The sun poked over the horizon, light spreading onto the landscape making a picturesque sight. Houses highlighted by the ever-increasing sunlight; movement that had once been stilled was now moving to start the day. Noise levels were increasing as creatures that had been asleep awoke with loud yawns or quiet squeaks. Eventually enough time passed where the sunlight breached farther, causing the day to fully begin.

This was all ignored from one excited ten-year-old, his excitement had barely let him sleep the night before, so he had already dressed himself, long before his appointment that day. He wore a medium blue jacket with gold trim and white collar and sleeves, worn open over a dark cyan t-shirt that hugged his body. The rest of his outfit consists of jeans with light blue cuffs, and green fingerless gloves.

His green backpack leaned against the edge of his bed, seemingly packed in preparation the night before. Everything was in place for what filled him with excitement, the day his journey would begin.

His name was Ash Ketchum, a young boy that was about to set off on a journey that he had fantasized for most of his life. His very own Pokémon Journey, the very thought seemed to make the ten-year old's face light up with energetic excitement, something that was shared between almost every other kid Ash's age. Ash had even studied and worked enough to get a starter from Pallet Town's very own Professor Oak.

Starters were a very rare gift, only three were given out each league season, and sometimes it was possible for there to be no starter Pokémon available. Though, just because there were only three available starter Pokémon, did not mean that there would only be three trainers starting that day. Plenty of trainers would gather around after lunch to pick up a usable beginning level Pokémon to start their journey, as the League season was just beginning.

Ash had an appointment at eight-thirty this morning to pick up the remaining starter after the other two trainers picked up theirs. The order was decided based on two criteria, test scores, something Ash struggled with, and sponsored work, the only reason Ash was able to get a starter in the first place. Ash was lucky enough to be able to work on the ranch under the eyes of Professor Oak, though it proved to be insanely hard work.

After receiving confirmation from the old Professor last week, Ash was just ecstatic that his hard work had paid off. With all this in mind, Ash barely got to sleep last night, and if it wasn't for his mother saying to go to bed, he probably would have slept in.

Gathering his black and white shoes from the corner of his room, Ash sat down on his bed, taking in his room one last time before his journey. Pencils that had once been used just the night before would be stored on his desk, for what could be years. His alarm clock had been turned off the minute he woke up and wouldn't be waking anybody up for a long time. His posters, his bed sheets, everything, and anything was catching Ash's eye.

He was going to miss home, even the little things.

With one last steadying breath, Ash patted his hat, leaned forward, and pushed himself up from his bed, grabbing his backpack in one seamless motion. It was time to head out, nothing wrong with being slightly early anyways, or at least, that's what Ash thought.

A quick walk down the stairs revealed that his mom had already left, probably in preparation for the incoming trainers that would be in Pallet Town in a few hours. Delia Ketchum owned a small Café right near the entrance to the town, a little hobby that turned into a decent income for her back when she first moved to Pallet Town.

Ash pushed himself through the front door, quickly closing it before the spring weather could enter the house for too long, Ash kept a steady walk as he passed by all the buildings and locations he had come to know during his childhood. While not the most approachable kid, Ash still had met most of Pallet Town due to his wild luck, some didn't really care for the energetic child, but others seemed to adore his upbeat attitude.

Seeing the town seemingly empty was kind of weird, but it happened every April 1st, everyone had work to do to prepare for the next couple weeks of increased activity. The beginning of every league season was always a popular time for Pallet Town, from Professor Oak's popular presence, to being the closest starting location for both Cinnabar and Viridian City.

A quick walk of about ten minutes led Ash right to the front door of Professor Oak's Lab, a little bit early, but Ash was too excited to really wait at home. Pressing the doorbell twice, Ash waited patiently, though he couldn't help but tap his foot in anticipation.

The door opened to a gray-haired man with very dark eyes, a lab coat covered his otherwise basic red collared shirt and brown slacks. His eyes seemed to light up a bit at the sight of Ash, his always present smile getting a bit bigger.

"Ash, it's good to see you be early for once, honestly, I thought I would have to prepare some time for you to be late." The professor joked, though with Ash rubbing his neck in embarrassment, it seemed to be a normal occurrence for the kid to be late.

A slight awkward chuckle came from the boy as he spoke. "Yeah, I had trouble sleeping for sure, if it wasn't for mom I would have slept in, probably even missed the whole day even!" As Ash talked both Professor and youngster walked deeper into the building, both knowing where to go.

A warm laugh came from the aging researcher, his relaxed manner managed to settle most of the nervous energy that Ash had. It was easy to see why most of Kanto had a soft spot for the Professor.

After coming to a stand in the center holding three Poke Balls, Professor Oak pulled out a tray seemingly out of nowhere, putting the tray right next to the stand. The tray held five shrunken down Poke Balls, and a slim red device that seemed to shine from every light in the Lab.

A quick cough from the aging professor began the explanation, "While this was more than likely covered in all your preparations you had to go through, it still is my job to cover it." The quick change of attitude from the man seemed to be quite odd for Ash, but he understood the seriousness of the situation. Giving 10-year-olds a Pokémon required plenty of checks and balances to make sure nothing too bad happened, especially considering how Kanto was once a wild region.

"In accordance with the acceptance of Ash Ketchum as a Beginner Trainer, you are being given five standard Poke Balls, with no requirement of repayment for such items." Seemingly reading from a non-existent script, Professor Oak continued, "With the information of being sponsored by Professor of the Kanto region, your ID will be given to you by said Professor. All captures and releases will be updated in the league system every month, with any attempts at hiding said information giving rights to dismissal of your trainer license." Those last words were said with a harsh frown on Professor Oak's face.

Ash understood the seriousness of what was being said, in fact having gone through it multiple times during the application process. Plenty of warnings were given throughout the paperwork, along with a final warning being given now, it was quite apparent that ignoring these steps would lead to some harsh punishments, even a child could have figured that out.

"The trainer that has received this sponsorship may apply for travel rights, apply for Gym/League positions, or apply for apprenticeship with an ACE trainer. These are not a guarantee and are up to the League's discretion. You may not apply for Party extensions, enter protected areas, or interfere with law enforcement as long as you hold the Beginner Trainer label. Advancement is made by the recommendation of either your Regional Professor, or someone of similar status. Is this understood by the trainer in question?" Professor Oak blurred through the legal speak to the point where it was obvious how rehearsed the whole thing was.

A quick nod from Ash before answering the way he was supposed to, "I, Ash Ketchum understand what has been told to me by the League and will accept this responsibility." A simple phrase, but one required by all sponsored trainers in the Kanto region.

The mood lightened considerably as Professor Oak went back to his aged smile. Ash smiled back in appreciation for the mood being lighter and they both made their way to a podium holding a Poke ball with a leaf symbol on it.

"Early this morning Gary came by and picked up his starter, which left only two when the other sponsored trainer came by, he picked his, and thus, we are left with one starter for you Ash." Professor Oak quickly explained. "The Pokémon will automatically be registered by me when you leave today, just remember to register your captures before the end of every month." As he said that, Oak reached his hand out to Ash, holding what would hopefully be the start of Ash's long and prosperous journey.

Not a word was spoken as Ash reached for the Poke Ball, gripping it tightly as he released the Pokémon inside. A flash of white energy faded to reveal a green reptile with a bulb on its back, the creature shaking itself from the aftereffects of the Poke ball.

Ash grinned, his starting partner was a Bulbasaur, and while it could have been any Pokémon, he was ecstatic to see his first partner of what he hoped would be many. He was ready to begin his journey.


Ash made his way down the road out of Pallet Town, having finished up his business at Professor Oak's and saying goodbye to his mother after taking a quick stop by the Café. The sun was still rising in the sky, still yet to reach the peak of noon.

Eventually the surroundings turned from open fields to a light forest, trees prominent to create shade, but not enough for most people to get lost. Ash looked around, his grin cemented on his face, the excitement visible with every step.

After a few minutes of walking, Ash came across a wooden sign denoting the start of Route 1. It was left in an open clearing with a rough outline of a path found just ahead of the sign. The forest that was just a smattering of trees earlier, had become much more plentiful.

Ash stopped walking, pulling his hand to his belt and with a quick grab had Bulbasaur's Poke Ball in his grasp. With a quick callout and a press of a button, white energy exploded from the ball, eventually showing the Grass/Poison type in all its glory.

"Here we are Bulbasaur," Ash points to the sign. "The start of our journey together. . ." Ash's voice petered out with his statement; his stance frozen as he tried to find words to describe the mess of emotions that were swirling inside himself.

Bulbasaur pushed against Ash's leg, "Bulbasaur, Bulba-Bul." The repeated "words" spoken by Bulbasaur had knocked Ash out of his stupor. A slight smile spoke about the appreciation Ash had for Bulbasaur's actions.

"Thanks Bulbasaur, guess I was realizing how much I'll miss home." That statement seemed to make both quiet, if only for a few seconds. "But, it doesn't matter, I have this dream, I have this goal, and it is up to me and the friends I make to get there." Ash exclaims crouching to rub his hand on Bulbasaur's head.

Ash is met by an excited "Bulbasaur" as he continues to pet said Pokémon, his smile growing softer.

Woosh

The sound caused both human and Pokémon looked over past the Route 1 sign to see a yellow blur. The blur seemed to quickly climb up a tree right next to the road stopping at the tallest branch before finally being visible to others.

Ash quickly grabbed his Pokédex out of his pocket, pointing the device at the yellow creature. The device came to life, its auto generated voice came out after a quick scan of the creature, "Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon, it keeps its tail raised to monitor its surroundings. If you yank its tail, it will try to bite you." A picture was also shown along with the voiced information, but on top of the picture was red text labeled threat level 10.

A quick motion had Ash's device back in his pocket, he sat there contemplating the information he was given. Turning to his partner, "Alright Bulbasaur, that Pikachu at first glance seems to be stronger, you up for trying a battle?" While Ash asked it like a question, it was easy for Bulbasaur to see his barely held excitement. A quick nod answered Ash's question, and following that motion, a yell of excitement from the kid.

The yell got the attention of the yellow mouse, the beady eyes diving right onto the yells location, dropping what seemed to be some stolen candy, the Pikachu dropped from the tree with cheeks sparking.

"Let's go Bulbasaur! Go in for a Tackle!" Ash yelled with excitement. With a yell of agreement, Bulbasaur followed the command running forward to engage the enemy electric type.

The Pikachu seemed to glow with yellow electricity before sending a Thundershock forward at the charging Bulbasaur, which was easily dodged by said grass type due to the distance. Yet, the distance was quickly closed by Bulbasaur, causing the Pikachu to retreat backwards to dodge.

"Push it back with Growl!" Ash exclaimed to Bulbasaur. Immediately the grass type released a primal rumble from its body causing a sound wave to cut towards the wild Pikachu. The Pikachu tried to continue retreating backwards only to be too slow in dodging the Growl from Bulbasaur. The sound wave of intimidation hit the yellow mouse, causing the electric type to fall backwards from the pressure.

"Now, hit it with Tackle!" Ash screamed seeing that the wild Pikachu was on the backfoot. This caused Bulbasaur to charge forward, pushing its body weight into the unprepared electric mouse, the wild Pikachu launched backwards into the air before crashing into the ground in a backwards roll.

The Pikachu struggled to get back onto its four limbs, the Tackle had been a direct hit and seemed to have rattled the electric type. Suddenly, the yellow mouse charged forward with great speed smacking Bulbasaur with its body. This pushed the grass type farther back creating some distance between the two Pokémon, yet it did little damage due to the earlier growl.

"That was a Quick Attack Bulbasaur, we need to slow it down, hit it with Growl!" Ash informed Bulbasaur, and while slower than earlier, Bulbasaur listened to Ash quickly. A sound wave again pushed from the grass Pokémon at Pikachu, causing a slight stumble on the electric rodents part.

Suddenly, Pikachu fell forward, collapsing against the ground, yet its beady eyes were locked on the enemy Bulbasaur. This collapse was something Ash was going to capitalize on, with a quick grab at his belt, he pulled another Poke Ball, and threw it at the tired electric type. A flash of light later and nothing was left of the Pikachu, just a Poke Ball shaking back and forth.

"I think we got it Bulbasaur!" Ash exclaimed running up to the shaking Poke Ball, he looked closely at the device, watching it sway back and forth. Suddenly, light burst from the device, and before Ash could react, electricity spilled out hitting not only trainer, but Bulbasaur as well.

A quick grunt of pain after the electric flash showed Ash had been pushed onto his back, though Bulbasaur was already set up between his trainer and the wild Pikachu. Both Pokémon rushed forward, one with great speed, the other with a full powered tackle.

Rooooooooooooow

Right before the clash, a sound echoed out across the open area, this screech stopped both opponents right in their tracks. Both Pokémon set their eyes across the field to see the forest being evacuated by Pidgeys, Rattatas, and even the odd Spearow.

Ash picked himself up, trying to glance at what was causing the wild Pokemon to leave their home in such a hurry. Squinting his eyes, Ash managed to see what had to be a fire, almost as tall as he was racing outward to burn more of the forest. While looking, he noticed a shadow take shape above the fire, and with a great swing of its shadowed wings, the blaze was put out instantly.

Yet, the shadow then dived away from where the fire was. . . right towards Ash.

"Bulbasaur, we need to go." Ash called out, panicking at the approaching shadow.

"Bulba-" Before Bulbasaur could finish his response, the shadow blurred into the small clearing, tackling both Bulbasaur and the wild Pikachu.

The shockwave from the impact sent Ash rolling back against a nearby tree and left Bulbasaur tumbling against the ground. Yet, the grass type was nowhere close to being knocked out as it quickly recovered from the attack.

It was then that Ash noticed what had attacked them — it was an enormous Fearow, its wingspan seemed to cover the entire clearing and its eyes were beyond angry. The wild Pokémon cawed in rage at both Bulbasaur and Pikachu, seemingly trying to hurt them with it's glare.

Without warning, the Fearow dived forward, slamming it's massive wings into both Pokémon. Bulbasaur launched far from Ash, but the Pikachu managed to hold on to the wing.

"PIKA-CHUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Lightning converged onto both Pokémon, though Fearow shrugged the yellow mouse off of it before the Pikachu could damage it more, though sparks were still covering the wing.

"Bulbasaur!" Out of nowhere, Bulbasaur hit Fearow with a Tackle on it's right wing, pushing the bird to be slightly lobsided.

The electricity from earlier seemed to have thrown the bird off balance, so much so, that the Tackle attack from Bulbasaur had the giant bird flailing on the ground.

With the Fearow struggling to get up after what seemed like a few heavy hits, Ash took his chance to get away with Bulbasaur while watching the wild Pikachu bolt away from the clearing. "Let's get out of here Bulbasaur!" Ash called as the pair ran from the clearing.

He ran alongside Bulbasaur, continuously checking behind him for fear that the Fearow was still in pursuit. The sound of Pidgeys and other wild Pokémon started to come back as the pair kept running further and further from where they had been attacked.

After a couple minutes of pure sprinting, both trainer and Pokémon had to stop to catch their breathes. Even with Ash being a physically inclined kid, he still felt like his lungs were going to explode. Bulbasaur wasn't in much better shape, breathing heavily covered in dirt from the battle it was in before.

Ash looked down after finally catching his breath and noticed that the ground was slightly damp, a quick look up revealed why. Grey clouds were forming around the pair, and even some had started to offload the rain they held.

"We need to get going Bulbasaur, getting stuck out in the rain isn't going to be a great time." With that said, they set out, forward in what Ash thought was the right way.

Minutes passed as both Ash and Bulbasaur walked for awhile, until the clouds darkened the sky too much where they had to stop for Ash to collect his compass from his bag.

North was the way to go to reach Viridian City, something Ash learned before leaving earlier in the day, heck, Ash made sure to remember directions of every major city. You never know when you need the info.

Rain began to fall, giving a light shower to Route 1, making Ash sigh with irritation. Though this was quickly fixed from a "Bulba" call from Bulbasaur.

Walking forward through the forest, the pair didn't run into any of the Pokémon that they heard earlier, though that was probably because of the rain that was pelting the ground.

Ash and Bulbasaur trudged on, growing increasingly hopeful as they heard the thunderous roar of a waterfall in the distance.

"Look!" Ash exclaimed, pointing ahead to the clearing with excitement. Rain started to pour down hard, its droplets forming ripples on the water's surface as it crashed against rocks. The power of the water was incredible and provided a soothing soundtrack for the two walking nearby.

"This is amazing," Ash murmured in awe, glancing around at the makeshift campsite that had been abandoned months ago right next to the waterfall. His footsteps covered over previous trainers that had once been there.

Boom

The thunder of the lightning strike was like an explosion, rattling the campsite and resonating as the ground and water responded to the quake.

The closest sound is the water of the waterfall, but this is soon drowned out by the sound of the the wind gusting hard enough that the waterfall itself started to slow.

The trance was broken with another bolt of lightning, striking somewhere far back near Pallet Town, wind started to pickup even more. The weather was usually not this bad in this part of Kanto.

Ash looked up at the sky, the thunder and lightning making him feel uneasy. He glanced over at Bulbasaur who looked just as unsettled as he did. The wind was picking up, making the trees seem to bend and leaves flying everywhere.

"Come on, Bulbasaur, let's find some shelter," Ash said, fear starting to creep up on him.

The pair made their way through the forest, searching for a place to wait out the storm. The rain was coming down in sheets now, soaking them to the bone. The wind was so strong that Ash had to hold onto Bulbasaur to keep from being blown away.

They came across a hollow tree holding a pair of Rattatas huddled in the corner. After managing to fit in there, the pair of Ash and Bulbasaur shared the space with the two purple Pokémon.

The last thing Ash remembered was messing with his Pokedex listing out Rattata's entry.

"Rattata, the Mouse Pokemon, Bites anything when it attacks. Small and very quick, it is a common sight in many places." The entry was labeled with threat level 2 and 3.


After a couple hours the rain let up, the wind travelled far from Route 1, and the lighting had disappeared.

Ash woke to pressure against his legs, his eyes opened to see Bulbasaur looking up at him with a bright smile. Apparently a nap was what they both needed.

Walking out of the temporary rest spot, the sun shined with very little coverings. The storm had seemingly passed, but the damage could be seen everywhere in Route 1. The ground was wet and the trees were less thick due to lacking plenty of leaves.

With the sun farther along in the sky, Ash and Bulbasaur set out in hopes of reaching Viridian City before nightfall.

Travelling north, the pair of Pokémon and trainer, observed the wild Pokémon that they passed, mostly of the same variety they had already seen, but still something of interest for them to view.

As they walked, the ground got dryer, showing that the weather had not been from Viridian City. Though it seemed that the storm had touched the outskirts at one point.

The pair's walking after an hour brought them to the edge of a forest line, and when they walked through it, they saw the first parts of Viridian City, or at least the Viridian Outskirts as the locals called it.

The Outskirts were mostly filled by the few farmers that were associated with Viridian City, though a few warehouses could be found in a sort of industrial section of the Outskirts.

Splash

Both Ash and Bulbasaur looked to the left to see a red fish flopping in a dirty puddle, just remnants of what was likely the storm from earlier due to the drainage system.

Ash pulled out his Pokedex, and like earlier in the day, scanned the Pokémon. "Magikarp, the Fish Pokémon, In the distant past, it was somewhat stronger than the horribly weak descendants that exist today." The Pokedex read out the entry.

Ash couldn't help but feel bad for the helpless Magikarp as it flopped in the dirty water. The sight of the helpless Magikarp struggling in the dirty water tugged at his heartstrings.

Pulling a shrunken Pokeball from his belt, Ash walked over to the flopping fish and enlarged the metallic ball in his hand. "Hey Magikarp, do you want to catch you?" Ash stumbled on his words, but even then, the red fish seemed to have understood what Ash meant.

"I mean, do you. . ." Ash couldn't even finish his sentence before Magikarp splashed up to the ball, pressing itself against the button. With a flash, Magikarp disappeared into the Pokeball.

As Ash grinned, eyes lit with enjoyment, you could hear a satisfying 'ding' echo out from the ball. His first Pokémon, on the first day of his journey. Nothing could ruin this electric feeling Ash felt in that moment.


AN: This has been sitting on my hard drive for about a year and a half. Originally a distraction from my writing contracts, it became an actual story, though Ch.1 could use a bit more 'oomph' if you know what I'm saying. I plan to post weekly if possible, and over on my pat page you'll get chapters about a week early. Of course, chapters will always be free here.

Overall, while happy where this chapter ended up, still feel that I could have done better.