(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.)
Ash [in mind]: '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: "Bellsprout!"
Oddish: "Oddish!"
(They cried out toward Ash, as if asking where the other Oddish was.)
Ash: "Relax."
(Ash said calmly.)
Ash: "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.)
Ash: "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.)
Ash: "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.)
Pidgey: "purr!"
Ash: "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.)
Ash [in mind]: '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)
Ash [in mind]: 'Well... that's a problem for the me of tomorrow. The me of now wants to sleep.'
[To Be Continued...]