Welcome to the world of Pokémon! Unlike the animals we all know, Pokémon are mysterious beings full of light and power. Some have control over the elements while others have amazing strength. Many people like yourself go out to befriend, catch, and train these Pokémon to battle, be your friends and companions, and create a bond with.
This story will follow a young trainer named Arc from Pallet Town. As a young child he was absolutely terrified of Pokémon and wanted nothing to do with them. In his mind Pokémon were imperfect beings that were unpredictable at best. His Mother, Cleo and Father, Duke were both avid Pokémon trainers and they began to worry that Arc would become reclusive and unsocial.
That all changed when Arc was riding his bike home from school on a particularly windy winter evening. A gusty rogue wind jostled Arc and sent him and his bike flying into the air. As he screamed in terror, he noticed a small green object flying past him. After focusing for a few seconds, he realized that the green object was none other than a small Caterpie that was torn out of a nearby tree by the wind. Without even thinking, he grabbed the little Caterpie and held it close, telling it that everything will be alright. Arc then landed with a solid thud and blacked out.
When he woke up, he was in the same field that he landed in and the little Caterpie was lying not too far from him. As he looked the little bug over, he found no sign of injury and decided to hide it in a nearby tree so it could recover. Over the course of the next several months, he would visit that field after school and spend time with the Caterpie. He eventually got over his fear of Pokémon, and decided that he would go on a journey just like his mother and father did before him…
Chapter 1: Choices
It was 7 AM and Arc was getting ready for the most exciting day ever. He was preparing to go to Professor Oak's lab and start his Pokémon journey. Arc is young man who wears a white Pokémon League polo, blue jeans, brown shoes, and he always carried a purple single strap backpack. The most prominent thing about Arc was his hair which was half red and half yellow with a spike on each side and an electrical arc jumping between them.
"Honey it's time to get ready! Professor Oak is waiting at the lab for you!" his mother yelled upstairs.
Arc gathered up the remainder of his things and put them in his pack before tearing down the stairs. Lost in thought, he crashes into his father, Duke and tumbled down the rest of the stairs.
"Arc, are you alright? What happened?" His mother asked running up to Arc.
She looked Arc over as he laid there on his back. Confused and disoriented, he shakes his head trying to stand up.
"Yeah I'm fine Mom. Is breakfast ready yet?" Arc asked rubbing his head.
"Yes. It's waiting in the kitchen for you." His mother replied.
Arc went to the kitchen to eat when his father came in. He went over to Arc and sat down at the table and started to read the paper. They sat there for a few minutes when his father decided to break the silence.
"So. What were you thinking about when you crashed into me?" His father asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"I was thinking about which Pokémon to start with" Arc replied with his mouth full.
"Did you decide yet?" His father asked.
"Not yet. I'm not really worried about who I choose anyways. I can work with any of them as long as I see them as a friend and not a tool. The important part is building a bond with your Pokémon." Arc pointed out.
"Good point." His father replied nodding in agreement
"Hey, when you finish at the lab, make sure you stop back home alright?" his father said.
"No problem. I had every intention of doing that anyways. I have a feeling you want to see who I chose as my starter right?" Arc asked.
"Well… That's part of the reason." his father replied looking at the Sports section of the paper.
Confused, Arc started nagging his father for answers, but he ignored Arc telling him he's going to have to wait until he gets back. Unable to get any response he started poking his father trying to break his silence.
"Finish your breakfast." His father said ignoring Arc's antics.
Arc sat quietly after that eating his breakfast when the clock caught his attention.
"YIKES! I'm going to be late!" Arc yelped running for the stairs.
He left about five minutes later tearing out of the house at full speed. He made it about half way when he swore to himself realizing that he left his backpack at home. He wasn't going to turn around now however because he was already late. Arc arrived at the lab in no time flat since his house is only a few blocks away and it's a straight shot there. Upon entering, he found Professor Oak working on some sort of device.
"I figured you would be the next one to show up." said Professor Oak without giving a backwards glance.
Arc walked up to him rather perplexed. He knew that Professor Oak knew a lot and could often make good guesses, but this surprised him.
"What do you mean you figured I would be next to show up." said Arc puzzled by Professor Oak's statement.
Professor Oak smirked and turned around to face Arc. He explained that since the first trainer has already come and gone, he figured that either Ash was going to show up or he was since they are the only ones left besides Gary who are eligible to get Pokémon. He then handed Arc the small device he was tinkering with, explaining that it was a Pokedex.
"What's a Pokedex?" Arc asked.
"Well, it's a device that records Pokémon data, and whenever you encounter a Pokémon, the Pokedex records information about it. Once captured, the Pokedex gives additional information on that Pokémon. Didn't they teach you about these things in school?" Professor Oak said.
"They taught us a lot of things in school Professor Oak. Sorry if I can't remember everything." Arc retorted. "By the way. What starters are still here since the first trainer has already left? I really want to get to know my Pokémon as soon as possible".
Professor Oak led him over to a table with two red and white spheres.
"There is Charmander and Squirtle left, so take your pick." Professor Oak replied.
Arc stared at them for a while unsure of which one to pick. At home it was easy to say any of them would work, but now that he was in the spot light the decision was a bit more difficult. Going back and forth, he was about to make a decision when a third Pokeball caught his attention across the room. It had a lightning bolt painted on it and it was in a glass case. Interested, Arc asked about the strange Pokeball. Professor Oak replied that there was a very spirited Pikachu in there that he was going to do research with. Arc was intrigued and thought about asking to see if he could get the Pikachu for his starter, but he quickly discarded the idea because Professor Oak already stated that these were the starters left.
"I am going to go with Charmander." Arc announced as he picked up the shiny Pokeball.
"Good choice. I remember when I was young and I had my Charmander." Prof. Oak said nostalgically.
"You had one as well?" Arc looked surprised by the professor's comment.
"Yes I did, he was a spirited one as well. Didn't really calm down until he evolved." Prof. Oak said scratching his head.
Professor Oak walked to a nearby cabinet and started rummaging through it muttering to himself. Once he finished he handed Arc a handful of Pokeballs. He then proceeded to sit down and grab a cup of coffee.
"What do you want me to do with these?" said Arc quizzically staring at the Pokeballs that Professor Oak handed him.
Sitting there with his coffee, Professor Oak looked at Arc as if he was a complete idiot.
"Well if you want to go out there and catch new Pokémon, you are going to need Pokeballs." Professor Oak said wisely.
Arc noticed the Pokeballs were smaller than his Charmander's and proceeded to ask Oak why that was. Professor Oak claimed that they were smaller because they are then easier to carry. He then explained that on the back of each Pokeball was a hook that you could use to attach the Pokeball to a belt or jacket. Arc proceeded to attach the Pokeballs to his belt and much to his excitement he couldn't even tell they were there because of how light they were.
Thanking Professor Oak for all his help, Arc said his good byes and headed back home to see his parents. Arc trotted home quickly and upon his arrival he saw his mom and dad sitting on the front porch talking with Mrs. Ketchum. Cleo nudged Duke and pointed in Arc's direction showing that he was home.
"So… How did it go at Professor Oak's Lab? "His father asked as Arc approached the stairs.
"It went well Dad. I chose my first Pokémon, and Professor Oak gave me a Pokedex." Arc said pulling the little red device out of his pocket.
"Well are going to keep us in suspense? Who did you pick as your partner?" His mother exclaimed standing up waving her arms crazily.
Arc pulled the first Pokeball off his belt and tossed it. In a flash of light Arc's Charmander appeared in front of the whole group, posing to show off his looks. His mother and father then looked at each other and smiled.
"I told you he would pick Charmander." His father said with a smug look on his face.
"No you didn't… You said he would pick Bulbasaur." His mother retorted putting her hands on her hips.
All of a sudden Mrs. Ketchum jumped up and screamed "I got to go! My son is getting his first Pokémon today as well!" and she took off in a mad dash to the lab.
Chuckling, Arc called back Charmander and asked his parents what he should do now that he has a Pokémon.
"I never thought about what I should do next. Is it possible to go out and explore Kanto? Professor Oak did give me these extra Pokeballs, so I'm guessing I could go if I wanted to, and you gave me permission to go." Arc said with a hopeful tone.
"Of course you can go. It's a good way to learn, grow, and gain good experiences as a trainer. Why do you think we wanted you to come back home after visiting the lab in the first place" His father said.
Excited, Arc understood that his surprise from his parents was being allowed to go on a journey. He ran to his room and grabbed his backpack and ran back downstairs. In the process of getting down the stairs, he tripped and tumbled down them again.
"I really need to stop running in the house." Arc mumbled to himself rubbing his head.
Once he got himself up he went to his dad who was sitting in the dining room.
"Hey, I was wondering something… Do you want to have a battle with me before I leave? It will be a good way to test my progress." Arc asked.
"It's an excellent idea! It will be one on one and we can have it in the backyard battlefield." His father said grabbing a Luxury ball out of a glass china cabinet that held all of their Pokémon.
Going out back, they took their respective places at opposite sides of the battlefield, Cleo stood at the half way mark on an elevated stand.
"I will judge the battle." His mother announced.
"Get ready Neeko this is our first battle together." shouted Arc as he sent out his Charmander which he decided to nickname Neeko.
Neeko turned around and gave Arc a nod. A worried look came across his face as he turned to face the battlefield. Concerned, Arc wondered why Neeko looked so afraid.
"Alright Rain, Battle Stations!" His father called and out on the field stood the very Swellow that his father used to train Police Pokémon.
"Just because I am new, don't take it easy on me!" Arc yelled to his dad
"Alright then son, whatever you say." His father responded.
Rain then charged forward as Duke called for a Wing Attack. Arc responded by commanding Neeko to use Ember. When he failed to respond, Arc watched in terror as Rain closed in with blinding speed. Wing Attack hit and sent Neeko flying clear across the field. Not knowing what happened, Arc struggled to get his bearings together.
"Arc, it is obvious that you have no clue to what you are doing!" His father shouted.
Arc looked back to his dad confused and slightly disheartened by his harsh words.
"Neeko apparently does not know Ember and he obviously does not trust you yet. By knowing your Pokémon's moves and abilities, you show a greater understanding and respect for them and in turn they will believe in you." His father continued to say.
Starting to understand what his dad meant, Arc pulled out his Pokedex and looked up Neeko's moves.
Within moments after reading, Arc yelled "Use Growl."
Leaping into action Neeko let loose a powerful Growl attack that left Rain shaking. Arc then had Neeko follow up with a Scratch attack. Neeko charged at Rain with blinding speed, but missed by a hair as he jumped out of the way. Rain then responded with Quick Attack, but he missed when Neeko dropped to the ground to dodge.
Neeko then jumped to his feet and used Scratch, but Rain moved with lightning speed staying just out of Neeko's reach. Moving without Arc's command, Neeko slammed his tail on the ground and launched himself into the air head-butting Rain in the gut. Dazed, he fell out of the sky huffing for air while Neeko prepared to launch another assault.
The two went back and forth firing one attack after another, but neither of them could get the upper hand. Then out of nowhere Rain was ordered to fire Hidden Power. Paralyzed by fear, Neeko was not able to get out of the way in time and was blasted at point blank range. The battlefield was then lost in a flash of light and smoke.
