can't take on two Pokemon in a row by itself."
Nate grinned. "Hey, don't sweat it! We've still got plenty of time before we reach Pewter City anyways." he replied.
The three companions continued to talk throughout the rest of the evening, and Ash found himself laughing quite a bit at Nate and Angelina's antics. They talked about their goals, dreams, home life, and eventually delved into scary stories. Nate was in the middle of telling one himself, although Ash could hardly find it in him to be interested; the bespectacled boy wasn't exactly the greatest story teller.
"And then she noticed that..." Nate said, pausing for dramatic effect. "The house was EMPTY!"
Angelina snickered. "Nate, that story was less scary than a stampede of Magikarp." she said. Nate crossed his arms and visibly pouted.
"Hey! I have an innate talent for storytelling!" he protested. "Ash, you agree with me, don't you?"
Ash just shook his head. "I side with Angelina." he said. "Storytelling is not your forté." Nate visibly deflated and Angelina laughed. Porygon looked between the three kids talking amiably, not sure what to make of the situation. The Porygon hadn't interacted much with any of them, and had chosen to just settle on the ground quietly and listen to the three kids talk. Being cooped up in a lab its entire life must've made it anti-social.
"Welp, I'm pretty tired." Angelina said, letting out a yawn. "I'm gonna get some sleep. If either of you wake me up before eight, I'll kill you."
"You got it." Nate drawled, pausing to yawn as well. "Night, Ash. Mind putting out the fire?"
Ash nodded, pouring some of his water canteen on the fire. The flame fizzled for a moment before it went out, and the three of them were shrouded in darkness. Ash started to unravel his sleeping bag and tucked himself in. Porygon stopped levitating and settled itself on the ground next to Ash, closing its eyes and settling into a sleeping position.
Soon enough, Ash noticed his eyelids starting to get heavy, and he let sleep claim his body.
The sun shined on Ash's face as he sat up and stretched his arms and legs. He took a whiff of himself and wrinkled his nose. He really needed a shower. He had fallen asleep in his Trainer's outfit, which was already starting to look dirty and had a few sweat stains. Hopefully the Pokemon Center had a place where he could do his laundry. He'd go crazy if he couldn't change into clean clothes soon.
The ten-year old looked over at his starter, who had already started to stir from its slumber. Their conversation about Brock last night had gotten the boy thinking about Porygon's abilities. It seemed more comfortable using its ranged attacks than physical ones, and its levitation could definitely help in certain situations. He still needed to find out more about his strange new friend, and he looked over at Porygon, who had opened its eyes and settled them on Ash.
"Have a good sleep?" Ash asked the Virtual Pokemon. It nodded without a word.
"Erm... that's good to hear." he said. He felt a little uneasy as Porygon's soulless pupils gazed into his eyes. It didn't seem to show any sort of emotion whatsoever, which was a little unnerving. He supposed it was something he would have to get used to. He was about to wake up the others, but stopped himself as he remembered something that he wanted to talk with Porygon about.
"Hey Porygon." he asked, getting the Normal-type's attention. "What do you think of having a nickname?"
The robotic bird cocked its head, and Ash started to explain. "It's just something I can call you instead of Porygon, to make you more unique," he said. "A lot of Trainers nickname their Pokemon. I don't know what I would call you, but I can try to come up with something."
Porygon looked down, seemingly lost in thought, before turning back to Ash and tilting its head again. Ash smiled. "Think about it, okay?" he said. "Let's wake up the others."
He looked around the campsite, where Nate, Angelina, and their starter Pokemon were fast asleep. A charred mess of logs were all that remained of their fire made the day prior. Luckily, today was cloudy, which meant that they wouldn't have to walk in the scorching sun for eight hours. Ash stretched out his arms and let out a sigh when he heard a satisfying pop.
He walked over to Nate, who almost looked like a Metapod the way he was buried in his sleeping bag. Charmander laid just a few inches away from him, growling something incoherently to itself as it slept. Ash nudged Nate with his hand, trying to get him to stir. "Hey. Nate." Ash prodded. "You've gotta get up."
"Five more minutes..." Ash heard his muffled voice mutter. The boy groaned. Now he knew how his mother felt when she had to wake him up for school. He usually slept like a rock at night, and wasn't especially fond of being woken up in the middle of a good dream.
"C'mon Nate." Ash pressed. "We've gotta get an early start if we wanna get to Viridian City by tomorrow night." However, Nate didn't answer, and still remained tucked away in his sleeping bag. Well, desperate times called for desperate measures.
"Porygon, Thunderbolt." the raven-haired boy ordered. The Normal-type obeyed without a second thought, and blasted the chocolate-haired boy with a powerful electric shock, immediately jolting him awake. It wasn't powerful enough to be lethal, but was just enough to shock the laziness out of Nate, who yelled out and sat up, eyeing Ash with shock and hatred.
"What the hell, Ash!?" he exclaimed. "What'd you do that for!?"
"You weren't getting up." Ash said simply.
"So then you had to shock me!?"
"Yup. Pretty much."
"Can you guys keep it down!?" another voice from behind them shrieked. Angelina sat up and glared at them through the hair that covered her eyes. Her blonde hair, which had been perfectly straight the night before, had now been turned into a bushy mess. "I thought I told you guys to not wake me up!"
"Yeah, well that was before Ash told his bird thingy to shock me!" Nate yelled, waving his arms.
"It's called a Porygon."
"Whatever!"
Angelina groaned aloud. "Well, since I'm already up thanks to you two, I guess we should start moving." she conceded. She nudged her Bulbasaur, who slowly opened its eyes and blinked, before letting out a giant yawn. Ash looked at Charmander, who throughout the entire ordeal had been fast asleep, not moving an inch from its spot next to Nate. The Fire-type's Trainer grumbled, and started to root through his bag for his glasses.
"Fine, I'll get ready." he said. "But this isn't over Ash! Mark my words, I'll get you back for that little stunt you pulled!"
Ash chuckled to himself as he started to pack up his sleeping bag, rummaging in his backpack for the Trainer meals he packed. Trainer meals were cheap, and designed to stay fresh for a long time. They were also very filling, and designed for anyone that was on the road for quite a while and didn't already have food with them. However, as Ash peeling off the plastic covering, and he frowned at what was inside the box.
Maybe he should've saved some of that spaghetti.
Nate appeared to have the same reaction as him, as he thrust the meal away from his face. "Ugh. That purple stuff looks like a Grimer and a Vileplume had a baby and it puked." he said. Ash looked back at his Trainer meal and eyed the contents. A bread roll, some fruit and vegetables, and a mushy substance that he couldn't identify were all contents of the package. He picked up the bread roll and squeezed it, but noticed it was as hard as a rock, and placed it back into the container.
Ash decided to just eat the fruit and vegetables. At least those looked actually edible.
After finishing his (mediocre) breakfast, Ash packed up the rest of his things, keeping his Potions and medicine in the front pocket of his backpack to be available for easy usage. As he completed packing his things, he looked over at Nate and Angelina. Nate had also finished packing up his things, whereas Angelina had not moved from her sleeping bag, and was currently inspecting herself in a pocket mirror.
"Angelina!" Nate exclaimed. "What's the hold-up!? It's not fair for me to be woken up by Ash like that and for you to have not moved a muscle!"
Angelina whipped around and glared at Nate. "I'm trying to do my hair!" she yelled, taking a comb out of her bag and furiously brushing the loose strands.
"No one's gonna even see you!" Nate said, spreading out his arms and walking around in a circle. "We're in the middle of Route 1 for Arceus's sake!"
"Well what if someone comes by!?" Angelina said through gritted teeth, still trying to get her hair right. "I'm not just gonna walk around looking like a Tangela all day!"
Nate groaned aloud, looking toward Ash with a pleading look, silently asking him to back him up. Ash shrugged helplessly, giving Nate a sheepish grin. It's not like he could do anything to change Angelina's mind. If she was going to sit there trying to get her hair right, then he'd just have to wait. However, judging from the sinister grin on Nate's face, it was clear that he had different ideas.
"Yoink!"
"Wha- hey!" Angelina screamed. "Give that back!" She got up from her position and started to chase after Nate, who had stolen her pocket mirror from her grasp and had already gotten a headstart.
"You'll have to catch me first!" Nate cackled, running as fast as his legs could carry him. Angelina let out a frustrated sigh, before she eventually stomped back to the campsite and started packing up her things, valuing the rest of her belongings over chasing after Nate. Luckily the bespectacled boy decided to wait a good hundred feet away from Angelina, waving her pocket mirror like some kind of trophy.
Ash sighed. Today was going to be a very long day.
The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. There were barely any Trainers that day, since not many people liked to linger in the middle of Route 1, as there was no trace of civilization nearby on either side. Ash only managed to get a couple of battles in, in which he was able to observe how Dexter used its moves. It tended to keep its distance in battle, using its levitation to its advantage to maneuver around opponents and deal powerful blows from afar.
While they were walking however, Ash tried to think of a name for Porygon, which usually consisted of him thinking of a name for a split second, before having second thoughts and shutting down the idea immediately. Pory was just lazy. Beeper was also unoriginal, and kind of insulting.
And so up until the late afternoon, Ash was lost in thought, trying to think of any nickname for his starter. Nate noticed him thinking intensely and ran up to him.
"Hey Ash!" he said with a wave. "Angelina's being a real nutcase, so I'm joining you for now!"
Ash looked at Nate for a moment and stared at his face. His left cheek had a big red mark from when Angelina had harshly slapped him across the face for stealing her pocket mirror. Suddenly, a realization dawned on him and he put some distance between himself and the other boy. "You sure you're not trying to get me back for what I did this morning?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.
Nate held up his arms non-threateningly. "C'mon Ash, really?" he pleaded. "Do I look like a guy who would double-cross you like that?"
"Yes. Yes you do."
Nate's eyebrows lowered. "Hmph. Touché." he grumbled, before he stared at Ash quizzically. "But seriously, what's going on in that head of yours? You've been wearing that same expression for the past, like, two hours."
Ash let out a sigh. "I'm just trying to come up with a name for Porygon." he said. "It's all I've been thinking about today. Think you can help me?"
Nate shrugged. "I mean... I can try." he said. Suddenly his face brightened, and he looked at Ash, a grin growing across his face. "Ooh! I know! What about you name it Dexter?"
Ash blanched, although he failed to notice that Porygon, who was slowly floating behind him, had suddenly taken interest in the conversation. "Isn't that the name you gave your Pokédex?" he asked. "Why are you suddenly asking me to give that nickname to my starter? I don't think it's that good anyways."
"Hey, my names are great!" Nate said, crossing his arms. "Heck, my own name even rhymes with "great"! That has to mean something, right?" The boy's eyes lingered over to Porygon, who was gazing back and forth between Ash and Nate intently. "Hey... your starter seems to like it!"
Ash turned around and stared at Porygon. "Porygon... is that the nickname you want?" he asked it. Porygon looked at Nate for a moment, and then back at Ash. It seemed like it was considering whether or not it should take it. Ash stayed silent, waiting for his starter's answer. While he would personally prefer something cooler, it was Porygon's nickname, so it was Porygon's right to choose. He didn't want to force any bias on it. Besides, it wasn't like Dexter was a terrible nickname, it just wasn't something that he was really expecting.
Then after a moment, the Virtual Pokemon nodded slowly. Nate's grin widened to the size of a Meowth's, and Ash gave Porygon... er... Dexter a small smile. "Well, if that's what you really want, then Dexter it is!" he said. Dexter continued to stare at Ash, although the boy could've sworn he saw a hint of happiness in its eyes.
Meanwhile, Nate was celebrating his victory to himself. "Oh yeah! Ooh I am good!" he exclaimed, jumping around excitedly and pumping his fist in the air. "I'm like a... a... a name wizard! Nate the Great, Pokémon Nicknaming Genius! I'm-"
"Nate, if you say another word, it'll be more than Thunderbolts hitting you today." Ash said, a little irked by Nate's boisterous victory. Nate sighed exasperatedly, and crossed his arms, his good mood now ruined by Ash's threats.
"You guys are no fun to be around, you know that?"
It was at times like this he wished that he'd gotten a Squirtle.
It was their third day on the road, and this time the sun was back to give them a hard time. Ash had to reapply sunscreen every few hours to make sure he wasn't going to be baked alive. Within the first hour of walking he'd run out of water, and it wasn't long before Nate and Angelina ran out as well. Luckily they found a small stream nearby at noon, and were able to rest for a while before continuing their trek.
Despite this, Ash felt like he was on fire at times. He'd considered having Dexter use Ice Beam on him, but that would've probably done more harm than good.
However, Ash still wanted to train up Dexter in preparation for Brock. He'd already picked out Dexter's first new move for it to learn. Psybeam, which required gathering telepathic energy to form a concentrated ray, would be useful in the event that he'd have to send out Dexter against a Fighting-type. Unfortunately, Dexter couldn't really learn any grass or water-type moves, which meant his options were limited in terms of ways to beat Brock.
Nate and Angelina had also undergone their own early training in preparation for the Rock-type Gym Leader. Nate had taken every chance he could to practice Metal Claw with Charmander, which required the fire lizard to have very sharp and durable claws so that they could be hardened enough to actually slice through rock. More than once Ash had seen Charmander's claws glow a brilliant silver, before the glow faded after a few seconds. Still, they were making progress, and it would probably only take a day or two before they were ready.
Angelina was more lax about her training, since Bulbasaur already had a type advantage. She mainly worked on strengthening Bulbasaur's vines by having him lift things like rocks and other Pokemon during battles. Ash could see Bulbasaur tiring out as he trained, but he refused to show any sign of tiring in front of Angelina, and didn't complain once.
He started to notice that the number of Trainers began to increase as they got closer to Viridian City, which was a good sign. It meant that they were close to civilization, which was an exciting prospect for Ash. Sleeping on the cold hard ground wasn't exactly comfortable, and he longed for a nice warm bed to sleep on instead. Plus, the Pokemon Centers usually had good food in the dining halls, and every step he took was a step closer to not having to eat Trainer meals.
However, the constant challenges from other Trainers got a little bothersome after a while, and one kid had challenged Ash to a battle while he was eating lunch. He just sent Dexter off to battle without him, and after a few minutes, Dexter came back unscathed, while its opponent's Rattata was out cold. The boy had almost raced off before Ash had to remind him to give him his winnings.
Currently, the sun was setting below the horizon, and the three tweens were continuing their trek toward Viridian City in hopes of getting there by nightfall. Angelina was at the front of the group along with Bulbasaur, who refused to lag behind her and matched her pace as best as he could. Ash couldn't understand how she had so much energy. It was unnatural. A bit scary even.
He was in the middle of the group, along with Porygon, who levitated beside him to match his pace. He had taken his jacket off and tied it to his waist so that he wouldn't be as hot. Still, his legs were hurting and he was constantly wiping sweat from his brow. He just wanted to get to the Pokemon Center as fast as possible and take a nice cold shower. He'd likely take a day to rest and see the sights around Viridian City, as it had been years since he'd last been to the City of Evergreen.
Nate was at the back, his Charmander resting in his PokeBall after a hard day of training. Ash could hear him panting, and every once in a while had to tell Angelina to wait for him to catch up. Luckily, since the sun was setting, the temperature was going to drop. Still, that didn't exactly fix the aching in Ash's legs.
"How much longer before we reach Viridian City!?" Nate called from the back, wheezing. "I feel like I'm going to die out here!"
Ash flipped over his Pokedex and checked the map feature. "It says we have another hour." he called back. He could hear Nate groan aloud behind him, but paid no mind. He was just being dramatic.
Suddenly, Angelina called out to them. "Hey guys!" she yelled. "I think there's something in this bush!"
Ash ran ahead, not bothering to look whether Nate was coming. If it was a Pokemon, chances were he'd try to catch it. He ran up to Angelina, who was staring at a bush to the side of the dirt path. The shrub rustled every few seconds, as though something was trying to get out. After a few moments, a purple shape hopped out of the bush, allowing Ash to get a good look at it.
An Oddish. One of the invasive Grass/Poison-types that were reported to occupy Route 1. Oddish tended to be a solitary species, being abandoned after birth to live on their own. From what Ash could tell, this one looked to be about six months old. They mainly liked to stay asleep and buried underground for most of the day to absorb nutrients. However, they could also adapt to different sleep schedules if they managed to get their food source from elsewhere. Unlike many other Pokémon, they had multiple different evolutions, which included Vileplume, which was said to have the largest petals of any plant matter, and Bellossom, a Pokemon that expressed itself through dance.
However, what intrigued Ash was the splendid opportunity that was just placed before him. Oddish was part Grass, meaning that it had quite the advantage against Brock's Rock-types. Oddish and their evolution, Gloom, were masters of disruption, being able to use the powders coating their leaves as self defense. The Oddish in question seemed to be staring curiously at Ash and Angelina, and didn't seem to show a hint of hostility, as many Grass-types tended to be docile.
"Dexter, use Ice Beam!" the boy called suddenly. "Let's catch that Oddish!"
The Oddish looked toward its opponent, its eyes widening as it barely managed to dodge the incoming ray of freezing energy. It looked at Dexter in surprise, before its expression morphed into one of concentration. It shook its leaves as it summoned green, leaf-like projectiles that sped toward Dexter. The Razor Leaf battered Dexter as it was pushed back by the force of the attack.
"Try Ice Beam again!" Ash called. This time the attack landed a direct hit, and Oddish skidded back, damaged heavily by the Ice-type attack. Frost covered its leaves, but it merely shook the ice off and ran forward, gathering a glob of poisonous goo in its mouth before spitting it towards Dexter. The Porygon swerved around the attack as soon as Ash told it to dodge, and Ash took the opportunity to issue another attack.
"Signal Beam!" he called. A blue and violet beam erupted from Dexter's beak as it blasted Oddish directly in its face, sending it careening toward the ground. The Weed Pokemon quickly recovered before spitting more poison at Dexter. Purple slime covered Dexter's face and it recoiled, trying to shake the poison off. Suddenly the Oddish's leaves started to glow, its body slowly growing in size.
"It's using Growth!" Ash called. "Use Ice Beam!"
Dexter managed to shake the poison off its face just in time for it to charge up an Ice Beam, just as Oddish finished growing. The attack slammed into Oddish, knocking it off its feet and slamming it into a nearby tree, knocking it out cold.
"Alright!" Ash yelled out excitedly. "Nice job, Dexter. Take a good rest."
A red beam came from Dexter's PokeBall, sucking it back into the capsule. The Porygon let itself be withdrawn, and Ash took a PokeBall from his pocket, the same one that Angelina had given him a few days ago, and chucked it at the Oddish. With a flash of light, the Oddish was pulled into the PokeBall, and Ash waited with bated breath, hoping for his first capture to go smoothly.
*Shake*
*Shake*
*Shake*
*Click*. The ball stopped shaking as a clicking sound was heard, and Ash let out the breath he was holding. He walked over to the tree that the PokeBall was resting against and picked it up before attaching the PokeBall to his belt. His smile widened. He'd finally caught his first Pokemon! He'd have to properly introduce himself to Oddish when they got to Viridian City. He doubted Oddish was in a good enough condition right now to talk with him.
"Nice job, Ash!" a voice behind him said. Ash turned around to see Angelina smiling at him. Oh, right. He was so engaged in catching Oddish that he forgot she was even there. Then a thought struck him.
"Wait... did you want Oddish?" Ash asked. "You are the one who found it."
Angelina waved her hand. "Nah... I don't need it." she replied. "Saur has the exact same typing as it, so I doubt it would be much help to me. Besides, you still need something for Brock, don't you?"
The raven-haired boy nodded and gave Angelina an appreciative smile. He suddenly noticed Nate lumbering up to him and Angelina as he wiped sweat from his brow. He took a moment to rest, before lifting his head. "What did I miss?" he asked. His voice was hollow due to the fact that he was out of breath, and his hunched over position made him look similar to a zombie.
"Ash caught an Oddish." Angelina stated matter-of-factly. Nate's exhausted expression shifted into one of surprise and excitement.
"An Oddish!?" he exclaimed. "Lemme see! Did you find any others?"
Ash shook his head. "I caught it just a few seconds ago." he replied, scratching the back of his head. "I don't think it's in a good enough condition to come out right now. And no, I didn't see any other Pokemon."
Nate groaned and held his head in his hands. "Bummer..." he mumbled. "Three days on Route 1 and I couldn't catch a single Pokemon..."
Angelina tapped her foot impatiently. "Yeah, and it'll be four days if we don't move." she stated, jutting her thumb toward where they were originally headed. "The sun's going down, and we can't walk through Route 1 in the dark. You guys don't want to spend another day out here do you?"
The two boys were all too happy to oblige, and the three of them continued their trek to Viridian City.
"FINALLY! Civilization!"
Nate was suddenly overcome with a burst of energy as he sped down the hill they were standing on, which gave them a good view of Viridian City. Ash and Angelina hastily followed, taken aback by Nate's sudden enthusiasm. Ash couldn't deny that he was excited too. He'd finally be able to sleep in a real bed and eat real food! He'd have to ask his mother to send him some food somehow. From what he heard, the food at Pokemon Centers was good, but it most likely couldn't hold a candle to his mother's cooking.
After spending a bit of time looking around the area and asking locals for directions, Ash, Nate, and Angelina finally found the Pokemon Center, which was a three story building with a large PokeBall symbol in the middle. It was easily recognizable by the red and white color scheme. A Pokemon Center's purpose was to provide Trainers a checkpoint in which they could heal their Pokemon, rest, eat, and train. They were established decades ago, and in recent years more were cropping up in cities and towns.
A blast of cool air hit them as the automatic doors slid open, and Ash sighed in relief as the breeze passed over him. The lobby on the Pokemon Center mainly consisted of a few soft chairs and sofas set up at the front, and a rack containing tour guides stood at the entrance. In the back, Ash could see a pink-haired woman standing behind a counter, talking amiably with another Pokemon Trainer.
The three of them walked up to the counter, where a Nurse Joy with tired eyes looked down on them. "Welcome to the Viridian City Pokemon Center!" she said. "How can I help you?"
"Could you heal our Pokemon please?" Angelina asked politely. The pink-haired nurse nodded, and from behind the counter, a large, round, pink Pokemon walked out, holding a tray for them to place their PokeBalls. Ash immediately recognized it as a Chansey, which were common Pokemon used to assist doctors, whether they specialized in helping Pokemon or people. They usually protected the eggs in their pouch fiercely from anyone said to have evil in their hearts, and only offered them to injured Pokemon or people.
The Chansey let out a friendly chirp at them, and Ash placed Dexter and Oddish's PokeBalls into the tray. Nate and Angelina did the same with their starters, and Chansey skipped away behind the counter to take their Pokemon to be healed. Ash was suddenly hit with a realization.
"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Can I sign up for the Indigo League?"
Nurse Joy smiled. "Sure!" she said. She looked over at the other two kids. "Would you two like to sign up for the Indigo League as well?"
"What?" Nate whipped around, too busy staring off into space to notice what was happening. "Oh yeah, that would be great, thanks."
"I'd like to as well." Angelina added.
"Perfect!" Nurse Joy said with a smile, albeit a tired one. "I'll just need your Trainer IDs to register you three." All of them handed their Pokedexes to the pink-haired woman, who took them and entered their information into a computer in front of her. After a few moments Nurse Joy handed their Pokedexes back to them.
"Alright! You're all set!" said the woman. "Let me know if you three need anything else!" All of them muttered their thanks to Nurse Joy, before moving away from the counter to let the next person in line go.
Ash looked to his left, where a good distance away stood a video phone. A short line of Trainers were waiting to make calls. He turned to Angelina and Nate and jutted his thumb toward the phone. "You guys mind if I call my mom?" he asked them. "I told my mom I'd call her when I got to Viridian City and I don't want to know what'll happen if I break that promise."
Angelina nodded with understanding eyes. "Sure thing!" she said. "I'll just get us a room."
Nate rubbed his hands together, grinning with glee. "And I'm heading straight to the cafeteria!" he exclaimed. "I can hear those hamburgers just calling my name!"
Nate dashed off toward a larger room connected to the lobby, where a large amount of chairs and tables were set up, as well as a buffet where Trainers could pick their meals. As much as he would've liked to get in on some of that action with Nate, Ash had more pressing matters to attend to and walked up to the video phone. He could feel his stomach growling in protest, but not getting food for a few minutes was a small price to pay to escape his mother's wrath.
After a little bit of waiting, it was finally Ash's turn, and he punched in the digits of his mom's number. His mother's smiling face illuminated the screen, and Ash smiled back.
"Ash!" Delia Ketchum exclaimed. "It's great to see you! Have you been doing what I asked?"
Ash nodded with a smile. "I'm eating three meals a day and I'm going to bed at 9:30 every day. I've been eating my vegetables and brushing my teeth too!"
"Changing your-?"
"Yes, I'm doing that too." Ash said with a grimace. His mother smiled.
"That's good." she said. A few seconds of silence followed, before she continued. "I hope you're not doing anything reckless. It's hard for me not to worry when you're out on your journey alone. Your father used to be so reckless when he was younger... he would always get himself into trouble. I'm glad you inherited at least some of my sensibility."
Ash felt a little bit queasy at the mention of his father. He'd left home when Ash was only a toddler, and the boy hadn't seen him since. Apparently he had left Pallet Town to grow stronger and become the best Trainer in the world. His mother rarely ever mentioned his father, and when Ash tried to press her about it, she would always change the subject or tell him firmly that she didn't want to talk about it. Eventually Ash learned to just stop asking. The sooner he forgot about him, the easier it would be.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, he'd come across him someday.
"Don't worry!" he said, banishing the thoughts from his head. "I have my Pokemon with me, and Nate and Angelina too!" His mother just gave him a weak smile, and Ash could tell that she really was worried about him. He couldn't deny that going out into the wide world with nothing but his wits and Pokemon was a daunting task, which was why he studied extra hard so he felt prepared. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little homesick. He missed his mother and her delicious homemade meals. He supposed it was just something he would have to get used to.
"Anyways, how have you been doing?" Delia asked her son. "Did you catch any new Pokemon?"
Ash grinned. "I did!" he said excitedly. "I caught an Oddish just before I got to Viridian City. I haven't had the chance to properly introduce it to Dexter and everyone else yet."
His mother titled her head in confusion. "Dexter? Who's that?" she asked. Ash's eyes lit up in realization.
"Oh, right! That's the name I gave Porygon." Ash explained. "Nate came up with it."
"Make sure you do that soon." his mother said with a hint of sternness in her voice. "Remember, it's up to the Pokemon to decide whether it wants you as its Trainer. You have to make yourself seem like a better Trainer than any other person it might encounter in its lifetime." Ash nodded his head. He really hoped Oddish would be comfortable with him being its Trainer. He quite liked the idea of having one because of their tricky battling style.
A beeping sound was suddenly heard over the phone, and Ash saw his mother's eyes widen. "My spinach puffs!" she exclaimed. She shot an apologetic look toward Ash. "Sorry Ash, I have to go. Stay safe! Love you!"
"Love you too, Mom." Ash replied, before the connection was abruptly cut and he was staring at a black screen. He heard someone clear their throat from behind him, and he stepped out of the way to let the next person use the video phone. He noticed Angelina waving him over to the other side of the room, and he walked toward her.
"Did you get a room?" he asked her. Angelina nodded with a half-hearted smile.
"Yeah, but since a lot of Trainers started their journeys recently, the Pokemon's Center's packed." she responded, gesturing to the front counter, where a Nurse Joy was tiredly rubbing her eyes. "Nurse Joy said that someone was willing to share a room with us, though. You wanna come with?"
Ash's stomach immediately growled, and the boy smiled sheepishly. "I'd better eat dinner first..." he said.
Angelina chuckled. "You go do that." she said. "Nate's still in the cafeteria devouring cheeseburgers, so you'll probably be able to find him there." Ash looked toward the cafeteria, where indeed, Nate was trying to wedge a cheeseburger into his jaws. Angelina dropped a small key in his hands. "That's your key. I'll be upstairs. I'm exhausted and I need a rest before I do anything else..."
"Sounds good." Ash said with a thumbs-up. Both tweens went in opposite directions, and Ash walked toward the food counter of the cafeteria, where a large menu was displayed. After taking some time to decide, he settled with a grilled cheese and tomato soup, and sat next to Nate, who was well on his way to finishing his fourth cheeseburger.
"Oh hey, Ash!" Nate said, swallowing the large bite he took out his food. "Did Angelina get us a room?"
"Yeah, she said that since the Pokemon Center is full, we have to share a room with someone else." Ash responded.
Nate rubbed the back of his head. "Hope whoever we're sharing a room with isn't a jerk." he muttered. "Or isn't a creep. I'm hightailing it out of here if that happens." Ash nodded, and continued eating his dinner silently. After a little while however, Nate's green eyes moved toward the PokeBalls on Ash's belt, and he pointed toward them. "Hey, you gonna show me that Oddish now? I've never seen one in person!"
Ash paused. While he wanted to introduce Oddish to Dexter and ask it to join him, he was unsure if Oddish would decide to lash out or not. Grass-types tended to be friendly and docile most of the time, but there were always exceptions. However, he didn't want to wait until the next day to introduce Oddish to everyone, and he could always have Dexter Ice Beam it if things got out of hand.
"Well, I guess I could introduce it to everyone..." Ash conceded. "But no crowding around it! This is my Pokemon, you know."
Nate's widening grin suddenly stopped growing and he groaned. "Fine..." he said. "But I still wanna see it!"
Ash waved his hand. "Yeah yeah, you will." he said, taking Oddish's PokeBall off his belt. He pressed the release button in the middle, and the form of the Weed Pokemon started to take shape in front of him with a flash of light. The Oddish blinked and took a moment to observe its surroundings, before its eyes settled upon Ash. The turnip-like Pokemon gave Ash a look that was somewhat... curious.
Ash knelt down in front of it and offered it a smile. "Hey, Oddish!" Ash said, keeping its voice low to not scare it. "My name is Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. That kid over there is Nate." He jutted a thumb toward the other boy, who was currently looking over Ash's shoulder curiously. "You remember me, right?"
Oddish took a moment to think back to a few hours earlier. After a moment it nodded, the leaves on its head rustling. It didn't seem to have any hard feelings about the fact that Ash had attacked it.
"Anyways, I was wondering if you'd want to be part of my team and travel with me." Ash continued. "I'm journeying to become a Pokemon Master, and it would be really awesome for you to come with me!" He paused. "If you want to of course! If not, I can release you back on Route 1 tomorrow. So what do you say?"
Oddish titled its head and looked at the boy in surprise, clearly not expecting the choice to go back home. He'd always heard that some Trainers would force Pokemon to come with them and use them as tools for their own gain. Those people only had evil and malice in their hearts. But this boy didn't seem to think like that. He seemed... nice.
It nodded its head and squealed excitedly, and Ash's grin widened. Two team members in the span of a few days! This was a dream come true!
"Thank you, Oddish." he said sincerely. He suddenly remembered something, and reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his Pokedex. "I'm just going to scan you for a few seconds to find out more about you, okay?" Oddish nodded and allowed Ash to scan over its body with the small, red device. A few seconds later, rows of information flashed on the screen.
"Oddish. The Weed Pokemon." the Pokedex recited. "A Grass and Poison type. It often buries itself in soil with only its leaves sticking out during the daytime to absorb nutrients. During nighttime it wanders its habitat, awakened by moonlight. If yanked from the ground, it shrieks horribly, and many have mistaken it for a wild onion."
"This Oddish is male and knows the moves Absorb, Acid, Growth, Sweet Scent, Razor Leaf, Synthesis, and Leech Seed. Its ability is Chlorophyll, which allows it to move faster when exposed to harsh sunlight."
Ash whistled. Oddish had a much more diverse moveset than Dexter, with options to help it stay in the battle with moves like Leech Seed and Synthesis. He knew that Oddish didn't learn these moves naturally, and could only be passed down through parent Pokemon for it to use as soon as its born. Oddish didn't look older than six months, but seemed to be pretty healthy, judging from the diagrams and pictures shown in the Pokedex.
"Hey, do you want a nickname?" Ash asked Oddish, briefly remembering giving Dexter's its nickname the day before. "Dexter has one, so how about it?"
Oddish looked down for a moment to consider his decision, before suddenly brightening and jumping up and down. Ash chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes." he said. For the next few minutes, Ash started to brainstorm ideas. For someone who was so enthusiastic about receiving a nickname, Oddish was quite picky. Ash tried names like Cyanide, Sakura, and Root, but none of them seemed to stick with it.
"...Petal...?" Ash said with an unsure tone. Personally he didn't think it was that good, but he'd take what he could get at this point. Oddish's eyes widened and he jumped around happily. Ash blinked, before showing a smile. "Well I guess that's your new nickname! Welcome to the team, Petal!""
Ash stood up and turned to Nate, who was slouching in his chair, too exhausted to take another bite. "You wanna head up?" he asked the other boy.
Nate nodded. "Yeah." he muttered. "If I eat another bite I think I'm gonna burst."
Ash just chuckled and shook his head, and the two of them threw out their garbage and headed toward the rooms. From what Ash had heard, the rooms in Pokemon Centers were supposed to be nice. Nothing fancy or anything, but quite nice considering that they were basically free for anyone with a Trainer's license. The raven-haired boy stopped at room at the end of the hallway.
"Well, this is the room." Ash said, looking at the number on his key, which said 119. He suddenly started to hear voices coming from the other room. It sounded like arguing. He pressed his ear to the door and listened in. One of the voices sounded like Angelina's voice, but the other sounded like a boy's voice. A voice that sounded vaguely familiar...
"So? What're we waiting for?" Nate said, snapping him out his thoughts. "Let's go in!"
"Oh! R-right." Ash said, inserting the key into the keyhole. As he opened the door, he could hear the voices more clearly, and could make out what they were saying.
"-maybe I wouldn't if you weren't such a prick all the time!"
"Oh yeah!? Well, how about - oh hey! Loser #1 and Loser #2 are here!"
Ash's eyes widened as he walked into the room and saw Angelina standing on one end of the room, her eyes fiercely glaring at the person that he hoped to never see again for the remainder of their journey.
"Welcome to the party!" Gary Oak said with a cackle. "You three just made the worst mistake of your sorry little lives!"
Author's Note: I-I'm speechless. The first chapter of this rewrite got three times as many favorites and follows as the original first chapter of my fic! That's crazy! Of course, that could just be people favoriting and following from my old fic, but still! That's awesome! Thank you guys so much!
So Oddish is going to be Ash's second Pokemon! I planned out Ash, Nate, Angelina, and Gary's teams, and since Ash needed a team member to help against Brock, implementing some elements from LGPE was the perfect opportunity to slip a team member in! For those of you coming from my old fic, I'm sure you guys already remember Petal, who quite honestly is one of my favorite characters I've written. Oddish are so cute!
Also I was planning to have Nate suffer from asthma, but then I realized I know virtually nothing about asthma, so I decided to drop it. Angelina does have a peanut allergy though, which I have. Down the line she'll probably have an allergic reaction that'll cause Nate to comment about how her face looks like a Qwilfish's.
Of course, Nate and Angelina aren't going to be in the story forever. The main character is still Ash, and they're here to help highlight his character traits and development. Still, I want to give them some more characterization. I remember receiving a review from AngelFaux talking about how Nate and Angelina should be more than just generic side characters, and I completely agree! However, just because I'm giving them more depth doesn't mean Ash isn't the one under the spotlight after all!
Anyways, time to respond to some reviews!
TheCouchEffect: Hello there Couch! Or should I say... werewolf36? Happy to see you here! This story is titled Adventurer, decided to change it after receiving from advice from people on Discord. It's a nice callback to my original story's title anyways. Glad to see you're liking how my story has turned out! I won't let you down!
AngelFaux: Responded on Discord.
Reader: Yup! Satoshi will still be in this story. His appearances will still be infrequent, but will highlight to differences between canon Ash and my Ash.
magdenfan311: Thank you so much! I'm really glad you like the story! Yes, Ash will still be catching rarely used Pokemon. There may be a few that are common-ish, but aside from that, you can bet that he'll be catching some pretty obscure ones!
I do really appreciate the constructive criticism, it makes it so I can make my story better and you guys don't have to cringe every time I make a silly mistake! So yeah! Chapter 3 will be coming soon, so stay tuned for that!
See you guys soon!