The adventure begins
Within Canalave City, a girl was waking up to her 14th birthday. Her name was Persephone Kawazowe. She had brown hair, reaching to about her shoulders and purple eyes, the same colour as her favourite Pokemon, Cloyster.
The odd thing about this girl was that, even though it was her fourteenth birthday, she was only just about to start her Pokemon journey. Most kids started their journey at the age of 10, but she had waited. She was waiting for her childhood friend, Blaze Ishida, to be ready to go on his journey as well.
Blaze had turned 14 about two months prior. He was an extremely shy person, he struggled talking to anyone that wasn't family or Persephone. He had black hair naturally, but he dyed one side of it red. He also had eyes as blue as a Quilava's back.
He was waiting in his room for his Roselia to wake up. As soon as she woke up, he was planning on calling Persephone and wishing her a happy birthday.
His Roselia, Gertrud, was a bit of a special case. When Blaze was still too young to start his journey, he came across a Roselia who was being harassed by a few Pokemon. He didn't understand why at the time, all he knew was that the Roselia was clearly in pain. He had saved it from the wild Pokemon, taking it back to his own house.
It was there that he learnt the Roselia's secret. Somehow, it had telepathic powers. Blaze was frightened by the discovery, but the Roselia explained it to him. Somehow she had been lost as a Budew. Without anyone to care about her, she almost died alone in the wilds, until a group of psychic types found her and raised her. She seemed to have some sort of psychic potential within her.
She was raised by psychic types. They had taught her things that a Roselia should not have naturally been able to do. They had accepted her, but other wild Pokemon saw her as an anomaly. They bullied her, constantly. Up until the point when Blaze saved her, she felt like she was not wanted by anyone, almost reliving that moment as a Budew when she was lost without a family.
Since then, Gertrud had been Blaze's partner Pokemon. She helped him converse with people, using her telepathy to tell people what Blaze was trying to say.
Blaze looked at his Xtransceiver, Persephone's number highlighted on the screen. Gertrud's had started to flutter open.
Morning Blaze, you're awake early for once. Gertrud yawned once before sitting upright.
Blaze rolled his eyes. "You know it is Persephone's birthday today. I've been waiting for an hour for you to wake up sleepyhead."
You like her, don't you. The Roselia grinned cheekily at her owner. She was met with a scowl. Worth it. She grinned again.
"I hate you sometimes." Blaze picked up his Xtransceiver and called Persephone. On the screen it showed the video of Blaze's face, a white line, and a phone icon with Persephone's name below it.
It was ringing, Persephone hadn't picked up yet. "Maybe she hasn't woken up yet?"
It is 7 in the morning Blaze. Gertrud was looking at the Xtransceiver expectantly. Just as the ringing was about to time out, Persephone picked up. The video feed picked up.
"Happy Birthday Persephone." Blaze shouted across the phone.
"Rose" Roselia shouted out. Persephone smiled. Her hair was a mess. She had pretty much just woken up, so she hadn't had any time to get ready.
"Thanks Blaze, and you too Gertrud." Blaze sat down on his bed. Gertrud jumped up onto his shoulder, the little flower Pokemon elbowing her owner's head.
Blaze glared at Gertrud. "Shut up Gertrud! Oh… Uh, so, Persephone, you ready for today?"
Persephone was grinning. "I'm the one who has been waiting for you all this time Blaze. Four years I've been waiting for you to be ready, although when you think about it, ten feels like a weird age to start your journey away from home."
Blaze was nodding in response. "Agreed, I can't believe people actually leave home at the age of ten. They haven't even hit puberty by then." Persephone chuckled.
"Well, anyway, didn't Rowan say something about sending Austin over with a choice of three Pokemon or something today?"
"Oh yea. I haven't seen Austin for a while now. I can't believe your brother is one of Rowan's assistants."
Persephone's older brother had joined Professor Rowan's research lab two years prior. Unlike a lot of the aides, he would take breaks to research from home, which was especially helpful as the Canalave City Library was quite close by.
"Well, I guess we'll see him soon. I'm going to get ready, see you guys at my house soon." Persephone hung up, not giving Blaze a chance to say goodbye.
"Arceus damn it, could she at least have waited for a bit longer." Blaze put his Xtransceiver in his pocket and stood back up, Gertrud still on his shoulder. "Sometime I forget how tiny you are Gertrud, isn't it weird to be standing on my shoulder?"
One day I'll evolve and you will regret mentioning all these quips about me being small. Gertrud crossed her arms in frustration, grinning cheekily at the same time.
"You realise you'd still only be around half my height when you evolve." Gertrud stuck out her tongue.
I could be a really tall Roserade, who knows. Blaze just rubbed the grass type Pokemon's head.
"You wish Gertrud. Now get out of here, I need to get dressed." The Roselia jumped back onto the bed and walked to the door of Blaze's room. Blaze opened the door for her before getting changed into his everyday clothes.
"Hey Blaze, Gertrud, I just got a call from Austin, he said he was going to be about five minutes." Persephone was waiting out front of her house for Blaze and his Roselia to arrive. She had a cone party hat on, waving at her friends.
Hey Persephone, good to actually be able to talk. It really sucks that telepathy doesn't work through phones, doesn't it. Gertrud was looking at Persephone with a slightly sad look.
"Oh, don't worry Gertrud. You're lucky you even have the ability to use telepathy. What did they call it in the manual, an egg move?" Persephone rubbed the Roselia's head playfully.
"No, the egg move was Extrasensory, I guess the psychic powers came as an added bonus." Blaze looked around waiting for Persephone's brother. "Anyway, let's go inside, he has keys, right?" Persephone nodded her response.
Inside, there were streamers thrown over the lights and chairs and purple balloons on the floor. Persephone's mother was in the kitchen cooking breakfast for them and Austin.
What's your mum cooking Persephone? Gertrud looked intently at the kitchen, hoping for food.
"I think it was Oran berry pancakes or something, I wasn't paying attention." Gertrud's eyes lit up. "I almost forgot that those were your favourite as well. I guess we will both enjoy this morning." Gertrud was jumping up and down on Blaze's shoulder.
"Morning Blaze, nice shirt." Persephone's mother looked over to the two of them. "And Gertrud, lovely to see you here as well. I guess you are joining Persephone on her journey then." Blaze and Gertrud nodded in unison.
"It's too bad that my dad is working right now over in Unova. I wish he was here to see me and Persephone off." Blaze leaned against the wall. Persephone's mother yelled at him to get off the wall.
"At least your dad has a reason not to see us off Blaze. My dad is just a heavy sleeper and he sleeps until midday. We'll be gone by then and he would have missed us." Persephone had a slight hint of anger in her voice, but it was concealed enough that Blaze and her mother didn't notice.
Persephone's mother looked back up at the two of them. "Alright you two, pancakes are ready you two, and I've got some smaller ones for Gertrud as well." When she finished the doorbell rang. "And it seems Austin has just arrived. I'm sure he will want to have some food as well."
Austin opened the front door. He didn't dress like most of Rowan's aides, with lab coats and large glasses (most of the time those were for show). He wore a dark green jacket and blue jeans. He also had brown hair like Persephone, but his was much more dishevelled and a lot shorter.
"Hey guys, I'm back." Austin was waving to everyone in the room. "And I bring presents for Persephone and Blaze for their journey."
He put his bag on the round wooden table near the door. He pulled out a semicircular capsule which contained three Pokeballs and a USB, as well as five smaller Pokeballs for both Persephone and Blaze. "Okay, whenever you're rea- Do I smell pancakes?" Everyone nodded at him. "You pancakes are the best mum!"
Austin failed to contain his excitement. It was Persephone's birthday, the breakfast was for her, but Austin had rushed to the kitchen to claim the best pancakes for himself.
"Austin, those are mine!" Persephone was reaching over his shoulder trying to grab the pancakes off of his plate. "It's my birthday, they are mine!"
Blaze just grabbed two plates, putting a few of the medium sized pancakes onto his plate and the small ones onto the other plate for Gertrud. "Eat up girl, today we're going to start our journey."
You sure you're ready to do this Blaze. I've seen you get a panic attack when meeting new people sometimes. One of the positives of telepathy was that Gertrud could talk and eat at the same time without being impaired.
Blaze smiled, looking at his Pokemon. "I'm sure as long as you're with me I won't do anything like that." Gertrud covered her mouth with one of her rosy hands and giggled. Persephone and Austin were still fighting in the kitchen over the pancakes. Eventually their mother got tired of it and grabbed the two of them in the ear.
"I don't care if it's Persephone's birthday or not, if you keep fighting over pancakes I'll put all of them in your father's room and lock the door so you can't get in." She let go of them and Austin handed Persephone his plate. They both exchanged apologies before Austin grabbed his own pancakes and everyone sat down to eat.
Once everyone had finished eating, Austin stood up. "Alright. Now that that is done I think it is time for the other celebration for today. Blaze Ishida and Persephone Kawasowe, you're Pokemon journeys start today. First of all, can I see your Poketches, I have something I wish to install onto them." He picked up the USB and waved the two of them over. He connected the USB to a cord which was small enough to connect to the Poketches.
"Devon Corp in Hoenn were kind enough to send us some data about the SearchNav function on their PokeNavs. We decided to take some of the technology and make it similar. The idea is that it allows you to see many different things about any caught Pokemon, which include it's ability and moveset as well as something a lot of really high level trainers like to check called IVs, although the last one is for the really cold-hearted trainers who only care about the best Pokemon."
He called Persephone over and plugged the cord into her Poketch. A small bar appeared on her Poketch's screen showing the download process. While that was happening, Austin took an extra Pokeball out of his bag. "Blaze, you may want to catch Gertrud so that she officially belongs to you. There is a chance that someone may try to catch her if she just walks around on her own, so if you catch her she will-"
Before Austin could finish, Gertrud touched one of her rose hands to the Pokeball's locking mechanism. She was surrounded in a red light and then absorbed within the ball. The ball started shaking with a red light flashing on and off over the lock mechanism. Eventually it made a sound to signal that the capture was complete.
"Stay with you for certain, but I guess she knew that. Blaze, press the lock mechanism and throw the Pokeball." Blaze took Gertrud's Pokeball into the air. The same red light that had sucked Gertrud into the ball released her from the ball and she reappeared onto the floor.
You think I didn't understand how those things work. I read that manual that Rowan sent Blaze and Persephone when they decided to delay their Pokemon journey Austin. The Roselia folded her arms and grinned at the boy. Her next message was sent out to everyone. I know just as much about Pokemon training as Blaze and Persephone do, I could probably start my own journey… Uhh, that sounded better in my head.
"The phrase 'that sounded better in my head' really doesn't work in conjunction with telepathy Gertrud." Austin rubbed the grass type's head and laughed. "Think before you telepathy… Uhh."
Let me guess, that sounded better in your head? Everyone else laughed. Persephone checked her Poketch and switched to the new app. It said 'searching for Pokemon' on it.
"Persephone, move your Poketch in front of Gertrud." She did as her brother said and the display changed.
On screen, a large amount of information was displayed. "That's really confusing to look at."
"Actually, you can cycle through the information using the little arrows on the sides. Here, tap it once and you get general info about the Pokemon." She did as Austin said and the information lessened. The screen now showed a sepia tone picture of a Roselia, a small icon saying Grass/Poison and the Pokedex information on the screen.
"On extremely rare occasions, a Roselia is said to appear with its flowers in unusual colors. The thorns on this Pokémon's head contain a vicious poison."
"Oh, then we should stop rubbing you on the head." Persephone frowned at Gertrud.
Don't worry, I haven't needed it in so long that I have to actually force it to go there if I want it to. Persephone smiled again, glad that she wasn't going to injure herself but touching her friend.
"Okay, next is the Moveset and ability." Austin tapped on Persephone's Poketch for her. It came up with a list of moves that Gertrud knew as well as her ability.
"So, her moves are Extrasensory, Mega Drain, Poison Sting and Growth. And her ability appears to be Leaf Guard." Persephone looked impressed. "That is pretty cool."
Austin rubbed his chin in thought. "If that's the case, I think you should teach her Sunny Day while she is a Roselia Blaze. Leaf Guard prevents anything like burns or paralysis whilst the sunlight is extremely harsh."
While Persephone was analysing Roselia using her Poketch, Blaze was uploading the app to his own. By the time Persephone had finished her analysis, Blaze's Poketch had been updated. "Alright, so it works the same as that."
Austin nodded and then pointed to the three Pokeballs. "Okay, check what those three are."
Persephone and Blaze pointed their Poketches over each Pokeball individually. The first Pokeball contained a Flabébé. The second Pokeball contained a Pokemon called Shinx. The last one contained a Pokemon called Trapinch.
"Let me just quickly say something. This Shinx is special, it has an ability that is very difficult to find in the wild, although they do seem to be becoming more common to find nowadays." He pressed the button on Persephone's Poketch to show the abilities. "Guts is a rare ability for a Shinx to have."
After talking it over, Persephone and Blaze decided on while one they each wanted. Blaze took the Flabébé, naming it Amy. Persephone took the Shinx, naming it Laxus.
"Alright. You two will also get these five Pokeballs each. You can use these to catch Pokemon, just like with Gertrud." Gertrud smilied, happy that she was able to demonstrate. "I'm sure you already know this, but you throw them at a weakened Pokemon to catch them. Then you can analyse them if you want."
"By the way, I made some cupcakes as well, one for the both of you." Persephone's mother spoke up, feeling a bit forgotten amidst the talk of Pokemon. "They are both chocolate."
Both Blaze and Persephone perked up at the mention of chocolate. "Thanks mum! This birthday is just getting better and better."
Persephone's mother just smiled. "Well, you'd better get going now. Be sure to call home every so often. You too Blaze, your mother will probably worry about you."
"I will. Thanks for the cupcake." Blaze smiled slightly, hoping no one saw it. Austin tapped them on the shoulder.
"You two have better get going now. You guys should probably say hi to Cecil as well, tell him that you got your first Pokemon, or second in your case Blaze."
Persephone and Blaze were already standing at the door. Gertrud was on Blaze's shoulder. Austin quickly called to the Roselia, asking for her to stay behind for a second. Blaze and Persephone headed out the door while Gertrud jumped down onto the floor.
What did you want Austin? Gertrud looked quizzically at the boy.
"Listen, you know about stuff like held items, right? I've got something for you. It's a good item for a Roselia or Roserade." Austin pulled something else out of his bag. It looked like a severed root of a tree. "You know what it is, right?"
Hmm, I think it was known as a Big Root. Increases all absorbing moves restoration powers by about 30% I think. Austin nodded and Roselia grinned, acting proud of herself.
"Exactly, I want you to have to Gertrud. I think it would help you on your journey. And one more thing. I've also got a Shiny Stone in here. It's wrapped in cloth so you holding it won't trigger any evolution at the moment. I suggest when you and Blaze agree, you use it to evolve. I can't wait to see you as a Roserade."
Thanks Austin, that's a great present. I'll give it to Blaze when I catch up to him. Gertrud wrapped the Big Root around her neck like a scarf then took the cloth-wrapped stone from Austin.
"You take care of Blaze. I think that him and Persephone are going to be great rivals but I don't think that they will be travelling together all the time. He will be relying on you." Gertrud nodded in agreement.
I know, I'll take care of him. And I hope that when we finally get around to facing Cecil in a gym battle that you'll be there. Austin picked up the Roselia, who hugged him with her tiny arms.
I'll be going now. I need to catch up with Blaze. Austin opened the door for the Roselia. See ya Austin, and say thanks to your mother for the pancakes for me. The door shut behind the grass Pokemon and she ran off in the direction she was sure Austin had gone.
Both Persephone Kawazowe and Blaze Ishida are my own characters. Cecil is a character submitted one of my friends on Lake Valor Deltheor (one of the amazing admins).
Cecil Aldhard is the Steel type gym leader, he will be introduced more in the next chapter but the battle won't happen right away. I'm not sure what order the gyms will happen in, but they will not go in the normal order of Sinnoh with the normal typing.
Finally, I am willing to do collab battles later as Blaze or Persephone get more Pokemon. I will mostly be following Blaze, but Persephone will also get her chapters every now and again when she is not travelling with Blaze. I also will accept OCs to have as recurring characters or just one time battles.
Sorry for the long ending section for the first chapter, just wanted to get some things out of the way.