Ash had been wandering the forest for a while, pushing through branches and tall grass, Spearow still riding shotgun on his shoulder, keeping an eye out for trouble. He had seen plenty of Pokémon, some Caterpie munching on leaves, a few angry Beedrill that he wisely avoided, and more Pidgey than he could count. But none of them caught his interest.
Especially not the Pidgey. Every time he scanned one with the Pokédex, the same disappointing line popped up:
—-
[Ability: Tangled Feet, causes confusion to improve evasiveness]
—-
Ash sighed and stuffed the Pokédex back into his pocket. "Yeah, no thanks. I'll come back for a Pidgey later… if I get desperate."
Deciding to press further into the woods, he kept his eyes peeled for something better. That's when he remembered a certain grass-type Pokémon, Bellsprout. Not exactly the most exciting partner, but a solid pick for the Pewter Gym, and hey, if it only had one ability and one Hidden Ability, that meant any Bellsprout would do.
"I just need one," Ash muttered, scanning the treetops for the telltale yellow buds.
Soon enough, he stumbled into a small clearing. The sunlight peeked through the leaves, and right in the middle, a herd of Pokémon grazed lazily. Four Bellsprout stood tall, swaying gently in the breeze, while six Oddish waddled around them like little blue radishes with legs.
Ash grinned. "Bingo."
He crouched low in the bushes, pulling out his Pokédex like a hunter tracking prey. Spearow tilted its head, watching intently.
"Let's see what we've got…"
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[Bellsprout (M): A carnivorous Pokémon that traps and eats bugs. It appears to use its root feet to replenish moisture.]
[Ability:Chlorophyll Hidden Ability: Effect Spore. Future ability remains the same]
[Current moves: Vine whip, Growth]
[Oddish (M): It may be mistaken for a clump of weeds. If you try to yank it out of the ground, it shrieks horribly]
[Ability:Chlorophyll Hidden Ability: Run Away. Hidden Ability changes to Effect Spore]
[Current moves: Absorb, Growth, Sweet Scent]
[Oddish (F): It may be mistaken for a clump of weeds. If you try to yank it out of the ground, it shrieks horribly]
[Ability:Chlorophyll Hidden Ability: Run Away. Hidden Ability changes to Healer]
[Current moves: Absorb, Growth, Sweet Scent]
_______________________
Seeing this, Ash had a few things to say.
'Why does that Bellsprout have a different ability? It should only have Gluttony. It doesn't have a mutation, so what's different with it?' he wondered.
Then he looked toward the two Oddish. 'Well, the guy's perfect for Vileplume, and the girl is good for a Bellossom. I don't want to train two of them during Kanto, so I'll train the guy now and save the girl for Johto. Professor Oak can take care of it until then.'
With a plan in mind, Ash nudged the bird sitting on his shoulder.
"Spearow, I need you to separate those three in the back on my signal, then use Double Team to keep the rest of the group distracted so I can catch them."
Spearow nodded sharply and flew closer, ready to strike. Meanwhile, Ash reached into his backpack and gently nudged Pikachu awake. Sure, Pikachu wasn't exactly effective against Grass-types, but since when did type disadvantages matter in the anime?
Spearow waited patiently for Ash's signal. As soon as Ash gave the nod, the bird Pokémon dive-bombed the point where the group was gathered. Flapping its wings hard, it kicked up a large dust storm that sent leaves and dirt flying everywhere. In the confusion, Spearow unleashed Double Team, creating copies of itself and darting around the clearing in a flurry of movement. A few quick Pecks sent the panicked Oddish scattering.
Meanwhile, Ash and Pikachu swooped in from the back, heading straight for the trio of Pokémon he'd marked earlier.
"Pikachu, use Thundershock on the Bellsprout!" Ash ordered, while simultaneously throwing two Poké Balls at the Oddish.
The crackling electricity from Pikachu's cheeks zapped the Bellsprout in a direct hit, while the two Poké Balls soared through the air toward the Oddish. The ball containing the female Oddish wobbled three times… and ding! It was caught! But the male Oddish broke free after the second shake, tumbling back into the grass.
And just like that, the surprise round was over.
Spearow, still in the air, was doing a great job of keeping the rest of the herd distracted. With the multiple Double Team clones flitting about, it looked like there were five or six Spearow darting through the clearing. Most of the Oddish, spooked by the chaos, had already bolted, leaving just three Bellsprout behind, nervously trying to hold their ground.
The male Oddish, furious that its friend had been captured, tried to fight back. It started by using Growth, its body glowing faintly as it powered up, then fired off an Absorb attack toward Pikachu.
Meanwhile, the Bellsprout that Pikachu had shocked earlier was barely standing, paralyzed and weak, but it still managed to swing a Vine Whip in Pikachu's direction. Pikachu dodged the Vine Whip but took a hit from the Absorb. But barely did any damage,
Ash didn't get worried, "Pikachu, use Thunder Wave on the Oddish!" he ordered, already preparing two more Poké Balls.
Pikachu's cheeks sparked, and a burst of electricity zapped the Oddish, paralyzing it in place. Seizing the moment, Ash hurled the first Poké Ball at the weakened Bellsprout. It wobbled 1 roll, 2 roll, 3 roll, ding!
Without missing a beat, Ash threw the second PokéBall at the Oddish, and after a tense moment, it too clicked shut with a ding!.
Back in the clearing, the battle continued. The remaining Bellsprout flailed around with frantic Vine Whips, but they couldn't land a hit on the flying Spearow. The bird zipped through the air like a blur, Double Team copies still flitting about.
As the dust finally began to settle, Ash could see the last three Bellsprout, clearly weakened, and a bunch of Oddish fleeing into the trees.
'Huh. I thought we'd have to run after catching those Pokémon, but I guess the fear factor scared most of the problem away. Well, when in doubt… beat up the rest.'
Ash smirked and turned to Pikachu, who was still crackling with energy. He decided to try out a new move they had practiced at the Pokémon Center after the Team Rocket fight.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack! Spearow, don't let up the pressure!"
Pikachu bolted forward, a white streak of energy trailing behind it, and slammed into one of the Bellsprout. The impact sent it tumbling backward, out cold.
Meanwhile, Spearow dived down and took out the last two Bellsprout with a few Pecks.
Ash grinned, hands on his hips, "Nice work, you two."
As the clearing fell quiet once more, Ash recalled Pikachu and Spearow. "Alright, let's head to the lake for some training and food. We've got a big day ahead, and some training if we get to it,"
As they reached the lake, Ash looked toward Spearow. "Okay, it's time for you to train. In case we can't get two more members to help us take down the first Gym, you need to learn a Steel-type move. Like Pikachu dose,"
Ash snapped his finger and Pikachu demonstrated, by using Iron tail, as his tail started glowing silver, Spearow watched looking at his tail feathers then his wings
Ash pulled out some ropes and weights he'd packed before leaving Pallet Town and tied them to Spearow's wings. "I want you two to get used to the weight and get strong enough. When you can do that much we'll try Steel Wing, got it."
As he secured the weights to Spearow's wings, Spearow nearly toppled over from the burden, but he stubbornly kept moving, determined to tough it out, as Pikachu watched, wondering if that was really what he looked like when he was training to learn Iron tail.
Meanwhile, Ash decided to take care of his Grass Pokémon situation. He sent the female Oddish over to Professor Oak for safekeeping, planning to use her later, or maybe he wouldn't who knew.
Then, he sent out the male Oddish and Bellsprout, both still injured from their earlier battle. Ash decided to heal them up, using some medicine he had on hand since he didn't have access to the fancy machines at the Pokémon Center. He also practiced a little Aura healing, he was getting better at it, but it still wasn't perfect. The two Grass-types didn't wake up immediately, so Ash recalled them into their PokéBalls to let them rest.
With that settled, Ash turned his attention to the lake. He could see plenty of Pokémon in the water, including a school of Magikarp and a few Poliwag. 'Heh, there are definitely some Pokémon here that could be interesting', he thought. But for now, he focused on preparing food and Pokéblocks for each of his Pokémon.
Pikachu and Oddish were vegetarian, so it wasn't too hard to prepare their meals. Spearow and Bellsprout, being omnivores, mainly ate Bug-type Pokémon. Ideally, they could go hunt a Caterpie, but legally, Ash couldn't allow that, thanks to a law created by the League and enforced by the Rangers that prohibited trainers from hunting Pokémon for food.
It didn't matter too much, though, Ash had stocked up on ingredients for all his Pokémon.
As he prepared lunch, the smell of the food started to attract wild Pokémon. Some, thinking it might be a good idea to swoop in and steal a bite, crept closer, but most of them were scared off by Spearow or Pikachu, who kept a sharp eye out for intruders.
Speaking of Spearow, the little bird had managed to get used to the weights, though he still couldn't flap his wings hard enough to lift off. Ash and Pikachu smiled trying to hold back a laugh, he handed him some Pokéblocks along with his food.
He also let out Bellsprout and Oddish to check on them and to feed them. As soon as they emerged from their PokéBalls, they stared at Ash, then looked around, clearly searching for their missing friend.
"Bellsprout!"
"Oddish!"
They cried out toward Ash, as if asking where the other Oddish was.
"Relax," Ash said calmly, "your friend is fine. She's in the care of a Pokémon Professor. Once we get to the next town, we can call and check on her. For now, you two need to eat. I'm your trainer now, and I'm going to make sure you get stronger."
Ash also released some of his Aura energy, trying to calm them down. It seemed to work, their tense stances softened, and after a moment of hesitation, they began eating. After finishing, they looked far more relaxed than before.
Just as Ash was about to sit down himself, he noticed a tiny Pidgey nearby, so small it could probably fit in the palm of his hand. Curious, he pulled out his Pokédex and scanned it.
—-
[Pidgey (M): Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. A Normal and Flying type. Pidgey usually doesn't like to battle, but it won't hesitate to attack if provoked.]
[Ability: Keen Eye. Hidden Ability: Sniper. Future Ability remains the same.]
[Current Moves: Tackle, Feather Dance, Sand Attack.]
—-
Ash raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Huh… Pidgey's hidden ability is usually Big Pecks, but this one has Sniper. Weird."
He decided not to dwell on it and instead tried to call over the tiny bird. Grabbing an extra bowl of the food he had given Spearow, he placed it in front of him and waved the Pidgey over.
The little bird cautiously fluttered down in front of the food and began eating eagerly—it looked like it hadn't had a proper meal in a while.
After it finished eating, it chirped softly and looked up at Ash expectantly, as if asking for more.
Ash chuckled. "You're a hungry little guy, aren't you? How about you become my Pokémon? I can keep you fed and help you grow strong."
The tiny Pidgey tilted its head curiously, then hopped forward "purr!"
"Alright," Ash said as he pulled out a Poké Ball and held it out. Pidgey hopped forward and head-butted the ball, which snapped shut with a ding. Ash smiled, then let the bird back out and gave it some more food.
Once everyone was fed and everything was packed, Ash told them to continue their training. Spearow continued the same weighted training, while Pidgey joined him. Bellsprout and Oddish had a different focus, they needed to learn Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, and Stun Spore. It shouldn't be too hard; they both learned these moves naturally at low levels, and Bellsprout's ability would help speed things up.
As for Pikachu, well he would like to get Volt Tackle, but he has no idea how to, since not many strong people use a Pikachu that he could watch to copy, so he just tried getting Electro Ball down
After a few hours, Bellsprout and Oddish had learned the powders. Spearow was getting close to mastering Steel Wing, and Pidgey wasn't far behind either, but they weren't anywhere close to ready
Ash gave each of them a few special Pokéblocks to help them gain better control over their energy. By the end of the series, Pikachu would have such precise control over electricity that he could fire off a 10-million-volt Thunderbolt and control it.
Ash wanted them to ideally see how hard it would be to get them to get that good at controlling their element, even though he probably couldn't get to that strength anytime soon
As the sun began to set, Ash set up a tent and tried to sleep, but he didn't sleep very well. His Pokémon seemed to prefer sleeping outside, so he let them, there was no reason not to.
Lying down, Ash thought to himself, 'Pretty good turnout today. Managed to catch three new Pokémon. But I still need more. According to the videos of Brock's battles, he uses four Pokémon in a 4-on-4 battle. Ideally I don't really want to use the birds, But what should I catch?'
'I'm probably not gonna catch Caterpie. It's not bad, but it's not great either. And let's be honest, I'd probably just release it so it can go mate with that Shiny Butterfree.' Ash thought as he sighed closing his eyes
'Well… that's a problem for the me of tomorrow. The me of now wants to sleep.'