Viridian Forest was, at most, quiet. The only sounds you would hear are rustling trees, the crunching of your own feet on the ground, and the chittering and buzzing of the Bug Types, as well as some occasional wing flapping and caws of Flying Types. For Caden, he would found this an ideal atmosphere for a calm, lovely stroll.
Except for one problem.
"EEEEEEEEK! Why does it have to be BUGS!?!"
While he doesn't hate Misty's character, Cade mentally admits that the girl is a headache. Thankfully, he had been in the orphanage for four years and knew how to tolerate ten-year-old kids like her…
Okay, HOW is she ten when she could be seen as either twelve or thirteen? And why is she the one who can properly operate a Gym? AND how long has she been doing it?!
"God, why does this world has to be so complicated?" Caden asked himself and rubs his temples, while Pikachu sympathetically pats the back of the boy's head.
"Trust me, Cade. I started to understand how you feel since then," the electric mouse sighed.
From the boy's backpack, Rattata popped her head out and looks at the two in confusion, "I don't know if I have any rights to be in this conversations, but mind telling me what you two are talking about?"
Caden looks to Pikachu and nudges his head to the other rodent of the group. While Caden can understand Pikachu, it wasn't the same with their two companions. Seemingly, the mark on his back wrist is involved in this whole thing. It had been the thing that both Caden and Pikachu were wondering on most part.
Caden lets his eyes closed as he walk. He sighed, ears listening to Pikachu conversing with Rattata without revealing too much, Misty freaking out behind him, and a feint pulsing like a water drop rippling through a bigger body of water coming from in front of him-
Wait, what?
Cade stopped dead on his tracks, opened his eyes and stared at the path ahead. He felt Pikachu wobbled on his shoulder as well as Misty bumping behind her. As well as the squeak of the secondary rodent in his backpack upon getting squished momentarily between two humans.
"Hey!"
He ignored their shouts and instead looked forward down the road. Three other pairs of eyes looked towards where he was looking at.
Misty let a shriek, runs the opposite direction, and climbed a tree branch in mere seconds.
Reason: A Caterpie.
And yet, Caden could still sense that pulse coming from the Bug Type. He somehow knew, at the back of his head, that this is THE Caterpie.
The caterpillar tilted its head in curiosity, then crawls its tiny body towards the boy.
Caden lowered himself down to his knees and brought out an arm towards the little bug.
"Cade, what are you-" Pikachu asked before what the boy said stopped him.
"It's Butterfree,"
That made the mouse went wide eye. Looking at the Caterpie coming closer, he realized it was the same one. While most humans never knew the differences of similar Pokémon except in gender, color, size, and all that, Pokémon themselves can recognize more differences between two lookalikes of the same species better than humans.
Pikachu, Caden, and a really confused Rattata watches when Caterpie reached the destination and gave his palm a sniff, then looked up at the boy with a curious chitter.
"Is he here to capture me?" Caterpie asked. It was a simple question, a curious, no-fear question.
Pikachu opened his mouth to answer, then stops for a moment. His face scrunched in thought, then winced in realization.
"Cade, are we going to capture…you know, the ones in the Pokémon list?" he asked, emphasizing the last two words.
Caden looked at his partner with a confused look.
"You two have a list?" Rattata spoke up, more to Pikachu than Caden.
"Yeah," the Electric Type said and started counting on his fingers, "It was initially a Caterpie, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Krabby,…Tauros, Muk, Mankey…"
Caden suddenly understood. Pikachu wasn't actually asking if they're going to have to capture them, he was asking if they're going to be ABLE to recruit the team. Caterpie is an easy one, it's most or some of the ones after that are going to be difficult to find and get. For all they know, Pidgeotto wouldn't be around the forest, they won't possibly be able to recruit Bulbasaur, so on and so forth.
Caden was a bit lost at this. A number of "what-ifs" and "cans" pop up on his mind, filling him with uncertainty.
Then an Iron Tail brought him back to reality.
"Hey, keep it together! We're already starting our journey so none of that, mister!" Pikachu scolded him as his tail shimmered back from silver to yellow.
It was a blessing to obtain Iron Tail in a very early time, so Brock's Gym Challenge shouldn't be a problem on some degree.
"You're right, it's really far too early for me to start doubting," Caden turned his head and smiled at Pikachu, "Thanks, bud,"
After receiving an optimistic thumbs up and supportive wink from the mouse, Caden looked down to the Caterpie who was…gone.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! GET THIS DISGUSTING UGLY FILTHY BUG AWAY FROM MEEEE!"
"Ah thunder-shocks, we forgot about Misty, didn't we?" Pikachu said in revelation.
___________________________________________________________________
Spearow found himself out of his Pokéball in a flash as he stretches his neck with closed eyes.
"Those capture sphere are not bad, but not comfortable for me at the same time," with one last cracking sound from his neck, he sighed in relief and opened his eyes, "Is it time for a….wing….check…."
"I think we both can agree this is bound to happen," Pikachu stood in front of him with a glare and arms crossed.
Both of them were a safe distance away from the camp, but far enough to have a private talk. It was starting to sunset and both human trainers were starting to set up camping. Spearow can see the She-human was setting her tent, while the He-human was arranging the fire set.
"Let's get to the chase. Why?"
The Flying Type blinked and returned his attention back to the mouse, "Why what?"
"You attacked me, and my trainer, then switch sides all of a sudden? Why did you try to go for my trainer's blood, then put your life at risk for him out of nowhere?!" By this point, Pikachu was waving his arms around trying to make sense of the bird menace, "J-just why?! After all that, what in Arceus' name changed? And don't say it was because of Ho-oh!"
Spearow had his beak shut for a moment, then sighed with great metaphorical agony.
"My flock are morons, my leader is double with the side of a delusional egoist, made Magikarps look like they have more common sense than anything, I was an odd one put of the flock for being more open minded than them and they treat me like a freak, I don't have a backbone to even harm a new born Caterpie or any infants or unhatched eggs, I can only look scary by facial appearance when inside I am a very emotionally and mentally nervous wreck, I only know Tackle and Scary Face, and to say I would rather be a human's pet than be a follower of an entitled buffoon who's brain is smaller than an atom," he said without catching a breath, then sighs in shame, "For a real answer, I was afraid. It was me against the entire flock. An entire mindless, too power dependent, non-empathetic, ruthless, bloodthirsty flock who would massacre first then talk never. Even within our own kind, we would claw one another over pointless reasons. Brute over brains. Which was why I was glad that delusional tyrant was gone for good,"
Pikachu stared at the bird as if Spearow had turned into a Pidgey on the first part, then slowly responded with his mind still comprehending the second. The entire explanation was...a little more than he thought.
"…Wow, how long have you been waiting to say that?"
"Ever since I hatched," Spearow said with a tired tone, "Add Ho-oh to the mix and safe to say, I just wanted to rest, be with a trainer, and just explore the world. Hell, left me in those sanctuaries you humans made for all I care,"
Pikachu only nodded and hummed in thought. This was a swerve off the usual path of understanding of what he knew about Spearow. Specifically, THIS Spearow. It was no mistake; this was the same vermin that attacked him and Ash. He didn't know how, but he knew this is the same one, just like their new Rattata companion.
"Pikachu! Spearow! Come over and get some dinner!"
Both Pokémon turned their heads to the camp and saw their trainer waving at them to come over.
"Let's talk again another time, got it?" Pikachu glanced at Spearow with a serious gaze.
"Loud and clear," the bird responded.
Both of them walked back to camp. Yes, walking.
"By the way, why do you call your trainer Cade while the she-human calls him Ash?" Spearow asked out of nowhere,"
"Cannot say, it's a secret between trusted companions," Pikachu blurted, looking tense while walking.
Spearow looked offended, but sighs and accepted that. To be fair, how could you trust a secret to someone who was trying to kill you and is now traveling with you? If Spearow wanted to gain their trust, then he has a very long way to earn it.
Upon arrival, their trainer placed down their bowls of Pokémon food as they saw Rattata and Caterpie already had a head start. The two humans were eating packed sandwiches, courtesy of Ash's mom.
Dinner was mostly quiet, with some small talks between human-to-human, and Pokémon-to-Pokémon.
"I really wanted to become a Butterfree one day," Caterpie said, chowing down on his food for a bit before swallowing and looking at the others, "What about you guys?"
"Easy answer for me: never," Rattata said is a matter-of-fact tone in her voice and nose high, "I like my form the way it is, and no way in my entire life am I going to be fatty brown rat anytime soon,"
"Same here," Pikachu chimed with a raised paw, "There are many things that I can never do again as a Raichu. One, big body means slow movements; Two, having a long tail would be a hassle; Three, no more shoulder rides; And four, no more shoulder rides,"
"But…you just repeated the third one twice," Caterpie pointed out confusedly.
"So? I am not sacrificing my number one riding spot for an evolution," Pikachu shrugs.
Caden overhears this and grins mischievously. While he didn't understand the others, Pikachu's words made it enough to let him guess it was all about evolutions. And already, he was starting to plan a small but down-the-nerve joke when they get back on the road tomorrow.
The grin on his face didn't go unnoticed to Misty, who leering with suspicion.
"What are you grinning about?" she spoke up.
"Oh, it's not for you," he said with a more innocent looking smile.
"That doesn't make it any better," she sweat-dropped.
After the uneventful meal, everyone's starting to prepare for bed. Caden, in his- or Ash's- outdoor shorts and t-shirt, is reapplying and changing the wrapping cloth and medicine cream on Spearow's broken wing. Nurse Joy told him that Spearow was fortunate the bullet didn't miraculously break a bone severely, but the damage was still bad. She informed him it would take a few days to heal with continuous reapplying of the medicine every six hours a day.
Which, based on the PokéDex's clock function, would mean he has to wake up really early tomorrow. Fortunately, he was an early bird.
"That should do it," Caden said as he ties the sling back.
Spearow looks at the sling and sighed.
"Pikachu told me of why you decided to have a change of mind," Caden said, gaining the Flying Type's attention, "And I will be honest, you aren't what I was imagining to capture, or be complied to join me,
"But I want you to understand one thing," the boy's tone became serious, eyes looking away with evident dislike and distrust, "It will take more than just joining me to gain my trust. After that whole flock event, I don't think I'll let go of my grudge for what you just tried to do in our first encounter,"
Spearow looked down with slight dejection but has expected this to come from the human.
"But..."
The Flying Type looked up again, with slight surprise and confusion.
"If Ho-oh had a reason to trust you with their Rainbow Feather, and considering you took a literal bullet for me, I...can safely say it's a start. And I am not going to judge based on the same kind. We are all capable of such things," Cade said, looking at the bird, "So starting tonight, or tomorrow, you will lend me your wing in future battles. In return, I will be your second eye as I will do the same to the others. Prove to me, Pikachu, and the other Pokémon that you belong to this group, and is proud to consider us your own flock,"
'My own...flock,' Those words bore deeply to Spearow's soul as he stares in awe at the trainer he chose. Steeling his spirit and puffing his chest, he brought his good wing to it and cawed with renowned loyalty.
Despite the still rocky bond, Cade found himself smiling.
Beneath the glove, a new chain, transparent and barely visible, made itself known next to the first.