Chapter Text
'Finally, I can begin my journey tomorrow', thought the ten-year-old Ash as he finished packing his backpack with the essentials he would need for his travels. The young trainer-to-be ruffled his black locks and stood up from his kneeling position on the floor, turning his head to look at the Voltorb clock on his night stand; it read 8:45.
It had been a grueling five years at the trainer academy in Viridian City, but it had been worth it. Two decades ago, the Goodshow family, who had been running the Pokémon league since its inception, decided that anyone who wanted to become a Pokémon trainer of any sort had to take a five year course in not only training and caring for Pokémon, but survival as well. Upon turning ten, and/or finishing your five years worth of schooling, you could apply to take the final exam. Passing it granted you your trainer's license.
The earliest you could enter into the schools was five years old, which Ash eagerly did. He had wanted to leave when he turned ten, after all. The only other kid who entered at the age of five around Pallet Town had been his friend and rival, Gary Oak. The two of them had pushed each other to do their best in school, earning them the top spots score-wise. They had passed the exam with flying colors, and his mother and Professor Oak could not have been more proud of them.
Of course Ash's mom was rather reluctant to let her son leave at the age of ten, but there was nothing she could do. It was written in law that once a child turned ten, they were a legal adult in the eyes of the law. It had been that way since ancient times and the Goodshow's refused to overturn the law, no matter how many pleas and complaints they received from parents.
Ash thanked every legendary that exists and ever existed for this one small mercy. He did not know if he would be able to wait until he was older to go on his journey, though he knew many kids did, stating that they felt they were not ready. Phft, not him. He had been ready since he was four years old, old enough to understand what Pokémon were and what Pokémon training was.
Stretching, Ash sat on his bed and turned his television on to watch the upcoming Elite Four challenge matches. Nothing excited him more than watching powerful Pokémon battle after all.
This year, the winner of last year's Indigo League issued an "all-or-nothing" challenge towards the Elite Four. This meant he woud work his way up to Lance in hopes of taking the champion's title. If he lost at any point during the other three battles, he would have to start all over after six months.
The other challenge was the "replacement" challenge, where the challenger would fight their way up as far as they could go, and whoever they defeated last, should they lose, would be replaced.
The current Elite Four, naturally, used their strongest teams for this type of challenge. They did not want to lose their place, after all.
No one who has issued this challenge has gotten past Lorelei in the last decade.
That is not to say that they did not give it their all during the "all-or-nothing" challenge of course, but every person, since Lance became champion, who made it to him were quickly defeated by the dragon trainer, so they tended to use their weaker teams.
Ash watched as the challenger, Jason Mortez, defeated Lorelei and Bruno with relative ease, though he knew if those two had used their strongest Pokémon, Jason would not have stood a chance against them.
It was when he got to Agatha that he ran into problems.
"Nidorino, let's go!" Jason cried out over the TV, the medium sized Poison-type giving a cry upon its release. It scuffed the ground in preparation for battle.
"Hmph, child's play. Gengar, show him your strength," Agatha said calmly as she tossed her Gengar's Pokéball on to the field. The creepy Ghost-type gave its signature grin and laugh as it materialized.
Ash could see Jason visibly gulp and start to sweat when the camera panned back over to him. He had every right to be nervous, though. Agatha was an incredibly difficult Elite Four member to defeat. There was a reason she was right under Lance, after all.
The battle went as Ash predicted- Jason was thoroughly trounced by Agatha's powerful Ghost-types. He did put up a good fight though, even if he made stupid mistakes like using Tackle against her Gengar. Ash had no idea what he was thinking, but it could have just been the nerves.
"And there you have it folks, Jason Mortez has been stopped by Agatha. He will now have to wait six months before he can challenge the Elite Four again," the announcer stated, and Jason sighed as he returned his Altaria.
The crowd went silent as Agatha walked over to her defeated opponent, stopping in front of him in her signature pose.
"I don't say this to a lot of trainers, but you have a lot of potential, sonny. Come back when you've trained your Pokémon more and perhaps you will defeat me," she complimented.
"Thanks, Agatha," Jason replied, smiling shakily. The crowd around him clapping in respect.
"However, that was a pathetic battle you gave me today. Next time, lose the nerves and be more confident, or you will never get to Lance." With that, she turned around and walked out of the stadium, Jason's shocked expression and now silent crowd following her.
Ash snorted at Jason's expression. 'Well, she's not wrong. He made way too many mistakes because of how nervous he was.' A knock on his door snapped him out of his thoughts, and he turned to see his mother standing there with her hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face.
"Ash Ketchum, it's almost 11:30, why aren't you in bed? You have to be up early to get your Pokémon, you know."
"Sorry, mom, I was watching the Elite Four challenge. Plus, I'm too excited to sleep!" His mom sighed at his declaration.
"Alright, get in bed and lay on your stomach," Delia said, and Ash complied. He knew what she was going to do, it had been something she used to do when he was younger and could not fall asleep. It worked every time.
Quickly turning off the TV, he got under the covers and laid on his stomach. He soon felt a soft and gentle hand rubbing soothing circles on his back as his mother began humming a familiar lullaby.
He was out like a light in minutes.
The next morning, Ash awoke rather abruptly, turning his head to look at the Voltorb clock on his night stand. He panicked as it read 11:45.
"Ahh, I'm late!" He shouted, forgoing changing his clothes and charged out of his room, almost tripping over himself going down the stairs.
"Morning Ash, I-" Delia started before her son interrupted as he ran past her.
"SorrymomI'mlategottarun," Ash shouted in one breath as he flew out the front door. Delia looked at the open front door and then at the clock above the TV in confusion.
"But... It's only 7:15."
The young trainer-to-be ran up the steps to Professor Oak's lab, stopping to catch his breath for a few seconds, before hastily knocking rather loud on the door. Soon after the aged professor opened the door with a look of surprise on his face.
"Ash? What are you doing here so early?" Oak asked in astonishment. That question made Ash's eyes bug out.
"Early? Professor, it's 11:45!" Oak blinked and then chuckled.
"I think you've got your times mixed up m'boy. It's only 7:20 in the morning."
The ten-year-old just stared blankly at the aged professor as he tried to process the information that he was early rather than late.
"No matter, Ash. Come inside and we'll get you your first Pokémon," Oak stated and stepped back inside his lab, Ash eagerly following behind him after snapping out of his thoughts.
He could not believe it, he was about to his first Pokémon ever! One that was registered under him and not the Viridian Pokémon Academy. His whole body was buzzing with excitement as Professor Oak led him into the area where he kept the Pokémon that he gave out to new trainers. The professor hit a switch and a pedestal rose from the floor, opening its glass dome and revealing three Pokéballs within it.
"Right, as I'm sure you know, your choices from me are Bulbasaur, the gentle Grass and Poison-type Pokémon; Charmander, the feisty Fire-type; and Squirtle, the hardy Water-type. You may only choose one, so choose wisely," Oak explained, letting out a secret smile when Ash turned around to look at the three Pokéballs.
The trainer-to-be was conflicted, naturally. All three of these Pokémon would be amazing partners to start out with, and in time, be any trainer's most powerful Pokémon, but which one should he choose? Each one had their pros and cons, just like any Pokémon.
Bulbasaur was a versatile fighter, capable of dishing out powerful attacks and status inflicting moves. It was fairly bulky and able to take a lot of hits as well. The Grass and Poison-type was the easiest of the three to raise and train as well. On top of all of that, it was the only one out of the three to have the fewest cons attached to it, aside from its slower speed as it evolved and near-lack of moves outside of the Grass and Poison-typing.
Still, even if it was not the most popular choice, for some reason, it was a viable option to choose from.
Next was Squirtle, the actual tank of the three. It could take attacks like a boss and throw them right back at their opponent with just as much power, if not more. It had a decent variety of attacks and moves it could learn as well, including Dragon Pulse! Squirtle was a pretty easy Pokémon to raise as well. Not as easy as Bulbasaur, but still fairly easy. Its biggest downfall was its speed. Being built like a tank, it was incredibly slow on land. It could be circumvented with the right training and moves, but it was not something that happened overnight. It would be worth it, however.
Not a bad choice in the least.
The last option, however, was the most popular and infamous Kanto Pokémon- Charmander. It was a powerhouse of a Pokémon, especially as it evolved, and could unleash powerful attacks upon their opponents. It was no tank, like Squirtle, but it could take a fair few hits before being taken down. The biggest downside to it, however, was their feisty and arrogant attitude that only grew worse as they evolved. They were incredibly difficult to raise. But, if you could gain their trust and respect and train them right, they would be the most invaluable partner you could ever have.
Ash was up to the task of raising such a Pokémon if he chose Charmander, but it would be a long road to his goals if he did so. Still, it would be worth it.
He was well versed in these three Pokémon as they had covered them extensively in school. They were Kanto's most popular Pokémon after all, it would have been a crime if they had not covered them.
Ash studied the three Pokéballs with intense eyes, weighing his choices. He still did not notice the secret, all-knowing smile the professor had on his face as he hummed to himself, debating over which one to choose.
After a few minutes of internal debate, he slowly reached out a hand towards one of the Pokéballs, but stopped halfway there, eyebrows furrowed. Something did not feel right in choosing one of these Pokémon. It was as if none of them were truly meant for him. It was an odd feeling, but he went with it.
"Professor?" Ash started.
"Yes, Ash?" Oak answered, the smile dropping to a more casual one.
"I know this may sound odd, but would you happen to have any other Pokémon I could choose from?" Ash asked. He knew regional professors tended to have back-up Pokémon for trainers, just in case. It was something they only spent a very small amount of time on in school. It was in the chapter where they studied Pokemon Professors, both the currents ones and the past ones, as well as the profession itself.
"I certainly do, but why do you ask? You weren't late, or were a last minute trainer, after all."
"I know, but for some odd reason, these three don't feel right for me, you know?"
"Hmmm, understandable. Well, I only have one other Pokémon to give out right now, the others were sent to my colleagues as they needed them for some of their trainers," Oak explained, though it was a huge lie. Not that he would ever tell the young man that, of course. He had plenty of spare Pokémon to give out, but if he wanted Ash's future to be what it was in his own past, then he had to lie. After all, the pre-teen very well could choose a completely different Pokémon, and that would throw the future, and the past, into whack.
"Oh, yeah, sure, that's okay," Ash said. Though he thought to himself, if I don't feel like this is the Pokémon for me either, I'll just choose from the main three.
Nodding, Professor Oak left the room to retrieve the mystery Pokémon. Ash twiddled his thumbs and looked around the lab as he waited. So many interesting things to look at and touch, though he forcibly restrained himself. Last thing he wanted to do was break something as the equipment looked rather expensive!
A few moments later, the professor returned with a Pokéball in hand.
"Well, here she is, m'boy. I hope you like her. She's a bit older and stronger than most beginning Pokémon I give out, but she's friendly and energetic, so I don't see any issue hopefully giving her to you," he explained, holding out the unmarked Pokéball towards Ash.
Ash gently grabbed the Pokéball, and, taking a deep breath, opened the Pokéball to reveal his first friend and partner for life. He hoped.
What materialized from the ball was not something he was expecting. His eyes went wide as he stared into the friendly, deep, ocean blue eyes of the Pokémon staring up at him from the floor.
"Is that a Joltik?!" He exclaimed in shock. Said Pokémon chirped and danced a bit in happiness. Ash knew what a Joltik was from school, of course. It was a Pokémon that originated in Unova, but has since spread out over the entire globe. They were rather uncommon Pokémon to find in the wild, and highly underrated Electric-types. He had seen them, and their evolution Galvantula, on TV before. They were incredibly fast and powerful Pokémon, but were wildly unpopular because they were spiders, and thus also a Bug-type. Ash did not care though, a Pokémon was a Pokémon, in his eyes.
"Indeed it is, Ash. I caught her a couple of months ago, as she was hanging a web around my wires outside. She put up quite the fight too!" Joltik chirped in agreement to that as she stared up at Ash and studied him.
Ash blinked as he suddenly noticed something. "Hey, she's a bit large, isn't she? The text books said they typically grow to be about four or five inches long. If I remember correctly."
"Ah, well, that's the males that are that small, Ash. Males are the ones you see most often in the wild, so it's no wonder they would put that in the school books. Females are more elusive, even if they are bigger. This girl here is a foot long, very normal for her age. Once she grows another foot, she'll be ready to shed her exoskeleton and evolve." Joltik's blue eyes sparkled at the word "evolve".
"Wow, how big will she be when she evolves, professor?"
"Oh, about six or seven feet long I'd wager. Quite big, considering males only get to be about two or three feet in length."
Ash whistled at that and knelt down to greet the friendly Pokémon. "Hi, Joltik, my name's Ash! I want to become the most powerful Pokémon trainer in the world, but to do that, I need partners and friends by my side. What do you say?" He greeted and held out his hand, waiting. He felt a connection to this Pokémon from the moment he held her ball in his hand. He only hoped she would accept him as her trainer, and as a partner.
Joltik stared deeply into Ash's brown eyes, judging him. Ash held his breath, but released it shortly after as the little spider gave a squeal and, quite rapidly, sprinted up his arm and perched atop his head. Ash knew they were fast from TV, but wow, it was different experiencing it firsthand.
"Well, I can see you two are going to get along great! Before you go though, I need to give you your Pokédex and Pokéballs," Oak said, and went over to his desk, pulling out said items, and handed them to Ash.
The Pokedex he was handed was a sleek, dark red color and looked highly advanced for what it was. He knew about the Rotomdex and how advanced it was, but he had always been partial to the good old fashioned ones, even if they were less convenient in some ways.
"It's no Rotomdex, I'm afraid, but it's just as advanced in many ways," Oak stated.
"Oh that's alright, Professor Oak, I prefer these kind anyway," Ash reassured, flipping the Pokédex this way and that, studying the outside of it before flipping it open to look at the inside.
"Just remember, Ash, that while the Pokédex is an encyclopedia, among many things, it also contains your ID and trainer's license. So try not to lose or break it," Oak explained, a serious look on his face.
"Of course, professor. I'll take care of it, no worries," Ash said, attempting to instinctively put the Pokédex and Pokéballs in his pockets, but failing when he suddenly realized he was still wearing his pajamas. Eyes going wide, he blushed in embarrassment and scratched the back of his head, being careful not to jostle Joltik. "Um, you wouldn't happen to have a bag, would you? Heh heh..."
"Mom, I'm back!" Ash called as he walked through the front door of his home, Joltik still firmly attached to the top of his head, and a small paper bag in his left hand. Said Pokémon's blue eyes were roving over the new environment her young trainer had brought her into, curious about the way it looked. It was way different than any Pokémon den or the lab, that was for sure.
Human dens sure were weird, she decided. Nice, and definitely large, but weird.
"Oh, Ash, you're back? You sure went flying out the door earlier, you had me a bit worried," Delia stated, coming out the kitchen, a pleasant aroma of breakfast following her. It caused Ash's stomach to rumble in hunger.
"Sorry mom, I thought I was late picking up my Pokémon," he replied, looking a bit sheepish.
"Ash, you know I would have woken you up in time! And I- oh, who is that cutie?" Delia asked, cutting herself off as she finally noticed the yellow Pokémon perched atop her son's head. Joltik gave a series of happy clicks and chirps at being called "cute".
"That's Joltik! She's the one I got from Professor Oak," Ash explained, reaching up to softly run his hand through her silky, yellow hairs. She closed her eyes in contentment and gave the spider equivalent of a purr.
Delia walked over and stroked Joltik as well, said Pokémon feeling like she was on Cloud Nine.
"Well, she is absolutely adorable! Alright, we'll talk more over breakfast, so the two of you scoot yourselves into the kitchen," Delia jokingly commanded, Ash eagerly complying. The smell had been driving him nuts!
After piling his plate full of his mother's wonderful cooking, and pouring a generous amount of Bug-type Pokémon food that his mom kept into a bowl for Joltik, he dug in with gusto. That was one of the things he would miss about home- his mother's wonderful home-cooked meals.
Such would be part of his life as a trainer, sadly.
"So, what made you choose Joltik over Bulbasaur, Squirtle, or Charmander, Ash?" Delia asked her son. She knew he would have been the first one there to get a Pokémon, so there was no reason to choose a Pokémon outside those three.
Gulping his mouthful of food, Ash replied, "I just didn't feel like one of those Pokémon were for me, mom. I don't know what it was, but when I reached out to grab one of their Pokéballs, it felt wrong. When I asked the professor for a different Pokémon and he came back with Joltik's ball, it felt right, you know? It's hard to explain, but there was this instant connection I felt when I held her ball in my hand." Joltik let out a clicking sound in agreement. She had felt an instant connection when she laid her eyes on Ash for the first time.
"I understand, honey. Your father had felt the same way when he chose Charmander for his first Pokémon," Delia said, smiling a bit sadly at the memory of her late husband. Ash, who never got to know his father, just nodded thoughtfully. He respected the man for all the accomplishments he had achieved as a trainer and person, but he never really thought about him much. After all, he had died when he was a baby. Or so his mom said.
They never did find a body, so it was entirely possible the man was out there somewhere alive, but Ash never dwelled on it.
He would never find his father, anyway.
Ash, with Joltik now perched on top of his hat, stood at the entrance to Route 1, staring into the grassland with anticipation. He had left home just a short while ago, after a tearful goodbye with his mother. It had not been easy to say goodbye, but he knew if he wanted to get on with his life and journey, it had to be done.
Oh, and he had found out his clock's batteries had died in the middle of the night after he had gotten dressed. At least he would not have to put up with that anymore; the Pokedex had an alarm built into it, and said piece of technology ran on solar power.
'Speaking of the Pokédex', Ash thought, 'I should probably get some information on Joltik before we head out any further.' Pulling the device out of his jacket's pocket, he pointed it up at Joltik, who did not even notice as she was too busy looking around at her surroundings. It beeped, signaling that it got a reading. He quickly read through the information, as he had turned off the voice function back at his house, and was rather impressed.
Skimming the general information on Joltik, Ash scrolled it down to the specific information on his Pokémon.
'Let's see... Length is one foot, knew that. Weight is 2.5 pounds, alright. Ability is Compound Eyes, awesome! Her accuracy with attacks will be increased, if I remember right. And now her moves... String Shot, Absorb, Spider Web, Shock Wave, Thunder Wave, and Bug Bite. Wow, she's got quite the arsenal!'
Ash was quite pleased with his first friend's list of moves, though he knew there was definite room for improvement that he would work her on immediately.
'Alright, let's see what Joltik can learn,' Ash thought as he moved on to the list of moves a Joltik could learn. 'Okay, there's quite a few moves here, but I think I have the first two I want her to start on.'
"Alright," the young trainer exclaimed while snapping his Pokédex shut gently, startling the Pokémon settled on his head, "let's get going Joltik, we have a lot to do from here on out." Joltik let out a chitter at his proclamation.
After walking for only a few short minutes, Ash spotted a Pidgey rooting around the grass for seeds and insects. Not an uncommon sight. After all, Pidgey, Rattata, and Spearow pretty much made up the vast majority of the Pokémon population on Route 1. Still, Ash grinned at the opportunity for a battle.
"Alright Joltik, this is our first battle as a team. Let's see what you can do! Go!" Joltik let out a squeal of excitement, alerting the Pidgey to their presence, and jumped down to stand in front of her trainer, rear-end sticking up in an attack pose. Getting the hint, the wild Pidgey let out a chirp and took to the air, almost immediately coming down in a dive for a Tackle attack.
"Dodge it," Ash calmly commanded, Joltik doing just that. The Pidgey swung back around and came back for round two with another Tackle.
"Use String Shot and slam it into the ground as hard as you can." Joltik did as Ash ordered, unleashing a sticky web from her rear-end that stuck to the incoming bird's chest. It let out a squawk of surprise as Joltik swung it around and slammed it into the ground in front of her rather brutally. The bird let out a deep trill of pain as it tried to stand back up and escape, but Ash was having none of it.
"Shock Wave, finish it off!" The little spider let out a clicking sound before letting loose the thin, but powerful blue bolt of electricity. The Pidgey let out a shrill cry of pain before finally giving in to the void of unconsciousness.
"Yeah alright, you did it Joltik! You were amazing!" Ash praised, picked up the little spider, and danced around with her in celebration. Joltik let out trills and clicks in happiness at the praise.
Calming down a bit, Ash put her back on top of his hat and went over to check on the Pidgey. It was still alive, thankfully, so he picked it up and moved it under a nearby bush for safety while it recovered.
Pokémon were extremely hardy creatures, it would be fine soon enough, Ash knew.
"Alright, let's get going, it's a few days walk from here to Viridian City." Joltik gave a click in acknowledgement as Ash started walking north once more.
Over the course of the next couple of days, Ash had Joltik fight a number of wild Pokémon for experience and to strengthen her current moves. Rattata, Pidgey, a few Hoothoot in the evenings, and the odd Sentret here and there during the day. He had yet to start training her on the two new moves he wanted her to learn, but she did learn Screech on her own while fighting a Rattata on the second day.
The little rat had kept dodging her attacks and it had annoyed her so much that she had started vibrating in anger, which resulted in an ear-piercing Screech attack that stopped the rat in its place. She quickly knocked it out after that.
Ash had been so proud of her for that. He researched on his Pokédex how a Pokémon like Joltik could even learn the move as they had no vocal cords. He learned that Bug-types vibrated their bodies or rubbed certain body parts together to produce sound-based attacks. Definitely not something they covered in school!
'Well, now that she knows Screech, she can learn Bug Buzz down the road that much quicker!' Ash had thought to himself after looking up the information. Many moves, even if they were not related type-wise, were still gateway moves into other, more powerful variations.
Younger Pokémon, especially those who have not evolved, tended to learn and master their attacks and abilities much quicker than their evolved forms. When someone had asked why in his class, their teacher equated it to young human children picking up certain skills, such as language, much faster than they would as an adult.
Of course, there were only certain moves some Pokémon could learn once they evolved, but that was not an issue to Ash. He planned to train his Pokémon to learn as many powerful attacks and skills (and to reach their max potential) as possible before they evolved. If they evolved, that is. Some Pokémon did not have an evolution, and some just did not want to. Though those tended to just have insecurities that he would work through with them. Ash would never force a Pokémon to evolve, but he knew they would not reach their full potential unless they did.
Ash sighed as he looked up at the sky on day three of their trek through Route 1. Fighting wild Pokémon was good and all, but he had yet to come across another trainer to battle. He was not too surprised as Route 1 was typically traveled by trainers and non-trainers from Pallet Town, so there was not much in the way of human traffic, so to speak.
One other thing he had yet to come across was Spearow. It was rather odd as they were usually all over Route 1. Not that he was too upset by this, those birds were nasty little creatures. They were highly territorial and aggressive and did not take kindly to strangers in their territory.
"Speak of the devil...," Ash mumbled as he spotted said devil-bird twenty feet in front of him and Joltik. Joltik raised her hackles at the sight of the Spearow, ready to fight at Ash's command. "No, Joltik, we're gonna try and avoid this one," Ash whispered to her as he felt her tighten her legs around his head in preparation to jump. She relaxed slightly, but was still prepared, which Ash was thankful for.
"Alright, let's back up a bit and give it a wide berth, then we'll go around it. Let's keep an eye on it though, they are very unpredictable Pokémon." Ash slowly walked backwards, him and Joltik never taking their eyes off of the bird, who was rooting around in the ground for worms and insects. Unlike Pidgey, Spearow were strictly insectivores and carnivores, which attributed to their aggressive behavior. Spearow and Fearow were great hunters and would kill anything they could, including humans who had no protection against them.
Walking a good thirty feet or so around the Spearow, Ash thought they were in the clear and gave a silent sigh of relief. Spearow had a pretty poor sense of hearing, but their eyesight and sense of smell were tremendous. They must have been downwind of it, thankfully.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans for him that day. A loud sound to the right of him, caused by a pair of fighting Rattata running by, gave them away. The Spearow, hearing the loud noises, turned in Ash and Joltik's direction. Ash froze in fear as the bird's cruel-looking eyes locked on to him, and more importantly, on to Joltik.
You may be asking why would anyone be afraid of one little bird, no matter how aggressive, if they had a Pokémon for protection on them? Well, one bird would not be an issue, but a whole flock of said aggressive bird? That would be an issue. A big issue. One Ash knew he would be facing as soon as the Spearow released a loud call to arms, which it did as soon as it spotted the two of them.
"Rrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwww!" Came the terrifying caw.
"RUN!" Ash shouted in a panic. "RUN JOLTIK, GO!" Joltik, not questioning the order, leaped from the top of his head and sprinted as fast as she could down the path, Ash following her as fast as he could go.
The sound of many, many wings grew closer, as did the cacophony of caws from multiple Spearow. Ash's fear for his life grew in intensity as the birds neared. He knew Joltik would be safe, she could easily outrun them with her speed, but not him. When he felt that first peck on the back of his head, it caused him to stumble and fall on to the ground with a cry of pain.
The Spearow took advantage of his prone state and dive-bombed him with wings, beaks, and talons without mercy. The only thing Ash could instinctively think to do at a time like this was to cry out one word.
"MOMMY!"
Joltik, some ways up the path, heard his cry and immediately turned around to the horrible sight of her friend and trainer being viciously attacked by the flock of Spearow. She could even see some blood on the ground.
A righteous fury that she had never felt before surged through her. She would kill these birds for this! Running as fast as her legs could carry her, she began to unleash Shock Wave after Shock Wave upon the murderous birds, putting as much power as she could behind each one. As more of them fell, the birds finally took notice of her presence, but she was not going to give them an inch to retaliate.
She started vibrating as hard as she could while circling the mob, letting loose a powerful Screech that immobilized a vast majority of the Spearow as they cried out in pain and fell to the ground. She shot Spider Web after Spider Web to keep them from escaping as the sticky substance locked their legs and wings together. She electrocuted each and every one of them until she was sure they were dead.
Joltik must have downed at least thirty of the nasty little beasts before the rest of them flew away in fear and defeat. Breathing heavily from the exertion, the little spider crawled over to Ash, who was curled up in a little ball, shaking and crying. She nudged him a bit in concern, but he just curled up tighter. Making her clicking sound, hoping he would respond to that, did nothing either. Her last resort? A tiny jolt of electricity.
That snapped him out of it.
"Ah! Joltik, what the he- Joltik?! What are you... huh?" Ash finally noticed his surroundings, and the thirty-some odd dead Spearow laying around him. Some still crackling with electricity as it coursed through their bodies, while others were tied up in thick, sticky webbing. Confused, and emotionally drained, the young trainer wiped his face of dirt and tears, grimacing as blood was mixed in from the cuts and gouges on his hands and arms.
"You... you did this, Joltik?" Ash asked, and his first partner gave a little body wiggle as an affirmative. Gratitude and love coursed through his body. "You saved me..." Ash murmured and he gently picked up his Pokémon and hugged her to his chest, both ignoring the blood for now. "Thank you, thank you so much. You risked your own life for mine, even when I gave you the chance to escape. I'll never be able to repay you." Joltik disagreed with that, but it was not like she could tell him, so she accepted the hug with relish.
Ash released his Pokémon from his grip and stood up on shaking legs, limping over to the river he knew was nearby to wash up. Joltik loyally followed him to make sure he would not fall prey to anything else.
Stripping out of his clothes as carefully as he could, he waded into the river and started washing, hissing in pain as the cold water ran over his injuries. Quickly getting out, he dug into his, weirdly undamaged, backpack and pulled out some fresh clothes. Ash knew he needed to dress his wounds first, however. As he started to pull out his first aid kit, he suddenly remembered reading about the amazing healing and preservative properties of Pokémon web and silk sometime last year.
"Hey, Joltik? Do you think you could wrap my wounds with your String Shot?" Joltik started at him in question, not caring one bit about her trainer's nudity. "Just trust me on this, it'll help me better than the man-made stuff I have for now." Giving the spider equivalent of a shrug, she turned around and shot a weak String Shot out of her rear, Ash catching it and gently pulling more out as he wrapped his injured body in the sticky, but smooth substance.
A few minutes later he was done, and he quickly got dressed before some stranger or strangers came by and saw him butt naked by the river (Joltik had quickly dipped in the river to wash herself off while he was dressing).
"Okay, let's get going. The sooner we get to Viridian City, the better," Ash proclaimed, and picked up his backpack, Joltik climbing back on to her favorite perch- his head. He soon arrived back at the area where he was attacked and glared heatedly at the dead Spearow in pure hatred. He used to love all Pokémon, but Ash now had one he hated more than anything else in this world.
Even still, he would not look a gift horse in the mouth. Swiftly, he opened up his backpack and pulled out a smaller bag. Joltik looked on in confusion, and gave a chirp in question.
"It's an expandable preservation bag. It can hold hundreds of items and keep them fresh for years. I got it as a gift from school for being the top student of the year," Ash explained, chuckling a bit at Gary's reaction at being beaten out of the top spot. By two points no less. "We're going to keep these Spearow for emergency food. This way they'll be good for something."
Quickly gathering all the Spearow, leaving a couple for some wild Pokémon to take advantage of, Ash took off for Viridian City once more, limping slightly along the way.
He never noticed the pair of eyes looking at him and Joltik from the treetops nearby with pure malice. The one Spearow who stayed back from the fight vowed he would get revenge on that human and his pesky little electric spider. If not for his flock, then for his pride as a leader.
It may be years from now, but one day he would.
He would see to it personally.
Viridian City loomed over the horizon as Ash approached it after hours of walking. He gazed at it in relief, glad to have finally arrived at his destination. He was tired, sore, dirty, and in desperate need of a shower and medical attention.
As he approached the gates, a hand suddenly shot out of seemingly nowhere and grabbed the back of his jacket, halting him in place. Joltik, having become super protective of her trainer, started sparking threateningly as she whipped around and glared at the human who dared to touch her Ash. The hand withdrew immediately and the human put their hands up in a peace gesture.
"Whoa, easy there, I mean no harm! I just need to see some- Ash?"
"Officer Jenny?" Ash questioned as he turned around and finally saw who had grabbed him.
"I'm sorry Ash, I didn't realize it was you! You've got quite the protective Pokémon there," Jenny stated, as she gazed at the still glaring Joltik.
"Easy Joltik, she's a friend," Ash said in a soothing voice, reaching up to gently stroke along her back. Joltik calmed down, but still stared warily at the female human before her. "Sorry about that, I didn't realize she would be so protective of me, though considering..." he trailed off in memory.
"It's alright, I know some Pokémon can be- good gracious Ash, what the heck happened to you?!" Jenny exclaimed, finally noticing the young man's condition. Ash grimaced as he recounted to Jenny what happened a few hours ago.
"Ugh, those damn Spearow. I've told the league time and time again to send some of their high skilled trainers to capture and relocate those birds to a trainer safe area, but they always just brush me off. Actually..." Jenny trailed off, as she pulled out a Xtransceiver. Ash looked at it in wonder, he had always wanted one for himself, but they were extremely expensive.
"Do you mind if I took some pictures? I want to show those idiots what these birds have done to you, and could possibly do to any future beginning trainer," Jenny asked, holding up the device in front of her.
"Uh, sure. Do you want me to unwrap some of Joltik's web?"
"No no, I'll have the doctor at the Viridian Medical Center take the pictures once you're in their care. No need to aggravate your injuries," Jenny said, quickly take photos from all angles. Once she was done, she put her Xtransceiver away.
"Officer Jenny? Don't you usually put those on your wrist?" Ash asked.
"Yes, but in my profession, it's better to keep it tucked away safely so it doesn't get damaged. Right, you're coming with me young man. We need to get you to the hospital pronto," Jenny stated, switching gears in the middle of her explanation. Ash gulped. He liked Jenny a lot. Her driving? Not so much.
Ash clung to the side car of Jenny's motorcycle for dear life, Joltik having moved to cling tightly to the front of his shirt for safety. They had arrived at the medical center just a few moments ago, but neither Ash nor Joltik had budged from the side car, still in fear from the crazy ride there.
"Alright you two, out," Jenny ordered, and Ash slowly, and cautiously, got out of the side car. Jenny rolled her eyes as both Ash and Joltik started kissing the ground.
He was admitted quickly after entering the medical center, as human hospitals were not as busy as Pokémon Centers these days. The webbing was removed from his body, the doctor praising him for his thinking on using his own Pokémon's web silk to prevent possible necrosis caused by infection.
As asked by Officer Jenny, the doctor took photos of his injuries and sent them to her Xtransceiver as requested. Some of them were a lot worse than Ash first imagined them to be, a lot of them requiring stitches and some human potion spray to accelerate the healing process.
Joltik had been by his side the entire time, warily watching the doctor as he worked on Ash's injuries all over his body. He had been forced to strip down, much to his embarrassment, but it turned out one cruel Spearow had managed to land a nasty cut right in his groin area that Ash had not even realized was there. Oh he realized it once the healing spray was applied to the area and he screamed bloody murder at the intense pain, the doctor wincing in sympathy and apologizing. The male nurse assisting him had to restrain Joltik from attacking the doctor, but it was not easy; Joltik was a lot stronger than she looked. She calmed down once Ash explained, in a strained voice, that it was not the doctor's fault, it was the Spearows'.
A couple of hours later Ash was released with stern instruction on how to take care of himself and his remaining injuries that did not immediately fade with the use of the potion. The limp he had would go away in time, which Ash was thankful for.
"Alright, let's get to the Pokémon Center and get a room for the night, I think we're both exhausted from this day," Ash said, yawning loudly. Joltik's eyes drooped as her adrenaline finally wore off, and she would have nodded off if Officer Jenny had not appeared once again.
"I'm sorry to delay you again, Ash, but I just want to warn you about the Team Rocket sightings that have been going on lately. That's originally why I stopped you in the first place, to see your ID and confirm your identity because of them. Just be careful out there and be sure to expand your team as soon as possible, you hear me?"
"Of course Officer Jenny, I'll be careful. And no worries on me expanding my team, I was planning on capturing another Pokémon or two before I got to Pewter City," Ash replied, a serious, but sleepy look on his face.
"Alright, well, you look exhausted, so get to the Pokémon Center and get some sleep, mister!"
"Yes ma'am!"
A half hour later he was snuggled under the covers of his temporary bed, Joltik nestled against his side, fast asleep. He was exhausted, but he could not fall asleep immediately, so Ash laid there, softly stroking Joltik's silky body, lost in thought.
'What happened today must never happen again. I was so weak... And if Joltik had been any younger and even more inexperienced, we both could have been dead today. This will not happen again, not while I'm still alive. We're going to train harder, train more, and show no mercy to our opponents. The world will know what true power looks like when the time comes.'
With that final thought, Ash finally drifted off to sleep, a peaceful, yet determined, look on his face.
END