The Road to the Pokémon League
So… yeah. This story hasn't really been around as much as it used to be. That's because I took it down to rewrite it. But then school got really busy, so it's existed in one form or another on various USB storage devices, and a few different computers too. So I put this together using various copies of other chapters and my own spontaneous writing. Does this mean I'll continue with it? Probably. The real problem was that I continue to improve at writing, come back to look at this story and no longer feel happy with it. Very frustrating!
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Chapter One – Pallet Town
Everyone has a dream that fills their heart. A journey they must take. A destiny to fulfil. Closer than you can imagine exists a magical place, where wondrous creatures with incredible powers help make dreams come true. It's our very own world of Pokémon. People can capture Pokémon to be more than just pets. Human Trainers and their Pokémon compete against others in amazing contests of skill and strategy. The best Trainers one day, become Pokémon Masters. That's a dream that burns brightly for many. You'll begin your Pokémon journey after your tenth birthday. That's the day you'll qualify to become a Pokémon Trainer. The Pokémon League will supply you with a Poké Ball. Inside will be a Pokémon with whom you'll spark a lifelong friendship. Together, you and your Pokémon will be determined to fulfil your dream of becoming the world's greatest Pokémon Master. Joining you on your quest will be friends, rivals and comrades in the incredible world of Pokémon.
That ad had been playing on television for over ten years now. Despite the cheesy voice over and stereotypical adventure music, it had done its purpose. To encourage and inspire consistently growing hordes of new Pokémon Trainers. At least, that's how Daniel saw it.
It was the twenty-second of December. For over a month now, all eight Pokémon Gyms in the Kanto Region had been closed and the small, quaint town of Pallet had been even quieter than usual. No longer was it full of travellers making their way towards Viridian City for their final challenge, nor full of researchers who wanted to see the local ranch. No, it was empty because the annual competition, the Indigo League, had finished. As always, the winner of the tournament was dubbed as a 'Pokémon Master', and everyone else's life continued on. But the time between the Grand Final of the Indigo League and the first of January the following year, known as the 'off-season', was not one of bitter reminders of one's failure to make it to the top. Rather, it was a time where people would turn to the emerging youth, the rookies who would continue the sport that the whole world was mesmerised with. And Daniel would be one of them.
The very thought made his heart race. Being from Pallet, while having its disadvantages, was also a gift to him. Not many people got to grow up so close to the very creatures he would soon have command over. Not many people could say they lived near the famous Professor Oak either. Around five hundred, to be exact. Although, there was a slight problem. In fact, the slight problem seemed to be yelling at him.
"Daniel! Why are you still up? I told you to get to bed almost an hour ago!" screamed Daniel's mother. The shrill voice made him wince.
"I-I guess I lost track of time. I'm sorry, mom," he replied weakly. His mother looked thoroughly unimpressed.
"That's funny. You never seem to 'lose track of time' when your father is around. Though maybe it's because he never bothers to act like a parent," she retorted. Daniel cringed. Not this again. He'd given up trying to defend his father. In fact, it was his father himself that urged him not to. It only ended in trouble most of the time.
"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I'll have a shower and go to sleep now, okay?" This seemed to placate her. With a nod, she turned and left the room. Daniel sighed. The excuse wasn't a false one. He had genuinely lost track of time. During the off-season, replays of the Indigo League Finals would be on television all over the region. He had been glued to the screen, absorbing the battles. His mother had noticed this earlier on in the day, and it hadn't impressed her. She had been adamant for the last few months that going on a Pokémon journey would be a 'waste of time' and that he 'wasn't old enough' for such a thing. At first, it had made Daniel feel angry and betrayed that she would say such a thing, but now he was resigned to it. He supposed his mother wouldn't understand how crucial it was to train Pokémon. She wasn't from Pallet Town after all. The small town he hailed from was a place full of various traditions and expectations. Such as the one placed on his shoulders. In Pallet, every young person was expected to take a Pokémon from the Professor once they became of age and compete in Indigo. Those who didn't always seemed to lose respect around Pallet. Daniel didn't want to be that person.
He had gone to see several people, including Professor Oak and even his school counsellor about the issue. While the latter had urged him to obey his mother's wishes, the Professor had subtly told him to simply leave. He didn't outright say it of course, but that didn't change the fact that it was obvious what he meant. After all, what else could a response like 'you should follow what your heart tells you' mean?
As Daniel trudged up the stairs, he wracked his brain. He would consult his father about it tomorrow. If he had reception of course. Being out near the border with the neighbouring region meant that he often didn't get to talk to his father as often as he'd like. Maybe tomorrow would be better.
oOo
The sounds of a Dodrio were excellent at getting oneself out of bed. Of course they were, seeing as even a Snorlax couldn't sleep through high-pitched squealing of that calibre. Daniel rubbed his still-droopy eyes and groaned. So it wasn't exactly squealing. But it sure sounded like it. Sliding out of bed, he checked the time. Eight-thirty. Obviously old-age didn't stop that blasted bird from cawing at the same time every day. Moving his brown locks out of his face, Daniel made his way downstairs, ignoring the cracks and pops from his ankles. They had long since ceased to worry him. When he arrived at the dining room, his mother was nowhere to be seen. Nothing out of the ordinary. She would be at work by now. That was good for him. That gave him time to think. Truthfully, he had been dreading December 31st for a few months now. He was running out of time to register as a rookie Pokémon Trainer, if he decided to become one. Not bothering with breakfast, he grabbed his keys from the hook near the front door, threw on his sneakers and left the house. As soon as he stepped outside, he was greeted with a blast of dry heat. At this time of year, it was hot in Kanto. Even the morning could rise to thirty degrees or more. Not very much like the various inviting advertisements that Daniel knew were shown to people overseas who might like to visit Kanto over the Christmas. They always depicted Kanto as a winter wonderland during the tail end of the year. It had become somewhat of an inside joke to Kantonians whenever they heard of a tourist from up north arrive in Kanto and get blasted by scorching heat. But Daniel didn't mind, he liked the hot weather. It was relaxing to feel the sun on your face every once in a while. Basking in the pleasant rays, he thought about where he would go. There was the beach. The white sand would feel great beneath his feet. Shrugging to himself, he decided on the beach. He hadn't been down there for a while anyway.
The walk was a pleasant one. As Daniel got closer, it became busier. As usual, it was bustling with activity at Pallet Beach. People of all ages were relaxing on beach towels, soaking in the summer sun. The sparkling ocean was similarly packed full of people with bright-coloured surfboards. But Daniel's attention was immediately stolen by something more out of place. Smack-bang in the middle of the beach was a Pokémon battle. Daniel rushed to get a closer look. Pallet had been devoid of Trainers for a while, so any action was worth checking out. There was a small crowd surrounding the battle, but they didn't obscure Daniel's view. One of the two participants was a Trainer Daniel recognised already, Rodger. He was a local Trainer from Pallet. The other was a stranger. And his Pokémon was a stranger too. While Rodger had an Ivysaur, something instantly identifiable, the other was light yellow with a necklace of dark green objects that resembled cigars. It had a long neck with a small head. But most strikingly, was a large leaf attached to its head. It appeared to be a Grass-type as well though, seeing as its Trainer ordered it to use Vine Whip. Whipping his head to Rodger, Daniel waited to see how he would react.
"Use Vine Whip as well Ivysaur!" he called. Two thick, green appendages raced out from Ivysaur and met the other Vine Whip in mid-air. Both Pokémon began to push against the other. Daniel watched the display eagerly, his hands clenched into fists. The crowd watching the battle began to shout encouragement, and Daniel didn't hesitate to add his support for Ivysaur. It seemed to work. Ivysaur, feeling a boost from the cheering, used its vines as a lever to launch the foreign Pokémon into the air. With a loud thud and a rather large puff of sand, the strange Pokémon hit the ground and lay motionless. The other Trainer returned the Pokémon to its Poké Ball and stormed off, looking mad. The crowd cheered and clapped for Rodger, Daniel included. Slowly, the crowd dispersed, and Daniel decided to go over to Rodger to catch up.
"Hey Rodger," he called. The Trainer turned his head immediately and flashed a toothy smile.
"Hey Daniel! How've you been?" Daniel smiled back. He'd always liked Rodger.
"Not too bad. I saw your Sinnoh League battles on TV. Had to stay up pretty late though," he said with a smile. Rodger laughed.
"Yeah, my folks complained about the time difference too. Thanks for supporting me, man. I appreciate it." he said.
"So when did you get back to Kanto?"
"Just yesterday. I was on a big cruise ship from Canalave City all the way to Vermillion. Then I got on a ferry from Vermillion to Cinnabar, then Cinnabar to here. It was such a good trip dude, we stopped in a ton of great places. We even did a loop around the Orange Islands!" he exclaimed. Daniel was impressed. He'd always wanted to visit the Orange Islands.
"Geez man, how much did that cost?" he asked jokingly. Rodger chuckled.
"It broke the bank but it was well worth it. I saw so many strange Pokémon in the Sinnoh Region. And the weather was always nice and cool there too!" Rodger said, enthusiastic about his latest travels in the far-away land.
"Sounds really cool. I've never been out of Kanto before," replied Daniel. Rodger nodded and said,
"So, you just turned ten right? That means you'll be leaving soon won't it?" the older teen asked expectantly. Daniel hesitated for a split second, then nodded. He wiped the sweat that had appeared on his forehead.
"Yep. I'm gonna get the Badges and compete in Indigo," he replied, feeling his heart pick up slightly.
"Nice! I'll have to watch all your battles then!" Daniel and Rodger shared a laugh.
"So what are you planning to do next, Rodger?" Daniel asked. The teen shrugged in response.
"I dunno. Maybe get a job and try and earn back all the money I spent on that cruise," he chortled. Daniel chuckled again.
"Well, I'd better get going. I have to get home and register for a license. It was nice seeing you again Rodger!"
"You too, see ya later!"
oOo
Daniel rushed home from the beach. It was meant to be a relaxing trip, but Daniel didn't feel like relaxing anymore. Seeing that battle made him immediately remove any doubt from his mind about becoming a Trainer. Daniel burst through the front door and sat down at the family computer. He booted it up and went to the Pokémon League's website. Registering for a license required one to fill out a few questions. Daniel quickly navigated to the correct place and began reading.
Welcome to the official Pokémon Trainer registration page! To get started, please fill out some simple questions.
Daniel read the first question. It asked him for his full name and date of birth. That was easy enough. Daniel Robertson, seventeenth of December, 2000. The box on the screen highlighted green to say he was old enough. Next, it asked for his place of residence. Pallet Town, Kanto. He was immediately redirected to another page that displayed the logo for the Indigo League, the Kanto Region's branch of the Pokémon League.
It asked him various other basic questions about Pokémon handling in general. Once he was done, he held his breath and clicked the 'submit' button. A message popped up on the screen telling him he had been accepted and put down on the list for a Pokédex. Daniel leaned back in the chair. He had done it! He would be a Pokémon Trainer. He closed the browser and stood up. Now all he had to do was prepare a travelling bag. He could do that later. Quickly checking the time, he saw it was almost twelve-thirty. His mother usually got off work around that time. He'd prepare the bag tomorrow.
Daniel padded over to the pantry and grabbed a packet of chips. He'd see what was on TV. Just as he flopped down on the couch, the door opened and his mother walked into the house.
"Hi, mom," he greeted, sitting up. He began to tremble slightly in apprehension. If his mom found out what he just did, he'd be toast for sure.
"Hi, Daniel. Sorry I was late. It was busy in the shop today," she replied. Daniel shrugged, trying his best to keep calm. She hadn't noticed his awkwardness yet.
"That's alright. I haven't really done anything anyway," he replied as his mother walked out of his site. He flopped back down on the couch and sighed, before flicking on the TV. Unfortunately, there never tended to be anything on at this time of day. Well, except news stations. Apart from a few channels, most of the broadcasts in Pallet Town came from the nearby Viridian City. He flicked past a few channels and landed on an interview with Professor Oak. Daniel smiled when he saw it. Professor Oak was one of the most famous men in the world. Daniel eagerly turned up the volume to hear what was going on.
"First off, I'd like to thank you Professor for agreeing to appear on the Pallet Power," the interviewer said. Professor Oak, a man who looked to be in his late fifties, adjusted his hair and looked straight into the camera.
"It's a pleasure to be here!" he replied, cheerfully. The interviewer giggled at the Professor's renowned chipper attitude.
"So I have a few questions for you that I'm sure the viewers at home would love to hear the answers for!"
"By all means, ask away!" the Professor said, flashing a smile and winking at the screen.The interviewer nodded.
"First question. When did you have the idea for the Pokédex and when did you start building it?" The interviewer asked. Daniel turned the volume up a little higher. This was something he'd never thought to ask the Professor.
"Well, I first had the idea for something like the Pokédex about fifty years ago. You see when I was a travelling Trainer, if you saw a Pokémon you didn't recognise, you had to use a visual dictionary. It was always inconvenient to carry around such a thick book and waste time flicking through pages. I knew I wanted to do something about it, but the technology wasn't available until the mid-90s. Some colleagues and I began working on two digital prototypes in '94. They could recognize a Pokémon when pointed at it. They were ready about two years later. We programmed the hundred and fifty Pokémon native to the Kanto region into them and gave the two devices to a pair of Trainers who were beginning their journeys that year. It was a massive success, and soon Professors from other regions were jumping on board with the project. Pokémon are being added to the system every year to this day," he explained. The reporter looked like she was hanging onto every word the Professor said.
"That's amazing, Professor! Make sure all you watchers at home got that! Now just another question. We all know Poké Balls didn't always exist like they do now. Modern Poké Balls didn't come out until 1968. So how did people capture Pokémon before that?" she asked. Daniel nodded at the TV. Another question he'd never really thought about. Professor Oak had an answer for this one too.
"Well you see, when I was just a young Trainer, they had Poké Balls too. But they worked slightly differently than the ones today. Firstly, they weren't thrown. You had to twist a knob on it to release the Pokémon, and then tap the Pokémon with the ball to return it. Capturing wild Pokémon was pretty dangerous because of this. Many Trainers used a technique where you got your own Pokémon to hold it and get close to the target and tap them with the ball instead. Obviously the design was improved to what there is today. They even made a special machine that could be used to transfer your Pokémon from the old design to the new one, called a Capture Transferrer." The reporter had an exaggerated look of awe on her face that was so obviously for the television, it made Daniel chuckle. The reporter moved onto another question and Daniel listened eagerly. Or he would have, if he wasn't interrupted.
"Daniel! Can you take the rubbish out please? It's overflowing!" his mother called from the kitchen. Daniel scowled and began to protest, but his mother would have none of it.
"Go do it! Or you'll have no dinner tonight!" she warned. Daniel knew she wasn't serious, but he got up to do it anyway. If he was quick, he might be able to get away with not missing much. Jumping off the couch, he ran to the kitchen where his mom was cutting vegetables and grabbed the full rubbish bag from the trashcan. When he spun around to run back towards the front door, his mother's voice followed him. "Make sure you don't run into anything on the way out!"
By the time Daniel dumbed the bag onto the curb and raced back inside, the program was ending, much to his disappointment.
"Thanks for the interview Professor! I hope you guys at home caught that! Be sure to use all this knowledge to impress your friends! You've been watching Pallet Power!" said the interviewer cheerfully into the camera. Daniel groaned and sat back down on the couch. He'd wanted to watch that. Maybe they'd replay it later.
oOo
As it turned out, the interview was not broadcast again for the rest of the day. This disappointed Daniel greatly, since he wanted to know what knowledge Professor Oak was sharing on the television. But it didn't matter too much. Daniel had spent plenty of time at school doing history, but now the compulsory part of his schooling was over. He would be on the road soon and he was excited. A little guilty, sure, but he was definitely looking forward to seeing the world. The general culture of Pallet Town dictated that once a young person was of age, they should leave Pallet and compete in Indigo, and Daniel had no doubt that was what he'd do. He felt bad about deceiving his parents but they'd understand. They had to, right?
…
► TO BE CONTINUED…
Well that's it! I really wanted to introduce you guys to Daniel, the person we'll be following for the story. Next chapter we'll be leaving the safety of Pallet behind and really getting our hands dirty out in the wild. I'm planning on releasing this chapter with the second one, so you guys won't have to wait at all to see some action. So with that said, if you have any suggestions at all, or you'd like to supply feedback, be sure to leave a review down below. I respond to EVERY review as best I can! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!
