Ethan stepped off the bus and out of the way of other alighting passengers and stretched, legs cramped from the ten-hour ride between Rota and the central bus terminal in Pewter City. While the distance didn't warrant a long drive, the terrain did. There were few paved roads between the two places, and the bus often drove up and down winding paths on the rocky mountain trails.
Ethan checked his watch and noted that the sun would set in about an hour. He grabbed Eevee's Pokéball as he studied a nearby city directory map for directions to the Pokémon Center. He wanted to plan his route through Viridian Forest before turning in tonight and was informed that the Pokémon Center had maps and guidebooks for sale. He also wanted to check out the gym before it closed.
First things first, he would stop at the Pokémon Center. "Eevee, come on out! We're here," Ethan said as he opened Eevee's Pokéball. She materialized on the ground and yawned, incoherently muttering as she rubbed her eyes.
"Sorry if I woke you up, but I thought you'd like to stretch your legs and see the city. Pewter's pretty different from Rota," Ethan told her. Eevee looked around and shrugged, a little too tired to care at the moment.
"Yeah, I agree. This part of the city is more like what I'm used to. Let's take in the sights as we walk. We have a few things we need to do before we turn in," Ethan said as he turned to exit the station with Eevee padding alongside him.
----------------------------------------
Ethan sighed as he marched down the sidewalk. All the rooms in the Pokémon Center were taken by new trainers who had started their journeys today, leaving Ethan with the need to find another place to sleep. I could have reserved a room online before leaving Rota, but noo. I didn't even think of it, he groused. At least he was able to get the map and guidebook he needed.
When Ethan told Eevee about the gym challenge and the Pokémon League competition on the ride over, her eyes grew wide, and Ethan could have sworn he saw stars. He decided then that it wouldn't be a bad idea to take on the gyms after his business in Pallet Town was concluded. He had a feeling that he would need to get stronger for whatever trials lay ahead, so he decided to trust his instincts.
Several minutes passed before the gym came into view near the city's western outskirts. The front looked rather plain, with large, gray slate boulders stacked to frame the entrance, and the words 'PEWTER GYM – Officially sanctioned by the Pokémon League' were carved into the front.
Ethan took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "What do you think? This is the Pewter City Gym. The gym leader here uses rock-type Pokémon," Ethan said, holding in his excitement. When his only response was silence, he looked down only to find Eevee was no longer by his side. A yelp from the gym made him look up to see Eevee dashing inside the gym doors as a dejected-looking trainer opened them.
"Eevee? Don't run off! Wait for me!" Ethan yelled as he ran after her. He dashed past the trainer, apologizing when she yelped again, and through the open door.
Once inside, he scanned the room. There was an unoccupied reception desk and waiting area off to the side. Straight ahead was another set of doors, cracked open with light shining further inside.
"It's so cute!"
"I saw it first!"
"No! I want it!" A couple of children's voices argued back and forth. Ethan opened the door to the scene of a young boy and girl with squinty eyes, each having a hold of Eevee, trying to pull her to their side.
Eevee saw Ethan and looked at him with big eyes as if saying, 'Save me!' and cried a distressed, drawn-out, "Eeeeveeeev!"
Ethan sighed and marched over, snatched Eevee from the tug of war, and held her out of reach, much to her relief. He turned his attention to who he presumed were two of Brock's younger siblings, who protested his actions.
"You should treat Pokémon better than that. Eevee isn't as durable as the rock-type Pokémon you may be used to playing with," he said before looking up at Eevee.
"And you, little missy, shouldn't run off like that. I know you're just as excited as I am to see the gym, but please show a little restraint next time," Ethan chided. Eevee's ears flattened, and she mumbled what sounded like an apology.
Ethan nodded and looked back down only to find that more squinty-eyed children joined the original two, and they were… looking at him curiously? He couldn't exactly tell since he couldn't see their eyes.
"Why is your hair so bwight?" one of the younger girls asked.
"Uhh, because I was born with it?" he replied, feeling awkward with all the eyes on him.
"Who's that Pokémon you're holding?" one of the older children asked.
Ethan felt some relief that the spotlight was moving away from him. "This is Eevee. She's my Pokémon and best friend," he said as he sat on one of the large rocks behind him and placed Eevee in his lap.
This could be a good opportunity to get Eevee used to new people, Ethan thought.
----------------------------------------
Brock Harrison took two Pokéballs from the rejuvenation machine outside his gym's Pokémon vault and set them on his belt. It had been a busy first day of the April rush, where new trainers starting their journey hurried to challenge his gym. He and the gym Pokémon had had their work cut out for them, but they managed to fend them off successfully. This wasn't one of the original eight Kanto gyms for nothing, after all.
Having finished tending to the needs of the gym Pokémon, Brock closed and locked the vault. He checked the nearest clock and noted that it was six o'clock: time to lock up and prepare the evening meal for him and his nine younger siblings.
Brock wasn't a gym leader by choice. The gym belonged to his mother's side of the family. A few years ago, his mother, Lola, became bored with the home life and left to travel abroad shortly after giving birth to his youngest twin siblings. He only knew she was still alive from the occasional postcard they would receive.
His father, Flint, was the gym leader until three years ago. He left the gym and all of his children in Brock's care to go on a journey to become a stronger Pokémon trainer. Brock hadn't heard from him since.
Brock loved his brothers and sisters with all his heart, enough to put his dreams on hold to take care of them and run the gym so they could support themselves.
Brock heard a commotion from the gym arena and shook his head, smiling. It sounded like his brothers and sisters got sidetracked while cleaning again.
"She likes to be scratched behind the ears. Yeah, like that," an unfamiliar voice said, followed by a separate cry of delight.
Brock frowned and put on a stone-cold expression, adopting his gym leader persona. It sounded like someone else slipped in while he was healing his Pokémon. He stepped into the gym arena and moved to the shadows to observe the trainer, hand on a Pokéball just in case.
The trainer was sitting on one of the battlefield's larger rocks, and in front of him were six of Brocks' siblings sitting in a half-circle. He had short, messy blond hair and was well-dressed compared to most rookie trainers.
"Eevee is capable of evolving into several different forms. That's why her species is known as the Evolution Pokémon. The evolved forms already known here in Kanto are flareon, jolteon, and vaporeon, though there are a few more which haven't been documented yet," the young man told them.
Yolanda, Brock's oldest sister, raised her hand. "Can eevee evolve into rock types?" she asked.
"I'm not sure, Yolanda. If they can, it hasn't been discovered yet," the trainer replied. "I wonder what a rock-type eeveelution would be called, though. Rockeon? Graniteon? Obsideon? That last one sounds pretty cool, actually."
Brock's expression softened as he stepped forward from the shadows. "Salvadore, Yolanda, Tommy, Cindy, Suzie, Timmy, please finish your chores. I'll be inside in a few minutes."
"Okay, big brother," was the collective response as the siblings dispersed. Cindy walked up to the trainer to return his eevee, then left to join the others.
----------------------------------------
Ethan hopped down as Brock approached, his footsteps echoing around the open arena. Eevee opted to stay on the rock to get a better view of the approaching stranger.
Like the rest of his siblings, Brock had the same squinted eyes and spiky brown hair, and he stood a good five inches taller than Ethan. He wore the outfit he used in the original series, telling Ethan that this might be the pre-anime debut Brock. One difference that stood out was the well-toned arms Brock had.
"If you're here to challenge the gym, you'll have to come back another time. The gym closed a few minutes ago," Brock said. Even though Ethan knew his demeanor was for show, it was still unnerving.
"Oh! No, I'm not ready to challenge the gym yet. I want to catch another Pokémon and do some more training before I'm ready," Ethan said. "Eevee and I just wanted to check out the gym and see if we could meet Brock, the gym leader. Can I assume that you're him?" he asked.
"I am," he confirmed. "Who are you?"
"My name is Ethan, and I'm from Rota Town," Ethan replied, nodding towards Eevee. "That's Eevee."
Eevee raised a paw and chirped a friendly "Eevee!" in greeting.
"Did my brothers and sisters give you any trouble?" Brock asked.
"I had to rescue Eevee from Suzie and Timmy when we first got here. Other than that, all your siblings were fun to be around," Ethan replied. Eevee jumped down onto his shoulder and chimed in her agreement.
Brock nodded, relaxing his persona. "That's good. I have to finish closing the gym, but I look forward to your challenge. I can tell you'll bring a good fight with you," he said.
"I sure hope so," Ethan replied. "Do you know of any places in town I can stay tonight? The Pokémon Center's booked, and I don't think my wallet would appreciate hotel prices right now."
Brock cupped his chin in thought. If the Pokémon Center was booked, and Ethan couldn't afford a hotel, that didn't leave him with many options.
"If not, I can find somewhere to break in my camping gear," Ethan said.
"Tell you what," Brock began. "We have several empty beds in the gym home that are usually reserved for gym trainers. If you want, you can have one of those beds for the night, on the condition that you do some grocery shopping for me. I also want to try making Pokémon food for your eevee. She looks well taken care of, and I haven't had a chance to make something for an eevee yet."
Ethan considered the proposal and then turned to Eevee. "What do you think, Eevee? It's your food he's messing with if we accept. It'll probably be better than what I got at the PokéMart."
Eevee immediately nodded. Anything would be better than the bland PokéMart Pokémon food.
Ethan chuckled and scratched behind her ears, drawing out a pleased "Eevee vee!"
"Thanks, Brock. We'll take you up on that. Eevee likes spicy and sweet foods, if that'll help when you make her something," Ethan informed the gym leader as he shook his hand.
"I'll keep that in mind. I have a shopping list at the house. Go and wait by the back door while I finish locking up. It's through those doors behind me. I'll come to get you in a minute," Brock said.
----------------------------------------
After Ethan settled in, Brock gave him the list and his gym leader badge to pay for the shopping trip. Ethan left Eevee at the house per the children's request while he was out.
When he informed Brock of his plans to travel through the Viridian Forest, Brock told him that he should stock up on antidotes. "There are a lot of beedrill colonies. They're more aggressive than usual this time of year because their young recently hatched," he explained.
Ethan left the market, groceries and extra antidotes purchased. It still amazed him how much stuff could fit in his bag. He had one more stop he wanted to make. On his way to the market, he had seen a military surplus store. He thought about getting a small, easy-access pack that could carry his knife, some medicine, and a few Pokéballs.
After browsing for a bit, he bought a desert camo pouch he could strap to his thigh. He would pack it later tonight.
Ethan returned to the gym and followed a side path to the house behind. The door was propped open to let in the crisp evening air. He entered and took off his sneakers – something he would have to get used to since Kanto and some of the other regions' social customs were similar to Japanese customs – and proceeded to the kitchen.
"Hey, Brock! Smells great in here. Where do you want me to put the groceries?" Ethan asked.
"Just put them on the counter… Ethan? Where are the groceries?" Brock questioned when he saw Ethan's empty arms.
Ethan set his bag on the ground, opened the top, and proceeded to unload the haul. Brock cocked an eyebrow at the display of Ethan pulling out more than what should rightfully fit in the bag.
"Is that a Silph Co space bag? Those things aren't cheap," Brock remarked.
"Devon Corp, actually. It was a gift, one of the most helpful items anyone's ever given me," Ethan replied, smiling. "Here's the receipt and your badge. I'll set them on the counter here."
Brock shrugged. "Thanks for doing that. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."
Ethan nodded and went to his room to do one last check of his supplies.
Potions and status effect cures, four empty Pokéballs, and rope, check. Food to last me and two small Pokémon a couple of weeks, check. Canteen, water purifier, and extra water, check. First aid kit, check.
My old knife, multi-tool, and magnesium/flint fire starter, check. Compass, map, and guidebook, check. Folding shovel, flashlight, cooking supplies, dishes, hygiene items, toilet paper, biodegradable soaps, and towel, check. Sleeping bag and tent, check. The most important thing: Duct tape, check, he finished as he skimmed through the more important items on his list. Jarvis really knew what he was talking about. I would have missed getting some of this stuff otherwise.
Taking into account the bag and antidotes I bought today, I still have around 15,000 Credits in my account to work with.
A knock at the door came as he finished taking inventory of his things. Ethan got up and opened the door.
"Food's almost ready."
"Thanks, Forrest," Ethan said as his stomach growled, drawing a good-hearted chuckle from both boys. "Food sounds amazing right about now."
"I hope you're ready to be amazed by Brock's cooking then. You've never had anything like it," Forrest bragged as they walked down the hall to the dining area.
"I don't know. My mom makes a mean lasagna, but that's about it," Ethan said, getting excited at the reminder that Brock was actually a great chef. How had a detail like that slipped his mind?
"Well, all of Brock's dishes taste great. He can take almost anything and make it the best thing you've ever had."
"Anything, huh?" Ethan said as they arrived in the dining area. He took a seat on what he learned was called a zabuton between Forrest and where Brock would be sitting. Eevee padded up to Ethan and placed her head under his waiting hand.
Ethan glanced around the chabudai table to see what was being offered. Everyone's plate was filled with rice, chicken, yellow curry, and mixed vegetables. Ethan raised a brow when he noticed Tommy's plate had cornflakes sprinkled all over it.
Salvadore noticed his confusion and explained, "Tommy won't eat anything without cornflakes."
"Oh! For the crunchy texture?" Ethan asked.
"Finally, someone gets it!" the young Tommy cheered.
"Someone finally gets what?" Brock asked as he entered the room and set down a bowl of Pokémon food next to Ethan for Eevee.
"We get why Tommy likes cornflakes," Ethan replied.
"Ah," Brock smiled.
Eevee stepped away from Ethan to sniff at the bowl set near her. After taking a cautious bite, she squealed in what Ethan could only describe as pure joy and dug in.
"Woah, not too fast, Eevee! You'll get sick," Ethan warned.
Eevee looked at him with her stuffed cheeks before returning to her bowl, eating a little slower.
"Great. Eevee won't want to eat the PokéMart Pokémon food now that she's had yours, Brock," Ethan chuckled.
"Sorry about that," Brock laughed sheepishly. "Just dice and mix in a few of Eevee's favorite berries, and she should be fine with it. Now, let's say grace."
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"Grace!" The Harrison children yelled before digging in.
"Uh, grace," Ethan echoed before picking up his chopsticks and taking a bite.
"Oh, wow," Ethan said, surprised at the explosion of flavor in his mouth that was somehow perfectly balanced with the texture. "Sorry, Mom, but you've been dethroned."
"Well?" Forrest asked expectantly.
"It's great! I don't think it's fair to compare Brock's curry to my mom's lasagna. They're totally different kinds of food, but this is the best curry I've ever had," Ethan said with some finality.
"Told you it was good," Forrest smirked before turning back to his meal.
"You could start a restaurant, Brock. People would flock from all over just to eat your food," Ethan told the oldest member of the table.
"I appreciate the thought, but I don't see myself cooking full-time. My dream is to become a Pokémon breeder. Cooking is just a small part of that," Brock confessed before taking a drink from his cup.
"What do Pokémon breeders do?" Ethan asked as he took another bite of food.
Brock set his cup down and leaned over. "Do you know about the pidgey and the beedrill?" he asked in a hushed tone.
Ethan looked confused for a moment before it clicked. "I'm aware of what sex is, Brock," he whispered back.
"Right, well, some breeders care for and breed Pokémon to get a particular trait in the offspring, such as physical traits or specific moves," Brock explained. "For example, I've never seen an Eevee with green eyes until today. If I wanted to breed for an eevee pup with green eyes, I'd look for a compatible male with green eyes to increase the odds of the offspring having the same trait as the parent.
"Other breeders, like those who work for the league, will help Pokémon repopulate an area if their numbers fall too low. The Pokémon farfetch'd, for example, is an endangered species, so league breeders are working on getting their numbers back up."
Ethan nodded along as he ate, intrigued by this new information. "What specifically do you want to do?"
"I'm not sure yet. I've still got a lot to learn," Brock shrugged.
"You'll have to show me some of what you know after our battle, at least the parts about taking care of Pokémon," Ethan said as he finished his meal.
"Sure, but only if you get the badge," Brock chuckled.
Ethan spent the next half-hour enjoying the food and company of the other members of the table. After finishing and setting his dishes in the kitchen sink to wash, he returned to the dining area to find Eevee belly-up, groaning as she pawed at her bulging stomach.
"I think we should get ready for bed," Ethan said. "I want to get an early start tomorrow."
Ethan placed Eevee in his arms, stood, and thanked Brock for the meal and bed before bidding goodnight to the rest of the Harrison family.
"You still ate too fast, didn't you?" he said to his furry companion as he set her down on the bed.
Eevee grumbled before curling in on herself to succumb to a food-induced coma.
Ethan shook his head and planted a kiss on Eevee's head, making her smile in her sleep. "Good night, mein kleine überfresser."
----------------------------------------
Ethan carried a still-sleeping Eevee in his arms. He was now traveling southwest through Route 2, on the stretch of farmland between Pewter City and the wilderness before Viridian Forest. He got up at five this morning, and the twilight was already beginning to light up the sky.
Brock was awake and wished him good luck on his journey before he left. He also gave Ethan the recipe for Eevee's Pokémon food. She loved Brock's cooking, which wasn't surprising. He did too.
He continued walking down the path, crinkling his nose as he passed by a larger farm. Ethan was surprised when he looked over the fence and saw a herd of cows. Not tauros or miltank, but just regular cows. He knew from his time in the Rota library that they and other animals existed, if only in captivity, but it didn't fully register until now.
Ethan was out of farm country and on the final stretch of wilderness before the Viridian Forest by the time the sun rose over the distant Mount Moon mountain range. Eevee stirred and yawned, then took in her surroundings.
"Morning, Eevee. Feeling better?"
Eevee hopped down and stretched, arching her back and shaking out each leg. "Eevee, Eeveev," she greeted as she wiped the sleepiness out of her eyes.
"That's good. How about some breakfast before we start into the forest? Brock told me how to make the PokéMart food better so we can use it up. Why don't you go relieve yourself while I get everything ready?" Ethan suggested as he set his bag down on the side of the path.
Eevee nodded and tapped her Pokéball on the satchel's strap, returning herself.
While Eevee was taking care of business, Ethan got a bowl and measured out some of the Pokémon food. He then mixed in some pre-diced Pecha berry according to Brock's instructions.
Ethan pulled out a sandwich that Brock had prepared for him and took a bite, savoring the flavor of ham and sharp cheddar. While he chewed, his thoughts turned to the trek ahead. This would be his first time going into the wilderness alone in either world – if he didn't count Eevee.
While it was true he was an Eagle Scout and earned his wilderness survival merit badge, it had been years since he used any of those skills. The most he could remember about the experience was how to make a shelter and start a fire.
I've got a compass, a map, and a plan, he assured himself. If I stick to the plan, I can make it to a campground most nights and be out of the forest in a week.
Eevee's ball shook, and Ethan tapped the release. Eevee materialized, sharply inhaled one, two, three times, then sneezed loudly.
"Gesundheit! Here you go, Eevee. Eat up," Ethan chuckled as he set her bowl down. "After we make it to the first campground tonight, we'll work on your Double Kick again. It looks like you're able to form the fighting-type energy correctly, so we just have to work on your power and technique."
"Eev eevee eev!" she agreed between bites. After a minute of silent eating, Eevee's ears flicked up, and she stopped before getting another mouthful of food. She looked around as if searching for something.
"Hm? You sense something?" Ethan asked.
Eevee looked up and barked excitedly, raising her front paws to point at what caught her interest. She lost her balance and fell onto her back, but made no move to get up.
Ethan looked to where she pointed and blinked. In the sky far above him was an enormous bird trailed by a rainbow. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Is that Ho-Oh?"
The legendary phoenix flew northeast until it was out of sight. A golden glint of something in the air caught Ethan's attention as it slowly descended.
When it was within reach, he caught it and lowered it so both he and Eevee could examine it.
"Please don't tell me this means I'm some kind of chosen one," Ethan groaned as Eevee beheld the object, captivated by its many colors.
In his hand, Ethan held a brightly glowing Rainbow Wing.
"Of course a being from another dimension would be noticed by what are basically the demi-gods of this world. Why wouldn't I be? They're probably the reason I'm here," he further complained.
----------------------------------------
After some healthy ranting, Ethan carefully wrapped the feather in a handkerchief and placed it in a hidden compartment of his bag with his phone and a few of his otherworldly possessions. He and Eevee finished their food and walked side by side with no further exciting developments thus far.
"Okay, let's be on the lookout for a caterpie. Those should be relatively simple to raise and train, I think," Ethan said.
"Eev veev," she nodded as she began to look side to side, eyes, ears, and nose alert.
While Ethan had some meta-knowledge of Pokémon, he acknowledged that real-life Pokémon could not be raised like video game Pokémon. Therefore, he opted for something like a caterpie to be his first catch so he could gain more experience and confidence raising a Pokémon. If Ash could do it, then it should be a breeze.
The canopy of the forest soon became thick enough to filter out most of the light from the brightening sky. Dirt and gravel crunched underneath Ethan's boots, insects buzzed and chirped, and the cries of Pokémon sounded in the distance.
"I'm kind of surprised we haven't run into anyone yet. It'd be nice to see how our training is coming along in a battle," Ethan said, breaking the silence.
Eevee nodded, then stopped, sniffing the air.
"Eevee eev eev!" she exclaimed, running up to and around a nearby tree. She looked at Ethan and pranced in place, telling him to hurry up.
"You found one already?" Ethan whispered as he caught up to Eevee and peeked around the tree.
Ethan blinked, rubbed his eyes, and squinted. "Damn, Eevee. Either that's a really strange weedle, or you've found us a yellow caterpie."
Of course my first catch is going to be a shiny, not that I'm complaining. My shiny luck was crap in the games, Ethan thought excitedly.
He crouched next to Eevee, keeping an eye on the caterpie who was on the side of a nearby tree. "Okay, strategy time! The only moves a caterpie can use are Tackle, String Shot, and Bug Bite. Avoid the String Shots and use hit-and-run tactics. If we do this right, you'll knock it out in two, maybe three hits tops. Get out there and start things off with your Dig attack."
Eevee nodded, a grin forming on her muzzle as she jumped up and came down to earth, seemingly sinking into the dirt. The caterpie sensed something was up and began to move, only for Eevee to jump out of the ground nearby and tackle it to the Earth.
"Eevee, let's take this chance to try out your Double Kick attack," Ethan commanded, coming out from behind the tree. He reached into the camo pouch on his right leg, pulled out a Pokéball, and primed it.
Eevee ran straight for the caterpie, gathering the energy for a Double Kick attack as she moved. The caterpie recovered from the surprise attack, cried an angry squeak, and rapid-fired globs of String Shot, landing a hit on Eevee's flank as she charged.
Wow, I didn't think String Shot could be used like that, Ethan thought. "Zig-zag as you approach, Eevee. Make yourself harder to hit."
Eevee got the idea and began to do just that. It took more time to get to the caterpie, but she didn't get hit by any more of the String Shot.
When she was in range, she jumped into the air and performed a front flip, hind legs glowing white. She kicked the caterpie once, then twice before bouncing back and landing on all fours.
Despite the move not being very effective, it still knocked the caterpie out cold. Ethan pulled his arm back and threw the Pokéball, watching as it flew through the air.
It missed.
Ethan blinked. "Huh. They make it look so easy," he mumbled as Eevee rolled on the ground, laughing. He retrieved the Pokéball, then crouched next to the still-unconscious caterpie, deciding just to tap the Pokémon with the ball in hand this time.
The caterpie dematerialized into red light as it was sucked into the ball. It shook a few times before it dinged, indicating a successful capture.
"All right! We made a new friend by beating them up!" Ethan shouted to the sky as he stood and raised the Pokéball above his head.
. . .
"...I'm never doing that again. I don't care if nobody was watching. That made me cringe. Stupid pre-teen impulsiveness…."
Eevee calmed down from her giggle fit and walked up to Ethan, chest puffed out.
"Okay, Eevee, you were pretty awesome. Your Double Kick is looking good," Ethan praised, scratching behind her ears while he pulled off some sticky string from her fur. "Maybe we can start working on Swift or Shadow Ball tonight."
"Eev vee," she said, beaming as she stood on her hind legs and pawed Ethan's camo pouch. He knew what she wanted and pretended to be deep in thought.
"I don't know…. You were laughing at me. I don't think you deserve one."
Eevee gasped and moved her front paws to his leg, saying something that sounded like a frantic apology.
Ethan chuckled, pulled out a chunk of dried Pecha berry, and stuffed it in her mouth while she was still talking.
"Now, let's heal Caterpie and welcome them to the team."
----------------------------------------
Ethan held a hand over his mouth as he yawned. It had been a few days since Caterpie joined the team. In those few days, he learned that Caterpie was a glutton. His Pokédex app confirmed the behavior with a few of the games' entries about it. After the first couple of meal breaks, he made sure his Pokémon ate at different times so that Eevee wouldn't get her food stolen by the ravenous bug.
Caterpie became rather affectionate once it got to know Ethan and Eevee. When it wasn't in its Pokéball, it was riding on Ethan's shoulder or his satchel.
Ethan was pleased to find out that Caterpie did know all the attacks it was capable of learning on its own. After looking up its move set, Ethan realized that caterpie were capable of learning Electroweb, though he could only guess how to teach it.
Maybe if I expose Caterpie to some electric-type attacks, it could learn how to mimic that and combine it with String Shot, he theorized.
Ethan checked his compass to get his bearings. Yep, he was still traveling in a southern direction. The forest had become so thick that the only way he knew he was still on track was because of all the signs he had passed pointing toward Viridian City.
"Viridian City," he muttered. "I feel like I forgot something super important related to Viridian City."
"Eevee?"
"I'm not sure. Well, if I can't remember, it's probably not important enough," Ethan concluded.
"No, not again! Not now!"
"Never interrupt the Team Rocket motto!"
"That's what it was! I completely forgot about Team Rocket!" Ethan said, snapping his fingers.
Ethan and Eevee crept closer to the voices, staying hidden by the forest's natural cover.
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Keep it down before you wake up the beedrill!" a boy with messy raven-black hair and a bleeding scratch on his cheek yelled in a hushed tone.
"TEAM ROCKET BLASTS OFF AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT!"
"SURRENDER NOW OR PREPARE TO FIGHT!"
"MEOWTH, DAT'S RIGHT!"
Ethan covered Eevee's ears when explosions of blue and pink fog went off behind the Team Rocket trio. "Sheesh, how loud can they get? And how does Jessie keep her head straight with all that hair?" he asked himself.
"Eeveev, eevee eev?"
"That's Ash Ketchum! He's the one I told you about, the one that can free Lucario from Sir Aaron's staff," Ethan told her.
By this point, Ash had outrun Team Rocket and evaded the dive-bombing beedrill that became enraged by the explosions, causing them to focus on the criminal trio.
"Come on. Let's catch up with him."
----------------------------------------
"I didn't abandon you, Metapod! I just got sidetracked. It was all Samurai's fau-." Ash lost his footing and yelled as he hit the forest floor, Metapod rolling a short distance away in a tumble.
After a moment, Ash spoke up again. "No, it wasn't Samurai's fault. It was my fault. If I was a better Pokémon trainer, I'd stop making all these excuses. From now on, I swear I'll never run away and leave my friends behind again."
Ash got back on his feet, ran to Metapod's side, and nodded. "No more excuses." Ash's and Metapod's eyes met, and he knew that Metapod forgave him. Their moment was interrupted as he heard the telltale buzzing of a beedrill's wings, and he turned to face the approaching threat.
"Ash!" Misty cried as she, Samurai, and Pikachu ran to try and save him.
"Watch out for the Twinneedle attack!" Samurai warned.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried.
"Quick Attack!"
Ash blinked as a blur of brown and white from the corner of his vision rammed into the beedrill's side, knocking it off its trajectory and forcing it to face its new attacker. That last voice wasn't Misty or Samurai.
The blur stopped and positioned itself between Ash and the beedrill soldier.
"Who's that Pokémon?" Ash asked as he pulled out his Pokédex.
"Eevee, The Evolution Pokémon. It has the potential to evolve into any one of three different Pokémon," his Pokédex informed him.
"She can actually evolve into eight different Pokémon, but we can get into that later."
Ash started and turned to face the new speaker. "Who are you?"
The blond-haired newcomer confidently smiled. "I'll tell you in a minute. Gotta take care of that beedrill first." He grabbed a Pokéball off the strap of his bag and threw it. "I need your help, Caterpie!"
His caterpie formed from the bright white light, and Ash was… confused. "I thought caterpie were supposed to be green," he said.
"Amazing! You caught an off-colored caterpie," Samurai remarked as Misty shuddered at the sight of another bug. "That's a rare find."
"I just call them shiny Pokémon," the stranger shrugged as he caught the rebounding Pokéball. "Caterpie, use String Shot, then Tackle."
The caterpie obeyed and spewed out the sticky substance, gumming up its opponent's wings and stingers and causing the beedrill to fall to the ground. It then charged forward and tackled the defenseless beedrill into a nearby bush.
"Good job, Caterpie," he praised, then pulled Ash to his feet with his free hand. "Come on. Let's get out of here before the rest of the swarm shows up."
"Uh, right!"
"A good idea. Come, my cabin is nearby," Samurai said.
Ash carried Metapod as the stranger collected his eevee and caterpie, and both entered the safety of Samurai's protective bug net.
----------------------------------------
Ho-ly crap, I'm sitting next to Ash Ketchum, Ethan thought. This was the kid who helped him get through his early childhood afternoons after school on Kids WB. Granted, rewatching the same episodes as an adult significantly dimmed his views on how great Ash was as a trainer, but he still held some respect for the guy.
"Now that we're out of immediate danger, let me introduce myself. My name is Ethan, and I'm from Rota Town," Ethan said. "What are your names?"
"I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. And this is Pikachu."
"Pikachu!"
"I am called Samurai."
"My name's Misty," Misty finished. "Rota Town…. Isn't that the castle town near Cameran Palace? I've always wanted to visit!"
"It is," Ethan nodded. "It's a beautiful place filled with great people. I moved there just before leaving on my Pokémon journey."
"Eevee, Eeveev!" Eevee said, pouting at Ethan.
"I didn't forget about you," he assured her. "This is Eevee. She was my first Pokémon."
"Aww, she's so cute! Can I hold her?" Misty asked, irises getting big.
"Sure. Be gentle, though. She's still getting used to people. She was a wild Pokémon before she joined me."
Eevee cautiously padded up to Misty and quickly warmed up to her.
"Hey, Ethan? Thanks for saving Metapod and me earlier. What did you mean when you said eevee can evolve into eight Pokémon?" Ash asked. "Dexter said eevee only evolves into three Pokémon."
"The Pokédex only has data on Pokémon that have been documented so far, so it doesn't have entries for Eevee's other evolved forms," Ethan informed him. "The current Pokédex has information on close to 150 Pokémon native to the Kanto region. Pokémon in other regions are still being studied and documented."
"Other regions?" Ash asked, visibly confused.
"Yeah. You didn't think Kanto was the only region in the world, did you?"
"O-of course not!" Ash said, flustered.
Ethan raised a brow, then shook his head. That sounded like a typical season one Ash response.
"So if Dexter doesn't have every Pokémon, how many are there?" Ash asked.
Ethan hummed in thought. "I'm not exactly sure, but I believe there are at least 900 different kinds."
The room went silent, other than Eevee's purring, and Ethan looked around to find the other three humans openly gaping at him.
"…What? Stop looking at me like that," Ethan said nervously.
"Sorry," Misty said. "It's just amazing to think that there could be so many kinds of Pokémon. Think of all the water types!"
"Or the bug types!" Samurai chimed in.
Misty visibly shuddered, hugging Eevee a little closer. "N-no, thanks."
"Wow," Ash whispered, seemingly in a daze. "That's a lot."
"Yup," Ethan nodded, twiddling his thumbs while everyone else processed that bombshell before settling on Ash again.
"Hey, Ash, would you mind having a training battle with me using Pikachu? I think my caterpie is pretty close to evolving and needs a push," Ethan asked.
Ash took a moment to process his words before replying. "A training battle? Is that like a regular battle?"
"Yeah, but the idea is to help our Pokémon get stronger rather than knock the other out. I have an idea for an attack that requires Caterpie to generate electricity, and being hit by a Thundershock or two might help Caterpie learn how to do just that."