Chapter 1: Strenuous Tasks

On a relatively early morning in southern Kalos, the sun's rays would force their heat upon the otherwise chilled air, and the light from those very rays would awaken a truly odd person. He was, as some would define him, lazy. Compared to his siblings, who'd all been up before the sun had even come up from the horizon, they had been sleeping soundly. All the while, the rest of the Silvester family worked early in the very morning, feeding their Pokemon, doing daily chores around the house, and eating early breakfasts. Fifteen year old Jackson would still be asleep, however and by the time their tasks were finished, he would just be waking up.

Indeed, Jackson Silvester was, out of all five of the Silvesters, the laziest. In comparison to his sisters, he got out of bed almost two hours later or so than they would, as his bedroom window faced an almost perfect angle to the sunrise. This allowed him to wake up a little past dawn, still earlier than most would wake even for school. At such early hours, others in the family had their Pokemon to attend to, he hadn't any of his own.

Currently, Jackson was attempting to purposefully start the day even later than he usually did. Unfortunately for him, Veronica was having none of it. Jackson dreaded this day, as today was the day that his parents would execute their last ditch effort to get him to become a Pokemon Trainer.

"Wake up!" she shouted to him angrily. She practically flipped the mattress in trying to pull off his covers. Being the brute she was, said blankets were ripped off him in an instant, actually flipping Jackson him onto his stomach.

"No. I'm not feeling so good," he replied, his voice muffled into the mattress. It wasn't a total lie; when he turned to face her, his face was quite green from the whiplash he'd endured.

The siblings then stared into each other's eyes, Jackson with a lazy frown, and Veronica with an engaged and excited gleam.

Neither would admit it, but they were the best of friends.

Annabelle, the younger sister of the two, would enter the room to find Jackson pinned to the ground, his arms pulled behind him violently, Veronica threatening to dislocate them while Jackson fought back with the vigor of a sloth.

"You guys?" asked the twelve year old girl. She was concerned, and thus wondered about the safety of her siblings.

"Hey, Anna. Call her off, would you?" Jackson moaned, obviously in pain.

"You're just being lazy. Seriously, you need to get over yourself." Veronica growled.

"Vee, I don't think Jay can get over himself right now." Anna had very odd nicknames for her siblings, but this fact was disregarded by the two older children who were already used to them. Veronica let go of Jackson, whose arms slapped to the ground in a very limp fashion; he was playing dead. He wasn't exactly the poorest of sports, and he did get along with his sisters when he was awake... usually.

The two sisters, upon realizing Jackson hadn't gotten up from the floor, looked over him. Veronica tapped his back.

"Jack? You okay?"

There was no response from the boy. Jackson actually felt comfortable, minus the fact he currently had few clothes on.

"Vee, maybe you should apologize for wrestling him."

"Or not," Jackson replied quickly, "I need a second to stretch out the new knots in my neck, and to change into some proper clothes. I'd prefer to do both in private." Jackson slept in his underwear, usually. He propped his head up on his chin, and looked up at the pair with a very weary facial expression. Veronica blushed at Jackson's sorrow, feeling guilty for being so violent.

"Fine." she admitted defeat with irritation.

He was a growing boy, whether his sisters liked it or not, and thus wanted to have some sense of privacy.

After actually stretching, and sitting in place for five or so minutes to prepare himself for the day, he changed into his regular clothes. A white turtleneck sweater over a navy blue T shirt, baggy grey joggers, and navy blue socks. He hadn't any adorned jewelry, though he wanted an ear piercing, simply for appearance's sake. Jackson had well-kept silver hair that was practically buzz-cut, if not for the fact it'd been growing for a couple of weeks, much like his silver-haired younger sister. He also had a pale complexion, something he and Veronica inherited from his mother. All in all, his parents were a weird looking couple. His mom was almost a full head taller than his dad, and had purple hair(which Veronica inherited); his dad was stout, and had the aforementioned silver hair.

Being fully prepared, Jackson left his room to meet with the rest of his family. Today was a very important day, and, depending on who was asked, it'd be terrible or stupendous. Jackson was one to let his emotions get the better of him, be it anger, sadness, or enthusiasm...or a lack thereof for all. His family knew this well, so when he showed up to breakfast looking like he'd just witnessed his own funeral, they sat there silently as he ate.

Adelaide, their mother, was the first to speak up after about five minutes of silence.

"Jackson? Are you alright?" she had an apologetic tone, to which Jackson frowned.

"Of course not." There was an innate anger from Jackson, created by the fear of repeated failure. He didn't want to go through something like that again. He considered himself to be terrible with Pokemon, despite the truth of it simply being a matter of compatibility. Jackson was, or used to be, a very easily excited kid. Nowadays, he was a lot more calm, analytical and 'lazy'. That is to say, he had nothing, if anything to occupy his time.

Adelaide and her husband, Damien, had notable connections within Kalos, and aimed to use these connections to give Jackson something to do with himself. One of these connections was Professor Augustine Sycamore, the Region's top researcher in Pokemon, and a close friend of Damien's. As it were, he wished to meet with the Silvester siblings to give them Pokemon; however, Veronica and Anna had already captured or even bred their own. Veronica captured a Rhyhorn, and Anna helped breed a Trapinch back in Kanto, so they didn't have a need for the offer. Jackson, on the other hand, was viewed as in need of a re-introduction to Pokemon, seeing that he had a distaste for them. That was the plan, anyways; but, upon finding out about it, Jackson obviously protested.

"This is an opportunity given to very few people." His father, Damien, tried to reason, to which this made Jackson guilty, but still closed off to the idea. Damien continued, "Remember our agreement."

Jackson grumbled as he continued to eat, to which his father's expression didn't change.

"Jackson." his father stated firmly, and Jackson let out an irritated groan of admittance.

"Yeah, dad, I got it," Jackson said, then proceeded to recite said agreement, as they only went over it once the day before, "give the experience a day, after that I can do what I want. I just don't see why I should!" he snapped, placing his silverware and slapping his palms on the table lightly.

"I was a Pokemon Trainer who started late, too. In fact, I didn't start until I was eighteen," a disgruntled Damien stood on both feet, speaking gently despite his son's protest and his own anger, "you're a smart kid, smart enough to completely change your approach to training after your first one failed. Don't sell yourself so short."

Seeing his father boasting about him fed Jackson's sense of pride. He tried to mask an embarrassed blush by eating, but it was to no avail, both his sisters making funny faces at him in mockery. Finally, after his mother joined with a smile, Jackson gulped down the last bite of his pancakes.

"Ugh," he looked up at the ceiling, then smirked, then looked at his family with defeat, "fine."

There were copious doubts within Jackson's mind despite the pep talk. His thoughts told him he'd never become a trainer, even though he definitely still wanted to. The more he thought about it, the more it became a personal demon. When he was younger, the thought had crossed his mind that it was he who didn't like Pokemon, and not the other way around. This would be an inaccurate assumption, but young Jackson didn't know this. Eventually this turned into a situation where self-inflicted guilt plagued him more than the actual problem of his compatibility with Pokemon.

After all, it wasn't as though he was incapable of befriending or acquainting himself with them, his sisters' Pokemon were proof enough of that.

Jackson finished the rest of his food without much more discussion. The rest of the morning passed by without much trouble caused by any of the other four family members, and Jackson had completed his chores, which were the only ones left to do. The clock eventually struck noon; time for Jackson to set out to Aquacorde town, where he was scheduled to meet Professor Sycamore at around one PM. He had an hour to get there, which, on a bike, he'd likely get there a bit early. The two towns of Aquacorde and Vaniville were famous for not being that far apart, despite being two completely different locations within the Kalos Region. Jackson saw this as...odd, but paid it no mind, since it was convenient for him.

Route 1, the road separating the two towns, was completely straight, but relatively populated. There were some small shops that he could spot on either side, but no cars in the street, though. It was one of those roads where you saw people walking around and riding around on bikes as opposed to driving. Kalos was weird like that, Jackson thought.

Along this road to Aquacorde town, Jackson flew past several other people who were headed to the same location. One in the crowd was...unnervingly fast. The red haired individual was just as fast...no, faster, than Jackson while on his bike, and wasn't even breaking a sweat. He looked to be around his same age, but shorter and...eerily well built for a young teenager.

The boy seemed easily sidetracked, or at the very least, easy to distract. He stopped at the slightest event, seeing a berry stand and buying a few to eat. This gave Jackson a chance to streak past him, only to be surpassed moments after. Jackson felt somewhat competitive now, and rode faster. As he did, the only thing he could really notice about the boy, was his flagrant red hair. He felt as if it was his signature, despite having never met him beforehand.

It didn't take Jackson long to reach Aquacorde town after that; in fact, he arrived at the cafe much earlier than expected. Much to his surprise, there was someone else waiting at the outdoor cafe already, where he was to meet the Professor.

He was then thoroughly unnerved. It was a very attractive girl, who looked to be older than him, though he couldn't tell by how much, nor did he care. The girl appeared irritated, tapping her toe repeatedly, looking down at a watch. A Pokemon stood at her feet, one Jackson didn't recognize; it was small, blue, and looked like a dog. As far as the girl's appearance, Jackson easily identified her curvaceous body... He forced his eyes upward; she also had fair skin, honey brown hair, and beautiful blue eyes, which he would stare at for a solid minute. Thus was the mind of this teenage boy.

Jackson wasn't a pervert, nor was he the only one eyeing the girl, as there were several other men and, some women, who caught themselves staring. He sort of smirked at this. Kalos was known to be the Region of love; it was generally acceptable for anybody could love anybody they wanted, and they wouldn't really be judged for it. This was dissimilar to Kanto, where the general rule was boy and girl, man and woman, and they generally had to be similar in age. Jackson, though, had his eyes on the opposite sex, regardless of the freedoms presented.

When the girl turned to his direction, he waved, and she awkwardly waved back, unsure of what he meant by it. He approached to clarify.

"I guess you're here to see him too? The Professor, I mean." Jackson shot himself in his mind. What if she wasn't here for that? What was he thinking? Obviously, he was flustered, even if his very lazy demeanor didn't really put in the effort to convey that. However,he un-introduced girl ignored Jackson's repetition and smiled while shaking her head.

"No, actually, I'm one of his assistants. I'm Serena, you must be..." she looked him up and down, "Jackson Silvester, yes? That means you must be Ryan Ace."

"Hey!" a young voice came from behind Jackson, who flinched in surprise.

Jackson whipped his head around to locate the voice, and found the red haired boy from before. Recovering his posture, Jackson nodded, and inwardly grimaced at the fact there was another person here now.; despite that, he was unsurprised at the boy's sudden appearance, as he did seem quite fast.

The thought hadn't crossed his mind that, while these occasions were rare, he was the only one considered for whatever this was. It hit him that he didn't ask his parents why one of the world's most renowned Pokemon Professors requested his services as a potential trainer. This was an interesting thing to think about, but Jackson's thoughts were interrupted by Serena's audible distress.

"I'm sorry, you two, the Professor said he'd be here by now..." Serena apologized with a very irritated sigh. This signaled to Jackson that she likely wasn't in a mood for answering questions he probably should have already had the answers for.

Though, this didn't stop him from having those questions. Why did Sycamore want his help? Where was Sycamore? Would Serena date him if he asked? What was that Pokemon standing idly next to Serena? Would Serena go out with him if he asked? These were the questions of a young boy who was a bit too distracted.

Another irritated sigh escaped her lips and she stomped to face away from the boys, towards the next exit to the forest across town.

"He might be lost in Santalune Forest."

At that, two things clicked in Jackson's head. The first was dread. Santalune Forest was full to the brim with Pokemon, the majority of which were his least favorite: Bug Types. He disliked their insectoid appearances, and most of them were inarguably terrifying. They were just one of Jackson's biggest fears. Another thing he noted was the new lack of Ryan.

"Is everything alright?" Serena asked warily, unsure of Jackson's response or lack thereof.

"Ah..." Jackson snapped back to reality, realizing the very irritated face he was wearing, "y-yeah... yeah, I'm okay. So, what will we do about his lost-ness?"

"For the moment we have to wait until he can reach a landmark, as trying to find him in the forest without such a thing would be idiotic. Until then, we'll-" she froze, realizing there was something missing, "Where's Ryan?"

"Oh yeah, he's... uh..." he spun on his heels to try and find him. He spotted the redhead making a beeline for Santalune Forest, with the same absurd speeds that were shown off just earlier. This boy never seemed to tire, it made Jackson exhausted just looking at him. Jackson pointed at Ryan and Serena turned her head to see.

"Oh dear... he's quite fast."

"Quite," He groaned, setting down his bike against the wall. "wait here, I'll go get him."

"Wait! Take this one with you, but be careful, she's a bit odd!"

Serena attempted to hand over the Pokemon to Jackson, but he hadn't even turned around to consider the idea, nor was he particularly paying attention. The Pokemon Jackson didn't recognize followed after him, and even exceeded his running speeds, despite its size. It ran alongside him, and to the lack of Jackson's knowledge. He thought he was alone.

What a day for Jackson Silvester: woke up, took a beating, ate breakfast and rode his bike all the way to Aquacorde Town, met a pretty girl, and had his first encounter with what he now considered his least favorite type of person. How ludicrously long this day felt in the passing of not even four hours as he now chased after the boisterous Ryan Ace.

End of Chapter

Decent introductory chapter, I would have liked to better explore both Jackson and Ryan(as they're the protagonists) but this would be the "hook" chapter.

Author's Note: The story will be updated every week if I can manage. If not a new chapter, then a change to the most recent one. I hope to improve my writing based on the reviews of the story and the criticisms of others. Not only will this keep the story relevant in the search engines but it will also help me dramatically improve the presentation.

EDIT:

To those trying to warn me about the spam reviewers, either private message me(so I can ignore it or brag about how many unread messages I have) or just don't. I'm not afraid of these so called "trolls", and from what I've seen their criticisms are somewhat valid, though most of it is highly opinionated conjecture.

Edit Notes 1: This first edit makes it easier to read, in my opinion. It better brings to light the inner struggle Jackson has about even becoming a Trainer in the first place. It also somewhat tones down the leeriness of Serena. She was a bit off set, intended to be a secondary motivation for Jackson's reckless behavior, instead came off as a bit too thorough of a description regarding my personal tastes... Which was originally how it was supposed to be portrayed in the mind of a young man, but seeing as the 3 proper reviews I've gotten regard her as some sort of quota of my personal sexual tastes, an entire sentence is gone... And so it a hefty chunk of expository info in the beginning of the chapter.