A/N: Hello everyone, welcome to my story which is in fact under the same name. When I had first started Vanquish I was admittedly just going with the flow not knowing where I wanted to take it. Now, I at least have some general idea on where I am going to take this story. I changed A LOT of things about this story and did as much grammar checking as I could. So, if you find any mistakes please Pm me so that I can edit this chapter later. Enjoy the story and please be sure to review!

VVvv

Breathe Ash.

He took a deep breath and when he realized his heart was still practically leaping out of his chest he took another. Ash Ketchum stood in front of Professor Oak's lab with a tight frown. He was thirty minutes early, but who wouldn't be for the most important day of their life? As many times as he's been here he couldn't find it in himself to go inside.

He begrudgingly admitted to himself that he was in fact, nervous.

Could you blame him though? He was just ten years old, and yet the next few hours would determine just what kind of path he would take in life.

So while he tried to calm himself down he weighed his options over as he's done billions of times before. In just thirty minutes he would be making a decision that would affect him for years to come and impact his journey heavily.

He would be choosing his starter.

His partner.

His best friend (he hoped).

His very first pokemon.

You could only go through a moment like this once and he was determined not to screw it up, though he wasn't exactly on the right track since he still hadn't made up his mind.

It was the morning he would finally start his journey and yet he still had no clue who he would choose as his starter. Seeing as he really only had two options it shouldn't be so difficult but it only seemed to make his decision that much harder.

Charmander or bulbasaur?

Bulbasaur are the rarest of the three starters. Not only are they endangered but it's one of the only grass types in all of Kanto that interested Ash. There were tangela, that were also rare, but a lot of that factored into how difficult the peculiar creatures were to find. To put it simply, no other grass type in Kanto could compare to bulbasaur in his opinion.

So that meant that if he wanted a bulbasaur, it was now or never.

And he surely wanted a bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur would grow into the strong, sturdy, powerhouse known as venusaur. Which were capable of taking hit after hit and dishing out even more powerful blows. In all of the books he's read he's heard nothing but praise for the green saurian. The species is summarized as typically loyal pokemon with a good temperament, perfect for new trainers.

That was something important to Ash. If he had to start off his journey with a misbehaved pokemon that would certainly hold him back.

Then there was charmander.

By far charizard was the coolest fire type he had ever read up on. Just saying the name of the fire breathing lizard brought chills to him. They were so strong and there was only a hand full of other fire types that could match their power and finesse.

Though they came with a price.

They throw temper tantrums. They are often disobedient and hard to get a handle on. Gaining the loyalty of the lizard if you didn't raise them from the start when they were a charmander was nearly impossible.

Not to say that raising a charmander was easier. Out of the three Kanto starters they were by far the hardest to raise. Charmander's breed as starters aren't categorized as aggressive with their trainers, but there are many cases where they lose their tempers and accidents ensue.

Controlling a naturally destructive fire breathing creature isn't an easy feat.

Ash sighed, thinking about it he knew what decision he needed to make. So he decided he was ready and there was no turning back now.

Once inside he was greeted by the familiar sight of assistants hustling about and smell of sterile. He closed his eyes, he was at ease again. This was practically his second home.

Eventually, one of the assistants took notice of him. It was Sandy, a middle aged woman. She made her way over to him reading off a clipboard whilst fingering her long unruly hair.

"Good morning, Ash!" She smiled wide.

"Morning, Sandy." She insisted on him calling her by her first name, made her feel younger she always said.

"Big day ne?" Her smile turned cheeky. "So, what pokemon you going to choose?"

"It's between bulbasaur and charmander but I think I know which I'll pick."

He didn't want to tell her which pokemon he was choosing just in the case things didn't work out. Though, he supposed saying things out loud did make the situation more official.

"Hah! That told me nothing. We both know you won't go picking squirtle." She gave a wink and Ash smirked in response. She knew exactly why he wouldn't pick the turtle starter, in fact, anyone who was even remotely familiar with him and his cocky best friend knew why.

A loud beeping noise instantly drew their attention. It was her watch, she glanced at it and huffed in annoyance. "Well, I'll see you around Ash, duty calls!" He watched her walk off with a wave of her hand.

He closed his mouth as he had been prepared to tell her which pokemon he was choosing. He shrugged his shoulders and began making his way to Professor's Oaks personal lab, he knew the way.

Once at the door he knocked twice out of habit and let himself in. No one around this place really knocked, the old man was kind of easy going in that aspect. With all the manners his mom had instilled in him it was a principle that never caught on with him.

He examined his surroundings, first taking notice of the professor's absence. Next, he noticed a long table with various gadgets and items on it. He motioned to move closer for a better look but then saw something. It was a round incubator with see through glass. Inside were three pokeballs. Perfectly round, top half red and bottom white. He studied each curiously; one had a fire symbol, another water, and the last leaf.

Upon hearing the door creak open he turned to see Gary come in, and he shot him a smirk. He got a sick sense of satisfaction knowing he beat him here. Gary walked straight up to him and looked him over.

"Ash," Gary said, deciding to finally acknowledge him. Gary's eyebrow shot up asking the unannounced question, "why are you here so early". Before Ash answered he took notice of the dark circles under Gary's eyes. He imagined his looked similar since they'd been up late talking.

"Psh, like you weren't thinking the same thing," he accused. "First to get here means first dibbs, right?" He watched keenly for Gary's reaction. Gary ignored him, muttering unintelligible words under his breath but he was able to make out "overslept" and "lucky".

Despite how their relationship appeared to outsiders Gary and him were best friends. Gary liked to be surrounded by people who found his know it all attitude charming while Ash was selective among who he chose to interact with. In a way Gary preferred quantity to quality and Ash was the opposite. He was more of an introvert, preferring to be alone. Though at a young age he discovered he loved the company of pokemon, couldn't get sick of it matter fact. It was the main thing Gary and him had in common after all.

Though they also shared dominant personalities. This led them to many fights and disagreements over the years. It was always hard to make up too, with them both being so damn prideful. He always feared that one day their shared passion might tear their friendship apart. After today they were rivals first and foremost before friends.

Eventually, they moved over to the chairs to sit in silence. Their patience was rewarded when they heard the professor's raspy voice down the hall. The professor walked in, white lab coat on and in all his glory. He barely spared them a glance, seemingly not surprised at all by their presence. "Gary, Ash, you're early…though you're not the only ones." He stepped to the side revealing the figure behind him.

It was Amy, a girl with short brown hair. He remembered meeting her at the qualification exam. That was months ago and now her hair was shorter. Ash wondered briefly if she'd outgrown her temper. He instantly recognized the red and white official pokemon league expo hat on her head. He eyed the hat a little longer, a shame he wasn't into them, he'd surely be jealous if he was.

The three children watched in silence as the professor proceeded to make his way to the pokeballs in the middle of the room. "Well, let's get started, shall we?" The professor took in each of their excited expressions. He couldn't help the small smile from forming on his face as he opened the incubator.

"Well, as you all know, these are the three native Kanto starters," Professor Oak said, motioning to the pokeballs. "There's the fire type; charmander, water type; squirtle, and bulbasaur the grass type. If you raise them with patience and care they will surely grow to be formidable, lifelong companions."

The professor clapped his hands suddenly. "Well, ladies first." He looked pointedly at Amy. She smiled brightly, practically running toward the pokeballs. Upon reaching them she threw a smug look over her shoulder to the boys.

She immediately picked up charmander's pokeball and awaited further instruction.

Ash had forgotten about ladies first.

Whoever gets here first means they get first dibbs when picking pokemon. That was the unofficial rules Gary and he had heard for years from older trainers. Yet, he forgot there would be a girl among them.

The whole purpose of him gaining first dibbs was to scare Gary. Ash really just wanted to make his best friend sweat a bit is all, as payback for limiting his options.

He was fine with this result though, he would get the pokemon he wanted.

He could feel Gary's gaze as he walked up next to pick. Without a second thought he flicked up bulbasaur's pokeball with a growing smile.

Everyone knew who Gary would pick, and as his best friend Ash would not take that from him. That's why he never considered squirtle when debating the three starters. Gary had known since they were toddlers that squirtle was his destined starter.

While, he was confident in his skills to make his starter great, he sent a silent prayer to any Gods listening that the pokemon in this device could match his ambitions.

"What are you waiting for? Meet your new pokemon!" The professor's voice rang in their ears.

After a few brief moments of being blinded by light he was greeted by the sight of Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur's hard red eyes quietly took in its surroundings, never stopping to land eye contact with Ash once. Sensing no threat, the saurian laid down with boredom from the circumstances.

Ash watched his starter with a debating frown, trying to think of some words to say, or something to do to gain its attention. There were many things that stuck out to him at first glance. Like Bulbasaur's attitude and large size that hinted it wasn't as young as the usual starter pokemon offered to new trainers.

Ash mulled over what he thought of that when a soft whimper of pain floated through the room.

"Keep your pokemon in check, Amy!"

"Calm down, he just wanted to play," Amy retorted.

Charmander danced and pranced around Gary's squirtle with mocking glee as the tortoise laid stuck on its back. The orange lizard presented its outreached hand, and squirtle being none the wiser accepted the help and allowed itself to be pulled up.

Charmander then spoke to squirtle in poke speech and with a sneer quickly pushed the water type to the ground. Squirtle wiggled on its back in a fruitless attempt to get upright as charmander had a field day. It pointed and snickered at the poor turtle with disturbing delight.

Gary was livid. "THERE, he did it again!" Instantly, Gary was by squirtle's side helping up the poor pokemon.

"Well, squirtle shouldn't have fallen for something so obvious." Amy's brown eyes seemed pleased at her starter's display of superiority.

"Bulba, bulbasaur."

Bulbasaur walked right up to the still laughing lizard and retracted its vines. In two swift motions he slapped charmander twice on the face. It was nothing but a blur of green, but the two resounding smacks resounding through the room were undeniable. The room was quiet. Charmander took his clawed hand and cradled his face in silence.

Squirtles eyes lit up with admiration and it waddled over to Bulbasaur to express its gratitude. Bulbasaur frowned, ignored the water type, and made its way to the spot it previously lay.

That was strange. Why would Bulbasaur go out of its way to help squirtle but not accept its thanks? It was a bit unnecessarily cold with how it brushed the turtle off and now squirtle looked more confused than Ash felt.

"This year I decided to do something a little different." The professor's voice gained all of their attention away from their feuding pokemon. Ash listened intently to the professor's words. Different? Things were already different this year.

It was a known fact that regional professors only sponsor three children a year. Professor Oak caught the attention of the league and everyone in Kanto when he announced he would sponsor four this year.

Really, what were the odds that four children would be sponsored by the famous Professor Oak this year? And furthermore, all four children were ten. That was something unheard of, let alone ever happening.

Everyone knew the only way to become a league registered trainer at the minimum age of ten was if you had a highly reputable sponsor and funds. The professor in his many years of sponsoring had never sent a ten year old out on a journey. The oldest he'd ever sent out being a prodigious thirteen year old boy three years ago.

Becoming a pokemon trainer was a big deal, becoming one at the age of ten even more so. You had to have have stunning scores, or connections to be sponsored, let alone by a regional professor.

Gary had brilliant test scores and was the grandson of Professor Oak. While it was annoying to admit Gary's were better than his, he wasn't too far behind. Besides, his actual battling scores had always been better, with Gary's just behind him. Plus, he's known Professor Oak since he was a toddler.

The girl, Amy, had an older brother who made it to top thirty-two in Kanto his first year, apparently doing big things since. It didn't hurt that she had good test and battle scores from what he's heard. "A bit rash, but she has a calm mind once the battle starts", the professor had mentioned about her. There was a long list of people wishing to be sponsored for a pokemon journey and the professor chose them. The league would have their eye on them this year, and companies were always looking for new talent to snatch up. Four sponsored kids, things were sure to get interesting.

The last kid, who was he anyway? Or was it a girl? The three of them have earned their right to this opportunity, so he couldn't help but wonder about the fourth kid. Speaking of the fourth, he eyed the room wondering where they could be. Professor Oak caught him looking around.

The old man checked his watch, scratched his chin and hummed in thought. "It would seem he's late, and I was sure I got through to him about the importance of being on time," he chided to himself.

"Professor, who is the other kid anyway?" Amy inquired. The professors eyes twinkled and he gave a secret smile. "You will meet him in due time I suppose."

Ash spared Gary a glance and couldn't help but wonder if he knew anything. Then he immediately dismissed the thought, Gary wouldn't keep that from him.

"Remember you should feel grateful I was able to offer each Kanto starter this year. Each of your pokemon is truly special in their own right, I look forward to seeing how you raise them." He smiled, and the children just stared. "Examine your pokemon some more," he prompted them.

To his left he watched squirtle shrink under Gary's disapproving gaze. Squirtle was fairly small, not to mention timid, characteristics that usually came with being the runt. It would have self-esteem issues. He knew Gary; his friend wouldn't like that at all, he simply didn't have the patience for it.

Gary sighed, lowered himself to eyelevel with squirtle and began to whisper things he could not hear. Wait, Gary was being patient with squirtle? His eyes widened at the display of Gary being out of character and he had a passing thought that maybe squirtle would be good for Gary.

He looked to Professor Oak who seemed to be watching the interaction with fascination. It was a known fact that Gary had always wanted his starter to be a squirtle. He wondered if the professor...but before he could get caught up in his thoughts he saw a flame out of the corner of his eye. He turned quickly to watch Amy frantically throw off her hat and proceed to stomp on it to put out the fire. Charmander just sat and watched her struggle; you could see the amusement in his eyes.

Her face was flushed with anger. "You DESTROYED my hat! My precious, exclusive one of a kind..."

So, charmander was a jokester with a bit of a twisted sense of humor. Amy would have trouble getting him to listen to her.

Ash looked down at Bulbasaur who appeared to be taking in the scene with indifference. "So, what's your deal?"

Bulbasaur looked up, and crimson eyes met dark brown. Ash felt like he was being tested as an unintentional stare off began.

Ash eyed the blood red eyes before him with interest. The first emotion he recognized was boredom, but only when he looked beyond did he see more. There was an unspoken challenge, almost as if daring him to look away or blink.

His eyes started to sting when he noticed the determination in the pokemon's own eyes. There was a mix of pride and stubbornness. They mirrored his own in that regard.

But there was more, something he couldn't quite place his finger on.

A voice startled him enough that he accidentally blinked and lost the stare off. Ash bit his lip in frustration to see Bulbasaur had already rolled his eyes to a new place of interest – the floor. With a sigh he tuned in to the words the professor spoke.

"Okay, okay, now that you've all had the opportunity to meet and mingle with your pokemon a bit put them away for now." Oak said nervously whilst eyeing the now charred bits of Amy's hat. They retuned their pokemon in silence.

Both Amy and Gary appeared to be sulking, taking in the personalities of their starters. He didn't gather much from Bulbasaur but he knew there was an untold story there.

"Now, next I'll be handing over your pokeballs." Ash took his pokeballs from the professor, counting them. From what he recalled of previous trainers they were only given six. The professor ignored the once again stumped faces of the children and went on. "...and these are your pokedexes. Remember it's your identity, proof that you are who you say you are but, also used for recording new data on pokemon and telling you information on any you come across."

The professor handed Ash a green one, coincidentally his favorite color. Professor Oak stood in front of the new trainers.

"As I said, things will be different this year. While the beginner pokemon carrier limit is normally six, I took it upon myself to make yours twelve. My reasons for this are purely experimental. I shall explain another time."

"Now, I trust you all, your futures are bright, and I'm confident you can handle this responsibility. Don't neglect your pokemon or become blind to their needs. If having twelve on you is too many, I expect you to tell me immediately so I can lower it." The children nodded their heads, taking the words seriously. Having a man like Professor Oak tell you he trusted you fueled you to meet his expectations.

They would not fail him.

"I wish you all the best on your journey."

ooo

The children began to make their way toward the door.

"Ash, can you stay for a second?" Ash stopped, moving out the way so Gary and Amy could get past him.

"Gary, don't forget to see me before you leave!"

"Yea, yea gramps," and his friend was gone.

The ten year old eyed the professor quizzically.

"Now Ash, there are some things you should know about your bulbasaur before you prepare to head out. You see, we didn't receive him from a breeder." Professor Oak took in Ash's face, noting that he didn't seem confused with that revelation.

"We found Bulbasaur, we as in me and my assistants on an exhibition. At first we were inclined to leave him be, but his age got the better of me I suppose. You see originally I wasn't going to be able to provide a bulbasaur this year, very little of the breeders had eggs and those who did; the hatch date wasn't anywhere near today. Which does me no good because I wouldn't give you guys a freshly hatched pokemon."

"My boy, an understatement is that Bulbasaur was angry with me for catching him. As a result I believe it's going to be hard to earn his acceptance as his trainer. When I gave him a psych exam to check his mental before giving him to one of you we found out some things."

"Bulbasaur's mother was eaten alive by rattata, too weak to fend them off. My theory is that she was hunted by poachers and was able to get away with grave wounds, but no one knows for sure. It's a cruel ending, but thus is the pokemon world. The strongest will prevail while the weak pave the way for their survival."

He pondered over the professor's words. His new partner has been through a lot. It was quite a bit to take in, especially since he wasn't expecting anything like this coming in today. "How old is Bulbasaur?"

"I'd say give or take two years. He's had to fend for himself all this time."

"And how did Bulbasaur get away from the rattata professor? Shouldn't they have tried to get him next?"

"That's where things get a little interesting. He fended them off best he could but eventually they would have overtaken him. It took a lot of digging up but Alakazam was able to find out he was saved by a ninetales. Bulbasaur's memories of it are vague, I suspect due to the ninetales doing, but he's very grateful to it. I am guessing you are puzzled by his strange behavior in how he treated Gary's squirtle?"

Ash nodded, it was like the professor was reading his mind.

"As I said, Bulbasaur is a pokemon whose respect is very difficult to earn. The three starters have been around each other for the past week or so and a system of sorts has been created. Charmander is the bully and Squirtle is the target. Bulbasaur hates pokemon like Charmander who prey on the weak but in a strange twist he also hates pokemon like Squirtle who do nothing to change their circumstances. I'm afraid he respects neither of them."

"Oh, that's…different." Ash didn't know what else to say about it. Usually there were only two stances a pokemon would take in the trio's situation. Be the hero by saving Squirtle from Charmander's cruel ways and get along with Squirtle as a result of pity for him, or simply ignore the entire situation either from not wanting to be bothered or from fear you would be the next target.

Professor Oak gripped his chin. "Different indeed. Bulbasaur is a pokemon whose life was saved at the mercy of another pokemon. As a result he took advantage of his second chance and survived the wild all by his self, something that should have been impossible if a poacher was really targeting him. I'm guessing it angers him to see other pokemon who won't do the same?"

"Not to mention that at the time Bulbasaur was nearly freshly hatched, such a vulnerable age to go without his mother." Ash watched the professor's puzzled face, as if he was trying to figure out how Bulbasaur had survived.

Eventually the professor shrugged, "Well, he's a lucky one for sure."

Ash nodded, thinking about those words.

ooo

Walking out the lab Ash couldn't stop staring at the pokeball. The first step of his dream was now complete. He was officially a trainer, on his way to becoming the strongest in the world and inside this ball was his pokemon. He thought of everything he's been told, what Bulbasaur had been through and couldn't suppress the sense of overprotectiveness that overcame him. He had plans for this pokemon, but first he needed to figure him out.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!"

One second Ash was admiring his pokeball and the next the air was forced out of him as he lay on the hard ground. Ouch. He slowly sat up, shaking off the jitters.

"What the hell," he mumbled as his hand went up to comfort his aching head that broke his fall. When the pain ceased irritation took its place. He sized up the culprit who knocked him down. Light brown hair, freckles...and in pajamas?

"Hey," he muttered and the boy stopped his chanting and took notice of him. The boy's hazel eyes widened and a dark blush stained his cheeks. "I'm so so sorry!" Instantly the boy was on his feet reaching out his hand to help.

He still felt annoyed so Ash ignored his hand, and got up on his own. "It's fine, just watch where you're going next time." He bent down, picked up the pokeball and dusted it off.

"You got a pokemon?" The guy was practically in awe.

"I did, and you are?" Ash moved the ball out of sight. The kid noticeably stood up straighter. "Thomas Holden."

"Ash Ketchum." They shook hands.

"So, I assume you're here for your pokemon. Why are you late?"

Thomas merely avoided eye contact, "I overslept," he mumbled so Ash could just barely make it out.

Then the kid urgently looked up. "Professor Oak would save me one, RIGHT?"

"Who knows...though he was expecting you," Ash added in sensing the boy panicking again.

Ash began to walk off, this wasn't his problem. Without turning around he shouted, "Good luck, I guess."

Ash's opinion of the kid was summarized as what an idiot. Thomas had shown up late for the most important day of his life…and in his pajamas none the less. Although he had to be getting sponsored by the professor for a reason. Ash turned to catch a glimpse of Thomas sprinting in the direction of the lab.

Thomas Holden, eh?

He supposed first impressions could be misleading, he wouldn't underestimate him.

ooo

He was on his way back to his house. He would get his things, say good bye to his mother, and leave. He released Bulbasaur and stopped walking.

"We didn't get a chance to get properly acquainted… my name is Ask Ketchum." Ash smiled down at his starter. When Bulbasaur proceeded to eye him with boredom, Ash forcibly coughed and continued. "Well," he began, realizing he should have expected this to be awkward. "My dream is to become the strongest to ever exist…and travel a lot in the process." Bulbasaur studied him curiously, taking in each of his words. In return he eyed him back, trying to get a read on him.

Ash bit his lip when silence overcame them. He knew that his starter wouldn't be able to talk to him, but some form of communication would have been nice. Even a grunt would have sufficed.

Ash got down to his knees so he was eye level with his starter, who took a few cautious steps back. Ash did his best to ignore the distrust in its eyes and gave the saurian a big grin. He wanted this pokemon's respect, he wanted him to like him, and he wanted to be partners.

"I know that with you by my side my dream won't stay just that, it'll become a reality. So what do you say Bulbasaur, will you accept me as your trainer?" The moments that followed were so achingly long Ash began to feel a little disheartened, but he wouldn't give up. He stretched out his hand, almost like an offering to the grass type.

"As your trainer I promise to be there when you're happy, sad, lonely, confused, when you just need company. We'll be best friends, no secrets between us. I'll trust you with my life, and I hope you do the same. I'll accept every part of you Bulbasaur."

Bulbasaur stared into his eyes, and he did the same. Bulbasaur looked away first.

"Bulba bulbasaur." In a swift movement like he did at the lab he extracted one of his vines and pushed away Ash's hand.

"Huh?" Ash titled his head in confusion. He waited patiently for an explanation.

"Bulba saur, bulba bulba." Ash tried his best to make sense to what his pokemon was saying.

"I have to earn your trust?" Ash eventually guessed.

"Bulba bulba." Bulbasaur nodded in agreement.

Ash laughed, "So what is this, a trial period?"

"-_-"

Bulbasaur's straight face immediately made his amused smile drop. Bulbasaur was dead serious. Ash scratched his head awkwardly. He honestly wasn't expecting this reaction. Bulbasaur were typically mild, and easy to get on their good side.

Winning him over should have been a piece of cake and now he had to work for it.

He took another glance at the tight faced bulb pokemon and decided that nothing was really worth it if he didn't work for it. Bulbasaur seemed like a pokemon worth fighting for.

Ash held up his fist in muster, feeling pumped.

"Fine, you're on Bulbasaur! But one way or another you're going to accept me being your trainer!" He exclaimed.

He deflated upon seeing Bulbasaur's unimpressed face.

"Tough crowd," Ash muttered.

"Bulba." Bulbasaur took one of his vines and pointed to his pokeball that was still firmly in Ash's hand. After realizing Bulbasaur wished to be returned, Ash hit the button and the grass type was enveloped in a red light.

He took a few moments to stare at the pokeball.

He needed to look on the bright side of the situation. Bulbasaur was giving him a chance, making him in Ash's opinion a fair pokemon. Sure his journey wasn't starting off as he would have liked but nothing should always go exactly as he wanted. His journey wouldn't be interesting if everything went according to planned.

"What, did I think we would pick daisies and ride off into the sunset together?" Ash snorted at how delusional his image of him and Bulbasaur's relationship starting actually was. Any reasonable pokemon should be on the fence when meeting a stranger.

Maybe… it's good that he didn't get a pokemon too trusting. How could you become best friends with someone you just met anyway?

When he was near his home he released Bulbasaur once more.

Ash glanced at him. "I didn't tell you. We're going to my house and saying good bye to my mom. Then we hit the road, just you and me."

"There's my house." Ash pointed it out. Bulbasaur took in the white house with a red roof, the closer they got they were able to make out the smell of food.

Ash marched right up to the white fence that creaked while opening. He walked into his house and after announcing his presence and began to make his way to the stairs, and then as if remembering something he swiftly turned. The grass pokemon was still at the door looking a tad uncomfortable. Ash motioned with his head to follow. "Come on, I'll show you my room."

Once in his room he made his way to the book bag by the wooden desk. Opening it up and checking what he already knew was inside he was satisfied. He zipped it up and began showing Bulbasaur around. Once the quick tour was over he walked out, Bulbasaur following. He stopped to look at the room by the door.

"This is the last time I'll see my room for a while, I want to remember it," he explained. He took in his bed with the pokeball spread. Next his gaze swept to the small desk he'd spent countless hours reading about pokemon. He eyed his collection of pokemon plush dolls he's had since a toddler. There was a bulbasaur, charmander, squirtle, nidorina, teddiursa and many more.

How funny that he had a plush bulbasaur and now he had the real thing.

Once downstairs he made his way to the kitchen. He found his mom and Mr. Mime wrapping up food. She engulfed him in a hug upon site.

"Bulba." She finally took notice it wasn't just them in the kitchen.

"You got a bulbasaur! Gosh it's just the cutest thing. So you're the one that's going to protect my little Ashy ne?" Bulbasaur titled his head. Without warning she scooped the pokemon up, cradling him whilst Bulbasaur looked uneasy. Gently, Bulbasaur pushed himself away from her with his vines and she took notice of his discomfort.

Finally, after releasing the grass type she gave Ash her infamous mom glare so he would know she meant business. "Ash, be safe okay? Bulbasaur is to protect you, but you are to protect him as well, you owe him that. Now, have fun and don't forget to call."

"I will mom, promise." She hugged him long and hard again. There weren't many words for her to say, she's ingrained them into him all his life after learning he wished to become a trainer. She was as prepared for this day as any mother could be. Now all that was left was for her to trust that she's raised him well.

"I love you Ash."

"I love you too mom."

Coming apart she handed him the food she wrapped.

"Hey mom, do me a favor and give away those plush dolls to the neighborhood kids."

She paused. "Are you sure? You've been collecting those since you were four Ash."

"Mmhm I'm sure, I don't need them anymore."

"Well, if you're certain…"

She escorted them to the door. Standing at the foot of the front door she watched him leave.

"Bye Mom." He waved, running off with Bulbasaur on his heels.

"Don't forget to call!" She shouted after them. She felt lonely already.

"Mime?"

"Your right, I still have you, huh?" She smiled and the unshed tears began to fall, she wiped them away hastily.

"Now, let's go work on that garden."

ooo

Passing Professor Oak's lab he took notice of the crowd, all there to see Gary and Amy off. His mom wanted to do something similar so he was thankful he could convince her not to. It took some pleading but she accepted he was a simpler person.

Seeing the crowd that was here for Gary and Amy only made him wonder who Thomas Holden was and where his supporters were.

"I thank all of you for coming to see me, Gary Oak as I leave on my journey. I will surely not disappoint you in making a name out of this town!"

The crowd cheered as Ash looked away from second hand embarrassment. Some things about Gary seemed to never change.

"Bulba bulba saur." The grass type frowned up his face.

"Yeah I know, he's an attention hog, and…my best friend." Bulbasaur looked at him as if to ask why, and Ash shrugged his shoulders. He was trying to get on Bulbasaur's good side so telling him about what might seem as a poor choice in friends wasn't really helping.

Gary spotted him and shouted over. "Wait Ash, leaving already?" His friend worked his way through the people and over to him, the crowd disbanding at his departure.

"Yea, I got some things to do, need the head start."

"Of course you do." Gary rolled his eyes.

"Before I leave though, want to battle?" Ash arched an eyebrow, challenging Gary.

Gary frowned. "I'm going to pass on that Ash. You saw Squirtle at the lab; I want to build up his confidence first. I'm not going to put him in a battle we both know the result, its bad mojo."

A disappointed sigh escaped his lips. "Okay, I understand."

He was kind of upset his first battle with his first pokemon wouldn't be with his rival, but he respected Gary's decision. It was probably the right one after all. "Well if that's it, then I'm leaving."

"Cool make sure you stay in-"

"WAIT!" A girly screech reached their ears, making the two boy pause instantly.

They watched as Amy began jogging over to them and they let out identical sighs.

"What do you think she wants?" Gary scowled openly, letting out an irritable huff. It was obvious he already formed a distasteful opinion against her.

"Who knows, let's just hear her out." Ash reasoned with his friend.

Upon reaching them she was slightly out of breath. She moved her bangs out of her face, and behind her ears. "Which one of you wants to battle me?" Her eyes darted between Ash and Gary before she got her answer.

"I will," he declared, stepping forward.

Ten minutes later they all stood at the practice grounds. Gary off to the side, and Ash and Amy on opposite sides in training boxes outlined in red paint.

"I guess I'll be the referee." Gary released his Squirtle. Ash assumed Gary wanted the water type to watch so he could point things out.

"Charmander, time for battle!" Instantly the fire breathing lizard was released from his pokeball but upon looking at his trainer and seeing his opponent he proceeded to sit down.

"Charmander get up, were about to battle!" Charmander ignored her. While she pestered with the pokemon to get him to battle Ash recalled all he knew of Bulbasaur.

Then with a bitter frown he instantly realized he knew nothing.

He planned to scan Bulbasaur earlier, but the thought had escaped him.

Earlier he had shoved his pokedex down his bag, so there was no time to look for it. Plus, he didn't want Gary or Amy to see how unprepared he was. Ash sighed, taking a second to shuffle his dark locks in a show of irritation at himself. What a rookie mistake!

He instantly turned his focus from his own pokemon to his opponent. Guessing the age of Charmander the fire type would probably know growl, scratch, and ember. Nothing more and nothing less, he hoped. Amy would have type advantage here too.

"Don't you want to get that bulbasaur back from hitting you?!" That got Charmander's attention; it stood up ready for battle.

"Good, now remember what we talked about. Listen to me," Amy commanded sternly.

Gary looked at both sides and announced the start of the battle.

"Charmander get up close, now!" Charmander began to make his way over as quickly as his legs could, to his credit it was pretty fast.

Once he got into range Ash shouted, "Grab him with your vines!" Bulbasaur launched his vines at the lizard, quickly circling around its waist. Instantly, Ash was relieved to see that Bulbasaur was listening to him.

"Charmander get free!"

"Now throw him." With all the strength Bulbasaur could muster he began to slowly struggle to lift Charmander and in a rapid movement throw him. The lizard was hurled onto the ground, slow to get up.

"Now quickly tackle!" Ash was hoping Bulbasaur could get this attack in.

He didn't know Bulbasaur's move set, but at the very least the grass type should know tackle, growl, and vine whip!

Bulbasaur sprinted, fast enough that its speed made a gasp escape Ash's mouth. A quick look to Gary and Amy told him he wasn't the only one surprised that those stubby green legs moved so quickly.

"Not so fast! Ember!" Bulbasaur being so close to Charmander was ultimately hit by the orange flames and cried out in pain. Ash went from wincing at the super effective blow to being relieved when his pokemon at least left the exchange being able to finish off the tackle.

The two pokemon stood in front of each other growling and sizing each other up as they circled around the other.

"Use vine whip." Bulbasaur attempted to use vine whip, Charmander either dodging the vines or batting them to the side. Bulbasaur's distance was giving Charmander enough time to react; he'd have to get closer.

"You use scratch and watch out for the vines," was Amy's command.

The two pokemon began to sprint toward each other. Bulbasaur gracefully weaving around Charmander, seemingly easily dodging the scratches and hitting him with a vine when the saurian found openings.

Charmander was tired. It was moving sluggishly and was attempting to hit Bulbasaur with scratches when the grass type was nowhere near him. It was time to end this.

In an abrupt movement Charmander couldn't have dodged even if he saw coming, Bulbasaur tackled him. The lizard pokemon collapsed, unconscious.

"Charmander is unable to battle, the winner is Bulbasaur!"

"Tsk," Amy smacked her teeth. She returned Charmander and was getting to go on her way, but not without parting words. The three rookie trainers met up in the middle of the training field. Amy crossed her arms over her chest and with a scowl spoke first.

"My Charmander and I have a lot of work to do, but I assure you next time you see us you'll taste defeat, Ash."

Gary tried to stifle a laugh but she caught it. "Oh, you will too Gary. Good luck on making progress with your runt." She emphasized the word, smirking when the smile on Gary's face was wiped off.

Gary quickly masked the shot to his pride with a forced grin. "Heh. Please, I'm Gary Oak! Even with a pokemon like squirtle I could beat you."

Amy gave a mockingly pleasant smile in return. "Really now? Big words, It's a shame I can't put you in your place right now."

Amy shrugged her shoulders. "I can wait though. I look forward to seeing you on the road." Then she sarcastically curtsied and walked off. Gary's face instantly went back to a frown.

"Hey, ignore her." Ash consoled, trying to calm down Gary while his best friend quietly seethed. He spared Squirtle a glance, and the water type looked disheartened. Amy's words got to both of them. Well, not that Gary's words could have helped.

"It's whatever." Gary shot back. He seemed to be in his thoughts so now seemed to be the perfect time to leave.

"See you around," he directed toward Gary.

"Huh? Yea, catch you later Ash."

Ash momentarily paused at Gary not saying his signature phrase but continued on. Gary would be fine; this is where they were similar. In these types of situations he would want to be alone.

Examining Bulbasaur, Ash found his starter to be fine, just a little out of breath. He'd give him a potion for his burns.

"I'm proud of you, it was our first win together. You were clearly the better pokemon." Bulbasaur awkwardly tilted his head in acceptance of the praise.

ooo

"I'm impressed with your stamina." Bulbasaur held up his head in pride. They'd been walking for an hour now, almost at the destination. Despite battling earlier the bulb pokemon was just fine.

"Seriously, you're strong and surprisingly fast." Ash pointed out, remembering Bulbasaur from the battle.

Upon hearing that word Bulbasaur began to run ahead, Ash sprinting after him. Reaching a point in the road Bulbasaur stopped and waited for Ash to catch up. Upon reaching him Ash was slightly out of breath.

"Yep, definitely fast!" How did he get so lucky with his starter pokemon? He was surprised, even at this stage Bulbasaur's were regarded as slow.

When he's a Venusaur there's no way he will be so fast.

Or will he?

Ash took out his green device that would hopefully confirm his little theory on his pokemon. This was long overdue anyway.

"Bulbasaur, do you mind if I scan you with this? It'll give me some information about you."

Bulbasaur blinked, then blinked again.

Taking that as a sign he didn't mind, Ash pointed the device that referred to itself as Dexter at his starter.

"Bulbasaur, the grass and poison type pokemon. Bulbasaur can be seen napping in bright sunlight. There is a seed on its back that grow's progressively larger as it soaks up the sun's rays."

"This bulbasaur is male and knows the moves: Tackle, growl, leech seed, vine whip, poison powder, and giga drain. Its ability is overgrow which is a status boosting condition that activates when the bearer is pushed to exhaustion."

Ash frowned at having been proven wrong. After seeing how fast Bulbasaur was he thought (hoped) that his starter had chlorophyll as his ability, as rare as it was. Now that it's come to light, Bulbasaur had overgrow as his ability, as did the vast majority of his species.

That meant his speed wouldn't last. As he grew, his size would slow him down more and more. Though Ash wasn't too disappointed, overgrow was a cool ability in its own right.

Now on to other matters. "Giga drain? You know giga drain Bulbasaur?"

Bulbasaur tilted his head in confusion so Ash went to his pokedex for answers. He was right, giga drain wasn't a move the bulbasaur line was capable of learning naturally. They couldn't even learn it by using a TM. There was only one way Bulbasaur could know the move and that was by breeding.

Bulbasaur didn't know how to use the move yet, but he was capable of learning it. It would probably be quite a while before Bulbasaur was ready to try learning it. Seeing as it's an advanced move and all. Ash smirked at Bulbasaur, who was still eyeing him with confusion. "What a cool thing to inherit from your parents."

ooo

They were here.

"Xanadu Nursery," he read the sign aloud. He looked up at the large globe like building. When he was younger it seemed so much bigger. The nursery was see-through, with overgrown plants running up along in various areas, sticking out in different directions. Most people in Pallet hated it; they thought it made the place look unkempt. Though to him, it was one of its many charms.

Once inside he turned his attention toward Bulbasaur.

"I used to come here all the time when I was younger. As a grass type I felt you could appreciate this place." Bulbasaur looked up at Ash.

"Bulba, saur." He couldn't help but be amused at the look of awe on his starters face. Since meeting Bulbasaur it was the most emotion he's seen from the saurian.

Ash watched his starter take in all the plants and flowers, sniffing ones that especially caught his interest. The place smelled great and the atmosphere made you feel relaxed.

More than likely there were plants here that Bulbasaur had never seen in the wild. He was confident that Bulbasaur would love it here, but it wasn't his true purpose for being here. The nursery was just a large greenhouse with various flowers and plants. His mother used to send him for fertilizer all the time before she got Mr. Mime.

Apparently it's been under new ownership for a few months now. The man who owned it retired, leaving it to his young daughter. His mom and the neighbors would gossip about it. Since not much happened in their small town anything was gossip worthy for a couple of months.

As they walked around they spotted a bellsprout and oddish. It was strange, the nursery wasn't open to wild pokemon. Though the pokemon never approached them, instead just peeping in and out of sight before disappearing. They were successfully putting Bulbasaur on edge.

Suddenly, Bulbasaur began to growl. Ash swiftly turned to the sight of a violet haired woman. Beside her was a rather large vileplume.

"Can I help you?" She asked. Beside him Bulbasaur tensed up and released another growl.

"It's okay Bulbasaur." Bulbasaur ceased his growling but Ash could see the grass type was still tense. His starter wasn't taking his eyes off the pair for a second. Ash smiled at his antics and directed his words to the woman.

"Hello, my name is Ash Ketchum and I'm a new trainer. I came here with my starter to enjoy the flowers and plants." Wow, that really just came out of his mouth. He really was a trainer now.

She smiled brightly at him "Oh! Well come on, I'd be happy to show you around." She rushed over to him in an instant, ushering him to follow her.

He knew this place inside and out, but he decided not to burst her bubble. He began to walk beside her, Bulbasaur trailing a bit behind.

"Ah, I guess you can say I'm in charge here. My name is Florinda Showers." She paused and with a blush added, "Well, soon to be Florinda Baker."

"Congrats on your engagement," he nodded at the ring on her finger. She gushed a bit more before proceeding to tell him all about her fiancé.

She showed them around, pointing out various things he already knew about, nothing capturing his attention. She told him a little about herself like how her father retired leaving her to take over. Or how her fiancé usually helped and is out sick today and the few pokemon they saw around belonged to her.

"and that right there is the stun spore plant…" He perked up, finally. "One sniff and your body will go paralyzed; well my Vileplume here has worked up a bit of immunity against it." She was obviously proud of that fact.

"How long have you had your Vileplume now?" He took the time to take in her prized pokemon. Vileplume was a grass and poison type and the evolved form of gloom. His gaze lingered on the red and white specked flower atop of its head. It was admittedly beautiful, but he sniggered at the thought of one day Bulbasaur's bloomed flower putting it to shame.

Though, the size of Vileplume was certainly impressive. The average size for one was typically nearing four feet, and this one was taller than him by a few inches, making it roughly five feet.

"She's been with me for about six years now." Came Florinda's response as she shared a sentimental look with her partner. Vileplume smiled and let out a happy chuckle, giving off the air it was friendly pokemon.

"So are you strong?" He got straight to the point.

Her smile disappeared and in its place formed a smirk. "We are," all confidence and seriousness in her tone. His body shivered.

"Could you do me a favor or two?"

ooo

"Are you, um, sure about this?" He couldn't help but let a tiny smile slip at how nervous she sounded. He stopped his fiddling to face her fully, giving her his most confidant smile.

"I am! We've talked about it." Bulbasaur nodded, but still seemed a bit skeptical.

"Legally I can't really get in trouble for doing this but I can't help but feel this is wrong, er, morally." She shook her head as she got the antidote ready for use.

Vileplume mimicked Florinda, shaking her head to signal she also thought this was a bad idea.

"Don't worry, I've done my research. Bulbasaur should be fine after being given the antidote. It'll affect me a lot more but I should be okay. If everything goes correctly there won't be any long term side effects. So, what's the harm?"

Bulbasaur was a pokemon that had a lot of moves that affected the status conditions of opponents. Having your very own moves used against you and working is something Ash liked to avoid. He wanted Bulbasaur to know what he was doing to other pokemon when he used his status moves.

Not being able to control your body was frightening. If there were actually any cases of someone being permanently paralyzed by such a small dose he would never be doing this.

It surprised him that his starter agreed. Did Bulbasaur trust him? Or was the saurian's pride just not going to accept Ash doing it and one upping him?

Either way, Bulbasaur didn't understand why he also wanted to be paralyzed by stun spore. That didn't matter though, Ash wanted them to experience this together. As a trainer he couldn't share the pain his pokemon would feel in battle. So he wanted to be able to relate and feel close to them in as many ways as possible.

Though, he had come up with the idea of participating in this after learning he was on a trial of sorts with Bulbasaur. If doing this earned him even a tiny portion of brownie points with the grass type it would be worth it.

"I'll go first," Ash announced. He stood and walked straight up to the cut stem of the green plant. Florinda had cut a small enough piece off that his body could actually handle. It was such a tiny dose, taking into account that he was human, and a child at that.

He looked back at the disapproving faces of Florinda, Bulbasaur and Vileplume. Deciding it was now or never he bent over and breathed in a generous amount.

The effects were immediate.

He froze up and attempted to move his fingers…nothing. His eyes darted left and right against his will and he couldn't help but wonder if he was panicking. He thought he was mentally prepared for this but it was still incredibly overwhelming!

The black spots in the corner of his eyes slowly took over so he knew fighting was futile.

Then there was darkness.

As he slowly opened his eyes to avoid the brightness all his memories came back. "H-How long was I out?" He sat up slowly to avoid a headache.

"Bulbasaur?" He eyed his starter in the corner who looked quite uncomfortable.

"You were out for a whole hour." Florinda barely spared him a glance as she flipped a page of her magazine. Ash smiled in her direction, so much for her being concerned.

"An hour...good, that's about what I was expecting." He clapped his hands as he announced, "Okay, your turn."

Vileplume lowered the entire plant to the floor so it was easily accessible for Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur would take in a much higher dosage than him, but he was a pokemon so his body was built to handle these things more effectively.

Just as he did, Bulbasaur walked straight up and turned to glance back at Ash. Upon receiving an encouraging nod his starter sniffed the plant just as he had.

Ash watched the grass type freeze up and his pupils enlarge. Some drool piled up in the corner of Bulbasaur's mouth and slowly slid down. Ash rushed over to his starter's side to hold him without a second thought.

Bulbasaur began to spasm uncontrollably. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere," Ash reassured.

As Florinda tended to Bulbasaur and administered the antidote Ash reflected on everything.

That was nothing compared to the pain pokemon are put through daily. The thirst for battle must be unreal, to take a hit, get up and ask for more. It had to be an addicting feeling.

Bulbasaur awakened immediately, a bit in a daze just like Ash thought he'd be.

"Scary right? Imagine having to battle like that, we'd be goners." Bulbasaur had a contemplating look on his face as he regarded Ash's words. Slowly, he began moving closer to Ash to listen. His stubby legs wobbled and Ash almost wanted to laugh at Bulbasaur's dazed look.

Bulbasaur was kind of cute all disoriented.

But Bulbasaur wouldn't agree, so Ash licked his lips to hide his smile. "That's one of the main things I want to work on, building up a resistance to them. Sleep powder which you'll be learning next, sing, confusion, poison, paralysis, and more."

"Saur…" Bulbasaur eyed his trainer, the words he spoke made a lot of sense. The room got quiet before Florida set down her magazine, now finished.

"What's the other favor you mentioned?" She asked skeptically.

Oh yeah! How could he forget? He could barely contain his excitement as he looked to Bulbasaur to access his condition and then back to Florinda. "Can I challenge you to a battle?"

ooo

Here he was again, getting ready to experience his second battle of the day with his pokemon. Though this feeling was much different than earlier. Now he felt like he had something to prove. How strange he was to be so excited, so prepared to lose. He wasn't a fool, there was no way the two of them could win this battle. His goal was to make an impression, to experience the gap in power and use that as motivation to get stronger.

Across the field from him Florinda cleared her throat. She wanted to say something, so as far as she was she would have to talk loudly for it to reach his ears.

"I was a trainer for three years before I decided it wasn't for me. I much more preferred the company of my pokemon and just traveling and experiencing the world. Though that doesn't make us weak by any means. My last year in the league I reached the top eight." She laughed into her hand. "Though I haven't trained for about half a year now, so this should be fun! Give me a good battle Ash."

Absentmindedly he nodded to her, his mind already racing through possible scenarios and strategies. He examined the battlefield that he had no clue existed. So much for knowing this place like the back of his hand. The field wasn't large but it wasn't small either. It was generously covered in leaves and plants, perfect for camouflage.

"Well, I'll allow you the first move. Whenever you're ready."

Ash wasted no time in taking advantage of the first move.

"Bulbasaur, get up close and try to grab her with your vines. Be quick about it." He spoke softly, confident his pokemon could hear.

Within a seconds notice Bulbasaur was sprinting towards Vileplume. By the gasp and the look on her face he could tell Florinda was surprised…good. Bulbasaur's speed had been a surprise to him too. Thanks to his pokemon's green coloration, Bulbasaur was zooming in and out of sight because of all the plants.

"Now!" Bulbasaur jumped into view and released his vines. Just as Ash thought this could work Vileplume grabbed Bulbasaur's vines, only needing that split second of exposure.

"Reel him in." Yolanda's voice was deadly calm.

As Bulbasaur was reeled in he could think of only one thing to do.

"Leech seed!" Bulbasaur's bulb opened up to reveal a large brown seed. It launched its way toward Vileplume who easily side stepped it. Upon connecting with the ground it exploded into an abundance of plants and vines.

Bulbasaur continued to launch seeds at Vileplume all of which were avoided. Dammit, what should he do? He wanted to at least get an attack in!

"Ash, you and Bulbasaur have had enough of status conditions for the day. I'll refrain from using them."

"Petal blizzard."

He watched helplessly as in a second's notice of the order hundreds of pink petals erupted from Vileplume and formed together to be a bright looming force. He looked up, mesmerized as all the pink petals swirled together in sync until as one they were all projected toward his pokemon.

Ash was a safe distance away, and yet with the absence of a psychic field he could feel great pressure from the storm. He could only imagine what Bulbasaur was feeling.

The force of the storm had him closing his eyes and forcefully taking steps back from the thrust of the wind. He sputtered, spitting out a single petal that had gotten in his mouth, before he took his attention back to the battle. He squinted, his eyes stinging from the air, searching for any sign of Bulbasaur.

All his vision allowed him to see was pink blurs. He was blinded by the storm, and he couldn't shout out orders because the whirling of the petals would make his shout seem as a whisper in comparison. Feeling useless, he realized his only option was to wait. Bulbasaur had no choice but to stand and endure the storm as Vileplume held his vines captive.

Then, eventually the petals began to fall to the ground harmlessly. As if it was fall, and they were innocently floating from the tree they once occupied.

Except that tree had been Bulbasaur.

As everything cleared out Ash was astonished to see Bulbasaur a short distance from Vileplume. The first thing Ash noticed was how scratched up the grass type looked in comparison to his body minutes ago.

With a snarl, Bulbasaur built up his speed and momentum, quickly tackling the larger pokemon. Somehow, Bulbasaur was able to push his way through the storm and use his captured vines as an advantage; it provided a clear route straight to Vileplume.

Pride surged through Ash as he realized his pokemon hadn't buckled under pressure, turning a messy situation into a means to attack.

"Way to hang in there!" He shouted in encouragement.

"Double team, and get close," Florinda snapped immediately once Vileplume fell to the ground. At once, Vileplume was on her feet, appearing unfazed by the tackle.

Ash counted the copies; fifteen. He was on edge about this, what was she planning?

"Don't let them get close." Bulbasaur's ears twitch in response to the warning.

Then, the copies attacked.

Bulbasaur destroyed every copy that got too close with his vines, just as Ash wanted. They were both wary of which was the real one. When it was down to three copies his opponent made her move. Vileplume wasn't very agile but she had experience, she was clever, and frankly that was all she needed.

The last three copies rushed him at once.

It was a good thing Bulbasaur was fast, he dodged the first one, whipping it as it past him, a fake. It was in that moment one of the Vileplume's paused. Barely noticeable, just enough so the other could go ahead before it. If Ash noticed it surely Bulbasaur did, but he wanted to make sure just in case.

"Ignore that one! It's the other, leech seed!"

Bulbasaur's leech seed hit home. Vileplume ceased her movement; even in this situation it was calm. Vileplume lifted one of its flabby arms to test its restriction, her beady red eyes taking in her new predicament.

"Now, vine whip!" Bulbasaur was able to hit Vileplume twice before she burst through the vines restricting her movement. Then, she pranced out of reach of Bulbasaur's vines.

"End this with energy ball dear," came Florinda's sweet voice.

Vileplume had a quick release.

There was no time to dodge, not even time for Ash to speak an order.

One second he blinked, and the next Bulbasaur was being hit dead on by the ball of energy.

The area was engulfed in light, and he was blinded. His heart was in his throat as he waited for the light to clear so he could open his eyes and see the damage for himself.

That attack was probably Vileplume's strongest and at that close of range…

As the brightness died down and he saw Bulbasaur shakily still standing, he felt his heart calm down a bit. What a stubborn pokemon.

Right when he unlatched his pokeball to return his pokemon Bulbasaur took one step forward before his legs gave in and he collapsed.

Ash sighed. He expected this, though it didn't make it any less disappointing. The attacks he was able to get in didn't even affect her pokemon in the slightest.

"Let's get him patched up, shall we?" Florinda made her way over to him, Vileplume happily churning at her side.

He nodded to her and walked to the center of the battlefield to pick up Bulbasaur, not wanting to return him. Bulbasaur wasn't particular heavy, but he certainly wasn't on the light side either.

On the way to her office he whispered how proud he was and lucky to have him. He knew Bulbasaur couldn't hear him but that was fine, he wanted to voice his thoughts. Upon reaching the office she took out a revive and other bandages. This would just be a quick fix up. He'd make a stop at Professor Oak's lab for a proper treatment.

"You guys are going to be the best of friends, I can tell," Florinda whispered as she applied ointment on a particularly nasty cut. It was probably from one of the many petals.

"I hope so." He didn't know how else to respond. Right now he wasn't so sure.

"You will, and battling wise you guys have potential, lots of it," she assured.

Ash just kept his eyes on Bulbasaur, the latter who was also watching him. When Yolanda finished up she removed her gloves and took a deep breath.

"You held back," he accused suddenly. Florinda ceased her humming to turn around and raise an eyebrow. Her scarlet eyes were filled with mystery, or was that amusement?

"Eh? What makes you think that?" She teased as she picked up the gloves and threw them into a nearby trash can.

Ash felt a sting to his pride. "You claim to have went to the top eight a couple years ago. When you did that double team, Vileplume hesitated for a split second to give away she was the real one. That was intentional, wasn't it?"

Florinda's smile cracked before she threw her hands up in surrender.

"Look Ash, it wouldn't have been much of a battle if I just curb stomped you." She took a moment to think about her logic before shrugging.

Ash had no response for her other than to frown at the confirmation. So was any of that battle even real? Could she have dodged that leech seed? Did she have time to burst out of said leech seed before being hit with Bulbasaur's vine whip? What about Bulbasaur's tackle that had him so excited in the beginning? Could she have dodged that too? Or could Vileplume have just countered each and every move he made…

His frown deepened as he realized the battle had been a waste of his time. Now, he had no clue how well Bulbasaur had performed against a more experienced trainer.

On the contrary she was right, if she hadn't held back it wouldn't have been much of a battle. Though, battle experience hadn't been what he wanted to get out of this whole thing. He wanted to know how far Bulbasaur and he needed to go. He wanted to experience the real gap in power.

Now he was left with more questions than he came with.

"I didn't want you to hold back. It's disrespectful to your opponent." He urged Bulbasaur to follow him as he walked toward the door. He turned the knob and paused as she responded.

"It is rude I admit. Though, things would have been ugly if I didn't."

She hadn't taken him seriously. That knowledge really irked him, so he would thank her for her time and be on his way.

"I see. Well, thank-"

"The top isn't anything you're ready for anytime soon, Ash," Florinda interrupted.

"I know I'm not ready. I just wanted to know how big the gap is." He released his grip on the knob to turn around and face her once more. Her face was deadly serious, and he couldn't understand why.

"I'm aiming for the top, so of course I want to know what their like up there." He tried to convey his reasoning to her once more.

"Their monsters," she disclosed with a chilling voice and a haunting look in her eyes. Beside her, Vileplume whined at the turn of conversation. He noticed she said 'their' as if she wasn't including herself. She made it to the top eight in Kanto once, isn't that the top?

"Everyone at the top is terrifying, and I wasn't ready," she concluded, giving Vileplume's delicate flower a soft pat.

"You weren't ready?" What did she mean?

Florinda sighed as she took a seat. "I wasn't ready," she confirmed. "I made it to the top eight but all six of my pokemon were demolished by just one. I was powerless, and tried to delude myself into thinking that the person who beat me was just amazing. That they were the rare needle in the haystack that exceeds everyone's expectations. And yet, that person went on to be beat. I truly learned how far I was from the actual top, and I lost hope."

"You lost hope? So that means…" Ash was so confused, hadn't she given up battling so she could focus on just spending time with her pokemon?

"Yes, I loved battling with all my heart. I didn't stop because I wanted to focus on traveling, I just gave up." She took a deep breath and forced a grin on her face.

She got up from her seat and made her way to the door. "Enough of the dramatics, let's see you out, okay?"

With no response he could only stare dumbly.

Once they reached the entrance she asked for his phone number. "You never know, maybe you'll need some help in the future. Besides, you look like you wouldn't stay in touch," she winked.

He laughed. "Sure, why not?" He pulled out his Xtransceiver and handed it to her so she could put in her info. He should start wearing it on his wrist, he supposed. He spent a good portion of his savings on the device; he could at least use it right. Getting his hands on it wasn't easy; the professor decided he would pull some strings for the new trainers if they paid for it themselves. The professor didn't want to spoil them with all the latest things. Which was fine by Ash, the old man had already done so much for them.

"There, all set!" She gave him a toothy smile.

He placed the gadget on his wrist. Flexing it around he decided he liked the look.

"Thank you for everything. I learned some important lessons with your help." He faced and bowed to Florinda.

"Ash, your way too polite! Make sure you come back and visit. I have a feeling you and your bulbasaur will become an amazing team, you're an interesting pair."

"Don't worry, we'll be back. We have unfinished business here after all," he smirked.

"Good luck out there Ash, I'm rooting for you."

He smiled in response. "Nothing is going to stop me from reaching my dream," he promised.

ooo

Boy and pokemon walked side by side lost in their respective thoughts.

After traveling what he thought a decent distance Ash stopped.

They hadn't covered enough ground to get to Viridian city, it would take roughly another day. He began to make a suitable camp. It was surprising they didn't see any trainers so far. Everyone must be ahead of him by now, but that's okay. They'd wake up early and catch up tomorrow. Once he got the fire going he laid down. Bulbasaur left a large gap between them before lying down as well. To Ash he seemed so far away.

He ignored the hurt he felt from having such a distant pokemon and spoke.

"Next you should learn razor leaf, or maybe take down. We should also consider sleep powder for pesky wild pokemon too. If there's one thing for sure it's that you need more physical attacks. Though as you grow you'll slip into a long range style for attacking."

"Saur."

"So, today we learned some pretty valuable lessons. We have many weaknesses, were not invincible, and have a long way to go before we can consider ourselves strong."

Bulbasaur agreed. Next time he saw that vileplume he wanted to win. No, he would win.

Ash wiggled for warmth in the sleeping bag, drifting to sleep.

ooo

Today marked the second day of his journey. Sadly it's been uneventful. They trained for a bit but that was all there was to it. According to the signs they would reach Viridian City in thirty minutes.

The whole day he's been on the lookout for potential pokemon. He couldn't wait to expand his team! Unfortunately, he hadn't seen any pokemon that caught his interest. They mostly saw pidgey, spearow, bellsprout, oddish and the like.

Up ahead on the path he could see another trainer. When he first started out he was under the impression that he would see trainers all the time on the road. He was clearly mistaken. He had only seen one from his journey between Pallet and Viridian and the trainer wasn't interested in a battle. The teen had lost interest immediately upon learning Ash was a rookie.

It hurt his and Bulbasaur's pride to be underestimated but he wouldn't beg for a battle. The guy wasn't cocky, he was just aware of his level and wouldn't settle for anything less. He had advised Ash not to be so eager to lose all his money to battles. Something about appearing as easy cash to a veteran.

Since Ash was coming from Pallet he hoped the reason he hasn't seen many people was because he was coming from a small town that had nothing to offer traveling trainers. When he had envisioned his journey he saw himself on the road with endless opportunities to battle other trainers.

The closer he got to the trainer he decided to initiate a conversation. So he walked up to the big boulder the girl was leaned back against. Beside her he could see a rapidash, evident by the long, pointy horn on its head.

They were beautiful creatures, this one an excellent example of its kind. Knelt in the grass, Ash looked to its hooves that did not expel flames. Pokemon of the ponyta line were capable of controlling the amount of fire and where their flames ejected from their bodies.

This one did not have any flames at her legs, so it did not burn the grass it lay in. Its fur was creamy, white, and clean. The pokemon was well taken care of, Ash concluded as he looked at the long fiery mane that burned fiercely, shouting pride.

Their ability to control their flames was used to gauge how experienced they were. So far this one seemed well trained. The fact that this pokemon was consciously not burning the grass pointed to it being a habit her trainer had taught it.

In the wild, despite being such gentle creatures, the horse pokemon wouldn't go out of their way to not burn the grass they lay in. Instead, they choose to lay about lazily and when their done, they would put out any fire they started by stomping on it with their hooves.

He knew this because he had read up a lot on this pokemon. They were one of the many fire types he had his eye on. If you ever wanted to know if a herd was near or not, you would check the condition of the grass. It was a sure sign.

The horse like pokemon cooed out and continued to cater to its fur. The beautiful pokemon no doubt belonged to the girl. It had taken notice of him but its calm gaze obviously did not regard him as a threat at all.

To this pokemon that emitted confidence, Ash, and anything he could potentially own was nowhere near its level.

Upon seeing Ash, the girl stood up straighter and bit one last chunk of her apple before tossing it to the rapidash beside her.

"What's…up?" She asked in between chews. The girl was definitely in her late teens, judging from her developed body and height. Her face was slim and had a maturity that as ten years of age Ash was nowhere near developing. He still had plenty of chub in his cheeks he wanted to be rid of.

Now in close proximity he was starting to feel the full effects of being close to a fire pokemon that expelled flames. He wiped the sweat off his brow, wondering how the girl handled it.

"Want to battle?" He got straight to the point.

The girl tilted her head, the shiny barrette attached to her blonde hair caught Ash's attention. Then she burst out laughing, drawing Ash's eyes back to her face. In confusion he waited for the girl to explain what was so amusing.

"New trainer, huh?" Her cloudy blue eyes took in Ash's full appearance. From his height, clothes, and then to his reddening cheeks at having been ousted so easily.

The girl wiped an imaginary tear from her eyes, and ceased her giggling. Ash at this point still had no clue what was so funny. She crossed her arms, examining him once more.

"Hm, I don't usually battle newbs, but since you gave me such a good laugh, why not?" She gave Ash a smile and he looked on wearily to rapidash. He was starting to have doubts, Bulbasaur didn't really have a chance against that thing.

"Oh, you're not battling her," the girl bent down and fondly patted the horse. "She's my prized pokemon, and frankly you don't measure up." She explained, offering Ash a sympathetic shrug.

Relief instantly went through Ash as he ignored the dig at his pride. He couldn't wait for the day Bulbasaur was strong enough that Ash could trash talk confidently. With a smile he unclipped Bulbasaur's pokeball to reveal his own prized pokemon.

The girl whistled as she took in Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur eyed the girl and her pokemon calculatingly, instantly knowing he had been called out for battle.

"I haven't seen a Bulbasaur since I first started my own journey. You must be one of the trainers that got Professor Oak for a sponsor, huh?"

"Yep, I chose Bulbasaur," Ash confirmed. He only hoped that soon Bulbasaur would choose him too.

"Well, I have a new catch that should be close to your level." She spoke reaching for her belt. Ash looked at the six pokeballs and wondered how many pokemon this girl had. She seemed like an older trainer so it wasn't far fetch for her to have more than six.

The two of them relocated to a more open space that was off the trail. Once situated Ash watched the girl enlarge her pokeball and toss it, a light releasing a plain rattata.

The purple rodent began to bob left to right while letting out a small battle cry to let its trainer know it was ready. Ash ignored Bulbasaur's growls and smirked, this battle was definitely winnable.

"You can have the first move." She announced and Ash dipped his head in thanks. His first move should probably be leech seed so he could get a feel for how fast the rat was.

"Bulbasaur, leech seed!" He bellowed and his eyebrows arched up when Bulbasaur ignored his command and ran, colliding with the rat pokemon for a nasty, sloppy, tackle.

"Quick, leech seed Bulbasaur!" Ash repeated, hoping to get this attack in before rattata recovered.

Instead, rattata got up and unlike Bulbasaur, listened to his trainers orders by following through with a quick attack. Bulbasaur lurched back and fell to the ground. With a low growl he got back up quickly. He snarled as he shook himself off and instantly he released his vines.

Why wasn't Bulbasaur listening to him?

Rattata, on the defense dodged the vines best it could but was eventually caught. Ash felt déjà vu go through him as just like Bulbasaur had done with Charmander the grass type threw the pokemon, preparing to go in for a tackle.

After the tackle was successfully completed Bulbasaur lunged at the mouse pokemon mouth wide and bit into him, blood squirting everywhere. Ash winced at hearing rattata screech out in pain but his concern was with Bulbasaur.

Bite wasn't a move set Bulbasaur was able to do. Of course he could actually execute it but it wasn't wise. Bulbasaur's teeth weren't large or pointy. The way his jaw was set up he wouldn't be able to get a strong grip anyway. Attempting an attack like bite was dangerous and could damage his teeth and jaw. The fact that his dull teeth were able to even pierce rattata's skin showed how much effort Bulbasaur had put into the attack.

He looked up to see Bulbasaur pick up rattata and collide his body with the ground. When Bulbasaur repeated the notion over and over again Ash realized he'd never seen Bulbasaur behave like this. So unrefined and without a cool head, this wasn't like Bulbasaur at all.

He looked across the battle field to see his opponent shout meaningless orders to her pokemon. Her posture screamed that she was frustrated at how the match was going. When he no longer could hear rattata's screams he looked back to the match. Bulbasaur's opponent was clearly unconscious and he was continuing to thrash him.

It was unnecessary, they had won. So why was Bulbasaur still…?

Panic soared through Ash as he realized Bulbasaur's intention here was to end his opponent's life. If he continued for even a bit longer he would succeed.

Instantly his hand went to his starter's pokeball but he was beaten to the punch. A red light engulfed rattata and Bulbasaur looked around anxiously for his prey. Ash returned Bulbasaur without a word.

How could he forget?

Bulbasaur's mother had been eaten alive by rattata in front of him. Of course Bulbasaur would hold resentment toward the species. Ash sighed at forgetting such important information so easily. He wouldn't let this happen again.

The battle had left a twisted feeling in his gut, almost as though he had drank expired milk. He spit into the grass, tasting something foul but knowing it was all in his head.

Bulbasaur almost became a murderer.

He almost let Bulbasaur murder someone's pokemon.

The girl he'd been battling slowly made her way over, her rapidash by her side. He went over apologizes in his head and readied himself to speak.

"Well, that's some blood thirsty bulbasaur you got there." She smiled, her words tickled with amusement. She reached into a pouch on her book bag and uncurled a wad of bills. She counted a few off, and handed them to him.

He didn't take them, instead looking to the girl with confusion.

"We never talked about how much we should wage but this should be enough right?" She raised an eyebrow as she pressed the money out to him.

He took the money and voiced his thoughts. "Bulbasaur almost killed your pokemon and you're not mad?"

"Yea, but he didn't." Seeing his confusion she sighed in irritation.

"Look, death happens in pokemon battles. Though I wouldn't say it happens often, so yea it's a bit rare. Whether it be by simple mistakes, loss of control…" here the girl gave him a pointed look. "…or because it just got too intense. Pokemon die in battles, it's a sad fact but it happens, and who knows it might happen to you." She offered him a sympathetic smile.

"Pokemon are going to die. As a trainer you're going to witness pokemon die, it's unavoidable. Just hope and pray you never have to witness your own die." The girl was talking from experience. She had without a doubt witnessed pokemon die. Though Ash wondered if any were her own.

He frowned as he realized he didn't know what to say. So instead he shoved the money into his pocket and slightly bowed. "I'm sorry I let things get out of control. Your rattata almost died because of me." He took full responsibility for Bulbasaur's actions. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for him.

"Rattata isn't dead, well, not yet. Hopefully nurse joy can fix him up at the center." She shrugged her shoulders without a care in the word. Ash frowned at the nonchalant behavior toward the wellbeing of her pokemon.

"Well, I gotta go," she announced. "You should work on getting in control of your bulbasaur. It's dangerous to be out here with a pokemon that doesn't listen to you. Other than that, nice battle newb." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and offered a parting wave.

Ash held his tongue as he felt the urge to correct her. Bulbasaur did listen to him, this was the first time he hasn't. Though that wasn't important right now.

Ash sighed as he watched the flames on the rapidash's back die down. The girl planted a saddle on her pokemon before hopping onto its back.

"Yaat," she commanded, her grip on her reins tightening. Rapidash took off and his view of the girl was gone.

Literally.

Rapidash were some of the fastest pokemon to exist. Ash blinked and the pair were completely out of sight. In the distance he could hear a loud squeal and laughter.

What a character, Ash thought. Her pokemon almost died and she was so numb to it.

So this is what real battles on the road were like?

It was his first battle on the road with a trainer he didn't know. It was his and Bulbasaur's first win to a stranger so why wasn't he happy?

He sighed once more, realizing he didn't even get the girl's name.

He released Bulbasaur who looked around anxiously for rattata.

"He's gone. The rattata and the trainer are gone." Ash looked for Bulbasaur's reaction to this. Bulbasaur let out a disappointed grunt but noticeably went back to normal. His body was no longer tense and his eyes no longer had such a feral look to them that they had before.

"Open your mouth," Ash commanded with a frown. He was disappointed, not at Bulbasaur but himself. Bulbasaur hesitantly obeyed, opening his mouth with a questioning stare.

Ash peered inside taking notice of the bloody gums. After explaining to Bulbasaur what he was doing as a head's up he put his hand inside, checking Bulbasaur's few teeth. Upon coming across one that wiggled he took one hard yank and it came out.

Bulbasaur shuddered from the brief pain but didn't voice complaints. "It was loose, a new one will come in shortly. No more biting in battles, okay?" he said, sitting down across from his starter.

Bulbasaur nodded.

"You won, are you happy?" Ash asked hesitantly.

Bulbasaur's growl let him know he was also disappointed with how the events of the battle played out. Though for entirely different reasons than Ash.

"Yea, well I'm not happy either, you almost killed that pokemon Bulbasaur," Ash sternly reprimanded. Bulbasaur scoffed, not at all ashamed by his actions. Clearly 'almost' wasn't good enough in his book.

Ash reeled back at his nonchalance. "Bulbasaur, have you killed before?" The question had never come to his mind until now but he realized his pokemon may have already crossed a line he couldn't take back.

"Bulba," Bulbasaur affirmed nodding his head. Ash felt a lump in his throat at the knowledge that his starter wasn't so innocent. He took a few minutes to think over everything.

He understood that sometimes pokemon died and he knew that if it was ever the life of his pokemon to another his choice would be obvious, made without a second thought. But, Ash was a firm believer that life was precious and if it could be saved or avoided then that's what should be done. Ash didn't think the thought of other pokemon killing each other bothered him, but Bulbasaur doing it did.

Killing for vengeance didn't sit well with him.

"Bulbasaur, don't ever kill a rattata in my presence if it isn't a threat." He stood up not waiting for Bulbasaur's response.

"Let's go," Ash gently ordered.

When they passed a sign that read, 'Viridian City, fifteen minutes' Ash rejoiced. All he wanted was to get to the pokemon center and relax.

He kicked a plain black rock in his path unnecessarily hard. Wait, was he pouting? He knew he would be picky about which pokemon he would catch but this was ridiculous! He hasn't even seen a bird pokemon with potential.

That wasn't the only thing he was pouting about. He just found out his very first pokemon was a killing machine whenever he caught sight of a rattata.

"I'm sorry." Ash looked up upon hearing the quiet silvery voice. Standing in front of them blocking their path was a meowth. It was standing on two legs and its fur appeared matted and dirty.

What the hell? Meowth weren't common around here at all and this one was strange. He frantically glanced at Bulbasaur who began to snarl uncontrollably. Bulbasaur saw this pokemon as a threat. His starter didn't even notice it till it showed itself!

Where did the voice come from anyway? He began looking around but saw no signs of anyone else. Bulbasaur batted the ground with his claws, preparing to fight.

"I'm so sorry," the meowth spoke. Before his mind had time to comprehend the situation the cat moved. Bulbasaur met the pokemon head on and it became a battle of speed.

The meowth matched Bulbasaur's speed.

No, it was faster!

He winced as Bulbasaur was hit with a particularly nasty scratch. When Bulbasaur was hit again and again without being able to land a hit Ash started to panic. Bulbasaur couldn't even properly defend itself.

What should he do?

"It's too fast, keep it at a distance with vine whip!" Bulbasaur tried and failed to keep the meowth away. It just expertly weaseled its way up, hitting him with its glowing tail. The force from the iron tail threw Bulbasaur into the bark of a nearby tree.

"Leech seed then!" Once again he watched as the feline dodged his starter's moves with wicked expertise. It didn't move on all fours, but by its two legs, and comfortably if it's familiar ease was an indicator to go by. It was strange, something Ash never seen before.

Seeing how the meowth liked to attack up close and personal Ash still had one more trick up his sleeve.

NOW!

When the Meowth got into Bulbasaur's personal bubble and delivered another ruthless scratch to his starters face Ash shouted an order. "Poison powder! Quick!"

Bulbasaur was slow to react but he was still able to get the poison to come out from his bulb. As fast as meowth was, it wasn't fast enough to stop some of the poison residue from sticking to himself.

The feline retreated a far distance from Bulbasaur. It got down on one knee and coughed as it tried to remove the substance from its fur. Then, it stood up and regarded Bulbasaur curiously.

It was being hesitant.

For the first time in this attack the meowth was being cautious when it previously had attacked head on, no sign at stopping in sight.

That's right, we won't go down quietly.

When Meowth was moving, it was like a blur so Ash took advantage of the meowth's pause in actions to finally observe it.

It was peculiar.

It stood crouched down low as if it'd pounce any second, firmly on its hind legs. Its front limbs were cradled toward its chest, its claws out, no doubt ready to rip anything that came too close to shreds.

A deep scowl marred its features and coupled with its dirty fur and narrow, slit eyes, it had a feral look to it.

Ash had seen many meowth's in his time, most of which were domestic, yet they didn't possess such human qualities like this one. Most bizarre of all, this meowth talked.

Or did it? Right now Ash no clue what he believed. He knew what he saw though, not to mention what he heard. If that meowth didn't talk then there better be some kind of explanation behind why he thought it did.

Suddenly meowth snarled, showing off two lone fangs. Intimidated, Ash took a step back and in sync the meowth opened its maw large and wide.

What was it doing?

Ash's eyes widened in realization and instinctively his palms went to his ears. Not even a second later a blood curdling noise soon reached his ears. Ash closed one eye as he tried to fight off the headache he could feel coming.

His opened eye moved to see how his starter was handling the screech. Bulbasaur was obviously in discomfort but Ash wasn't too worried, the saurian's body was more equipped to handle these things compared to Ash's fragile one.

Slowly, meowth closed its mouth, and was on the move again.

The meowth began to stalk up toward Bulbasaur at a steady pace. Ash narrowed his eyes. "Be careful Bulbasaur," he warned.

The slow pace turned to a jog and then to a full out sprint. Ash watched carefully as Meowth made his way up to Bulbasaur's left side.

Then he blinked in confusion when the rogue meowth disappeared.

When Meowth reappeared he was behind his starter, delivering another iron tail, surprising both trainer and pokemon.

Though, they both reacted quickly. Bulbasaur was on his feet in a jiffy, and Ash immediately shouted an order.

That move, if his instincts were right then that move had been a feint attack. How strong was this wild pokemon?

"Quick, leech seed!" He bit his lip in anticipation and only released it from his flesh's hold when Bulbasaur hit his mark.

The meowth whimpered in pain when the force from the seed hit it and then trapped it with its vines. It instantly whipped out its claws to get started in trying to free itself.

"Now, tackle!" He commanded once he felt his heart rate begin to calm.

Meowth released itself but not in time to see the oncoming attack. With a sickening crunch, Bulbasaur's heavier body collided with Meowth's much lighter one.

It hollered pitifully as its body came in contact with the ground.

Then it stood back up, making Ash's eyebrows rise. Shouldn't poison powder start taking affect now? Meowth wasn't really showing any signs of being pois-

He spoke too soon.

With hazy, unfocused eyes Meowth shakily began to make its way over to Bulbasaur. Then it staggered, and fell onto one knee. After a few seconds it got back up and clenched its fist.

"Bulbasaur, vine whip," Ash said in one breath. His eyebrows knitted together and he just hoped the thing would stay down. At this point he didn't want to hurt it anymore, despite the fact that it had attacked them.

Each time Meowth attempted to get up Bulbasaur forcefully put it back down with one single whip.

But it wouldn't stay down.

Ash was frozen as he watched the determination on the pokemon's face.

What did this pokemon want with them? Why wouldn't it give up?

THUD!

Ash finally sighed in relief when Meowth fell and stayed down. Bulbasaur made his way over to him and looked up at him with tired ruby eyes.

"He was strong, huh?" Ash directed to his starter.

A scoff was his only response.

"You had me nervous for a second there." Bulbasaur looked at him with a clearly offended face.

"I mean, of course I knew you'd win," he quickly corrected as he moved a hand through his hair.

"Bulba," Bulbasaur responded with a firm nod, walking away from the scene.

Ash took one look toward Bulbasaur then back at the bloody frail body of Meowth. Leaving the pokemon here just didn't seem right. It just looked so vulnerable.

Ash made his way over to Meowth's limp body. He crouched down and eyed it curiously. It was just so small, why would it attack them?

He reached out hesitantly to touch the feline but froze when Meowth's eyes snapped open, making him fall onto his butt.

Ash clenched his teeth, painfully aware of the meowth's claws digging into his skin. The thing was just too dang fast! He hopelessly tried to pry it off, momentarily distracted by the blood dripping down his arms.

"Bulbasaur!" He shouted out urgently.

Immediately Meowth's body was pulled off of him by two vines.

What was wrong with him!? Never in his life had he ever made such a stupid mistake like approaching a wild pokemon. Whether he thought they were unconscious or not was irrelevant. He had always steered clear until now. He couldn't explain, his interest was peaked when it came to this Meowth, he just wanted a closer look.

Ash took a second to inspect the three long jagged scrapes going down his left arm made by Meowth's sharp claws. Meowth had grabbed his right shoulder with one paw and dragged downward on his left arm with his other. Ash craned his neck to take a look at the three puncture like holes on his right shoulder.

Unknowingly to him, Bulbasaur was eyeing him with concern.

He took a deep breath to distract himself from the pain. Man, Meowth certainly had done a number on him. More cautiously than before, he made his way back over to the meowth and eyed it curiously. Meowth's eyes were open and unfocused, as evidence of the poison and trying to fight back the unconsciousness that was no doubt trying to lure it to sleep.

Despite the slight grudge he had against the pokemon for attacking him, Ash was impressed with it. This was the first pokemon he's come across during his journey to gain his attention. He was just surprised that it was a meowth of all things. He never had much interest in the species.

Though, this one was special he decided as he looked toward its frail body still fighting to stay awake. Really, a talking pokemon?

"S-Sorry." Ash eyebrows lifted at the sound of Meowth's voice. Against his better judgement he leaned into its body so that he could make out its words.

"Sorry." He looked down into the face of Meowth, its eyes were now shut and its fur was a mix of brown and red. For the first time in his life he witnessed a pokemon cry.

Ash stood up on his two legs, hissing at the pain from Meowth's claws. Despite that though, he had made up his mind.

He wanted this pokemon.

"Bulbasaur, I'm going to catch him okay?" Ash ignored Bulbasaur's 'why would you do that' look and focused back on Meowth.

He reached onto his belt that held five empty pokeballs and Bulbasaur's. Grasping an empty one he gently tossed it, just like he practiced hundreds of times, and it collided with Meowth's body-

-only to be rejected and bouncing back into his hand. He looked to the pokeball curiously and then back to Meowth.

"You're owned?" He asked dumbly. He felt rejected and honestly quite irritated at the fact.

Roughly, he placed the poke ball back onto his belt and began to gather his belongings that he had dropped when the attack started. He wasn't mad at the meowth for attacking him and Bulbasaur.

If anything he was mad at himself for getting his hopes up. He had really wanted Meowth.

He sighed in acceptance of the situation, it just wasn't meant to be.

Then he looked to Meowth's unconscious body and a frown overcame him. Where was this pokemon's owner? You would think that since it talked and walked like people it would be precious to someone but its appearance said otherwise. Just from looking Ash could see how underweight it was, and he had a feeling that under all the grime, dirt, and blood that Meowth's coat wasn't shinning like it should be.

Really, he wanted to give Meowth's owner a piece of his mind.

Then, there was another problem.

If he left Meowth here, it would die.

"Were taking him with us," he instructed to Bulbasaur who lifted an imaginary eyebrow. Then that amused expression of Bulbasaur's went to concern when Ash let out a pained noise from lifting the cat.

Ash gave Bulbasaur a strained smile, "No worries, he's pretty light."

He wasn't lying to Bulbasaur, Meowth was even lighter than it looked. Now in close proximity he took a closer look. He gently gripped one of the pokemon's paws and almost tsked aloud at what he saw. Its claws were uneven and unnaturally long.

Even wild Meowth took good care of themselves. The meowth line was known to spend hours upon hours grooming themselves. Hygiene was extremely important to the feline species. No meowth, domestic or not would allow their fur to get to such a tangled, matted mess. It was simply disgraceful to such a prideful cat. Not to mention their claws, at this length they became more brittle and could be painful with how long they were.

This meowth wasn't taking care of itself, but why?

After that they left, and at a brisk jog, Ash lead them in the direction of the city. He was in a rush to get the cat medical attention, but he also just wanted a shower and to finally be in civilization.

The pokemon center was large and easy to find in the city. He was just thankful he didn't get lost. The closer he got the larger and brighter the building became.

He took the stairs two at a time and calmly walked through the doors. By this time it was dark outside so he was momentarily blinded by the lights. He ignored all the looks he got and made his way to the help desk to hold up Meowth.

"Nurse Joy," He spoke to get her attention. "Earlier this meowth attacked me and my pokemon. I attempted to capture him but he has an owner. I got here as fast as I could but I'm not really sure how bad his condition is," he answered honestly.

Meowth had been poisoned and then he had been hit none too gently by Bulbasaur's vines countless times for not staying down. Being underweight, Meowth didn't even appear to be a healthy pokemon so who knew how well his body was taking this. Not to mention he couldn't even have his statist paused while he was in the safety of a poke ball.

She took in the sight of the bloody, dirty cat, and sighed.

"What is the nature of its injuries?" Waiting for a response she shouted over her shoulder, "Chansey, I need a small stretcher!"

"Um, it was a standard battle but he did inhale quite a bit of poison," Ash explained. Nurse Joy nodded and began furiously typing on a computer. Seconds later a chansey rushed out of the back pushing a small stretcher. The pink pokemon wobbled over to him, carefully took Meowth from his arms and placed him on the stretcher. She was gone as quickly as she came.

"Okay, I'm going to go see what's going on with that meowth!" She explained quickly as she put on gloves.

Standing there in the middle of the lobby now he didn't know what to do. He looked to Bulbasaur beside him, eyeing the place with displeasure.

Bulbasaur really didn't like people much.

He made his way to the waiting area, suddenly very aware of the strange looks he was getting. This place was actually pretty crowded and loud. Geez, because of his shredded shirt and the dry blood on his arms he must be quite a sight.

Ten minutes later someone appeared at the desk. Ash hopped up, and walked over with Bulbasaur who followed at a lazy pace. Ash mentally reminded himself to get Bulbasaur a check up as well.

Ash immediately spoke to Nurse Joy's replacement once in ear shot of the desk.

"Hi, um, earlier I was scratched pretty bad by a pokemon." He faced his arm in her direction so she could get a better look at it.

"Oh my gosh! Follow me, follow me!" She made her way around the counter and walked in the direction of the human care unit. To distract himself from the pain he examined the woman as he followed her. She was very short and her movements were quirky. She walked with a skip to her step and hummed a bit.

"Here we are." She singed as she opened up the door for him and held out her hand in a way that said 'tadah'.

"Sit right here." She said as she guided him to a chair. "A doctor will be with you shortly," and she pranced out of the room.

Eventually, a woman in a white coat, holding a clip board walked into the room. Upon seeing Bulbasaur she offered a small smile then directed her attention to Ash.

"Hello, I'm going to be your doctor for the evening. You can refer to me as Mrs. Sky."

Ash forced a smile. He just wanted to get this over with so he could go to bed.

ooo

When he left he was quite irritated. He had to get stitches because he refused potions. Call him a coward or whatever you wanted but he refused to try the stuff. He's heard all about how they hurt like hell. He just wasn't in the mood for that kind of pain today. Not that the stitches had been a breeze.

Maybe he should have just went with the potion after all?

He went back to the help desk so that he could schedule a checkup for Bulbasaur tomorrow. It was just too late at this point and he wanted to go to bed.

"Hello Nurse Joy," he said upon walking up to her. Since she was out here he hoped that the meowth situation was all handled. She looked up from her paperwork, took a look at him and looked back down. Then she snapped her head back up in realization.

"Oh, it's you. What do you need?" She asked with an uncharacteristic scowl on her face. Didn't Nurse Joys have a reputation for being super friendly?

Ash, taken aback by her forwardness responded. "Well, I was hoping to schedule an early checkup in the morning for my pokemon...oh and to get a room."

Silence.

"Please," he quickly added.

Nurse Joy offered him a sweet smile that appeared forced. "How's 9:30 for you?" She bended down and he heard some rustling.

"That sounds good," he answered immediately.

"Good, cause that's all we got anyway." She grumbled, as she grabbed his hand and dropped a key card into it.

"Room three hundred and two, it's on the third floor. Can I see your pokedex?" She arched an eyebrow as she waited for him to hand it over. When he did she typed some information onto the computer and once done breathed out irritably, handing the pokedex back to him.

He figured she was getting his sponsor information as proof of payment for the stay and the medical attention Bulbasaur would be receiving in the morning. The league payed for the medical attention for trainers and pokemon that were sponsored. Though when it came to housing and lodging, that was handled with your sponsor.

Professor Oak had went over with the children how many times he would cover their stays in pokemon centers. Ash, who knew he wouldn't elect to stay at hotels or pokemon centers often, admittedly hadn't paid much attention.

"Anything else?" She already had brought her attention back to her paperwork, not sparring him another glance.

Ash answered hesitantly. "Yes actually, I was hoping you could give me an update on the meowth?" He knew that once he handed the meowth over and what with it being owned and everything the situation wasn't his business anymore. Though, that didn't stop the part of him that wanted to know the pokemon was okay.

"The meowth is owned, so that's private information. If that's all then have a good night." She responded without looking at him once.

He didn't move an inch.

"Look kid…" She dropped her pen and looked up with an irritable sigh, but upon seeing him her face lightened a bit.

"He's malnourished, underweight, and the poison affected him bad but he will be just fine. Being owned you would think he would be in better shape but some people are just complete idiots who shouldn't own pokemon." Her tone quickly turned deadly, "I swear, as soon as that owner shows his face I'm going to-" Then she stopped abruptly as if realizing who she was talking to.

She coughed once, awkwardly. "That's all I can tell you."

Ash smiled, relieved, "Thank you Nurse Joy."

He gripped the key card in his hand and made to find his room. Sure, Nurse Joy wasn't the friendliest of people but it was evident she loved pokemon. So, that made her perfect for this job.

"Big day, huh?" Ash directed to Bulbasaur once they got into the elevator. He pushed the button for the third floor and waited for the doors to close.

"Saur," Bulbasaur hummed in agreement. Judging from the tiredness in his tone, Bulbasaur couldn't wait to get to sleep. For the sake of conversation Ash asked another question plaguing his mind.

"So, have you decided if I passed your trial run yet?" Ash laughed at how ridiculous it sounded.

Bulbasaur uncertainly looked off into space. "Bulba bulba," he spoke, which told Ash Bulbasaur hadn't decided yet.

He wasn't surprised by the answer. Earlier he had been really upset to learn that meowth wasn't a wild pokemon. He was so eager to gain another pokemon when his priority should be on the one he already had. With that in mind he chose his next words carefully.

"That's okay. Take your time because until you're officially my first pokemon I won't catch anyone else," he promised. He was taking a risk, and hoped he didn't run into any pokemon he really wanted before Bulbasaur accepted him.

ooo

"So just one bulbasaur, eh?" Nurse Joy asked as she held out a tray for Ash to place his lone pokeball. He nodded and once he placed Bulbasaur's pokeball into the slot Nurse Joy disappeared for a few minutes before returning.

She raised one single eyebrow at him. "You know, I don't get to see many bulbasaur since they're rare and sure as hell don't live around here."

"Yea, he's special alright," Ash agreed. He stood there uneasily. There was something he wanted to ask and yet he wasn't ready to be shot down by Nurse Joy.

"Aaaahh." Nurse Joy stretched her arms out wide and then brought her hand to her mouth for a yawn.

"It's way too early for this," she grumbled as she plopped down in a chair.

An amused smile snaked its way up his face, before being wiped off at seeing Nurse Joy's glare.

"With the release date of the league competition being announced early June I've had to sign up a lot of trainers. Everyone has officially started their training, which means a lot of trainers came by to get checkups, either that or they pushed their poor pokemon too hard during training," she explained.

"Sounds busy," Ash commented.

She stood up dramatically. "No kidding! I've been working overtime every day this week! It's been awful."

"Well, no one can do this job better than you, right?"

A cocky smile covered her face and her eyes twinkled amusedly. She took one measuring glance at him before leaning over her desk to nudge him closer.

"You're from Pallet Town, right?" Ash frowned a second at wondering how she could possibly know that before he remembered he handed over his pokedex. It was his identity, so it practically told her his life story.

In response he nodded.

"Have you heard about that nasty flock of spearow?" Nurse Joy's eyes were wide as if she was about to share some of the biggest news he's ever heard.

He shook his head no.

"Really? Well, last night this boy came rushing in with his pokemon because he got attacked by them! Kind of like how you did with that meowth, but they were so much more dramatic!" She rolled her eyes in remembrance before giggling.

"Anyway, his pikachu and he were attacked by the flock, barely getting away! It was luck they survived matter of fact. That pikachu had some serious injuries, making it a long night for me." At this point she frowned, before her eyes darted back to him.

"Honestly, he was a sweet kid but not the brightest. Everyone knows not to mess with a spearow." She shrugged her shoulders.

Ash nodded in agreement. Spearow were some nasty pokemon, and where there was one, the rest always followed ready to pick a fight.

"So is the kid's pikachu okay?"

Two blue eyes held him down in a glare. "Of course it's going to be okay! It was me who personally worked on him after all." She sat in her seat in a huff, apparently offended.

"Anyway, I called the league and complained and they said they would be able to get someone down here in a few days. But they better hurry because the flock is moving. In the meantime it could attack someone else." She stood and began to walk over to her computer to type away.

Ash just stood there.

"If you want to wait for your bulbasaur there's a waiting area right over there." She said without looking up from her computer. Ash followed her finger to the waiting area. It was mostly empty except for a few trainers.

"Actually, I wanted to ask for a favor." Ash stood proud, and steered his gaze, ready to argue with the nurse.

"A favor?" She scoffed, but upon seeing the boy was serious, stopped. She raised an eyebrow to tell him to spit it out.

"Could I see Meowth? Plea-"

"No," came her firm answer.

"Please Nurse Joy, please!" He whined, placing his palms together in classic pleading motion.

"Just five minutes, come on!" He argued, sensing the nurse's irritation begin to rise.

"I said no! It's a direct violation of our policy, do you realize how much trouble I could get in?" She snapped at him with a frown.

Ash returned her frown, and blinked confused. "But, I thought you were the boss?"

Nurse Joy paused. "I am the boss."

"Then, why not?" He retaliated with a raise of his eyebrows. He realized he was starting to understand the prideful nurse and what made her tick.

"Well, because…"

"It's your hospital, so you can do whatever you want, right?" Ash forced a confused expression on his face as he tilted his head.

"I sure as hell can!" She put her hands on her hips and nodded her head vigorously.

"Then can I please see Meowth? I'll do whatever you want! I promise!" He offered Nurse Joy the biggest puppy dog look he could muster.

Five minutes later he was walking down a corridor with a huge triumphant smile on his face. In front of him, Nurse Joy led the way.

"We could get sued," she muttered to herself.

Ash listened closely to Nurse Joy who appeared to be having doubts.

"If the owner of the meowth found out they could sue the hospital and we'd lose so much money!" She announced dramatically.

Nurse Joy put both hands on the sides of her head and began to shake her head no. "Our flawless reputation I worked so hard for would go down the toilet and I would," She paused to gasp, "I would be fired!"

Ash suddenly frowned. The last thing he needed was Nurse Joy changing her mind. He knew one good push would do the trick with her.

"They can't fire you." He reminded her, hoping it would soothe her nerves.

"They can't?"

"Mhm, because your Nurse Joy." Ash said as if that answered everything. He didn't know if Nurse Joy could really be fired or not, but what he did know was that she was an irreplaceable asset to this hospital. The fact that she'd been stationed here, in a major city, was a testament to how valued she was. He wasn't in the slightest bit familiar with politics and how the itty bitty details on these things worked, but he would hope something this small wouldn't get Nurse Joy fired.

After all, the last thing he wanted was Nurse Joy to get in trouble because of him.

Nurse Joy smirked, the cocky look he was used to right back on her face. "You're right, they wouldn't dare!"

They finally arrived to a door.

"Only fifteen minutes and then you're out of there! Word of advice, the cat's drugged so it's no threat to you. I'll be down the hall."

He nodded his thanks to Nurse Joy and went straight in. The room was small, with four evenly sized walls. There was a single tiny bed, perfect for Meowth's size. Other than the bed, a chair, and a couple of cabinets, the room was empty.

It was just like any standard room for a pokemon in a center.

Meowth was up and eyed him with distrust. When he sat in the chair by the bed the cat hissed at him. He looked at the pokemon curiously; its coat was no longer matted with blood and dirt but a pearly white.

"Remember me?" He smiled as Meowth narrowed its eyes. "You kind of attacked me and my Bulbasaur and scratched up my arm good," he said pointing to it. Meowth's eyes widened with recognition and it looked away.

"Don't worry about it, you certainly apologized for it." He leaned in a little closer and whispered, "I know you can talk."

The cat began to panic as if that sentence just sealed its fate.

"Calm down, I won't tell, promise!" He held the Meowth down before it could hurt itself. Seeing the cat begin to calm he continued, "I just want to talk to you." Meowth eyed him skeptically but let him continue.

"You're a really strong meowth you know that?" Meowth just blinked. He sweat dropped, and wondered where he was trying to go with this conversation. "Well, my name is Ash Ketchum, as of three days ago I'm a trainer." He stuck out his hand and lowered it upon realizing Meowth wouldn't shake it.

"Ash." Meowth's coarse voice repeated. So he wasn't crazy after all! He had stumbled into a talking Meowth!

He nodded his head excitedly "So cool! Can you say it again please?"

"Ash." For some reason the cat decided to humor him.

"Tell me about yourself," Ash encouraged.

The cat pointed to itself and said slowly, "I am Meowth," and stopped right there.

"That's all you can tell me?" The cat nodded.

"Well I guess I'll tell you about me then. You already know my name so how about my hobbies? I like learning and meeting new pokemon. Especially interesting ones like you." Meowth looked away bashfully. "My favorite color is green and my favorite foods are ramen, hamburger and onigiri."

In that moment two stomachs simultaneously grumbled. He laughed and eyed the emotionless meowth. "You can laugh you know?" Meowth just stared.

"Oh, and my dream. It's to become the strongest in the world!"

"S-S-Strongest?" Meowth questioned.

"Yes, become the strongest with my pokemon. A true pokemon master."

He continued to talk with Meowth until his time was up.

Over the next few days he was able to keep convincing Nurse Joy to let him see Meowth. Really, Nurse Joy was seeming to be quite a push over.

On the fourth day after he was done talking to Meowth he quickly found himself annoyed. He was jealous of whoever owned Meowth. Really, Meowth was such a special pokemon and they weren't even treating him right! Not to mention they hadn't even come to get him yet.

Why weren't they looking for him?

"Hey Meowth can I ask you a question?" He asked. Meowth looked at him curiously and chirped out a yes. It was the sixth day he was talking to the cat pokemon and he was growing quite fond of Meowth.

Meowth was on the timid side, but the more time the boy spent with him, the more open he became.

"Well, I was wondering what you were doing that day you attacked Bulbasaur and me." Ash quickly glanced at his seed pokemon who sat in a corner snoozing. He had introduced the two on his third visit to see Meowth. The entire time, Bulbasaur had stood on guard, crimson eyes glaring at the cat with distrust. It was only halfway through the fourth visit did Bulbasaur settle down.

While the two pokemon weren't the best of friends, in some strange way Ash liked to think Meowth had earned Bulbasaur's respect. Either that or Bulbasaur just didn't regard him as a threat anymore.

"No." Meowth spoke simply. The cat still wouldn't use complete sentences with him, or he was simply unable to? Meowth was a bit bashful and shy, completely unlike his persona when he attacked Bulbasaur and him.

"What do you mean no? No, you won't tell me?"

"I can't," Meowth tried to explain.

"Why not?" he pressed, but Meowth would talk no more.

"Does this have something to do with your trainer?" He asked suspiciously. Meowth just looked away and silence came over the room. He hadn't brought up the attack after the first day. It was clearly something Meowth regretted and agonized over.

"Well, can you tell me anything about your trainer? Are you happy with them?" Meowth averted his gaze and silence overcame the room.

"Shiny." Meowth's eyes widened and glued to his pocket.

"Huh? What's shiny?" From the way he was sitting some of the coins in his pocket were poking out. He held up one to the meowth but the cat shook its head.

"That one." Ash took out his silver marble. It was his favorite but seeing the look on Meowth's face made him hand it over. The cat hugged the marble preciously, holding it with care. He decided to try again.

"Did your trainer know where you were?"

"Yes." Was Meowth's simple answer.

So Meowth's owner knew it was out and about. Was it possible that Meowth's owner knew it attacked him? While Meowth was distracted with playing with his marble he worded his next question carefully.

"Did you have to attack us for some reason?"

"Yes." Came Meowth's distracted answer. For a second Ash halted the next question at the tip of his tongue. He smiled as he watched Meowth giggle and lick the marble. Then, Meowth peeled away from it and made a humorous expression at how nasty it tasted.

Ash rested his chin on his palm. "Are you going to get in trouble with your trainer for attacking us?"

Meowth paused and then titled his head in confusion as if not understanding why he would get in trouble. "No, meowth was told to."

Something clicked within Ash and he asked his next question hesitantly. "Meowth, did your trainer tell you to attack Bulbasaur and me?"

Meowth froze, as if realizing he had made some kind of mistake. "N-No." Ash frowned, seeing as he hadn't heard Meowth stutter in a while. It only happened when the cat was incredibly nervous about something.

He took in Meowth's down casted eyes and the marble he had abandoned playing with. Ash knew without a doubt that Meowth was lying, but why?

Why would a trainer tell their pokemon to attack him? It just didn't make sense to Ash.

There was suddenly a knock at the door.

"Did your trainer tell you to hurt me? Was that what they wanted?!" He tried his best to get Meowth to look at him but the cat wouldn't pick his head up.

"I can't." Meowth finally looked up. The cat's face was set in a determined pout of sorts, but he seemed to be staring at something. Ash followed his gaze to…Bulbasaur?

What would Meowth's owner want with Bulbasaur?

"Bulbasaur?" Ash spoke aloud, unintentionally wakening his starter pokemon. He looked away from Bulbasaur then back to Meowth.

Another knock at the door, louder this time ringed in his ears.

"Meowth you can trust me you know. You can tell me anything!" He grabbed Meowth's shoulders gently and looked into his eyes with urgency. He needed the cat to understand he could trust him.

Meowth shook his head and picked the marble back up to stare at.

Another loud knock, and Nurse Joy's voice had him on his feet.

"You deserve a trainer who wouldn't make you do things you don't want to, Meowth." He sternly looked into Meowth's face, who looked away shamefully. Then feeling a bit guilty he leaned over and shuffled the tuff of fur on the cat's head.

"Keep the marble." He smiled at Meowth's embarrassed face.

When he walked out the room two nurse assistants and a chansey walked in. He supposed to check up on Meowth.

"That was way over fifteen minutes just so you know!" Nurse Joy said.

"Thank you," he mumbled. He was disappointed that he didn't get all he wanted out of the cat, but he hoped to get more out of him tomorrow.

Though the next day, Meowth's bed was empty, and only a single shiny marble remained.

ooo

A/N: Twenty thousand words and fifty one pages! Whew, I'm tired! Ever since I decided to start this story over I've been agonizing over the tiny details and this is why it's taken so long. I'm finally satisfied with the final product and I hope you guys are too!

Feel free to ask questions in the review, without spoiling I will be answering every single one. If you're a guest review I will simply reply to you in the next chapter which will be soon (hopefully.)

Tell me what I can improve on, and if possible point out any grammar mistakes you see. Or, if you don't know what to review, simply me what your favorite kanto pokemon is and why you think Ash should get it. You never know, if your convincing enough it could sway my opinion since Ash's team isn't set in stone yet.