Ash was certain he'd passed this particular tree the previous day even. Which could mean only one thing.
He was lost.
He had a map sure enough, but the problem was that he did not know how to read it. He'd never needed to read one before, so he didn't have that skill. So for the last day or two, he has been wandering along aimlessly, keeping to the dark forest path so he knows where to go. The problem was that there were many branching forest paths, which put him in this predicament.
But if he was to put a positive spin on this predicament, he was be able to spend a little more time with the Pokemon he'd recently caught.
Spearow, Caterpie, and Pidgeotto were strangers to Ash when he caught them, but now he felt they were at least acquaintances, getting closer to becoming friends.
Spearow was feisty, always looking for something to do, be it training or just flying around.
Caterpie was shy. With Pikachu he'd become close friends, with Spearow and Pidgeotto on the other hand, he would rather not be around them for long.
Pidgeotto was probably the one who surprised Ash the most. The biggest and by far the strongest of the three, the Pokemon was kind and encouraging. He'd train with Spearow and Pikachu, while also trying his best to help Caterpie warm up to him and Spearow. Who would have thought that the aggressive ready to kill Pokemon would be this caring?
A slight buzzing noise made Ash stop in his tracks. He turned slowly and at first, saw nothing in the darkness of the forest path. But then small red lights shone in the darkness, slowly growing larger.
Now Ash was no believer in ghosts, but he did believe in Ghost Pokemon. He remembered that one Pokemon League Battle between Nidorino and Gengar att he thought of Ghost Pokemon, but he quickly shook his head. He instead took out his Pokedex, so he could learn more about these Ghost Types.
Beedrill, the Poison Bee Pokemon. A Beedrill is extremely territorial. For safety reasons, no one should ever approach its nest. If angered, they will attack in a swarm.
Alas, it was no Ghost Type.
But… considering there were multiple red glowing orbs which Ash considered the eyes of the Beedrill, that must mean it was a swarm. Was Ashin Beedrill territory? Did he anger them and now they were after him? He was not going to just stand to the side and ask them. No, he broke into a run and tried going as fast as he could.
He didn't know how far he'd run or how long he'd gone, but his legs were tiring and his breath came out in huffs and puffs. The Beedrill were still some ways away, but he could still hear their buzzing. So Ash jumped into the bushes and crouched in them. The swarm of Beedrill flew past, the buzzing noises making Ash flinch.
Once the threat of the Bedrill had passed, Ash stood, dusting himself off.
"That was cowardly of you!"
Ash jumped at the sudden bark of words, a shout falling from his lips. He jumped back on the forest path and turned ready to throw a Pokeball. Unlike last time, he held back on that urge.
Behind where he had been standing stood a boy in Samurai Armor, arms folded over his chest and a frown on his face.
"You hid from wild Pokemon!" the kid barked.
"That's because there was a swarm!" Ash snapped back. "Didn't see you do anything against them. You were probably hiding behind me!"
The Samurai dressed boy said nothing, but his cheeks lit up with a blush.
Ash scoffed. He knew it.
"Are you a trainer from Pallet?" the boy asked.
"I am" Ash nodded.
"I knew it" his lips quirked into a finer line before he held up a Pokeball. "I challenge you to a battle! For my honor!"
-x-
"Do you have a name?" Ash asked while he followed the samurai to the battlefield the boy had mentioned.
"Ross" the samurai grunted.
"Right… how long till we get there?"
"We're here."
Ash peaked around and sweatdropped. This was the clearing he caught Pidgeotto in.
"There used to be a Pidgeotto around here. Very territorial. But I haven't seen it in a day or two, so I believe it has moved on. We are safe to battle here."
Ross the Samurai took position on one end of the clearing while Ash stood on the opposite.
"Two on two! The last Pokemon standing shall win" Ross declared.
Fair enough, Ash had at least that many Pokemon.
Ross pulled out his Pokeball once more and called out his first Pokemon.
Metapod, the Cocoon Pokemon; evolved form of Caterpie. Even though it is encased in a sturdy shell, the body inside is tender. It can't withstand a harsh attack.
Caterpie…
Ash called his Caterpie out and knelt before him.
"Do you want to battle against Metapod?" Ash asked.
Caterpie looked a little nervous as he looked at the emotionless cocoon, before nodding after a moment.
Ash grinned and sent Caterpie out.
Ross began the battle with a call for Harden.
Ash commanded a Tackle.
Caterpie rushed forward and slammed his head into Metapod. His whole body shivered before he rolled around in pain.
"Metapod's shell is hard as iron! You won't be winning this battle" Ross said smugly.
Ash frowned. He could call Caterpie back and send out Pikachu. Moves like Thundershock would ignore the hardness of the shell and do damage… but he'd called Caterpie out to battle. It was the Pokemon's first, and he didn't want to call him back and ruin his confidence.
No, he'll stick with Caterpie. But he'll need to find another way to battle.
Ash's eyes darted around for a moment before an idea struck him.
He commanded Caterpie to climb the tree. Ross watched curiously, before gaping when Caterpie used String Shot from the top of the tree and pulled Metapod off the ground. Caterpie swung from tree to tree using String Shot, pulling Metapod back and forth while still connected to the first tree by String Shot. The Pokemon swung forth and forth, left and right until it was moving wildly around. Caterpie used String Shot again, this time from the ground, and yanked Metapod down. The hard as iron shelled Pokemon slammed onto the ground with a loud bang, kicking up dust. When the dust settled, Metapod had fainted.
"Metapod may have a hard shell, but its insides are soft. It can't handle harsh attacks" Ash said smugly, reciting from the Pokedex.
Ross angrily called back his Metapod while Caterpie ran back to Ash excitedly and jumped into his arms to celebrate his first battle win. But then Caterpie froze and began using String Shot on itself. As the strings covered him, Caterpie began to glow. When the glow faded, Ash was holding a Metapod.
"You evolved!" Ash said in shock.
"Bug Pokemon evolve fast" Ross explained with a smirk. "Which is what makes them the best!"
Ash ignored the last part, instead grinning excitedly at his smiling Metapod.
"You are clever I'll tell you that much, but you won't be able to beat my next Pokemon!"
Ross called out his next while Ash called Metapod back.
Pinsir, the Stag Beetle Pokemon. Its two long pincer horns are powerful. Once they grip an enemy, they won't release until the foe is torn. If it fails to crush the foe in its pincers, it will swing around and toss the opponent.
"Your defeat is all but assured!" Ross boasted.
Ash called out his Pidgeotto and Ross' expression fell.
"Is that-"
Ash and Pidgeotto grinned at each other and then at Pinsir and Ross.
-x-
"I should have known Pallet Town Trainers will always come out on top against me" Ross sighed miserably.
With Pinsir unable to get a hold of Pidgeotto while in the air and Pidgeotto launching Whirlwind down from above, victory came easily to Ash and Pidgeotto.
"For now," Ash said kindly. "If you train hard, you can defeat pallet Trainers one day."
Ross still looked miserable, but he'd stopped his moaning. Right now he was leading Ash to the shack he lived in. It surprised Ash that Ross lived in the middle of the forest.
It reminded him of another boy.
"Do you know Joey? The one with six Rattatas?" Ash asked.
Ross nodded, his miserable mood suddenly gone.
"AH yes, that youngster! He is my youngest brother. He has yet to defeat my Pokemon" he boasted, making Ash sweatdrop.
Suddenly they both heard the familiar buzzing noise of Beedrill and they immediately broke into a run. Ross got into his shack first, followed by Ash before he slammed the door shut.
"The Beedrill nest is nearby. Give them a moment and they'll pass" Ross said.
"Why did you build your house close to the Beedrill nest?!" Ash snapped.
Ross said nothing, lips pursed into a thin line.
Ash stared, before blinking slowly. "Did you… did you not know about the nest before you made the shack?"
Ross still said nothing, but his cheek lighted up with a faint blush.
It took a while before the Beedrill left their nest, at which time Ash and Ross got to know each other a bit better. They were three brothers from Viridian City, Ross, Chandler, and Joey. Ross was a fan of Bug Pokemon while Joey loved Rattata, Chandler on the other hand loved Rock and Fighting Types. The three brothers went their separate ways to prove their ideologies to one another and become successful trainers. Ross came to Viridian Forest, Chandler went to Mt. Moon, and Joey the meadows between Pallet and Viridian.
"I really wish I could catch one of the Beedrill. They are so strong and would go a long way in helping me beat my brothers" Ross sighed.
"You live near a nest, why not try catching one?" Ash asked.
"Have you seen them?"
"I have. You need a plan. And I happen to have on" Ash declared with a mischievous grin.
-x-
The plan was of two parts.
The first was setting up a net of String Shot, which the two Metapods did easily.
The second was to lure the Beedrill there, which was easy too considering they were close to the nest and just had to trespass.
With the net set and plan in motion, Ross acted as the bait, calling out to the Beedrill. The familiar buzz could be heard not long after and the Beedrill flew right for Ross. The bug-catching samurai waited until the last moment before jumping out of the way, causing the Beedrill to crash into the String Shot net. Pikachu jumped in and passed his Thundershock through the net, electrocuting all the Beedrill.
"Now!" Ash barked.
Ross threw a Pokeball.
The device hit one of the Beedrill and sucked it in. The Pokeball hit the ground with a gentle thud before beginning to shake. Three shakes and a click later, Ross celebrated the capture of his Beedrill.
But that was not all.
Both Metapods began to glow, their shells cracking as something emerged from inside them and began flying circles around each other.
Butterfreem the Butterfly Pokemon; evolved form of Metapod. The wings are protected by rain-repellent dust. As a result, this Pokémon can fly about even in rain. In battle, it flaps its wings at great speed to release highly toxic dust into the air.
Now Ash too celebrated for he had a new Pokemon on his team too.