First Encounter

Ashen squinted as sunlight shined on his face. He was standing at the edge of Pallet Town, staring forward toward Route 1.

Tall bushes and trees stretched as far as the eye could see. Pidgeys sat in the trees, chirping cheerfully, fluttering their wings with each soft gust of wind.

With a deep breath, he pushed the tall grass out of his way using his hand and stepped forward. It was his first step outside his hometown. It was both exciting and scary for him.

The pain from his injuries made it a bit difficult to walk—his bandaged arm still throbbed with every step—but the way Squirtle was looking at everything with wide eyes of excitement made it more than bearable.

"Squirtle!" the little turtle Pokémon chirped, tail wagging as it ran a few steps ahead. It paused to sniff at a mushroom growing at the base of a tree, then jumped back when it twitched.

Ashen laughed at the cute reaction, but the mood shifted quickly when he heard a sharp rustling in the tall grass just a few steps ahead.

He immediately took a defensive stance, his mind fully alert, eyes scanning around to avoid leaving any blind spots.

Squirtle stepped in front of him, crouching low with a determined look in its eyes.

The grass parted—and a small, purple figure darted out.

"It's a Rattata. From what I've read, they're weak," Ashen shouted, steadying his breath. "This should be a good practice dummy for us, Squirtle."

The Rattata showed its fangs and let out a sharp squeak before lunging toward them.

Ashen was very determined, but he really didn't know what Squirtle could do.

"Squirtle... do something, I guess!" Ashen commanded in panic, as he had no time to react.

Squirtle tilted its head for a split second, confused by the vague command—but it didn't hesitate. Instinct kicked in.

With a sharp cry, Squirtle ran forward and tucked into its shell, spinning rapidly like a top. It rammed into the charging Rattata with a solid thud, sending the rodent Pokémon tumbling backward in surprise.

Ashen blinked, heart racing. "That… that worked?"

"Squirtle!" the Pokémon shouted proudly, standing tall.

The Rattata wasn't down yet. It shook off the attack and hissed, circling around for another charge.

Ashen swallowed hard. He didn't have much battle experience—just what he'd learned in school and watched on TV.

"Okay. Try… Bubble! Yeah, Bubble!"

This time, Squirtle obeyed with a confident nod. Its cheeks inflated, belly swelling as it launched a few bubbles toward Rattata with a soft pop.

The bubbles were few and slow. The opponent dodged them easily and, with a burst of speed, crashed into Squirtle, sending it sliding a few feet away.

"This bastard is quick," Ashen whispered, throwing a Pokéball—but Rattata smacked it away with its tail.

Without even looking at Ashen, the Rattata rushed to attack Squirtle again.

"NO!" Ashen shouted as he ran toward the Rattata, kicking it away.

The kick landed perfectly, throwing the Pokémon quite high into the air and smashing it straight into a tree before it dropped to the ground.

Ashen checked on Squirtle—it was mostly alright, just a few scratches on its arms.

He sighed in relief, picking Squirtle up in his arms before checking on Rattata.

The Rattata lay on the ground motionless, its breathing growing weaker by the second. It coughed, spewing blood, and both Ashen and Squirtle looked at each other, visibly worried.

The Rattata whimpered faintly, barely able to move. Its eyes flicked to Ashen and Squirtle—full of fear.

Ashen bit his lip and pulled off the small travel pouch that Professor Oak had given him, frantically rummaging through it. "Maybe the Professor packed in some medicines too..."

Squirtle stepped forward, gently touching the Rattata's side with a tiny paw. "Squirtle…"

Its expression shifted from worried to determined. It quickly turned to Ashen's side, taking a Pokéball from him and gently touching it to the Rattata's body.

The red light covered the Pokémon.

The Pokéball clicked open, drawing the injured Rattata inside with a soft hum of light. It shook once… twice…

Then stopped.

Ping.

Ashen stared at Squirtle in stunned silence. "Wait… why didn't I think of that?"

Squirtle let out a soft cheer, raising both arms in the air. "Squirtle!"

Ashen gently picked up the Pokéball, looking at it in disbelief. "You… you caught it. You really caught it," he whispered, then glanced at Squirtle with a small, proud smile. "Nice thinking, buddy. If we didn't catch it, it might've died."

"Let's continue—we need to get it to the Pokémon Center," Ashen said, getting back to his feet.

Squirtle offered a determined nod before jumping on his shoulder again.

The sun was starting to climb higher, and the buzzing of bug Pokémon grew louder as the grass thickened around them. Squirtle sat perched on his shoulder, keeping a close watch on the Pokéball in Ashen's hand—the one holding the injured Rattata.

Ashen was so focused that he barely noticed when his foot hit something round. There was a startled chirp, and before he could even react, a small bird Pokémon fluttered upward in surprise.

"Pidgey!?"

He staggered back as the startled bird beat its wings furiously in his face. On instinct, he grabbed a Pokéball and chucked it out of reflex.

A flash of red light—

One shake… two shakes… three—ping.

"…Wait, did I just catch that?" Ashen muttered, blinking.

Squirtle looked equally surprised, then started clapping. "Squirtle-squirt!"

Ashen stood still for a moment, holding both Pokéballs in his hands. "That… that was too easy. What the hell?"

Before he could celebrate further, a voice called out from the trees.

"Yo! You there!"

Ashen turned to see a kid around his age running toward him, a smug grin on his face and a Pokéball already spinning in his hand.

"You got Pokémon? That means we battle—no backing out!"

"Wait, what? No, I'm not in the mood right now—"

"Too bad!" the kid shouted. "Bug Catcher Liam never backs down! Go, Caterpie!"

A squishy green bug hit the ground with a plop, wiggling its little antennae threateningly.

Ashen sighed. "Dude, I just caught a dying rat and a bird by accident. Can we not?"

But the kid already shouted, "String Shot!"

The Caterpie launched a sticky thread toward Squirtle, who instinctively jumped off Ashen's shoulder and landed in front.

Ashen rubbed his temple. "Fine. Squirtle, use that spin thing again!"

Squirtle spun into a ball and barreled forward with speed, knocking the Caterpie backward with a satisfying thunk.

"Again!"

Another hit. The Caterpie flopped on its back, its eyes swirling.

Bug Catcher Liam gaped. "Wha—no way! My Caterpie!"

Ashen crossed his arms, panting slightly. "That's what you get for sneak-attacking someone already injured."

The kid sniffled and pulled out a crumpled wad of bills, shoving it at Ashen.

"Take it… fine! Don't show your face to me again!"

Ashen stared at the cash in his hand. It wasn't much—just a few coins and small notes—but it was real. His money. Earned from a battle.

"…I just got paid," he whispered.

Squirtle cheered, throwing his stubby arms in the air. "Squirtle!"

Ashen grinned, suddenly forgetting how tired he was. "That's right! My first paycheck. And all I had to do was kick a bug and dodge a crazy kid."

He pocketed the money and turned back to the road. "Alright, let's move. Viridian City, here we come."

Squirtle hopped back onto his shoulder, nodding fiercely as the tall grass swayed ahead of them.

————

"Pokémon Party"

Squirtle – Lv. 6 – [Healthy]

Rattata – Lv. 3 – [Injured]

Pidgey – Lv. 2 – [Healthy]

"Inventory"

Pokéballs ×4

Cash: 1350