Right, so here is my first take on a Pokemon fic. I send thanks and a cookie jar to ElphieUpland who was kind to reply to PM, and give me advice.
Disclaimer; I do not own Pokemon.
Note: In this fic, Pokemon do not say their names when they speak. I just assumed, like in the games, they make a sound according to what the animal they resemble would make. So that is why Oso only speaks in "grr"s and "yarf!"s.
In a little clearing in the Viridian Forest, just outside the city with the same name, a Pidgey stomped around on the ground, kicking up sand, in an attempt to practice its main defense mechanism. When it found a berry a few layers of sand away, it promptly stopped kicking, and rather bent down to eat the tasty treat, forgetting, it seemed, for a second, that it was probably being watched. For it was, in fact, being watched by several pairs of eyes, and not all of them could be said belonged to Pokemon.
The little bird lifted its head, watching the large tree, in which a Beedrill was tending to the large amounts of Kakuna stuck to the branches and stem. The Pidgey crowed at it, flapping its wings; this was its own territory, at least when other birds were not around. While it was occupied having this little feud with the Beedrill, it did not notice the human eyes in the squinting to get a better look, clutching a little book with worn, yellow pages in her hands.
Right, so a Pidgey... it has small feet, smaller than the one for the level five picture... and the level four and three one as well... A level two, I suppose... It shouldn't taunt the Beedrill, then...
A girl of age ten was crouching in the grass, daring not to move, and barely to breathe. She was studying the pidgey carefully, determining which level it would be at in its current state. From the small feet, and ruffled feathers, and of course, its small stature, she named it a level two. Mostly, Pokemon at a low level as that remained uncaught by trainers until they had grown on their own. The girl, Lena, wanted to practice her eye as a trainer, seeing which Pokemon in the wild was safe to approach, battle and then perhaps catch, given the gift her father, Matthew, had come home with last week from his trip to the Dark Cave in Johto.
For the last two – three weeks, Lena had tried to catch a Pokemon on her own, and sadly failing. She was not a natural at it, as some people seemed to be, and she nearly always missed, or the Pokemon escaped before she could say "aww, shucks."A few times, she had even been attacked by the odd rattata wanting her to pay for what she had let it go through.
Needless to say, when her father came home, she had been thrilled to see that he had brought her a Poke ball, containing a wild Pokemon. Her eyes had grown wide, and she had smiled broadly at her mother, as if wanting permission to receive it.
"Matthew," her mother said, sighing, "I thought you would only go to Dark Cave on a sightseeing trip, not to catch more Pokemon."
"I know," he said, smiling at his daughter, who was currently jumping up and down, happily awaiting to look at her present. "The opportunity presented itself, and so... I caught the little thing for her. Yes, it was just a trip with the guys, but I couldn't help myself..."
"Daddy! Daddy!" Lena jumped up and down by Matthew's feet, her shoes making clicking sounds on the kitchen floor. "Can I see what you brought me now? Can I, Mama?"
"Come on, Susie," Matthew said, still smiling, "let her see it."
"Aw, alright then."
Matthew threw the Poke ball at the floor, knowing that it would burst open on impact. When it did, a blue light shone from the red and white ball, resembling a small creature. When the light faded, it could be seen that it was a Teddiursa with its right paw in its mouth. It blinked, uncertain of what to think.
"Grr?" It said, looking questioningly at Lena, as Matthew handed her the ball. "Grr...?"
It stubbed over to her, looking her up and down. "Grr." It extended its left paw, poking Lena's cheek. They were acquainted, it would seem, as the Teddiursa smiled, showing a row of pointed teeth. A level four!
Lena was thrilled; she tilted her head, and looked from it to her father. "Really?" She smiled. "A Teddiursa, for me?"
Matthew nodded, handing her the Poke ball, instructing her how to return the Pokemon to it. "It is yours. I know we should have gone to Prof. Oak in Pallet Town, but you know how it is; he only hands out Pokemon to the Trainers who're going to challenge gym leaders and take on the Elite Four..."
Lena sighed. Yes, her father was quite right. Oh, how she wished she could challenge different leaders, and perhaps, one day, even the League! Sadly, though, her mother had not taken kindly to her suggestion of traveling the world alone, battling with adults on her own... Plus, she would miss a lot of school. It was from there the idea of sending her to the Pokemon Academy in Violet City, Johto, had been born. Her father had called ahead, and the persona responsible for enrollment had informed him that they were more than happy to receive Lena by the end of the summer. Susie wanted to follow her little girl, so she would not have to travel on her own.
"I will name him-" she stopped, considering something, "- For it is a him, isn't it, Baba?" When receiving the confirmation that it was indeed a male Teddiursa, she continued; "I'll name him Roosevelt, after that President in America."
Susie shook her head. "No, that won't do. Roosevelt... it is too long. Think about it, little one; when battling, is it not a bit of a mouthful?"
Matthew nodded, agreeing with his wife, even when he saw his daughter was happy with the name. As always, he tried to compromise. "Your mother is right, Lena, but you should have a name for him that you like. How about... Oso Roosevelt?"
Lena's eyes narrowed slightly; she had wanted to give him only one name. Still, disappointing her father after he had been kind, and given her a gift, was not the way she wanted to repay him. Besides, she was a little girl only wanting to please her family. "Sure! Oso Roosevelt it'll be. He'll need a last name too."
"It is settled then," Susie said, looking at the clock on the kitchen wall, over the window, "we will leave tomorrow morning for the Academy, so you'll have time to catch a few Pokemon on the way. You will need all the practice you can get, so that the school won't spend much time on the basics."
Ah! Of course, Lena thought, as her mother figured it was bedtime, and told her to go brush her teeth, a requirement was to have at least three Pokemon in one's possession. Tomorrow, I will pack my bag!
The next morning, the little girl woke up at 6 AM. According to her, she had slept for more than long enough, and though her parents were not particularly happy to have her barge into their bedroom and jump up and down in their bed, they did get up. She had already fastened Oso's Poke ball to her belt, and packed a small, cute backpack. When Susie saw it on her way to the bathroom, she instructed her daughter to pack a larger one with clothes and a pair of extra shoes instead of her doll and a box containing grapes.
Half an hour later, by the breakfast table, Susie asked her daughter if she was ready for their little journey. Lena had just finished a large second helpings of chocolate cereal, and was now munching the last of it.
"Err... I guess," she said after having swallowed, trying to sound a bit more grown and mature by pretending she was not ready to run out the door that very second. "I don't think it'll be all fun and games, though."
Matthew nodded, munching his toast. "That is very wise, Lena. I think that your time at the Academy will be somewhat tough, as well. Remember, you have to make new friends, do your maths, and learn how to catch and treat Pokemon."
Lena beamed, happy that she had sounded a bit more mature. She did not fully understand what her father had said, yet she was excited to go as soon as possible. After breakfast, Susie announced that Lena would have some time before they left to speak with her Pokemon, if she wished, as her mother needed to double-check all bags and jackets. Lena happily obliged, grinning at her father as she went to the backyard. She released Oso (sadly, with much difficulty, as she was not used to handling a Poke ball quite yet).
If you got this far; thank you for reading! Please review if you so wish, and remember that I will continue to update, regardless of reviews, though they are nice to receive^^ Now then, the next chapter will be: "Socializing and Viridian Forest". Stay tuned:)