The Oregon Journeys
Chapter One: Arrival
SOMEWHERE, HALFWAY BETWEEN WOODLAND TOWN AND DIAMOND TOWN…
A truck, grey with black stripes, was cruising down the route. At first glance, it appears as a normal semi-truck probably hauling stuff from the Devon Corporation, but when you look closely, it isn't what you expect…
Inside the cargo hold, amidst crates and barrels, lies a Riolu, head buried within his arms which wraps his legs. His shoulders rocked between seconds. His aura was emanating strongly, he was upset, greatly. Suddenly, a screech was heard, and Riolu was rocketed towards the side.
"Aww, what now?" he heard the driver complaining through the wall. Outside, the door opened, and a man with a red cap walked out, a face full of seriousness. He walked towards the front of the truck, and opened the hood.
"Aww, the engine died!" he exclaimed, over the hiss and spray of steam. He kicked the truck, and yelped in pain. He hopped on one foot while holding his injured foot. He got out his cell phone and dialed a number.
"Hello...yeah, it's me, the engine died, so there might be a delay here…" he said. He jerked the phone from his ear when the volume of the speaker spiked.
"I'm sorry, but I checked that thing a billion times before I set off, I dunno how it died!" he protested after a minute.
Inside the cargo hold, the inertia of the stop somehow unlocked the door, and it opened, flooding the space with the light of the moon. Riolu saw an opportunity to escape when he saw the door, and heard the man arguing with another on his phone. He cried out in joy, wiped his face with a paw, stepped beside the door, looked around, and ran…
MEANWHILE, IN WOODLAND TOWN…
"Well, we're here everybody!" a woman called out to her family, who has fallen asleep.
A tall boy with red and black clothes groaned and said "this it?"
Another, a slightly shorter girl with white and black clothes, said "must be"
Everybody got out with a struggle due to the long ride of the Sinnoh route to Oregon. Their father wanted to move to the Kanto region, but her mother protested, saying that Hoenn is a much more beautiful place, with lots of shopping places.
The boy was wearing a red sweater, black pants, and red and black sneakers. The girl was wearing a white cap with a black tank-top, white skirt and pink sneakers. The boy had hazel eyes with a dark brown hair, which, at the moment, was a mess. The girl had blue eyes with long, blonde hair that flowed freely.
"Andrew, tomorrow, you're going to Prof. Derrick to get your starting Pokemon, ok dear?" the woman said.
"Ok mom…" Andrew replied.
"You too Susan"
"I know!" she exclaimed.
"So…why Woodland town, why not Veilstone City or something?" Andrew asked with a shrug.
"Well…it's quieter for starters" their dad, who just came out, said. He was the tallest of the group, black, short hair with blue eyes, light brown shirt, jeans and sneakers.
Their mother had blonde hair, hazel eyes, pink t-shirt, brown pants and sandals. The sky was dark with dozens of stars dotting the horizon. A few clouds were looming over the forest, but no sign of a rain on-coming.
"Oh c'mon, Veilstone City or Rustboro City is full of excitement, why a town!?" Susan cried out.
"Because, you'll get lost sooner or later, and it's very crowded" their mom explained.
"Alright, how about we look around, that way, it will be easier to set our furniture" their mom, April said.
"Agreed" the dad, John replied.
Afterwards, about a few minutes later, a local moving company who received the furniture from the Sinnoh Mover Inc. arrived and got to work. It was a long, grueling work, telling them where to put what there, correcting mistakes and the like.
Andrew and Susan just slumped down right when their beds were finally put in, finally ending the suffering of moving from Sinnoh to the Oregon region. The Oregon region is located on the American mainland.
"Hey mom, I'm heading outside for a bit…" Andrew called out.
"Be back inside before 11:00 PM!" April replied. Andrew opened the sliding door, and closed it when he stepped outside.
The night air was sweet and barely cold. The trees acted as a wall between Woodland town and Diamond town, named after discovering diamonds. He heard the bushes rustling, and hid behind a wooden table. Knowing he doesn't have any Pokemon, he planned his decisions carefully.
Out came, what he thinks is a Riolu. It was looking around, and when it saw Andrew, it hid behind the bushes.
He's pretty frightened, maybe I can calm him down… he thought. Cautiously, he stepped towards the bushes, and found the Riolu, cowering in fear.
"Hey, hey, don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt ya" Andrew said softly. He slowly stretched his hand forward, awaiting his response. The Riolu stared at his hand for a few minutes, and slowly reached up to grab it. Riolu gently set his paw on Andrew's hand. It was soft and smooth, yet a little cold. Andrew slowly caged his fingers over the paw, and gently lifted Riolu up.
"There ya go, how long have ya been out here?" Andrew praised softly. He squeaked in reply.
"Here, wanna come inside where it's warm? We got some Pokefood" Andrew offered. Riolu smiled, and nodded.
"Alright" Andrew said. He lifted Riolu gently, and set him on his shoulder. He then walked inside, where everything was right where they were supposed to be at.
"Hey mom, look who I found in the bushes" Andrew called out.
"Awww, it's so cute!" April cooed when she came out of the kitchen. Riolu blushed. Riolu received a warm hug from April.
"Well, well, looks like Prof. Derrick is going to be a little disappointed, now is he?" John said from the kitchen.
A FEW DAYS LATER, AT HILLSIDE CITY
"Attention passengers, we have arrived at Hillside city, in the Oregon region of the American Pokemon Championship Union" the flight attendant informed. "Please fasten your seatbelt during the landing, and have a great time!"
"Hey Pikachu, you excited about a totally new region?" a boy asked his Pokemon.
"Pika-Pi!" Pikachu replied. The boy was about 15 years old, has jet black hair spiking from the back of his head; wearing a red and black hat; a blue and black jacket, blue jeans and white sneakers.
"The Oregon region is one of the greenest places here in the American Championship Union and Hillside City is the best place to go for unique meals" a man informed.
"So Brock, why haven't ya decided to go back to being a Gym leader?" the boy asked.
"Too boring" Brock chuckled. "So Ash, how are you gonna start out here?"
"The same as always, the Oregon region has all the Pokemon from all four of the regions we've been in!" Ash exclaimed.
Pikachu agreed with his signature name. The intercom beeped, and a symbol lit up, saying everybody may leave now. Ash, Pikachu and Brock got up, and walked down the narrow aisle, went through the boarding path, and came out to the terminal.
"Wow!" Ash exclaimed. The terminal was full of Pokemon decorations. A Hoothoot was floating overhead the corridor, and a Bidoof was hiding behind a chair leg.
"I've never seen a place so full of Pokemon" Brock said, surprised.
"Guess this is a Pokemon-friendlier region!" Ash shrugged. "So, where's a map?"
"Ummm, let's go look around" Brock suggested. They walked through the bright and clean corridor, took a moving floor towards the lobby.
"Ah, there's one!" Brock pointed. He walked over to a shelf hanging on the brown wall, and took out a pamphlet-sized map.
"So, where should we head to?" Ash asked, poking his head behind Brock's shoulder.
"Woodland town is a world-renowned area for its rich, diverse array of wild Pokemon, maybe we can start there" Brock pointed to on the map.
"Alright, now I can get some Pokemon here" Ash said joyously.
"Hey, you guys need some directions?" someone asked. Ash and Brock turned around, and met a boy.
"No thanks, we got a map" Brock said.
"You guys aren't around here, where'd you come from?" the boy continued.
"The Sinnoh region" Ash said.
"Awesome place, my name's Andrew by the way" he stretched his arm out.
"I'm Ash, this is Brock and Pikachu" Ash pointed to each of them.
"Cool, a Pikachu, this is Riolu…" Andrew said, looking behind him. A small, blue and black-puppy like Pokemon cautiously stepped from behind him.
"He's pretty shy around new people, but he's quite a lovable Pokemon once he warms up to ya" Andrew said. He picked it up, and cradled it in his arms.
"Oh yeah, I remember seeing one!" Ash exclaimed, petting the Pokémon's head.
"There's another?" Andrew gave a puzzled look.
"Yeah, back in the Sinnoh region" Brock nodded.
"Do you guys live there or something?" Andrew asked. Riolu blushed from Ash's attention.
"We just came from it, we actually live in Kanto" Ash shook his head.
"Wow, really?" Andrew went wide-eyed.
"Oh yeah, anyway, you said you can help us with directions?" Ash said.
"Most of these maps are a bit inaccurate, I moved here three days ago, and I know this place at the back of my hand" Andrew smiled.
"Oh, well, can ya take us to Woodland Town?" Brock asked, staring at the map.
"I live there!" Andrew laughed.
"Alright, can ya take us?" Ash repeated.
"Sure! Follow me" Andrew motioned.
Elsewhere…
About a few miles south from Hillside City, a hot air balloon resembling a Meowth floated into the area over a forest.
"So this is Oregon huh?" a female with ridiculously long red hair said, looking around.
"Yep, map says so" a male with long blue hair nodded. Both of them are wearing black and white suits with a big red R on their chest.
"Well, back to getting the twerps" a talking Meowth said, sitting up after napping. A caw came from the forest, and when the trio looked, a Honchcrow came speeding up, and hit their balloon. With a hiss, the balloon zipped around, and landed in the forest.
"What luck…" the female groaned, lying on a tree branch.
"Out of everything…" the male groaned as well, hanging upside down.
XXXX
Author: Ugh, I wanted to stop this chapter when I led Ash and Brock out of the airport, but it felt too short to me…I shouldn't have listened to that…
R&R please!