Pokémon: Road to Indigo Glory

Garden Thieves

"Hello." Humans 

"Pika-chu." Pokémon addressing humans

"Hello." Pokémon addressing Pokémon

Lillie, her trademark bag in hand, did not know what to expect from Professor Oak's lab before she arrived in Kanto. Of course, Samson Oak talked high praise, and many Pokémon puns, about it. Yet now that she was here, the sheer scale of it shocked her. The lab building itself was honestly primitive by the standards of the Aether Foundation. Yet it was the grounds that surrounded the lab that shocked her. Vast swathes of land, nearly the size of the town itself, were sectioned off with fencing to house all the Pokémon. Multiple biomes, including rocky wastelands, verdant forests, marshlands, grasslands and more, every kind of environment Kanto could support was there. And she swore the amount of Pokémon held there could fill an island!

"There's so much to take in…" Lillie muttered, looking around at the expansive grounds of the Oak Lab's ranch.

"I thought you guys at the Ether Fountain had places to let Pokémon roam?" Ash asked, his face contorted with confusion.

Lillie frowned. "It's the 'Aether Foundation,' not the 'Ether Foundation.' And yes, but nothing like this." she explained.

"We also take in the Pokémon from trainers that left after Professor Oak gave them their starter." Ash explained, further surprising the white clad girl.

"Professor Oak holds onto trainers' Pokémon for them?" Lillie asked, amazed to hear that.

"How do you think he gets access to so many of them for research? He wrote the book on how to get so many Pokémon to study." Ash answered with pride.

"Fascinating!" Lillie replied excitedly, pulling a notebook out of her bag and beginning to write in it.

"Don't get too excited. Most of the work around here isn't that glamorous. Feeding, monitoring, doing medical procedures, grooming. It's all hard work." Ash explained, a bit boredly as it had been his life for so long.

Lillie paled a bit. "G-Grooming…?" she asked nervously, fearful of having to touch the Pokémon to groom them.

"Not all of the Pokémon, but some do require it. Don't get me started on the Ponyta line. Those things manes are always a mess without steel wool brushes." Ash said, groaning a bit at the task mentioned.

"I-I see…" Lillie replied, continuing to write in her notebook.

"Also, don't use water for Rock or Ground-Types. We got a special coating that we spray on for them. Helps prevent chipping." Ash explained. "But that's all in due time."

"That makes sense. Rock and Ground-Type Pokémon don't like water." Lillie noted with a nod, writing that down to remember for later.

"Well, we already fed them, so now for the daily rounds. I hope you packed walking shoes." Ash said with a smile.

"Of course I did. I try to be prepared for any eventuality." Lillie replied, lifting her covered foot up to show off her shoes.

"Alright, let's break them in! Follow me!" Ash yelled as he ran off into the grassland before them.

Lillie looked at the cap-wearing mad lad in sheer disbelief. "... Maybe I should've bought a pair of running shoes instead…" she noted before putting her notebook away and taking off after him.

Meanwhile: Back at the Ketchum Household

Delia hummed along as she prepped food for lunch for the kids. It was nice to have new occupants in the house. Lillie was such a sweet and helpful girl, not to mention very well mannered. Though comparing her to her son wasn't fair, she did wish she was able to teach him a few more manners. Meanwhile, the addition of Pikachu was quite the treat indeed. Though it seemed to cause Ash trouble, if anything, he was nothing but a delight for her. Next to her on the counter, Pikachu helped her wash the dishes from breakfast, carrying them off to the dish rack.

"Thank you so much for your help today, Pikachu." Delia said with a smile.

Pikachu smiled and nodded. "Pikachu!" he replied, happy to help if it meant more ketchup.

"Would you be a dear and go get some vegetables from the garden? A head of lettuce and several tomatoes should be enough for salads for lunch. I know you like Ketchup, but wait until you try my Salad Salsa, Pikachu." Delia explained, which peaked the yellow rodent's interest.

Pikachu gained an excited look in his eyes before turning serious and saluting his trainer's mother. "Pika-Pika!" he replied before hopping off the counter, heading for the door to the garden.

Rushing off, and nearly getting himself stuck in the Growlithe Door, he soon was off into the garden. Mercifully, the garden wasn't too far into the yard. Truth be told, the electric mouse was getting sick of the daily walks to the lab. Far too much exercise. Then they had to huff and puff around, feeding other Pokémon and stuff. If he needed something to do drudge work, he could get a Raticate and… did he walk past the garden?

Pikachu stopped and looked to his side and realized he had passed the garden after getting lost in his thoughts. But Delia had a fairly large garden, he saw it yesterday, that didn't make any sense. Turning around, however, his eyes widened. The once big, beautiful, and bountiful garden was a shell of its former self. Smashed tomatoes, crushed zucchinis, tarnished lettuce, and further desecration of the promised land that was the Ketchum garden. It was too much for the rotund rodent to bear.

"PIKAAAAA!!!" he screamed in horror.

"Pikachu what's wrong… WHAT HAPPENED TO MY GARDEN!?!?" Delia shrieked after rushing out after Pikachu. "So much is destroyed! They wiped out my tomato plants!"

Pikachu quickly dashed from plant to plant, trying to figure out what happened while searching for survivors. To his despair, none could be found. All of them were devastated.

"And I was going to make my homemade ketchup from those tomatoes too…" Delia said in disappointment.

Pikachu's ears immediately perked up at that and looked up at his trainer's mother in shock. "Pika… Pikachu…?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I was going to make some from the tomatoes after I made the lunch Salad Salsa…" Delia sighed, wondering what she was going to do for dinner.

Pikachu's eyes narrowed in fury at that, electricity sparking from the pouches on his cheeks. Rushing into the house, he quickly came back out, decked out in a pot and a couple of pans as makeshift armor with a shovel in his little hands. "PIKA-PIKACHU!!!" he roared in rage, shaking the shovel over his head like a makeshift spear.

By the time Lillie and Ash had returned, Pikachu and Delia had searched the garden high and low. To their dismay, they weren't able to find anything. Ash opened the front door to find Pikachu and Delia in the kitchen in utter despair.

"What's wrong, you two?" Ash asked, confused.

"Someone or something destroyed my garden. And I was going to make my Salad Salsa and homemade ketchup today…" Delia replied in a defeated tone.

"Piiikaaaaa…!" Pikachu groaned in frustration, sparks flickering off of his cheek pouches.

"What kind of fiend would do such a thing!?" Lillie shrieked in concern.

"Might be some local Bug-Type Pokémon. After all, those things do love their vegetables." Ash noted before heading out to inspect the garden himself.

"Then there's only one thing to be done. Ash, get rid of them." Delia demanded, getting up from her seat in a huff before leading them towards the garden.

"Why me?" Ash asked in surprise, looking up from inspecting the bite marks on a ruined head of lettuce.

"You've worked for Professor Oak for most of your life. He gave you Pokéballs. And you have a Pokémon." Delia explained, pointing to Pikachu at the end.

"PI-PIKAAAAAACHUUUU!" Pikachu roared, wanting nothing more than to avenge the loss of their precious garden, especially the poor, innocent tomatoes.

"Fine… Judging by the bite marks and other forms of damage, it's likely either a Caterpie or a Weedle." Ash explained, as he scanned the pulverized produce.

"You can tell that just from the bite marks and other damage, Ash?" Lillie asked, amazed at his deduction.

"Yeah. I can't tell which one between them though. Professor Oak could, but he's off getting supplies with Gary in Viridian City today. Also, with a lot of the stuff trampled, it has to be low to the ground and short. It's too short to be a Venonat or Paras. And it has to be a Bug Type because there are no peck marks or large bite marks, ruling out Flying or Normal Types." Ash further explained before standing up, his hands at his side.

"Incredible!" Lillie said in awe, pulling out her notebook and writing down these observations before putting it away. "So how are we going to catch this melodious marauder?"

"Simple. They are pretty low-level Pokémon, so we don't really need to battle it to catch it. We can use the old Hisuian method of the Hidden Throw technique. Which will involve a stake out." Ash explained, adjusting his belt and putting a Pokéball more forward on his belt.

"The Hidden Throw technique? I thought that was just a story." Lillie noted, surprised.

"Who told you that?" Ash asked, raising his eyebrow at such a claim.

"Gladion, you dummy…!" Lillie growled out angrily.

"Who's that?" Ash asked, confused at her sudden shift.

"My brother…" Lillie sighed in frustration.

"Back then, they only recently invented Pokéballs and didn't know how to handle Pokémon like we do now. Also, Pokéballs are far more efficient nowadays. A good throw from a bush will catch the little thief off guard, and they will be caught faster than you can say Ketchum!" Ash said, putting his hands on his sides with confidence.

"Pikaaaa…!" Pikachu growled out, frustrated that he wouldn't be able to avenge his precious tomatoes.

"Don't worry, big guy. You can shock any buddies they bring along." Ash said, turning to look at his partner.

Pikachu smirked evilly as he rubbed his little hands together. While such an action worried Lillie, it was all Ash needed. After a brisk lunch, the trio sat behind the nearest bush and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited for several hours. So much so that Lillie and Pikachu fell asleep in a nap. Ash was about to himself, before he heard a rustling on the other side of the fence. Gently shaking the two awake, he readied the Pokéball.

"Come on. Pop out of the fence line already." Ash muttered to himself, gripping the Pokéball firmly.

Soon he saw a red horn pop out of the bush, and Ash chucked the Pokéball like a fastball pitch. Striking the Pokémon's head, it disappeared in the flash of warm red light, and the ball opened and closed rapidly. Landing on the ground, the three watched with bated breath as it wagged once, wagged twice, and wagged thrice. Then it clicked shut after a moment of silence, and a little set of stars came out. Ash then leapt from the bush in excitement, his fists going above his head.

"We did it! We caught the Pokémon!!!" Ash cried out, rushing over to the Pokéball, and scooping it up into his hands.

Rushing in, Lillie and Pikachu caught up with Ash to check things out. "What was it, Ash?" Lillie asked.

"I don't know. I saw only a red horn, but let's let our newest recruit out and have a look." Ash said. "Pokéball! Go!"

In a blinding flash of blue light as the ball opened, came a small Pokémon, even smaller than Pikachu. Though to be fair, with his big boned body, it wasn't hard. It was a small, caterpillar-like Pokémon with a green body, yellow rings on its sides, and a red pronged horn. Four small suction cup-like feet propelled it to the ground, as its two black orb-like eyes looked up in terror. Ash smiled down at the little Bug-Type.

"Caterpie. I figured it was a Caterpie over a Weedle." Ash said before getting further down on its level. "Hey there, little guy."

"Caterpie…" It nervously said, cowering back in fear.

"It's alright. No one is going to hurt you. I'm the one who caught you. I'm Ash. Sorry for scaring you like that." Ash said, gently reaching out and petting its little round head.

Caterpie flinched at first, but gradually relaxed and leaned into his newfound trainer's touch. PIkachu however, was far less gentle in his response.

"Alright, you little worm! Why'd you destroy the garden!? What did the tomatoes do to you!?!?" PIkachu asked angrily in Pokémon language, pressing the tip of his shovel against Caterpie's throat.

"T-T-That wasn't me!! I was only hungry just now!! All I wanted was a snack of lettuce and zucchini! Please don't hurt me, I'll never touch a tomato again in my life!!" The Caterpie cried back, before hiding behind Ash's leg.

"Pikachu! What's gotten into you!?" Ash yelled at his partner in frustration.

"Keep out of it, Ash! This is personal!" Pikachu told his trainer sternly in Pokémon language before turning his gaze back on Caterpie. "A likely story! If you didn't attack the garden, then who did!?"

"Weedle!!" Lillie shrieked, jumping behind Ash in horror as she pointed beyond the fence line.

The three turned around to see that slipping through a gap in the fence was a gaggle of four Weedle. The brownish orange caterpillars bore a sharp, singular horn-like stinger, and a far more aggressive expression on their faces. Caterpie, despite his fear, got out from behind Ash's leg and stood between the humans and the wild Pokémon.

"S-S-Stay away!" Caterpie called out, trying to make himself seem tough.

"Stay out of this! We want the veggies and nobody's gonna stop us! Especially not a weak, little Caterpie!" the Weelde replied, preparing to go on the attack.

"Shovel attack!!" Came the shrieking cry of Pikachu as he leapt into action.

The Weedle jumped back to avoid the shovel, barely managing to evade the attempted sneak attack. The sound of the metal shovel hitting the ground resounded through the ruined garden as Pikachu stood between his humans and new teammate and the attacking wild Weedle, his shovel held behind him like a bo staff. Caterpie looked at Pikachu in surprise, shocked that he was protecting him too. Looking back, Pikachu gave his newly caught teammate a smile.

"Stay back and keep the humans safe. I've got this." Pikachu told him.

"Are you sure!?" Caterpie shrieked in shock.

"Yeah, I'm sure! I can take these punks!" Pikachu reassured him with a smirk.

"Okay! Be careful! They can sting!!" the Bug Type called back.

"We'll show you not to underestimate us, rat!" The Weedle replied, unleashing a barrage of Poison Sting.

To their shock, Pikachu spun his shovel like a bo staff. His maneuver easily deflected their Poison Sting barrage away from himself and the humans. Holding his makeshift staff behind him, Pikachu roared as he leapt into the fray. Panicking, the Weedle launched String Shot attacks only for Caterpie to support Pikachu from the rear by firing his own to block theirs. Surprised at the move, Pikachu looked back at his new brother-in-arms.

"Keep going, Pikachu! Leave their String Shots to me!" Caterpie called out, firing shot after shot of sticking web string to provide cover fire.

"Not bad, new guy! Let me show you something a bit more shocking!!" Pikachu yelled before rushing off towards the Weedle infestation before him.

"They're fighting together!" Ash yelled in excitement.

"They're already working together so well…!" Lillie noted in awe.

"Rattle 'em with Poison Sting, boys!" the lead Weedle called out as he and his goons unleashed another barrage of Poison Stings.

Dodging as he spun and swung with his shovel, Pikachu evaded and deflected the Poison Stings with his makeshift weapon. Getting in close, he swung it with full force. The metal spade of the shovel slammed into one Weedle's head, dazing it. As one Weedle tried to lunch at him from behind, Pikachu spun around it and clocked it in the back with the shovel's spade. Swinging it around, he hit the third Weedle into its leader. The two worm-like Pokémon groaned in pain as they found their comrades quickly smacked into them, putting them on the back foot as Pikachu grinned viciously, sparks coming off his cheek pouches.

"Pikachu! Send them packing with Thunder Shock!!" Ash called out, waving his hand in front of him dramatically.

"Enjoy some real heat, you garden destroying jerks!" Pikachu called out before unleashing a surprisingly powerful blast of yellow lightning from his body.

The Weedles panicked as they were soon hit by the blast of electricity. The bolt of yellow destruction hit them hard, electrocuting them. Soon, the force of the electric shock blew them back as it exploded, leaving everyone, even Pikachu himself, in awe at the results.

"Run for it, you mugs!" the lead Weedle called out as he and his boys ran for their lives.

"Di… did I do that…?" Pikachu asked in disbelief.

"Nice work, Pikachu! That lot isn't ever coming back here!" Ash yelled, running up to hug his round and electric partner.

"That was incredible, Pikachu! I've never seen a newly gotten Electric-Type use a Thundershock that strong!" Lillie noted excitedly.

"I knew he was strong! Mom! Good news! We got rid of the Weedle that ate your garden!" Ash called out loudly. "And I caught my first Pokémon!!"

"That's wonderful news, Ash!" Delia replied as she rushed out to see.

"So, Caterpie? You want to stay with us? You don't have to if you don't want to." Ash said, getting back down on Caterpie's level to talk to him.

To the little Caterpillar Pokémon, he almost couldn't believe his ears. This human… wanted him? Without much thought, Caterpie leapt up towards Ash, gripping his chest and snuggling into him. Ash soon held him in his arms and smiled.

"Welcome aboard, Caterpie. Hey Lillie. Want to hold him too?" Ash asked, standing up with his second Pokémon.

"I-I'll settle for petting him, thank you…" Lillie replied nervously, trying to reach out to touch Caterpie.

Ash grinned and held the little Bug-Type out in front of him. "Oh, come on. I think he likes you." he said with a cheeky tone.

Slowly and nervously, Lillie reached out to try to touch Caterpie. However, Caterpie got a bit too excited and pushed his head into Lillie's outstretched hand and nuzzled it. In response, Lillie froze up in fear, turning white as a sheet. This got a sigh out of both Ash and Pikachu, while Caterpie was left confused.

"We've got a long way to go with her on that." Ash sighed.