The fire.
He could remember it as if it was yesterday, the blaze next to his house that nearly took his own down with it. The house of his girlfriend, Villa. The girl he was probably going to marry, the girl he was friends with since they were little. She went up with the flames that night, not even a scream piercing the night. It was only the sound of crackling fire and his mom shouting. There were sirens eventually, but that was after the upstairs had caved in. That was after his mom had ran in to see what or who she could pull out of there, only returning with a few red and white balls and a Glameow that was yowling and screaming as loud as he should have been. And the worst thing he remembered was a small creature standing in the middle of the flames, surrounded in black and smoke and fire. It had smiled before running away and never to be seen again.
That was a year and a half ago. It was nearing the end of November now, and he still hadn't left his house, his upstairs even. Not even once. He laid in his bed, half asleep, half awake, the Glameow curled up into his side sleeping. He checked his clock, the time reading 4:39 AM. He shut his eyes, trying to push the thought to the back of his head and making an attempt to go to sleep. He couldn't. He sat up, wiping his eyes and accidentally waking up the grey pokémon. He pet his head, scratched him behind his ears and eventually he resumed his sleep. The man slowly got up, walking into his bathroom and looking at himself in the mirror.
His long black hair was a mess, his eyes a pale blue that they shouldn't have been, making him look almost sickly with his pale skin. He didn't remember looking like this. He grabbed a brush and tugged at the knots in his hair with it, eventually managing to make it look presentable. His eyes roamed downwards, to his arms, seeing that they were paler than his face was and had many scars from the Glameow clawing him in his sleep. He huffed and returned to his room, the grey pokémon sitting up and staring at him. He meowed, cocking his head to the side as he looked at the man. The black haired man held up a finger and grabbed something off a side table and slipped it onto his neck; a gold medallion with a Luxray head embossed into one side, and a Typhlosion head into the other.
The Glameow growled a little before repeating what he said, "Why aren't you going to sleep, Vinny?"
Vinny sighed, playing with the medallion before responding, "I just can't Oliver. There's too much of the memory going through my head."
At this point, one might question how on earth Vinny, a pure human, could understand the Glameow, a pure pokémon. The answer was quite simple, the medallion. An enchanted item from very ancient times, an unknown charm or curse placed upon it that allowed the holder or bearer to speak with the creatures he knew. His girlfriend found it in a river and gave it to him on his 14th birthday. Quite simple if you don't think about it.
Oliver huffed and hopped off the bed, walking over to him and rubbing against his legs, "You really need to go outside, meet someone or maybe get a few friends. You've been spending too much time alone. And leaving your poor mother downstairs all by her lonesome. For shame, Vinny, for shame."
"You be quiet," Vinny whispered, picking up the creature and placing him on his shoulder, "I just, needed time to myself."
"A year and a half? You really need to leave this room, its starting to reek of human."
Vinny simply rolled his eyes and walked into the bathroom again, staring at himself, "You've been here as long as I have, Oliver."
"On the contrary, I leave sometimes, while you sleep. The outside is fantastic for your health," He purred, admiring himself in the mirror. "I look good tonight..."
Vinny sighed and ran his fingers though his hair. He grabbed a yellow hair band off the sink and used it to tie back his hair, though some of it still fell into his face. He huffed, looking over at Oliver. He picked up the Glameow and set him on the sink, grabbing his brush again and fixing the mess of his hair once more. He looked at Oliver, "Hey, Ollie, I have a question. If... I were to go on a journey to find the thing that killed... Villa... Would you come with me?"
"Only if the world was to explode" He huffed in a sarcastic tone, and added after a little while, "A journey? And adventure? Sounds remarkably hard and boring at the mere thought."
Vinny rolled his eyes and picked him back up, "Not like you'd have a choice, Mom doesn't like you."
"That's because you talk to me more than here, dear child." He curled up into the crook of his neck before being thrown off onto his bed. He yowled and hissed, his claws coming out as he noticed Vinny was changing. Oliver calmed and sat back, watching for whatever reason. "What're you doing?
Vinny dug through his drawers, pulling out a black shirt and slipping it on, "I'm getting dressed. I'm 16, who says I can't leave and think for myself?"
"Society, for one, your mother, the laws of nature, those pants and the odour of you."
"I showered before I slept, you just can't stand the smell of human. And that's what they make deodorant for." He replied, pulling out a pair or black jeans with a hole in the knee and putting them on.
Oliver rolled his eyes and jumped off the bed, arching his back in both directions and sitting where he stood. He watched Vinny carefully as he opened his closet, throwing a dark blue trench coat onto his bed, followed be a black baseball cap with a thick yellow stripe down the centre and a pair of boots. He shut the door and put all of the articles he threw out on.
Oliver cringed, "Wearing bright yellow with dark blue and black? Well the nerve-... What if you need to be sneaky!?"
Vinny picked it up after slipping into his trench coat, showing the Glameow the inside, "It's reversible, see, its all black on the inside." He then put it on backwards, pulling his loose bangs through the hole in the front. Oliver hissed and curled up on the floor, listening to Vinny put on his boots and nearly falling over. The creature chuckled. "Don't laugh at me, Ollie."
"I will laugh until the world explodes."
Vinny rolled his eyes and grabbed two things from under his bed; a backpack and a small bag attached to a belt. He then pulled out a tote and opened it, the box filled with assorted pokeballs that he had swiped a long time ago from the delivery truck that goes to the store in Sandgem. There was a good 200 balls in the tote. He put the belt and bag on, sticking 5 balls in the empty slots and filling the backpack halfway with the different balls, making sure he had a good balance. He closed the tote and pushed it back under his bed, then pulling the blanket off of it and rolling it up, managing to place it in his backpack with room to spare. Oliver watched him with one eye open. He sighed, curling up as Vinny grabbed one he has secretly set down next to him and threw it at the Glameow. He screeched before winding up in the red and white ball, it clicking shut before he could figure out what was going on and how to get out. Vinny pushed the button and released him, sticking the now claimed ball onto his belt.
"What the HELL!?" Oliver yowled, his claws extended and stiffened his body.
"You had never been caught, and that seemed like a fine opportunity." He laughed quietly, scratching the creature behind the ears and then picking him up, "You need to lighten up." He said, setting him back down. Vinny stood, grabbing a few changes of clothes and placing them in his bag, along with a smaller bag, a notebook and pen, and still had enough room. He zipped the partially filled bag and set Oliver in it, finally putting it on his back. He checked the time, the clock nearing 6 in the morning. He heard an alarm go off downstairs, signalling his mother was waking up. With a small thought, he opened his window, feeling the cold fall breeze blow through. He turned around and grabbed a pair of gloves and a black scarf off his dresser, shoving them in his pockets before he took the 20ft jump, landing safely on his feet with only minor pain. He took a final glimpse at the back of his house before he ran as fast as he could to Sandgem.
Route 201 was easy to walk around, walking slow enough so that nothing jumped out and looked at him funny; he didn't need any Starlys today. The sun was slowly rising, the grass rustling just as he arrived in Sandgem at about 6:30. He looked around, the house of professor Rowan on the right of him, as well as the pokémon Centre and the PokeMart. I looked around, seeing people starting to move in the buildings and ran, hiding behind the Centre. An old man and two kids came out of the house of Rowan and were quietly talking amongst themselves, looking at some strange devices on their wrists and in their hands.
Oliver climbed out of Vinny's bag and onto his shoulder, whispering, "What're you doing, Vinny?"
The black haired man looked at the Glameow, "I'm thinking of going into there and seeing if there's anymore of what they have."
"Stealing again? Just a bad as when you were 13! You rebel you..."
Vinny huffed and shoved him back into the bag, "Shut up. I'm going in, I've decided it."
He walked to the back corner of Rowan's home, sliding open the first unlocked window he could find and climbed in. He walked in a little and stood, seeing he was in the back of a laboratory. Two tables were near him, one with a computer and a strange device that was shut and the other with several pokeballs on it, each clearly shaking at the presence of him. He bit his lip and grabbed a device off the table, shoving it into his empty pocket. He glanced around, now seeing two shelving units and two odd mechanical devices with orange caps, as well as a room with lots of boxes behind him. He walked over to the second table and looked at the balls, trying to see what their contents were. His face twisted and Oliver leapt back onto his shoulder, gesturing with his curled tail and whispering, "They're all Chimchar. The one that's moving the least is the only male, the rest are female. He seems to have some kind of an interest in you, the females all think you're pretty hot for a human."
Vinny nodded and picked it up, placing it also in his pocket and he ran back to the window he had climbed in, going back out just as he heard the front door open and the professor and company return. Vinny had a few moments to catch his breath before he ran, hands in his pockets clamped tightly on his new possessions and Oliver's claws dug tightly into his back through the backpack. He ran into route 202, sitting on the edge of a ledge before catching his breath. He pulled out the new pokeball, climbing over the short ledge he rested on and releasing the Chimchar. The small orange creature stumbled to his feet, holding his head and turning to look at Vinny.
Vinny sat and Oliver climbed out of his bag, sitting in his lap and staring at the Fire-type. "Hello," He purred.
The Chimchar walked over to them and sat down like Vinny was, "Hello, who're you?" He asked quietly.
"My name is Oliver, this trainer is Vinny. What might your name be?" Oliver inquired, his ears perking up.
"I don't have one. They just call me by my species. It'd be nice if I had one. Oliver is a nice name," The Chimchar spoke with a break in between all of his phrases, "You seem pleasant."
"Well, I'm not the greatest, just ask this chap behind me." Oliver responded, seeming to gain an arrogant nature.
The Chimchar laughed quietly, "Humans can't understand pokémon."
That was the moment that Vinny jumped in, "I actually can, in a way."
The Chimchar jumped, hopping to his feet and stepping back a little. He looked at Vinny, then Oliver, then Vinny once more, "Was he... Speaking to me?"
"I was, yes. It's a little hard to explain, but I'll tell you later." Vinny replied. He moved Oliver out of his lap and stood, picking up his Glameow and holding a hand out to the Chimchar, "Hop on my shoulder, we'll walk. Tell me about yourself." The Fire-type looked at him and jumped onto his hand, climbed up his arm and perched himself on his shoulder. He walked slowly, trying to avoid trainers that wanted to battle and unwanted wild encounters.
The orange creature began to talk, "If I am thinking correctly, there is not much to tell about me. I hatched from an egg in Professor Rowan's lab and he placed me into a pokeball the moment I hatched. I got studied more because I was the only male out of the pack, and I wasn't comfortable that way. I'm really grateful you took me with you, even if you stole me."
Vinny nodded, "You're very welcome, erm... You said you didn't have a name, right?" He earned a nod as a response, "How about Mojo? Seems kind of fitting for some reason."
"You have an odd taste in names, sir," Oliver hissed, but shut his mouth after Vinny glared at him.
The Chimchar thought, then nodded, "Sounds like a good name to me. Mojo..."
Vinny smiled and continued to walk, his walk interrupted when he tripped over something, probably a stick or twig. He landed flat on his face and after regaining his composure, turned to find a small child standing near him looking up. "Can I help you?"
"Our eyes have locked, so we must battle!" He shouted, taking several steps back and sending out a pokémon, a Bidoof which stood between the duo. Vinny looked at Mojo, then at Oliver, who glared at Vinny with a paralysing look. With a sad look at Mojo, the orange creature leapt off of his shoulder and stood between Vinny and the Bidoof, in a ready stance.
"Now what do I do?" Vinny whispered, looking at both of his pokémon.
"Pull out that device you stole from the lab, maybe that says something," Oliver purred, watching as Vinny reached his hand into his pocket and pulled it out. He flipped open the lid, the screen lighting up and showing a list on the screen, "I believe that's what you call a pokédex. Tap the button that says Team on it." Vinny quickly did as Oliver said, seeing all the information he needed to know about Mojo, smiling as the small child shouted at him.
"Hey, hurry it up, Grandpa! I'm not getting any younger!"
"Calm down, I'm new to this all." Vinny shut the Dex and looked at Mojo, "Mojo, Attack and use Ember."
Mojo jumped up, running at the Bidoof, who wasn't paying attention. Mojo opened his mouth as wide as he could, a small ball of fire flying out and nailing the Bidoof straight in the face, causing it to skid backwards and fall over at the feet of the youngster. It groaned, returning to its trainer. "H-Hey, no fair! I wasn't paying attention!"
"You're the one who yelled at me to hurry up, pay some form of attention. I think you have another pokémon?"
The child paled, shaking his head quickly and digging into his pockets and pulling out a few bills, "N-No sir! Here just take this! I'm gonna tell my mom!" He shouted in a panicked voice, running off and starting to cry.
Vinny, Oliver, and Mojo all exchanged a glance, the black haired man saying, "What did I do?"
"You ruined a small child's dreams, you bastard," Oliver answered. Vinny rolled his eyes and Mojo leapt back onto his shoulder.
"Shut it, Oliver, you're not helping." Vinny snapped back, continuing to walk through the short route.
They stepped into Jubilife a few minutes later, it had reached being quarter to 8 in the morning. Vinny walked up the steps, Oliver climbing into his bag and Mojo looking around in awe and wonder. "Is, is this a city?"
Vinny nodded, "Yeah, it is. I haven't been here too often, but it's really nice here. Lots of buildings to explore. Not that I know what all of them are."
"That's alright, we can look around." Mojo replied, looking around. Vinny looked as well, seeing the dimly coloured Trainer's school near the Centre and the Mart. In the distance, he saw the bright screen of the TV station, the Pokétch company's flags above the buildings, and the bright lights of the Global Trade Station. He grinned, walking towards the centre of the large city, passing many people running around with their friends and pokémon alike. He noticed someone pointing to him, giggling and running off to play with their friends. He laughed quietly, walking until he stood between the Centre before someone in a weird clown suit ran up to him.
"Can I help you sir?" Vinny asked.
The clown spun around, "Yes sir! If you find all three of us in the city and answer a question correctly, we'll give you a ticket to get a free Pokétch! How about it?"
Vinny's face twisted in annoyance, but he answered, "It can't hurt. Question please?"
"Do pokémon grow stronger through battling?" He asked.
"Yes, they gain Experience points to level up and evolve." Vinny said bluntly.
The clown spun around and handed him a slip of paper, "Perfect! Two more!" He exclaimed and bounced away.
Vinny's face twisted, looking at Mojo, "I hate when companies do that. Makes me mad."
"At least there's only two other ones that you'd have to look for and not 7," Mojo muttered.
Vinny nodded and continued, the slip of paper in his hand and warmth on his shoulder. He looked around, spotting a clown in front of the TV station, and then another one in front of the Pokétch company building. He answered both questions, then entered the company building shortly after. A man stood just in the door, seeing Vinny holding all three tickets.
"Ah, you there young man! I see you have the three vouchers! Here is your Pokétch!" He cheered, handing Vinny a small object like a watch, blue and silver with a large red button on it. "Additions can installed into it later, the red button is used to flip through the additions! I hope you enjoy your watch!" He said, spinning Vinny around and pushing him outside, slamming the door behind him.
Vinny stood there for a moment, Mojo and himself sharing the same expression on their faces. They looked at each other, eyes wide and mouths shaped in an unpleasant manner. "What was that about?"
"Not a clue..." Mojo answered, stretching. "What's the time?"
Vinny looked at the face of the Pokétch, the time reading 9:30 in the morning, "Still quite early. And I think I might be getting hungry. Maybe we could go find something to eat?" Mojo nodded and Vinny began to head towards the Centre, Oliver climbing out of his bag and perching on his shoulder. He looked at him, "Is there something I can help you with?"
"I have a question for you Vinny LaCrome. A very simple question that I'm sure you didn't think of." The grey creature purred.
"And what might that question be?"
"Why are you leaving everything behind and going on this... Journey?" He simply asked.
Vinny stopped. Someone behind him almost bumped into him and swore, walking around him. Vinny looked down, then into the distance. He bit his lip, looking Oliver, "I'm... Not sure. I really don't." He walked over to a bench, sitting down and watched the people walk by. "I just kind of, left. I think I want to find the pokémon that killed Villa with that fire but... Something else is tugging at my mind that I want to do." He sat back, Oliver and Mojo climbing into his lap and looking at him. Vinny looked back up, into the sky, seeing Mt. Coronet in the distance, shrouded in fog. A memory flashed in the back of his head, a book he had read. Villa had gotten it from the library in Canalave. Something about the creator of all pokémon, the god essentially, and what he had created. A legendary pokémon, one of many, many creatures of the world and all its regions. And with that thought, something in his head clicked, and he stood, Oliver and Mojo falling out of his lap.
"Everything alright Vinny?" Oliver inquired.
Vinny looked at them, scooping them up in his arms and setting them on his shoulders, "I know what I'm going to do. What I'm doing this for." He looked at them, "Villa always wanted to meet a Legendary. I think I'll do that, for her. Or... I can catch them."
Both Mojo and Oliver shrieked, Oliver's claws digging into his shoulder and the flame on Mojo's rear increasing tenfold, "You're going to WHAT!?" they yelled.
Vinny nodded and smiled, "I'm going to catch them. I'm going to become strong with the pokémon I catch, the ones I find, and maybe the people I find that join me. I'll catch them all, from the smallest god to the creator of all, in every region from Hoenn to Unova, they'll all be mine and I'll make Villa proud, I know it will. And if I ever meet the one that burnt Villa's home down, I'll catch it and it'll never see the light of day again."
The grin on his face widened, Oliver and Mojo looking at each other in a concerned manner, but they returned their attention to Vinny, "So, everyone from Victini to... A- Arceus?" Mojo whispered. He earned a firm nod from Vinny, his jaw dropping and his fire flickering.
Vinny looked at them, "What?"
"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. How on earth will you do that!?" Oliver shrieked.
Vinny laughed and started to run towards Oreburg City, "Very carefully."
Oliver groaned, slipping into Vinny's bag and curling up in the empty space. Mojo shook his head, sighing as Vinny stepped foot into route 203. He manoeuvred around a blonde man and a man with a flat cap that were fighting, the blonde with a Turtwig and the flat capped man with a Piplup out at the moment. He sighed and ran, not noticing he was in a patch of grass. He tripped, sending Mojo flying off his shoulder. A pokeball flew off his belt and into the trees after him. Vinny groaned, sitting up and looking at what he tripped over. A growl emerged from behind his foot, an electric feeling flooding the air. He rolled onto his back and sat up, seeing a small Shinx standing at his feet, its fur glowing and getting brighter as a defence mechanism. Vinny held up his hands, squinting as the blue creature's fur glowed brighter. He stood, Mojo running back over to him and leaping onto his shoulder. The Shinx growled, leaping at Vinny with a great speed, Quick Attack. Vinny reached behind him, yanking Oliver out by his tail and throwing the Glameow in between himself and the Shinx.
Oliver took the attack hard, a third of his health draining. He growled, ignoring any order from Vinny and lunged at it, claws out into Scratch and attacking it head on. The Shinx's glow immediately stopped and it stumbled back with a whine. It laid on the ground a few moments before getting up. Vinny pulled out the Dex and checked on the two pokémon. The meter for Oliver's health was at 7hp and for the Shinx at 3hp. A thought jumped into his head, of Villa talking to him once. Luxray was her favourite pokémon, and that's what Shinx evolved into. Without a second thought, he grabbed a ball from his belt and threw it, it bouncing off the Shinx's head and pulling it in with a red glow. It rolled, once, twice, and then a third time, clicking shut. The Dex buzzed in his hand, signalling that Vinny didn't bother to look at.
Vinny picked up the ball, Oliver jumping up into his bag and sticking his head out. "I think we should find a place to sit down," Oliver muttered, tugging on Vinny's hat in an attempt to turn him towards an available seat.
Vinny shook his head and released the Shinx from its ball, the blue creature tumbling out and rolling into a ball. It looked at him and flipped right-side up, sitting where it stood and stared at him. Vinny knelt down and picked it up, placing the ball into his belt. It started to well up electricity in it's mouth, preparing a Thunder Fang but Oliver bit it's tail before it could, the energy sizzling out and the Shinx whimpered.
Vinny glared at the Glameow, "Oliver, quit it. Battle's over." Oliver growled, climbing into Vinny's bag and managing to zip it shut.
Mojo rolled his eyes and looked at the Shinx, the blue creature frowning. He poked his cheek, "Don't be sad, that's not good."
Vinny looked at the Shinx as well, "You're not the most talkative, are you?" He shrugged, placing it on his shoulder, "I think I'll call you Sphynx, even if you do have a name. I'm assuming you don't because you're young. Only level 3..."
Vinny looked up to the sky, then at his poketch, the time reading 10:13. He sighed, starting to walk to the cave that connected to Oreburg, trying to get in as few conflicts as possible, though he did manage to train all three of his pokémon in some way, regardless of if he wanted to or not.
0-o-0
Vinny captured Glameow!
Keep nickname Oliver?
Vinny obtained the Pokédex! It contains wonderful information about Pokémon you encounter!
Vinny obtained Chimchar!
Keep nickname Mojo?
Vinny obtained the Pokétch! It will help you on your journey!
Vinny captured Shinx!
Keep nickname Sphynx?
0-o-0
End of Chapter 1.
Team review:
Chimchar, Mojo: Level 9
Moves:
-Ember
-Taunt
-Leer
-Scratch
Glameow, Oliver: Level 8
Moves:
-Fake Out
-Scratch
-Growl
-Bite
Shinx, Sphynx: Level 11
Moves:
-Tackle
-Leer
-Quick Attack
-Thunder Fang
~ViraLayton