It had all happened so fast.
One moment, Ash's night was suddenly looking a lot brighter. Pichu would be good to go again soon, which meant that he could take this girl's advice. And although they had just met, and she was fairly hard to figure out, he felt his words coming to him more easily as the interaction progressed. It was a casual talk that went wherever they wanted; in passing, he had even found out that she had turned ten months after the previous Season began, and was therefore among those who had to wait the extra year to receive her license (which she surprisingly seemed less than bothered by, completely accepting).
But just as he was in the middle of telling her about how Professor Oak and his Electrode had cleared out almost an entire flock of Spearow, the glass ceiling suddenly shattered, making way not only for the drizzle from the rainclouds, but the two Poke Balls crashing through. Ash and the girl covered their heads with startled screams as the glass from the ceiling fell to the floor.
Nurse Joy came bolting into the waiting room, Pichu right behind her. He looked like he was in tip top shape again, which would have brought Ash great relief otherwise, but everyone was now focused on the Poke Balls in the middle of the waiting room.
"What is going o-" Joy began as the Poke Balls suddenly opened up.
Out of the light emerged two hostile Pokemon.
One of them was a large, purple and yellow snake. An Ekans.
The other was a large, floating purple-ball like Pokemon with smoke pouring out of the holes in its body. A Koffing.
Suddenly the smoke increased and engulfed the room. Everybody began covering their mouths and coughing as the girl asked the obvious question:
"WHAT IS THIS?!"
"Don't be frightened, children." came a female voice that sent chills down Ash's spine.
"Allow us to introduce ourselves." the voice of a sophisticated yet condescending man filled the boy's ears moments later.
"To protect the world from devastation…"
"To unite all people within our nation."
"To denounce the evil of truth and love."
"To extend our reach to the stars above."
The girl's face was pale now. "No.."
Ash looked over to her nervously. "What do you mean?'
"Team Rocket hacked into Fuchsia's air waves just a few days ago. They had this speech playing on the radio and broadcasted it across the area as some odd propaganda."
Now Ash's face was pale. "TEAM ROCKET?!"
The terrorist organization of rebels that threatened to ruthlessly tear down the Indigo League's very structure. They were known to kill indiscriminately, even Pokemon and children. A danger to everyone.
The smoke cleared up, revealing a woman with long red hair, and a man with blue hair. In between them was a cat-like Pokemon that Ash immediately recognized as a Meowth.
Their uniforms weren't black like the majority of the organization was, they were white.
But the giant, blood red R that struck fear into the hearts of nearly every citizen in Indigo, was right there to be seen by everyone.
And with that, Ash was in hell again.
"My name is Jessie." said the red haired woman.
"And you can call me James." said the blue haired man.
Nurse Joy immediately put herself in front of Ash and the girl, arms stretched out like a shield. Pichu was holding onto Ash's leg, trying not to be seen.
"What do you want?" Nurse Joy snarled. Even when she was angry and scared, her voice still felt somewhat soothing... or maybe Ash was just trying to grasp the slightest bit of comfort.
Jessie crossed her arms. "You don't need to ask that.
James sneered. "We're here for the Pokemon."
Ash clenched his fists, although his knees were shaking. "You're not getting my-"
"Don't let your ego get the best of you." Jessie mocked. "We're not interested in whatever bottom-rate pipsqueaks that you day-one rookieshave stashed away."
James nodded his head, his hair bopping along with him. "Yes, of course. Team Rocket demands only rare and valuable Pokemon for our cause."
"You're wasting your time." Nurse Joy was sweating, but her voice remained professional and composed. Or was that just what Ash wanted to think? "This place is for weak and injured Pokemon. And you've come on a very slow day, so there is very little for you to steal."
"Lying? In front of children?" Jessie snorted. "How professional of you, nurse. Showing your true colors I presume?"
James stepped forward, causing the group to step back in caution. "We already know your secret. Tonight, the Pokemon Center in Viridian City is housing numerous foreign dragon type Pokemon, including a mighty Kommo-o strong enough to hang with the best that the Elite Four has to offer. It's being raised by the Sinnoh Champion, correct? THAT is what we are looking for. Hand over the lizards, or else."
Nurse Joy's brow furrowed. "We aren't-"
"Don't lie to us." Jessie took a step forward now, triggering anotehr step back from the group. "We've seen the reports."
"You must be mistaken! This Center doesn't have-"
"She's lying again, Jessie." said James.
Suddenly, the girl took a step forward. "I don't know what you two are thinking right now. You've attacked a League facility with just two people and three Pokemon. You're the ones who should be scared."
She was keeping it together better than Ash, but he still noticed that her knees were slightly shaking as well.
Jessie scoffed. "Pfft, everybody knows that Pokemon Center security is at its lowest on Opening Day."
"Viridian City has the second strongest police force in Kanto. And they'll be here any minute."
"You seem to have a lot of faith in the League. A shame." the man flicked his hair. "Team Rocket merely fights to put an end to the unjust tyranny of the Indigo empire. They think they are so special, monopolizing two major Regions and two sets of islands under their despicable banner. There was a time when human society operated independently, without the bindings of government oppressing humanity's primal nature. This "unity" the past has been replaced with is just an artificial, manmade craft promoted under the facade of so-called 'order.' What a joke."
The girl's voice suddenly became dangerous. "Do not insult my father's work-"
"You cannot say that their practices are not absurd." Jessie suddenly cut in. "Although I suppose you were raised to see the Indigo banner's hold on your home turf as 'natural'."
For a moment, a startled Ash could have sworn he saw the purple-haired girl's face darken. "And what's the 'natural' you are referring too? Back before the League's time, when it was every territory for itself, this land was plagued with never-ending disputes and infighting between each of its territories. It was nothing but turmoil, conflict with no resolution. The League's formation brought all of us together and ended that chaos. 'Human nature' doesn't have a singular definition, it evolves, and for society's benefit."
James crossed his arms. "A pity. It seems she has already been brainwashed by the system. Such a shame. Shall we put her out of her misery, Jessie?"
Jessie cackled. "You need to open your eyes to the bigger picture, kids. I suppose you support their xenophobia towards foreign Pokemon, too? Anything the League's empire feeds you is just a bunch of drivel to romanticize their own control over-"
"Don't listen to them, you two!" Nurse Joy shouted. "Team Rocket likes to do this! They prey on trainers, especially rookies, to turn them against the League!" she pointed at the two grunts. "What these two speak of is not freedom, it's anarchy!"
Ash's brow furrowed. Out of all of Indigo's territories, Viridian was consistently the one with the highest number of protests against the Indigo League's more controversial practices. Could Team Rocket be using that to their advantage?
The girl frowned, a cold bitterness in her voice. "Like it or not, there is a reason why most Leagues followed Indigo and Sinnoh by example. It's how we found peace."
James took a battle stance. "It doesn't matter what excuses you regurgitate."
Jessie took her own. "Team Rocket's destiny is to crush the League's banner."
"STARTING WITH THE THREE OF YOU!" Ekans and Koffing charged forward.
"RUN! NOW!" screamed Nurse Joy.
The trio of humans, along with Pichu, dashed into the next room, but the girl suddenly stopped.
"I'll hold them off!" she shouted as their attackers followed them through the door.
"WHAT?!" Ash screeched. "But these are-"
Before he could get another word out, the girl took out two Poke Balls and activated him. Out of the light emerged two Pokemon that Ash immediately recognized.
One was a small, quadruped, dinosaur like Pokemon with a bulb on its back. A Bulbasaur.
The other was a small bat that flapped its wings in place while in midair. A Zubat.
The girl knelt down and patted her Bulbasaur on the head. It closed its eyes with a smile and let out a satisfied grumble.
"These two are Poison Type Pokemon. That makes them immune to the status ailments that Ekans and Koffing can inflict upon us. I'm the best one to take them on."
"You can't fight them alone!" Nurse Joy protested.
"It's the best we can do right now!"
"But-" Ash started.
"Just go!"
Ash and Joy retreated farther into the Center with Pichu in tow.
They arrived in a room in a different part of the Center, where Joy immediately made her way to a computer and keyboard.
"This is where this Center keeps some of its automatic healing machines." she explained to an equally curious Ash and Pichu. "Her Weedle is the only other patient that we have right now. I'm transferring it to Pewter to keep it safe. They aren't much more busy than we are, so they can finish up its treatment there."
Ash nodded, but his frustration distracted him as he clenched his fists. That girl was willing to fight Team Rocket head on, and they were just hiding…
/
Her eyes remained fixated on the fight.
Bulbasaur had engaged Koffing, continuously firing off Razor Leaf, which the Koffing would either tank or deflect with its Poison Gas.
Zubat was flying around Ekans, who was snapping away at the bat-like Pokemon, trying and failing to catch it in its mouth. Whenever Zubat saw an opening, it would bite down on the back of Ekans with Bite, usually its neck.
So far, it was a stalemate. Neither side was doing anything decisive, and she needed to change that.
Team Rocket's delusional rhetoric was a danger to everything their society had accomplished over nearly the past four centuries. A goal to destroy its overarching foundations, and revert everything back to the chaotic mess the land once was.
She wouldn't let them, certainly not a couple of thugs.
"Bulbasaur! Wrap Koffing up with Vine Whip!"
Bulbasaur complied, latching his vines onto Koffing and attempting to pull the rotund poison type towards it.
James growled. "Fight back, Koffing! Don't let that runt beat you!"
Koffing pulled back against Bulbasaur's pull. Despite the grass type's best efforts, he found himself himself struggling against opphis onent, the grass type's feet sliding against the floor as he struggled to get a firm footing against the Koffing's pull.
The Koffing opened its mouth, producing a stream of Sludge.
"Tackle, Bulbasaur!" the girl called out.
Abandoning its vines, her friend charged forward. The Sludge struck the spot on the floor where Bulbasaur was just a few moments ago, just as he jumped into the air and slammed himself head first into the Koffing's face.
The Koffing was sent reeling back from the impact, landing on the floor in front of a frusturated James, who began stamping his left foot on the floor.
"Get up, Koffing! We can't lose to a rookie!"
"I haven't even been a trainer for a full day yet! And you're still struggling against me!" the girl was starting to feel exasperated. "The police are probably entering the Center by now! You really didn't think this through, did you?"
"Can it, brat!" Jessie spat back as Ekans continued to bite at the girl's dodging Zubat. "We'll eviscerate your ass!"
The girl stood firm. These two weren't so tough. Probably a couple of low level grunts who got in over their heads. She could-
She froze as she noticed something was missing.
The Meowth.
NO! It must have slipped by her and she hadn't realised it! It was probably going to go after that boy and Pichu-
In frustration, she shook her head. If she pulled back now, Ekans and Koffing would be on top of her. She'd lead them right to the others. She couldn't do that.
She just had to trust that they would be able to handle the Meowth. She'll do her part and take care of the rest.
She took a battle stance and prepared to continue as Koffing recovered, floating upwards again.
'Just as you said, father.'
/
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Nurse Joy had just gotten done transferring Weedle's Poke Ball over to Pewter when something crashed through the door's glass window.
A startled Ash jumped as the Meowth glared up at them, unsheathing its claws with a vicious growl.
Ash gulped. 'Just great.'
"Stay back, Ash!" said Nurse Joy. "I'll-"
Unexpectedly, Pichu suddenly jumped between the feline and the humans. Standing on all fours, he growled at the cat-like Pokemon, taking a stance and doing his best to sound intimidating as electricity crackled from his cheek sacks.
"Pichu?" said Ash.
Pichu looked back at Ash reluctantly. His eyes were still uncertain, but he seemed more… determined… than before.
Ash nodded, a small smile creeping its way to his lips.
This was it. Their fresh start.
"I trust you, Pichu." he tried to stay calm as he spoke. "Let's take care of this."
The Meowth lunged forward.
/
Bulbasaur and Zubat were starting to tire out now, but at the same time, Ekans and Koffing were starting to sustain minor injuries.
It was times like these when battles became truly unpredictable. Each side would sense the weakness of the other, and attempt to capitalize on it while trying to land that final, decisive blow.
The girl had learned this in her first battle, and took it to heart. She wasn't about to let her first defeat be against these people-
Suddenly, in a blur, a man was in front of her and her team. In front of him was a large-skunk like Pokemon. Its fur was purple and spikey, with several tan stripes.
Shocked, she recognized the man immediately.
"F-Father?" When did he get here?
The man sighed exasperatedly.
"I come to Viridian for a short notice business meeting with Giovanni, and then this happens." He was a rather tall man, with black spiky hair. He wore a purple uniform with black shoes, and a bright red scarf was wrapped around him, albeit not completely. He ran a hand through his spiky hair in annoyance. "I may not have jurisdiction here, but..." He faced Jessie and James, giving them a dangerous look that made them shiver. "Giovanni has already given me permission to deal with this in his stead. Surrender."
"But father, I was-" Her face turned pale, flinching into silence as he raised a hand.
"I'm sure you could have won, but your Pokemon are both worn out. Even if you win, there is no need to risk unnecessary injury. I'm finishing this."
"Ummm…" who are you? Asked a confused Jessie.
The girl started. "You seriously don't recognize him? You don't know how much trouble you're in, do you?" There was a reason why Fuschia had one of the lowest crime rates in Indigo. Her father was that reason.
"It matters not." said the mysterious man. His voice was calm, collected, authoritative, and above all else, chilling as he gave the order without motion. "Skunktank, dispose of these imbeciles."
"IMBECILES?!" As James pointed forward, his eyes lit up with pure, unbridled fury. "You pompous cretin! I'll have you know that we are the two most elite, and powerful, and feared members of Team Rocket's whole entire organizatio-"
BAM! SMACK! POW!
Ekans and Koffing fell onto the floor, as still as a living organism could be. Nobody had even seen Skunktank make its move.
"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Jessie shrieked in horror.
"YOU BROKE MY KOFFING!" shouted James. "You better be willing to pay for that!"
"I'll send you a check the first chance I get." the man responded sarcastically, crossing his arms. "Although, I'm not sure how much good it will do for you in a prison cell."
/
As Pichu leapt backwards, dodging Meowth's Slash as nimbly as he could manage, Ash racked his brain, struggling to not let the stress of the situation overtake him.
This Meowth was obviously stronger than Pichu, just like Gary's Squirtle was. He couldn't rely on Thunder Shock just yet, Meowth would be far too fast to allow Pichu to charge it up.
Slash was a very powerful move, too. At Pichu's level, just one of those would be fatal to the poor mouse. The attack would tear through Pichu's body like tissue paper.
"Try to circle around it! Double Slap!"
The Meowth's eyes darted around the room, easily tracking Pichu as the small mouse dashed around it in a circle. Pichu was putting everything he had into his sprints, determined above all else to win this fight.
Pressing his feet against the floor, Ash's partner propelled himself forward, striking at the Meowth with his tail.
The Meowth raised its forearm to block, deflecting Pichu and pushing him off, into the air.
Pichu flailed around as he sailed across the room, trying to land on his feet, but stumbling.
Meowth rushed forward, its tail lightly glowing with metallic energy. It was using Iron Tail, but an imperfect one.
Before Ash could shout out for Pichu to get out of the way, Meowth was already upon the mouse, slapping Pichu across the cheek with its tail and sending him sailing towards Ash.
Pichu slid across the floor before stopping at Ash's feet. He got up with a slight limp and glared at his attacker.
Ash was growling now. This Meowth was stronger, faster, and more durable than Pichu was. It wasn't looking great, but-
Suddenly he got an idea.
"Pichu, rush forward and hit it with Nuzzle."
Pichu looked at Ash curiously. Obviously, he was confused about the plan. Brute force hadn't worked before, so…
"I need you to trust me, Pichu." Ash pleaded. "This is going to work."
Taking a leap of faith, the mouse charged forward once again. This time, his cheeks crackled with electricity. It wasn't with the same potency as a Thunder Shock, but it will do.
Nuzzle was somewhat similar to Thunder Wave. Rather than being a more offensive focused move, it utilized targeted electrical currents to lock up an opponent's muscles, causing paralysis. It wasn't a very strong move, so the paralysis would probably be minor. Thunder Wave might have yielded better results, but it might have required a longer charging time. Time that both Ash and Pichu clearly did not have.
Plus, with Pichu charging forward, as Nuzzle was a close up move, Meowth would probably assume that they were going for brute force again. That would be its mistake.
Falling right into the trap, Meowth slashed at Pichu in an attempt to cut the young mouse's face open. But Pichu was ready this time, ducking under the claws of Meowth's Slash attack and driving himself head first into the cat's stomach. Releasing a small amount of electricity from his tail, he allowed the electrical currents to flow throughout Meowth's body.
This wouldn't do much damage, but it was an excellent first step.
Pulling back, Pichu immediately dodged another Slash attack from the now pissed off Meowth. The normal type had stumbled forward just a bit, and…
"It's slower now, Pichu!" Ash's fists clenched as tightly as they could be. They could win this! "Use Double Slap! Right to its face!"
Jumping to dodge over yet another Slash attack, Pichu drove his tail into Meowth's face, causing the feline to stumble backward just a bit. Diving forward, Pichu landed a second strike, once again on the Meowth's face. The feline landed on its bottom, struggled its way back to its feet as Pichu attempted to catch his breath, and then cloaked its tail in the metallic energy of Iron Tail once again, and batted Pichu across the room.
This blow to Pichu's chest, however, while painful, was not nearly as forceful as the first one. The Nuzzle had done its job: Slowing Meowth down, making it easier to hit and reducing the amount of force that the feline was capable of putting into its attacks.
In fact, if they could just land another Nuzzle…
"Pichu!" Ash yelled, looking over to his starter as the mouse got up. His tail looked just a little bit sore from striking at the physically superior Meowth two times in a row, yet he seemed to be powering through it just fine, for the moment. "Use Nuzzle again!"
Pichu nodded cooperatively and rushed forward again. Although his movements were somewhat slowed after the two hits he had took, he kept powering through the pain.
Meowth seemed to be having more difficulty dealing with the unexpected paralysis, its Slash attack once again missing Pichu as the young mouse leapt over the feline's forearm and dived head first into the normal type's chest.
Adrenaline rapidly rushed through Ash's chest as even more electricity travelled through the Meowth's body. This was it. They were in sync. And they were going to win.
As Pichu pulled away yet again, the now enraged feline let out a terrible cry of primal aggression as it lurched forward with yet another Slash attack, but this time it was moving even more slowly than before, and Pichu very easily maneuvered out of the way with a quick step backwards.
"Pichu!" Ash called out. "Now's the time to use Thunder Shock!"
Pichu smirked lightly as the electricity flowed through his cheeks.
This was it. The finishing blow.
The Meowth had been slowed down twice now. It was no longer fast enough to react in time to stop Pichu from finishing his attack. And it wished it had the strong, durable shell that Gary's Squirtle did to shield itself from the attack.
Thunder Shock exhausted Pichu easily, a side effect of his inability to control his own electricity. That poor amount of stamina was a very severe shortcoming that Ash could not overlook for this battle. It was what had done them in against Gary and Squirtle.
That was why they had to be conservative, relying only on Nuzzle at first, and then saving up Thunder Shock for the final attack.
"Full power Pichu! Give it everything you've got!" The adrenaline rush was almost too much to bear at this point.
Complying with his trainer's orders, Pichu leapt up into the air, as high as his body could muster. The electricity crackled through his cheeks, flowing throughout his body, mingling together at his tail.
This was it.
"FIRE!"
Pichu released it all at once. The Meowth howled in immeasurable pain as the electrical current engulfed its body, stacking up on top of the electricity that was already limiting its movements. Its fur was turned to crisps in certain patches. The room lit up brightly with the light of the electricity, forcing Ash and Nurse Joy to shield their eyes.
"Good one!" cheered Nurse Joy, doing her best to cover her eyes up from the blinding lights of the lightning.
Pichu landed on his feet, but immediately collapsed to his knees from the impact. He was in a heap now, that last attack having used up the remainder of his power.
But it proved perfectly worth it.
Meowth was an absolute wreck. Its fur was charred and burnt up throughout its body, producing steam as its left eye twitched, seemingly in pain.
It took one step forward, raising a mighty claw…
And then proceeded to collapse face first onto the floor.
The electricity was still flashing on occasion, rolling along the paralysed and now unconscious Meowth's body.
They had won.
That Meowth was certainly strong, and most certainly goo with its tail: Its Iron Tail, while weaker and less fatal, due in part to it being an imperfect and unmastered variation of the move, had been much more difficult to avoid than the Slash attack.
But that Slash had clearly been something else entirely, however. If the Meowth had even landed one direct hit with that attack, Ash preferred not to ponder what may have happened to his starter. Thankfully, it was no longer on his mind.
"Pichu…" he said, tearing up with joy. His lips broke into a smile as the young mouse turned around, still panting from the fight, yet smiling back all the same. 'We did it!"
Using the last of his strength, Pichu took a leap into Ash's arms.
All the bickering, all the differences, all the lack of cooperation and sync between the two of them throughout the day.
For just a moment, both trainer and starter forgot all about it. Even the injuries that Pichu had sustained from Meowth were briefly forgotten, replaced with the pure adrenaline of joy.
And in that joy, something unthinkable happened.
Pichu's body suddenly began to glow. Ash and Nurse Joy had to close their eyes shut from the sudden flash. The mouse's body grew, ever so slightly, until he was noticeably taller, bigger, and wider than he was before. The lightning bolt shaped tail was now much bigger too.
As the light finally died down, Ash Ketchum was left gawking at the newly evolved Pikachu that he was now holding in his arms.
"Pikachu…" he said, stunned.
That was right. "Baby Pokemon" as they were sometimes called, most often evolved a lot more quickly than normal. Pichu were among those Species.
But before the celebration could escalate, the door was suddenly kicked down, a new voice entering the room.
"Oh? What's this?"
Everyone turned to see a blue haired woman in a police uniform, easily recognized as Officer Jenny. The still exhausted Pikachu looked on curiously, but Ash and Nurse Joy's faces lit up in pure relief at the sight of her.
Jenny eyed the unconscious Meowth that was lying in a heap in the middle of the room, and smiled knowingly. "Your friend told us that you might be in trouble, but it looks like you handled things just fine on your own." She gave the group a friendly salute.
Ash smiled down at Pikachu. "Yeah, we managed."
With a weak squeak, Pikachu smiled in agreement.
/
Meowth was scooped up by Officer Jenny and carried out of the room. Pikachu was given a couple of Sitrus Berries from Nurse Joy, and after happily scarfing them down, was good as new.
In oncomparison, the scene in the lobby was… hectic… to say the least.
"LET ME GO!" screamed James, struggling against his restraints as the police force hauled off him and Jessie. "I WAS FRAMED!"
"Dude…" one of the cops walking alongside them spoke incredulously. "We literally have security camera footage of you two."
"WHAT?!" now it was Jessie's turn to scream. "But that can't be right! I hacked into the security system!"
"Actually," Jenny chirped in. "You got the wrong one. The system you hacked into was actually for the convenience on this block."
"WHAT?!" the duo screeched in shock.
"HOW COULD YOU MAKE SUCH A ROOKIE MISTAKE, JESSIE?!"
"AT LEAST I PULLED MY WEIGHT IN THE BATTLE, JAMES!"
As Jenny and her police force dragged the two incompetent Team Rocket grunts kicking and screaming out of the lobby, Ash looked over to Pikachu with an exasperated look.
The small mouse just smiled in overwhelming relief, letting out a deep sigh as the perpetrators of their torubles were hauled out of sight for good. As it finally sank in that they were sank, and the relief slowly overtook the previous, panicked anxiety, Ash realized how lucky they were that they had been attacked by these two, rather than any other member of the organization.
"Hey!"
Trainer and starter turned to see the purple haired girl raising a greeting hand as she approached them, Bulbasaur trotting along by her side.
Ash's face lit up. "I'm glad you're okay!"
"Same here. When I saw that their Meowth escaped I got nervous." She smiled down at Pikachu knowingly, obviously noticing his evolution. "But it looks like you two had everything under control."
"I wouldn't say that…" Ash replied, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. First Officer Jenny, and now her. That was two people in one day that had complimented his training abilities. The blush was creeping its way to his face. He wasn't used to praise. "That Meowth was really strong. We just barely squeaked by."
"As my father says, difficult triumphs are the most satisfying and earned." there she was again, consoling him. If most people his age weren't at all like Gary, then he would have to get used to this.
A thought suddenly occurred to Ash. "What was that they were saying about the dragons?"
The girl frowned. "Oh yeah, apparently they had the wrong Pokemon Center… and the wrong date… those dragon types they were after were actually being kept at the Vermilion Center… two weeks ago."
Ash inwardly facepalmed. 'Did we really almost get murdered by a couple of idiots?'
The girl clasped her hands together. "But let's not worry about that. it's over, we should be celebrating, and you and I aren't fully introduced, right?" she smiled brightly at him, offering a hand. "My name is Janine."
Ash took her hand as the two shook. "Ash." Her grip was strong and firm. At their feet, Pikachu and Bulbasaur exchanged greetings of their own.
"Ah, there you two are!" the pair looked up to see Officer Jenny approaching them. Stopping in front of the group, she suddenly saluted. "As leader of the Viridian City Police Force, I would like to formally apologize for how tonight has turned out for the two of you and your Pokemon. Especially because it is Opening Day. We do, however, want to offer up our gratitude for your assistance tonight."
A smiling Nurse Joy walked up from behind Jenny. "Janine held off both grunts all on her own, and Ash stopped the Meowth. Since what they were looking for wasn't actually here, I fear that they might have ransacked the place trying to find them, but not much damage was done, thanks to the two of you."
Jenny nodded. "The League will be paying you for this. Expect a bonus in both of your accounts by tomorrow morning."
Janine's eyes widened. "You don't need to pay me! I was just-"
"We feel obligated," Jenny admitted. "Both as thanks, and as compensation. You two were both victims tonight."
"It's not your fault." Ash replied weakly, inwardly wincing at his tone of voice. 'I'm talking to a police officer...'
Nurse Joy frowned. "Maybe so, but we really shouldn't have let our guards down just because it was a slow day. If there was one smart thing that those two did, it was taking advantage of the fact that we had such low security tonight."
Jenny crossed her arms. "Speaking of which, please do not underestimate Team Rocket. The two that you fought today were exceptions, but this organization is extremely, EXTREMELY dangerous. I fear what might have happened tonight if this had been an actual attack."
Ash and Janine both nodded. They didn't need the reminder, but it was certainly appreciated.
The fact that those two had been… less threatening than the typical Team Rocket members, certainly did nothing to erase the threat that the organization posed at large.
After a few minutes, Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny both left, most likely to file out paperwork. The cops were still in the lobby, but most of them gave Ash and Janine some space. A few passing cops would thank them for their help and commend them for their bravery. Janine took the compliments in stride, but Ash blushed a deep crimson, much to the purple haired girl's amusement.
"Say, Ash." she spoke up, turning to the boy. "I'm leaving tomorrow pretty early, but do you and Pikachu want to join us in the cafeteria for dinner? Bulbasaur seems to love meeting new people." she smirked lightly, although it didn't make his skin crawlt he way Gary's did. "You also still owe me that story about Professor Oak and the Spearow flock."
Ash's face flushed. That's right! He was just in the middle of telling her that before all of this went down!
"Sure," he shook off the embarrasment to return her smile. "Just give us a minute, please."
Janine nodded and walked off with Bulbasaur, she and Ash each giving each other a light wave as she and Bulbasaur headed off in the direction of the cafeteria.
Ash turned to Pikachu. Here goes nothing.
"Pikachu…" he said, kneeling down to meet his Starter Pokemon at eye level. The young mouse's eyes still held some caution, but if he was reading his starter correctly, not as much. "I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I would really like for us to start over. What about you?"
Crossing his arms, Pikachu seemed to consider Ash's words a moment, before nodding with a smile.
Ash smiled back. "Good. My name is Ash Ketchum. I'm from Pallet Town. I'm not much, but I hope to be great one day. I want to make it to the Indigo Conference on my first year. I want to become a Pokemon Master, and become the greatest Pokemon Champion in history. I want to travel Indigo, making new friends and capturing new, powerful teammates to raise and train up. And I would really appreciate it if I had you by my side for all of that." After a moment of hesitance, he held out a hand. "Pikachu, will you please be my companion?"
Pikachu stared at Ash's hand for a good few seconds. There was genuine intrigue in his eyes.
Then, his paw met Ash's hand, and an accepting squeak was offered in response.
Ash felt the yellow fur on his skin. It felt good. "Thank you, Pikachu."
For Ash Ketchum, Opening Day was just one horrific memory after another. It was the day that he left his home behind. The day he got humiliated by Gary Oak, likely more so than anything prior. The day that his starter was greatly injured. And the day that he and his starter were both almost murdered.
But there was a light at the end of that tunnel. A light that would quickly turn the worst day in their lives into one of the best.
A light that would kickstart a brand new beginning for the ambitious rookie.
A light that would soon shine over all of the Indigo empire, and maybe even the world.
As the partnership between Ash Ketchum and Pikachu officially began, so too did a grand, epic adventure.
But that adventure was merely the beginning of a legend.