Ender's Quest, a pokémon fanfic

Gazing into the pristine night sky, Ender Owens takes in a deep breathe of fresh air. At least, as fresh as the city air of Goldenrod City can give you. He looks down onto the bustling streets from his apartment's balcony on the sixth floor and watches the people and cars quickly hurry back to their homes from work. It's too hectic here; Ender thinks to himself, I can't even hear myself think. Ender turns around and walks back into his apartment, plopping onto a couch and picking up a book to read. Curling his black hair around his ears, Ender positions himself to a more comfortable position on the couch and starts reading his book. Before he can fully immerse himself in his book however, the door opens, and a slender woman opens the door abruptly, carrying several things in her hands. She looks rather disheveled, her hair in a messed up ponytail and her glasses appear slightly lopsided. She's wearing a rather dirty lab coat, apparently due to years of neglect, including the broken threads where the pockets should be. Carrying in one hand is a Pokeball with a sticker on its top with a leaf symbol and in the other a bag filled with the aroma of Chinese food and from the looks from Ender's view, a lot of notebooks and sloppily kept folders. She calls out to Ender as she lingers in the doorway.

"Could you help me with all this stuff, sweety? I think I took too much on," she says, slightly chuckling. Ender puts down his book and walks over to his mother, taking the Pokeball from her. Ender's mother rolls her eyes and manages to plop everything onto their kitchen table, "I should've figured you'd pick that up instead of the heavier stuff."

Ender laughs and scratches his head, "Heh, sorry mom. You haven't brought home a Pokemon in awhile. What's it this time?" Ender holds out the Pokeball slightly as his mother starts setting up the kitchen table for dinner. She fixes her glasses and takes off her lab coat, placing it on a chair by the table.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" she smirks, opening up a box of fried rice, "Anything's got to be better than the time I brought home Mawile?"

Ender recalls the incident immediately as he sits down at the table, placing the Pokeball next to him, and opens a bag of spare ribs. He takes a bite before responding, "I think I still have the bruises from that things backside."

She laughs as she places some fried rice on a plate and hands it to Ender who takes a few spoonfuls. "Think whatever you brought over likes Chinese?" Ender jokes, grasping the Pokeball and looking at it as if he were speaking to it.

"Wouldn't hurt to see," Ender's mother responds, taking a spare rib from the bag.

Ender gently throws the Pokeball as a bright white light emanates from the middle, causing the ball to open and a beam of energy shoots out, eventually forming the shape of a tiny creature. Ender watches as the light becomes more visible and eventually fades away into the Pokemon before him. The pokeball shots itself back to Ender's hands.

"Geez mom, a Chikorita? Awesome," Ender says as he picks up the tiny leaflet. Chikorita happily nuzzles Ender before noticing the food and quickly taking a few bites to eat. "It's adorable."

"Thought you might like it. Professor Elm sent it over to us today; we were doing a study on grass types and the effect of their Sweet Scent abilities. Since it lures Pokemon with the aroma so effectively well, we wanted to see what else the scent could do. Maybe even hold some sort of medicinal purpose."

"Found anything?" Ender asks, gently patting the Chikorita as it eats.

"Not really. That's why I brought it home to do some additional research…plus it wouldn't hurt that since you're starting your Pokemon journey tomorrow, to get your familiarized with Pokemon again." She states. She gently gives him a kiss and digresses, "I'm gonna miss you, y'know."

"I'll miss you too, you know that. After dinner, mind if I hang out with Chikorita for a bit before you continue your research?" Ender asks. Chikorita finishes the rest of the food that it wants and yawns. It slowly plops onto Ender's lap and makes itself comfortable.

"Of course, just don't stay up too late. You have to wake up early tomorrow for your big day. It's a long walk from here to New Bark Town."

"Miltank, you know what to do! Defense Curl into Rollout! Make sure Psyduck doesn't know what hit it!" a young teenager yells, flipping her pinkish hair back. She points to an oversized pink cow who immediately starts to run before rolling into a ball around the floor. Miltank slams its body into the defending Psyduck, sending it flying backwards towards its trainer. The trainer kneels down to it and picks it up with concern.

"Psyduck, are you alright?" asks the trainer, with a look of worry in his eyes. Psyduck slowly opens its eyes and manages to murmur low-pitched quacks. Another gym battle lost, the trainer thinks. Maybe Pokemon training isn't his forte.

"Miltank, that's enough!" yells the girl. Miltank immediately stops its rolling and walks next to her, lingering by her side. She eyes the trainer's Psyduck and frowns, "Is it hurt? Do you need any Potions or Full Heals?"

The trainer shakes his head, "No thank you, Whitney. But thanks for the great battle. I'm sure Psyduck learned a lot."

She smiles, "That's the spirit. Come back anytime for a rematch, I'll be waiting." She forms her hand to a fist and nods her head as the trainer runs out of her gym with his Psyduck in tact. "Oy, way too many battles today…" Whitney says as soon as the trainer leaves. She drops to her knees next to her Miltank and strokes it gently. "How about we close early today?"

Miltank smiles and nods as Whitney meakly gets up and slowly walks to the entrance of the gym. Turning the lock around until she hears a click, she presses a button to the right of the lock as grey bars slowly cascade down from the outside and block the entrance even more. Whitney, satisfied with her task, walks back to her Miltank and beckons it to follow her. "Let's go buddy, let's get something to eat before we hit the hay."

Whitney leads Miltank to a locked door on the right side of the gym. Taking out a small badge, Whitney swipes it across an electronic card swipe. Whitney waits for a beep and the door opens for her and Miltank as she quickly strolls in with her companion. Closing it, she locks the door, and enters a completely different part of the gym…a home. To the right is a fully furnished kitchen, and to the left is a rather quiet living room with a large television screen and two pink love seats. By the two seats, a hallway emerges leading to several rooms, one being Whitney's own room.

Before she can do anything, a phone at the side of the kitchen rings rather loudly. Whitney quickly walks towards it with a cheerful, "Hello?"

"Whit! Hey, it's me, Teely!"

Whitney grins, "Teels! How are you, how's the Pokemon League going?"

There's a pause. "How does number one Champion sound to you? Hah! They're actually thinking about getting me a gym…actually I should re-phrase that. They ARE giving me a gym!"

"I'm so happy for you, Teels, congrats. You totally deserve it! Where's the gym gonna be? Type choice?" Whitney seemed just as excited as her friend.

Another pause, "Well…you know I love the Dark type, so I'm most probably going to be using those. And…hehehe…it's in Johto! So I'll be…er…back home soon!" Teely seemed to be laughing nervously.

Whitney laughed with her, although forced. "That's great, although I didn't hear about any of us 8 leaving. Pryce is slightly old, but he told me that he'd be doing this until he died and we recently had a meeting with the others and everyone already signed contracts for at the very least the next three years." Whitney moved over to her couch where she plopped onto it; her Miltank already there. She gently stroked its ears as she continued talking, "Well, tell me Teels, where's it gonna be?"

"Well…er…how can I say this…the League told me that they absolutely respect you but your performance this last year hasn't been too….stellar." Teely stated, closing her eyes, expecting to be yelled at. She opened one eye when she didn't here any sort of retort or response, "Whitney…? Are you there? Did I lose you?"

"….So…where's…it going to be, Teely?" Whitney asked again, knowing exactly where it was. She seemed to be holding in her anger until she finally heard the answer from her former best friend.

"…Goldenrod…"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD DO THIS TO ME! I CAN'T BELIEVE THE LEAGUE DID THIS TO ME! DIDN'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WERE DOING? DID YOU EVEN CARE? WHERE AM I GOING TO GO NOW? I CAN'T…" Whitney screamed at the top of her lungs, blasting her voice into the small receiver. Miltank jumped slightly from the complete shift in the tone and moved itself to the other side of the couch in fear. "….I can't…believe this."

"Whitney please don't make this harder then it already is. They just told me that you were being replaced based on gym battles won. I'm sorry, I…"

"Don't give me that load of bull, Teely. I'm sure if you gave a flip you'd have told them no, considering this was your best friends dream. But I guess that's too much to ask from someone you grew up with."

"Whit…"

"How long do I have to move out?" Whitney asked, interrupting her. Several tears welled up in her eyes, until she fought them back in their ducts. There was another pause before a rather weak-voiced answer was heard.

"…tomorrow."

"WHAT?! HOW THE HELL AM I GOING TO FIND A PLACE TO LIVE BY TOMORROW? HOW CAN THEY DO THIS? I JUST SIGNED A CONTRACT! I JUST SIGNED THE GODDAMN CONTRACT!!" Whitney raised her voice again, this time the tears could not be controlled. Her hands were trembling slightly and she awaited a response.

"If you want you could live with me until you find a place! Free of charge, as long as you want. Your contract on the other hand was…ripped...apart…"

Whitney shook her head in shame, "YOU should be living with ME, not the other way around. This was MY home…it should still be MY home." Whitney refused to listen anymore, "Look, if you're coming to live here, fine…I won't be here when you get here of course. Just…do one thing for me when you do get here…"

"Anything Whitney, please I don't want to lose your friendship."

"Bite me." Whitney slammed the phone on the base before throwing it at the door.

"Ledyba, dive into Snorunt using tackle!" shouted a young boy. His shimmering white hair still glowed in the night sky as he pointed towards his oddly colored Ledyba. Already in the air, Ledyba jetted to the ground, slamming its lithe body into the Snorunt awaiting below, as it flew off its feet and landed on its back.

"Snorunt!" yelled another boy, with similar white hair. He ran towards his Snorunt as it rolled around on its circular back, trying to regain footing. He picked it up with care and smiled, "It's alright buddy. You did your best."

"Beat you again, Cole," said the little brother, as his shiny Ledyba hovered over to him, eventually landing on his shoulder, "I think it should be me who should be going on my League challenge. You should be ashamed of even calling yourself a Pryce."

Cole Pryce was Pryce's grandson, a gym-leader to the north in the town of Mahogany. Acclaimed for his ice-type prowess, Pryce gave Cole a Snorunt for his thirteenth birthday and Cole has been raising it ever since. Unfortunately, Cole is never taken seriously or regarded as the favorite. That would belong to his younger brother, Zale, who on his first day with his father, he found a shiny Ledyba, which he proceeded to capture with one Pokeball. Often belittled and compared to his younger brother, Cole cannot wait to leave this house and get away from the teasing and comparing.

"Why don't you shut your face before I clock you one in the head you shrimpy little brat," retorted Cole, returning Snorunt into its Pokeball. He folded his arms in agitation, "Just one more night of your bullshit and I'm done with whatever insults you have."

"You're just tired of dad calling me the better one in the family. A REAL Pryce," Zale giggled, sticking out his tongue. His Ledyba chuckled slightly too as it hovered over Zale's head.

"Grandpa never cared about this as much as father does. And that's why grandpa's a better person than dad'll ever be. Your ego's so big you just don't realize it yet."

Zale frowned, "Dad knows greatness when he sees it. Face it, Cole; I'm just waaaaaay better at this than you are. Age has nothing to do with it, its all in the blood. Well…most of the time."

Cole flipped his little brother off before walking back into a small house in Ecruteak City, releasing his Snorunt back out from his Pokeball just as he entered his room and shut the door. He picked up Snorunt gently as it looked rather saddened about its loss earlier.

"It's alright, buddy, don't worry about Zale. His Ledyba's lame anyways, you've got cool factor on your side. Heh, no pun intended." Cole said, trying to cheer it up. Snorunt meekly smiled, positioning itself to be in Cole's lap. It shivered slightly as he patted it. "Don't worry. We'll beat him one day. We'll show him, we'll show father…we'll show Ender. We'll show 'em all. Cole's not to be messed with. And they'll all see. Yeah…"

Ender barely got the sleep he needed as he awoke abruptly from his mother shaking him gently. Chikorita had been nuzzled up to him as it too awoke, groggily before curling itself next to Ender, yawning. Ender placed his palm on his forehead as he gave forth a rather loud yawn.

"Sweetheart…ya gotta get up. It's late," said his mother as she stood still. In the corner of Ender's eye, he could see another person in the room with him. As his eyes adjusted, he saw a rather young man, wearing large glasses. His hair was rather unkempt, but neat at the same time and he was skinny for his age. He wore a long white lab coat, with his hands comfortably rested in the pockets to the side. He fixed his glasses as Chikorita happily ran up to him. "This is Professor Elm? I'm sure you know of him. You woke up so late; two other trainers already nabbed the other two. I'm afraid oddly enough this Chikorita's yours. Didn't even get to run tests on it."

Ender shook his head, "No way, I'm sorry, Professor Elm. I totally lost track of time, was just hanging out with Chikorita…sorry Mom…"

Professor Elm chuckled and fixed his glasses before responded, "Not a problem, Mr. Owens, I'd have my fair share of missing appointments. Besides, I think this here Chikorita already likes you."

Chikorita ran back to Ender and jumped on his shoulder. A bit taken aback, Ender smiled as he petted Chikorita lovingly. "I'm kind of fond of it myself, Professor. I'm sorry to have to bring you out so far from New Bark. I didn't mean to trouble you."

"No trouble at all. Regardless, I'll be taking you to New Bark Town as there are some things you need to do at my lab. Come downstairs when you're ready. I'll be waiting." And with that, Professor Elm shook Ender's mother's hand and left the apartment building.

"I can't believe I woke up so late. I feel so dumb…I'm sure Cole'll say something about it." Ender said, frowning.

"Cole's been bothering you ever since you were little. Whatever he says shouldn't matter to you anyway. And besides…you should be worrying about how much I'm going to miss you. I can't believe you're going." Ender's mother grabbed her son tightly as he returned the hug with the same intensity as his mother. With a great amount of courage, Ender's mother finally spoke, "Go, Ender. Get dressed and go. Professor Elm's waiting for you."

"Right…thank you, mom."

"Ah, you look all set to go, eh?" Professor Elm waited by the entrance to the apartment complex, holding a red device and a set of pokeballs. Ender ran towards him, his Chikorita firmly positioned on his shoulder. Smiling, he reached Elm, almost too excited to stand still. "This here is your brand new Pokedex, the latest technology in Pokemon Information. If you have a question, this puppy will answer it and some. And these are your pokeballs….5 to be exact. Should be enough to fill out your team at the start, right? Am I forgetting anything…?"

Ender nodded, accepting the Pokeballs and his new Pokedex. He opened the Pokedex and showed Chikorita as he pressed a small button on the top. It whirred before showing a still picture of a Chikorita before stating:

"In battle, Chikorita waves its leaf around to keep the foe at bay. However, a sweet fragrance also wafts from the leaf, becalming the battling Pokémon and creating a cozy, friendly atmosphere all around. Its pleasantly aromatic leaves have the ability to check the humidity and temperature."

"Look, buddy, you're on the Pokedex!" Ender said, showing his new friend the entry. Chikorita curiously sniffed the Pokedex before smiling.

"Ender. Nice Chikorita," said a voice from behind him. Ender jumped before turning around, looking at the source of making him startle.

"C…Cole," said Ender, with a tint of dread in his voice. Cole smiled confidently and took out a Pokeball from his belt. He juggled it as he continued to eye Ender.

"Scared? You look it. Why don't we test your nerves with a match? We each got a Pokemon…nice way to start things off…don't you think?" Cole asked, throwing the Pokeball, revealing a Snorunt. Snorunt hopped into the air happily before tensing itself for battle. Chikorita growled from Ender's shoulder.

"A Hoenn Pokemon? Interesting…Ender, you should battle this boy. Would be a good test to see your skills with Pokemon…and a nice beginning work out for Chikorita." Professor Elm stated, "I know you're nervous, but everyone is during their first match."

In a low whispering voice, Ender whispered into Professor Elm's ear, "B—but this is Cole…a jerk from school that constantly ridicules me. I always manage to screw up around him."

"In the end, it's all up to you. I am just a Pokemon expert, right? No need to listen to me…" said Professor Elm sarcastically. He winked at Ender, which made him chuckle.

"Chikorita…do you want to battle?" Ender asked, wanting Chikorita's permission. Chikorita seemed as if it was imprisoned until now, as it answered by jumping from Ender's shoulder and landed in a battle pose in front of Ender, ready to fight.

"About time. Alright, Snorunt, start things off with Double Team!" yelled Cole from the other side. Snorunt focused as multiple copies of Snournt appeared everywhere around itself. Chikorita braced itself, awaiting its trainer's commands.

"Err…Chikorita…use…um…Tackle?" Ender said, nervously. Chikorita nodded, running and bashing its body into the nearest Snorunt closest to it, only to find it a mere illusionary copy of the real Snorunt.

"That's right Snorunt, keep up the Double Teams. Chikorita can't hit you if it doesn't know which one of you it is!" shouted Cole, beaming.

Ender was stuck. He had no idea what to do…all he could think about was losing. His first official Pokemon battle and he'd lose it; a great omen on the start of his Pokemon journey. The great Professor Elm was even watching this…he couldn't. He realized he had to be brave and focus. Now, he thought. What could he do to find the real Snorunt? There were almost twenty on the field by now, and the more Chikorita tackles, the more the real Snorunt creates to make up for them…not to mention eventually tiring Chikorita from the multiple failed tackles. All of this plus not even mentioning the fact of Snorunt's ice moves…what could he possibly do..?

Wait, he thought. The Pokedex entry. What did it say again? Ender remembered the verse the Pokedex had recently told him just moments earlier:

That's it, he thought!

"Chikorita, use Sweet Scent now!" Ender shouted. Professor Elm smiled from the back, nodding in approval.

Chikorita immediately stopped tackling and closed its eyes. It calmly waved its leaf back and forth, back and forth as a sudden aroma entered Snorunt's nostrils, sending Snorunt into a euphoric daze. The copies suddenly disappeared one by one, leaving eventually a single one.

"Now Chikorita, tackle it!" yelled Ender. Chikorita continued waving its leaf slightly as it ran at full speed at Snorunt, sending it flying, before landing on its curved back. Chikorita didn't stop there as it ran back to Snorunt, tackling it back to where it was before and jumping on it with a hard strike from its feet. Snorunt, still happily dazed, feinted.

"Snorunt, no!" Cole screamed, as he ran towards his Pokemon with concern. He picked it up as it looked incredibly happy, smiling in its sleep. "I can't believe this! This isn't over, Ender. I'll challenge you again, and next time I won't lose!" Cole picked up Snorunt and ran into the city itself, leaving Elm, Ender and Chikorita alone.

"Congratulations, Ender, you've won you're first battle! And rather impressively I might add!" Professor Elm smiled. Ender smiled back as Chikorita happily jumped into Ender's arms.

"I can't take all the credit, professor. Chikorita did most of the work," Ender said modestly, as Chikorita squealed in delight. "But I do admit I feel incredibly good!"

"Using the Pokedex's knowledge of the biology of Pokemon was a brilliant strategy on your part. I think you'll do fine as a trainer. Here, come with me. We must head back to New Bark Town so I can register you as an official Pokemon trainer."

"I'm right behind you, professor."