Pokemon: Road to Destiny
Summary: A young aspring trainer named Jaden Taylor begins his journey to become the next Pokemon Champion. Armed with the determination to prove himself, does he have what it takes to become the best?
Soft rays of delicate sunlight filtered through the window blinds. Beginning to stir from his rest, the young boy began fidgeting in his bed. He slowly opened his eyes and squinted, almost returning to the land of dreams. The screeching shriek of the alarm clock broke the hold of sleep.
"It's today!"
Instantly, the boy tossed aside his blankets, rushing out of his bed. In record time he brushed his teeth and dressed himself in the outfit he picked out in anticipation for his journey. Peering at his hair in the mirror, he gave himself a once over, pleased by his decision. He was wearing black cargo pants adorned with two vertical, red stripes, a black t-shirt with a red pokeball outline, a red hoodie with zippered pockets, and dark blue sneakers. Over his shoulder he slung a slightly worn black and blue messenger bag with faded, white numbers that read "102."
Zipping over to his alarm clack, he slammed the off button before running downstairs, taking them three steps at a time. He hurried into the kitchen, following the sweet scent of pancakes.
"Mom! It's today!" The middle aged woman gave a wide smile from across the table.
"Yes, baby, I know. You've only reminded me a thousand times."
"I can't believe it! I finally get to go on my journey!" He rambled around a mouthful of pancake.
"Just promise me you'll be careful, Jaden. If anything happens to you, Mommy will be very upset."
"Aww mom! I'll stay out of trouble."
"You better, Mister!" She went back into the kitchen, depositing her plate into the sink for later cleaning. Disappearing into the living room, she then returned with a box in her hand.
"Looks like someone else is just as excited as you." She handed Jaden the wooden box. "...Please be safe," she whispered as she took a long look at her son, as if to imprint the image of his face into her memory before he left on his journey.
Jaden ate his breakfast as quick as he could. He could hardly wait to run to the Pokemon Lab. "Thanks for the food!" He yanked the front door open and stepped outside. He gently closed the door behind him. He opened the wooden box his mother gave him. Inside a single pokeball sat in the center of the dark red cushion. He took out the pokeball and stored the box in his bag. "Let's go, Alexander!" In a burst of white light, the pokemon began to take form. He had a small white body. His eyes were covered by light blue bangs. On top of his head were two orange colored spikes. The young ralts looked up to his trainer before smiling and giving a nod.
Jaden picked up Alexander and carried him on his shoulder. He walked at a brisk pace towards the Pokemon Laboratory where he would receive his trainer's license. "Are you excited, Alex? We're gonna go see the world!" The young pokemon responded with a loud cry.
Once he arrived in front of the large, bricked, white building, Jaden impatiently knocked on the door.
"Come in!" A voice responded from the other side. Twisting the door knob, he pulled open the door and went inside the building. Taking a quick note of his surroundings, he was awed by all the books and computers in the room. A young man garbed in a pristine lab coat went to the boy. "Hello, my name is Carl. I'm an assistant here working for Professor Oak. Are you here to get your trainer's license?"
"Y-yeah! I'm gonna start my journey today!" The assistant smiled.
"Follow me then. The professor is in the back." The two walked down a corridor before stopping at a room. Carl knocked before opening the door. "Professor, we have another trainer-to-be."
"Good timing. We were just about to get started. Thank you, Carl," the old man said before addressing Jaden. "Hello there, my boy. It's nice to finally meet you, Jaden. Let's get you registered, shall we?" Professor Oak stepped aside, allowing Jaden to view three other trainers in the room. "Have you all met before? Jaden, these trainers are also brand new, just like you. Today you'll all be starting your pokemon adventure!" Jaden waved eagerly at the others. The black haired girl waved back with a smile while the two boys gave a half-hearted nod, or shrug in the case of the white haired one.
"Now then, as trainers you shall receive a pokedex. It's a very handy encyclopedia on pokemon and I think you'll find it very helpful on your journey. Furthermore, it'll document every single pokemon you catch. Even though our Kanto region Pokedex is nice and complete, there is still much left unknown about Pokemon. For example, a recent discovery introduced the new type of Fairy to the pokemon world!There is still more to unearth. Furthermore, no two pokemon are alike. " After another fifteen minutes, all four trainers picked their pokedex color and registered their information.
"With that, you have your license! It's now time to pick your starter Pokemon." Pointing to a metallic table beside him, Professor Oak continued to explain. "You can pick amongst three pokemon. Charmander is a fire type pokemon that is quick and agile. Squirtle is a water type pokemon with surprising agility. Last but not least, Bulbasaur is a grass type pokemon with incredible endurance and power. All three have the potential to become strong and powerful, with the correct treatment and training."
"Um, Professor?" Jaden raised his hand.
"Yes, Jaden, don't worry; I already know. You can leave now if you wish. I've already registered and given your trainer ID.
"Right, okay then. I'll see you later." Jaden exited the building, staring at the white card in his hand. "I'm finally a trainer. Can you believe it, Alex?" He returned his ralts to the pokeball and hung it on his belt clip. Jaden looked back at the building one last time before heading on up the road. A calm breeze drifted through the area. Jaden took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of the wet grass beneath his sneakers. As he walked through the grass he listened carefully for the sounds of wild pokemon. He had one hand wrapped tightly around Alex's pokeball. After a few minutes, a loud rustling caught his attention. Facing the shaking bush in question, he enlarged the pokeball and called out his pokemon. "I wonder what it is," Jaden mused. A brown feathered bird with a lightly colored stomach hopped out of the bush, its eyes staring directly at the opposing ralts.
"A pidgey! Let's catch it, buddy!" Alex nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's start this off. Use growl!" Alex let out a small shout at the pidgey, startling it slightly. The pidgey spread its wings and took to the skies. "Confusion!" Thrusting its hands, Alex commanded a sphere of light purple energy to engulf the flying type pokemon. The pidgey fell to the ground, unable to take back control of its wings. The downed pokemon rolled over onto its feet, using its wings as leverage. "Quick, before it flies, use confusion again," Jaden commanded.
"Piiiiidgeeyy!" Surprising them both with its quick reflexes, the pidgey dodged the attack and took flight once more. Flapping its wings even faster than before, the wind began to pick up.
"It's using gust," Jaden realized. "Alex, keep at it!" Taking careful aim, the psychic fairy fired off another attack. However, the pidgey was prepared and used its agility in the air to avoid the attack once more. Unrelenting, Alex continued to attack the pokemon. Grinding his teeth in slight frustration, Jaden tried to think of a solution. "It's too quick in the air. I need to trap it somehow," he mumbled. The bird pokemon cried out once more, sending another gust attack. However, its cry was not as loud as before, its wingbeats not as quick and powerful. "That's it! It's getting tired, Alex. We'll just have to wear it out." Alex continued to wear out the other pokemon until it finally landed an attack as it slowed down. "Now's our chance. One more confusion!"
"Rah!" Alex grunted as he released the attack. The pidgey fell back several feet, unable to get up again.
"Go!" Jaden extracted a pokeball from his bag and threw it at the pidgey. After three short rolls, the pokeball gave a clicking sound and settled. Jaden released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He ran over to the still pokeball and raised it up high in his hand. "We caught a pidgey!" Alex rapidly nodded in excitement. "You did great, buddy," Jaden said as he returned Alex to his pokeball. He hooked up both pokeballs to his belt and proceeded to continue on the path.
"Wait up!" Jaden turned around. The girl from the lab came running up to him, her blue hair fluttering behind her. She was wearing a light yellow shirt, a faded violet pleated skirt, and red and black sneakers with black kneehighs.
"Hey," Jaden greeted. "I'm Jaden Taylor. Aren't you a new trainer?"
"Yeah, I just started out. My name is Sarah Edwards."
"What are you doing here, Sarah?"
"Well...I was looking for you," she answered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Looking for me? Why?"
"Oh, I was just curious. You only went to the lab to get your pokedex and your license. You didn't stick around for a starter pokemon. I didn't really get a good look at you at the time so I thought the ralts you were carrying on your shoulder was just a pokedoll. I know now it's the real deal!" She chuckled. "By the way, good job catching that pidgey."
"Thank, I guess. I already had him as my starter so I couldn't pick up one from the lab."
"Why did you have a ralts already? I thought you had to pick from among the starters?" the girl wondered.
"Well, usually that is the case. I've wanted to be a trainer for so long, I had already picked out what pokemon I wanted to start off with. If I could have left a month ago I would have chosen Bulbasaur, easy."
"So what happened? How'd you get a ralts?" They both continued to walk onwards towards Viridian. The sun would soon disappear for the night and Jaden wanted to cover as much ground as possible.
"I got him as a gift, actually. My moved into Pallet Town a few months ago but my family comes from Hoenn. Most of my relatives still live there. Anyway, my grandfather used to be a pokemon trainer. He's retired now but he takes care of other people's pokemon along with his own. My cousin came to visit a while back, bringing a present from my grandfather. Inside it was a pokemon egg within a case. Apparently two of his pokemon had produced an egg and he wanted me to have it on my journey. A few days later it hatched and out came my ralts. I got to name him Alexander and since then we've become good friends."
"Wow, that's pretty cool. I thought ralts had green hair, though."
"Yeah they do. Alex is special. He's shiny."
"Awesome. You got a great gift, didn't you?"
"Yep! Anyway, which pokemon did you pick, Sarah?"
"I chose Squirtle. I've always thought Blastoise looked strong. Her nickname is Vicky."
"A squirtle, huh? So I guess you're also going to take on the gyms?"
"You bet! I want to compete in the pokemon league~!"
"Hey, me too! I want to become the strongest trainer! I heard Viridian's gym is pretty tough though. Everyone says it should be one of the last gyms you challenge. I want to see for myself how long the leader is."
"Jaden, the gym leader of Viridian used to be the Kanto League Champion! You can't take him on yet!" Sarah's jaw dropped in shock.
"I don't care. Even if the gap is wider than an ocean, I'll do whatever I can to close it," Jaden proclaimed to the girl beside him.
"I suppose I also want to see that gym leader's power. Mind if I tag along?"
"Not at all," Jaden grinned. Sarah smiled back. Both trainers walked at a leisurely pace. Despite his excitement, Jaden knew there was no rush. He wanted plenty of time to train up both his ralts and his new pidgey. As they neared Viridian City, both Jaden and Sarah participated in additional battles. Coming across rattatas and other pidgeys, the pair were glad to see the city on the horizon.
"We should rest up for the night," Jaden announced. The sun had begun to set, the light quickly vanishing from the sky.
"I was just thinking the same thing," answered Sarah. "We can set up there underneath those trees," she pointed out. They made their way over to their site. Out of her bag Sarah dragged out blanket and laid it down on the soft grass. Rattling through his own bag, Jaden brought out a bag.
"I have some food here if you want. We'll reach Viridian tomorrow so I can get some supplies there but until then this is all I have," Jaden offered, gesturing towards the plastic bag.
"Thanks," she accepted, reaching forward. She opened the bag to find an assortment of fruits. She passed the bag back and dug her teeth into an apple. "But we can't just live off fruit. After we get to Viridian I'll be able to cook for us."
"You can cook too? That's great," Jaden exclaimed. "My mom taught me since I thought I'd be traveling alone," he continued.
"Really? That's smart." They nibbled on their fruit in silence for a few minutes.
"Are you cold?" Jaden asked. Sarah gave him a quick glance before returning to her apple core.
"No. Why?"
"I just wanted to know. The air is cool but I don't think it warrants a fire tonight."
"Oh. Yeah, don't worry. I'll be fine."
"Okay then. Good night, Sarah." Finishing his meal, Jaden walked off and unfurled his own blanket. Using his bag as a pillow, he lied down and stared up at the stars.
"Good night," came the response to his left. Soft snores were her only answer.
Unused to sleeping out in nature, Jaden awoke startled when he heard the loud shrieks of a flock of pidgey. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he surveyed his surroundings before remembering his location. Turning to his left, he gazed upon the sleeping form of his new traveling companion, Sarah, wrapped up in her blanket. It was still early morning and the sun was just beginning to rise. He quietly rolled up his blanket and stored it. Deciding to let Sarah rest for a while longer, he sat down next to the tree, leaning his back on it. Taking out his red pokedex, he looked up the entry on Pidgey. Even though it had gust and tackle at its disposal, he wanted to teach it aerial ace. First it seemed it had to learn qiuck attack before it could grasp the fundamentals for the flying type move. He stood up and walked away from the sleeping girl to avoid disturbing her sleep.
"Come on out, Ariel," Jaden gently called out, releasing his pidgey. The bird pokemon chirped and hopped over to her trainer, nipping his hand affectionately. "Let's try to learn quick attack today. It shouldn't be too hard; once we do we can get to work on aerial ace. Even though you'd learn it a lot easier as a pidgeotto, we might as well lay the groundwork and get it done." Pidgey flapped its wings in approval. For the next hour the bird pokemon trained its wings, pushing its muscles to the brink of exhaustion to reach new speeds. Ever since Jaden had caught it, it had worked on its speed, seeking to improve and become even faster. Taking only small breaks in between repetitions, the small bird all but collapsed when Jaden called it back.
"Good work, Ariel. Take your rest." The pokemon disappeared into the pokeball. The sky was no longer dark. Walking back to Sarah, he spoke gently, "Wake up." When she did not awaken, he gently nudged her shoulder. "Wake up, Sarah, it's time to get up," he continued. The girl's eyes slowly opened before they widened in surprise.
"Oh!" The girl sat up. "Good morning, Jaden," she said, brushing the hair out of her face. "What time is it?"
"It's around 7:30. Don't worry, you didn't oversleep."
"Okay." She took a brush out of her bag and quickly brushed her hair. Looking at her reflection in her handheld mirror, she deemed herself presentable. After a quick gargle with mouthwash, the girl packed up her belongings and declared, "Let's get going!" Following her lead, Jaden chased after the girl. The sun was high up in the sky by the time they reached the city borders.
"Really makes Pallet Town look tiny, doesn't it?" Jaden commented. Looking for directions to the gym, he decided to ask for help. "Excuse me, mister, but do you know where the pokemon gym is?" A middle aged business man kindly pointed the pair in the right direction.
"Just keep walking down that way. It's on the right side; you can't miss it," the man answered.
"Thanks!" Jaden took off, Sarah running after him trying to keep up. He had been trying to hold off his excitement but he could no longer push it back. He sprinted down the streets, keeping his eye out for his first challenge. He stopped to catch his breath as he found the building. It had a large pokeball above the glass doors.
"Hey, I told you to wait!" Sarah scolded, panting.
"Sorry. I couldn't help myself." The boy opened the doors, entering the cool air-conditioned building.
"Hello. Are you challenging the gym today?" A man dressed in brown khakis and a polo walked up to them.
"Yes. My name's Jaden and I'm here to battle."
"I see. Give me a second please." The man walked over to the intercom. "Hey Jerry, we have a couple of trainers here...yes...yes...okay." Done with his call, the man walked back over. "Follow me then." The man led them to a battle arena within the gym.
"Thanks Harry, I got it from here," the gym referee stated.
"Okay, no problem."
The referee addressed the boy. "Our gym leader will arrive shortly. Please get ready for the challenge."
After a minute of waiting, the doors to the arena opened once more.
"Two little kids, huh?" The gym leader entered, an arrogant smirk on his lips.
"Hey!" Sarah started.
"Are you the gym leader?" Jaden asked, taking in the appearance of the new arrival.
"Yeah. The name's Blue. Who are you?" The gym leader walked over to the opposite side of the pokemon arena.
"I'm Jaden Taylor," he answered, taking out a pokeball.
"Jaden, hmm? I hope you're strong, Jaden. I'm no pushover," Blue warned, pulling out his own pokeball in response.
"We'll see. Come on out, Ariel!"
"A pidgey? How long have you been a trainer?"
"Two days..." Jaden answered, a little unsurely. He hoped he hadn't made the gym leader angry.
"So you're a new trainer. And you challenge me? Don't you know who I am?"
"Yeah, I know. You were a champion. I know you're strong."
"If you know that, why did you come to challenge me?" Blue's tone was patient and curious.
"I know there's no way I can win. The experience between your pokemon and mine, you and me, is too vast. But I need to see this. The gap that divides is...I wonder just how wide it is." Blue was quiet, contemplating the boy's words before he started laughing.
"I like your answer. Normally you wouldn't even be worth my time. To be honest, tough trainers are a rare find but you look like you have potential. I accept your challenge. Referee, if you will start the battle!"
"Yes. This is an official gym battle between the Viridian Gym Leader and the challenging trainer. This will be a 2v2 battle. Only the challenger may switch his pokemon. The battle ends when both trainer's pokemon are unfit for battle. Please release your pokemon!"
"Go, Pidgeot!" The majestic bird let out a loud screech as it was released. With one flap of its mighty wings it rose into the air.
"Perfect! Let's do this, Ariel." The smaller bird pokemon glared defiantly at its much larger evolved form. "Quick attack!" Ariel sped towards its opponent.
"Dodge it and use agility," commanded Blue in a lazy tone.
"Ariel, don't lose sight of it. Use gust!"
"Show him a real gust, Pidgeot!"
"Pidgeo!" Pidgeot cried as it countered the smaller bird's effort. With almost no effort, the larger pokemon knocked the small bird out of the air with a powerful blast of wind.
"Ariel!" Jaden yelled as his pokemon hit the ground hard. Ariel managed to get on his feet but winced as he tried to open his wings. "It's okay, Ariel. You did your best. Return!" He got out his second pokeball. "He's strong. But don't back down. Alexander!"
"A ralts? Interesting choice."
"Confusion!" Alex quickly shot out his attack. After some training and battling with wild pokemon, he had managed to increase his strength and accuracy. However, he was still no match for the experienced pidgeot.
"There's no way you can keep up with Pidgeot. His speed is one of his greatest assets," Blue bragged from across the field.
"Doesn't mean we can't try! Ralts, keep using confusion! Try to predict its movements!" Alex tried to follow the commands of his trainer. He was unable to even hit the flying pokemon. Even with his trainer's advice, predicting the movement of the pidgeot was futile. With incredible reflexes, the pidgeot easily avoided all attacks. As the ralts began showing signs of fatigue from constant attacks, Blue took advantage.
"Pidgeot, end it! Quick attack!" In the blink of an eye, Pidgeot crossed the distance between him and his opponent and sent the ralts flying. Alex smashed into the wall of the gym, completely knocked out.
"Ralts is unable to battle. The winner is Gym Leader Blue Oak." The referee announced.
"Alex!" Jaden ran over to his pokemon. Opening one eye, Alex gave a weak thumbs up before fainting again. "Return, buddy. Thanks for the hard work."
"Jaden!" Blue called as he walked across the field.
"Yeah?"
"What did you think?" Jaden turned to look Blue in the eyes.
"The gap...I can't even see you, Blue. I bet you can't see me either. I'm going to work hard and challenge you again some day. I'll become stronger." Blue gave a genuine grin as he put a hand on Jaden's shoulder.
"I look forward to it. Become strong and fight me once more, Jaden." He then turned to the girl. "Are you also here for a challenge, miss?"
"Who, me? Oh no! No no no! I'm just along for the ride!" She quickly explained. No way I can take him on, she thought. Blue began laughing once more.
"Well then, good luck to both of you. Here, Jaden, I want you to have this." Blue reached into his pocket and pulled out two slips of papers. "Those are bike vouchers. They're hard to come by but I don't need them. You won't see me zipping around on a bike," he explained.
"Wow! Thanks!"
"Thank you very much, mister!" They gratefully accepted the vouchers and stored them in their pockets.
"Thanks for the battle too. I'll see you later, Blue!" Jaden called out as Blue walked away. He raised his hand and gave a short wave as his response. "Come on, Sarah. I need to visit the Pokemon Center."
"Alright, alright. Jeeze, you drag me around everywhere." Jaden pulled her out of the gym and began heading towards the Pokemon Center.