CHAPTER 2:
                         ROUTE 1
                WORD COUNT: 1765
         CW: CRIMINAL THOUGHTS   
      PUBLISHING DATE：27/12/2023        
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Ash has reached the beginning of Route 1, but Ash plans to go further since it'd be easy for the people in town to see him using Pokemon that he stole from the Lab. Even though Delia, his mother told her not to, Ash still went further on Route 1.

 After picking a nice and unnoticeable spot in Route 1, Ash opened his backpack and started getting the pokeballs out. Ash stole four pokeballs in total, and one of them contained Growlithe, Ash grabbed the pokeball that contained Growlithe and placed it beside him, then took another pokeball.

"Come on out!" Ash said with a louder voice. Then after the blue light flashed, a large cat Pokemon appeared, it has pale tan fur, red eyes with slit pupils, and a jewel in the center of its forehead.

 When the cat-like Pokemon came out, it was lying on the ground, looking at Ash with a very haughty, giving Ash a very bad first impression. But unlike Growlithe, the cat-like Pokemon seemed to not care if its trainer, it didn't even bother to give an eye, and just napped there immediately after getting out of the Pokeball.

"What attitude.... No wonder its trainer left him at the Lab..." Ash thought, disliking the cat Pokemon because of its attitude. Ash then didn't care about what the cat Pokemon doing and bought out the two other pokeball summoning the Pokemon inside of them. 

What came out was a dugtrio, a Pokemon that's a ground type with three heads. The other Pokemon was a Pokemon that looked cute, with cream-colored fur and brown rings along the length of its body.

Ash immediately took a liking to the cute Pokemon but then it cried.

"Furret....furret....!" Furret cried loudly, as Furret couldn't find her beloved trainer, but an unfamiliar young boy who was holding his Pokeball, Furret thought a lot and reached a conclusion, it got abandoned by its trainer, so she cried, cried very loudly, not knowing why her trainer was so cruel to do this to her.

Seeing this scene, Ash guessed it was called Furret since Pokemon only knew how to say their names by talking but Ash wasn't sure. Ash took the Pokeball that contained Growlithe and let Growlithe come out, Growlithe had faced the truth that his trainer had abandoned him and accepted Ash as his trainer a bit for now.

"Growlithe, can you let that Pokemon know that it's trainer.....well it's the same situation as yours," Ash asks Growlithe, then pointing at the crying Pokemon.

When Ash said "Same situation " Growlithe understood, and nodded his head obediently, walking towards the crying Pokemon communicating with it.

After that, Ash looked at the dugtrio, and dugtrio was looking at Ash full of caution, dugtrio knew that his trainer would never abandon him, so it must be Ash who took him away from his trainer. Dugtrio then used a sandstorm on Ash, a furious sandstorm whipped up charging at Ash, but Ash couldn't dodge it in time as it was too sudden.

 Ash closed his eyes, waiting for the sandstorm to hit him, but a few seconds later nothing happened. Ash opened one of his eyes, and was shocked that the one who helped him was the cat Pokemon he disliked.

"Purrr...." The cat pokemon growled, using the move dark pulse to counter Dugtrio's sandstorm. Ash then recalled that this Pokemon was a Persian, a normal type. Ash once saw a trainer on TV during the league using Persian, and its battle performance was astounding, but Ash is confused about why Persian helped him.

The reason why Persian helped Ash is because Persian had already recognized Ash as her trainer, even though Ash was still a kid, not even an official trainer yet, but Persian knew that her trainer transferred her to Professor's Oak since it was of no use yet, and even if her trainer wanted to abandon Persian, Persian's trainer would not just leave it in a Pokeball. At such a young age to steal, Persian admires the braveness and courage, if he doesn't get caught for stealing, Ash definitely will have a place in the future.

"Dugtrio......Dug....Dug!" Dugtrio speaking with Persian angrily, that Ash stole him from their trainers.

"Purr Purr, Persian" Persian walking towards Dugtrio with elegant steps explaining the bright future Ash would have, and telling Dugtrio that if his trainer wanted him, his trainer wouldn't leave him in the Laboratory.

"Dugtrio.......Trio!" What Persian said, uncovered Dugtrio's scars, and out of anger dugtrio used mudshot to attack Persian.

Persian was close to dugtrio and didn't have the time to dodge or use another move to counter it so Persian got hit. "Persian!!" Dugtrio actions made Persians furious, and Persian immediately used furry swipes to get revenge.

Ash scared that things would get out of control, immediately called out to Persian. "Persian, don't attack each other or you'll get hurt!" Ash won't be able to go to the Poke center to heal them if they get hurt, since he'd need his Pokemon license.

"Purrr......" Even though Persian was still mad, Persian still understood that she could not fight with Dugtrio, as they wouldn't be able to get healed if their injuries were too heavy or they fainted while battling, hence after Persian used furry swipes on Dugtrio, she stopped attacking Dugtrio and climbed up on to a tree to nap, to get his anger down.

"Trio trio!" But Dugtrio still wanted a fight, so it went under the tree where Persian was napping and started to shout at Persian. "Trio, trio! Dugtrio!"

Ash looked at Dugtrio with annoyance and hatred, so while Dugtrio was still yelling at Persian, he returned Dugtrio to its pokeball.

"Looks like I won't be selling Persian but Dugtrio.....How annoying...." Ash feeling annoyed. Then he felt something moving right by his feet, Ash lowered his head, finding Growlithe and the so-called Furret. Ash seeing two obedient and cute Pokemon, Ash felt much better.

"Your Furret, am I correct?" Ash smiled, asking Furret while rubbing Furret's fur. Furret's fur was soft and fluffy, Ash was enjoying it.

"Furret furret!" Furret nodded its head very fast. Furret was nervous at first, but when it saw Ash's smile, its nervousness went POOF.

"Growlithe!" Growlithe growled seeking Ash's attention, then pointed its mouth trying to say he was starving.

Ash forgot that he did not have Pokemon food to feed the Pokemons.

"What to do...What to do.....!" Ash frowned, not knowing where to get the Pokemon food, and then a plan came up.

"Steal it from the Pokemon mart....?" Ash pondered, while seeing the following path of Route 1, since after passing Route 1, it'll be Viridian City and there is a Pokemon mart there, but the problem is Ash doesn't have the time to go to Viridian City. Sneak out when it turns midnight? Well, It's quite risky but maybe it'll do, Ash still needs to find a quick way for Pokemon food as Growlithe's getting hungry, and the other Pokemon will too eventually.

Ash felt like his mind would explode because he couldn't think of a way to get Pokemon food right now, then he raised his head, looking at the trees with apples hanging on them.

"They probably eat apples right?" Ash couldn't think of another way, so he started climbing up the trees to get the apples.

"Having a Pokemon isn't that easy to raise as well huh..." Ash thought, with a bitter smile on his face, while climbing up the trees.

The Pokemon were shocked and curious why Ash was climbing a tree. The noises from the Pokemon also awakened the napping Persian, Persian eyes opened, and saw Ash climbing a tree's, trying to get the apples The intelligent cat didn't take long to understand why Ash was doing this, but it did nothing just looking at Ash. It wants to see if Ash can find a way to feed him, till he becomes an official trainer.

Ash finally got to the top of the tree after minutes, that felt like ages to Ash. Ash started picking up the apples and throwing them down, some apples got thrown to pieces though, but the trees had plenty of apples, so Ash wasn't worried if there were not enough, since there were other trees with apples as well. After gaining a pile of apples, Ash started climbing down the tree, but an accident approached, and Ash fell off the tree.

The Pokemons felt that their heart stopped for a second, seeing Ash fall off from the tree but then were at ease, as Ash didn't get hurt but only a few scratches on him, it could be called a miracle.

"Ouch..." Ash feeling his butt burning in pain fell to the ground, and then felt his arms a little in pain and felt something dripping. Ash took a look, it was a few minor scratches on his arms, still bleeding with blood, dripping on the floor.

Furret and Growlithe ran to Ash, seeing him bleeding, they were very worried. 

"Furret, furret!" Furret using her two tiny arms touching Ash's scars, when Furret touched the scars, she immediately took her arms back with a scared and anxious look.

 "Growlithe, growl...." Growlithe growled, looking at Ash with a worried look as if Growlithe was trying to ask Ash if the scars hurt.

Ash laughed, feeling warmth in his heart because of Growlithe and Furret's actions. Ash picked up three apples from the apple pile and reached his hand out to Growlithe and Furret.

"Growlithe, your starving right? Eat this, I don't have anything else right now. You too Furret..." Ash said, looking a little awkward because he didn't have Pokemon food, then Ash looked at Persian who was still lying on a tree, but not asleep. 

When Ash raised his head to look at Persian, he and Persian looked at each other eye to eye, Persian immediately dodged Ash's sight, even though still looking cold and unnearable, its eyes flashed with worry and ease. Ash saw the emotions in Persian's eyes, so Ash approached and with great aim threw an apple at Persian. "It's for you Persian" Ash giving Persian a truthful smile.

"..." Persian didn't reply with a sound, but stared blankly at the apples in her paws, and then started eating it quietly.

 "Growlithe!" Growlithe started eating the apple with pleasure, fulfilling his hungry tummy.

 "Furret, Furret!" Furret used his tiny arms to hold the apple and started munching on it bit by bit.

Furret was full already, but Growlithe and Persian weren't, so Ash gave them a few more apples to eat, Ash himself also ate one as well.

"What a great start..." Ash sitting down under a tree, looking at the sky.

              TO BE CONTINUED...