Chapter One: And So It Begins

I woke to the sunlight streaming in from my open window.

"Damn" I thought "must have forgotten to close my curtains last night".

I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes and looked at myself in the mirror across from my bed. My usually bright blue eyes which many people compared to sapphires were all bloodshot and bleary while my brown hair was sticking up all over the place. I looked terrible thanks to having very little sleep last night.

Not that anyone could blame me though, as today was the first I was getting my first Pokémon! I'd been counting down the days for the past few weeks, and last night I'd been so excited I had hardly slept a wink. I just kept thinking about which Pokémon I was going to get.

Most people have a preferred type of Pokémon, like my friend Baldwin. He really wants a Fighting type. He does wrestling at school, so he thinks he needs a similar Pokémon in strength to him. But I would be happy with any Pokémon, as long as the both of us made it to the Unova League. That's my main aim: to become a Pokémon trainer and beat the gym leaders and Elite Four of the Unova region then travel the world!

I should probably introduce myself at this point: my name is Akio, and I am 13 years old today. It used to be the case that you could get your first Pokémon as soon as you turned 10, but due to many trainers at that age setting off on a journey on their own, and not being able to cope meant that the Pokémon league changed the rules and made everyone wait until they ere 13 before they could set off on a Pokémon journey, although I bet my mother would have preferred they had made the legal age all the way up to 18.

I pulled myself out of bed, and dressed myself in my favourite pair of chinos, and a white vest and blue shirt over the top. I tried to smooth my hair down in the mirror, but my hair was having none of it so I just left it in the mess it was in. It looked quite trendy actually.

I raced downstairs to find my mother sitting at our kitchen counter with a steaming cup of cocoa and some toast sitting waiting for me.

"There's my big boy, all set to get your first Pokémon?" my mother asked me.

"I really wish you wouldn't call me your big boy. That is the reason why I don't want you to come to Professor Juniper's lab with me, as you'll just end up embarrassing me" I replied.

"Akio, I could never embarrass you! I just worry about you, that's all" my mother sniffed. She sorted her long brown hair back into the tight bun she wore it in on the top of her heard and removed her breakfast plates to the nearby sink.

"I'm sorry Mom" I said to her, and went and gave her hug. "I'm just really nervous about which Pokémon I'm going to get".

"I understand Akio. I was the same when I got my first Pokémon all those years ago" my mother replied. "Now, you better hurry along. Baldwin was here earlier looking for you, and I think he has already headed off to Professor Juniper's lab"

"WHAT?!" I yelled, and raced out of our front door, pulling my red trainers on as I hopped down our garden path.

I live in Nuvema Town, it's a pretty small town, with the only thing of any interest is Professor Juniper's laboratory. She's a Pokémon researcher and also gives all new Pokémon trainers in the area their first Pokémon and Pokedex so they can help her carry on her research throughout the Unova region.

I raced up the hill to Professor Juniper's lab and finally came to white stone building which she uses as her lab. Beside were large fields with fences and I could see a variety of young Pokémon running around. I wondered whether any of them would be mine, and rushed inside…

Crashing straight into my friend Baldwin.

"Hey Akio, watch where you are going! Just because you slept in, doesn't mean I should be the one who ends up in hospital with a broken leg!"

Baldwin was joking of course. I mentioned he did wrestling, so was huge compared to me. I was what you would describe as lean, running was more my sport at school. I was 5'8", while Baldwin towered over me at 6'2". He had thick muscular arms which resembled tree trunks and always wore a blue vest to show off his muscles to all the girls at our school. Today was no different as he was wearing his signature blue vest, as well as a pair of green shorts and a pair of flip flops. No matter what the weather was, Baldwin always wore his flip flops.

"Am I too late? Are there still any Pokémon left?" I asked, trying to catch my breath.

"Sorry mate" Baldwin said, holding a small red and white ball. "This is the last one, and I got it"

I stared at him in pure horror, before he ended up cracking a grin.

"Of course, there are still plenty left. Juniper is waiting for you up ahead".

"Seriously Baldwin, as soon as I get my Pokémon, I am going to wipe that smile off your face" I growled back.

"Well, you better hurry along to get it then so you can try and put that theory to the test" he replied.

I pushed past him and darted into the room ahead of me.

"Welcome Akio, I was beginning to wonder where you were" replied a slender woman with light green hair, and wearing a long lab coat and glasses.

"Sorry Professor Juniper", I replied, "I slept in".

"No problem, so are you ready to start your Pokémon journey? She asked me.

"You bet I am" I replied.

"Well, these are the Pokémon that I have left. Feel free to choose any that you like". She gestured to three red and white balls, similar to the one Baldwin had just shown me, lying on a white table.

I walked over to them and looked at them. They all looked exactly the same, and none of them showed any sign of what Pokémon they had inside.

I decided it was up to fate to decide which starter Pokémon I got, so I closed my eyes and reached my hand out and picked up one of the pokeballs. I opened my eyes and stared at the small ball sitting in my hand.

"Well?" asked Professor Juniper, "aren't you going to see which one you got?".

I threw the pokeball into the air and shouted "Pokémon, come on out!"

The ball opened and a great white light shone from the pokeball, before taking the shape of a small blue creature with a white face and a shell on its front formed in front of me.

"Oshawott" it said and smiled up at me.

"Oh, you chose Oshawott, that's a great choice" said Professor Juniper.

"Wow, that's so cool. Oshawott is a great Pokémon" I said, which seemed to please Oshawott who beamed at me

"Osha!" it said.

Professor Juniper then handed me a red handheld device, no bigger than a mobile phone.

"This is a Pokedex. You can use it to record details of all the Pokémon you see on your journey" Professor Juniper told me. "It'll also help with my research, and help you when battling as it will give you a description of the Pokémon it scans moves. Why don't you try it out with Oshawott?"

I held the Pokedex up to Oshawott, and it scanned its image.

"OSHAWOTT, THE SEA OTTER POKEMON. THE SCALLOP ON ITS STOMACH IS NOT JUST USED FOR BATTLES, IT CAN BE USED TO OPEN HARD BERRIES AS WELL" came the metallic voice from the Pokedex.

"Sweet, that'll come on handy on our journey" I said. "OK, Oshawott, let's go catch us some more Pokémon and win the Unova league"

"Osha!" cried Oshawott and hurried off out of the room in front of me.

"All the best Akio. Take good care of Oshawott for me" smiled Professor Juniper, waving me out of the door as I chased after Oshawott.

"Whoa dude, is that an Oshawott?" exclaimed Baldwin who had been waiting for me outside the laboratory.

"It sure is" I replied. "I can't wait to see what kind of moves it can do".

"Well, why don't we find out right now?" said Baldwin. "We both have our first Pokémon, why don't we have our first battle together?"

I quickly agreed and headed outside of Juniper's lab and found a large area of grass nearby.

"OK, Oshawott, let's prepare to win our first battle" I shouted to my new Pokémon friend.

"Oshawott" came its reply, and I could have sworn it had a determined look on its face.

"You're going to need plenty of luck against my Pokémon" shouted Baldwin. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pokeball. "Pokémon, come on out!"

Which Pokémon does Baldwin have? And who will win the first battle? All will be revealed in the next chapter!