If I owned Pokemon, I would not be living with my parents.

{Ash's POV}

By the time Misty and I reached Viridian City, night was already starting to fall. Misty was impressed by the tall buildings as they walked through the empty streets of Viridian City.

"Wow," Misty said, "This place looks cool,"

"Yeah," I said, "A lot bigger than my home of Pallet Town, but there are some even bigger cities elsewhere in Kanto."

Just then, a woman on a motorcycle came up to us. "What are you doing out here?" she asked. "You know it is dangerous to be out here with thieves roaming around, especially at this time of day!"

Misty was a bit scared of the woman, "Who is she, Ash?"

"That's Officer Jenny," I told the mermaid, "She is the law enforcement of Viridian City." I then looked back at the blue-haired police officer and said, "Sorry about that. My friend here isn't that familiar with life on land, as she is a mermaid…"

"A MERMAID?!" Jenny asked in shock, only for Misty to hop to her and put her hand over the officer's mouth.

"Keep your voice down," Misty said, "I already attracted enough attention being a mermaid as it is out here, and we don't know who could be interested in me!"

"Sorry," Officer Jenny said. "It's just a surprise to see an actual mermaid here in Viridian City."

"It's a long story," I said, "How about you give us a lift to the Pokemon Center and I will explain it on the way." I showed Jenny my Pokedex, which doubled as my ID.

"Of course," Officer Jenny said, "I'll get you there in no time at all!"

Officer Jenny drove us to the Pokemon Center, racing down the streets of Viridian City as we explained the entire situation. It wasn't long before we arrived at the Pokemon Center, with Officer Jenny literally driving up to the check-in desk.

"We have a driveway you know," the nurse behind the counter said, not noticing that there was a mermaid in the sidecar.

"It's a Pokemon emergency," Officer Jenny told the nurse.

"Please help my Pikachu, Nurse Joy," I told the pinkette as she had her Chancey take my starter to get treated, promising that he would be okay.

Officer Jenny said her goodbyes to us before heading out. In the meantime, I explained the Pokemon Center and Nurse Joy to Misty.

"So this is a place where Pokemon can get treated?" Misty asked.

"Yep, and it also acts as a rest spot for trainers," I said, "We travel around a lot, so we have to have places that can accommodate us."

"This Pokemon training thing sounds cool," Misty said, "They're aren't any Pokemon trainers in the sea, at least not in the way you have trainers here on the land."

"Maybe I can help you become a trainer like I am," I said, noticing a set of video phones. "Let me call my mom real quick. I need to tell her that I made it to Viridian City."

"Okay then," Misty said, "Is it okay if I join your call?"

"Of course," I said before I realized something. "How about you put this on?" I asked. I took off my jacket and gave it to the mermaid, "It's not really appropriate to go around without much of a top on. And your bra isn't enough of a cover."

"Is this in case someone else comes and sees I am a mermaid?" Misty asked.

"Yeah," I said, "As for the tail… we will deal with it later on."

"Okay then," Misty said as we went off to call my mother. The Pokemon Center had a couple of video phones, so we used one of them. My mom picked up, "Hi Ash!" she said.

"Hey mom," I said, "I made it to Viridian City, although not without some issues."

"Well, at least you made it there in one piece," my mom said, "It took your dad four days to get from Pallet Town to Viridian City on his Pokemon journey."

"Yeah," I said looking down. "Do you think he would be proud of me?"

"I am sure he is, Ash," my mom said before she noticed Misty, "And who is this, Ash?"

"Oh, this is Misty," I explained. "She helped me out earlier, and now she is traveling with me."

"Hi there," Misty said with a smile.

"Why is she wearing your jacket?" Mom asked.

"Oh," I said, trying to think of an excuse, "Let's just say we had a run in with a flock of wild Spearow, and there was something lost when Pikachu tried to protect us with his Thunder Shock."

"Yeah," Misty said, looking at me, confused a bit but trying to play along.

"Well, I am sure I have a spare shirt laying around somewhere I could lend you," Mom said, "Are you sure you can wait until tomorrow."

"Of course, Mrs. Ketchum," Misty said.

"Okay then," Mom said, "It should be at the Pokemon Center by tomorrow morning."

"Thanks," Misty said.

"Yeah, thanks, Mom," I said, "Bye."

"Bye, kids," Mom said, "Oh, and don't forget to change your unde…" I hung up before she got the chance to finish that sentence.

"What did she want you to change?" Misty asked.

"Nothing," I said, embarrassed.

We waited a little longer before we heard a ringing sound. It was coming from behind Nurse Joy's desk. I saw a button on her computer that allowed me to pick up the phone.

"Are you sure you should be doing that, Ash?" Misty asked.

"Who else is going to answer it?" I asked before pushing it. "Who is it?" I asked.

"Here," a familiar voice said, "Over here!" The screen opened to reveal an older man, Professor Oak. However, it only showed the back of his head.

"Is that you, Professor Oak?" I asked, "I don't recognize the back of your head."

"Oh?" Professor Oak said, "Sorry, wrong camera." He got the camera organized before clearing his throat. "I just called your mother, and I heard that you have just made it to the Pokemon Center in Viridian City. Is that correct?"

"I wouldn't be talking with you if that wasn't the case," I said, "And if I didn't get some help from Misty."

"Hello," Misty said.

"It was a rough time getting to Viridian City, but Misty helped me out, and we even saw the legendary Pokemon Ho-oh flying in the sky!" I told the professor.

"You did?!" Professor Oak asked, "Trainers have spent their whole lives searching for that Pokemon, and nobody was able to find it!"

"But we did!" Misty told Professor Oak.

"Anyways," I said, remembering something, "Misty here isn't a trainer, but has a desire to be one. Do you think you can help her become one?"

"Of course. I will work on her license tonight, and get it to the Center tomorrow morning," Oak told me, "But you will have to find another way for her to get her starter, as I already ran out by the time I gave you Pikachu."

"Understood, professor," Misty said.

Just then, there was a beeping sound, "Sounds like my ramen is done. Take care!" Professor Oak then hung up.

"So," I said, "Are you excited to be a trainer, Misty?"

"Sure am," Misty said, "I am going to be the best mermaid trainer ever!"

"As far as I am concerned, you already are the best mermaid trainer," I said, "You're the only one."

Just then, the light above the emergency room dimmed, and Nurse Joy came out, with her and Chancey pushing Pikachu out on a stretcher.

"Pikachu, are you alright?!" I asked as I ran over to the stretcher, while Misty hopped over.

"Your Pikachu is resting right now," Nurse Joy said, "It is a good thing you got him here fast. The procedure went well, and it should be fine."

"Thank you very much," I said.

"Now he needs a good rest in the recovery room," Nurse Joy said, "You're welcome to come with us if you like."

"I think I will," I said.

"Is it okay if I come with him?" Misty asked the nurse.

Nurse Joy looked at Misty, but it took her a while to respond to her question. She was too busy looking at her tail. "A… A… Are you?" she asked.

"A mermaid? Real? Yes," Misty said before she whispered in my ears, "Are we going to have to explain this to everyone we meet."

"Unless we find a way to conceal your tail, I am afraid so," I said. We turned our attention to Nurse Joy before saying, "It is a long story."

I explained it to Nurse Joy before she nodded, "I will see if we have a spare wheelchair somewhere. That should help her get around for the time being."

"Thanks," Misty said. Just then, the siren went off.

"Your attention, please!" a voice said, belonging to Officer Jenny, "Our Viridian City radar sensors have detected an aircraft belonging to Team Rocket! If you have a Pokemon in your possession, exercise extreme caution!"

Nurse Joy gulped when she heard what Officer Jenny said. "What's wrong?" Misty asked.

"The Pokemon Center has the highest concentration of Pokemon in the entire city," Nurse Joy answered.

Just as she answered, there was a crashing sound. Two Pokeballs came out of the glass roof and opened up. An Ekans and a Koffing came out of their Pokeballs and attacked, with Koffing covering the whole area in smoke.

"What are… who are they, Ash?" Misty asked, a bit muffled as she was covering her mouth and nose as she didn't want to inhale the smog.

"Don't be frightened, little girl," a female voice said from behind the smoke.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves…" another voice said, this one belonging to a male.

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all peoples within our nation,"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

"Jessie,"

"James,"

"Team Rocket! Blast off at the speed of light!"

"So surrender now, or prepare to fight."

"Meowth! Dat's right!" a Meowth said, shocking me a little bit.

"What are you talking about?" Misty asked.

"She doesn't get it, does she?" Jessie asked before she got a good look at Misty. She was a bit interested in her.

"We are here for the Pokemon," James clarified.

"You are NOT getting Pikachu!" I said, standing in front of my Pokemon.

"Pikachu? We aren't interested in your precious electric rat," Jessie said, her eyes on Misty, "Especially when there is another great Pokemon next to you…"

"Are you talking about me?!" Misty asked, offended that someone called her a Pokemon.

"She is right," James said, "We only seek rare and valuable Pokemon… and maybe the boss will be amazed by a Pokemon that looks like a fish and a person, and talks like one, too!"

I could tell Misty was growing angrier and angrier at the comments made by Team Rocket, to the point I had to hold her hand to try and stop her from doing something to them. They had Pokemon, and she didn't.

"You're wasting your time," Nurse Joy said, "This is a center for weak and injured Pokemon."

"Maybe so," Jessie said, "But I would not be surprised if we found a few little Pokemon gems among all the junk."

"You are starting to bug me," I told Team Rocket, but they didn't seem to be offended at all. They even called me cute. And then Meowth suggested something to the humans…

"Den let's squash dem!" And with that, Koffing and Ekans went in for the attack. Nurse Joy and I ran as fast as we could, with Nurse Joy pushing Pikachu's stretcher and me being forced to carry Misty. We hid in a room where Pokeballs were stored. And to make matters worse, the lights soon went out.

"They must have cut out the power," Nurse Joy said, "But we have our own Pika Power source!"

"Pika Power?" Misty asked.

Soon, the lights were back on, and she saw a group of Pikachu powering a generator to restore power to the Pokemon Center. Misty was amazed by them.

Just then, the computer came on and gave a message, "A crisis situation has arisen. Initiating emergency Pokeball transport sequence."

Nurse Joy went to go tell another Pokemon Center about the situation, and how they had to transfer the Pokeballs to that Pokemon Center. She tried to send them as fast as she could, but smoke started to leak into the area!

"Koffing!" Koffing said as it burst through, ready to attack.

"Get those Pokeballs!" Nurse Joy said, "We need to fight Koffing off!"

"Okay," I said as I grabbed a few Pokeballs, as did Misty.

"How do I let them out?" Misty asked.

"Just throw them!" I said, "Pokeball, go!" tossing the ball to show Misty what to do. Out of the Pokeball came a Pidgey, who came face to face with Ekans, who managed to slither its way into the area.

"That thing can't beat us!" Jessie said, she and her comrades came to confront us.

"Well, try this one then!" I said as I sent out another Pokemon, only for the Pokeball to be empty.

"Some of the Pokeballs are empty," Nurse Joy said.

"Thanks," I said, "You should have told me BEFORE they came here." I then opened another Pokeball, this one containing a Rattata.

"Pipsqueak," James said, not impressed with the Normal-type Pokemon. Like Pidgey, the Rattata ended up running.

"I think I will try and battle them," Misty said, picking up a Pokeball. "You grab Pikachu and get out of here while I deal with these clowns."

"Okay then," I said as I took Pikachu's stretcher and rushed out.

{Misty's POV}

"That's some pretty big talk coming from such a little fishy," Jessie said.

"At least you are right about the pretty part," I said, "Thanks for the compliment."

"The girl thinks she's pretty," James said, a smile on his face, knowing that Jessie didn't mean it.

"I think she is pretty, too," Jessie said before clarifying what she meant, "Pretty pathetic!"

That last statement got on my nerves, as I sent the Pokemon out of its Pokeball. Out of the Pokeball came a Goldeen, who seemed to flail around.

Jessie and James looked at Goldeen for a long moment before they burst out into laughter.

"Goldeen," I told the Goldfish Pokemon, "I need you to help me."

Goldeen looked at me, "A mermaid? On land?" she asked me, which I understood perfectly, as mermaids were able to speak with Water Pokemon. We were connected for so long, after all.

"I am," I said, "But I need you to help me out with these guys." I pointed to Team Rocket, all of whom were struggling to hold in their laughter.

"That's her best shot?" Jessie asked.

"She's all washed up!" James said.

"They're right," Goldeen said, "Everyone knows that most Water Pokemon like me are unable to battle on land."

"I know it will be hard for you," I said, "But I need you to try."

"Is she… crazy?" Jessie asked, baffled as to how I was talking with a Water Pokemon.

"Nevermind that!" James said, "The other one has escaped! Koffing, after him!"

"You too, Ekans!" Jessie said, as the two Pokemon fled to try and find Ash.

"I was just warming up, anyways," I said as I returned Goldeen to her Pokeball before handing it to Nurse Joy. "Come on," I said, "We need to go find Ash as well."

"Okay," Nurse Joy said as she carried me off to go and reunite with Ash.

{Ash's POV}

I pushed Pikachu's stretcher back into the lobby, not looking back as I heard two unwanted Pokemon following me. I just kept pushing Pikachu until I accidentally ran it into the desk. Fortunately, the crash semeed to jolt Pikachu awake, and all of the Pikachu that were used to power up the Pokemon Center came rushing in to help out. They all got on top of my starter Pokemon and delivered Thunder Shocks to the bad guys.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said as he got back up and stood on top of the other members of his species.

"Pikachu!" I said, happy that my partner was okay.

"Do I have to do everything?" Meowth asked himself, as he was the only one of Team Rocket who wasn't electrocuted.

"Pika," my Pikachu said to the other Pikachu.

"Pika, Pika!" the other Pikachu said with a smile as they used their electrical energy to charge Pikachu up even more. I smiled, knowing that Meowth was in for some more excitement. As Pikachu charged up more and more, Team Rocket started to grow more worried. Finally, Pikachu unleashed a major Thunder Shock, which hurt them. It got to the point where Koffing started to let off some smoke, and eventually exploded. The Pokemon Center lobby was in ruins, but at least they were gone. Nurse Joy rushed in, with Misty sitting in a wheelchair she found.

"You just missed it," I told the girls, "Sorry about destroying your Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy."

"It's alright, Ash," Nurse Joy said, "You kept the Pokemon safe, and that's all that matters."

"Yeah," I said, "Is it okay if Misty and I spent the night here?"

"Of course," Nurse Joy said, "The guest rooms shouldn't be too damaged."

"Come on, Misty," I said, "We've had a long day today, and we have to get some rest, especially for tomorrow." I took the wheelchair from Nurse Joy before pushing it towards one of the guest rooms, all while I thought of my wild first day as a Pokemon trainer, not knowing how it would go from here…