Hey Everyone! This is my first story on here though I've been reading from this site for years. I'm writing this for my nephew who is a big Pokemon fan, but I hope all you readers can enjoy it too. I will appreciate all reviews as I'm sure you've heard from all writers on here. The story may seem to start out slow with this chapter, but I assure you will pick up quickly in the next few as I introduce a lot of unexpected twists and turns. Anyway, again I hope you all enjoy this story, especially you 'B'.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any of its affiliated companies including, but not limited to, 4Kids, The Pokemon Company, Game Freaks, or Cartoon Network. The characters written within this fic are solely based upon the fictional characters created by these companies, and the story is not meant to, nor will it, receive any monetary funding.
Pokemon Champions: The Fanning of Small Flames
Chapter 1: The Fires of Beginnings
We live in a very exciting world, a world where you can do anything, be anyone, and dare to dream big. A world of adventure where everyday can be a journey, especially in the life of a Pokemon Trainer. This is the tale of one soon-to-be such person. A person destined for great things and great adversity. This is where his story begins.
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As the sun rose on the meager town of Pallet Town and a new day dawned to the chirping and singing of wild Pidgey and Starly. A young boy, soon to become a man, stirred from a restful nights sleep.
Roxas woke as the light shown through the curtains of the bedroom window. A bedroom he shared with four others at the Pallet Town Orphanage. This was a big day for him and he was finally going to take control of his life and make something of himself. This was the day he became a Pokemon Trainer. He would meet with Professor Oak, along with another from the orphanage, to receive his first Pokemon. He was not ungrateful to Mrs. Clyde, the head of the orphanage, but this was important to him in a lot of ways. He would finally be able to escape the shadow of the orphanage and the label of orphan and set out to define who he was and wanted to be.
As Roxas got out of bed and searched for his clothes, clothes he should have set out before going to bed, he saw a beautiful array of colors light up the wall. The pendant around his neck was reflecting the light from the newly risen sun outside that shown through the window. The pendant was the only thing of his from before he became an orphan, not that he remembered anything about it though. He was too young when he was brought to the orphanage to know anything of his past. Pulling himself away he grabbed his blue jeans and crimson colored shirt and pulled them on. He grabbed his black ball cap, with a white Pokemon League symbol on it, and a crimson and black jacket to complete his outfit. Mrs. Clyde let him pick out his new clothes himself on a shopping trip a few days ago in preparation for this day. He thought they were fashionable since they matched his dark crimson hair. 'Not that he knew much about fashion' he thought with a chuckle. Finally dressed and ready to go downstairs for breakfast he snuck out of the room without waking the other children.
Mrs. Clyde was awake and in the kitchen making breakfast. Mrs. Clyde ran the orphanage alone, a reason Roxas had come to respect her so much.
"Good morning Roxas, I hope you slept well last night because you've got a big day ahead of you!" She said with her usual morning chipper. Another reason Roxas respected her was because not only did she run the orphanage, but she did it while retaining her sanity and positive attitude. 'I'm glad to be getting away from this place because it's always so loud and hectic. I can't imagine what it's like for her running this place with all these kids.' Roxas thought to himself.
"G'mornin' Mrs. Clyde" he said as he sat down. "What's for breakfast?" He asked still somewhat sleepy.
Without answering she sat down a plate of bacon and eggs and starting humming a tune to herself before walking back to the stove. As he ate Roxas thought about his choices for his starter Pokemon. Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur were the three choices that someone one from the Kanto area like himself could expect to receive. Any one would be a great choice, but he wanted more than just a Pokemon, he wanted a friend and a partner who he could trust and who could put their trust in him. As he finished breakfast he knew it was time for goodbyes.
"Mrs. Clyde?" Roxas said to get her attention. "I won't be seeing you for a while from now on. I'm finally starting my journey as a trainer and before I go I want you to know how much I appreciate all you've done for me. You've been like a mother to me and I won't ever forget you or this place." Roxas pulled out a pin he had secretly purchased when they shopped together the few days before. It was a small pin of the legendary Pokemon Entei that could fit in the palm of his hand. As Roxas handed her the pin he said "I got this for you to remember me by. I don't expect you to wear it everyday or anything, but I just… I wanted you to have it. I'm really going to miss you Mrs. Clyde."
As Mrs. Clyde took the pin in her hands her eyes started to glisten with tears. "Oh Roxas, I'm going to miss you too sweetheart. You're such a good young man and with such a bright future!" She said as she pulled him into a tight hug. "I'll wear it everyday and think of you just as often. You were always my favorite." she said with a wink and a small laugh as she held Roxas at arms length to get one last good look at him. She did a once over with her eyes and saw he was all set to go. As she walked him to the door with wishes of luck, he reached down and grabbed his backpack that was sitting on the floor next to the door. Roxas and her shared one last hug before he opened the door to set off down the road to see Professor Oak. He waved and yelled goodbye as he ran down the sidewalk. Roxas slowed down when he was out of sight of the orphanage.
'This is going to be a long journey and there's no rush' he thought with a smile. Roxas again thought to who he should choose between the three starting Pokemon.
"Let's see…" he said to himself aloud. "Squirtle is a cool Pokemon, but so are the other two." He knew that choosing either a Squirtle or a Bulbasaur would make the first two gyms a bit easier with a type advantage, but he didn't want that to dictate who he chose. "I once heard that Bulbasaurs were one of the most loyal Pokemon around." 'But weren't all Pokemon loyal if raised and trained right?' He thought to himself. Lastly he thought of Charmander and its evolutions. "It would be so cool soaring on the back of a Charizard!" He said to himself, almost whispering the last part with grand thoughts of soaring through the skies on the back of a Pokemon.
Roxas was pulled from his thoughts on the Pokemon as he neared the local Pokemon Laboratory, run by Professor Oak. He knocked twice on the door which was quickly opened to the smiling face of the Professor.
"Roxas! It's great to see you! Are you finally ready for the moment you've been waiting your whole life for?" The Professor asked as he escorted Roxas into the building and deep into the back of the laboratory. "Where's your friend Para by the way? He's the other boy from the orphanage right?" Oak asked.
"He wasn't up yet when I left sir. Besides we decided to go our separate ways as well so that we could make our own adventures." Roxas explained to the Professor.
"Oh, well, I guess I'll be seeing him a little later then" Said the Professor. "Anyway, here we are, the three starters, and since you were here first you get to have any one you want. After you choose, we'll get you set up with your Pokedex and trainer ID, sound good?" He asked Roxas, already expecting the answer.
Roxas nodded and turned to stare at the three Pokeballs on the pedestal. Each one had a label beneath it separating which one was which. This was a tough choice and like the Professor said, the moment he'd been waiting his whole life for was finally here. Roxas knew which one he was going to choose, but he hesitated because he could feel something… something coming from one of the Pokeballs, and all of the sudden he felt like he was being chosen instead of the other way around. It unnerved him a little, but he stepped forward ignoring the sensation and grabbed the Pokeball he felt it coming from.
"I choose Charmander!" Roxas announced aloud causing a few of the assistants in the lab to jump and look over at him. 'This is it! I've finally done it! I'm finally a Pokemon Trainer!' He thought to himself.
"A great selection" Encouraged Professor Oak as he walked up to Roxas and shook his hand. "He's quite the fiery fire Pokemon that one is." Oak said with a chuckle. "Well go on, release him and meet your new partner" He instructed.
Roxas hit the button to enlarge the Pokeball and let it drop from his hand, releasing the Charmander. He gasped as the ball suddenly returned and Roxas almost missed grabbing it. There he was, his new friend staring up at him.
"Char?" Charmander questioned to his new trainer.
"Hey Buddy, I'm your new trainer, the name's Roxas. As for you, your new name is… Apollo. What do you think?" Roxas asked as he bent down to eye level. Apollo gave a smile and a nod of acceptance before rushing over and wrapping his arms around Roxas' leg.
"Now as for that Pokedex and Trainer ID, follow me please." Professor Oak said as he walked toward his office. Roxas followed with Apollo still wrapped around his leg and riding on his shoe with him to the office. Roxas entered the office as Oak pulled a brand new shiny red Pokedex from his desk. "Now, Roxas, this Pokedex acts as both your guide and informant on Pokemon as well as your trainer ID. Now hold still and smile as I use it to take a quick picture of you for the ID feature" Oak finished and snapped a picture of a smiling Roxas. "There we are, you're all set, go ahead and give it a whirl" Oak said as he handed Roxas the device. Roxas flipped it open and pointed it at Apollo.
"Charmander. Level 5. Ability: Blaze. The flame on its tail indicates Charmander's life force. If it is healthy, the flame burns brightly. This Charmander's moves are Scratch, Leer, and the inherited egg move Bite. He will also soon learn the Ember attack two levels from now" the Pokedex reported in a female robotic voice. 'Wow, that was a mouthful' Roxas thought.
"Professor Oak, it mentioned an egg move called Bite, is that normal?" Roxas asked.
"Yes and no, a lot of the time Pokemon inherit moves from their parents and sometimes they don't. In this case it seems Apollo there has. It will be quite helpful as you start out on your journey" the Professor explained.
Roxas nodded in understanding and together they started for the door. This was it he thought. 'Once I'm out this door I'm on my own with no one but myself and Apollo to rely on.' As he reached for the handle the door came bursting open and he fell backwards landing on his behind with Apollo rolling away and off his leg. In the doorway stood Para, the other soon-to-be trainer from the orphanage, bent over and out of breath.
"Yo, Roxas! Sorry about that, I need to more careful." Para replied breathlessly while reaching down and helping Roxas up. "Whoa, you got a Charmander! You're so lucky Roxas! If only I hadn't slept in…" Para said with some remorse. "Anyway, hello Professor Oak, I'm here for my Pokemon and I've been waiting so long for this day and it's finally here." Para finished. Oak nodded, but turned to Roxas before he could leave the lab.
"Roxas, I almost forgot, here is a set of five Pokeballs and you can only carry six Pokemon at most at all times. All other exceeding that limit will be sent back here when you catch them where I will take care of them for you. You'll be able to change which Pokemon you carry on you with the computer found at every Pokecenter" Oak explained to Roxas.
"Understood Professor, I'm leaving now, thanks for everything Professor, come on Apollo." Roxas said as he returned Apollo to his Pokeball and walked out the door to a chorus of good lucks from the two.
Roxas started down the street toward the road that would lead him to Route 1. As he turned a corner he thought of the plans he had made in preparation for this moment.
'Okay, now that I'm finally a trainer, my first order of business is to find some more Pokemon to catch and to head to Viridian City. From there I'll make my way to Pewter City and get my first badge since the gym in Viridian is closed. I only have five Pokeballs and a limited amount of money right now, so I can't catch every Pokemon I see. I have to be smart about which Pokemon I catch and focus on quality over quantity. I can always catch more Pokemon later once I make it big.' Roxas thought.
These thoughts passed through Roxas' head as he walked towards his destination, and without realizing it he found himself at the beginning of Route 1. 'Here we go' he thought as he started walking again down the dirt road that made up the route. Roxas would catch glimpses of wild Pokemon that inhabited this area of Kanto. He would see a couple of Pidgey dance through the air together or a Rattata dash through the bushes and though he could try to catch these Pokemon he knew that they were some of the most common species in all the world and could be caught later in his journey.
'These Pokemon are so common that I could catch one at any time on my quest to get the badges. Though I would love to have a Pidgeot someday, but for now I need to hold off and find a Pokemon that's just right. I have to keep my eye's open, who knows when I'll see something new.' Roxas' thoughts kept him busy as he leisurely walked down the road.
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The sun was high in the sky and though it was warm out, the heat wasn't unbearable. He took a quick glance at his watch and saw noon was fast approaching. He was surprised he has been walking so long, time seemed to be flying by this morning. Suddenly a loud gurgling noise scared the forest around the route quiet and sheepishly Roxas looked down at his stomach. It had been a long time since breakfast and it seemed like a great time for a break to rest and find something for lunch.
"I guess I'll take a break for lunch and let Apollo out for some company" Roxas said aloud. He grabbed Apollo's Pokeball and released him as he settled down on the ground at the edge of the road with his back to the bushes that lined it. Apollo burst out in a flash of light and ran to Roxas' side. Roxas was searching through is backpack looking for his equipment to prepare his meal. He pulled out a small propane cooker and a metal mug to cook the noodles he was planning to eat in. He poured water from his canteen into the mug, along with the noodles, and readied the cooker. It was then that he realized what he forgot and slapped his forehead.
"Oh man, I can't believe I forgot to bring matches. They're one of the most important things you need to survive in the outdoors." Roxas said to himself. As Roxas sat there thinking of what to eat instead, Apollo had started sniffing the hard noodles in the mug. Hearing his Trainer's grumbling he sat down next to the mug and put his tail next to it and used the flame on the tip of his tail to start heating the mug. Roxas was digging through his backpack looking for food when Apollo got his attention. "Chaaar…" The fire Pokemon announced loudly all the while with a smirk on his face. Roxas turned and burst out laughing at how he could miss something so obvious.
"Who needs matches when you have a fire Pokemon to do the cooking?" He said with a chuckle. "Great job Apollo, now I'll find you something to chow down on." Roxas said while giving him a pat on the back. "Char Charmander" Apollo responded beaming in pride at his own ingenuity. Roxas knew he didn't understand what that meant, but for some reason and in some way he could understand the meaning behind it, or maybe the feelings behind it. Roxas pulled out an energy bar for Apollo and handed it to him to eat as he waited for his little chef to finish cooking the noodles. Apollo munched on it quickly, obviously enjoying the taste, as Roxas grabbed the mug of noodles to begin his own meal. After he was done eating and they enjoyed a short rest under the warm rays of sunlight, and with plenty of water to stay hydrated, they were ready to be on their way again. As Roxas made to grab Apollo's ball he changed his mind. 'Apollo deserves some time out and I wouldn't mind having his company for the rest of the walk to Viridian either' Roxas thought.
"Okay buddy, how about we get going, just be sure to keep up okay?" Roxas asked. "Charmander!" Apollo cried excitedly before taking off down the road ahead of Roxas. "Hey! Wait for me Apollo! Slow down!" Roxas cried after him with a laugh.
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A couple hours later into their trek to Viridian City, Roxas and Apollo were walking down the path, not far from their destination. "Only a little ways left to go Apollo." Roxas told his partner when out of nowhere they both started hearing screeching noises from what sounded like a large group of Pokemon coming from the forest not far from their position on the road. Curious, Roxas decided to check into what was causing such a commotion this close to the road, let alone the close city of Viridian. Roxas left the path, with Apollo trailing behind him, and entered the woods. It wasn't more than 50 yards in that they came to a small clearing where Roxas crouched down behind some bushes to see what the commotion was all about. As Roxas crouched there with Apollo at his side they recognized a flock of Spearow flying around and attacking a small purple Pokemon. Roxas grabbed his Pokedex from his back pocket and aimed.
"Nidoran. It raises its big ears to check its surroundings. It will strike first if it senses any danger." Roxas knew what he had to do when he saw that poor Pokemon being abused. Though it looked like it put up a good fight as some of the Spearow already looked hurt as well. Roxas looked to Apollo with a nod that the Charmander understood instantly. Without hesitation Roxas grabbed the nearest stick, which was more like a branch it was so big, and ran out to the harassing Spearow with Apollo leading the charge ahead of him. Roxas managed to clip a few as he swung wildly and made his way to the injured Pokemon. Apollo had better results as he had managed to knock one out all together with a fierce Bite attack. By this point most of the Spearow had recognized they weren't just picking on a weak and injured Pokemon anymore, but a Trainer and his Charmander was well and they turned tail and flew away, leaving only two left behind that still wanted to fight.
While the Spearow had made a break for it Roxas took the opportunity to turn to the injured Nidoran behind him and he tapped it with an empty Pokeball knowing he might have to make a quick escape and not wanting to leave the Pokemon behind.
"Don't worry pal, I'll keep you safe and get you all healed up soon, just give me some time to beat these Spearow and the next thing you know you'll be waking up in the Pokecenter." Roxas said as the small, purple Pokemon was pulled into the Pokeball and Roxas clipped it onto his belt made for carry Pokeballs.
"Alright Apollo, you ready to teach these bird brains a lesson?" Roxas called to his friend. Apollo ran over in front of Roxas and growled out a threatening "Charrr" to the Spearow that stayed to fight. Roxas knew Apollo was outnumbered and was ready to jump in to help his friend if needed, but he was confident in Apollo to be able to handle them on his own, he trusted his friend. "Okay Apollo, lets start off strong and focus on one at a time! Use your Bite attack on the smaller of the two!" Roxas instructed Apollo.
'Wow, this is my first battle as a trainer, and what a battle at that! Two on one, but I know we can do it Apollo." Roxas thought to himself as he watched Apollo rush the Spearow he indicated.
Apollo ran towards the smaller Spearow and just as it was about to take off in flight Apollo jumped up and used Bite on its wing and pulled it back down to the ground with his weight being more than the bird could bear. The Bite attack had caused the Spearow to flinch and when Roxas took notice of that he quickly followed up with instructions to Apollo. "We got it now Apollo, it's weak, use scratch on it until it faints." Roxas called to his partner. Apollo, obeying the commands of his trainer began to use scratch on the grounded bird Pokemon quickly causing it to faint.
"Alright Apollo! One down and one to go!" Roxas cheered as he looked on from a few yards away. "Use Leer on the remaining Spearow, Apollo!" Roxas called to his fire Pokemon without missing a beat in the ongoing battle. Just as Apollo was about to turn and find the Spearow, it found him as it swooped down and landed a Peck attack on Apollo's head before taking off again. As Apollo reoriented himself to the flying Pokemon he cast out a Leer that unnerved the bird Pokemon so much that it forgot to flap its wings for split second causing it to dip for a brief moment before going higher again. The Leer did its job though and lowered the Spearow's defense.
"Good job Apollo, you're doing great, now wait for it to swoop down and try to peck you again then go for a scratch attack and aim for its wing so we can ground this one too." Roxas instructed to Apollo again. Understanding perfectly, Apollo did just that and he waited and readied himself. He didn't want to let Roxas down, so as the Spearow swooped in for a Peck Apollo did exactly as he was told and although he took the Peck attack in the process he was able to scratch the wing of the bird and force it to the ground temporarily. Now the field was leveled and Roxas knew the win was going to be his if he acted quickly.
"Quick Apollo, finish it! Use Ember on it!" He yelled excitedly while grabbing an empty Pokeball. Apollo once more listening to his trainer ran closer to the Spearow and unleashed his newly learned Ember attack on it. Spewing out a breath of fire onto the downed bird Pokemon assured them of the victory and the Spearow rolled to its side unconscious. Seeing this Roxas threw the empty Pokeball in his hand at it and nailed the Spearow on its belly. As it was sucked into the ball Roxas waited with baited breath. The Pokeball shook just once before it 'pinged' signaling that the Pokemon was caught.
"Yes! We did it Apollo! We beat them and you learned how to use Ember, you rock little buddy!" Roxas exclaimed in excitement. "We've caught two more Pokemon and soon we'll have two more friends! It's all thanks to you Apollo! You're the best friend a guy could have!" Roxas exclaimed as well as he held out his fist for a fist-bump. Clueless, but excited, Apollo held his own fist out as well, mimicking his trainer. Roxas bumped their fists together with a smile that they both shared before Apollo plopped down on his rear, tired from the battle and the adrenaline wearing off. "Woo-hoo" Roxas yelled out before calming down as well. Then it hit him, his two new Pokemon were hurt and he needed to get them to the Pokecenter right away! With haste Roxas grabbed Apollo's ball. "Great job again buddy, take a rest, you deserve it." Roxas said as he returned Apollo with a final word of encouragement. He then quickly made his way back to the road of Route 1 and ran down it in the direction of Viridian City.
'I can't stop till I reach the center and get these guys healed up' Roxas thought as he ran on down the road. Hoping that everything would turn out okay and neither one of the two newly acquired Pokemon were seriously harmed.
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Well that's it everyone! I hope you enjoyed. Please Review it and let me know what you think or if you have any thoughts on my writing style or ideas going forward. I'll be trying to post again in the next couple of weeks so keep an eye out and if you wanna add this to your favorites to keep track I won't mind either ;) lol.