“Clatter!”
A red bicycle shot over the crest of a steep hill before landing smoothly on the winding forest road below.
The girl riding it wore a bright red bandanna, her chestnut hair fluttering behind her as sunlight filtered through the trees of Route 101.
A radiant smile spread across her face as she pedaled eagerly toward Littleroot Town.
Her name was May.
She was ten years old.
And today marked the beginning of her very first Pokémon journey.
“At last!
Littleroot Town is just ahead!”
May grinned excitedly as she tightened her grip on the handlebars.
Officially, she was on her way to Professor Birch’s Laboratory to receive her first Pokémon and become a Trainer.
But deep down, May knew the truth.
More than battling, she simply wanted to travel the world to see distant places, taste new foods, meet interesting people, and experience adventures beyond the quiet life of Petalburg City.
The thought alone made her heart race with excitement.
But suddenly
Something drifted beside her.
“Hehehehe…”
A ghostly laugh echoed through the trees.
May turned instinctively and nearly screamed.
A wild Duskull floated inches from her face, its single red eye gleaming mischievously.
“Aaaahhh!”
Startled out of her wits, May lost control of the bicycle.
The wheels skidded violently across loose gravel before she toppled sideways down the slope.
Crash!
“Owww…”
May groaned as she sat up amidst the grass, leaves tangled in her hair.
Ever since a childhood incident involving Pokémon, she had always been somewhat timid around them.
That was why she had tried to rush through the forest on her bike in the first place.
But before she could recover
“Somebody help me!”
A frantic cry echoed through the woods.
May froze.
Someone was in danger.
Despite her fear, her expression slowly hardened with determination.
“I-I can’t just ignore that…”
Climbing back onto her bicycle, she turned around and rushed toward the voice.
Unfortunately, there was one small problem.
She still didn’t have a Pokémon of her own.
Deep within the forest, Professor Birch clung desperately to a tree branch halfway down a rocky slope.
Sweat poured down his face.
“I knew I shouldn’t have gotten so close to observe them…”
Earlier, while researching wild Pokémon behavior, he had slipped and tumbled down the hillside.
Worse, his bag containing several Poké Balls had flown out of reach.
The startled wild Pokémon nearby had become increasingly aggressive, trapping him where he stood.
He had attempted to call the laboratory for help
but in the chaos, his PokéNav had slipped from his hand and vanished into the brush below.
Now he could only shout desperately for assistance.
Even knowing it might attract more wild Pokémon.
“Help!
Someone!”
“Professor Birch?!”
A voice answered from above.
The professor looked up immediately, relief flooding his face.
“May?!”
The young girl carefully approached the edge of the slope.
“You came at the perfect time!
My backpack is over there there are Poké Balls inside!
Quickly, use one to scare away those Pokémon!”
Below him, several angry Poochyena snarled and paced restlessly.
May panicked instantly.
“S-So sudden!
Which one do I use?!”
“Any one is fine!”
Professor Birch shouted anxiously.
Running out of time, May grabbed a Poké Ball at random and hurled it forward.
Flash!
A burst of white light erupted
and a small blue Pokémon appeared.
It was Mudkip.
Professor Birch’s eyes widened in delight.
“Excellent!
Mudkip’s perfect!”
Mudkip blinked curiously before looking up at May.
“A-And now what?!”
“Use Water Gun!”
May pointed nervously.
“W-Water Gun!”
Mudkip tilted its head.
Then
Pshhhh!
A stream of water blasted directly into May’s face.
“Wahhh?!”
Completely soaked, May stood frozen in disbelief while Professor Birch stared speechlessly from the hillside.
Unfortunately, the situation only worsened.
Crack!
The branch supporting Birch snapped apart.
“Whoa !”
The professor barely managed to grab another branch as the wild Poochyena became even more agitated.
“Mudkip, down here!” he shouted.
“Mud!”
Mudkip leaped forward protectively.
Professor Birch finally regained his footing and pointed ahead.
“Mudkip, use Water Gun on the Poochyena!”
“Mud KIP!”
This time, the attack fired correctly.
A powerful stream of water slammed into the pack, knocking several Poochyena backward.
As a Pokémon specially raised by the League for new Trainers, Mudkip was far stronger than ordinary wild Pokémon around Route 101.
“Well done!” Birch praised quickly.
“One more Water Gun!”
If they could force the pack to retreat, the crisis would end immediately.
But just before Mudkip attacked again
BOOM!
A pulse of dark energy erupted from deeper within the forest.
The Water Gun shattered instantly.
Mudkip was blasted backward and crashed into the grass.
“Mudkip!”
Professor Birch’s expression changed dramatically.
Heavy footsteps echoed across the hillside.
Then a massive figure emerged from the shadows.
Black fur covered its powerful body, crimson eyes glowing fiercely beneath a jagged mane.
Its sharp fangs gleamed dangerously as it snarled at the humans before it.
It was a wild Mightyena.
The frightened Poochyena immediately gathered around it, whining pitifully as though complaining to their pack leader.
May’s face turned pale.
Professor Birch’s heart sank.
Mudkip was already unable to battle.
And now an enraged Mightyena had appeared.
“May!” Birch said urgently without taking his eyes off the Pokémon.
“Throw all the Poké Balls from the bag!
My Pokémon are inside!”
“O-Okay!”
May hurriedly bent down to grab them
but Mightyena suddenly shifted its gaze toward her.
Professor Birch’s expression twisted in horror.
It had realized what they were planning.
“Oh no!
May, run !”
Too late.
Mightyena launched itself forward with terrifying speed.
Using the trees as footholds, it bounded upward toward the stunned girl.
May collapsed backward into the grass, terror freezing her entire body.
The looming shadow of the charging Mightyena swallowed her vision whole.
Then
“Pikachu!
Thunderbolt!”
CRACK !!!
A brilliant bolt of lightning split the sky.
The Thunderbolt struck Mightyena head-on and blasted it sideways through the air.
Before the smoke cleared, a small yellow Pokémon landed protectively in front of May.
Its cheeks sparked with electricity.
A boy leapt down immediately afterward.
He wore a black shirt beneath a blue-trimmed jacket, fingerless gloves, jeans suited for travel, and a red cap pulled low over determined eyes.
Though not especially tall or imposing, his presence alone made May feel strangely safe.
That moment engraved itself permanently into the young girl’s heart.
The boy turned back toward her with a reassuring smile.
“Are you alright?”
May blinked rapidly before snapping out of her daze.
“Y-Yes!
I’m okay!”
“Pidgeot!”
A powerful cry echoed overhead.
Another shadow descended from the sky.
May flinched again instinctively
but the majestic Pidgeot landed beside the boy instead.
Its sharp eyes locked onto Mightyena with overwhelming pressure.
The wild Pokémon stiffened instantly.
Instinct screamed danger.
After hesitating briefly, Mightyena backed away before retreating into the forest with the rest of the pack.
Ash laughed softly and patted Pidgeot’s neck.
“You scared it a little too much, Pidgeot.”
As the former leader of the Viridian Forest flock, Pidgeot possessed an overwhelming natural presence.
Wild Pokémon were especially sensitive to such intimidation.
Ash then looked down the slope toward the professor.
“You must be Professor Birch!
I’m Ash from Pallet Town!”
Professor Birch finally released a long breath of relief.
“So you’re Ash!”
His exhausted expression immediately brightened.
“Thank goodness you arrived in time.
Otherwise, May and I would’ve been in serious trouble today!”
Ash smiled modestly.
“I only got here a moment ago.
Your assistant said you were in danger, so we split up to search the area.”
Just then, the roar of an engine echoed nearby.
An off-road vehicle burst through the trees and stopped near the slope.
A young researcher leaned out the window excitedly.
“Professor!
Ash!”
It was Birch’s assistant, Joshua.
A few minutes later, everyone climbed into the vehicle and headed back toward the laboratory.
During the ride, Ash and May properly introduced themselves.
Professor Birch, hoping to calm the shaken girl, deliberately changed the subject.
“May, thank you for trying to help earlier.
You’re just as kind-hearted as your mother.”
“N-No, I didn’t really do anything…”
May shook her head quickly.
“It was all thanks to Ash and Pikachu.”
“Don’t say that,” Ash replied warmly from the front seat.
“You heard someone calling for help and came running even though you were scared yourself.
That takes courage, May.”
May stared at him in surprise.
Ash continued with a smile.
“Being brave doesn’t mean you aren’t afraid.
It means you act anyway.”
For a moment, May felt something stir inside her chest.
A warmth she couldn’t quite describe.
Professor Birch laughed heartily.
“Ash is absolutely right!
And as Norman’s daughter, I’m sure you’ll become an excellent Trainer someday!”
May sighed helplessly.
“There it is again…”
Everyone around her always compared her to her father, Norman.
But May herself still wasn’t sure what she truly wanted from her journey.
Still…
As she quietly glanced toward Ash and Pikachu sitting together near the window
for the first time, traveling suddenly felt exciting in a completely different way.