"Hey, Ash!"

Ash looked up from his snack to see his mother approaching him. Next to Delia was a small girl, who looked slightly nervous.

"Hi, Mom. Who's that?"

Delia patted the girl's shoulder. "This is Trucy, she lives next door. You've met the Gernins, right? This is their granddaughter."

Trucy was a bit nervous, but raised her hand at the boy. "Hi, Ash."

Delia smiled. "Professor Oak has them working overtime on short notice because of an emergency at the lab. They've asked me to babysit her."

/

"What are you watching, Ash?" Trucy's blue eyes curiously found their way to the older boy as she sat next to him on the couch.

She wasn't overly shy, and hadn't taken very long to settle in. If anything, she was more sociable than he was.

Ash thankfully didn't feel too nervous around her. He hadn't had much luck with his peers for a while, but he imagined the difference was probably that she was so much younger than him. It didn't feel the same as people his age, or those who were older; she was easy to talk to, without his tongue twisting on him.

He still felt embarrassed that it took someone younger than him for that to happen, but he tried to hide that part.

Ash looked over to her with a smile.

"Oh, it's a Pokemon tournament. The Whirl Cup. It's a special competition centered around water type Pokemon." he paused for a moment. "They're getting ready for the semifinals right now. Do you want to watch them with me?"

She beamed brightly. Her smile was so CUTE. "Sure!'

/

"Wow! I can't believe that Dewgong froze the entire pool!" Trucy was giggling as the two of them discussed the events of the match. Even Trucy's laugh was pretty adorable.

Ash was grinning from ear to ear. "I know, right? I feel kind of bad for that Feraligatr, though. I know he still managed to win, but that must have been painful."

"How did he smash through all that ice so easily?" Trucy asked in wonder.

"I doubt it was easy. Did you see his face? He was pushing himself quite a bit. I'm pretty sure he was sweating up a storm by the end of it, too. Hard to tell with all of the water, obviously, but he seemed to be panting just a little bit."

"I'm surprised Dewgong's trainer still managed to win even after Dewgong was beaten. Tentacruel finished Feraligatr AND beat Politoed all on its own." Trucy was in awe.

"You saw what Tentacruel did, didn't you?" Ash asked, recalling hwo the battle had played out. "Dewgong set up the battlefield for Tentacruel to win, just in case it lost. Feraligatr can break through the ice, but couldn't actually get rid of it, and neither could Politoed. Tentacruel took advantage of that by trapping Feraligatr in its Whirlpool attack. It wore down him down by having the Whirlpool suck up the ice chunks and bombard Feraligatr with them while he was trapped inside of the Whirlpool and couldn't avoid them. After the Whirlpool was done, it was able to come in with its poison type attacks and subdue Feraligatr. The strategy worked even better against Politoed, who didn't seem to be nearly as durable." His hand rested against his chin, thinking it over. "It was a pretty neat strategy, I don't think I would have thought of it."

He had certainly seen more grandiose gambits in the past, but in the end, effectiveness was what mattered the most, and in that regard, he was constantly wowed watching these tournaments. Some of his favorite parts were whenever someone pulled out a completely new tactic that he had not seen before; the creativity put into battling was one of the driving forces behind his passion for the sport.

Trucy looked at him curiously. "You seem to know a lot about this."

The boy smiled at her. "I want to be a trainer too, someday, so I'm trying to soak up as much as possible. Plus, I just love watching tournaments."

Trucy beamed. "It's a lot of fun! I wanna see more of this stuff!"

"Maybe your grandparents will let you. There are usually at least some small tournaments airing throughout the year. And then there is the Indigo Conference at the end of every Season. That's where the REALLY big stuff is."

"Hey Ash, when you become a trainer, will you be as strong as the people that we just watched today?"

A nervous chuckle escaped him. "I hope so! I don't just want to be good, I want to be Indigo's best trainer someday." .

He suddenly felt weak in the knees from the heartmelting grin she shot him.

"You're cool, Ash. I like you!"

Cool…

That was a word that he heard often, even when it wasn't being directed at Gary. But it was rarely ever used on him.

Ash never really had any qualities that warranted the word. He wasn't sure what this young girl saw in him that couldn't be seen in so many others, especially since they had only known each other for less than a day so far, but…

He felt a sudden surge of warmth in his chest.

Ash's social life among his peers wasn't the best. It hadn't been for a while. Ever since Gary had deemed him worthless so long ago.

But Trucy was a small beacon of light separate from that. He always found enjoyment in time spent with her.

/

Ash's eyes opened slowly, taking in the sight of his surroundings.

He was in one of the Viridian City Pokemon Center's hotel rooms.

Rubbing his eyes, the boy sat up, taking a a look around the room for a moment as the memories from last night all came back to him. The Pokemon Center offered fairly spacious hotel rooms. Although they weren't on par with the best that a super expensive hotel had to offer, they were still of great quality. And the beds were super comfy.

He quickly remembered how terrible yesterday had been. How his morning had turned sour, the frustration-turned panic of the afternoon, and the melancholy-turned hellaciousness of the evening. It had been the start of the Season, often viewed as the beginning of a new life for first-time trainers, and his had been...

At least until the end, he told himself as quickly as possible. By some miracle, the worst day of his life had closed on a happy note. The last hour or so after the two Team Rocket grunts were dragged away by the police had been refreshingly enjoyable, and had sent him and Pikachu to bed happy, or at least relieved.

At least he could move on. That was always a silver lining to the circumstances. After he and Pikachu had finished eating with Janine and her team, and gone to their assigned hotel room, he had found himself sinking right into his bed. He had been asleep almost immediately.

He wasn't sure if that was from the exhaustion that the previous day had brought him, or maybe just because of how comfortable that the bed was. Either way, it had allowed him to forget the horrors of the previous day, if only for just one single night. And Ash was most certainly grateful for that.

Pikachu slept at the food of the bed, curled up into a ball. Deciding not to wake him just yet, Ash carefully made his way out of the bed. His bare feet touched the warm carpet floor as he made his way to the window.

Since his room was located on the third floor, he had a decent view of the city. The Viridian City Gym wasn't too far away, which was fairly convenient, even if Ash wouldn't be going there for a long time.

Technically, he didn't even need to go there. Since Kanto wasn't the only Region to fall under Indigo's banner, he could theoretically make it to the Conference with any combination of Gym Badges from Kanto or Johto. Plenty of other trainers did just that; dividing their attention between the two Regions. Not to mention, the prospect of having two Regions to travel and explore was a mouth foaming thought for many trainers, those who could never get enough with the sense of discovery and wonder that traversing the land brought about.

Ash hadn't thought that far ahead ye,t not entirely sure what his game plan was. There was more than enough time to explore Kanto before the Conference started, and he had every intention in the world to earn all of his badges in time, regardless of how rare it was for a rookie to do so. He hadn't mapped out what route he wanted to take, overwhelmed by the plethora of options, but things would probably be easier to plan out if he focused on traversing through Kanto first, and focusing on Johto later. But in the end, he'd have to wait and see.

Looking at the Viridian Gym, which was visible from a distance, Ash knew he wanted to go there one day, but he wasn't sure when...

Taking in the sight of the city outside, he thought back to waking up.

Was it considered normal to dream of past events like that? Was that a symptom of homesickness? How did trainers even deal with such a thing?

He had only left home yesterday, and yet he was already having dreams about life back in Pallet Town. Sure, he could speak to his mother whenever he got the chance, but talking to her on a screen didn't subdue the yearning to be in the same room with her again. It was soemthing he'd have to deal with, and yet another thing he wasn't sure how to plan for.

Looking over to Pikachu for a moment, the boy gazed at the clock, seeing that it was 8:00 AM. Less than twenty four hours since he had arrived at the lab, and yet it had already been more than eventful enough to last a lifetime.

Would it always be like this? Was this just setting a precedent?

As Ash decided to wait about another half hour before waking Pikachu up, those thoguhts freely flowed through his mind.

/

Ash woke Pikachu up without too much difficulty. The electric type had taken a little bit to rise, but once he did, he was fairly cooperative. Plus, the promise of breakfast after a quick checkup with Nurse Joy had certainly gotten the young mouse moving.

A recent discovery made by Professor Birch of the Ever Grande League was that newly evolved Pokemon tended to be hungry quite a bit, and Ash had seen this first hand with the way Pikachu had been chowing down last night as he and Janine conversed over dinner. Apparently it had something to do with the young rodent's stomach growing to match his evolution. It was perfectly normal, and sooner or later Pikachu would grow accustomed to the increase in appetite.

But for now, excess hunger would be a factor for about a few days, and his starter was already famished, even after last night's feast.

Nurse Joy had wanted to take a look at Pikachu as a standard procedure after evolving, but had been unable to do so last night because of the amount of paperwork that she, Officer Jenny, and Giovanni had to fill out. Although the Viridian City Gym Leader had not been present for the attack, he apparently needed to be a part of the procedures nevertheless.

Not helping matters was how late it had gotten, and although Joy was more than used to late nights, she knew the same couldn't be said for everybody else. So, she had requested that Ash simply stop by in the morning to give Pikachu a quick check up.

Ash had been present in the room as Nurse Joy did a few basic examinations of his starter pokemon's body. A few quick X-Rays and reflex tests later, and the young mouse was good to go...

...Right all the way to the cafeteria, not even bothering to see if Ash was following him.

An amused Nurse Joy had watched as Ash scrambled to keep up with his starving partner.

/

Much like the hotel rooms, the free food provided by Pokemon Centers was not considered to be first class, but wasn't too far off from it. Not enough to replace Delia's divine cooking, but certainly enough to leave him feeling more than satisfied and ready for the day.

While he munched on a donut and a couple of waffles, with a few bacon strips and sausages to go along with it, and some fruit punch and applesauce on the side, Pikachu had helped himself to the large bowl of Pokemon food that the Center had provided him with. Ash had been sure to fill it up as much as possible, to satisfy the electric type's newfound hunger for the road.

He had been surprised to learn from Nurse Joy that Janine and her team had checked out a half hour before Ash had even woken up. He had thought that he was doing a good job with getting up early to start the day, but apparently, not nearly as much as he thought.

She was probably already back in the forest, where she apparently would have already been had her team not injured Weedle by accident.

An early riser like her was clearly on top of things, but Ash had already figured such from the fact that she had managed two successful captures in a single day. Between her and Gary, it was hard to forget how behind he was.

He now had two people to catch up with, but tried to tell himself to go at his own pace. As long as he earned eight badges before the end of the Season, all would be well.

The League was strict about badges, though. They all had to be earned in a Season. If a trainer couldn't get enough bdges in one Season, then any Badges that they have already earned wouldn't be eligible for the next, they would have to start all over again. Going at his own pace would always be important, but only if that pace was enough to reach the Indigo Plateau in time.

With Janine having already left, he and Pikachu had the cafeteria to themselves. It was on a separate side of the Center from the waiting room, but also jutting out from the rest of the building like the waiting room was. Similarly, the walls at the far end were glass, allowing Ash to see outside, as was the ceiling.

Instead of rain clouds, Ash was greeted with the sight of beautiful sunlight. The storm was over.

Having another human his age to talk to- another trainer especially- had made Ash happy, but he was glad to have alone time with his starter. There was no longer tension between the two of them, but the boy knew that it would take more than the previous night's events for things to truly change definitively. Perhaps newfound trust had found its way into their partnership, but Ash wanted to use that trust as a first step. Developing a genuine friendship with a teammate took time, and Pikachu was still evaluating him, reconsidering his new trainer, perhaps, and certainly more open now than he was before, but that was as much as Ash could realistically ask for after only spending one day together.

The important factor was that Pikachu was willing to give him a chance now, and Ash knew he owed his starter the effort. He had promised the mouse that things would be better, that he would be better, and a trainer that the electric type deserved. Pikachu was putting in the effort, and so would he. Opening Day was behind them, and it would stay as such.

"Hey, Pikachu." Pikachu perked up, taking a very brief break from eating as his trainer addressed him. "We're going into Viridian Forest today." With the two alone, now was the perfect time to make conversation, and discussing plans for the day was an easy subject.

Squeaking back, Pikachu nodded in understanding.

"I should probably warn you," Ash frowned. "That Viridian Forest has a pretty awful reputation. It's crawling with unpredictable wildlife, very dangerous Pokemon such as Beedrill, and its being run by a gang called The Bug Catchers. They do everything that they can to harass other trainers who "trespass" onto their turf. There are also stories about the forest being haunted, and rumors of trainers being driven to insanity during their time there."

Pikachu looked a little bit spooked by that, but kept listening.

"In recent years, it's become harder and harder to predict what you will find in that forest. Apparently, it's one of the places where Pokemon are most commonly released, so of course, plenty of foreign Pokemon are common. We can't really prepare for anything specifically, so we need to make sure we're ready in general. We'll stop by the Poke Mart after checking out, it's pretty close by and sells a good deal of items that we need to stock up on." He leaned forward. "Also, now that you evolved, there are some moves that you should be able to pick up on quite easily. Such as Quick Attack and Spark. You should also have a lot more control over your electricity than before, although we will still need to train for it to be perfect. I was thinking we could test that out on the Center's training grounds. Just to see how easily you can use Thunder Shock as compared to before."

He took a moment to let all of that sink in, and thankfully, Pikachu seemed to be on board with the plan. Once they were done eating, they'd work quickly. Ash was hoping to be in the forest before noon, so they had time, but only if they didn't start slacking off.

/

Ash had been pretty pleased about Pikachu's performance at the training grounds. Even without training, it was pretty clear that last night's evolution had done the mouse favors.

Thunder Shock was much stronger than before and wasn't nearly as difficult to charge up. It also didn't cause Pikachu fatigue, although work would still need to be done before consecutive use was practical, especially if Pikachu was eventually going to learn more powerful electric moves such as Thunderbolt, which were pretty easy to learn as long as Thunder Shock or another similar move was used as a foundation, but would of course be a lot more taxing at first due to the added power. A work in progress.

Pikachu was much faster as well, and Ash imagined that battling the Meowth would be a lot less difficult at this point. They didn't train for too long, as Pikachu's food was still digesting, but they thankfully didn't need to. Ash had just wanted to see where they currently stood heading into their travels.

Once it was time for the real training to start, they would begin working on learning new moves for Pikachu to use. Ash also had a couple of ideas for TMs to buy at the Poke Mart, which the money that the League had paid him for last night would thankfully be a big help for. Ash and Janine had still both been guilty about accepting money from them, but if Officer Jenny insisted that much, then Ash would just swallow his pride and make use of it.

After a quick goodbye with Nurse Joy, the duo were now exited the Center and made their way towards the road. The air was moist from last night's storm, but there was no sign of future rain in sight, the sun was completely visible, a few white clouds complemented the beautiful blue sky perfectly.

It was a new day.

As Pikachu walked by his side, the duo noticed some commotion going on down the street. Reluctantly, they exchanged glances to see what was going on. Approaching the scene more closely, Ash immediately realised that a protest was going on.

It was probably about the League's regulation of foreign Pokemon. Viridian was the city with most objections to this. It was one of the few places where these types of events occurred decently often.

Unfortunately, by getting closer to the commotion, Ash was noticed by one of the protesters. Holding a microphone, the man, who looked to be about twenty or so, motioned over for a cameraman (they were filming this?) to follow him as he made his way to the two newcomers.

Before Ash knew it, a microphone was suddenly being shoved in his face.

"Young man, what is your opinion on Indigo's insistent regulation of foreign Pokemon in the wild?"

"Ummm…" Ash's face was flushing. He had gotten used to speaking to Janine last night, but that was just one person. Now he was being interviewed?

Obviously sensing the young trainer's hesitation, the man spoke up. "Are you aware that Gym Leaders have access to foreign Pokemon? Is it not hypocritical to deny trainer's in Indigo the same right by deliberately removing them from the wild? They claim to maintain the ecosystem by either placing the Pokemon in the Safari Zone or them to their own home Region, but this seems to imply that they are keeping a portion of them all for themselves!"

Ash wasn't too sure what to say. He hadn't been ready for this. He was starting to regret coming over here.

"Gym Leaders…" he stuttered. "S-sometimes R-recieve foreign Pokemon through trade with other Regions…" he stammered out. "And S-some of them g-go out and catch Pokemon t-themselves."

It was true. Koga of Fuschia, for example, was known to spend some of his own freetime catching Pokemon in the wild. And Brock of Pewter, LT. Surge of Vermillion, and Sabrina of Saffron have all traded with Ever Grande and Sinnoh before, as those League's were currently on fairly friendly terms with Indigo. It was true that Gym Leaders would sometimes be supplied extra Pokemon by their own respective Leagues, but to go as far as to say that they were being hogged...

The man seemed to be taken aback by this answer, but kept on pressing.

"What is your response to Trainers having to wait until Opening Day to receive their Starter Pokemon? Just a couple hours ago, we met a woman whose son has to wait an entire year just to receive his Starter Pokemon, just because his birthday is two months from now. Is it not fair to force Trainers to wait this long?"

So they were changing the subject now. Most of these protests were focused exclusively on the foreign Pokemon issue. The Seasonal distribution system, while still having some detractors, usually didn't stir up as much heat. It seemed like this group was focused on both subjects. Or perhaps they just wanted to try to get the League on something.

This was going to take a while.

/

Ash had finally managed to slip away from the scene and headed into the Poke Mart with Pikachu in tow.

Thankfully, the unexpected "interview" (it felt more like an interrogation at times) hadn't taken up too much time. Ash was grateful for that, because that man had been INCREDIBLY pushy with both of them, even pushing a microphone in Pikachu's face at one point. Ash was glad most of the movements (from what he knew) weren't like that; he didn't find anything wrong with voicing disagreement, and the League themselves usually did their best to keep civil, open dialogue with the protests, but the way that particular group had acted made him feel uncomfortable. He and Pikachu did their best to forget the unpleasant encounter for now.

Forget protests and forget interviews, it was time to prepare for the long road ahead.

Poke Marts were about as useful as Pokemon Centers, being stationed in every town and city, and even with a few on the road. Anyone with a trainer's license was likely to make consistent use of them.

The most commonly bought items at Poke Marts were healing vials such as potions and antidotes, and TMs, which were great for assisting Pokemon in learning new moves ("assisting" being the important key word). These were what Ash needed to purchase.

Still cursing at himself for somehow forgetting potions, the boy would be sure to go for the healing items first. They were a necessity. And he already had two specific TMs that he had mentally picked out for Pikachu. Ash wasn't sure what Pokemon that he would be catching just yet, but at the very least, he was goign to prepare his starter for the upcoming trials ahead. Whatever direction they took afterwards would depend on who they caught.

Thankfully, the extra money from the League would be more than helpful. As he made his way to the section that stocked the healing items, Ash noticed that the Poke Mart had a decent amount of customers, most of them grown adults. He saw a teenage girl from the corner of his eye, and could have sworn that he'd seen her before at the Conference.

'Cornelia.' He thought to himself. 'That's right. She scored in the Quarterfinals at the last Conference.' She seemed to be laying low, likely to try and not attract attention. People who made it that far in the Conference were celebrities, after all.

Ash browsed the healing item section. A big part of being a Pokemon Trainer was learning how to manage your money, especially after first starting out. It wasn't too difficult for skilled trainers to rack up a lot of cash from consistent victories in battle, but since Ash was just starting out, he needed to be careful and conservative, especially because he didn't know quite how much the TMs would cost. He'd need to purchase enough healing items for sure, otherwise going itno Viridian Forest underprepared would be just short of a death sentence. But he also needed to make sure that he had enough money for the TMs that he wanted.

He immediately snagged some potions, determined to rectify his biggest mistake,followed by some antidotes. Viridian Forest was a known home for poison types, particularly Beedril.

Just to be on the safe side, he also snagged a few paralyze heals.

Pikachu watched as his new trainer knelt down and stuffed the items into his backpack. Strapping the backpack back on, Ash turned to his starter and motioned for the small rodent to follow him.

The next section of the store was for TMs.

"Hey, did you hear about the attack on the Pokemon Center last night?"

The duo stopped, looking over to the two men conversing on the other side of the store.

"Pfft." the other man scoffed. "Who hasn't? It was all over the news! They were even still talking about it this morning! How could the League let something like that happen?!"

"Yeah, since the Center had so few patients, they apparently got complacent with their security. What a joke. If they hadn't been that negligent, what happened last night could have been avoided."

"It's a good thing those two Team Rocket grunts were apparently morons. Things would have taken a turn for the worst if they hadn't botched the operation."

Ash frowned. That was true. According to Janine, the two grunts were strong, but only for a beginner on their first day like them. Somebody strong enough to challenge a Gym likely would have taken them down in a flash, according to her.

"There were also two first day trainers staying at the Center that night. Imagine if something had happened to them. I'm glad I won't have to worry about my son becoming a trainer for another few years."

"Are you kidding? I'm not even sure if I should let my daughter become a trainer at this point!"

"I hear the League paid those two kids compensation as an apology, though."

"They better have! It's the least that they could do after endangering them with their carelessness. They're just kids, they deserve better."

Exchanging small frowns, Ash and Pikachu moved on to the TMs.

An abrupt thought suddenly occurred to Ash as he approached the TMs in the section. If the attack on the Center was on the news, then was that just for Viridian, or Kanto in general? Something as seriousness as an invasion of a Pokemon Center would likely make headlines everywhere in Indigo, even outside of just Kanto.

Given that Professor Oak was a very high ranking official of the League, there was no doubt in Ash's mind that he had already heard of the attack. But what about Delia?

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Ash found himself frozen. He didn't even want to imagine how his mother would react if she were to find out that her son and his started had crossed paths with a terrorist organization on their first day out.

Shaking those fearful thoughts from his mind, Ash immediately turned his focus to the shelves of TMs that lined the walls.

This was it.

Pikachu immediately hopped onto one of the shelves, curiously observing his trainer's actions.

"Pikachu," said Ash, looking through the shelves for the exact TMs that he wanted. "Do you know what a TM is?"

"Pikachu shook his head honestly.

"A TM is a special device that allows a trainer to automatically teach a Pokemon certain moves." the boy explained. "This is useful for a lot of different Pokemon. For example, your species has certain moves that are considered quite difficult to learn without a TM to help you out. If I give you the TM for those specific moves, you will have a basic understanding of how to use it. Using it effectively will still require a fair amount of training, but it provides a head start by giving you a basic understanding of the move's foundations."

Intrigued, Pikachu nodded back at him, signaling that he understood what Ash was trying to explain.

"I can only afford two TMs with the money we have…" Ash continued, holding up two TMs up for the electric mouse to see. "But thankfully, the ones I'd like us to have are in stock. They're called Iron Tail and Brick Break. They're both really strong moves once mastered to their full effect, and they have two things in common: They'll provide you with a lot more close up firepower than Double Slap, and are also useful against Rock Type Pokemon. That second one is especially important: Pewter City is just past Viridian Forest, and they have a Gym there. The leader is a specialist known for using rock type's, so we'll have to prepare you for that."

He continued after a brief pause, allowing the information to sink in.

"We'll need more than just you, though. All Gyms in Indigo involve three Pokemon or more for their battles. Most battles actually involve more, but most of the the more beginner friendly Gyms, Pewter among them, usually dial the scope back for trainers pursuing their first badge. That's why I'm hoping to capture at least a couple of Pokemon while in Viridian Forest." he paused for a second. "But for now, we should focus on building up your moveset. Not just these TMs, there are some Mmves that you should be able to get a grasp of with varying levels of training. Since you know Thunder Shock, there are plenty of stronger electric moves that you can use that move as the basic foundation for. Thunderbolt is the easiest to think of, since it's a straightforward upgrade and the mos tuniversally used move of the type, but it's still a significant jump that will require a lot of practice to be used properly. Quick Attack and Spark should be very easy to learn, in fact, you might even be able to manage them right now. I would also like to work on Double Team and Electro Ball, but those will probably require more work."

Pikachu scratched his head. it was a lot to take in.

Ash sighed. "Trust me, Pikachu. I know it's overwhelming. But I'm definitely not saying we need to do all of this overnight. It's just a gameplan; we'll try to put some focus on all of them, but prioritize the ones that are easiest to learn or benefit us the most right now. Once we have all of these moves down, we can then move onto others, and keep building you up until you've become a force to be reckoned with." he grinned. "And next time, Gary and Squirtle won't know what hit them.

THAT got Pikachu perking up uickly. Clearly, Ash wasn't the only one with a bade taste in their mouth from the batte at the lab yesterday morning.

Thinking back, it was hard to believe that that battle had even been yesterday at all. So much had happened since then already…

"Great!" said Ash happily. "Right now, we should probably prioritise Iron Tail and Brick Break. Quick Attack and Spark are easy for you, so we'll be able to get those in too. We can focus on the other ones later, but we should at least try to start them out. Get the basics down, maybe."

Pikachu nodded enthusiastically. It was a plan.

Ash glanced at the clock. "Good. We're making great time, it's not even 11:00 AM yet. We should be in Viridian Forest long before noon."

/

Trainers received a TM case for free after purchasing a TM if they didn't already have one, so Ash happily accepted the case from the cashier.

He and Pikachu were now at the edge of the city. The path in front of them led to Viridian Forest, where they would be heading soon, but Ash wanted to take Pikachu's new moves for a test run first.

"Okay, Pikachu." said Ash. "The way this works is that I return you to your Poke Ball and place it into one of the slots in the TM case. I swipe the TM, and knowledge of the move is transferred directly to you. I'll do it with both moves, then before heading into the forest, we'll test them out."

Pikachu nodded in anticipation, his response producing a grin on Ash's face. After the fiasco with Gary and Squirtle, his starter was definitely excited about getting stronger.

He lightly tapped Pikachu's forehead with the ball, watching as Pikachu was sucked into the opening orb.

He started with Iron Tail, then Brick Break, before releasing the eager mouse again. "Okay, Start with Iron Tail."

With a deep breath, Pikachu closed his eyes, muscles tensing in concentration.

Iron Tail was a very powerful Steel Type Move and a must have for Pikachu's arsenal. It was excellent offensive versatility that could hammer down an opponent's defenses when used at high levels. Unfortunately, just like with most moves, it was easier to master if the user was the same Type as it. Pikachu wasn't a steel type, so the learning curve would be fairly noticeable. With the move likely being essential for Pewter, honing the electric type's usage of it would be a prerequisite that they couldn't visit the Gym without.

After a while, Pikachu's tail began to glow with metallic energy. Much like the Meowth's Iron Tail, this one was clearly imperfect, the metallic coating wrapped around the mouse's tail not stable, and limited to a fairly thin layer.

Pikachu rushed forward towards a nearby patch of rocks and struck one of the larger ones with his tail. Large cracks appeared on the rock's surface, and Ash could certainly hear the impact.

"That's good," he said. "It took a good few seconds to charge up, but it's what we're looking for ina first attempt. It might not be at full power yet, but it should still be usable." he smiled kindly. "You're a natural, Pikachu!"

Smiling bashfully, Pikachu rubbed the back of his neck, a blush appearing on his face as he squeaked a response.

Ash giggled. "Okay then, try Brick Break next."

Pikachu clenched one of his paws into a tight fist, gritting his teeth as his body trembled slightly. After a few seconds, orange energy began to circle around the fist, progressively growing brighter.

Brick Break wasn't as strong as Iron Tail, but it was certainly versatile. Much most fighting type moves, it was great for targeted offense. And it even came with the added bonus of being useful against Reflect and Light Screen, acting as a natural counter to both defensive moves.

Another large rock found itself cracked by Pikachu's efforts. It wasn't done so as cleanly as with Iron Tail, but it was effective enough for the moment.

They were ready.

/

It still wasn't noon yet. Proud of their speed so far, Ash hoped to take advantage of the time they had made.

Viridian Forest was just ahead, Pikachu stood by his side as they gazed down the path.

Ash took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "Okay Pikachu, this is it. It's going to take a while to get through this forest. "I'm just hoping we don't get lost…"

A part of him just wanted to turn back right now. Viridian Forest had too many stories for him to feel comfortable just standing outside of it. But he knew that he had no choice.

Besides, how many of those stories were actually true? Tales of the forest being haunted, or driving trainers to insanity could've just been myths stirred up by the community, right? Maybe it would all prove to be exaggerated...

Not fully masking his nervousness, he looked down at his partner. "Shall we?"

Pikachu seemed to be shaking a bit, but nodded back, and the two proceeded.

The path started out normally, with a few trees surrounding it. As the duo proceeded farther and farther, the vegetation slowly but sure began to merge with the path.

Ash found himself glancing around nervously as he continued to walk. Proceeding, he didn't even notice as the trees overhead gradually began blocking out the sunlight…

To enter Viridian Forest was like watching a child growing up. It was a gradual process. You usually wouldn't realize just how much the child has grown until it became nigh impossible to deny…

And more often than not, you wouldn't know that you're in Viridian Forest until it was already too late to turn back.

Ash and Pikachu's nerves were growing tenser by the second, the sounds of the forest filling their ears as the vegetation grew and grew.

The path was slowly narrowing, fusing into the grass and dirt. Soon it would be as though it was never even there at all.

A few bushes rustled and Ash heard a loud, sudden cry. It was likely from a wild Pokemon in the distance, but at this point, both his and Pikachu's nerves were far to wound up. He jumped with a startled cry, and jolted as he felt a startled Pikachu's paws rushing up his back, the young mouse bolting upwards to his shoulder, seemingly for security. The two of them were still for a few seconds, looking around anxiously.

After a few moments, the two glanced at each other, Pikachu still clinging on Ash's shoulder, and exchanged nervous, uneasy chuckles.

They continued, this time just a bit more slowly…

Pikachu stuck to Ash's shoulder. After a few more minutes of walking, the young rookie finally looked up… and noticed all of the tree leaves that were now blocking out the sky. He glanced around to observe their surroundings.

Nothing but trees as far as the eye can see. The amount of sunlight being blocked out made it somewhat difficult to distinguish daytime from nighttime, Ash imagined.

Bushes, grass, and vegetation filled up the ground, to the point where it was practically made up of them.

The chirping, crying, and growling of various different wild Pokemon filled the air.

The sounds of the forest filled their ears.

Just not too long ago, they were walking down the path leading into Viridian Forest.

Now, they were officially in it.

/

After about a half hour of walking, Pikachu had tried his luck and left Ash's shoulder, but did not leave his new trainer's side. It was likely for Pikachu's own security, but Ash appreciated the company himself.

After a while, the duo managed to get some training in. As expected, Pikachu learned Quick Attack and Spark very easily. All Ash had to do was show him some footage of the moves being used and give him a basic rundown on how to use them, and the mouse was able to get a grip on both of them within an hour or so.

After that, they proceeded with their travels. Ash wanted to cover as much ground as possible before sundown. He'd know when to settle in when what little sunlight there was peaking through the tops of the trees started to go away.

"Hey Pikachu," He wanted to make some conversation to ease his nerves. His Starter looked up at him, but still tried to keep a close eye on what was ahead. "Do you know about Pewter City? What it means to Indigo?" Pikachu shook his head honestly as Ash adjusted his cap. "They say that it's where the Indigo League was first founded. It was centuries ago, so I'm not sure if any of the history is exaggerated, or maybe misunderstood, but the story says that the first leader of Indigo was a young boy who hailed from Fuchsia. He was the son of a woman who served the priestess running the territory. He was training to be a guard for the Church, when somebody within their ranks started an uprising."

Pikachu looked up at Ash curiously.

"His mother was killed in the rebellion by one of the instigator's lackeys. The priestess was apparently taken prisoner, since she didn't fear death. The boy fled from Fuschia as his mother's dying wish was for him to be safe. He was left to travel across Kanto, braving the elements. It's unknown how long it took, but he eventually arrived in Pewter seeking refuge." He paused for a second, then continued. "His life in Pewter isn't something that I know much about, but we might be able to learn more about that when we get there."

Looking over at the young mouse, Ash saw that Pikachu seemed to be mildly interested.

He continued. "Eventually, the boy caught wind that the rebel who had usurped control of Fuschia was looking to expand his control and power, just a few years later. He captured Vermillion, and used it to bolster his own forces. Then he continued to move forward. He had invaded another territory and razed it to the ground. It was later rebuilt about a decade later, and apparently given the name Saffron." he paused for a second. "The boy had raised an army in Pewter. He was in his late teens now, but had apparently been molded into something fierce. Incapable of feeling any sort of fear. They say that his second in command was a teenage girl native to Pewter, who possessed extraordinary levels of strength rivaling even that of Pokemon." He looked over to the skeptical mouse. "It's just a legend, of course. The history could have been exaggerated to make the story sound more interesting." Being incapable of feeling peer was a bit hard to believe, but perhaps not impossible. The second in command being strong enough to fight Pokemon with her bare hands was where the legend seemed to enter fairy tale territory, although some particularly devoted people took it seriously.

"The troops used the caverns of MT. Moon as their base of operations. When Cerulean learned that the conqueror was targeting them next, and that a new army was being raised, they sent a distress signal to the Pewter army, begging for a truce. They knew that the invader couldn't be reasoned with, but hoped that the boy and his lieutenant would be more willing to be merciful." he paused for just a second. "Apparently the boy and the Pewter girl accepted this request. The Battle of Cerulean was the bloodiest in Indigo's history, although some believe that that only applies to Kanto itself. The Fuchsia army was driven off, and with their forces weakened, an uprising started in Vermillion. The leader of the Fuchsia army withdrew all of his forces back to their home turf, in order to fortify their defenses. This led to the Siege of Fuschia, allegedly the final battle of the war, where the boy reclaimed his home land and slayed Fuchsia's leader in combat. The priestess was freed during the fight to conquer Fuchsia, but apparently sacrificed herself to save the boy's life, prior to the final confrontation. They say that he was then given a blessing from Mew before the priestess's passing, and declared Champion. The Indigo Plateau was made into the new Empire's capital, named after the new name of the army, Indigo."

Pikachu squeaked in comment. Ash wasn't sure how interested his starter was in the story, and he was certainly no history expert himself, but both appreciated having something to pass the time. Otherwise they'd be left with a monotonous trek through an unnerving forest.

"That's just the gist of the war, only learn the basics in school. I'd like to learn a bit more about it." he thought of the two heroes of the story. "They're both considered legendary heroes of Kanto: The fearless Champion, capable of looking any creature in the eyes without fear, and the girl from Pewter, who was apparently strong enough to suplex a Dragonite. The family that runs Pewter City's Gym is apprently descended from her. Gyms are never obligated to operate off of inheritance, but some still do, and that one has done it from the start."

After an awkward silence, Ash tried to think of something else he knew, realizing he was running out of things to say. "...They say that the spirit of the rebel leader now resides at his birthplace, which is apparently where Lavender Town currently stands. They also say that one of the reasons why Lavender Town is populated by ghosts isn't just because of the tower, but also because his spirit attracts them with his presence, like a spiritual magnet or something. Apparently the spirit of his Gyarados is also there with him. There is even a fable that the whole reason why the Gyarados species is as vicious as it is known to be is because of the rebel leader's merciless, unbridled fury throughout the war, but I don't think-"

The sound of violent rustling in the nearby bushes stole away their attention.

Suddenly, something jumped out and in front of the duo, who stopped in their tracks to observe the new, small Pokemon.

It was a scorpion-like creature that definitely looked like it was a poison type. It made aggressive chattering noises as it took a battle stance in front of them.

Ash had no idea what this new creature was, but it was very clearly a foreign Pokemon. Not hesitating, he took out his Pokedex.

"Skorupi, the Scorpion Pokemon of the bug/poison type. It grips its prey with its tail claws and injects poison. With great tenacity, it hangs on until the poison takes."

Ash adjusted his cap. This was it. Their first real attempt at catching a wild Pokemon. "Watch out for its tail, Pikachu." he said with a grimace. "And get ready."

Pikachu ran forward, stopping a few feet in front of Skorupi, growling as the sparks flowed from his cheeks.

"Keep your distance, Thunder Shock!"

Gathering the electricity in his cheeks, Pikachu was quick to release the attack from his tail, the charge time a lot quicker than when he was a Pichu, and the attack significantly stronger as well.

Only for Skorupi's claws to glow with powerful, dark energy, and deflect the bolt with minor difficulty.

Ash stammered as his starter gasped in shock. "Wha-Wha…"

Just… how strong was this Skorupi? And was that a Night Slash?

Now Skorupi rushed forward, and before Ash knew it, it had struck Pikachu away with its tail, glowing in metallic energy. Pikachu let cried out as he sailed through the air, landing in the bushes nearby.

"PIKACHU!" Ash was sweating now. He knew they'd have to be cautious against a creature like this, but he hadn't expected it to be this strong...

Pikachu climbed out of the bushes, clutching his aching ribs in pain while panting somewhat.

That Skorupi had moved awfully fast… and that seemed to be Iron Tail that it used. They would need to counter it with speed of their own.

"Pikachu! Build up speed with Quick Attack and use Iron Tail!"

Quick Attack was a useful move regardless of what level of battling it was being used at. It was great for mobility, and for building speed in order to put extra force behind an attack. A Pokemon like Pikachu, which were known for their agility in battle, visibly from such a usage. And since it was so easy to learn, there was nothing to be lost from trying to teach it to a Pokemon that could learn it.

Ash wasn't completely aware of the science behind some of these moves, but he was pretty sure that Quick Attack involved small adrenaline bursts into the body that amplified the user's speed.

Whatever it was that made the move the way that it is, Pikachu certainly made good use of it as he sped towards Skorupi, tail glowing with metallic energy. Although he wouldn't have mastered Iron Tail until rigorous training had been done, he was still, thankfully, able to charge it up just fast enough to be on time to strike at his target.

However, Skorupi's reaction time ended up being far greater than Ash could have predicted, meeting Pikachu's Iron Tail with one of its own. Thanks to the speed boost provided by Quick Attack, Pikachu was able to push Skorupi back as the two clashed, each of them trying to overwhelm the other.

Skorupi growled as Pikachu pushed it back, grinding its feet into the dirt in an attempt to ground itself. Pikachu's speed boost did not last forever, however, and Skorupi was soon able to push the mouse away once he ran out of momentum.

Pikachu tumbled across the dirt, his fur gathering some of it up as he came to a stop on his bottom. Before he could do anything else, Skorupi raised its claws. An eruption of glowing spikes came flying out from them.

Pin Missile.

Pikachu scrambled out of the way with Quick Attack, but screamed as some of the spikes grazed him. The mouse doubled over in pain as he felt the spikes pierce his fur, and his flesh. Ash cried out in horror as blood began to leak from the young mouse's body.

And then it happened.

Skorupi rushed forward, driving a claw, laced with poisonous venom, right into Pikachu's gut. The mouse started to cry out, but it was immediately cut off as he began to make choking noises.

Pikachu felt the toxic poison coursing into his body, his bloodstream becoming infected with the venom as it took hold.

As the Skorupi removed its claw from Pikachu's stomach, Ash immediately rushed forward without even thinking, panickingly scooping the electric type up in his arms before bolting off in a different direction, thoughts in a jumble.

Thankfully, Skorupi simply watched them leave.

/

Ash was so glad to have healing items now.

After applying an antidote to Pikachu as soon as possible, he immediately went to work with the potions. His starter's wounds closed up as the toxins began to be purged from his body.

Ash had cleared quite a bit of distance between them and the Skorupi now, having ran for a good few minutes. Thankfully, Pikachu's wounds weren't too bad, as Ash had taken him out of the battle before things could get overly serious. However, a few minutes was all he could spare to run away from the creature, as he knew perfectly well that Pikachu had to be rid of the poison fast.

"You okay?" the boy asked weakly, still shaken from the encounter.

Pikachu chirped with a weak nod. Clearly, the mouse was just as shaken as Ash was.

Ash lifted up Pikachu's Poke Ball. "I'm going to return you, now. We'll rest a bit before continuing, okay?"

Pikachu complied, nodding again as Ash tapped the capsule against the young mouse's forehead.

After Pikachu was sucked into the orb, Ash found a nearby rock to sit on, a deep sigh released as the events of the played through his mind, practically on loop.

How was that Skorupi so strong? He knew Viridian Forest was unpredictable: it was one of the many reasons why it was so infamous, but beginners still traveled through this place. Flashbacks to the previous day appeared in his mind, how Pikachu, still a Pichu, had been injured by the Spearow. Had Ash still not been stocked up on healing items, this one, particular incident would have been much, much worse.

In frustration, he gritted his teeth.

He was still screwing up. Even after he and Pikachu had looked to working things out with one another, it still wasn't enough. He still couldn't catch a Pokemon.

He did his best to purge those thoughts from his mind; he needed to rest. It was still a while before nightfall, so he could still cover some more ground later.

For now, he just needed to take a breather, and calm his rapidly beating heart after the scare with the Skorupi.

/

Ash rested for about a half hour before deciding to get moving again. Pikachu was still in his Poke Ball for the time being, Ash figured he should just call him if needed.

The events of the Skorupi battle were still fresh in his mind, but Ash did his best to push them to the back. It would be best to forget about that battle, and move on. There would be plenty more wild Pokemon to encounter, and hopefully they wouldn't pose the same problems that that Skorupi did.

Nevertheless, the top priority would be clearing ground. Viridian Forest was massive, and Ash knew that he would have to keep moving as quickly as possible if he ever wanted to reach Pewter City.

Not even a day into Viridian Forest, and he was already craving civilization. he wondered if that was normal. Was he just not cut out for this-

'There I go, doubting myself again.' He needed to find a way to stop doing that, but wasn't sure where to start. Apart from the Skorupi incident, today was going much better than yesterday had, but he still couldn't help the dissatisfaction. Meanwhile, Janine had caught two Pokemon on Opening Day alone, humbly claiming it to be luck. 'I could use some of that right about now...'

After about an hour or so of walking, he just might have gotten it.

Flapping wings filled his ears as he watched a small, bird-like Pokemon descending onto a nearby, low-hanging tree branch. Ash was quick to recognize the species:

It was a Starly.

Ash felt his lips stretch into a small grin. This was his big chance.

Starly were like Pidgey. They were very beginner friendly, and easy to catch, train, and raise.

But once they were fully evolved, they could be a force to be reckoned with in the right hands...

Pikachu had been resting up for quite a while now. Ash still didn't want to disturb him just yet, but… This was the opportunity that they were looking for.

In a bright flash of light, the young mouse appeared in front of him, looking almost good as new.

"Pikachu." Ash addressed his starter with concern. "Are you feeling okay?"

The Starly was staring at them now, as if waiting for them to make a move.

Pikachu turned to him with an affirmative nod. Ash didn't want to force Pikachu to battle if he still wasn't in good shape, but his friend seemed to be battle ready.

"Good!" he replied happily, pointing to the Starly. "We have another chance."

Pikachu looked up at Starly, already allowing the sparks to flow through his cheeks. Sensing the threat, Starly prepared itself, raising its wings defiantly.

"Thunder Shock!"

Pikachu leapt into the air, flinging the electricity from his tail and towards the Starly.

The small bolt of lightning sailed towards its target, only for the bird-like Pokemon to hastily take off, flying into the air as the attack hit the tree branch where Starly had previously been perched.

The vegetation had adapted long ago to handle Pokemon attacks, so Pikachu's attack didn't do too much damage to the branch.

Now Starly went on the offensive, rushing at Pikachu with decent speed in what Ash assumed was Quick Attack. Pikachu leapt out of the way and once again began gathering electricity into his cheeks.

Only for Starly to suddenly turn around and begin flapping its wings furiously. All of a sudden, Pikachu found himself pushing against a powerful wind current, doing his best to dig his paws into the ground as he began forcibly sliding backwards.

Whirlwind was a pretty common move among bird like Pokemon, and one that they resorted to very frequently. By flapping their wings with full force, they were able to create an absurd amount of wind pressure that quickly evolved into powerful gales, capable of blowing opponents away. Ash had seen the move utilized at incredible levels of power at the Conference. Just two Seasons ago, a Conference winner had commanded a Pidgeot capable of lifting a Golem off of the ground with its wind.

And since Staraptor were known for their physical strength, there was no doubt in Ash's mind that this Starly could be capable of similar feats with the proper training.

Starly stopped flapping its wings, seemingly to prevent itself from tiring out. Ash knew that he needed to go on the offensive to stop Starly from gaining any more momentum, so he quickly made his move with haste.

"Pikachu, Spark!"

Spark was a decently strong move that allowed Pikachu to coat itself with electricity while charging towards his opponent. It took a bit more time to build up than Thunder Shock, but Pikachu was thankfully getting the hang of it.

As Pikachu's body crackled with lightning bolts, he charged forward at Starly as fast as he could. Once he approached the bird, he leapt head-first towards his target. Starly immediately flew out of the way as quickly as possible. Ash grunted in frustration as the electricity surrounding Pikachu dissipated. The mouse had missed his mark.

Starly circled around and charged forward with a Quick Attack, slamming beak first into Pikachu's forehead. Pikachu tumbled backwards until his back was against a tree.

Ash took note of the amount of dirt being collected in Pikachu's fur. They really needed to figure out a way to clean him…

Flapping its wings in place, Starly hovered a few feet in front of Pikachu, waiting for him to go on the offensive again.

Ash glared. This Starly was good. It was maneuvering well, predicting Pikachu's moves, and reacting accordingly. It was impressive for a beginner level wild Pokemon.

"Pikachu, get back up and use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu quickly made his way to his feet, standing on all fours as he charged at the Starly. But hsi target was ready yet again, digging its talons into the dirt and suddenly flinging a large pile of sand right into Pikachu's eyes, eliciting a sharp cry from the electric type as the sand burned into his pupils.

As the rodent began viciously rubbed on his eyes, desperately to get the sand out with his paws, his bird like opponent pounced on him with its talons, driving him back first into the ground with a mighty push, and began slapping Pikachu's face with its wings as Ash's starter lay down in the dirt.

Ash glowered. At this rate, Pikachu was going to-

His partner let out another loud cry as sparks flowed from his cheeks. Starly had to react fast as a sporadic Thunder Shock suddenly escaped from Pikachu's body, just barely managing to fly away and to safety, but Ash wasn't going to let this opportunity pass them by.

"Pikachu, Brick Break!"

Before Starly could get too far away from him, Pikachu sprang upwards and rushed forward. Ignoring the severe pain in his eyes, he raised his paw and drove a glowing fist right into the bird-like Pokemon's forehead. Starly was sent flying backwards, but was just barely able to catch itself, flapping its wings in place.

Pikachu growled at Starly glowering at the bird as sparks freely flowed throughout his cheek sacks, warm tears leaking from his eyes.

It wasn't over just yet.

A large bruise was visible on Starly's forehead. The Brick Break had clearly hurt quite a bit, which meant that the potential headache from the blow may cause the flier to lose focus…

"Pikachu! Jump on Starly with Quick Attack!"

Pikachu rushed forward, and although Starly just barely managed to fly out of the way, Ash had other plans in mind for the bird.

"Iron Tail! Now!"

Pikachu swung the metallic tail down onto the fleeing bird-like Pokemon's back. Starly yelped as it was abruptly propelled face first into the dirt.

And now, it was time.

"Thunder Shock!"

The bird-like Pokemon yelped as electricity suddenly flowed throughout its body, Pikachu letting loose a a stream of electricity as strong as he could muster, to end the battle for good.

The shrieking bird collapsed onto its stomach as the electricity finally died down after just a few seconds. Although it wasn't quite unconscious, it was certainly getting there, struggling to move as sparks rolled throughout its body.

This was it.

Ash immediately took out a Poke Ball and, without a second thought, chucked it at the paralysed bird-like Pokemon, its feathers still sizzling with static electricity as the orb collided its body. As the capsule opened up, a bright beam of light sucked Starly in, before closing back up and landing softly on the ground.

Ash watched for a few seconds as the Poke Ball briefly rolled around in the dirt, but Starly could not struggle for long. A pulsing sound was made as the button on the Poke Ball flashed red, only for a split second, no longer moving as the struggle ceased almost as quickly as it had begun.

The battle was over. Starly was caught.

Ash took a few seconds to process what had just happened, but it didn't take very long for the joy to fill his heart.

"Pikachu!" he cried out happily. "We did it!"

His starter squeaked loudly, panting slightly from the battle, but still not any less happy.

A trainer's first catch. One of the many big milestones of a Pokemon journey. It didn't matter what the Pokemon was, or how it was caught. Once a trainer managed to successfully capture a Pokemon for the first time, that feeling of joy was nearly unrivaled. An early moment of victory that could never be forgotten.

Ash quickly raced over to the Poke Ball with Pikachu by his side. He lifted the poke Ball and held it high as Pikachu looked on with a wide, open mouthed smile, as if wanting the whole world to witness what they just did.

Scooping Pikachu up with his other arm, Ash hugged the the electric type close to him. This was really Pikachu's victory, and not his.

But pulling his partner closer to him quickly gave Ash a better look at the smiling Pikachu.

The celebration was cut short as Ash gently set the mouse Pokemon down, slowly taking in Pikachu's appearance as he knelt down beside him, making sure to clip Starly's Poke Ball to his belt as he did.

Ash examined Pikachu carefully. "There is blood on your forehead."

Pikachu had received a cut from when Starly's beak had struck him with Quick Attack. The gash was currently leaking some blood, although it thankfully didn't seem serious.

Ash continued to look Pikachu over. He cupped the mouse's cheeks as he examined the bruises on them. Most likely from when Starly had been slapping him with its wings.

Moving his hands further down, Ash took notice of the minor scrapes on Pikachu's ribs, likely what he had received from Starly's talons when he was driven into the dirt.

His fur was absolutely filthy, his back most certainly receiving the worst of it, most likely from when Starly had pinned him down onto the dirt. Brawling in the dirt most certainly wasn't fun.

Pikachu's condition wasn't serious; certainly not like the last two incidents, but they still needed to be addressed.

Ash stood up and gestured for the electric type to follow him. "Come on, let's get you patched up."

Pikachu nodded, a small smile on his lips as the adrenaline died down.

The duo walked off. They didn't know it yet, but their battle with the Starly had not been a private affair.

There were two witnesses.

/

Standing with his back against a nearby tree was a figure slightly taller than Ash.

The purple haired boy peeked out from behind as he watched the young boy and his Pikachu head off, before looking down to the Pokemon standing beside him.

Like Pikachu, the Pokemon was yellow and black. However, it was taller, and most certainly bulkier.

"I'm honestly not sure what those two are so excited about." he spoke blankly to his accomplice. "If the fight was that easy to turn around, then what use would that Starly be, anyway?"

Rookie trainers always fell under the same exact trap. They lacked convictions, and were ignorant. It was why everyone looked down on beginners. It was why they rarely saw more than limited success at the Conference. Even the few rookies who made it there and received well deserved praise for it never got far enough to be a top contender. And this was why.

They just didn't understand what it took to succeed. Some trainers caught as many Pokemon as possible, forced to divide their attention between so many teammates at once in order to avoid neglect. Others didn't go as overboard with this, but still just dedicated themselves to whatever Pokemon that they could possibly get their hands on. They weren't picky enough.

Being a trainer was about more than just catching and raising Pokemon. It was a trainer's job to determine which Pokemon were best worth the finite investment in the first place. If a Pokemon lacked potential, time was best spent on those that did. Simply catching any Pokemon just wasn't going to cut it.

It took rookie trainers the first couple of years or so of their journeys to learn that lesson. But he would not fall under that trap.

Think like a pro, even before you become one. Determine with your own observations and deductions which Pokemon are most worth catching, most worth keeping, most worth training.

The boy took out a Poke Ball, and looked down at it. It contained the Skorupi that he had just recently caught. A powerful creature already, and soon to be even more, once he trained the creature to unlock its latent abilities.

Pin Missile, Poison Sting, Poison Jab, Venoshock, Iron Tail, Poison Fang, Poison Tail, Night Slash, and Agility. It already knew nine moves, many of which were very powerful and potent. Before being trained, even. That was what real potential looked like. It would go very far.

He'd hone the creature into an unstoppable powerhouse, just like everyone else on his team. The competition would not even know what hit them by the time they were done.

"Come on, Elekid." he said, looking over to his Pokemon. "The show's over. We're done here."

The Pokemon, Elekid, made a whirring noise in response, before following its trainer deeper into the forest.