A/N 1: This is an AU fic where Ash starter is different. He will be choosing a Bulbasaur as his starter and will catch more than six pokemon during his journey.

A/N 2: The age where trainers get their license has been increased from ten to fifteen.

A/N 3: English is not my first language, so if I make any errors, I'm sorry. Let me know, and I will edit them. Reviews are critical as they motivate me to write more chapters quickly.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

Now, on with the story...

In the little town of Pallet, sunlight beamed into a small bedroom. A boy of fifteen was awake, ready to embark on his journey. The most momentous day in his life had arrived, it was the day he, Ash Ketchum, would finally become a trainer.

He was supposed to start his journey when he was ten years old on this very day, but the Indigo League increased the starting age of trainers from 10 to 15 a few years back. This decision was made because of the accidents and other problems young trainers faced with their Pokemon. For a while, Ash was sad that he had to wait a while longer to start his journey. He usually spent his time playing and studying about Pokemon, waiting for the day he became a trainer and accomplish his dream of being a Pokemon Master.

"Ashy, come down for breakfast!" His mother said from the kitchen. "I'm coming, Mom!" Ash exclaimed. He got dressed and went downstairs and saw his mother with a smile on her face as she leaned against the wall. "Are you ready to start your journey?"

"Yeah, I'm definitely ready," Ash announced. "I've been waiting for this day since I was 10. I have all my supplies packed, and the only thing left to do is to get my starter from Professor Oak".

Not all trainers got the regional starters while starting their journey. Only those trainers who had been sponsored by a licensed professor could receive them. Trainers who could afford to spend a lot of money could also get them from breeding centers. Ash had studied endlessly to get one of the starters and surely enough; he had been one to the 3 chosen to get the regional starters apart from Gary and Leaf.

"You did work hard to get one of the regional starters. Have you decided on which starter to choose?" He said with a broad smile on his face, "Yes, I have."

He had thought about his choice for a while. It had been hard to choose among the three regional starters as they all were strong in their own right, and each of them was rare and highly valued Pokemon.

Charmander, the fire type, was the strongest of the three starters. It had a perfect blend of speed and power, yet it was the hardest to train because of their prideful nature, which grew as they evolved. It was this mean streak which caused all sorts of problems for its trainer. They were tough, draconian creatures whose fire could burn through anything. Even though it's defensive capabilities were not as high as the other two starters, a Charizard could swiftly annihilate its foes with its powerful and versatile attacks.

The water type Squirtle was more defensive than the other two starters. Squirtle, along with its evolutionary forms, had a hard shell that was almost impenetrable from physical attacks. It could release pressurized blasts of water that had the power to crush even steel with its power. In addition, it could also use its thick skull to deliver mighty tackles. Its final form, Blastoise, had such high defence that it could shrug off most attacks with ease and could be a heavy tank if adequately trained.

The idea of getting either of the two starters sounded excellent to him. But he knew what he wanted, he wanted the third starter. Bulbasaur was a dynamic grass type; capable of being utilized as a battler or as a pokemon that could immobilize its foes with its toxins and other ailments. In addition to being a great battler, it was also quite valuable in catching other Pokemon with its ability to perform moves like Sleep power, Poison powder from its bulb. Bulbasaur could trap wild Pokemon with its vines and ambush them, leading to effortless captures. Its final form, Venasaur, was regarded as the most prestigious grass species in Kanto, for it could attack, defend and heal. It would prove to be a massive asset for any trainer, which was what exactly what he wanted.

Ash quickly finished his breakfast, grabbing his cap. "I better get going mom, I don't want to be late to get my starter." Ash declared opening the door. "Okay, but you better come home and show it to me." his mother smiled.

Ash started walking towards the Professor's lab, and within a few minutes, he reached his destination. He climbed the stairs and opened the door of Professor Oak's Lab. He was supposed to arrive by 8:00 am, but he decided to come a little early. "Guess Ashy boy couldn't wait a little longer to get his pokemon." came an obnoxious voice that Ash had no doubt had been Gary's.

Gary had been standing by the door and gave him a hand, which Ash returned. "Hello to you too, Gary, thought I'd come and check up on you before getting my starter," Ash replied with a tiny smirk. "Whatever Ashy boy, now all we got to do is to wait up for Leaf. That girl is taking forever to get here," growled Gary with a frown, giving a small kick to the floor.

"You do realize I can hear you right, Gary?" remarked a third voice. "I came here as fast as I could." "Guess you're not fast enough to beat me, huh?" Gary asked arrogantly. Just as Leaf was going to retort, Professor Oak came into the room, holding a set of 3 pokeball having a small sticker of fire, water, and grass on them.

It didn't take them any time at all to guess what was inside them. The Professor soon released the pokeballs, and the figures of Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander came to view. "Now children, now that you're all here, you can finally choose your starter and begin your journey. "

"Since you are the only girl here, Leaf, why don't you go first? " asked Professor Oak gently. "Thanks, Professor," said Leaf happily; she quickly went to Squirtle and bent towards it. She gave a smile and said, "Hi Squirtle, do you wanna join me on my journey? We'll have lots of fun, and we can get stronger together." The Squirtle nodded its head and gave her a small nudge on her arm. Leaf happily got back up and took Squirtle's poke ball from Professor Oak. She couldn't help but notice the weird look from Gary. "What, you thought I would go for Bulbasaur?" Leaf asked.

"Man, I really wanted that Squirtle," replied Gary with a frown.

"It's okay Gary, you can't get what you want all the time," retorted Leaf with a wink. "Why you little….."

"Ash, it's your turn." Professor Oak's voice came quickly, diffusing the situation. Ash came toward the Bulbasaur and knelt down. "Hey buddy, I'm gonna be your trainer, do you wanna travel with me? I promise to help you become the strongest Venusaur in the world." Bulbasaur's eyes glinted, and it nodded its head happily.

"I'm sure you will, Ash. "said Professor Oak with a small smile. "Now Gary, go on, choose your starter."

"Okay, Gramps, I don't mind getting Charmander because it has the type advantage against Ash's Bulbasaur. Besides, Charizard is a great pokemon." Gary answered with a smirk, patting Charmander on the head.

"Type advantages, don't mean everything in a battle, Gary." came Professor Oak's voice. "Whatever you say, Gramps," Gary replied with a smirk.

"Now that you all received your starters, I will be returning them, and you can let them out after leaving the lab. Oak opened a drawer and took out 3 red devices that shone in the sunlight. "I will be giving you children a Pokedex each. The pokedex is a digital encyclopedia, which is an invaluable tool for trainers. It can be used to find information about every Pokemon species registered by you. It can also be used to determine your Pokemon's gender and the moves they currently have. The pokedex will be registered under your name and cannot be replaced if lost, so please take care of it. Here are 5 pokeballs to aid you in capturing your future companions." Professor Oak said handing them the devices.

"I wish you three all the best in your journey, and I will be waiting to see your progress, so please keep me updated once in a while. Be careful, and have fun." Professor Oak giving them a smile.

"Thanks, Professor/Gramps," replied the excited teenagers with matching smiles or smirk in Gary's case. Ash took Bulbasaur's pokeball from the table and attached it to his belt. He turned to his starter and asked: "Do you wanna walk with me to my house, buddy?" Bulbasaur looked at its trainer for a few seconds. It nodded its head and began walking with its trainer.

On the way home, he remembered Professor talking about the uses of the pokedex and took it out of his pocket, and pointed it towards his starter. "Don't worry Bulbasaur, this will just show me information about you."

Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon. By soaking up the sun's rays, the seed on its back grows progressively more significant. A young Bulbasaur uses the nutrients from its seed for the energy it needs to grow.

This Bulbasaur is Male and has the ability Overgrow, which boosts its grass type moves when low on health.

This Pokemon knows the following moves: Tackle, Amnesia, Vine Whip, and Leaf Storm.

Note: The moves Amnesia and Leaf Storm are egg moves.

"Whoa Bulbasaur, you're a tough little guy, aren't ya?" Bulbasaur lifted up in head proudly in agreement looking at his trainer. "That reminds me, bud, would you like a nickname?" Bulbasaur nodded his head with interest."How about Bulb? ". The hard look Bulbasaur gave him was enough to change his mind. "How about Saur?" Bulbasaur nodded with a grin towards Ash, who matched him with a similar one stretched across his face.

They soon reached the entrance of his home and opened the door. His mother, who was watching the television, seeing the duo got up and came towards them."Is this your starter Ashy? He's so cute!" said Delia with a wide smile, bending down and scratching Bulbasaur under the chin to which it gave a small croaking sound.

"Okay, mom, I'm gonna go get my bag pack from my room before heading out," giving a weak smile to his mother."Stay here, Saur, I'll be right back".While heading to his room, Ash noticed the TV was on. As he was about to switch it off, the breaking news caught his attention.

"A swarm of trapinch has been recently sighted near Pewter City. They are confirmed to be heading South towards Viridian City and then towards Johto via Tohjo Falls. Trainers wishing to catch one, best hurry! A team of researchers has concluded that the swarm will leave Kanto entirely in a week. That's all for Poketime today. Stay tuned for special pokemon sightings!"

"Whoa, a trapinch swarm, if I'm lucky, I could find one on the road." Ash thought to switch off the television. After getting his backpack and supplies, he came back downstairs. He saw his mother waiting for him with Bulbasaur next to her.

"Look after my son Bulbasaur; I'm leaving him in your capable vines" Delia giving a small laugh to which Bulbasaur nodded his head in joy.

"Guess this is it, mom, I promise I'll call you after reaching Viridian City." Giving her a tight hug, which she returned nearly crushing him.

"I'll miss you, Ashy. Have fun on your journey and be safe" He gave her a small smile and opened the door to leave. "And don't forget to change your underwear," He heard her say. "I hope nobody heard that," He said with a laugh. While he would definitely miss his mother and their home, he had been waiting for his journey for years. "Time to get the show on the road," He thought, forcing a smile on his face. "Let's go, Saur," calling out to his starter as they began the first step into their journey.

Route 1, as it was commonly called, was the quiet little road connecting Pallet Town to Viridian City. One could find Pidgey, Rattata, and even Spearow in abundance. Even a Pidgeotto could be found if a trainer looked hard enough. Ash and Bulbasaur walked side by side on the dirt path. The journey from his home was uneventful. They faced a few Rattata's and even the occasional Pidgey. Still, they were children of their own species and didn't pose much of a challenge to Bulbasaur and his Tackle attack.

The duo was walking side by side for a while. They hadn't encountered a strong pokemon to battle yet. Soon they arrived at a small clearing; Ash noticed a tree stump and proceeded to sit on it. Pulling out a sandwich from his backpack, his mom had thoughtfully prepared for him and took a bite out of it. He also took out the pokemon food and placed it in front of Bulbasaur, who had a close look in his eyes and began munching on his share happily.

After they had eaten their fill, Ash called out to his starter, "Hey buddy, you think we could work on your other moves now?" The Bulbasaur nodded and proceeded to turn towards a tree, which would be his target. Having seen Tackle and having an idea what kind of move Amnesia was, Ash decided to try the other two attacks. "Okay Saur, show me Vine whip" Ash called out.

Bulbasaur stretched out two vines from either side of the bulb and smacked the tree with them, leaving deep marks over its bark.

"Nice Saur, we'll beat the Pewter gym for sure. Now show me Leaf Storm."

Bulbasaur began building in energy in his body; more leaves surrounding his body with every passing second. Suddenly green light surrounded him before he released a flurry of leaves in the direction of the tree. A large number of leaves struck the tree leaving behind multiple cuts on its bark. The attack had drained Bulbasaur as he was breathing heavily. After giving him a few minutes to rest, Ash turned to him.

"Whoa Saur, That move is definitely your most potent, but using it in the middle of a battle leaves you open. Why don't you say we use that as a last resort, at least until you evolve? The Bulbasaur, giving a tilt to his head in agreement, still tired after using his strongest move. The duo rested for a while and quickly returned back on the road.

Ash hadn't encountered any trainers yet and hoping he would soon. "Hey, you." a voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"Can I help you?" He asked the stranger. "Let's have a battle, my bugs will crush you." the boy boasted with a smirk.

Ash shook his head in disappointment; his first trainer battle was against a bug catcher. Bug catcher was the title given to any trainer who only sought to capture bugs, training them because they grew quickly. The reason was because bug types could reach their final evolutions in a few weeks with minimal training. Their fast growth made them a little hard for beginning trainers to defeat. Still, to an experienced trainer, it was like nothing hard.

He promised himself he would not lose to this kid. "Why don't you go first?" Ash said, giving a small smile.

"It doesn't matter because you're gonna lose either way," declared the bug catcher throwing a pokeball into the air. "Weedle, I choose you." After the Weedle materialized in front of him. He gave a cocky grin. "Let's see if you're close to my level."

Ash took a breath and grabbed Bulbasaur's Pokeball from his belt. "Saur, Battle Stance," He cried out, releasing his starter. "You can have the first move, too," Ash smirked.

"I'll make you regret it!" cried the other boy."Weedle, use poison sting. " Weedle quickly pointing the glowing stinger on top of its head, jumped towards Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip to knock it out of your way." Bulbasaur immediately released a vine and slammed it into the Weedle, tossing it a couple feet away from its original position.

"Weedle, are you alright?" asked the boy with concern in his voice. The Weedle got up, albeit with a little difficulty, but waited for another command by his trainer. "Use String Shot to bind Bulbasaur." Instantly a line of silk came out of Weedle's mouth and hit Bulbasaur, preventing him from moving. "Now, get close and use poison Sting." Weedle began charging towards Bulbasaur with its stinger ready.

"Bulbasaur, it's time to finish this! Use Leaf Storm," Ash screamed out. Bulbasaur began charging as leaves started surrounding his body. He glowed green, and leaves rushed out f in a flurry of motion. The attack continued to hit everything around Bulbasaur, including Weedle. When the attack was over, Weedle lay a few feet away from Bulbasaur, unable to move."

The Bug catcher sighed in defeat and came over to Ash and handed him 500 Pokedollars. "Good battle," Ash called out to the boy who gave him a nod.

"Hey," called out the bug catcher, "There's a flock of Spearow, headed by a rather large and angry Fearow. If I were you, I'd get to the city as soon as possible".

Ash initially wanted to catch a pokemon or two before arriving at Viridian. Still, he'd be a fool not to heed the advice. In the end, Ash decided not to take any chances against an entire flock on his own. He decided to quicken his pace lest they encounter an angry herd.

After quite a few hours of travelling, which also involved battling some more Bug catchers, Ash finally reached Viridian City. He was tired after the day's events and wanted nothing more than a bed to sleep in. He was interrupted from his musings by an Officer. "Excuse me, young man. I need to see your identification if you want to enter my beautiful city." Officer Jenny said with a frown.

Ash handed over his Pokedex to her. She pressed a button under the Pokedex. A page popped out, showing his picture and details. "This Pokedex belongs to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and is issued by Professor Oak of Pallet Town. If lost, I cannot be replaced," it blurted out in a monotone voice.

"Alright, kid, you're good to go. All the officers in Viridian are a little jumpy because we've been encountering Pokemon thieves a lot lately." Officer Jenny said, giving him a smile.

"Its okay officer, you were just doing your job. Goodbye, Officer."He replied, giving her a nod, which she returned. He managed to locate the Pokemon Centre with little difficulty because of its bright red roof. He turned to Bulbasaur, who had been walking with him from his home town. "Hey buddy, I'm going to recall you now. I'm gonna give you to Nurse Joy so that she can heal you. It'll be over quick," He said, scratching Bulbasaur, under his chin.

He recalled Bulbasaur and went to Nurse Joy. "Hello Nurse Joy, I would like to heal my Pokemon and register for the Indigo Conference," Ash said with a smile.

"Alright, young man, if you would give me your Pokedex, I may register you." Thee nurse replied.

Nodding, Ash took out his Pokedex and handed it to her. She took the Pokedex and inserted it into a slot. A few moments later, she pulled it out and returned it to him. "Now, you're all ready for the Indigo Conference. Now I'll take your Pokemon to be healed" Handing her Bulbasaur's Pokeball, Ash looked at the clock that was hung on the wall.

"I promised I'd call mom as soon as I reached Viridian, better do it now." he thought to himself.

Heading over to the nearest Videophone, he dialled the number and waited. A few seconds later, His mothers face appeared on the screen. "Hi Ashy, how was your journey to Viridian?" His mother asked with a smile. "It was okay mom, I had a few battles" He replied.

"Did you catch any pokemon?" She inquired. He frowned. "No mom I didn't, a trainer told me there was a flock of angry Spearow on the loose. So, I thought I would head to Viridian City quickly and try my hand at catching a pokemon tomorrow."

His mother gave him an astonished look and moisture started settling near her eyes "Ashy, I'm so proud of you, you made a really wise choice. You'll end up being a wonderful trainer. But please, be careful, okay sweetie?" She pleaded.

"You know me, mom, I'm always careful," Ash said with a laugh.

"Trainer Ash Ketchum, please report to the reception, your pokemon have been healed." Nurse Joy's voice came from the speaker on the wall.

"Okay mom, I have to go get Bulbasaur and have dinner, I'm starving. We've got a big day tomorrow. Good night mom, I'll call you soon, I promise. "Ash said with a smile

"Okay, Ashy, Good night. Remember what I told you and don't forget to change your underwear." She said, cutting the line with a laugh.

Ash walked over to the reception and waited for Nurse Joy to give him Bulbasaur's pokeball. "Here you go Ash, Bulbasaur is fully healed. " She said warmly.

Thanks, Nurse Joy, could I also have a room for the night? He asked.

"Sure Ash," She said, handing him a key. "Your room is 13 A. You don't worry about the payment, it's free for all trainers who register for the regional league. It's all taken care of by the Pokemon League Committee."

Ash nodded and received the key and headed off to his room. He entered and closed the door behind him. He let out Bulbasaur from his pokeball, in an instant, Bulbasaur was beside him. "Hey Saur, You feel okay?" Ash asked. The Bulbasaur nodded his head and turned his head to scan the room he was in. "We're at the Pokemon Centre, Saur. We're staying the night here. You hungry bud?"

Seeing His starter nod, He decided to help himself to a bottle of water and the sandwiches which his mother made in plenty. Placing a bowl of Pokemon food in front of Bulbasaur, who eyed it cautiously before he began gobbling it up. "Eat up, Saur; we have a big day tomorrow. We have to train and get new teammates" Ash said, finishing his meal and jumping into bed, which was surprisingly comfy, ready for sleep.

"Hey, Saur" Ash's declared, lying flat. "With you by my side, we'll conquer the Pokemon League. Bulbasaur stopped eating his meal and looked up to his trainer and let out a growl in agreement. After finishing his meal Bulbasaur joined him, using his vines to support himself onto the bed. Finding an empty spot near Ash, He curled up near his trainer. "Good night buddy," Said Ash with a yawn. Bulbasaur gave a small happy croak in return. Soon enough, both trainer and starter were asleep, tired after their long day.