Pokémon A Special Kind Of Journey

[MarkL1987]

A Special Kind Of Journey

Prologue

Everything seemed to be quiet in the house where Cassie Quinn and her older sister Laura lived. Although Laura was several years older, being fourteen compared to Cassie's age of eight, they both loved Pokemon a whole lot. Although it looked quiet, Cassie was shifting around on the couch in the living room. Cassie was on the autism spectrum, so when she got impatient, she tended to do the kind of things that she was doing. And on this day, she was waiting anxiously for her mother to return home with something.

"When's she going to come back, Laura?" asked Cassie.

"You need to have a little bit of patience, sis." Answered Laura. "Sometimes it takes a bit of time for you to get the things you want. Remind me again, what was it that you wanted Mom to get for you on her way home?"

"It was a Dratini that I wanted." Answered Laura.

"But why do you want one?" asked Laura.

"Because it's so beautiful, and when it evolves, it becomes Dragonite!" cried Cassie. "Oh, how I'd love to own a Dragonite!"

"I bet you would, but dragon Pokemon like that aren't easy to find." Said Laura. "If she gets home with something else, and it's not a Dratini, please don't get upset. There's plenty of other Pokemon out there that would be much easier to get."

"Like what?" asked Cassie.

"Well, for starters, Eevee's one of the cutest Pokemon there is." Answered Laura. "It's got several different evolutions, too, depending on how it gets raised. I guess we can talk about it more when Mom gets home." Their mother worked at Pallet Town's local diner, and she was very good at her job. While she had only been employed at the diner for about five months, she had already become very good friends with one of the cooks. That cook was Delia Ketchum. While Cassie's mother had an easy time making friends, it was more difficult for Cassie herself because of her autism. In fact, her first attempt to make friends hadn't gone very well. That was because the boy she tried to make friends with, Gary Oak, kept bullying her constantly. But that bullying only stopped because Gary's grandfather, Professor Oak, along with Gary's sister Daisy, had both stepped in. But thankfully for her, one other boy that lived in Pallet Town liked her very much and was more than happy to be friends with her. That boy was Ash Ketchum. He was the same age as Cassie, and they both had the same goal, which was to be the best Pokemon trainer they could be. In fact, just a few days ago, they had both had a pretty interesting conversation.

Flashback

"Ash, have you ever thought about what kind of trainer you want to be when you get old enough?" asked Cassie.

"I know exactly which kind." Answered Ash. "What I want to be, is a Pokemon master."

"A Pokemon master?" questioned Cassie. "How does that happen?"

"With lots of training, and lots of patience." Answered Ash. "I know there's one Pokemon I'd like to have someday that would be great for my team."

"Which Pokemon's that?" answered Cassie.

"Charizard." Ash simply answered.

"Hey, that's the one that evolves from Charmander, right?" asked Cassie.

"Right." Confirmed Ash. "Although, Squirtle would be great too."

"I know about that one also!" cried Cassie. "It shoots big, powerful blasts of water, and then when it becomes Blastoise, it gets those super cool cannons on its back!"

"Yes, that's right." Said Ash. "How do you know so much about Pokemon?"

"I've been reading a lot of books and also seen a lot of Pokemon documentaries." Answered Cassie. "I know all about types, evolutions, just about everything." Ash chuckled.

"You'd make an excellent trainer when you get older." He replied.

"Ash, let's make a pact that when the time comes, we go on our Pokemon journeys together as friends." Suggested Cassie.

"Going on a journey together. I like the sound of that." Said Ash. "Okay, that's a promise, Cassie." They both laid back on the grass and looked up at the clouds.

"Hey, that one up there looks like a Pikachu." Said Ash.

"Pikachu's super cute!" cried Cassie. "I'd love to have one!"

"I suppose that's possible." Said Ash. "To tell you the truth, I wouldn't mind having a Pikachu myself." Then they saw another cloud that got Cassie excited.

"That one up there looks like an Eevee!" she cried. "Maybe that'll be my starter Pokemon."

"I don't know about that." Said Ash. "Professor Oak usually only gives one of Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle."

"All three of those are fine Pokemon, but I still love Eevee a lot!" cried Cassie. And then, another cloud that passed got Cassie even more excited.

"Ash, look at that one!" she cried. "Have you ever seen a Pokemon as beautiful as the one in that cloud?"

"Which one's that?" wondered Ash.

"It's a Dratini!" cried Cassie. "It's the most beautiful thing ever, and I want one!" She stood up proudly. "That settles it, I'm going to look for a Dratini right now!" she started running off before Ash stopped her.

"Wait a second!" he cried. Cassie quickly turned back to look at him.

"I get that you're excited, and that's great, but we don't have our trainer licenses yet." Replied Ash.

"I don't care!" cried Cassie. "I've already made up my mind. I want to get a Dratini, even if I have to ask my mom to get it for me." She happily skipped off.

"She sure is one determined kid." Said Ash.

End Flashback

"Ah, Dratini, one day you'll be mine." Said Cassie. "I just hope that today will be that day." She continued to wait as patiently as she could, but sometimes, patience for a child, even for an autistic child, is a little thin.

Later that evening, it was getting close to the time that Cassie was supposed to go to bed.

"Where's Mommy already?" Cassie wondered. "She usually gets me ready for bed."

"I don't know what's keeping her, but since she's still not home, I'm going to have to be the one to get you ready for bed." Replied Laura. "Come on." The two of them headed up the stairs to start the routine. The first thing Cassie did was brush her teeth. Cassie took a lot of pride in how she looked, and part of that was making sure that her teeth stayed clean. Next in the routine was getting Cassie into her pajamas, which were full of Pikachu and Eevee patterns.

"Read me a story, Laura!" cried Cassie.

"Ah, what do we remember to say for something like that?" replied Laura.

"Can you read me a story, please?" replied Cassie.

"That's much better." Said Laura. "Now, which story do you want?" Before Cassie could pick, the phone rang from downstairs.

"I'll be right back, Cassie." Said Laura. "I have to answer the phone really quick." She disappeared quickly, and all Cassie could think about was Dratini. It had been on her mind ever since her conversation with Ash a few days ago.

"Some people think I'm crazy for wanting a Dratini, but I'll show them!" cried Cassie. And then the next voice she heard was her sister's but it was a loud one.

"WHAT?! WHEN?!" Laura was in disbelief over what she was hearing, and being the ever curious one, Cassie ran downstairs to where her sister was.

"Laura, what's going on?" she cried.

"Just hang on a second." Answered Laura. She listened carefully to what was being said on the phone. After taking everything in, she slowly hung up.

"Cassie, get your jacket on, now!" cried Laura. She quickly grabbed their jackets and they put them on.

"Where are we going?" Cassie wondered.

"You're about to see." Answered Laura. They rushed out the door and ran as quickly as they could to the grassy area on route one just outside of Pallet Town. They were horrified at what they saw.

"Is that…..?" cried Cassie. She tried to get a closer look, but was stopped.

"Don't." said Laura. "Just wait. Professor Oak will be here shortly." So Cassie and Laura waited, and fortunately for Cassie, they didn't have to wait too long. Professor Oak, Delia and Ash soon arrived.

"I hope I didn't wake any of you up." Said Professor Oak.

"Not al all, Professor." Replied Delia. "I was just about to put Ash here to bed."

"Same with me and Cassie over here." said Laura.

"I just want to say again that it's so nice to see my son be friends with your sister." Replied Delia.

"If you ask me, Mrs. Ketchum, it's almost like they're best friends." Said Laura. Professor Oak went to inspect something, and Ash and Cassie both wanted to see, but they both had to be restrained.

"Stay back here, kids." Said Delia. "There's something over there that we don't want you to see."

"But I want to see!" cried Cassie. "Let me see! Please?!"

"Cassie, if Delia says no, then it must be pretty bad." Said Laura. Cassie and Ash were left to simply speculate.

"What do you suppose could've happened?" asked Ash.

"I have no idea." Answered Cassie. "But, I have a theory. What if some super rare Pokemon was sighted? Do you think that could be it?"

"Probably not." Said Ash. "I may not know too much yet, but I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be any rare Pokemon on this route."

"So, no Dratini?" Asked Cassie.

"I don't think so." Said Ash. "Professor Oak says that Dratini haven't been sighted in years, and I'm inclined to believe him."

"I mean, anything the professor says has to be true, right?" asked Cassie.

"They don't call him Professor Oak for nothing, you know." Answered Ash. Speaking of the professor, he finished his inspection around thirty minutes later and gave Cassie the grim news.

"Young lady, I'm afraid your mother's…..well, let's just say…" stammered Oak. He wasn't quite sure how to finish.

"Just spill it out, Professor!" cried Cassie. "She's dead, isn't she?"

"Well, there's no easy way to put this….." replied Oak before letting out a sigh. "Yes, she is." Cassie let out a gasp of disbelief, as did Ash.

"No! I don't believe you for one second!" cried Cassie. "She can't be dead!"

"She can, and she is." Answered Oak.

"Professor, what exactly happened?" wondered Delia.

"Well, I'm no Officer Jenny, but I have every reason to believe that all of this is Team Rocket's doing." Oak speculated.

"Who or what is Team Rocket?" wondered Ash.

"You're better off not knowing, trust me." Said Oak. "All you need to know is that they're very dangerous." He showed Cassie the now badly injured Dratini that was lying on the ground. She almost threw up upon seeing it.

"So a Dratini WAS here after all!" cried Ash.

"What in the world happened to that poor thing?" cried Laura.

"Professor, it looks like it's badly hurt!" Cried Delia.

"But how did this happen?" cried Cassie.

"He already told you, Team Rocket did it!" answered Laura. They all saw some crews and trucks heading their way.

"That must be the news team." Said Oak. "You kids should be on your way." Ash, Delia, Laura and Cassie quickly hurried back home. Now, the girls were completely distraught.

"I almost can't believe it." Said Laura. "Our mother's gone."

"What's going to happen to us now?" asked Cassie.

"To be honest, Cassie, I don't know." Replied Laura.

"Are we going to have to lose the house?" asked Cassie.

"I don't think so." Answered Laura. "We're pretty well off financially, so we should be okay."

"That's a relief." Replied Cassie. Her eyes then began to fill with tears.

"Is it all right to cry?" She asked.

"Of course it is." Said Laura. Cassie let out all her crying onto her bedroom pillow, and Laura was right there to comfort her.

One Month Later

Time had passed since the funeral, and although it had been a lovely celebration, Cassie still had trouble letting go. She was sitting in her room by herself, weeping, when she heard a knock on her door.

"Cassie, you have a visitor!" cried Laura.

"I bet it's someone with more bad news." Sighed Cassie.

"Not at all." Replied Laura. "It's your friend Ash." The door to the room opened and Ash stepped inside.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" he asked.

"All right, I suppose." Said Cassie. "Although, it didn't help that Gary kept trying to bring my mood down during the funeral."

"He didn't even want to go according to what my mom told me." Said Ash. "But both Daisy and Professor Oak forced him to, and his behavior showed it. Daisy and Professor Oak gave him a stern lecture about it afterward."

"I would hope so." Replied Cassie. She almost let out a tear.

"I can tell that you're still upset." Said Ash. "And that's okay. Everyone gets upset for different reasons. Even I got really upset once a couple of years ago."

"What happened?" asked Cassie.

"It was my sixth birthday, and I remember my mom had made the biggest Charizard sized cake ever." Replied Ash. "That was the one thing I wanted most. But Gary, being the jerk that he was, cut in front of me so he could get the first piece. There were so many things I wanted to discuss to him to show my anger, including punching him, but my mom said that violence isn't the answer."

"Moms are always right." Said Cassie. "Did he apologize at least?"

"No. You know how Gary is." Answered Ash. "Anyway, I'm sorry again for your loss."

"Thanks, Ash. You're such a great friend." Said Cassie.

Later, after Ash had gone, Cassie was thinking about things.

"You still miss mom, don't you?" asked Laura. Cassie nodded, and then she burst into tears.

"It's not fair that she had to die!" she cried.

"Life isn't fair, sometimes, Cassie." Replied Laura.

"But why did she have to die?" cried Cassie. "She didn't deserve it!" Cassie cried so hard that some of the tears landed on Laura's sweater.

"I'm sorry." Apologized Cassie.

"Don't worry about it." Said Laura. "Look, I miss mom too, but I've already gotten over it. I don't know why it's taken you longer."

"There's one thing I do know." Replied Cassie. "After seeing the condition that Dratini was in, I don't think I want to be a Pokemon trainer anymore!" She cried again.

"Oh, now don't say that!" Replied Laura. "You've loved Pokemon ever since you were four years old. Don't you remember when we went into the Viridian Forest together and you saw a Caterpie?" Cassie nodded.

"That was the first Pokemon you ever saw, and you've fallen in love with them ever since!" Replied Laura. "You're practically destined to be a trainer, Cassie. It's what mom would've wanted."

"It is?" asked Cassie.

"Of course it is." Said Laura. "Mom might not be with us anymore, but that's no reason to give up your dream. She would want you to go on that journey, wouldn't you think?"

"You're right. I think she would." Replied Cassie. "From what I remember, I have to wait until I turn ten, right?"

"That's right." Said Laura. "However, because of your autism, you would be more vulnerable to all sorts of danger."

"What does vulnerable mean?" wondered Cassie.

"It means you could get hurt more easily." Answered Laura.

"That would be bad, wouldn't it?" asked Cassie.

"Very bad." Answered Laura. "We already lost our mom, and I don't want to lose my little sister on top of that. So I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'll go on the journey with you."

"You don't have to do that." Said Cassie.

"I feel that I need to, though, for your own safety and protection." Said Laura. "The Pokemon world is a big place, Cassie, but it can also be a scary place if you're not careful. You need that extra layer of protection because of your autism. If anything were to happen to you out there, well, I don't even want to think about that. But it's for the reasons I just mentioned that I'm going to go with you on the journey. Mom would want me to, anyway. What do you say?"

"I say, let's do it!" cried Cassie.

"That's the bright, cheerful and happy Cassie that I know." Said Laura. The two of them embraced in a hug.

"Look out, Pokemon world, because my sister and I are coming for you!" cried Cassie.

 

[MarkL1987]

The First Day

"And Nidorino begins the battle with a Horn Attack! Oh, but Gengar bounces right back!" Cassie, now ten, was eagerly watching the battle play out on the television that was in her room.

"Wow! So this is what a Pokemon battle feels like!" She cried.

"Oh, and there it is, the Hypnosis power of Gengar!" Cried the announcer. "The trainer is recalling Nidorino! What Pokemon will he use now?" The Nidorino was recalled and out came an Onix in its place.

"Whoa, that's one intimidating Onix!" Cried Cassie. Over the last couple of years, she had thought long and hard about which starter she wanted to pick. In her mind, all three starters would make great partners, which was what made the choice even more difficult.

"Tomorrow is finally the big day." She Said to herself. "I wonder if Laura has decided which of the starters she wants for herself." She picked up a toy Poke Ball that was on her shelf and held it up high.

"I, Cassie Quinn, vow to capture as many Pokemon as I can and become the greatest trainer in the world. But not just a great trainer. A Pokemon Master!" cried Cassie. "That's what I'll be!"

"Cassie, get to bed right now!" cried the voice of her sister Laura, who was now sixteen. "It's just about eleven o'clock! You should've been in bed much earlier than this! Now turn that off and get to sleep!"

"But tomorrow's an exciting day!" Cassie protested. "I can't sleep!"

"I get that you're excited, and I am too. But if you're late, you might not be able to get the starter you want." Said Laura. "Speaking of which, have you decided who you're going to pick?"

"I'm trying to, but all the starters are so good that it's hard to choose." Answered Cassie.

"I'll tell you what. Since you can't sleep, and since you're having a bit of trouble making an informed decision, I'm going to put the channel onto something more informative." Said Laura. The station she changed it to showed Professor Oak on the screen.

"Good evening, Pallet. Tomorrow's the big day for the newest class of beginning trainers." Bellowed Oak's voice. "I'd like to introduce you to Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. Each one is available for new trainers. Which one will you choose?" Laura went over to where Cassie's Spearow shaped alarm clock was and fiddled around with it for a couple of moments.

"I've set the alarm on the clock for seven thirty tomorrow morning, so make sure you get up the moment it goes off." Laura instructed. "And make sure you go to bed when this is done!"

"Yes, ma'am." Replied Cassie. As the night got later and later, the young autistic trainer-to-be got even more excited. Her excitement level was so high that she kept tossing and turning in her sleep.

"Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander. Any one of them would be perfect for beginners." She whispered to herself. Then she began to dream. In her dream, she was standing on the battlefield of the Indigo Plateau stadium and about to launch a final attack on her opponent.

"Go! Water Gun!" she cried. The water blast was so powerful that her opponent's Pokemon went down in a heap, and Cassie was declared the winner.

Back to reality….

"I hope that actually happens." She whispered before finally settling down to sleep.

The next morning, the sun began to rise bright and early, and a Dodrio that was perched on top of a fence. It gave a loud screech to indicate that it was time to wake up. Thankfully for Cassie, it coincided with the sound of her alarm clock going off.

"Time to start my first day as a trainer!" she cried excitedly. The way she bounced out of bed was a clear indication of how excited she was. She got changed into her favorite blue sweater with a Pikachu in the middle, bright pink jeans, grey socks and red sneakers. Her favorite cap sat on top of the chair that was at her desk. After she had gotten herself ready, she made a mad dash down the stairs. But she wasn't quite watching where she was going and almost crashed right into Laura.

"Whoa there, kiddo, where's the Flamethrower?" asked Laura.

"I've got to get to Professor Oak's lab right away!" replied Cassie. Laura just chuckled.

"Now slow down there, sis." She said. "I can tell you're excited, but we need to have breakfast first. The Pokemon aren't going anywhere."

"But what if Professor Oak doesn't have any Pokemon left by the time we get there?" asked Cassie.

"I'm sure he'll still have at least a Pokemon left, now let's eat." Replied Laura. Their breakfast consisted of some sunny side eggs, strips of bacon and a piece of toast.

"Well, what do you think of my little breakfast?" asked Laura.

"It's okay, but the eggs Mom used to make were a lot better." Said Cassie.

"You still miss her, don't you?" asked Laura. Cassie sadly nodded.

"Maybe just a little bit." She replied.

"I wanted to make this breakfast extra special since we're going to be on the road for a long time." Asked Laura. "Mom would've done the same thing." They made sure to take a bit of time with their breakfast, but once they had finished, they made their way out of the house together.

"There's just one more thing I need to do before we go to Professor Oak's." said Cassie.

"What's that?" asked Laura.

"I have to wait for Ash." Answered Cassie. "We promised we'd go on our journey together." Laura looked at her watch.

"It's eight o'clock already, and we're supposed to be at the lab before nine o'clock." Said Cassie.

"Are you sure?" asked Cassie.

"Yes. That's what Professor Oak told me." Said Laura. "I'll tell you what. We'll wait as long as we can for him, but then we have to go."

"That seems fair." Replied Cassie. "I just hope he didn't forget about today."

"I'm pretty sure he didn't." said Laura. So, the two of them waited around. But the longer they had to wait, the more impatient Cassie got.

"Come on, Ash, where are you?" she grumbled. Once it got past eight thirty, Laura shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but we can't wait anymore." She said. "Let's get going." The two of them started making their way to the lab, which wasn't too far of a walk from where their house was. But when they got there, Cassie was in for a shock. For there was Gary Oak, already stepping out of the lab.

"No! Don't tell me….." said Cassie. She grabbed hold of her sister's hand and started dragging her up the steps with her as she ran.

"Cassie, wait, slow down!" cried Laura. But she refused to slow down, and this time, she bumped right into Gary.

"Hey! Watch you're going!" he cried.

"I'm sorry, mister….." said Cassie. "Uh, what was your name again?"

"It's Gary Oak! Show some respect!" cried Gary. "Well, if it isn't little Cassie. Apparently, you're not safe enough to go out on your own so your sister has to babysit you."

"Listen here, Gary!" cried Cassie. Laura quickly intervened before things got worse.

"Don't start picking fights with him." She said. "It's not worth it."

"Your sister's right." Said Gary. "Well, Cassie, you snooze you lose, and you're both behind. I have a Pokemon and you two don't."

"Well good for you!" growled Cassie through gritted teeth.

"Cassie! Be nice to him!" Laura warned. "I apologize for my sister."

"It's fine, but she needs to learn to control herself." Replied Gary.

"Just one question, Gary." Said Cassie.

"Yeah, what?" asked Gary.

"Could you tell me what Pokemon is inside that Poke Ball?" Cassie asked curiously.

"None of your business!" cried Gary. "If you'd shown up a few minutes earlier, then you'd have seen that I got the best Pokemon from Professor Oak! It helps to have a grandfather in the Pokemon business, isn't it?"

"But I thought…" said Cassie. Then, it hit her. "Oh no, don't tell me he….."

"Grandpa has a lot of things to do today, so he decided to start this earlier to get it overwith." Gary replied.

"Why didn't he tell me?" asked Cassie.

"How should I know? I'm just the professor's grandson, after all." Gary replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some Pokemon training to do."

"One more thing, Gary." Said Cassie. "If you happen to run into Ash, can you tell him that I said hi to him?"

"Oh, you mean Ash the loser?" Gary replied.

"He is NOT a loser!" yelled Cassie. "Ash is my friend, and I like him a lot. Don't you be calling him a loser!" Right as that last bit of yelling came out of her mouth, Professor Oak came up to them.

"Now then, children, what's all the commotion?" he asked.

"Oh, Professor Oak!" cried Cassie. "Is it true that Gary already got his Pokemon?"

"Yes, and it's partly my fault for not telling you I was changing the time." Oak answered. Cassie, Laura, I apologize to you both for not communicating."

"But you said…" replied Cassie.

"I know I said one time, but after I saw how much work I had to do, I knew I was going to have to start earlier. I should've informed you, but I never ha a chance to." Said Oak. "Well, come on in, and we'll see about getting your starter Pokemon." Cassie and Laura followed the professor into the lab, which was among the biggest buildings in all of Pallet Town. Pokemon stuff was everywhere regardless of where you looked. Cassie got even more excited by the minute. Three Poke Balls came out of a glass cage next to the professor's desk.

"I thought about it while sleeping last night, and I think I know which starter I want." Said Cassie. "I choose, Squirtle!" But when she opened the Poke Ball…

"Already taken by someone else who remembered the start time change." Said Oak.

"Oh." Sighed Cassie.

"We could always end up finding a wild Squirtle." Said Laura.

"I suppose that's true." Said Cassie. "But that's no problem because my Pokemon will be…Bulbasaur!" However….

"That was also taken by another kid who showed up right before you did." Explained Oak.

"Not again!" cried Cassie.

"Just calm down." Said Laura. "I'm sure he probably still has something left."

Oh, I really hope there's something in this last Poke Ball." Said Cassie. She nervously pressed the button on it, and fortunately, something did come out this time, which was a Charmander.

"Aw, you look so adorable!" cried Cassie. "I guess you're my partner, Charmander."

"Hold on, sis." Said Laura. "I actually kind of wanted Charmander for myself."

"But I saw it first!" cried Cassie.

"Yes, but I'm older than you are, remember?" Laura replied. "Professor, I'd like to take Charmander."

"Very well, Laura." Said Oak. He handed her Charmander's Poke Ball.

"But now this means there's none left for me!" cried Cassie. "Oh dear, now I'll have to wait until more starters come in!"

"Normally that would be true, but I do still have two extra starters left." Said Oak. Cassie breathed a sigh of relief as the professor pressed a button to reveal two more Poke Balls, one of which had a lightning bolt sticker on it.

"I know these two aren't traditional starters that I normally offer, but I have a feeling you're going to be a special one, Cassie." Said Oak. "For that, I want to give you a special starter." He handed Cassie one of the Poke Balls, and when she opened it, an adorable fox Pokemon with brown fur popped out.

"Aw, you're so cute!" cried Cassie.

"That, young lady, is an Eevee." Said Oak.

"She's so adorable!" cried Cassie. Eevee gave Cassie a playful lick on the hand.

"You really like me, don't you?" asked Cassie. Eevee nodded, and Professor Oak handed her Eevee's Poke Ball.

"You and I are going to be best friends together, Eevee." Said Cassie. She placed the Poke Ball down in front of the little Pokemon.

"I'm going to give you a choice, Eevee." Said Cassie. "You can stay in the Poke Ball if you want to, or if you prefer, you can ride on my shoulder. I'll leave it to you." Eevee looked at both Cassie and the Poke Ball several times before making up her mind. She ran up to Cassie and happily nestled onto her shoulder.

"Okay, shoulder it is then." Said Cassie. The professor handed Cassie and Laura an electronic device and several empty Poke Balls.

"Those Poke Balls are for catching other wild Pokemon you come across." Said Oak. "You're free to catch as many Pokemon as you want, but do keep in mind that you can only carry six at a time."

"Only six?" said Cassie. "Are you sure you can't make an exception or something?"

"No, I most certainly cannot." Answered Oak. "The Pokemon League has this limit in place for legal reasons, and all trainers have to abide by that. Now, those Pokedexes will give you all sorts of information about all the different Pokemon you come across. They also serve as your identification and are hard to replace if they get lost, stolen or damaged, so make sure none of that happens."

"We will, professor." Replied Laura. "Well, Cassie, let's get going." The two of them made their way out of the lab, down the stairs and through the gate. But as they headed out into route one, they heard someone making a mad dash toward the lab.

"Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charmander! Any of them is fine! Just please, save one for me!" the voice cried.

"Was that Ash?" asked Cassie.

"That definitely looked and sounded like him." Answered Laura.

"So he did oversleep." Replied Cassie. "Well, he's going to be in for quite the shock when he gets to the lab."

"Let's get a move on." Said Laura. "Ash can catch up to us later." The two of them started making their way through one. It was a peaceful little area with lots of grass and trees, and all the while, the two girls were looking for some Pokemon to catch.

"I wonder what my first catch is going to end up being." Said Cassie. "I hope it'll be something cool."

"This route is supposed to have plenty of Pokemon on it, so I'm sure we'll find something." Replied Laura. Eevee kept an eye out for any wild Pokemon that might pop up.

"This route's pretty big." Said Cassie. "Maybe I'll find a Pikachu or something out here."

"Don't count on it." Said Laura. "Pikachu are almost rarely found in the wild, and I don't think any would be found in such an early route like this."

"Maybe you're right." Said Cassie. Eevee then heard some rustling in the grass.

"Vee!" she cried. (Look there!) Casie turned around and saw a small bird Pokemon.

"A Pidgey! That would be a pretty good start." Said Cassie. She flipped her Pokedex open.

"Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokemon. Among all Pokemon of this type, it is the gentlest and easiest to capture. The perfect target for the beginning trainer to test their Pokemon's skills."

"It's my lucky day!" cried Cassie. "Eevee, let's go get it!"

"Vee!" (Right!) Eevee hopped off Cassie's shoulder and ran onto the field.

"Use your Tackle attack, Eevee!" cried Cassie. Eevee charged in at Pidgey and nailed the flying type. Pidgey got a bit angry and responded with a Quick Attack, which Eevee easily dodged.

"Use your own Quick Attack!" cried Cassie. Eevee charged in quickly again, but Pidgey flew out of the way and then blew up a wind tornado.

"That's a Gust attack!" cried Laura. The attack came so fast at Eevee that she couldn't dodge and it struck.

"Eevee!" cried Cassie. Eevee got sent flying backwards a bit.

"Vee!" (I'm just fine!)

"Great! Now use Take Down!" cried Cassie. Eevee charged at Pidgey again and nailed the Pidgey with a powerful hit. Cassie reached for a Poke Ball.

"Pidgey, you're about to be mine!" she cried. "Poke Ball, go! The ball sucked Pidgey inside, wobbled a few times, and then pinged.

"All right! I caught my first Pokemon!" cried Cassie.

"Great job, sis!" cried Laura.

"You were great, Eevee!" Cassie praised. They kept walking along the route, and a bit further onward, they spotted a small rat Pokemon with dark purple fur.

"It's a Rattata!" cried Cassie. She got her Pokedex out again.

"Rattata is a forest Pokemon. It likes cheese, nuts, fruits and berries."

"But we're not in any forest. It's a wide open field!" cried Cassie. Laura took a couple of berries out of her bag.

"Here you go, Rattata." She said. The small rat Pokemon gladly took the berry, and while it was distracted, Laura had Charmander battle it and knock it out with a couple of Tackle attacks. One Poke Ball throw later, and Rattata was caught.

"Now we've both caught a Pokemon." said Laura. As they continued walking, they passed by a river bank. Sitting at the river was a girl with a red drawstring bag.

"Where are all of those fish?" she wondered. Cassie decided it would be a good idea to introduce herself and her sister to the girl.

"I wonder what she's doing." Said Cassie. "Let's go see."

"Hang on there." Said Laura. "I'm not sure if we should bother her. She looks focused."

"Maybe, but I want to make as many new friends on this trip as I can." Said Cassie. Laura wasn't about to argue, so the two of them carefully approached the girl.

"Whatcha doing there?" wondered Cassie.

"I'm trying to find some cool water Pokemon, but nothing's biting." The girl replied. "What are you two doing?"

"We're traveling along on a Pokemon journey that we just started." Answered Cassie.

"It's nice that you're traveling together." The girl replied. "My name's Misty."

"I'm Cassie, and this is my sister Laura." Said Cassie.

"It's nice to meet you both." Said Misty. She then noticed the Eevee that Cassie had with her.

"Ah! That's the most cutest thing ever!" she cried. "Oh, I want one so much!"

"Huh?" said Cassie.

"I thought you said you were looking for a water Pokemon." said Laura.

"I am, but Eevee becomes a Vaporeon with a Water Stone, and Vaporeon is a water type!" answered Misty.

"I kind of knew that already." Said Cassie.

"You must've studied up before you set out." Said Misty. "Not many trainers bother doing that because they think they can get by with learning on the fly. But they're in for a harsh reality later when they find out that's not the case. Good for you on actually doing your homework beforehand." Misty then had an idea herself.

"You ever been fishing before?" she asked. Cassie shook her head. Misty placed the rod in Cassie's hand.

"Here, give it a try." She offered. Cassie tossed the line into the water.

"Maybe I'll have some luck finding a water type of my own." She said. "If I'm really lucky, I could end up getting a Gyrados." Misty froze up upon hearing that.

"G-G-Gyrados?!" she stammered.

"I don't think she likes Gyrados too much." Said Laura.

"Let's just say that something happened with me and a Gyrados when I was younger that left me terrified of that Pokemon." Misty explained. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"It's okay, Misty. You don't have to tell us if you don't want to." Said Laura.

"I appreciate you not trying to press me for the full story." Said Misty. She and Laura watched Cassie fish.

"I wonder what she's going to pull up." Said Misty. For a while, nothing bit.

"Misty, I don't think this rod is working." Said Cassie.

"It just takes a while sometimes." Misty explained. "Don't give up." With that encouragement, Cassie kept at it, and after ten more minutes passed, she felt something tugging at the line.

"Hey, I've got something!" she cried. "This could be a big one!"

"Pull hard!" cried Misty. "Let's help her, Laura." The three of them worked together to help Cassie pull whatever she had caught out of the river. But much to their surprise, instead of a Pokemon, something different came out instead.

"It's Ash!" cried Cassie. Ash coughed to try and get some of the water out of his mouth.

"Yeah, it's me." Sighed Ash.

"Oh, and he has a Pokemon with him!" cried Misty. "Oh, are you both okay?"

"I think so." Ash answered. Cassie and Misty then saw how the rough shape that Ash's Pokemon, which was a Pikachu, was in.

"Look, Laura, he has a Pikachu!" cried Cassie.

"It doesn't look too good, though." Laura replied.

"Let's just say I woke up late and we've been through a lot to get here." said Ash.

"I figured you'd overslept." Said Cassie.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting." Ash apologized.

"It's fine, Ash." Said Cassie. "At least you're here now." Misty cleared her throat.

"Well, as nice as this is, that Pikachu's in bad shape. There's a medical center in Viridian City. Take Pikachu there and get it looked after."

"You mean a hospital?" wondered Ash.

"Yes, for Pokemon." Misty replied.

"Those are called Pokemon Centers." Cassie added. "Every city and town in this region has one."

"Good to know." Said Ash. Then, he saw a flock of angry bird Pokemon coming toward them.

"Those are Spearow!" cried Cassie. "Come on, Ash, we've got to get out of here!" Ash quickly hopped onto the bike that was beside a nearby tree.

"Hey, wait a second! That's not yours!" cried Cassie.

"She's right. It's mine!" cried Misty. But Ash had started pedaling away.

"I'll give it to you and the Pokemon Center!" he called toward her. Misty didn't like this at all.

"Oh, that kid!" she Grumbled.

"We better go after him." Said Cassie.

"Good idea." Replied Laura. The two of them chased after Ash and tried as hard as they could to catch up to him.

"Ash, wait up!" cried Cassie. The Spearow were closing in on the three of them.

"You Spearow better back off!" cried Cassie.

"Eevee!" (Leave us alone!) The Spearow circled in more on Ash and sent him tumbling off the bike. And to make matters worse, rain started pouring down.

"These Spearow don't give up!" cried Cassie. "Maybe the Pokedex could….."

"Not right now!" Cried Laura. "If that machine gets wet, it'll break. Remember what Professor Oak said earlier? The Pokedex can't get damaged." Eevee looked over at Pikachu.

"Eevee?" (Are you all right there?)

"Chu." (No)

"Pikachu, get inside the Poke Ball." Ordered Ash. "I know you don't like being in there, but if you're inside, maybe I can save you."

"Pikachu, please listen to Ash." Cassie pleaded. "He's responsible for your well-being." Ash placed Pikachu's Poke Ball on the ground and faced the flock.

"Spearow, I am Ash from the town of Pallet!" he cried. "I can't be defeated by the likes of you. I'm going to capture and defeat you all! Come and get me!"

"He's risking his life to protect Pikachu!" cried Cassie. "Ash, you're so brave!" Pikachu darted ahead and delivered a powerful Thunder Shock that knocked out all the Spearow.

Later, the sun was back out.

"Looks like Pikachu beat them." Said Cassie.

"Yeah, I guess he did." Replied Ash.

"You shouldn't really be surprised." Said Cassie. "Spearow is a flying type, so it gets zapped easily by electric attacks."

"She's right." Said Laura. A gorgeous flying Pokemon then went flying past them and toward the rainbow in the sky.

"What was that?" wondered Ash. Cassie flipped her Pokedex out.

"NO DATA." It beeped.

"I guess that Pokemon, whatever it is, isn't native to this region." Said Cassie. She then looked over at the bike, which was charred to a crisp.

"Ash, I think we might have a problem." Said Cassie. Ash looked over and just about freaked out.

"Oh no! The bike!" he cried.

"Misty's not going to be happy about this!" cried Cassie.

"We'll worry about that later." Said Laura. "Getting Pikachu to the Pokemon Center is more important right now." The three of them all held hands and walked toward the Pokemon Center together.

The journey continues next time…

Ash's Current Party: Pikachu

Cassie's Current Party: Eevee, Pidgey

Laura's Current Party: Charmander, Rattata