Chapter 2
The walk on route 1 had been quiet for the most part. Somewhere along the way Azrael had gotten tired and pitched a ride on Ash's shoulder. They had yet to run into any trainers or Pokémon, but it had only been around an hour, and it wasn't even noon yet.
"Azrael, so the first gym we are going to battle is a rock type gym. Brock is the gym leader and is the youngest out of the major gym leaders. You know what a gym battle is right?" he asked looking over his shoulder and got a confirming nod from his starter.
The three starter Pokémon Oak gave out were slightly trained and taught what to expect from their trainers to make it easier for them to listen.
"Okay, so naturally we have a disadvantage. Brock usually does 2 on 2 battles so hopefully we can find a new teammate along the way. The first move that I want to teach you is called Metal Claw. It's a steel type move that is basically a more advanced version of scratch. Steel is super effective against rock types. Alongside that move we should get Smokescreen and Dragon Rage into your arsenal. Smokescreen would be a good move to distract and get sneak attacks with while Dragon Rage is a good starting dragon type attack that can help get you adjusted to draconic energy." Ash rambles on intensely as the fire type sponges up everything that is being said.
For the next hour of their walk, they think of ideas and concepts to incorporate into their training. Ash doesn't want to choose specific Pokémon to capture but thinks that at least having an idea of which specific types of Pokémon he wants to catch first should be a good starting point.
"So, I was thinking that we should capture a water and grass type. I like the idea of having a type from each of the starter trio. Although, we could replace grass type with electric type. Grass types have a lot more weaknesses than electric types and water types are effective against the types they have an advantage against like ground and rock with electric types having an advantage against water plus flying types. From the battles I have seen on television, flying types are pretty annoying to deal with since they stick to the air and are usually pretty fast. A properly trained flying type is very hard to hit."
Azrael made a quiet hum as he listened to his trainer, his eyes went to the sky. Spotting a small shape, he tapped his trainer softly with his claw and pointed into the sky. Flying above them was a small bird that Ash recognized as a Spearow.
Ash thinks for a moment before making his decision.
"I don't want to capture it, but would you like to have a battle against it as practice." he asked not taking his eye off of the avian.
Azrael answers his question by jumping off his shoulder and going in front of him. In a quick move he sends a small burst of flames towards the bird to get its attention. Even from far, Ash can see the scowl form on the bird's face as it turns its direction and dashes towards Azrael.
"Azrael dodge!"
As the bird got closer its beak began to glow a white aura around it. Right before it could make impact the fire type ducked down to the ground to dodge the blow.
Ash eyes widen as he quickly jumps out of the way before the bird could hit him instead.
"Azrael, use this as aim practice and try short burst of Ember." Ash said on the ground.
Azrael didn't make a noise of confirmation but began to shoot small blasts of fire towards the bird. The flying type is able to dodge most of them but is hit directly on the center of its wing when it tries to turn around.
The bird begins to fall but readjust itself right before it smacks into the ground and pushes straight towards Azrael. Once again, it's peak beings to glow but the fire type is more prepared this time and jumps over the bird when it gets close enough and releases a stream of fire on its back smacking it into the ground.
The Spearow does not get up after that.
Ash grins, "Great job buddy!"
Azrael grins back at him before running back to Ash and climbing up onto his shoulder.
Ash walks closer to the Spearow who is now fainted in the middle of the road and inspects it.
Spearow has rough, brown plumage on its head and three brown tail feathers. It has narrow, dark brown eyes with white pupils and a short, hooked beak that is light pink. The feathers covering its wings are pinkish red with lighter tips, and it has a beige underside with two thin, horizontal stripes. Its light pink feet have two toes in front and one in the back. Black feathers cover its back.
Gently picking up the bird, he moves off the path and places the flying type between a bush. He feels kind of bad about leaving it there defenseless but moves on ahead. Spearow's for the most part are usually jerks.
"For now, we will try to not completely knock out wild Pokémon we battle, but when we get to the Viridian Forest than its free game. That place will be the area you probably get the most experience as a Charmander before you evolve into Charmeleon and we are going to take advantage of it." Ash said with Charmander's flame tail growing a bit in the back from the thought of evolving.
In general, despite the starter trio being very powerful Pokémon, they tend to develop and evolve fairly fast compared to some other Pokémon. Like a Charmander will evolve into a Charmeleon faster than a Pidgey will evolve into a Pidgeotto. Yet on paper, usually the Charmeleon are stronger Pokémon.
"Alright, up ahead should be a clearing with a river. We will stop there to have lunch and train a bit." Ash said as the two began to walk down the dirt road once more.
Scene Change
Walking into the clearing, Ash was surprised to find that he wasn't the only person there. Despite the hours of walking down the route they had yet to find another person. Getting closer he noticed that it was a female, and she was fishing. He contemplated just going to another section of the clearing before deciding that he could do with having a battle.
"Hey, are you a trainer?" he called out causing the girl to jump a bit.
When she turned around Ash realized she looked to be around his age. Perhaps a year or two older.
She has short, red hair tied into a side ponytail with an elastic rubber band. Along with green eyes and fair skin. She was wearing a yellow tank top, red suspenders, denim shorts, and red high-top sneakers with yellow lining and white laces.
She looked startled for a moment but quickly shook it off.
"Yea, I am. What's up?" she asked with a hint of wariness.
"Nothing much, I was just coming here to have lunch and train a bit, but I saw you and thought you would be interested in having a friendly battle." he responded.
She turned her head back towards the water before shrugging.
"Alright, nothing is biting anyways. How many Pokémon do you want to use?" she questioned, turning her attention back towards Ash.
"Would a one on one be alright? I only just got my starter today." he replied a little sheepish. Azrael leaned forward from his shoulder a bit and waved at the girl.
She looked surprised at the appearance of the Pokémon.
"Oh wow, I didn't even notice him. A Charmander, huh? Did you get him from Professor Oak?" she questioned turning her gaze from the fire type back to Ash.
He smiled and gave a nod.
"Well alright. I actually just caught a new Pokémon a few days ago so it would be nice to have a battle." she said with a grin as she pulled out a Poké Ball and released her choice.
A Pokémon resembling a blue, spherical tadpole was released. It had large eyes and pink lips. There was also a black and white swirl on its abdomen
Ash's eyes light up as he pulled out his Pokédex.
Poliwag the Tadpole Pokémon. For Poliwag, swimming is easier than walking. The swirl pattern on its belly is actually part of the Pokémon's innards showing through the skin.
Poliwag had been one of the few water types that Ash would be happy to capture. It had two different final evolutions, but Ash preferred its form as a Poliwrath as it gained the fighting typing. Poliwag also weren't the best battlers on land so felt that this could be a good battle for Azrael despite his type disadvantage.
Beating a water type would do good for his confidence since he lost to Squirtle.
Azrael jumped off of Ash shoulder and stepped in front of him with a determined look.
"Okay, you can go first!" Misty called out.
"Alright, Azrael use Ember."
"Counter with Water Gun!"
Both Pokémon released their attacks simultaneously. Unlike earlier this morning when Squirtle's Water Gun overpowered Azrael's Ember. The two attacks this time exploded in the middle a created a field of steam.
"Azrael close the distance and use Scratch."
Azrael dashed through the steam and jumped out of the other side catching Poliwag by surprise if the widening eyes from the Pokémon said anything. Before Poliwag could react, it was already being slashed by each of Azrael's claws electing a cry of pain from it as he was sent backwards from the force.
"Shake it off and use Mud Shot!" Misty called out panicked. Azrael had also caught her by surprise.
Poliwag jumped onto its feet and hurled a large amount of mud towards Azrael. He quickly jumped out of the way before it could splash onto him but was instantly smacked with an unexpected Water Gun.
Azrael grunted in pain as he fell onto the ground. Shaking the water off he got to his feet only to widen his eyes as Poliwag appeared right in front of him with its tail glowing. Before Poliwag could hit it he ducked managed to duck under the attack.
"Ember!"
Poliwag who landed after its missed attack, turned around to be instantly enveloped by the fire attack.
After the stream of flames went away, Poliwag was shown to be still standing with light burns. It was glaring at Azrael.
"Use Water Gun."
"Dodge and charge it was scratch.
Poliwag was quick to comply as it began to suck in a breath before releasing a larger blast of water from before. Azrael dashed towards his left and went straight for Poliwag who canceled its attack and tried to jump away but was to slow and was slashed down in the air from the attack.
Groaning in pain, the water type was still able to get back to its feet.
"Alright Azrael! Use scratch again!" he said excitedly.
Azrael complied as he once again dashed towards the water type with its claw glowing once more. Poliwag once again tried to jump away, and Azrael jumped after it again trying slash it midair. Only this time Poliwag released a stream of mud from its mouth towards Azrael who was in the middle air and had no way to dodge.
The mud hit directly and sent Azrael straight back into the ground with a loud impact. Azrael groaned as he slowly got back to his feet. Covered in mud he looked up to see Poliwag charging back towards him with its tail glowing once more.
"Finish it with pound!"
"Wait." Ash said quietly.
Azrael stayed in the exact same spot it was in as the Poliwag came down with its attack, turning its body away from Azrael in an attempt to hit him with its tail.
"Now! Jump up and come back down with Scratch!"
Azrael compiled and jumped right where it was standing with Poliwag tails hitting right where he was originally positioned. Poliwag turned around looking confused before having its body smacked into the ground from the Azrael landing on top of it. Azrael's claws glowed and he slashed twice across Poliwags back before jumping off panting.
They waited a few moments, but Poliwag didn't move. Then with a beam of red light, the water type was returned.
Ash looked to Misty who looked at her ball in disappointment before sighing. She looked back towards Ash and gave him a small smile.
"Good battle, I have to work on him using his tail without losing focus of his opponent it seems. I'm surprised your Charmander was able to get back up after that Mud Shot." she said as she put the ball away.
"Yeah, me too! I'll need to expand his move set a bit as to not get too obvious with what I'm doing. That second scratch in the air was pushing it and almost cost us the battle."
Misty nodded at that, "That's something rookies do a lot. Weaker trains will fall for it, but more experienced trainers will set up a counter for the next time it happens. It's good that you learn that now in a friendly battle instead of an official battle or something."
Ash nodded, putting away that piece of information. He looked towards Azrael who was now sitting on his butt panting slightly, still covered in mud.
Walking over to his starter he gave him a big smile.
"Great job buddy! You did amazing." he said softly towards the tired Pokémon who gave him a small grin in return.
"Would you like me to clean off his mud? I've got other water types who can clean him up. The water will be very weak, so it won't harm him at all." Misty asked as she walked over towards them.
"Would that be okay Azrael?" he asked his starter who gave a slow nod but didn't look to be all too eager.
Misty pulled out another Poké Ball and starfish like Pokémon came out of it.
The Pokémon had five appendages with a red gem in its center that had a core surrounding it that resembled a golden metal casing,
Ash pulled out his Pokédex to scan it.
Staryu the Star Shape Pokémon. Staryu's center section has an organ called the core that shines bright red. If you go to a beach toward the end of summer, the glowing cores of these Pokémon look like the stars in the sky.
"Staryu, would you please clean up the Charmander gentle with your water?" Misty asked.
The Pokémon's red core beeped before waddling over towards Azrael and gently releasing a stream of water that was more like mist that quickly cleaned off the mud around his body.
The starfish was careful to avoid his tail flame despite the water being very weak which Ash was grateful for.
After a few moments, Azrael was all cleaned up. He began to heat his body up a bit to get the water off.
"Thanks a lot for that and the battle too!" he said with a smile towards Misty.
"Yeah, no problem. I was actually ready to call it a day before you arrived."
She slung her back in front of her before going through it and pulled out a small blue berry.
"Here, this is an Oran Berry. It'll give your Charmander some of his energy back." Misty said as she placed the berry in Ash's hand.
"Oh, thank you!" Ash said happily as he handed the berry to Azrael who gave it a curious look before beginning to munch on it. He must have enjoyed it based on the happy look on his face as he began to eat it quickly.
"Well, I am going get going now Ash. I'll see you around and maybe we can battle again." she said as she walked towards her initial spot and began to gather her things.
"Yeah, that sounds great!" Ash replied.
She smiled back and him before getting onto her bike that she had on the side of the road. She returned her Staryu before giving him a small wave and riding off.
Ash watched her go before turning his attention back towards Azrael who had just finished eating the berry.
"Alright buddy, how about we eat lunch and if you're not too tired after we can begin training." Ash asked.
Azrael gave a nod as he stood up. Ash grinned and began to pull the necessary items from his bag to set up their meal.
Scene change
After eating and resting a bit. They both went a little away from the clearing towards a small empty area with a few big rocks.
"Alright Azrael. You already have a good understanding of how to use your standard moves, but let's check your egg moves now." Ash commented.
"Try Dragon Rush on that rock." he said pointing towards one of the boulders.
Azrael nodded and he began to squat a little and shut his eyes closed. Ash saw a small aura that was a bit of purple and blue mushed together surround him before giving out.
Azrael looked up towards Ash and gave him a small shake of his head looking disappointed in himself.
"Alright, don't worry about that for now buddy! Dragon Rush is one of the most powerful dragon type attacks out there. The fact that you can even summon a small bit of it is impressive given that you're not even a dragon type! Go ahead and try Dragon Dance this time."
Azrael nodded before taking a deep breath. He once again closed his eyes and squatted a little. The same purplish-blue aura appeared, but this time instead of surrounding him like a shield it came from his entire body like he was a glowstick. After about twenty five seconds the glow went away. Azrael looked up at Ash and gave him a grin.
Ash smiled back.
"Alright, can you sprint around and use scratch on that rock." he asked.
Azrael moved without a sound and began to dash around before moving towards the rock and slashing it with his claw. He didn't break it but did leave a small dent on it.
Ash noted that he did seem a lot faster than when he battled Misty, although he couldn't tell if there was a difference in strength since he couldn't compare a powered-up scratch on the rock to a regular scratch on a Pokémon.
"Azrael I am going to return you for a second then bring you back out." Ash said.
Before Azrael could respond his body was enveloped in a red light. Just as quickly as he was returned to his ball he was brought back out.
"Alright, use scratch on the boulder next to the one you hit."
Azrael shook himself a bit before going up to the boulder and slashing it.
Ash was happy to note that this scratch hadn't left a dent like his previous attack. That meant that Dragon Dance had worked.
"Great job Azrael. Even though it took a while to set up, Dragon Dance worked. The move is supposed to increase both your speed and physical attack. When I returned you to your ball your increased stats were reset. Your speed was defiantly faster than when you battled Misty and the difference in the boulder shows that your attack was increased too!" Ash replied with a happy tone.
Azrael grinned up with him, showing his sharp row of teeth.
"Okay, now originally, I wanted to start you off on Metal Claw, but I think Dragon Rage would be better. Basically, Dragon Rage is similar to Ember. Ember is probably the weakest fire attack out there with Dragon Rage being the weakest dragon type attack. That I know of at least." he added the last part quietly.
"They are both kind of like a starting point for Pokémon. You use that move first to get a feeling of the typing before working your way up the ladder and trying more powerful attacks. Working on Dragon Rage should be able to improve your use of Dragon Rush and decrease the time it takes for you to set up Dragon Dance. Dragon Rush will be an amazing move for you in the future, but Dragon Dance could possibly be your most important move. The ability to increase your attack and speed will be very important once we get to higher tier battles. Especially since your line is built for attacking and using your speed, it will be a big help." Ash voiced out his thoughts towards his starter.
Azrael looked excited at the thought and was eager to continue his training as he released a burst of flames into the air.
Ash chuckled at the sight.
"Alright, so try to do Dragon Rush. Let's see if you can get it instinctively on your first try."
Azrael turned towards the rock. He gave a curious look before taking a deep breath and unleashing his flames towards the rock. The flames were the same as always. Azrael frowned, but tried again and got the same negative results.
Ash clapped his hands together getting Azrael's attention.
"Okay, I want you to focus on the power you felt when using Dragon Dance and Dragon Rush. Gather that power and unleash in the same way you do with Ember." Ash said.
Azrael nodded. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He stood there for a few moments before gathering energy in his mouth and releasing it again. The attack was the same as the last two, but it did have a slight purple tint in it.
"Okay good! You put a bit of draconic energy in it. The problem is that you're still adding fire energy to the attack which is okay. You are using Ember as a template so when you release it you probably add fire energy to it on instinct. I want you to focus on trying to only use draconic energy. It might be hard to go against your natural instincts, but I know you can do it!" Ash added.
Azrael nodded and began to unleash flames after flames.
They kept it up for about half an hour before Azrael's exhaustion finally caught up to him. Smoke was coming out of his mouth, and he was panting loudly.
Despite that Ash was very proud. Azrael had been able add more of the purplish-blue color to the attack each time. Ash would estimate that Azrael had the energies of the attack at 75% for fire and 25% for draconic.
"Okay Buddy we can take a small break! You have done a great job so far. I have no doubt that you will have the attack ready in a few days." Ash grinned.
Azrael smiled at his trainer and puffed out his chest a bit causing Ash to laugh.
Pulling out his Pokédex, Ash realized it was still only around two in the afternoon. Viridian was only a few more hours away.
"Alright Azrael, I know we originally planned on staying out on route 1 for the first night, but we still have plenty of time and could probably reach Viridian City around the time the sun beings to set.
Azrael walked up towards his trainer and stretched his arms before nodding.
"Okay, so let's get back on the road and we can spend the night at the Pokémon Center tonight. Then tomorrow we can spend the day training with Dragon Rage and get you started on Metal Claw. We can head for the Viridian Forest in the middle of the day. It'll take us only around a day or two to travel straight through the forest, but I wouldn't mind exploring around it a bit and maybe finding some stronger bug types for you to battle against." Ash commented.
Azrael climbed on his trainer's shoulder as he was far too tired to walk right now but had no desire to go instead his Poké Ball and gave him a nod.
Scene change
The sun was a few moments away from setting with the moon being visible in the sky. Ash and Azrael had just passed the welcome sign for Viridian City and sighed in relief when the city came in view. Ash's feet were sore, but it was something he would need to get used to it as some of the other major cities were far further from each other than Viridian and Pallet. Pewter to Cerulean would take easily more than a week if you went straight there with no stops.
Viridian City was one of the larger cities in Kanto, but the Pokémon Center was still visible from far out. There was no mistaking the huge red dome. It also happened to be located close to the entrance of the city. Most places had it positioned like that so trainers could have easier access to it.
The Pokémon Center functioned as a hospital, hotel, and training area for trainers. Most of the stuff is free, but sleeping at the center for more than a week will start to cost you a fee alongside the food.
Luckily, that was something Ash really had no need to worry about. Part of his sponsorship with Professor Oak included free lodging at the center even after the free week was up.
Walking around the city, he felt Azrael begin to doze off on his shoulder. Humming to himself, he pulled out his Poké Ball and recalled Azrael.
With a quicker pace in his step, he arrived in front of the large entrance in no time. There were only a few trainers lazing around the main area, but nobody standing in line to speak with Nurse Joy.
"Hello, how may I help you?" the pink haired female asked with a kind voice.
"Hi, I was hoping to register for the Indigo League and get my Pokémon healed please." Ash responded.
"Of course, place your balls in this tray. Do you have any form of identification?" she asked as she put a tray that contained six different slots on it.
"I have a Pokédex, would that be fine?"
She gave a nod and took the device from Ash's hand when offered. He placed Azrael's ball in the tray and a big pink Pokémon with an egg grabbed it before walking through the back door.
Most Nurse Joy's had a Chansey as a partner that helped around the centers.
Ash turned his attention to Joy who was typing away on one of the computers that was placed at the front desk.
"Okay! You are officially registered for the Indigo League. Will you be staying the night?" she questioned as he received his Pokédex back.
"Yeah, could I get a room for the night. I plan on leaving for Pewter City tomorrow in the afternoon." he replied.
"Of course!" she happily. Opening a drawer, she pulled out a small key and handed it to Ash.
"This is a key for your room. The number on the key is the number of your room." she said.
"Alright, thank you."
"You're welcome. I will call your name through the intercoms once your Pokémon is ready to be picked up. Feel free to get some food in the cafeteria if you're hungry." she added.
Ash gave a small nod and walked away.
After a nice small meal, Ash headed back to the main lobby and sat in one of the waiting areas. He grabbed his Pokédex and began scrolling through it. The appliance was an amazing item.
He looked up the Pewter City Gym to get an idea of what to expect.
Most gym leaders had main teams and loaned teams. Depending on the skill of the battler, the gym leader would use similar level Pokémon. Although, there were some gyms who didn't hold back. Sabrina, the leader of the Saffron City Gym, and Giovanni, the leader of the Viridian City Gym always used the full might of their team. Giovanni was notorious for putting Pokémon in critical condition. He was considered to be the most powerful gym leader in the entire region. Ash would go nowhere near the Viridian gym until he had seven badges. Sabrina would be a hard battle, and was very powerful in her own right, but Giovanni was another beast separately.
From what he's heard and read, the current Pewter City Gym Leader, Brock, was a good starting point for challengers. Not to say he was easy to beat, but he was fair to his challengers. When it came to first badge challengers, he mostly used a Geodude and Onix.
Geodude, were defense Pokémon that pack a punch. They were very slow though and Ash had confidence that Azrael could beat one after he learnt Metal Claw.
Onix was another story. The rock type was huge, ranging from twenty five to thirty feet. They had even more defensive capabilities compared to Geodude, but threw weak attackers. Although, its size made up for that. The issue was that Onix was faster than Geodude. They could burrow underground or slither around the field.
Ash's main strategy was based around Dragon Dance and Metal Claw. If he could get a single Dragon Dance against Geodude, then he could use the increase in speed and power to finish off the Geodude. Metal Claw also happened to increase the user's strength sometimes, which if he was lucky would happen a few times while battling Geodude.
"Ash Ketchum, your Pokémon are ready." a voice rang throughout the center.
He put his Pokédex away and went to the front. He looked around to notice that there weren't any more people in the lobby.
Nurse Joy gave him a smile before pushing the tray closer to him.
"Thank you." he said with a dip of his hat as he grabbed Azrael's ball.
"Of course, your Charmander is all healed up." She replied.
Before Ash could do anything all the lights in the center went out.
He quickly released Azrael from his ball, who provided a source of light for the room.
"Did the power go out?" he asked Nurse Joy who had a small frown on her face.
Nurse Joy opened her mouth only for it to close quickly as her eyes widened with a small amount of fear.
Ash looked behind to find a male and female standing in front of the entrance.
They were both wearing similar uniforms that made Ash's blood go cold. With a black uniform and the logo R on the front of their shirts. Ash instantly recognized them as Team Rocket.
Team Rocket was a dangerous group of people who had been stealing Pokémon and terrorizing the region for years.
"Alright, hand over all the Pokémon you have here. We can do this the easy way or the hard way." said the female with a Poké Ball in her hand. She had magenta long hair that was curled in the back.
"We won't harm you as long you do what we say." replied the male who had shoulder-length periwinkle hair with a single fringe sprouting from the center.
"Nurse Joy, call help. We will try to hold them off." Ash whispered quietly. She looked as though she wanted to stop him, but he was already moving in front of the pair. Azrael was quick to jump in front of him.
"Stop, you don't have to do this." Ash said to the two.
They both looked at him before turning towards each other. They both laughed out loud at the same time.
"Look at this twerp James." the female said holding her stomach as she laughed.
"I know Jessie, he's trying to tell us what to do." the male said chuckling.
Ash remained quiet. He just wanted to stall them, so they were more than welcome to laugh at him.
"Look kid, give us your Charmander and we won't hurt you. Besides, that Pokémon is too rare to be in the hands of a child. We will take good care of it." the female now known as Jessie said.
Azrael growled at the pair as his tail began to grow slightly bigger.
They raised an eyebrow before shrugging.
"Don't say we didn't warn you." James commented.
They both released a single Pokémon each.
Jessie released a purple, serpentine Pokémon. Its eyes, underbelly, the thick stripe around its neck, and rattle were all yellow. It had three pairs of black lines encircling its body, as well as another line that connects to each slit-pupiled eye and curves toward its nose. It was an Ekan, a poison type.
James released a spherical Pokémon. It had vacant eyes and a wide mouth with two pointed teeth in the upper jaw. Below its face was a cream-colored skull-and-crossbones marking. Several geyser-like protrusions covered this Pokémon's body with purple skin color. It was a Koffing, another poison type.
"Ember on the Koffing."
Before anybody could react, Azrael unleashed a torrent of fire on the poison type that slammed it into the wall.
Both rockets had their eyes wide.
"What? You want to steal my Pokémon. Did you think I would wait for you two to attack first?" he said with a growl.
"You little..." Jessie tried to say but was cut off by Azrael.
He responded by blasting another blast of fire towards the snake who slithered out of its direction just in time.
"Ekan, get that stupid lizard!" Jessie shouted.
"Ember when it gets close." he replied.
The snake slithered straight towards Azrael with an intense gaze. Once it got to a close distance it leaped from the ground towards the fire type with its jaw open.
Which was a mistake, as Azrael unleashed his flames straight inside its mouth.
Even Ash winced as the snake hissed in pain with its mouth steaming with smoke. Before he could do anything else, he felt a large scratch on his leg and turned before punting whatever was by his leg.
"Oh, you're going to pay for that brat!" said a talking... Meowth?
Ash looked at it in confusion. What? He knew some Pokémon could communicate with people, but that was mainly psychic types. He had never heard of a Pokémon being able to speak.
He grimaced from the pain in his leg and took a step back. The Koffing was back up and floating in front of its trainer. It had slight burns but was okay for the most part.
Ekan was in front of its trainer as well but looked worse than the Koffing. That Ember to its throat did a lot of damage it seemed.
Meowth was completely fine. Even being kicked across the room didn't do much about anything to it. Pokémon were far stronger, and durable compared to humans for the most part.
Ash frowned as he realized he was trapped in a three on one now.
"Any chance you guys want to do a one on one?" he questioned nervously.
Both trainers and three Pokémon glared at him.
"Okay, but before we begin can I ask where you caught a talking Meowth?" he asked, trying to bid more time.
"I ain't nobodies Pokémon!" the cat shouted at him.
Well, that's good to know Ash though internal coming up with a plan.
Before anything else could happen Koffing was slammed into the wall again, but this time by a burst of water.
"Koffing!" James yelled as he ran towards his Pokémon.
Everybody else looked towards one of the halls to find a trainer and Pokémon there.
Ash's eyes widened in relief as he recognized Misty. Her eyes were glaring at the two rockets, but widened as well when she noticed him. She gave him a nod before commanding her Staryu to attack the Ekan.
"Okay, Azrael we will take on the Meowth. Use Ember to get in close before going in with a Scratch." he said to his starter.
Azrael blasted a few small doses of fire towards the normal type who dodged all of them and ran towards Azrael with his claws sharpening.
Azrael jumped over the Meowth as it slashed towards him before blasting its back with Ember.
The Meowth howled with pain before turning around and getting a slash of claws across its chest.
It was thrown towards straight towards Ash, who promptly kicked it again towards Azrael, who responded by covering its entire body in another stream of flames. Meowth fell onto the floor covered in burns.
Ash grabbed one of his empty Poké Balls and through it straight towards the cat. The ball made an impact and sucked it in. The ball wiggled for a few moments before it stopped moving with a ding.
"MEOWTH!" Ash turned his head to see that it had been James who screamed as his Koffing was floating by his side.
His shout caught Jessie and Ekan's attention who both looked at what was going on which proved to be a mistake as Staryu slammed Ekan with a water attack which knocked it out.
"Azrael, use Ember on the Koffing." Ash said lightly.
Azrael unleashed one final blast of fire that hit the Koffing dead on and knocked it out.
Both Jessie and James were pale. They quickly returned their Pokémon before trying to Dash out the door. They were luckily blocked by a huge Pokémon, that Ash recognized as an Arcanine.
"Team Rocket, you are under arrest for trying to steal the Pokémon here!" an Officer Jenny appeared from behind the fire types back which caused both rocket members to fall on their butts in terror.
Ash blinked before turning towards Nurse Joy.
She offered him a relieved look before answering, "I called her while you were battling."
Ash released a sigh of relief as he walked towards Azrael.
"Great job buddy!" he said
Azrael gave him a small smile, before pointing towards the ball lying on the floor. He gave a little growl while looking at it.
Ash frowned. In all honestly, he really didn't want the Meowth. Not only had it hurt him, and would obviously be a pain to deal with, but he had no desire for a Persian.
"Are you okay Ash?" he turned around to find Misty and her Staryu walking towards him
"Yeah, thanks for helping, Misty!" he responded with a smile.
"No problem, I heard your name on the intercom so came to say hi, but the lights turned off and I walked onto the battle so..." she replied with a shrug.
"It's good that you did, I don't know if I would have been able to take all three of them." he commented.
"Hmm, maybe. They weren't really trained well so perhaps you could have won."
Ash shrugged his shoulders. He looked over at the ball and went over to pick it up.
"Is that the Meowth?" she asked curiously.
"Yeah, it said it wasn't either of their Pokémon so I figured I could catch it to make it easier for us."
"Wait, did you say it said?" she asked bewildered.
Ash nodded, "Yeah that was the weird thing, it was able to talk. I'm pretty sure it's a male because it had a male voice, but still I have never heard of a Pokémon that could talk."
"Well, you got your Charmander from Professor Oak, right? So you should also have a Pokédex. Why don't you try to use it and see if it says anything." she mentioned.
He nodded as he pulled his Pokédex out and pressed the icon of Meowth that appeared under his captured Pokémon.
Meowth the Scratch Cat Pokémon. Meowth withdraws its sharp claws into its paws to slinkily sneak about without making any incriminating footsteps. For some reason, this Pokémon loves shiny coins that glitter with light.
This Meowth is male and has the ability Technician which powers up the Pokémon's weaker moves.
Moves are Scratch, Fake Out, and Feint.
He frowned. It didn't say anything about it being able to speak.
'Hm, I don't know. Maybe ask Professor Oak about it." she said with a thoughtful look.
Before Ash could respond, Officer Jenny and her Arcanine walked up to them.
"Nurse Joy said that you were the two that stopped these guys?" she questioned sharply.
"We did Officer Jenny." Misty said with a serious expression.
Jenny looked at her for a moment before nodding.
"Then let me offer you, my thanks. These two had been spotted around the city causing trouble and we hadn't been able to catch them. You will both be rewarded for your efforts." she said with a small smile.
"Oh, there's no need ma'am. We just did what was right." Ash said sheepishly. He was relieved to see that Misty nodded along.
"Ah that's okay. We had a bounty on them anyways. I come on my motorcycle the moment Nurse Joy informed me, so I must call the station to bring a cruiser to put those two in. I'll have the officer also bring the reward we were offering to whoever found these two." she responded with a wave of her hand.
Both Ash and Misty turned towards each other before shrugging.
"Now, why don't you two get you Pokémon checked out while we wait." she said with the clap of her hands.
They both nodded and went over to Joy.
"Oh, Ash your bleeding!" she said walking around the corner and looking at his wound.
"Oh, yeah I forgot about that." he said looking back at the scratch the Meowth gave to him.
"Come with me to the back and I'll take care of that and heal your Pokémon." she said with no room to argue.
Ash followed her with Misty accompanying them.
Scene change
Another officer had arrived a few moments ago and was loading the pair of rocket members into the car.
Nurse Joy had checked on both of their Pokémon and cleaned up Ash's leg before applying a patch on it.
Officer Jenny walked up to the two of them with a small box in her hands.
"Okay, so a while ago I won a contest and was given these items. I already used one of them on Arcanine." she said opening the box and revealing its content.
Both Ash and Misty's eyes widened at what was inside.
Two evolutionary stones. Specifically, thunder and water stones.
"Woah these are expensive, are you sure it's okay for us to take them?" Misty questioned with her eyes glued to the water stone.
"Nah, neither I nor anybody at the station have a Pokémon that could evolve with these, so they are just catching dust. I might as well give them to some trainers who could put them to use. Feel free to sell them too if you want some cash." she responded with a shrug.
They both nodded before looking towards each other.
"You can take the water stone if you want. I know Staryu can evolve with a water stone and Poliwag will also be able to once it evolves into Poliwhirl so I figure that's the one you would prefer." Ash said.
"Really? Are you sure?" she asked him.
"Yeah, go ahead. It's not like I have any Pokémon who could use either of those stones right now anyways." he said with a smile.
She grinned at him before grabbing the waterstone. He copied her and grabbed the thunderstone. He was surprised to feel a small shock after touching it.
"Well, then I should get back to the station. Gonna have some paperwork to fill out thanks to those two." she with a sigh.
"Oh, before you go. I captured a talking Meowth that had been with them." Ash said as he grabbed the ball off his belt.
"A talking Meowth you say?" Jenny responded with a raised eyebrow
"Yeah, my Pokédex didn't say anything about it talking. I don't really want to have him and had thought about sending it to Professor Oak to see if he wanted to study him." Ash replied.
"Hmm, well there isn't much we could do about that. I would suggest sending it to the Professor. He could probably do a lot better with a talking Pokémon than we could." she said.
Ash gave her a slight nod.
"Alright then if that's all have a good night you two and thank you once again!" she replied with a smile.
They both gave a small wave as she walked out the door.
Ash sighed.
"I am going to go call Professor Oak and see if he wants the Meowth." Ash said, getting a nod from Misty.
"Okay, I am going to go to my room and try to get some sleep. I want to head out early in the morning. How long do you plan on staying in Viridian?" she questioned.
"Only tonight. I am going to train a bit tomorrow and head to the Viridian Forest towards the afternoon." he responded.
"Alright then, if I don't see you in the morning then I will see you around some other time. Be careful going through the forest." she said.
"I will, thanks for helping Misty. I will see you around." he responded with a wave as she walked away.
Ash walked towards the corner of the center which had video phones with a transfer machine attached to them.
Pressing the number to the lab the screen showed a ringing icon for a few moments before it flashed on.
"Oh, Ash! How are you, my boy?" asked the Professor.
"I am doing good Professor. Um, well actually, two members of Team Rocket attacked the Pokémon Center." Ash said with a wince.
"WHAT! Are you okay?" the professors face shifted into concern.
"Yeah, we were able to take care of them before Officer Jenny got here. They are the reason I am calling you. Along with the two members they had a talking Meowth, which is something I have never heard of. I ended up catching him but have no desire to keep him on my team. The Officer Jenny agreed with me that you would the best option to ask if you would like to study him." Ash said.
"Oh, a talking Pokémon you say?" he asked curiously.
"Yeah, the Pokédex didn't say anything about it." he responded.
"Well, that makes sense. The Pokédex won't speak about any unique characteristics of the Pokémon. It was programmed to showcase information about the Pokémon's species as a whole. The only bonus information you would get from capturing a Pokémon is its move set and ability." Oak responded as he scratched his chin.
"I see." Ash commented quietly.
"So, you say you have no desire to raise this Pokémon?" Oak asked.
"Yeah, he ended up scratching my leg and would probably be a problem to raise in the beginning of my career." Ash said seriously.
"Hm, well I won't lie and say I am not very curious about this talking Pokémon. How is it that he can speak? Can more Pokémon learn to talk or is it unique to him? Did he learn from humans or some other means? Honestly, Ash if it is true then you have a gem in your possession." he responded.
"Well, I have no problem sending him over to you if you would like."
The Professor was quiet for a moment before responding.
"How about this Ash. Why don't you send him over and me and my Alakazam will check to see if it is really true about him speaking or if something else is going on. If he can truly speak with his own capability, then we can make a trade." the researcher responded.
"What kind of trade?" Ash asked curiously.
"A Pokémon trade. Like I said, a real talking Pokémon could potentially be a gem. I could perhaps get you a rare Pokémon in exchange." he answered with a smile.
Ash grinned at that. The Professor had access to all kinds of Pokémon. Maybe he could get him something that would evolve with a thunder stone. It would be nice to be able to use the stone instead of selling it.
"When do you plan on leaving Viridian?" Oak asked.
"Tomorrow afternoon, I want to train a bit before heading towards the forest." he said quickly.
"Hm, okay that's enough time. Why don't you send over Meowth now. Alakazam and I can check him out tonight or tomorrow morning. You can call me before you leave for the forest, and I can tell you if he's legit and speak more about the trade." he suggested.
"Okay, yeah that sounds great."
"Alright, go ahead and place the ball on the transfer plate."
Ash grabbed the Meowth's ball off his belt and placed it on the plate. He stared at it for a few moments before the ball began to glow and then vanished in the blink of an eye.
He looked back to the screen and saw the Professor holding the ball in his hand.
"Okay, I got it Ash."
"Alright, I am going to head to bed now Professor, I will speak with you tomorrow." Ash said with a small yawn.
"Goodnight my boy." Professor Oak responded before hanging up the call.
Ash got up and stretched his arms before heading off to find his room.
Ash's Team
Charmander Male (Azrael)
Alright, so while I was writing the battle with Team Rocket, I thought it would be funny if Ash caught Meowth. I have no desire to let Ash use Meowth and figured he could just send him to Oak to research. But then I thought about how rare it must be for a talking Pokémon to exist and figured I could get Ash one the Pokémon's I planned to give him this way instead of another way.
What do you guys think of the battles? I always felt like I described the battles weird.
This chapter was supposed to go until after the first gym but ended up being a lot longer than I had originally planned. So, I am going to make the forest and Pewter City a part of the next chapter. It might be a bit shorter than the usual chapters or could be just as long. It depends if I find enough stuff to write in those two places. I can say that Ash will capture his first Pokémon that he plans to use in the forest, but I bet you can't figure out who it is. ;)
Also, when it comes to names, I really am not original. So, feel free to give me some names for his teammates and I would be happy to change the names in the past chapters to one that I think is better. I will be sure to give you credit!
Let me know what you guys think of the chapter!
R/R