Andrea, Swampert, and a Whole Lotta Trust
Part 1
It's been said that a bond of friendship can be so strong that it becomes family. In Andrea's case that couldn't be more accurate. Andrea is a young teenage girl on her first pokemon journey. Hoping to follow in her brother's footsteps, she wants to be a strong trainer and make her family proud. She has four badges proudly under her belt and is on her way to get her four remaining ones. At first glance, she seems like a strong girl accentuated by her team and her closest companion, Swampert. However, she wasn't always like that.
Four months prior, Andrea was preparing to set out on her adventure. She packed her bag, wished her parents goodbye, hopped on her bike, and rushed to the Pokemon Main Lab to meet up with her brother and ultimately pick her starter. From her home in Rustboro City, it would be quite a ride to the lab in Littleroot Town. Along the way she couldn't help but take in the lush woods and greenery, the tiny Pokemon she rode past, the shimmering sea, and the warm welcoming beaches. Every sight she saw only made her more filled with anticipation to explore those lands and feel what it will be like to see the rest of the Hoenn region outside of her concrete jungle home.
"Ah you took your time," her brother said jokingly as Andrea pulled into the lot of the lab.
"Sorry All, I guess I slept in longer than I thought," Andrea said with a nervous laugh.
"So you excited? This is it sis. You're finally going to be a real trainer. Trust me you'll love it!" All said with enthusiasm.
"Yeah I can't wait!" Andrea replied.
The two siblings walked to the door and entered the cool air-conditioned building. The atmosphere in the lab was absolutely static. There were researchers up and down the place carrying documents using terms and analogies far too wordy for either All or Andrea to bother understanding. They saw a couple budding trainers eagerly waiting to schedule their appointments to get their Pokedexes and first Pokemon.
From out of the main hallway, a worker dressed in her full coat came out and began to annunciate, "Andrea? Is there an Andrea here?"
"Present!" Andrea said raising her hand as if she were in trainer school all over again. All chuckled at her naivety.
"Ah welcome to our facility! I trust the ride must have been enjoyable?" the assistant said with a welcoming smile.
"Yeah, it was so nice to see some of the landscape," Andrea replied.
The assistant guided the two trainers in to the main laboratory. She directed them to their seats and instructed them to wait for a few minutes while she went off to find Professor Birch who was the leading researcher and head of the facility.
All sat down and took a glance at his sister and seemed a bit puzzled. She was shaking and sighing.
"Um Andrea; you alright?" he asked with concern.
"Yeah yeah sorry, I'm just a little nervous," she said with an unsure smile.
"Ha don't worry sis; I'm telling you once you get your companion it'll all be worth it."
"All, what's it like? Meeting the Pokemon for the first time? How will I know which one to pick?"
"Well," All said as he raised his head and glanced at the roof, "think of it like this. It's like meeting a sibling you never knew you had. It starts off a little awkward at first with the two of you adjusting to being out of your birthplaces with a young mindset trying to figure out what this world will be like. Sometimes you both might feel a bit unsure of yourselves other times you will press on with unyielding confidence but at the end of the day, no matter what happens, you'll end up with this feeling in your heart that somehow you two were just meant to meet."
After hearing her brother's words, Andrea calmed down and thanked him while he responded with a cheery smile. As the two were busy having their moment, out of nowhere comes a man of relatively husky stature running past them at blazing speed and falling flat on his face.
"Ouch! Well that's definitely going to hurt in the morning," the man said as he started picking himself up off the ground.
"Um are you okay?" Andrea said looking at the man as if he wasn't quite all there.
"Yeah yeah sorry; didn't mean to startle you guys," the man said with a laugh.
Shortly afterwards, three little Pokemon hopped on him and started to tug on his coat, climb on his back, and play around.
"Come on you guys! We rehearsed this! We're supposed to look at least semi-presentable in front of the new trainers!" the man said struggling to break free from the little creatures' playful actions.
All and Andrea laughed watching the young Pokemon amuse themselves with the researcher.
The assistant that tended to the siblings earlier came back out again and said, "Ah I see you've met the professor."
"What? This is Professor Birch?" Andrea exclaimed.
"Present!" Professor Birch replied as he pried the little Treecko off of his face.
Andrea and All helped the battered professor off the ground and away from the childish clutches of the young creatures.
"Thank you. Now which one of you is the trainer?" Birch asked.
"I am, sir," Andrea replied with her hand up.
"Ah! Fantastic and I assume you brought your brother with you for moral support?"
"Ha! Yeah," Andrea replied with a chuckle.
"Perfect! Well as you might remember from trainer school, in every region there are three Pokemon specifically chosen to be "starter Pokemon" for new trainers. These "starter Pokemon" aren't exactly the ultimate Pokemon and they don't have to be a mandatory part of your team but their all around coverage and easy going natures tend to make them easier to grow with. Now for which three Pokemon you will be choosing from. There's Treecko, the agile little lizard Pokemon. He's a swift one and is great for traversing forests and greenery especially with his keen vision and reflexes he would be a great pick for a trainer who would need some adjusting to the environment. Torchic, the blazing bird Pokemon is another great choice. His peck is only matched by his pride. This little bird is perfect for the trainer who is passionate about being the absolute best. Always remember tiny but mighty! Last but simply not least, there is Mudkip, the little amphibious quadruped. Mudkip is a good swimmer and has a natural affinity with swamps or marshes. With his more relaxed nature, this little Pokemon is the safest pick due to his dexterity and unyielding endurance."
"Wow! They all sound so neat," Andrea said as she glanced at all the young Pokemon.
"Now for the moment of truth," Professor Birch paused, "pick one!"
Andrea's face went pale white. The three Pokemon looked up at her puzzled.
"Um can I maybe have a moment?" Andrea asked timidly.
"Of course!" replied the Professor.
Andrea rushed into the hall then dragged All with her.
"Ha! Andrea what's wrong," All said jokingly.
"All, I don't know which one to pick," Andrea said in a sorrowful tone.
"Aw you're just a little shy that's all. Don't worry about it."
"It's not that. The Treecko is nice and all but I want to take a different route from you so that leaves the other two but what if I make the wrong choice or the Pokemon doesn't like me or if I can't put a good team together and end up losing a lot," Andrea went on and on.
All reached out to his sister and hugged her then began to speak, "You worry way too much Anne. You'll be fine. Trust me. Go out there with a calm mindset and the choice will come to you. If you don't want the Treecko don't focus on him and look at the other two. Everything will be fine; you'll see."
Andrea breathed a sigh of relief, steeled her nerves and went back out to make her choice.
"Alright let's see let's see," Andrea said as she glanced at the three young Pokemon.
She bent over and looked at the Treecko, "I'm sorry but it's not you. I'm sure you're a good Pokemon but I want to make my own path from my brother. You're not hurt are you?"
The little Pokemon shook his head from side to side and cried out in a happy tone as if in complete understanding of her reasoning. He took a step back and let her choose between the final two. Andrea looked carefully at the two remaining choices and felt a little voice inside her start to speak. She turned her head and began to watch the Mudkip. She didn't say a word but everyone in the room could tell this would be the one. The Mudkip looked back at her almost as if even he could feel it as well. He walked up to her and sat in front of her feet, looking up at her with a joyous smile. She hadn't said a word but the little Pokemon knew and reciprocated her feelings. She was stunned. Her brother was right all along.
Andrea, almost speechless, opened her mouth and said, "I choose you, Mudkip."
Just then, her brother came behind her and gave her a pat on the back with a nod. After everything was settled, and Andrea was given her equipment to begin her journey, she thanked the professor and his assistant and left the facility with her brother.
"Professor, she's the first one to ever say out loud that she didn't want one of the Pokemon. Do you think she'll be okay?" the assistant asked.
Professor Birch took in a breath and spoke, "Did you feel that in the air when she looked at the Mudkip? You'd be lying if you said you didn't."
"I did but I'm not sure if that will result in," the assistant said before she was cut off.
"That girl has something special. She doesn't realize it yet but the Mudkip did. Once she can overcome that little block of hers, she will be amazing. Those two will be stronger than even I can imagine. Her own brother might be unable to stop her. She just has to believe in herself."
With that, the professor looked at Andrea and All as they walked off into the distance with the little Mudkip following closely behind his new master.
"Hey All, we're not going to walk ALL the way back home are we?" Andrea asked.
"Ha! Of course not! We'll stop for some lunch in Petalburg first. You might want to put your Mudkip back in his Pokeball for the journey."
"Oh right," Andrea replied as she took the ball out of her pocket, expanded it and withdrew her new starter.
The two got on their bikes and started the half hour ride to Petalburg City. When they finally arrived, they stopped at a local café for a meal.
"So Anne you're finally a trainer! How do you feel?" All said with excitement.
"Honestly, I'm not too sure," Andrea said jokingly, "I feel excited and nervous at the same time. Did it feel like this for you and Treecko when you started?"
"Ha! He and I had a very different start. Treecko and I didn't exactly see eye to eye at first glance and he was a little surprised that I picked him. I guess it's because of that reason that it only made me want him more," All replied.
"What? But if a Pokemon rubbed you the wrong way at first glance, then why did you pick him?" Andrea asked with a puzzled expression.
"It seems somewhat dumb doesn't it?" All said with a laugh, "But you see, I knew that Treecko wanted me to show him what I was capable of. He wanted me to show him that I wasn't all talk with no walk. His doubt pushed me to further myself and grow as a person. When he saw that I wasn't backing down from his challenge, he opened up to me and the rest of the journey was smooth sailing. Pokemon might seem like just animalistic creatures but they're smarter than we give them credit for. They know more about you sometimes than you even know about yourself. I think that's what Mudkip is trying to tell you."
"Wait, Mudkip is trying to tell me something? How do you know?" Andrea asked.
All paused and there was a brief period of silence. The atmosphere began to shift and he began to speak, "What? You thought him walking up to you was just because he wanted some shade? He's practically shouting in your ear. You just need to take off your ear muffs and listen."
Andrea was speechless. She had no idea how to reply to what she was being told and she wasn't expecting the sudden seriousness from her brother's usually casual demeanor. She knew he was strong and that his kindness doesn't affect his seriousness in battle but she never experienced it full hand.
"Well I'll be on my way. I got to get started on my badge run again," All said as he left the money on the table to pay for their meal and headed for the door.
"All wait," Andrea got up and went to stop him, "thanks for your help at the lab. I don't think I would have been able to make that choice without you."
"I appreciate your kindness Anne but don't thank me yet," All said as he shut the door.
Andrea was puzzled, "What do you mean?"
He elaborated, "You do realize Swampert has a horrible matchup against Sceptile right? You must have known Mudkip will inevitably become a ground type as well and his one weakness will be grass."
"Why are you telling me this?" Andrea asked almost afraid of her own brother.
"One day, you're going to reach a point where you will be extremely strong. You will begin to breeze through every challenge with ease and you'll feel on top of the world, but remember you are not the only one that wants to be at the top. We'll meet again sis but it won't be as loving as today. Your being a trainer makes us rivals and when we battle, I won't hold back on you because you're my sister. If you don't bring your absolute best and unlock that strength of yours, you will never beat me. Don't get me wrong I love you very much but somebody has to push you to come out of that shell you have that blocks you from moving on and if nobody else not even your Mudkip can do it, I will," All said as he opened the door and left without another word.