Cedric's eyes flew open. 'Today is the day.' He thought. As he lay there, a million doubts flew through his mind, although 'Which one?' was his main thought. Even though he already decided which one he was choosing, he still couldn't help wondering if it was the right choice. He sat up and picked the brochure off his nightstand. It read, "Start your adventure today!" I got this in the mail three weeks ago. They send them to all the twelve year olds in the region, but only just a few show up. Cedric's lucky to live so close. He stood up and went over to the window and saw the familiar sight of Cherrygrove City. He looked down and saw a girl about his age picking the petals off a flower and staring at his window. Cedric quickly backed away out of her view. Just then, the door burst open.
"CEDRIC!" Beck shouted, with a huge grin on his face. "Today's the day!" Cedric returned his grin. Beck had been Cedric's best friend since they were babies. Cedric quickly pulled on a hoodie and ran down stairs, with Beck at his heels.
"Bye, Mom!" Cedric called, "I'm going on an adventure!" They sprinted out the door and Cedric stopped short. The girl who was staring at his window earlier was standing in their path. Beck stood between Cedric and the girl, an impish grin on his face.
"Cedric, this is Adeline! She's starting her adventure today too!" Adeline smiled at him. She had auburn hair in a fancy ponytail that was tied with ribbons, which hung down from her hair. She had unnerving golden eyes that seemed to dig into Cedric's skull. Cedric shifted uncomfortably.
"Hi!" Adeline said cheerfully and Cedric smiled back uneasily.
"Hi." He said cautiously. Beck was practically jumping up and down with excitement.
"Come on! Let's go! It's, like, a 20 minute walk to New Bark Town!" Cedric grinned. "Or like a 10 minute run!" With that he took off, with Beck at his heels again.
"Cedric! Hold on!" It was his mom.
"Bye, Mom! I'll see you soon!" He called back.
"Wait!" She yelled at him, but he was already running down the block. Cedric and Beck ran through the city, passing the red roofed houses they knew so well. They passed their old schoolhouse. Cedric looked upon the school playground. The small children playing with each other gave him a pang of nostalgia. They passed the houses of their classmates. With Cedric and Beck being the youngest in their class, all the others received their license and started their journey; some claiming starter Pokémon from the Professor or going off before the ceremony to become Bug Catchers or Pokécollectors. They passed the house of the old man that taught them how to catch Pokémon. Of course they weren't allowed to own any until they got their license from the Professor, which they were doing today. The thought brought him out of the past with a twist of excitement. They slowed at the city limits to catch their breath. As they set foot on route 29, they heard,
"Hey! Wait up!" Cedric turned to see Adeline running up to them, panting. "You… guys… need to… slow down." She sat down on a log.
"So… why are you following us?" Cedric asked.
"I'm from New Bark Town, but Professor Elm wanted me to make sure that you two got there on time." She straightened with pride. "I'm starting my journey today too in case you weren't paying attention." Cedric sighed. He wanted to share this day with his best friend, but now this girl had to barge in and ruin their perfect day. 'I guess I might as well try to befriend her.' Beck looked ahead.
"We still have a long ways to go." He looked to Adeline. "So me and Cedric already pick our first Pokémon. What are you going to pick?" Adeline looked embarrassed.
"Well, that's the thing. I haven't decided yet." She blushed a bit. "I guess I'll just have whatever's left over." Beck smirked.
"Well I'm getting Totodile!" Cedric smiled to at the thought of his chosen first.
"I'm going to get Cyndaquil." He looked at Adeline. "I'm sure whichever you get, you'll be happy!" Adeline smiled back at his encouragement.
"So Adeline" Beck began, "Have you lived in New Bark Town your whole life?" Adeline's eyes grew a bit distant.
"No. I used to live in Kalos when I was little." Her smile widened. "It was so majestic there." Her eyes widened with excitement. "I lived in Laverre City and I was there during 10/12!" Both Cedric's and Beck's eyes grew wide.
"No way!" They both exclaimed. "Did you see the Ultimate Machine?! Did you see the legendaries? What about the Champion? Were you at the parade?!" Questions flowed out of the two boys. The incident that occurred six years ago intrigued them. Adeline looked like she was regretting telling them about her being in Kalos when Team Flare tried to destroy the world.
"Enough!" She yelled. The boys quieted down. "Geez people. I was there. I saw the Champion come by now and then. I saw the beam from the Ultimate Machine" She took a breath. "That's pretty much it." They kept walking.
"Did you see the Champion challenge the leader of the city's gym?" Adeline sighed in exasperation.
"Yes." Cedric looked at her closely. He was much more interested about this girl now. "Was it cool?" Adeline gave him a sarcastic look.
"I didn't actually see the battle."
"Oh." They walked on in silence.
"So why'd you move here?" It was Beck that broke the tension. Now both boys were itching to learn more about the girl from Kalos.
"My parents thought it was best for me. After 10/12, they said it wasn't safe for me over there." Her head sank into her shoulders a little. "They sent me away and they stayed behind because their jobs were vital to the reconstruction of Kalos." She gave a heavy sigh. "It's not too bad. I get to visit them every year for a couple months." A thought popped into Cedric's head and he blurted it out before he could think.
"Do you think next time you go visit your parents we could come with you?" Adeline seemed surprised at the question.
"I… I don't know. I guess so." She looked up with a determined gleam in her eyes. She ran ahead and started walking backwards, looking at the boys.
"Yeah! That would be so much fun! Since we'd be Pokémon trainers, we'd be able to catch all sorts of new Kalos Pokémon!" She stopped and fell into pace again. "But I'm not going to visit them until seven months from now…" Beck smiled.
"That's alright! We'll be traveling together for a while, right?" Adeline smiled even wider.
"Really?! You mean that?" Cedric's face contorted.
"Yeah, you really mean that?" Cedric and Beck had been planning their adventure their whole life. He didn't want some girl to mess that up.
"Sure! Why not? We've already bonded, right?" Beck and Adeline looked at Cedric innocently, waiting for him to approve. Cedric looked at Beck with a disapproving frown, then to Adeline. He sighed.
"Fine. Whatever. Come if you want." He looked Adeline straight in her unnerving eyes. "But don't think it's going to be easy with us! We're going to climb mountains and swim huge lakes. Encounter monstrous Pokémon and become the Champion!" Adeline jumped onto a stump pumping her fist and whooped.
"Yeah! Adventure! Victory! Honor!" A pair of Bug Catchers walked past.
"What a weirdo." They said to themselves. One of them called up to Adeline, "Hey, weirdo! Let's battle!" Adeline turned around in surprise.
"What? Me?" She said, pointing to herself.
"No, the other guy on the stump. Of course you!" The Bug Catchers high-fived. "Nice one, Colby." Adeline blushed red.
"Well, you see, I don't have a Pokémon. I mean I will, but not now. But we're going to get ours so…" Colby the Bug Catcher crossed his arms impatiently.
"Psht. Don't have a Pokémon. You could've just said so. C'mon, Sam, let's ditch this weirdo." They trotted away snickering and saying "What a loser." Adeline stared after them, flushing red.
"Well that was awkward." Cedric mumbled.
"THE NERVE OF THOSE GUYS!" Adeline stormed past Beck and Cedric. "When I get my Pokémon I'm going TO CRUSH THEM!" Cedric and Beck followed Adeline down the path, making sure to keep a safe distance from the tall grass and the raging girl. They walked in silence until Adeline calmed down. "We're about 3 minutes from New Bark Town." Adeline informed the boys. They jumped down from the ledge and walked along a fence. Cedric climbed on the fence border lining the tall grass and walked along it, keeping up with the group. "You have really good balance, Cedric!" Adeline exclaimed.
"Stop showing off." Beck said. He walked over to the fence and look up at Cedric. Only too late did Cedric see Beck's mischievous smirk. Cedric fell in the grass with a *thump*. He could hear Beck and Adeline laughing at their prank. Cedric started chuckling too until he sat up and saw the Sentret he had fallen on. It whimpered as Cedric gently touched it. Feeling bad about hurting it, he gingerly picked it up. There should be a healing center at the Professor's Lab.
"Hey guys!" Cedric called. "I accidently hurt this Sentret! Could you give me a hand?" He handed the hurt Pokémon to Adeline.
"Aw. Poor little Sentret." Beck gave Cedric a boost onto the fence. He started climbing up the fence when he heard a low growl. Turning his head, Cedric saw a Furret. Most likely the hurt Sentret's mother. Her fur was standing on its end.
"Ah… Sorry Ms. Furret, but I need to get your kid to the hospital." Cedric was trying to keep calm. The Furret sprang at him and lashed out with its claws. Cedric's pants shredded and his skin ripped, spraying blood on the ground. Cedric cried out.
"CEDRIC!" Came a cry on the other side of the fence. The Furret bit down on Cedric's arm. Cedric's hoodie muffled the bite, but he felt nauseated as he saw his blood seep from the Furret's mouth. He was flailing and screaming, trying to get the Pokémon off of him. Ages past until he heard a rustle in the grass. A gigantic bird flew up into the sky and dove at Cedric. The bird's grey form tore the Furret from Cedric's arm. He fell to the ground as he saw the bird battling the Furret. Through his blurry vision the bird throw the Furret out of sight. Around him, he saw a green aura that soothed his mind. The last thing he saw was a pair of golden, soul-piercing eyes.
Cedric awoke, looking up at the sky. Around him was chaos. A man in a lab coat was wrapping his arm in a bandage. An Officer was on her Pokégear talking sternly and quickly. There were townspeople scattered around his asking questions and making a big deal of noise.
"Cedric!" Adeline crouched into Cedric's line of sight. She had tear-streaked cheeks and puffy red eyes. "I thought for a moment that you were-." She sobbed. "Beck's moping in the Lab. Since he pulled that prank, he thinks it's he blames himself for this happening." The medics moved Cedric into a temporary recovery bed in Professor Elm's Lab upon his request. He was actually feeling a lot better than he should have. The medics said that there was a lot of bleeding, but most of his wounds were on the surface. "If there was any internal damage," he heard them say, "He would be gravely injured or worse." A man in a lab coat came up to him.
"Hello, Cedric. I am Professor Elm. I am sorry that this happened to you on a day like today too." He held out a case containing three Pokéballs. "Since you, your friend, Beck, and my protégé, Adeline are the only three starting your adventure today, both of them decided that you should pick yours first." Cedric's stomach turned with fear, which surprised him. The thought of going on a Pokémon journey right after being nearly killed filled him with terror.
"I don't have to start right now do I?" Professor Elm laughed aloud.
"My boy, even if you wanted to you couldn't. The doctors said that you'll have to delay your journey at least a month to let you recover. By you not wanting to go right away, it's very wise." The Professor's praise made Cedric feel at ease. He smiled and his stomach twisted with excitement this time as he reached for the Ball that contained Cyndaquil.
"Wait." Both Cedric and Professor Elm turned their heads to the door. Cedric's mom was standing in the doorway with her hand hovering above her open mouth. Gathering up her will, she closed the door behind her and walked up next to Elm. "I had been thinking for a while now and…" She looked at Cedric with regret and fear in her eyes. "and I've decided to forbid Cedric to get his Pokémon License until he turns 15." The air was sucked from Cedric's lungs. No Pokémon License until… UNTIL THREE YEARS FROM NOW?! Professor Elm nodded.
"I understand." He said as he shut the case with the Pokémon with a *click*. "I'll give you two some privacy." Professor closed the door as he exited the room. Cedric's mouth moved trying to find the right words. His mom knelt beside his bed and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Please listen to me. This is what I was trying to tell you this morning. Your father and I were talking…" Cedric didn't comprehend any words being said. Tears stung at his eyes as he looked at his mother in betrayal. He didn't care what the reasoning was. He didn't care if he was taken to the edge of his life just a few hours ago. His mom, the person who is supposed to love him with all her heart was taking his life away!
"No." The thought of not going was indescribable. "I'm going. I have to. Beck's going and Adeline and we're going to be the best Pokémon trainers anyone has ever seen and we're - we're." He looked at his mom. "You can't do this. It's not fair. You're taking my life away!" Cedric's mom looked at him with concern.
"Cedric, you almost died today. The doctors said you were very lucky to not have any serious injuries. I'm not sure if you or I am ready for this."
"But mom we have plans!" His mother gave Cedric a stern look.
"Cedric. No more buts. My word is final." "But-!" "Do know what me to keep you at home until you're 18?" Cedric's panic faded as the finality settled in and replaced it with frustration and indescribable wrath. "I hate you." The sorrow in Cedric's mom's eyes didn't compute in Cedric's rage-blinded mind.
"I know."
Adeline came in a few minutes after Cedric's mom left with hidden tears. She walked to the edge of the bed in silence. She stood by the bedside for ages.
"So," she started hoarsely. "Your mom said you won't be going on your journey." Cedric's face was stony. He shook his head.
"She didn't even let me pick…" Adeline leaned down and gave him a comforting hug.
"It's okay, Cedric. Sometimes it's worth it to be patient. Think of the time you will have as preparation; training if you will. Take this time to learn everything there is to know about Pokémon and battling and breeding and everything there is to know about Pokémon. You seem like a smart, hard-working guy and if you strive to be the greatest, if that's what you really want, then you will achieve your goal." Cedric breathed a steadying sigh. It would take a lot of hardship and patience, but Adeline was right: if he did it right, when he started his journey he would be prepared and have a great advantage. Cedric pulled back from the hug and looked into Adeline's now comforting eyes. He had seen the spark of a new friendship.
"Thanks, Adeline." He smiled, despite the situation. "So is Beck going to come and give some encouraging words too?" Adeline immediately looked uncomfortable. She looked away.
"Well… Uh. You see…" Her head sagged. "Beck… already left." Cedric looked at her in confusion.
"Left? What do you mean…?" He haven't even seen Beck since the incident in the tall grass.
"He got his Pokémon and left to begin his adventure." 'He…left me?' Cedric and Beck had been buddies since he could remember.
"No!" Cedric jumped out of his bed and ran out of door.
"CEDRIC!" Adeline ran after him. He burst into the Lab lobby, where Professor Elm, Cedric's mother, and several other people were sitting and chatting. All heads turned towards Cedric as he burst into the room. He looked around for a brief moment, then rush towards the case containing the starter Pokémon. Jerking it open, he sank to his knees when he saw what was inside: two Pokéballs.
"Totodile is missing." He said to no one in particular. His mother knelt beside him and Adeline put a hand on his shoulder. "He didn't even say goodbye."