(A/N: I'm not going to lie, this first chapter is pretty horribly written. It gets better as it goes along and the main story starts. I'll keep editing and re-editing this first chapter though in the mean time. The dialogue and sentence structure is a train wreck of an introduction. If I didn't hate pronouns before, I do now.)
Chapter One
He let out a sigh as he continued to pace the floor. He only stood still long enough to look at the clock on the wall, then down at his wristwatch, and finally up at the wall clock again.
"She's late – "
"Here I am," screamed the bubbly blonde as she ran into the room. "I'm sorry I'm late!"
"Again," he finished with a stern tone.
Cheren, shrewd as always, was a lanky boy and only slightly taller than the average teenager. Everything about him screamed practicality; from the fashionable frames of his black half-rimmed glasses to his equally fashionable layered outfit and especially his raven black, just-below-the-ear angled haircut. His serious demeanor made most people assume him to be older than just nineteen.
"Sorry," Bianca spoke in her sing-song voice. "I really did try to be on time! I just got distracted and don't know what happened!"
Bianca was a petite young woman with wide hips and was more than a little flighty. Like Cheren, her outfit also matched her personality. In her case, she was animated and eternally optimistic but also absent-minded and a bit naive for seventeen. She wore a white pencil dress with puffed sleeves that went just below her knees, under a sleeveless orange vest with matching orange stockings. She wore her hair in a feathery bob and it stayed neatly in place under a green beret that matched her green fringed purse.
"It's okay. At least you're here now!"
Amira shrugged in an attempt to diffuse the tension between her two friends. Ever since she had known them, she had been the mediator between their differences. She was somewhere between the two in both height and personality, but ethnically, she stood on her own as the only dark-skinned Black girl in their trio. She was the same age as Bianca but often got confused for younger because of her round face and cropped curly hair. In black boots with pink laces, frayed denim shorts, a men's ribbed tank top, and cropped black hoodie, her outfit reflected her brash and tomboyish nature.
"So let's see what Professor Juniper brought us," she exclaimed excitedly to divert their attention.
Cheren forgot his annoyance at Bianca and turned his attention to the bright blue gift box with a green ribbon and bow that had been sitting on Amira's desk all afternoon. It had been eating at his patience more than Bianca's tardiness.
"Yeah," Bianca cheered, "but Ami, you should open it first since it was delivered to your house, okay?"
Amira smiled and looked for reassurance. Cheren nodded in agreement that it was only right she'd get the first pick. She untied the ribbon and pulled off the lid. There on a red cushion lay three Poké Balls, one for each of them. There was also a small note-card with flowery writing that she read aloud.
"Dear Amira, Bianca, and Cheren,
Congratulations on graduating!
The time has now come for you to experience the world.
I've brought three Pokémon, one for each of you.
Please settle your choices politely.
Enjoy your Pokémon!
Signed, Professor Juniper."
"What does she mean, 'experience the world," Bianca asked in awe at the mystic choice of words.
"It means we're not kids anymore," answered Cheren. "With Pokémon by our sides, we finally get to be treated like adults. We can go wherever we want, do whatever we want, that sort of thing."
"Oh…" Her voice became meek, feeling ashamed for not knowing. Amira sensed her worry and spoke to comfort her.
"It's a rite of passage to go on a journey with Pokémon," she explained. "My dad got his first Pokémon at ten, my mom too. We're a bit late but it's finally our turn!"
"We're not late," countered Cheren as he crossed his arms in irritation. "We're just better prepared."
It was true that it was customary for most children to get their Pokémon at ten years old, twelve at the latest. That they were all in their late teens and just now starting out was extremely rare but not unheard of.
Their parents had postponed sending them on their Pokémon journey in favor of furthering their education. A Pokémon trainer's basic education was only compulsory from the ages of five to ten, but they had been enrolled in a private academy that extended from the ages of ten to eighteen. Alongside training and caring for Pokémon, they were given a well-rounded education and taught subjects such as math, science, history, and physical health.
Amira and Bianca looked at each other with stifled laughter. Being nineteen and the oldest, it was often assumed Cheren had been held back a year and that they had graduated early. In truth, it just came down to the placement of their birthdays against the school calendar. The ill luck of having an early birthday had taunted Cheren ever since day one.
"Can you just pick already," he sighed impatiently.
"Oh yeah! Here I go!"
She looked at the Poké Balls carefully as her hand hovered over them. She knew this was a big decision and how important your very first Pokémon was. She was choosing her partner, one that would be with her for the rest of their lives.
"This is it," she said as she picked up the one to the far right.
"Oh, me next please!" Being even more impatient than Cheren, Bianca hurried to pick up the ball in the middle.
"Hey," he yelled in indignation. "That's a cruddy way to go about it! But that's fine," he sighed. "I wanted this one from the beginning." He chose the final Poke Ball left.
Amira had wasted no time in calling her Pokemon out and introducing herself with a kiss on its forehead. She squealed in delight as she held her Pokémon in her arms.
'Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokémon. It fights using the scalchop on its stomach. In response to an attack, it retaliates immediately by slashing.'
The little otter looked embarrassed but stared at her in wide-eyed awe. He didn't know what to think yet of this new person he would call his trainer. He found her cuddling and stroking of his fur calming. Then in a moment, as he remembered himself, he straightened up and spoke to her in twittering noises with his most serious expression.
"He's so cute," she squealed. As she praised Oshawott's cuteness to his displeasure, Bianca and Cheren were getting acquainted with their own Pokémon.
'Tepig, the Fire Pig Pokémon. It can deftly dodge its foe's attacks while shooting fireballs from its nose. It roasts berries before it eats them.'
Tepig pranced around Bianca and nuzzled her while grunting happily.
'Snivy, the Grass Snake Pokémon. It is very intelligent and calm. Being exposed to lots of sunlight makes its movements swifter.'
Snivy and Cheren, though no less fond of each other, wore the same humorless countenance but shared a small smile.
"Now that we've each got a Pokémon, let's compare them, okay? Ami, I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"
Bianca wasted no time in her declaration but Amira worried that perhaps their Pokémon would be too young to battle so soon. Oshawott leapt from her arms and took a defensive stance with his scallop readily in hand.
"Talk about prepared," she said in amazement.
"Of course," said Cheren, he and Snivy both wearing matching expressions of disapproval. "As starter Pokémon, they're raised to be easily trained by beginners."
"Alright," cheered Bianca in interruption. "Tepig, let's go!"
The battle was intense but short. Oshawott had the type-advantage of water over fire and won the battle with ease.
"Oh wow," Bianca said in exhaustion. "You're really strong already!"
She recalled Tepig into his Poké Ball to rest as Amira gave Oshawott a thumbs up for a job well-done.
"She should be," countered Cheren, "her only decent grade was in battling."
She pouted and stuck her tongue out at him as Bianca chided him.
"Cheren! Don't be rude! It's true Ami's grades weren't the best but you shouldn't mention it aloud like that!"
"Yeah," she agreed.
"It might embarrass her Pokémon to know that his trainer had to repeat some classes more than once!"
"Yeah... Hey! Bianca, you can stop helping now."
Even though Bianca apologized and didn't mean any harm, Amira gave them both an annoyed look. It's not like she was the only one that had her strengths and weaknesses. At least she managed to pass the exit exam and that was good enough for her. Oshawott stood by her side not caring about the conversation at all.
"Still," added Cheren, "you two want to take a look around?"
The two girls gasped at the devastation they had overlooked during the battle. The room was now a mess with water and embers everywhere. A potted plant lay broken and muddy footprints tracked along the carpet and walls. Her bedding was ripped to shreds, books were strewn about, shelves overturned, and there was now a large hole in her flat screen TV.
"Oh man…" She whined in a low voice. "Mom's going to flip when she sees this…"
"Oopsies," sang Bianca. "Uhm, I promise to help clean it up."
"Yeah, let's go downstairs and –"
"Wait! I want to see if your strategy is as good as it seems," demanded Cheren. "Snivy and I won't make a mess of it like you two did!"
"We're ready when you are," she shot back.
She smirked as she and Oshawott took a prepared stance. The battle began and though the type-advantage was in Cheren's favor, his preference for roundabout status attacks lost to her more direct methods of choosing damage dealing moves.
"Ugh," he gritted his teeth in frustration at his loss. "Okay. So maybe you're grades in battling were more than decent. You're strong. I get it."
She smiled defiantly in triumph. "Otto and I make a great team."
"Otto," he asked with a raised eyebrow, giving voice to the confused expression on the Oshawott's face.
"Yep." She reached down to pick him up and gave him another hug. "His name is Otto."
"Uh-huh… Let's go apologize to your mom for the noise," he said as he began sulking down the stairs.
"And get a broom for this mess," she reminded him as she recalled Otto into his Poké Ball.
Her mom sat on the couch in the living room watching television when she heard the party come trudging down the stairs. She only laughed as Bianca explained what had happened and Amira sheepishly tried to downplay the damage.
"Oh, don't worry about that," she said waving them off. "It'll be taken care of. It's amazing such small Pokémon have so much power, isn't it?"
She stared at Mint, her pet Minccino, as she spoke. It was currently in the kitchen stirring something in a stew pot and singing to itself. Suddenly, it lifted the spoon and began banging on the pot like a bell. That was its way of saying whatever it was had started to boil. Her mother hurried from her seat and went over to the kitchen to stop it before it did.
"You kids should get over to Professor Juniper's lab. She's got another present for you all!"
They each thanked her in turn and headed out the door as she called after them, "don't forget to thank her for your Pokémon!"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
"Oh wait, I have to go home first," said Bianca. "I have to tell my mom and dad the good news!"
Amira and Cheren exchanged hesitant glances.
"Are you sure that's a good idea," he asked.
"I can't just leave home without saying goodbye," she answered in disbelief that he would even make such a suggestion. "I'm sure they won't have a problem with it. Uhm... But Ami... Could you?"
"I'll go with you just in case," she nodded.
Bianca breathed a sigh of relief while Cheren just sighed.
"I'll be waiting at the Professor's then. Don't take too long!"
"We won't! Promise!"
They linked arms as they walked off towards her house. Bianca's parents, specifically her father, were known to be overprotective. He had made Bianca stay home from school on days when they had mock Pokémon battles and made her take electives that dealt with everything but. Neither Cheren nor Amira understood his reasoning and Bianca dismissed it as just the way things were. When they arrived at her house, Bianca held tight to her hand. She gave her a small squeeze of reassurance in return.
"It's okay," she told her. "Just remember, we have Pokémon to protect us now. We've waited long enough and this is our graduation gift!"
Bianca nodded but was still trembling as they entered the living room. Her mom was in the kitchen watching a cooking show on an old cube television and her dad sat on the couch watching sports.
"What are you girls up to today," he asked with a wave for 'hello'. Bianca stood silent until Amira nudged her.
"Uhm," she began, "well… We got a Pokémon today from Professor Juniper."
"What!?"
The sudden change in his tone of voice and the volume made the two girls jump.
"That's lovely, dear," said Bianca's mom as she came to her daughter's defense. "It's about time, isn't it?"
"Yeah!" Amira quickly answered in hopes that she could help sway the conversation. "We're both really excited. Cheren's coming too and my mom's okay with me going so Bianca has nothing to wo-"
"No! No! A thousand times, no," he shouted back at them.
"I'm a good trainer," cried Bianca. She tore her hand away from Amira and held them in front of her as her pleas turned to screaming, matching the volume of his. "I passed my licensing test! I got a Pokémon and everything! I can totally go on an adventure!"
"Of course you can," said her mom as she came over to put her arms around her daughter. She was trying her hardest to keep a happy face but her voice had a gentle authority that said she had won more than her share of screaming matches with her husband.
"You girls go on ahead to see Professor Juniper before you leave."
With no need to be told twice, Amira wrapped her arm around Bianca's waist and rushed out of the house.
"Thank you ma'am! Sir!"
"How can my daughter, who knows nothing about the world, be expected to travel alone" he yelled as they left. "It's too dangerous!"
Bianca sobbed softly as they walked the road to Professor Juniper's laboratory, leaning against each other for support.
"It'll be okay," Amira said while rubbing her back.
"I know. I'll be fine."
Bianca breathed deep and rubbed her eyes as they approached Professor Juniper's lab. Cheren stood on the porch waiting for them.
"How'd it go – " he began to ask but came to an abrupt stop when he saw Bianca's wet eyes and Amira's look of caution. "Oh…"
"Everything's okay," answered Bianca in a chipper tone. "Come on! Let's see what else Professor Juniper has for us!"
She bounded up the steps and into the lab. Amira was right behind her until a hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.
"Hey, at Bianca's place, her dad, did he…?"
"Yeah, I thought you could hear it from here. Her mom's okay with it though. So if she says she'll be okay, then I think she will."
"That guy's piece of work," he said as he leaped past her.
"Hey," she shouted as she realized he had tricked her into last place.
Professor Juniper's lab was also her home. Her living room made the front of the house and the lab was in the back. Bianca sat at a dining table and motioned for them to take seats next to hers when they entered. There was a tea set on the table and mugs of hot water waiting for them to help themselves. Amira immediately began adding honey and copious amounts of sugar to hers, while Cheren preferred to drink his plain.
"How do you like it? Its Persim berry tea," came a voice from the kitchen.
"It's very good, thank you very much," answered Bianca as Amira nodded in agreement.
Cheren stopped and his dark grey eyes grew wide in shock. He set his cup down and pushed it away as he mouthed the words 'Pokémon tea'. Amira shrugged and took another sip. Bianca put her cup down and stared at it, wondering what 'Pokémon tea' was and whether she should be drinking it.
A tall, brunette woman in a green pencil skirt and a white lab coat emerged from a door in the kitchen and walked over to the table and sat with them.
"My name is…"
"Professor Juniper," Cheren answered in a deadpan manner, "it's on your name tag."
"And the door," Bianca chimed, though unlike Cheren, she was genuinely being observant.
"Come, come!" Professor Juniper chided gently with a smile still on her face. "Today's a special day so please have some formality. My name is Professor Juniper. I'm the Unova Regional Pokémon Professor. I study Pokémon, such things as where they come from, their evolutions, even their type differences. It's my dream to collect data on all the Pokémon in the Unova region! Now, as to why I gave you all Pokémon, it's for a very special assignment."
"The Pokédex, right," Cheren interrupted again.
"The Pokédex," Bianca asked, neither she nor Amira had any idea what this was.
"The Pokémon Index, or Pokédex for short," erupted the Professor Juniper with sudden excitement. "It's a device that scans and records information on Pokémon you've encountered. I'd like you all to help me catalog as many Pokémon as possible. In return, you get to go on a journey with Pokémon and discover your dreams! What do you say? Does it sound like a fitting proposal?"
"Yeah," Bianca answered excitedly.
"Sounds awesome!" Amira too, was catching their fervor.
"I've got no complaints," Cheren answered calmly. "As long as I can be a Pokémon trainer and get stronger."
"Oh, thank you! All of you! Thank you!"
Professor Juniper jumped up in a sudden burst of emotion. Cheren held the table steady to keep it from falling over and Amira quickly righted the tea set before it could spill. Professor Juniper grabbed them all around the waist and suddenly, with the strength that surprised them for her slim frame, bear hugged the breath out of them. Only Cheren managed take in enough air to plead for their release.
"Professor! Please!"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I just got so excited!" She straightened her coat after she let go of them, blushing as they doubled over to gasp for air. "Well, I've got to make a call. There's a friend of mine in Striaton City that I want you to stop by and see by the name of Fennel. I'll let her know to expect you. You three should get going!"
Before they knew it, they were standing again on Professor Juniper's front porch with the door closed firmly behind them.
"There you are!"
They were greeted by the familiar happy voice of her mother as she walked them with Mint in tow. The Minccino was careful about its steps as it held a box twice its size that blocked its view.
"So what did the Professor have to say," she sang teasingly. "Let me guess, to complete the Pokédex right? I already knew that. Your parents and I decided it was time to let you kids grow up. So we asked Professor Juniper to give you Pokémon as a graduation gift. I also went out and bought these, one for each of you."
She handed each of them a map of the Unova region and they thanked her in turn.
"I can't believe you're all so grown. Before I start crying, Mint wanted to give you something too so we made these!"
She reached down and took the box from Mint as it chirped impatiently. It was actually three lunch boxes stacked on top of each other.
"If you ever want a home cooked meal, feel free to come home anytime, okay?"
"Oh! Mom, wait!" Amira said as she knelt down and held up her Pokédex in front of Mint.
'Minccino, the Chinchilla Pokémon,' announced an automated voice. 'They greet one another by rubbing each other with their tails, which are always kept well-groomed and clean.'
Amira gasped in surprise and Mint ran to hide behind her mother. Cheren and Bianca too were both amazed by the display. Still impatient to begin their adventure, they all thanked her again as they took their lunch boxes with a hug.
"Next stop, Accumula Town," Amira announced.
"Wait," pleaded Bianca, "since we're starting our journey together, let's take our first step together."
"Yeah!"
She linked arms with Bianca and grabbed hold of Cheren before he could talk his way out of it. They walked in silence with smiles on their faces, each deep in thought imagining what awaited them.