There wasn't a worse place for Axel Amarai to grow up in the whole of Johto than Mahogany town. It bragged historically high crime rates, one useless god-forsaken general store which had just about no neccessities you actually wanted and an intrinsic hatred for wireless internet.
Furthermore from a young age Axel was dragged out to pre-dawn fishing trips, driving up one long bumpy path in a car that reeked of bad tackle. Saddled with carrying a plethora of constantly tangled fishing rods in falling every which direction, Axel had to stand there in the butt-blistering cold listening to the same fat old guys drone about magikarps while his loser-ass dad told him how great life was.
"This is the life, just the peace of us and the black night sky. No stupid SS folks here to hassle us now are there? One day you'll see the red whopper riding the pre-dawn waves. Then you'll thank me for this, trust me kid."
The SS stood for Soul Society, the saintly title given to the original SS. Anne cruise liver which all the Johto and Kanto navymen were named for back in the early eighties. Their dad used to be a big part of it, along with their rich half-aunt Rukia, until their mum ran off with some pretty boy private sailor. Since then, Renji had harboured a deep grudge against the Soul Society and seamen with the name Eric.
Anyway, fishing with dad sucked. The only good thing about toughing the early morning hike was really that Axel's older brother Reno had to suffer the same fate along with him, squinting through sleep-deprived eyes complaining about how he could be curled up in a warm bed right then.
Then again, you didn't need an early morning to get him started, Reno complained about everything. Reno complained about the rancid cheeses the goat fed them and he complained about the woodlice munching through their walls at night and the puddles left by their pet Swinub, Moley. Reno also complained about obviously the best (and only good) thing about Mahogany town, Axel Aranai himself. Completely unfounded complaints, easily.
When Axel turned ten, Reno was still meandering about the house and skimping out on home school. He said it was out of pure laziness and lack of ambition, but Axel saw it for the underlying protectiveness he held for his family, misplaced as it might seem.
The thing was, Axel and Reno and Renji were all champion swordfighters. Renji had trained them how he was trained once they got old enough to stand on two feet, and often to not their hot tempers clashed through it. It was a common scene to find Reno and Renji battling with live blades over the dinnertable, Moley curled up in some discreet corner trembling. They were idiots, but impassioned ones, and the day Axel announced he was leaving for a pokemon adventure he was chased out of there guns blazing.
"Get back here, runt, I'm not done with you yet!" Renji cried after him, sword swinging wildly.
"You're too young to go on an adventure, Ax." Reno loudly accused. "I mean really, you still wet the bed."
Axel reddended to match his hair, eyes flicking to the chuckling angler beside him. "Shut up Reno, I mean I really don't."
"If you don't change your mind right now I'm going to spill all your secrets in front of the whole town!" It wasn't really a major threat as the whole town was only about three blocks long, but to Axel whose pride was already wounded by the first blow to his self-image staying to hear the redhead out wasn't top on his to do list.
Axel continued running, darting up and around a pine tree and then emerging, spitting out a mouthful of brambles. He gained speed, was thrust into the wide open, to halt. The guys would be just behind him. Where could he hide?
Axel's pathetic solution was behind the signpost that pointed them to the town square, as the other options, the cave entrance and a grassy plain, looked unnervingly Pokemon- infested.
Reno and Renji found him instantly. Axel was trapped, sharp object and spiky red hair thrust at either side of him, and he sighed, slumping against the post.
"Alright, alright," Axel said, raising his hands in a declaration of innocence. "It was a stupid idea. I know it was, okay? I give in already."
Reno huffed, and kneeled down. "Why didn't you tell us you wanted to become a trainer sooner, Ax? Then we could've got you a proper pokemon."
"Then we could've pre-paid your funeral expenses," Renji muttered.
Axel shrugged, and to his shame felt a lump in his throat forming. "I dunno. I didn't want to make it any different between us, I guess. Sorry for that."
"Sorry?" Reno snorted, leaning in. "You see this hair?" He tugged it- "oww." "Yeah. You're an Abarai, runt. And Abarais are never sorry."
Axel smoothed the rumpled hair back, averting his gaze downwards. "I'm not really an Abarai, Rene. I don't have the tattoos."
"The tatts? Is that's what this is about?" Renji validified. Axel just stared back.
Facial markings had been the pride of the Abarai clan men for centuries. It signified them as the most vicious of warriors, like blue tongues did for lizards, and they were traditionally awarded on the child's tenth birthday, the day they became a man.
But only the eldest child.
"Screw the tatts. You got us." Reno decided, and looked up to Renji for confirmation.
"Pah," their dad agreed.
"You hear that? Pah. Frivolities. Tatts, who needs em." Renji grabbed Axel's arm. "Now get up. If you really want to be a pokemon master and all that rot, we've got a great deal of crap to sort out."
"Like how you're going to get to Elm's lab without busting a limb first," Renji suggested haughtily.
"It's an awful long way," Reno confided in him. "Waste of time though, if you ask me. A hundred miles and all you get is an old dex, shitty starter and slap on the wrist telling you to be good."
"But everything's a waste of time if you ask you," Axel teased with a wobbly grin.
"Well it won't be if you ask about busting your ass into next Sunday. Who's the one with the killer weapon here?"
"Great job it did when you were trying to kill me with it," Axel argued, falling back into the swing of things.
"I wasn't trying to kill you with it, moron, just a bit of shock therapy."
"Shut up or I'm taking you both fishing," their dad threatened, sending them both into a wary silence.
By the time they got back to town everybody home knew that not only Axel Aranai was leaving on a Pokémon journey but importantly, that he was a bedwetter.
"I can get some more nappies sent in from the Goldenrod market if you like," offered the overbearing Mrs Tang as they stopped in for a cuppa. "It's useful, because I can claim them on my tax deduction."
"Thanks, but I don't think that'll be neccessary," declined dad Renji bravely. Reno slurped up some more tea to cover up his grin.
"Do you really wet it too, Axel?" demanded the youngest child of the house, Noa, and Axel slumped further back into his seat.
Somehow or another, Axel got out of there with his egotism intact and they soldiered on home contemplating how well Axel would do as a trainer (or in Reno's terming, how long he'd last.) They decided that being a tough-spirited kid with a penchant for misadventure he might break a few limbs and have to retire indefinetly in Blackthorn for awhile but would survive the major misfortunes Mother Nature would bestow on him.
Axel was also informed that it was a stupid, dangerous life and he better keep his sword on him at all times if he liked his head on his shoulders.
They recommended Pokémon after Pokémon but Axel didn't sway on his decision for a fire type starter. "The thing is," dad Renji finally said. "Fire types are rare in these parts. They used to hunt them down for ruining all the farmers' crops. Besides which, it's just too cold here up North for them to want to settle. If you want a fire type, you're going to have to sail across to Ecruteak and scout for one around there, because the closest you'll find around Mahogany is Mareeps and Mankeys."
Axel hated to admit it, but he had a point. On that thinking, he persuaded his dad to call in a favor from one of the cargo shippers that brought stock in from over there and land him a free ride over. It was only a monthly trip they made though, so Axel had to wait a whole four weeks to begin his sudden Pokémon adventure.
This time they only chased him with the training foils. "You don't have to do this, y'know," repeated Reno to him as they watched the workmen load various crates off the ship for storefronts.
"But I want to," Axel said, readjusting his backpack. He'd packed it all the night before, and it was a much heavier weight on his shoulders than what he was used to. That canned food really added up.
His gaze fell to his shoes, the mail-order thick hiking boots Reno had bought back when they both wanted to join the Rangers. How old had they been then? Seven and Ten? Six and nine?
"I guess this is goodbye," Axel said as the seaman waved him onto the deck.
"Get out of here already," Renji growled thickly.
Reno grinned, and put up a hand in wave from the shore. "Get lost, moron. Get lost and have a really trippy time finding yourself," he called after them.
Axel stopped waving as they fell out of sight. "You got some interesting relos there, mate," grunted the seaman.
Slightly embarrassed Axel nodded to sit, resting up against the back motor seat. It was loud, and all there to do was really look out and watch the scenery. Axel'd forgotten how much he disliked sailing. He managed to hold down the motion sickness despite himself spending most the hour wondering which Pokémon he'd get. It was something that'd never truly occurred to him earlier, becoming a trainer, and the only real thing he'd known for sure was that if ever he became one he wanted fire pokemon. Maybe he could have an all-fire team, so that he could be a gym leader. Pryce was sort of getting on these days, wasn't he?
After fourty minutes or so of driving across water they reached a grassy island, and the driver told him they had to wait there until high tide, when the boat could cross. It did, after another thirty minutes of painstaking waiting and fifty more navigating after that they were at the Ecruteak shore, and Axel just about kissed the land he first treaded on.
He grabbed his stuff and helped the sailors drag the boat onshore.
"You'll be alright then, matey?" The seamen inquired, and Axel nodded his assent and wished them all well, hauling his backpack over his shoulders and marching off to reach the end of the route.
The end of the route guy stopped him and pulled him over for a chat, seeing he wasn't a trainer, and they had a good long talk about the merits of fire Pokémon and how Unova had these weird electric banners in all their rest houses. Axel waved him off after awhiling, saying he had brunch to eat (as he'd been up since six, passed on breakfast for the boat ride and his stomach was resentful for it). Axel bought it with a handful of the quarters he'd collected, and sat down at the Pokemon centre afterwards to let his folks know he was okay.
"Do you know where I could get a fire Pokémon?" Axel asked one of the tired-looking nurses, who recommended he journey with an adult down to Elm's labratory and enlist in their summer program.
"Yeah, but do you know where I could actually find a fire pokemon around here?" Pestered Axel.
"Well that's easy," said an approaching trainer, who handed four of six pokeballs across to the Joy. "You've got your Growlithes and Vulpix's just south on Route 37, and Magmars all over the Burnt Tower, that is should the Monks let you through."
The Nurse frowned and handed the Pokeballs across to a Blissey, who processed them. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to see some ID if you're intending to catch your first pokemon around here, young man. And weapons of any sort are not allowed in these premesis, sheathed or unsheathed."
Axel placed his longsword on the counter. "Sorry, I forgot. Won't happen again. And I've got it here in my bag, just give me a second." Axel rumaged through, finding the neat slip attached to his passport. "Sixth of the Fifth. It was my birthday four weeks ago, see?"
The Nurse nodded, but didn't look very happy about it. She looked to the trainer, handing back his Pokemon. "Would you be able to-"
"Right on it," he replied with a nod. To Axel he requested; "just don't get in the way too much."
Under the watchful eye of the Joy they departed, and deigned to head up to the Burnt Tower if only to experience the tourist attraction. The trainer, a late teenager whose name Axel learnt was Kunsel, told him to leave his sword in the bush so not to scare the monks and after a brief power struggle between them Axel obeyed. After all, he didn't know anyone else in this old, cultured looking town and Axel kind of wanted to stay on his good side in case he had a Charizard.
With a few worried looks at Axel, the Monks allowed them entry, and they entred the dusty, dilapidated building.
"It's because it's a weekday, no one's here," Kunsel explained as the door opened with a creak. A Raticate instantly lunged at them and quick as a flash, the brunette trainer had a Machoke out in defence.
"Woah," Axel breathed as with a swipe of one mighty paw, Machoke had the Raticate against a wall. Gas caught in his lungs and he coughed.
"Gotta watch out, Koffings give you cancer," Kunsel joked. "No seriously, follow me down this ladder, their smoke rises upwards. I'd hoped not to give away that we were in here, but so much for that."
The underground floor was darker, only illuminated by the harsh tear in the high roof, and Axel backed behind the Machoke, concerned. From around the side a Ratata scuttled up to him and the next thing Axel knew, it was attatched to his leg.
"Ahh, get it off, get it off!"
"He can't get it off with you moving so much, kid," Kunsel groaned. But apparently the Machoke could, because he clamped a fist around Axel's leg and slapped the thing still.
"I hate Ratatas," decided Axel, exposing the fresh wound. It was only one or two centimetres deep each side, but it stung like hell.
"It was just avenging its brother," Kunsel told him, and with a second look, pulled him over. "I think you've just struck lucky."
In an ash filled corner of the drafty once-building, two sleeping forms curled. One was large, a fully grown Magmortar striped bold firey colours, the other comparatively small and red. Kunsel approached them with raised a finger to his lips, maximising a Poke ball on his belt carefully.
And then handed it to Axel.
"Me?" Axel mouthed, then shook his head rapidly. He'd hardly even held much less thrown a proper Poke ball before, and was more than convinced he'd miss.
"It's your pokemon," Kunsel whispered back. He pointed to the smaller shape again.
Axel gave him a weird look for it and leaned left, ignoring the sudden spasm of pain in his hurt leg. The Magmortar stirred, and Axel flinched for a second. Still he followed through letting go with just a bit less momentum, landing the red and white Poke Ball on top of its head.
It shook thrice, and then clicked.