I DO NOT OWN POKEMON OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. THE ORIGINAL STORY WAS WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED AS A BIRTHDAY GIFT FOR A FRIEND.

Chapter 1

January 1st

Within the Merifos region, life differs slightly than regions like Kanto or Kalos; schooling needs to be complete before any youth can set out on their journeys. Pokémon experiences start when they turn eighteen; after being given a starter Pokémon, a stipend for necessities and the trainer leaves home with a bus ticket anywhere to start the journey. While everywhere else in the world their trainers can catch as many Pokémon as they want but in Merifos life is simpler, only what the trainers can personally attend to and care for are caught with special licenses required for Pokémon of a more powerful nature. Seeing anyone with six Pokémon is a rare sight, it isn't to say that it goes undone just that only careful trainers have more than three Pokémon. Those that do, usually only have small breeds; little ones easiest to care for.

Otter had known for thirteen years what her team was going to be and had already applied for the large breed license, something that told her where that bus ticket was going to take her when she finally made it to the Pokémon laboratories, if of course, she could get to sleep and stop ruminating about the structures of her society. She checked on the status of her license, it should arrive at the Pokémon Center around the same time the bus dropped her at her first destination.

The trip to the lab would take fifteen minutes if she used her bike, a gift she had received on her last birthday a top of the line collapsible model that was nearly as light as a feather and every bit an extension of her own body. She already had her starter picked out; it was family tradition to use an eevee from the family litter. It was a tradition and a bloodline that had gone back to her far distant ancestors; the eevee line that Otter's family had carefully cultivated was known for producing the strongest eevees in the region and the Professor had already acquiesced out of respect to her family the allowance of bringing her eevee which was snoozing peacefully on the pillow next to Otter's head. She stroked the soft fur behind the ear and she nestled deeper into the crook of Otter's neck. The musk of the eevee smelled of cinnamon and brown sugar, not an unpleasant aroma. She curled around her little partner, eevee didn't have a poke ball yet but she had bought a dozen luxury balls given the team Otter was planning on building. And of course, she had to have the best for her little eevee. She deserved no less than that; Otter though, fell asleep thinking about the plan that would set in motion tomorrow.

The eevee woke at first light, and began pawing at Otter's nose bringing her awake quicker than any alarm clock. She showered and got dressed after setting food down for her partner, who dug in with gusto as if Otter hadn't fed her the night before. She wondered if while she was on her journey, whether or not she would run into her old friend Fox. He had started the year before and she had followed his exploits on the gym networks, moving through each gym with ease; he was on a fast track to an early entry in the League before he had vanished after a chilling upset at one of the psychic gyms. Rabbit was leaving today as well and neither of them had seen or heard from him in a good while. The television was running while she double checked the large pack she had readied the day before. Watching the latest fight being replayed while she finished preparing the newscaster spoke, Otter spoke softly to herself going over the inventory of her pack.

"In a fit of draconic rage and eerie strength a challenger by the name of Fox faced down Gym Leader Kaydin of the Pine Coast City Psychic Gym yesterday evening in what was the rematch of the decade and swept through her team. We have footage of the match but to our home viewers please be advised due in large part to the electromagnetic interference from some of the attacks, the coverage is a little static filled." The woman spoke before turning it over to sports for the report.

Gym Leaders always sent their Pokémon out first, unless the battlefield hindered it, as a courtesy to budding young trainers to see if they could devise some strategy to conquer her gym. She led with a slowbro while her challenger much to Otter's confusion sent out his gyarados and crossed his arms smugly. It was the same self-assured pose he had thrown on when anyone bigger than him when they were growing up would try and pick on him. Most of the time, the looks he gave would quell any physical action. The trainer boxes lifted away from the arena out of harm's way. Kaydin's slowbro loosed a thunder wave trying to paralyze the larger foe, possibly to set up for a combo on the next attack.

Despite its immense size, it was surprisingly swift dodging the attack and it loomed over the Slowbro, unleashing a powerful thunderbolt that left the Slowbro wavering causing the cameras to falter into static despite their shielding. Still point blank to the gym leaders Pokémon, the gyarados' neck bulged just below the jaw for a brief moment before it hit the other Pokémon with a torrential blast of water. The expulsion of water slammed the slowbro into the wall. It tried to stand but collapsed, unable to continue the fight. A beam of light hit the slowbro and withdrew it from the field. Kaydin kissed the pokéball before setting on the tray next to two other pokéballs. Gyarados returned to Fox's side of the arena, looking up at his trainer for encouragement; the look on Fox's face softened as his Pokémon stretched up to look him in the eye. Reaching out, he scratched the gyarados just behind the crest on the Pokémon's forehead and its eyes closed, pleased from the attention.

The gyarados turned back towards the gym leader with a deep growl as it waited for the next opponent. Kaydin didn't keep him waiting long, hypno was released from his pokéball and the Gym Leader pushed the offensive. With a wave of psychic energy, hypno struck gyarados in an attempt to confuse it; when that caused little damage, less so than desired, hypno spewed a poisonous cloud of gas that forced the serpentine Pokémon to draw back like an arbok. Gyarados looked up at his trainer, knowing that fanning the cloud could cause a draft that sent the poison up towards his trainer. Fox nodded at gyarados who opened his jaws above the cloud that hypno was hiding in. Light began coalescing between his fangs as charges of energy crackled like tesla coils on them. Within seconds, the attack was ready and gyarados unleashed a beam of ionized hyperactive energy that was swept from left to right with such energy, the feed from the cameras whited out.

The poison gas cloud ignited and burned away, searing the gyarados but the smaller Pokémon still hiding amongst it suffered for its underhanded tactics. When the feed came back, hypno was collapsed on the ground and burns could be seen on the tough scales of the magnificent gyarados. Fox could be seen surveying his Pokémon, getting his attention, the trainer called him over to the box and then returning him to his pokéball after giving the gyarados a scratch under the jaw. Otter applauded the good sense to withdraw the gyarados, he may not have appeared tired yet, but with two Pokémon down it made little sense to over exert the Pokémon. The cameras zoomed in on Fox whispering to the pokéballs on his tray but the audio could not be heard. He grabbed a pokéball from the far right of gyarados and waited for Kaydin.

Her star Pokémon made his debut, an imposing alakazam that glared across the field at Fox. Looked back up at Kaydin, the alakazam gave a nod to her and then gave his full attention back upon his Gym Leader's opponent. Fox grinned down at the alakazam and with an under handed lob, released a ninetales from pokéball. She summoned will o'wisps, surrounding the alakazam but a blinding flash before they could strike disoriented ninetales and they faded away. Fox watched as the alakazam reappeared to the left of ninetales and unleased a beam of psychic energy. Despite her eyes still being affected by the attack, Fox's Pokémon sensed it and leapt with a dancer's grace over the attack.

The wisps reappeared behind alakazam and struck him repeatedly, leaving him with horrid burns as they splashed against the Pokémon. Staggered but still standing, the alakazam began preparing for the next attack. With a bark, the light seemed to draw in to ninetales until she was ensconced in a twilight glow; the lights sparked and exploded leaving her the only source of light in the gym and the cameras began having troubles once more. Unleashing a powerful hex that tormented the alakazam until he fell to his knees with claws to his head, unable to pick himself up after the onslaught. A thin red beam withdrew the Pokémon and the referee called the match over. The trainer boxes lowered to the field and ninetales ran to Fox's side with elegance that was betrayed by her ebullience as she nuzzled against him and coming close to knocking him off his feet. Walking across the arena they met in the middle, shook hands and leaning forward against Kaydin's ear, Fox whispered something the microphones did not pick up. Kaydin laughed with delight as she presented him the badge.

"There we have it folks, strength and strategy in the face of adversity; despite his earlier set back with the previous loss against this gym, it seems the four months we heard nothing from this young trainer were well spent. In a later interview, when asked he had collected a full team, Fox responded with no comment and walked away." The sports anchor took a breath, the battles always got him riled up and charged, "Given his confident battling last night, I suspect we will see great things from this young man. For our viewers that are just now tuning in or wish to see the battle again, it will be broadcast again at the six and eleven o'clock hour. Back to you Rebecca."

The sports anchor faded as the camera returned to Rebecca who moved on to less interesting topics. Otter shut the television off needing nothing else from it and knowing she needed to leave now or risk being late. She kissed her mother on the cheek before running out the door. Otter grabbed her bike and pushed off. She had been training and getting herself ready for this day since years before graduation. Otter was accustomed to the weight of the pack and the balance on the bike which helped her make good time to the Professor's laboratory. She arrived as one of the rancher's daughters approached on a Pokémon of her own.

Rabbit came from another prestigious family of breeders specializing in ponyta and the one she rode down from the mountain was a rare coloring that came from a limited number of births. The azure blue, fiery like mane rippled and flowed as Rabbit discreetly returned her ponyta to a pokéball, hiding it somewhere on her person. Otter was uncertain if Rabbit had been given a similar dispensation for her ponyta and given the manner with which the pokéball was hidden, she hazarded a guess that it was not but Rabbit had a tendency to do things her own way.

Rabbit's greeting went beyond a simple hello but that came from the length of time they had known each other, "Did you see Fox's match this morning?"

"Why do you think I was almost late? I hadn't known he had gotten his license already for Pokémon of that caliber. It would be nice if he would respond to us every once in a while." Otter's glib response hid a pang of annoyance that Rabbit chose to ignore.

"To be fair though, he has always been good with the more extreme Pokémon. I remember both of you helped with that snorlax problem. Though I hope never to hear him sing again, that was awful. That was one of my favorite sketches, him singing as you played the flute and the snorlax dancing out of town behind you." Rabbit snickered.

"I miss the old days; hopefully we can catch up to him and be the three musketeers again someday." Otter smiled wistfully.

"Well, your first stop is going to take you out to Pine Coast City if you're still heading out west that is. You might see him, after a match like that he may be resting up." Rabbit stated opening the door into Professor Hemlock's laboratory.

"It should take a week by bus to get there, which will most likely get me to the coast a day or two after the hatching. The Lapras that are out there with their parents are already weaned and should be sent off on their own after the babies hatch. I should be able to catch or convince one of the younger ones to come with me, then I'll sail down the coast venturing inland long enough to catch my next few Pokémon. If I'm lucky, I could even catch what I'm looking for in Pine Coast City. What about you, where's your first Pokémon going to take you?" Otter asked as they climbed the steps to where the starters were.

"I'm going to get the hardest out of the way first, ponyta and I will ride out to The Dark Forest first. I hear there's an abundance of ghastly and haunter out there. After that, it will be south to the Pokémon laboratory in Briar Point. I hear there's a professor there that's doing some great work with trans-dimensional energies. After working with him, its west to the mountains and then maybe my first gym after I get what I need from the crags. Good Morning Professor Hemlock!" Rabbit greeted as they approached.

"Good Morning to you both, Otter may I please look over your eevee? I need to declare it healthy for the journey you're about to embark on. Rabbit, please, pick your starter while I'm looking over eevee. After that, I'll run one more check up on your starter and then you will be on your way." Professor Hemlock's smile reminded Otter of her uncle or her grandfather's smile.

Otter passed the eevee to the Professor then watched Rabbit run straight for where the squirtle would be, waiting patiently for someone to choose it. She immediately picked up its ball and released it into the lab. It was a large specimen, possibly on the high end of squirtles everywhere. He blinked at her for a moment before she opened her arms and the squirtle leapt into them.

Professor Hemlock passed the eevee back to Otter and beckoned for the squirtle. After giving him one last examination, the girls were given the credit cards, bus tickets and a pokedex app sent to their phones before being sent on their way. They walked together until they got to the bus station. Rabbit let her ponyta and squirtle out to say good bye to Otter.

"You be safe out in there in the world, Otter, if you see Fox let him know I miss him too. Good luck with your Lapras." Rabbit hugged Otter tightly.

"Be safe in The Dark Forest, only use the proper trails marked by the rangers. The three of us will meet up again. I'll pass the word on to Fox if I see him next; I know he hasn't taken down the Poison Gym in Borealis City. Let's meet there in six months." Otter suggested.

"And if I run into him first, I'll tell him, Borealis City July eighth. Now go or you'll miss your bus." Rabbit gave Otter a push.

Otter started running for the bus when she thought of something. She ran back and gave Rabbit a kiss on the cheek before turning back for the bus. Rabbit put a hand to her cheek, blushing at the brush of Otter's lips. She pulled a carefully made saddle from her pack and a pair of saddlebags. Before she left she bought a few more camping supplies and distributed them evenly. Pulling a map out, she double checked her route and then tucked it away. Picking up her squirtle, she carefully got into the saddle one handed and rode easily out of town. Rabbit looked back on Matpa Town knowing this would be the last she would see of it for a long while. She would text Otter when she got to the first campsite if she had reception.

Otter watched Matpa Town dwindle slowly behind her, leaving everything she had known for eighteen years in the dust. Odds of her coming back were slim, most people didn't return to the towns they started their journeys in until they were old enough to have children of their own. Eevee gave a noise of reassurance and Otter hugged her close. The first leg of her journey would take Otter to Narl Ood City, she should arrive shortly before four in the evening giving her an hour at the pokéshelter to adopt her next Pokémon. Otter swore to her eevee she would never abandon her, and she mewled happily in her arms. She spent the rest of the trip napping as best as she could. After the bus ride, the train for Pine Coast City left at 8:40pm and would take three to five days. She had booked a compartment large enough to accommodate if she had her whole team with her instead of two pieces of it. With a squeak and hiss of brakes, Otter was jolted awake. She ran off the bus, retrieved her bag and went immediately to the welcome counter.

"Excuse me, ma'am, could you tell me where the pokéshelter is?" Otter asked, pulling out her atlas and opening it to Narl Ood City.

"It's relatively close to here Miss, take a left when you come out from the main entrance here and then a left onto Fifth Avenue until it turns into a dirt road; take the first left and it will be another two miles down the road on the right." The attendant answered efficiently.

Otter marked the route off on her map, memorizing it before setting the atlas back in her pack. Heading out to the exit, she unhitched the bike from her pack. Otter's eevee settled herself in the pack on top of the next outfit and they took off. The ride was enough to make her sweat despite the chilly air of January nipping at her. When she arrived at the pokéshelter she had to remove her sweater as it was too hot to wear at this point but she knew as the sweat dried she would need it again. She walked up to the reception counter and rang the bell.

"Coming, give me a second." A voice called out from the depths of the office before resolving itself into a disheveled mess of a man.

"Hi, my name is Otter, I was wondering if I could adopt one of your Pokémon?" Otter tried not to giggle at the man's exasperated appearance.

"Of course, the name is Cliff, I run this place." Cliff introduced looking abashed at the desk that had a mild case of disorder to it, "What are you looking for?"

"I was looking for a growlithe or meowth, do you have any available?" Otter asked hopefully.

Cliff ran his hand through his hair lost in thought as he tried to decide the best answer to tell this young woman.

"If you're looking specifically for one or the other of those, then I cannot help you but come around back. I may have something else that may interest you." Cliff gave a sigh, if she didn't take that trouble maker, they might have to put him down. He was too aggressive and far too unfriendly to make a good family guardian.

Otter waited by the door and Cliff soon let her in, they walked through the clinic portion of the shelter. The noise from the kennels in back was a raucous cacophony of Pokémon calling for attention. Otter walked past a nidorino and a nidorina that were eying each other. A kingler glared from a small pool as she walked past. There was even an ivysaur sitting forlornly in a corner of its kennel taking in the last rays of daylight. The implications of someone's starter being in the pokéshelter made Otter shudder. Starter Pokémon spent the majority of their life with their trainers, often times being passed down from parent to child.

Cliff led them past what was clearly the general public of the shelter population and into a more secluded portion that was designed to handle stronger or more troubling cases. They walked past a nasty looking arbok and a grumpy looking electabuzz, past these there was a lone Pokémon far in the back away from everything with a bored disinterest on its muzzle. Cliff walked them up to the cage door before speaking again.

"This is Precious, he grew quicker than the family was anticipating and soon became a menace when he stopped listening to anything that was asked or ordered of him. His claws are sharp, we learned he knows hyper beam the hard way and he hates everyone; that includes even me despite the fact I feed him every day. The shelter was asked to put him down by the end of the week if no one came forward to adopt him." Cliff looked as forlorn as the ivysaur nearer to the front.

"Let me into the cage with him." Otter boldly stated

Cliff balked and ran a hand through his untidy hair, "That is not the wisest of decisions, he tolerates new people less than he tolerates the staff. Combine that with the fact we have no idea what other moves he might know…"

"I trust him; he doesn't want to hurt me. Let me boldly go where no trainer is brave enough. I relish the challenge this persian might try to be." Otter stared straight into the eyes of the persian whose languidly moving tail had gone still along with his twitching ears. Precious backed away from the door, as if understanding.

"Your funeral." Cliff warned before unlocking the door with a single key on his wide key ring.

Otter ignored the remark and knelt down a few feet from the persian. Otter pulled out a luxury ball and set it on the floor next to her. She closed her eyes and waited. The persian gave a loud, terrifying yowl and bumped his muzzle against her face. Otter refused to flinch. He sat back on his haunches and waited for Otter to open her eyes. She was face to muzzle with what Cliff said was a vicious Pokémon but Otter knew better.

Reaching for the luxury ball without taking her eyes off Precious she watched the persian turn into a bright red light before vanishing. She set the ball down in front of her as she watched it rock back and forth before going still.

"My Precious," Otter whispered quietly to him, to Cliff she smiled sweetly, "I would like to fill out the adoption paperwork please. This Pokémon is perfection."

The paperwork was filled out and the forty dollar adoption fee was paid from the stipend credit card. She rode off for the train station and food still having plenty of time before her train departed. When she arrived Otter got food for herself, let Precious out of his pokeball listening to the way he purred as she readied the meals for eevee and the persian. After their meal, eevee curled up in Otter's lap as Precious rested his heavy head against her leg and stretched contentedly out. The phone in her pocket buzzed as she looked at the message that came in.

-Camping under the stars with P and S, hope your first day has been just as enjoyable-

-found a persian at the pokéshelter in Narl Ood. Nickname of Precious and he's flawless. Look at this happy face- Otter sent a picture of the grinning persian in response.

-squeal! Your team is getting started already, good night Otter 3! Going to turn in for the night.- Rabbit responded.

-Goodnight Rabbit, I will be on board the train when you wake up. Have fun with sunrise- Otter put her phone back in her pocket as the train pulled into the station.

She showed the conductor the ticket she had purchased and was nearly aboard when the conductor asked her to put her Pokémon away until the train began moving again. Precious growled at the man but a light touch on the top of his head from his trainer quieted him and he acquiesced. Eevee was more reluctant but eventually retreated into her pokeball until Otter let them back out. She was led to her spacious compartment that more like a room in a house than a train compartment and must have been four compartments at one point. When the train began moving her Pokémon were released and they clambered into the bed and Otter pulled a book she had brought with from her pack. She began reading to her Pokémon as the train soon picked up speed, taking her on into the night and where her journey would continue.