"So you catch a Pokemon by throwing a Pokeball at it, right?"

Clay shook his head. "That's the end goal, of course, but there's a lot more to catching a Pokemon than that. You have to weaken the Pokemon in some way - either through battle, or through earning their trust."

He gestured towards Drilbur. "I caught my first Pokemon deep in Mount Moon," he said. "It's practically a maze down there. I thought I didn't need a map - thought I knew the place like the back of my hand. Before I knew it, I was lost. And just as I was starting to panic, I ran into Drilbur here."

Drilbur nodded, clearly reminiscing as well.

"He was lost too," said Clay, "so we helped each other. Built up a bond over the next couple hours. And when we finally got out, I asked him if he wanted to stay with me, and he said yes."

Ash remembered the Pidgey he'd tried to catch by throwing his shirt over it and chuckled embarrassedly.

"As for my others, Sandile I caught the more normal way," Clay continued. "Beat him in a battle, then caught him. And Tympole…was a gift of sorts."

He said nothing more. Ash looked around. "Well, I got Hisuian Growlithe as my Starter from Professor Archie."

"Oh?" Clay raised an eyebrow. "How'd you convince him to give you something that wasn't a Water-type?"

"Um…I kinda…slept late and missed the starter selection," Ash admitted. "But Hisuian Growlithe's better than any Water-type out there!"

Tympole's Pokeball trembled.

"Ah…except your Tympole," Ash corrected hastily. "But anyway, I haven't actually caught any Pokemon yet, so whatever I find next will be my first!"

"Are you planning on going for a generalist team, or a monotype team?" Clay asked. "If you're going monotype, these woods probably aren't the best place for-"

"I don't really care," said Ash. "I'm just going to catch as I go."

Clay smiled wistfully. He opened his mouth to say some more advice, but just then a loud crunch filled the air. Ash stopped. "Oh, wow, what is that?"

"Shh!" Clay hissed. Ash glanced at him. Clay spoke in a whisper. "If a wild Pokemon hears you coming, chances are they'll flee. The first step to catching a Pokemon is always to sneak up on it."

Ash nodded silently and began to tiptoe towards the source of the crunch. Another crunch sounded from the same location, and then another. Ash pushed aside a cluster of tree branches, with Clay following close behind.

Clay's eyes near-instantly widened as he caught sight of a large, sleek, red-colored Pokemon standing on the opposite side of a small clearing, its metallic claws clenched into fists as it punched holes into the tree it was standing in front of. Is that…a Scizor? What's a Scizor doing in the wild?

"Whoa, that Pokemon looks really strong!" Ash cried excitedly, forgetting in his enthusiasm that he'd been trying to remain quiet.

The Scizor stiffened, then twisted, its eyes narrowing as it caught sight of the humans. It crouched; from the shifting of its eyes, it was contemplating whether to fight or flee.

"Whoops," Ash murmured. "So…now you challenge it, right?" Clay didn't even have time to respond before Ash raised his voice again, this time towards the Scizor. "Right! I challenge you to a battle!"

"Maybe find out what it is first," Clay tried, but the Scizor had already nodded in answer. "Great!" said Ash. "Let's go, Hisuian Growlithe! Start things off with a Howl, and then go in with Tackle!"

Clay opened his mouth again, but stopped. I can't just tell the kid what to do all the time. He's got to figure out this stuff on his own.

Hisuian Growlithe reared back and let out a loud howl, causing a surge of energy to play across his body as his power rose. Then he lunged with a Tackle, body glowing white.

Scizor punched Hisuian Growlithe in the nose with a swift, steely Bullet Punch, sending the Fire/Rock-type skidding backwards. "Okay, that didn't work…" Ash frowned. "Try Ember!"

Hisuian Growlithe barked and unleashed a mote of flame at Scizor. In an instant, Scizor's air changed from confidence to surprise, and he swiftly shot out of the way in what Clay could tell was a Quick Attack.

"He didn't like that!" Ash cheered. "Keep firing Embers! Don't let up!"

Hisuian Growlithe obeyed, firing Ember after Ember at the sleek Scizor. But Scizor was fast, and with Quick Attack augmenting its speed, it seemed terrifyingly easy for it to dodge every one of Hisuian Growlithe's attacks. Clay noticed that it was growing more confident, its worry at the sight of a super-effective attack fading as it realized Hisuian Growlithe was a comparative novice.

It makes sense that this Scizor would be too strong for Ash. He hasn't been training for long - maybe it would be best for him to admit defeat. But before Clay could voice such an opinion, Ash spoke again. "Charge again with Tackle!"

As Scizor dodged another Ember, Hisuian Growlithe broke into another sprint towards Scizor. Clay frowned. What's he playing at?

Scizor seemed to wonder that as well, but swiftly pushed that aside in favor of meeting Hisuian Growlithe's charge with another Bullet Punch.

But in the moment before they closed, Ash cried, "Ember, now!"

Scizor's eyes widened and it tried to dodge away, but could not overcome the forward momentum of its own Bullet Punch. It let out a cry of pain as Hisuian Growlithe's Ember struck it head-on. The Bug/Steel-type reeled as its entire body was set ablaze by the quad-super-effective attack. In the blink of an eye, Ash withdrew a Pokeball from his belt and threw it at the staggering Scizor. Caught off-balance, Scizor couldn't dodge; the ball struck the Bug/Steel-type and sucked it inside before falling to the ground.

Clay and Ash watched as the ball shuddered and shook - for a moment Clay was certain Scizor would break out, but then the shuddering began to weaken. It took a good fifteen seconds before the shaking stopped entirely, and two more before the ball flashed white, indicating a successful capture.

"All right!" Ash rushed over and picked up the Pokeball, beginning to do a sort of pose with it. "I caught a…wait, what is this?"

His Pokedex, once it was used, quickly provided the answer. "Scizor, the Pincer Pokemon. It has a body with the hardness and strength of steel, and can crush any hard object it gets hold of into bits. This Pokemon is Bug/Steel-type, and knows the moves Quick Attack, Focus Energy, Fury Cutter, and Bullet Punch."

Ash looked positively ecstatic at that. Clay couldn't blame him - he'd never even heard of someone finding a Scizor out in the wild like this. Even its pre-evolution, Scyther, was extremely rare.

"All right! I caught a Scizor!" Ash cried; his Hisuian Growlithe promptly joined in the pose with a loud, gleeful bark.

That night, Clay, with the help of Hisuian Growlithe, made a fire for the two Trainers to rest by. As they did so, Ash let out Scizor. He'd already done so earlier; the Bug/Steel-type had understandably been a little miffed, but clearly respected Ash and Hisuian Growlithe's strength, and after some discussion had agreed to work alongside Ash, officially making Scizor his second Pokemon.

"So, Scizor," said Ash. "I can tell you're fast. Really fast. I haven't seen a Pokemon run rings around Hisuian Growlithe like that before."

Hisuian Growlithe let out a sleepily annoyed bark at that, and Scizor chuckled in response.

"So we're gonna need to play into that," said Ash. "Work to your strengths! But don't get too confident! You walked right into Hisuian Growlithe's Ember - I think you'll want to avoid taking attacks like that in the future, huh?"

This time it was Hisuian Growlithe's turn to chuckle, and Scizor's turn to look annoyed at the Fire/Rock-type.

"So when I tell you to ease off, you ease off, got it?" Ash asked. Scizor nodded. "Great!" said Ash. "Now go enjoy yourself over by the fire!"

Scizor, for some reason, looked fairly nonplussed at that. Hisuian Growlithe chuckled again. Scizor let out an irritated growl; Hisuian Growlithe stood from his spot, suddenly looking a lot more energetic, and began running circles around Scizor, barking up a storm.

Scizor folded his arms and tried to look dignified. Ash broke into peals of loud laughter. "Haha, this is going to be great! We're going to go beat all the Gyms in Kanto, and nothing's going to stop us!"

"Stop!" Ash cried.

Clay stopped, already wondering what the kid was getting up to this time. He'd long since realized that Ash was somewhat of a force of nature - once he decided to do something, it was going to happen, regardless of how terrible or out-there of an idea it was.

"You've got three Pokemon, right?" Ash asked. Clay nodded. "So I should probably have three Pokemon, too. After all, if I'm going to challenge the Gyms, I need enough Pokemon to actually do that, right?"

"Right," said Clay. "Most Gym Leaders outright won't battle you if you don't have enough Pokemon to battle them with - and believe me, they check."

"So I should catch a third Pokemon before we get to a Gym," Ash decided. "I wonder what I'll get this time!"

"Listen, Ash," said Clay. "Don't think just 'cause you caught a Scizor means rare Pokemon are going to just roll up to you all the time. That's probably gonna be the rarest Pokemon you find for a good long while, so-"

At this precise moment, a small gray-white Pokemon lunged out of a bush and rushed for Ash with fists clenched.

"Scizor!" Ash promptly released the Bug/Steel-type, who quickly countered the new arrival's clearly Fighting-type move with a swift Bullet Punch. "Use Focus Energy!" Ash cried as the two fell to trading blows; Scizor's eyes narrowed and its blows became more steady and well-aimed. The gray-white Pokemon responded in kind, and its small size was surprisingly telling as it danced under a punch from Scizor and retaliated with a punch that slammed into the Bug/Steel-type's leg, sending Scizor stumbling.

Clay simply stared at the battle. "What in tarnation…"

Ash already had his Pokedex out and scanning the gray-white Pokemon. The Pokedex beeped. "Kubfu, the Wushu Pokemon. This Legendary Pokemon constantly trains hard to improve its moves. The moves it masters will determine its form when it levels up. Kubfu is a pure Fighting-type, and knows the moves Rock Smash, Leer, Endure, and Focus Energy."

Clay did not stop staring. He'd never heard of Kubfu before, but if the Pokedex was accurate - and Pokedexes were known for being fairly accurate - then a Legendary Pokemon had just jumped out of the bushes to try and fight Ash.

"Whoa, cool!" said Ash. "We have to catch it! Scizor, don't let it outspeed you!"

Scizor grunted as he again whiffed a punch and left himself open for a retaliatory attack from Kubfu. This time, though, he managed to dodge Kubfu's attack with a Quick Attack, then blurred forward to catch Kubfu in the face with a Bullet Punch before dancing away again. Now Scizor was fully in his element; with its limited moveset, Kubfu had no way of countering Scizor's main technique. Gradually, Clay spotted Kubfu getting more and more frustrated as its attacks whiffed and whiffed again.

Regardless of how strong the Legendary Pokemon was, it was quickly becoming apparent that it was outmatched.

Eventually, Scizor struck; lunging in with another Quick Attack, he delivered a hard Fury Cutter that sent Kubfu flying backwards. The Fighting-type Legendary hit a tree and fell to the ground; from the energy glowing across his body, he'd been forced to activate Endure to keep himself going. Kubfu snarled something, clenching his fists.

Ash threw a Pokeball. Kubfu's attention was too focused on Scizor to see it coming. The Pokeball sucked him inside; this time it only took a few seconds before the ball stopped shaking and dinged.

"All right, I caught a Kubfu!" This time Scizor joined in the celebration.

Clay let out an involuntary chuckle. What kind of Trainer catches a Scizor and a Legendary as their second and third Pokemon? I don't even know what a Kubfu is, much less what a Legendary would be doing wandering around a forest in Kanto challenging random Trainers to battles!

He shook his head, banishing that thought from his mind as he watched Ash, Scizor, and Hisuian Growlithe dancing around joyously with a smile on his weathered face.

Kubfu was even quicker than Scizor to accept his place on the team, possibly because he'd been so humiliated by the Bug/Steel-type. Scizor was quick to start chatting with Kubfu, likely giving him advice on what sort of training to do, as well as introducing him to Hisuian Growlithe.

Clay felt a measure of pride as he watched the three Pokemon talk to one another. Already Ash had a team that equaled Clay's own in numbers, if not power. And between Scizor and Kubfu, his team wasn't lacking in that either - a little bit of training, and Clay wasn't entirely sure Ash couldn't beat his team in a 3-on-3 battle.

It's strange…it almost feels like I'm mentoring the kid. By now I've almost forgotten that I'm tagging along until he pays for my car.

Naturally, that was not the last thing that momentarily interrupted their journey, as barely an hour after Kubfu's capture, Ash and Clay were startled by an honest-to-goodness sword-wielding samurai bursting out of the bushes.

The samurai pointed a finger. "You, Trainer from Pallet! The other Pallet Trainers may have beaten me, but I will prevail over you! Pinsir!"

"All right, Scizor!" said Ash, sending the Bug/Steel-type out. "Time for your first real Trainer battle!"

The samurai blinked at the sight of the fairly irritated-looking Scizor. "Um, wait. What?" Then he steadied himself. "Tackle, Pinsir!"

"Bullet Punch, Scizor!" Ash cried. Scizor lunged forwards, hauling back, and delivered a Bullet Punch right to the lunging Pinsir's face. The Bug/Steel-type won out, and Pinsir staggered backwards. "Now Fury Cutter!" Ash yelled.

"Grab it with Vice Grip!" the samurai ordered. Pinsir planted its feet and lowered its head, clearly trying to grab Scizor with its pincers.

Scizor struck it hard with a Fury Cutter, then near-instantly dove back with a Quick Attack. Pinsir's pincers clamped down on nothing but air. "Bullet Punch again!" Ash cried; again Pinsir was sent staggering, and this time one of his pincers outright broke from the move.

The samurai instantly recalled his Pinsir. "All right, you're not as weak as I thought you'd be," he admitted. "But let's see you get through the unbreakable shell of Metapod!" He sent out a green-colored cocoon-esque Pokemon. "Harden, Metapod! Don't let that thing's claws even scratch you!"

"All right, Scizor, return," said Ash. "Go, Hisuian Growlithe, and Ember!"

The samurai gaped. "Oh crap he has a Fire-type."

Once the samurai had left towards the nearest Pokemon Center, grumbling as he did so, Ash was quick to congratulate his team members on a job well done, as well as assuring Kubfu that he'd be able to take part in the next battle. Then he and Clay set off again.

As he walked, Ash was deep in thought. "That samurai…he mentioned other Pallet Trainers. Maybe he ran into Miette?"

"Who's Miette?" Clay asked.

"My rival," Ash answered. "I promised to battle her as soon as we ran into each other. If what that samurai said was true, she can't be too far ahead."

Judging by how many interruptions there had been on their trek through Viridian Forest, Clay was half expecting to run into Miette before they exited. But by the time the trees finally receded, revealing the buildings of Pewter City, the prophesied rival of Ash hadn't shown up at all.

"Whoa!" said Ash. "So this is where the first Gym is?"

"Indeed," said Clay. "The Pewter City Gym is the first stop on many Trainers' adventures."

"Well, then, I've got to sign up!" Ash exclaimed.

"You might want to slow down a little there, Ash," Clay warned. "Your Kubfu's newly caught, and you've barely taught your Pokemon any new moves. Gym Leaders aren't going to just roll over and give you a badge. You'll have to work for it."

"Do I hear you correctly?" Clay and Ash turned to see a bearded man approaching them. "You're going to challenge the Pewter City Gym?"

"Yeah!" said Ash. "I'm going to get all eight Gym Badges and become a Pokemon Master!"

"Listen," said the bearded man. "A kid like you won't be able to beat a Gym Leader. Especially not Pewter City's Gym Leader. You might think you have a strong team, but trust me, you have no chance, kid."

The bearded man sighed. "Not against the Dark-type Gym Leader, Cyrus."

"I don't get it."

"What don't you get, Liza?" Drake asked.

"Where this kid is," Liza stated in response. "We've been tracking him since Viridian City, but he just won't slow down. I figured a kid his age would find some difficulty in these woods, or at least take some breaks."

"Hey, calm down, Liza," Aron urged. "We'll get 'im eventually. And when we do…when we do…when we…'ey, Liza? You don't happen to…see a large cloud of angry-looking Beedrill coming after us, do you?"

Liza looked. "As a matter of fact, I do," she said. "Drake, get Dragonite out! Let's get out of here!"

The members of Team Rocket swiftly hopped on the back of Drake's gigantic Dragonite and flew off, pursued by the horde of Beedrill whose reason for being here neither Drake, Liza, or Aron could really understand.

Little bit of a transitional chapter here. Having a Fire/Rock-type kinda invalidates the whole Samurai debacle, even without Scizor also being present.

Also, since this is Ash, naturally the random number generator gives him a Legendary on the third try. At the very least it's only a Kubfu, so Ash doesn't have a completely broken team. Yet.