AN: So, I actually started writing this story when I was back in high school (I'm a college graduate twice over now, lol), but deleted it because I didn't have enough time to devote to it and I felt awful that people were subscribed to it and I couldn't give them enough updates. I still don't know how good I'll be at making sure updates happen regularly, but I loved this story and the concept, and I want to keep trying. Here goes!
My name is Cheren. And this is the story of how I came to understand that not everyone can be the hero.
Today was the day I had been waiting for my entire life. I was FINALLY ten years old and could receive a Pokemon from Professor Juniper! Or, more accurately, my best friend Aria was finally ten years old. She, our other best friend Bianca, and I were the only children all born within the same year in Nuvema Town, and since she had the latest birthday of us all, we all had to wait for her to turn ten years old before we could start our journeys. As often as I teased her about it, the truth was that those two girls had been my best friends practically since we were all born - after all, Nuvema was basically the outskirts of Unova and almost no one else our age (or otherwise) lived here. I couldn't imagine starting my journey without either of them at my side.
I had spent countless hours pored over encyclopedias, research articles, and attempting to command Grouchy the Stoutland, Aria's family pet, in anticipation of this very moment. My parents, Arceus love them, had always encouraged my love of reading, studying, and desire to "be the very best, like no one ever was," but I was so ready to see the world for myself as a nomad trainer, as they both had when they were around my age.
I ran the several blocks to Aria's house in the center of town bright and early, slamming the door open and nearly getting tackled by a growling but cuddly Grouchy in response. It had been years since I had ceased knocking in order to gain entry.
"Good morning, Cheren!" Aria's mom called cheerfully from the kitchen. "Why don't you go get Aria from upstairs! I made pancakes for all of you for your special day!"
"You already know I'm never going to turn those down, ma'am! We'll be right down!" I exclaimed, extracting myself from Grouchy's jaws and rushing up the stairs to my best friend's bedroom, stupidly not bothering to knock before I barged in.
"Cheren!" Aria screeched, mercifully hidden behind her closet door. "I was changing out of my pajamas! Rude!"
Blushing furiously, I looked anywhere in the room but at Aria, locking eyes with the giant box, tied with a green bow and wrapped up in pretty blue paper, on her desk. Those had to be the Pokemon. I had seen Professor Juniper leaving the house as I came running around the block.
"What's keeping Bianca?" I asked impatiently, tapping my foot against the ground in anticipation.
On cue, Bianca also burst upstairs, nearly tripping over her own feet and dropping her giant green beret from on top of her head. That was typical.
"Am I a little late again? Sooo-ooorry!"
"Will no one give me some peace to get dressed?!" screeched Aria.
She went ignored. "Bianca," I replied as patiently as I could, "I've known for ten years that you have no sense of time but...seriously...today's the day we can get a Pokemon from Professor Juniper!"
Bianca had the grace to look contrite. "I know. Sorry, Aria. Sorry, Cheren." Brightening up as we both begrudgingly accepted her apology, she continued, "So where are the Pokemon? It's Aria's house, so Aria gets first pick!"
"Naturally," I agreed. To be honest, Bianca was the oldest, so she should probably have gotten first pick, but it was just like her to consider those around her before herself.
"The Pokemon are inside that gift box," I explained, pointing in the direction of Aria's desk. "Aria, you go first and take a peek inside the gift box. I want to meet the Pokemon right now!"
Finally fully dressed, Aria emerged into the center of the room and tore open the gift box with anticipation. There were three shiny new Pokeballs inside, one for each of us.
"Okay, come on out, new friends!" Aria sang, tossing all the Pokeballs in the air at once to release them. As a result, we were greeted with a green snakelike Pokemon on two short legs and a forked tail with three leaves on it, a small orange-and-black pig, and a timid-looking blue-and-white otter with a large shell on its chest, which it immediately began picking at shyly. The pig began sniffing at the ground in search of food, and the snake simply looked down its nose at all of us. Snivy, Tepig, and that little one must be the Water-type, Oshawott.
Aria bent down on one knee and pointed at the little otter's shell. "Hey, that's pretty cool. I wish I had one of those," she said, obviously trying to make the shy little thing feel better. The Pokemon immediately smiled and pulled it off to show it to her.
"I bet you're really strong in battle with that as a weapon! Would you like to join me as my first Pokemon?" she asked. The Oshawott nodded and gave her a huge smile, jumping into her arms for a big hug.
Aria grinned. "I chose this one, so now it's your turns, guys!"
"Okay, I'll take this Pokemon!" Bianca answered, grabbing up the chubby little Tepig as it started trying to chew on her sneaker and nearly dropping it in the process. "Cheren, that one's yours!"
"Hey, how come you get to pick out my Pokemon?" I protested good-naturedly. "Oh, never mind. I wanted Snivy from the start, anyway." I had picked it out during my snake Pokemon-obsessed phase when I was five. My entire room had been decorated with Arbok drawings, posters, and various plushies, and damned if I wasn't getting a snake as my starter Pokemon.
My new Snivy gave me a slight smirk, but that was her only sign of acceptance as my starter.
"Everyone has chosen a Pokemon, so that's that!" Bianca proudly announced. "Hey, I know! Let's have a Pokemon battle!" she exclaimed, pointing dramatically at Aria and the Oshawott that was still nuzzling her cheek happily.
"Honestly, Bianca?" I asked in disbelief. "Even though they're still weak Pokemon, you shouldn't have Pokemon battles inside a house."
"Don't be a worrywart!" scoffed Bianca. "These little ones are weak, like you said. We have to let them battle so they'll get stronger. It's settled, Aria! Get ready for a Pokemon battle!"
I considered mentioning the pancakes cooking downstairs, but after Bianca helped Aria destroy the upstairs, I wasn't even sure those would be in the cards for us anymore.
"All right, let's go, Azure!" Aria's little Oshawott, beaming at his new nickname, did a little front flip down from her arms and held out his scalchop, looking pumped for battle.
"Let's go, Bacon!" Tepig looked utterly unconcerned at his offensive nickname and trotted over a few feet from where Oshawott was standing, placing himself in a tackling position.
"Azure, Tackle!"
"Bacon, dodge and use Tackle right back!"
I'll spare you the boring details of the battle. Tepigs by nature are slow compared to the Oshawott species, and as such, Bacon was defeated rather handily in just a few minutes by Azure, who danced around proudly at his victory.
"Wow, Aria! You're going to be an awesome Trainer someday, I can tell! No doubt!" Bianca said after handing over some prize money and shaking Aria's hand, not in the least bit bothered by her loss.
What wasn't boring, however, was how dirty and messed up Aria's room was once the battle was over. I mean, how were there footprints on the ceiling?!
"Uh, Bianca, would you take a look around?" I exclaimed in disbelief.
Jumping in surprise as she took in what looked like a post-apocalyptic scene around us, she screeched, somehow all in one breath, "Whoa! What happened?! Wow...Pokemon are amazing! So little, but so strong! I'm so glad that I get to have a Pokemon! Um...sorry about your room, Aria."
"You...are completely hopeless," I sighed. "Here. Let me restore your Pokemon for you both." For years, I had carried around a Trainer-style backpack full of any healing items my parents left laying around or that I could afford via Pidove mail. Now, it finally looked like it belonged on me, and I pulled out a few spray Potions for the well-deserved battlers.
"Hey, Cheren! Why don't you battle, too?" suggested Bianca. "With all you know, I'm sure you could battle without turning the room into a disaster area like I did."
"I believe you're right!" Have I ever said that to Bianca in a decade of friendship? "It'll be no problem for me to keep the room from getting any messier. Besides, it's not fair if you two are the only ones who get to have fun battling!"
I stepped across from Aria, just as Bianca had earlier, my Snivy at my side still. "It's decided. You'll be my opponent...in our first Pokemon battle! Let's go...Charlotte? Is that an okay nickname for you?" I asked my Snivy. She gave me a soft smile and nod, then walked in front of me, posing her vines in a battle stance.
"I love that name!" exclaimed Aria. "And you're on, Cheren! Azure isn't tired yet!" Again, the Oshawott flipped out of her arms, waving his scalchop.
Again, our Pokemon did the same song and dance of tackling and dodging attacks. Snivy are fast Pokemon, and more defensive than most, so although Charlotte could both take and dodge several hits more than Bacon managed to, she ended up becoming tired and falling to the superior offensive power of Azure, much like her previous opponent. I grumpily also paid Aria some prize money, chalking it up to my birthday present to her, but made sure to thank Charlotte for her great effort. She shook my hand solemnly with her vine, as if to say we would win next time.
"I made a strange blunder in my first battle," I admitted, "but this feeling I have...I'm finally a Trainer! But first...we'd better go apologize to your mother about this messed-up room." Aria and Bianca both winced, but nodded in agreement.
"Oh, I'd better come too," Bianca added, and they both followed me down the stairs.
"I'm very sorry about all the trouble, ma'am," I explained to Aria's mother, looking downwards in embarrassment. Even though I was the one who tried to prevent this…
"Well, um...we can clean up…" Bianca added contritely.
Aria's mom laughed. "Clean up? No worries. I'll take care of it later. Shouldn't you be on your way to meet Professor Juniper? After my delicious pancakes, of course!"
I sighed with relief that we were still allowed to eat. "Yes, of course, ma'am, thank you so much!" we all three chorused, and then scrambled into the kitchen to three heaping plates of pancakes and syrup, plus a small cake with "Happy Birthday Aria" written on it. We sang to her, gave her our traditional homemade cards, and offered our best wishes on her next year.
Really, I should have known from my first defeat at Aria's hands that I wasn't meant to save the world. That I wouldn't be the protagonist in the story that was about to play out in Unova. But I was still young, still optimistic, still convinced that my studying and intense training would carry me through the real world. I was about to get a rude awakening…
AN: I decided to name Cheren's Snivy Charlotte because I mentioned his childhood obsession with Arbok, and it was the most feminine way I could think of to incorporate "CHAAAAAARRRRBOK!" I thought it was pretty creative, anyway.