*Disclaimer*: I do not own the Pokemon franchise or any of its assets. All rights go to Gamefreak and Nintendo. Plus if I did we would have Johto Starter megas by now.
A/N: Before we begin, I am writing this story partly to work on my writing skills. Feel free to leave any feedback on grammar and/or corrections where needed. Also, tell me where things feel unnatural or forced (e.g. dialog) and if the pace is too fast or too slow. Now, let's get the show on the road!
"Crobat is unable to battle, Charizard wins!" A triumphant smirk was present on the winged fire-lizard's trainer as it let out a victorious roar.
"Crobat, return!" A light surrounded the Pokémon as it was called back into its ball. A displeased frown was present on its trainer.
"Trainer, send out your next Pokémon!" The mysterious trainer nodded and threw his final pokeball onto the field. A flash of white light briefly illuminated the battle field, revealing an Ampharos. However, there was a strange object attached to this Pokémon. A strange white orb with a yellow and red streak running through it.
"Charizard, let's end this quickly- Blast Burn!" Charizard's flame on its tail almost tripled in size as it punched the ground with as much strength as it could muster, its clawed hand set ablaze. The resulting force shaking the battlefield and everyone in the audience. Defeat appeared inevitable, as the inferno made its way towards the Ampharos, melting the ground above it, at a speed so quick that dodging wasn't an option. However, the opposing trainer didn't look worried in the slightest. A small glint appeared in his eyes as he raised his wrist, a bracelet with another mysterious stone inside it, not unlike the one on Ampharos.
"Ampharos, mega evolve and use Protect!" He shouted while tapping his bracelet. A red glow suddenly surrounded Ampharos as its appearance changed as if it were evolving. The glow died down and Ampharos in its new form let out a cry as a multi-colored symbol appeared briefly in front of it. What appeared to be white hair majestically cascaded off its head and tail, while its fur took a slightly lighter shade. It closed its eyes in concentration as a green sphere appeared around it, dividing the pillars of fire and lava in half as it bounced off the shield. Once the smoke cleared, the trainer looked wide-eyed to where Ampharos was supposed to be knocked out. To his disbelief, Ampharos was still standing completely unscathed.
'This doesn't look good. Charizard can't move after using Blast Burn, and he's already taken damage from it's previous fight with Crobat. I didn't anticipate the gap between his final Pokemon and my Charizard to be this great.'
"Now, Ampharos! Thunder before it can recover!" Ampharos nodded as a huge electric aura surrounded itself, before a wicked thunderbolt struck its helpless opponent. On contact, the huge fire-lizard hit the ground, swirls in its eye.
"Charizard is unable to battle, Ampharos is the winner!" The referee declared, waving its flag down. Utter shock and disbelieve filled the trainer's face.
He was having a much harder time than he expected with this mysterious trainer. The wind picked up, almost as if it was foreshadowing the epic climax of their battle. His red spiked hair and black cape were being blown back by gusts of wind. This was no ordinary trainer. This was Lance, one of the most powerful dragon masters in the world, and the champion of Johto and Kanto.
' It's been quite a while since I was last brought down to my final Pokémon. This Pokemon is the strongest Pokemon in my Arsenal as well as his species to my knowledge. He's been itching for a battle too."
"You're the first person in a long time to have pushed me this far. However- this battle is far from over yet. Dragonite, show them your power!" He exclaimed as he took his last pokeball off his belt and threw it on the battlefield. The white light took the shape of a dragon, as it let out a battle cry so powerful that it sent ripples throughout the entire stadium.
"Dragonite- use your Dragon Rush!" Dragonite complied as it shot off towards Ampharos at speeds faster than the eye could follow.
"Ampharos, Double Team and fire continuous Dragon Pulses!" Dozens of Ampharos suddenly scattered the battle field where it was standing. All of them began charging up a blue ball of compressed energy.
"Dragonite, use Dragon Claw to deflect them and then Hurricane to eliminate all the copies!" Dragonite roared as a blue glow surrounded his hands and took the appearance of 3 elongated claws. He slashed his hands through each of the Dragon Pulses until the Ampharos stopped its continuous barrage to recover. He took this opportunity to use Hurricane and blow the clones away.
Ampharos braced itself as it was suddenly hit with an onslaught of heavy wind. To Lance's surprise, the Ampharos didn't even move an inch. However, to his pleasure, the attack dispelled all of the copies.
"Dragonite, end this with Dragon Rush!" Lance shouted as the Dragonite once again took off at blinding speeds, a blue dragon-shaped aura surrounding him.
"Ampharos, counter with Wild Charge!" Ampharos shot off at the Dragonite at an impressive speed for its species, its yellow electric aura crackling around it. They both rammed into each other headfirst, eyes locked into each other's with determination to win this clash. A blinding light surrounded both of them as their auras collided and fought, the light growing until it engulfed the entire stadium in its radiance, temporarily blinding everyone.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. The stupid alarm clock went off at the crack of dawn.
'Who even wakes up this early?' Gold groaned as he smashed his fist on the alarm clock, silencing it. He sleepily got out of bed and did a few stretches. He remembered vaguely the dream he just had. 'What's with these recurring dreams? They feel so real, but they're gone once I wake up. This one was even more realistic than normal. What was that strange form that the Ampharos took and what did the bracelet and stone have to do with it? How could it make Ampharos as powerful as Lance's Dragonite?' Gold's head hurt from the amount of questions he had from his dream. What trainer could possibly stand up to Lance? It seemed silly.
'A cold shower sounds really nice right now' He thought as he made his way into the bathroom and took off his pajamas. He stepped into the stream of cold water and was instantly jolted awake.
'Today is the day that I finally get my first Pokémon. Look out world, here I come! I'm going to capture so many powerful and rare Pokémon that even the legendary Red wouldn't be able to defeat me!'
Gold was yanked out of his daydreams when he heard a knock on the door.
"Gold hurry up in there! You don't want to keep the Professor waiting!" Gold's mother shouted through the door
"And your Pokégear arrived from the shop today, don't forget to pick it up on your way out!"
"Okay mom!"
Gold quickly dried himself off and got dressed in his usual outfit. A red and white sweatshirt with black shorts and a yellow and black cap. He wore the cap backwards of course. He picked up his white book bag and ran downstairs. He sat down at the table began stuffing his face with pancakes and waffles faster than he could chew.
"Slow down Gold. I know you're excited but you're going to choke or get a stomachache if you keep eating that fast." His mother chided him in her 'motherly' tone.
"Thanks mom, gotta go love you bye!" Gold said quickly to his mother, food still in his mouth, as he grabbed his Pokégear off the counter and ran out the door.
'Boys' Gold's mother rolled her eyes at the pile of dishes he left on the table. "He's just like his father" she said with a grin of mirth on her face to no one in particular.
-xX-Xx-
Gold walked into Professor Elm's laboratory, stars filled his eyes as he looked at all the machinery and the Pokémon. In his excitement, he failed to notice a suspicious red-haired boy peeping in through the window from the outside.
"Gold! There you are! I needed to ask you a favor. I have an acquaintance called Mr. Pokémon who is always raving about his discoveries. He sent me an e-mail the other day and this time I think it might be the real deal. I would go check it out myself, but I'm completely swamped with my research and this paper I'm writing that I need to present at a conference. Can you go to Mr. Pokémon's house and see what it is? It's just slightly past Cherrygrove City. I'll give you one of these rare Pokémon that we just caught as a partner." Professor Elm briskly stated as he switched from one task to the next. His entire workspace was so cluttered and disorganized that one might wonder how he was able to finish anything at all.
"Ah, there they are!" He picked up three pokeballs from a case and called them out. The Pokémon appeared on the table and wondered why they were brought out of their pokeballs. "These three Pokémon are Totodile, Cyndaquil and Chikorita. It is very hard to find any of these Pokémon in the wild and they are often given to new trainers because they are very easy to raise."
The Pokémon on the left was a bipedal blue Pokémon with red spikes on its back and tail. It had a strong looking jaw with a few pointed teeth. It gave a toothy grin in Gold's direction. "
Totodile!" It said proudly, showing off its teeth.
The Pokémon in the middle was a small creature with a cream-colored underside and a blue back. It had 4 red spots on its back where flames presumably came out of. It looked at Gold and tilted its head sideways.
"Cynda?" it said with a questioning tone, as if wondering if the trainer in front of it would pick it.
The Pokémon on the right was a green quadrupedal Pokémon with a leaf sticking out of its head. "Chika!" It said with a determined look on its face, shaking its leaf back and forth.
'This is a tough decision. They all look really good, but I can only choose one of them. I just need to follow my gut instinct and go with the Pokémon that I feel like I can connect with the most.' Gold stood there for a good minute contemplating his future partner. A look on his face soon appeared that meant that he made a decision. He stepped forward and extended his hands.
"I choose Cyndaquil!" Gold stated as he picked up Cyndaquil and held it in his arms. He then turned to face the other two Pokémon. "I'm sorry I didn't pick either of you. If I could I would take all three of you on a journey with me, but Professor Elm said I could only choose one of you."
Both Totodile and Chikorita's disappointed looks both changed to one of understanding. A grin telling Gold that 'it was fine and we'll be okay!' was across their faces, and he smiled right back at them.
"Alright Gold, here is Cyndaquil's pokeball. Wait right here for a moment while I go grab some items for you from the back." Gold nodded in understanding and put Cyndaquil down momentarily. Professor Elm pushed some chairs out of the way to be able to access the entrance to the back room. After a minute or two of him rummaging through piles of books and electronics, he came back and handed a red handheld device and 10 shrunken pokeballs to him.
"This is a Pokedex. It's a high-tech encyclopedia that records and contains information all about the Pokémon you have caught and encountered. Why don't you try it out by scanning your Cyndaquil?"
Gold pressed a button on his Pokedex and a mechanical voice came to life. "Cyndaquil, the Fire Mouse Pokémon. Cyndaquil are timid, and always curl themselves up in a ball. If attacked, they flare up their back for protection. This Cyndaquil is a level 5 male and knows the moves Tackle, Leer, Smokescreen and Ember." Cyndaquil puffed up his chest proudly hearing this information.
"Not only that, but it has many other functions that'll help you as a trainer. Here let me show you one" Gold handed Professor Elm his Pokedex and he pressed a few buttons before handing it back to him. "This function will tell you all the possible moves that your Pokemon are able to learn. For example, Cyndaquil is able to learn Dig and Aerial Ace among other moves."
Stars lit up in Gold's eyes again. With this and his Cyndaquil by his side he will definitely become the strongest trainer in the world! Gold thanked Professor Elm and set off to Mr. Pokemon's house. He knew how to get to Cherrygrove at least, it was the next town over and is about an hour walk from New Bark Town. When he got into town, he could simply ask for directions to Mr. Pokemon's house.
Still unbeknownst to him, a red-haired boy quietly observed everything. He saw the black-haired trainer walk out of Professor Elm's lab with his new Pokemon following closely behind him. He watched as he got farther and farther away and slowly contemplated his next move. This was the perfect opportunity for him to strike. That scatter-brained professor left the remaining two pokemon in their balls still on the table. Now all he had to do was wait until he stepped away…
Gold walked down the path that lead through the small forest between New Bark Town and Cherrygrove City. At the moment, he was fiddling around his Pokedex to see what else it could do. He was so engrossed in his current task that he didn't even notice the Pidgey nearby until Cyndaquil tugged on his shorts.
"Cyndaquil!"
"What is it Cyndaquil?" Cyndaquil pointed towards the Pidgey. His first wild encounter! He pointed his Pokedex at it and pressed a button.
"Pidgey is a Flying Pokémon. Among all the Flying Pokémon, it is the gentlest and easiest to capture. A perfect target for the beginning Pokémon Trainer to test his Pokémon's skills. This Pidgey is a level 3 female and knows the moves Tackle, Sand-Attack and Gust." Gold grinned. "This Pokemon is a perfect choice for my first capture," He took out a pokeball and enlarged it, then threw it at the Pidgey. The flying-type wasn't amused at this action and deftly batted the Pokeball away to Gold's surprise.
"To capture a Pokemon, you usually have your own Pokemon battle with the other." Dexter answered. "Okay then, Cyndaquil use tackle!" Gold commanded. Cyndaquil nodded at his trainer and stood on all fours before quickly taking off. Pidgey, however, saw this and swiftly dodged it. Seeing this, Gold quickly retaliated with another attack.
"Cyndaquil, Ember!" Cyndaquil quickly shot three small embers towards the Pidgey. Pidgey cried out in pain from one of the Ember coming into contact with herself. She then unleashed a small gust attack towards Cyndaquil. "Dodge it and use tackle!"
Cyndaquil jumped out of the way and quickly ran at the Pidgey, this time getting a direct hit. After this hit, he knew that Pidgey would be down for the count and quickly threw a pokeball at it. The Pidgey dematerialized in a beam of red light and was sucked into the pokeball before it dropped on the ground.
One shake. Two shakes. Three shakes. Back and forth it shook, shaking about 3 times per second until finally it stopped and blinked red, signifying the capture was successful. Gold ran over to the pokeball in excitement and held it in his hand. He had just captured his first Pokemon.
"Alright! Welcome to the team Pidgey!" Gold cheered in childlike excitement with Cyndaquil. He called Pidgey out from her pokeball and she appeared in front of him in a flash of white light.
"Hey Pidgey, would you like to travel with me on my journey to become a Pokemon master?" He crouched down and put his arm in front of her. She cooed at him and nodding happily, perching on his arm. He put her on his shoulder and continued his way to Cherrygrove City.
After about an hour of walking, Gold arrived in Cherrygrove City. He was stopped by a old man who gave him a tour of the city and a map card of the Johto region for his Pokegear. Not only that, but he gave him directions to Mr. Pokemon's house. What a kind old man! (he was a little hyper though) Currently, he was in the Pokemon Center while Nurse Joy was healing his two Pokemon.
"Gold to the front desk, your Pokemon are ready." He heard over the intercom and made his way over to the front.
"Thank you for healing my Pokemon Nurse Joy." He said happily and his put his two pokeballs on his belt. He made his way to the cafeteria in the Pokemon Center and called out his two Pokemon. He took a bag of PokeChow out of his Book bag along with two bowls and set them down in front of his Pokemon. "Eat up guys, you're going to need your energy."
His Pokemon happily complied and chowed down on their food before sitting back, patting their bellies and began conversing with each other. Meanwhile, Gold was eating the lunch his mother packed him. A sandwich, a few rice balls and dumplings.
After finishing his lunch, he packed up all his stuff and made his way out of the Pokemon Center with his two Pokemon on his shoulders. This is was the beginning of his quest to become the world's greatest Pokemon master. A storm was brewing in Johto, one that he will soon unknowingly find himself face to face with.
Gold's Team:
Cyndaquil (Lvl 6) Moves - Tackle, Ember, Smokescreen, Leer
Pidgey (Lvl 6) Moves - Tackle, Gust, Sand-Attack