"Alex, it's time to get ready!" Called my aunt from downstairs. Usually, I wouldn't want to get up so early in the morning, but today was special. I was going to start work for Professor Ernest Bamb'o here in Moki Town, alongside my long time friend, Theo Caine.
I quickly dress and rush downstairs. "Ah, there you are. Today's a big day for you, indeed!" Auntie says. "I remember you coming to live with me after that tragic accident ten years ago... It was such a long time, but it feels like just yesterday that Kellyn knocked on my door with you in tow."
Kellyn is my father. He's the Chief of the Tandor Rangers, and has been working with the Rangers since before I was born. He met my mother here in Tandor. My mother, Lucille, worked at a nuclear power plant a few miles off the coast of Bealbeach, which is a beachside town in the northern parts of West Tandor. Ten years ago, something went wrong in that power plant... She was the only one who didn't escape the facility after a malfunction in the machinery caused a reactor meltdown. The rectors exploded and destroyed the plant.
Her body was never found...
After that, my father became obsessed with his job. He worked almost endlessly, and couldn't find the time to care for me. And so here I am now, at my aunt's house, ten years later. I'm soon heading off on my own to become a Pok mon Trainer, mainly because my aunt is simply becoming too old to support us both.
"I have something for you before you go," Auntie says. "It's a pair of new shoes! I know it doesn't seem like much, but I'm sure that you will need them for the journey ahead." She says. I smile and thank her, and try on the shoes. "They fit great! Thanks." I say, already loving the new and quite comfy shoes.
Auntie starts crying a little bit.
"Oh, excuse me... I'm just an emotional old lady witnessing her nephew at the start of his adventure. Your mother would be so proud of you, and your father especially would be too. I'm sure you'll run into him while adventuring." She says, smiling broadly and hugging me. "You should go meet the Professor now, before you're late. I'm sure your friend Theo is already there waiting for you."
"Right, yeah. Wouldn't put it past him to wake up at the crack of dawn for something like this." I say with a chuckle.
It was early May, and the morning air was still pleasantly cool. The Professor's lab was on the north side of town, but it wasn't a long walk at all. Moki Town is reasonably small compared to the other towns and cities in Tandor, which is nice, because everyone knows and gets along with one another quite well.
"Hey, Alex, wait up!" A familiar voice calls from behind me. My best friend Theo was rushing to catch up with me. He's a couple of years younger than I am, and always tries to be first in everything, and always sets his sights quite high for himself. Perhaps a tad bit too high at times, though... He usually cries if he fails something.
"Thought you could get there before me, yeah?" He says. He's always been quite competitive, even in the small things. "Knowing you, I though you'd be there already," I say, smiling. Theo chuckles. "Nah, it's too early, even right now." He says, then stretches and yawns. "I wonder what the professor has for us?" I say, looking toward the labratory on the northern end of town. It's roof was visible, poking up from behind the trees.
"Well, there's only one way to find out!" Theo says, dashing toward the lab so fast that his hair was nearly a red and yellow blur. "Snooze 'n you'll loose!" He calls over his shoulder. I chase after him and easily catch up, but I let him win the race to the door. "Hah! Beat ya!" He says triumphantly. "Yeah, I guess so," I say. Theo knocks on the door to the lab, and seconds later, a man in a green and yellow Hawaiian-style shirt, blue jean shorts, flip-flops, and black, spiky hair answers the door. Believe it or not, this very laid-back scientist is Professor Bamb'o.
"Oh, hey! You must be Alex and... I'm sorry, I forgot your name- is it Timmy?" Says the Professor. I barely manage to suppress a laugh. "It's Theo! Come on, man, you've already forgotten my name?" Theo says irritably. "My apologies, Theo. Come on in, you two, let's get started." Professor Bamb'o says.
The inside was much smaller than I thought, it only had a few desks with PCs, some lab equipment, a healing station with a large first-aid cabinet nearby, and a pod that seems to contain three Pok Balls inside. The lab was slightly messy and a bit disorganized, but I suppose that fits Bamb'o's rather lax nature.
"Alright! So, I'm guessing you two are quite excited?" Bamb'o asks. "Yeah, come on, let's get on to it!" Theo says with both impatience and anticipation. "Sheesh- You've got some spirit!" Bamb'o says appreciatively. I nod in agreement, knowing Theo all too well.
"Okay, so, what we need to do first, is something called the Pok mon Trainer Test-" "A test!?" Theo says with heavy disappointment. "Yes, Theo, a test. It's only a few short questions." Bamb'o says. Judging by his tone of voice and expression, he can already tell that Theo will be a bit of a handful.
Professor Bamb'o pulls out a clipboard from inside a nearby desk. Some sheets of paper were clipped in it. "Alright, so, you'll get your first Pok mon depending on your answers." He says.
"First question; When you encounter a new kind of Pok mon in the wild, what is your first reaction?" He asks.
"Attack it right away!" Theo answers immediately.
"I guess I'd wait to see what it does first." I reply after some thought.
"Alright, second question; Which of these moves would you teach to your Pok mon- Hyper Beam, Protect, or Hidden Power?" Bamb'o asks.
"Protect! I don't want my Pok mon fainting!" Theo says.
"I guess Hyper Beam." I say. "Best to deal with the threat quickly, in my opinion."
"Okay, third question; Which of the following would win an all-out battle- Gyarados, Gliscor, or Ampharos?" Bamb'o asks.
"Gyarados," Me and Theo chorus.
"Oh, er- I'll go with Gliscor, then... Is it possible to fail this test?" Theo says. "No, it's not, don't worry." Bamb'o says kindly and chuckling.
"Final question; What is your motivation for becoming a Pok mon Trainer?" Bamb'o says.
"To become the best there is!" Theo says.
I nod in agreement.
"Hey, we can't have the same answers!" Theo says irritably. "No no, it's okay Theo, the results don't conflict with each other." Bamb'o says. "Alright... Theo, judging by your results, you're a perfect mix between offense and defence, but since Alex's answers lean more toward offense, you'll be working with defense."
"Aw, that's no fair!" Theo says, slightly upset. "It's okay, Theo, your Starter Pok mon will still be very strong if you train it right. Now, judging by your answers, you like to protect and preserve yourself and your Pok mon. You seek to win, but like a good challenge in the meanwhile. So, for you," Bamb'o says, turning toward the pod containing the three Pok Balls. "You will get this male Orchynx, which is a Grass and Steel-Type Pok mon." He says, picking up the Pok ball in the middle and handing it to Theo.
Theo immediately releases the Pok mon from the ball. It was a large cat with green fur and white, fuzzy cheeks, chest and belly. It has metal rings worn like bracelets on its front-left and back-right legs, and the end of it's tail also had a steel ring, which sat behind a tuft of green and white fur on the end of the tail. It's eyes were closed, yet it seemed to know where it was going as if it's eyes were open in broad daylight, because it looked directly at Theo and meowed at him. "I guess it's kinda cool," Theo says contently, then stoops to pick up his Pok mon. "Ooof, you're heavier than I thought!" He says.
Professor Bamb'o smiles and chuckles.
"Now, Alex, your results... You're the type of trainer to hit hard and get the job done quick. You strive to be the best," (That got a rather patronizing look from Theo.) "And won't stop until you've succeeded! So, for you," Bamb'o says, turning back to the pod once again and taking the Pok Ball on the left. "You will get this female Raptorch, a Fire and Ground-Type Pok mon." He says, handing me the Pok Ball. Excitement flutters in my chest as I press the button on the center of the ball to release the Raptorch from it.
It looks like a velociraptor in miniature, and somewhat resembles the Charmander from a faraway region. It had black skin with an orange belly, and red shell-like plating on it's head and back. It's long, rounded ears were perked up in interest. Two sharp fangs poke out of it's mouth, and it's three-toed hands and feet all had three, rather pointy claws. At the end of it's tail was a tuft of fluffy, snow-white hair that was smoking slightly. The Raptorch looks up at me in curiosity, tilting it's head then squawking at me. It walks up to me and does a sort of pawing action on my legs, like what a cat would do if they wanted to be picked up.
I lift the little Raptorch up in my arms. It's little yellow eyes were staring at me, bright and happy. "You know what? I'll think I'll name you... How does Reivie sound?" I ask the Raptorch after some thought. It squawks again, very happily. I smile and say "We'll be good friends, I'm sure of it."
"Careful, Alex, her tail just ignited," Professor Bamb'o warns me. A light crackling from behind her confirmed that it was indeed aflame. I carefully set Reivie down on the floor, where she then looks up at Theo's Orchynx in interest. She hops up and down in front of Theo and squeaks, reaching for the Orchynx. "I guess you wanna meet Orchynx?" Theo asks her kindly. "They're already friends, Theo. She just want's to play him." Bamb'o says. "Oh! Okay," Theo says, lowering his Orchynx to the floor.
Reivie extinguishes her tail as Orchynx mews in delight and pounces on her playfully. They both playfight with each other, quite happy to be outside their Pok Balls.
"Hey, Alex, we've both got our Starters... Y'know what that means? We hafta battle!" Theo says excitedly. Reivie and the Orchynx both stop their playing abruptly. They seem to almost perfectly understand English, because neither of them seem to like the idea of fighting each other very much.
"Er- No, please, not in the lab!" Professor Bamb'o says, but Theo waves him off. "They're only babies, what harm could they do to this place?" Theo argues. I'd argue that they aren't babies, to be honest, but inexperienced nonetheless. "C'mon Orchynx, you wouldn't mind a bit of practice, would you?"
Orchynx looks up at Theo, then to Reivie, who tilts her head and shrugs. The human-like action makes me chuckle.
"Oh, come on, not you to, Reivie..." Bamb'o says. Reivie glances at him, then faces Orchynx, who's already looking ready to pounce, though looking a bit unsure.
"Oh, alright, I'll grab some Potions..." Bamb'o says, defeated and walking quickly to the First-Aid cabinet. He pulls out a few spray bottles of purple liquid. "Now, don't go overboard, alright? Yes, I'm talking to both the Pok mon and their Trainers," Bamb'o says sternly. Me and Theo, our Pok mon included, aknowledge him. "Alright, good. Don't try to faint each other, okay?" He tells the Pok mon. They both nod to him. "Good." He sighs. "Battle, then, I guess..." He says.
"Aright. Orchynx, Tackle!" Theo says. Orchynx relucantly readies himself, then pounces forcefully into Reivie. She must have not expected Orchynx to obey, because she didn't dodge in time. The impact knocks her down, and Orchynx stays on top of her, looking quite shocked at what he's just done. Reivie looks back at him, and both have dawning expressions that told me that they're both seriously regretting the battle.
"No, no. We're not doing this. We shouldn't be forcing a battle between them, especially since they're both great friends." I say to Theo. A surge of embarrasment makes me run over and hug Reivie. "I'm sorry, Reivie," I say. "And you... C'mere..." I say to Theo's Orchynx. He trots over with Theo close behind him, looking slightly disappointed but understanding.
"Yeah, I guess that was stupid... I'm sorry, buddy," Theo says to his Orchynx, patting his head and scratching him behind his ears. "Here, Reivie, let me heal you," Professor Bamb'o says. A large bruise had appeared where Orchynx had tackled her. Bamb'o sprays the bruise with the potion, and the injury begins clearing up immediately. "There you go. Give it a few seconds or so and it should be gone completely." He says. The bruise begins rapidly disappearing, and eventually fades.
Orchynx approaches Reivie cautiously, seemingly uncertain. The noises they make at each other suggests they were communicating. My guess is that Reivie had no hard feelings from being tackled by him, because Orchynx looked much happier after the exchange of squawks, squeaks and mews.
I look up at Professor Bamb'o, expecting him to look happy about the two still being friends, but instead, he seems quite worried...
"Everything okay, Professor?" I ask him. "Y-Yeah, everything's fine. I've just always been a little worried about Raptorch- Or, well, Reivie, I mean. She gets injured a bit easily, you see, so be sure to keep plenty of potions with you, and I mean that." He says rather sternly. "That was the plan, but what about a Revive or two?" I ask.
Bamb'o remains silent for a few moments. I could tell that something troubled him, but he attempts to pass his odd expression off by pretending to think for a second.
"Just... Just don't let her faint, okay?" He says. I agree with him, deciding not to question him considering he has so much more experience than I do in Pok mon training.
"Okay, so," Bamb'o says. "Let's go to the enterance to Route One. I can teach you how use Pok Balls to catch Pok mon there." He says, turning to a backpack hanging on a nearby coat rack and stocking it with some empty Pok Balls and some Potions. He turns to the last Pok Ball in the pod, thinks for a moment, then picks it up. "Wouldn't be a bad idea to give this little guy some time to stretch. Hmm... Perhaps he should be my research buddy, considering his friends will be away." He thinks out loud.
We head out of the lab and back into the town with our Pok mon in tow. Both Reivie and Orchynx insisted on staying outside of their Pok Balls to explore (Reivie especially, her having nearly broken her Pok Ball in the process of forcing out). At the enterance to Route One, we stop. Several Chyinmunks were running around, chasing each other and chattering with one another.
Professor Bamb'o sets down his backpack, then turns to us. "Okay. This will be your first lesson as a Pok mon Trainer. If you two are ready, then we'll start immediately."