Author's note:
Hello, and thank you for reading!
This story was originally based on only generations I to III, and so until just past half way through book 1, no gen IV or later will appear.
From here on out, a new chapter will be added every Tuesday and Friday!
Also, if you've read this already (not that you'd remember, the last update was a looong time ago), I've made a few edits to the existing chapters.
Lastly, this story is set in an all-new region. If you'd like a (badly drawn) map, send me a PM and I'll link it to you!
Please read, review, and enjoy!
Seth ran and ran, as fast as his tired legs would allow. It was always the same routine, all through school - Jack and Mitchell would always humiliate him, isolate him and hurt him. But Seth made a point of it not to let it get to him. He was always too weak to overcome them both, and too socially inept to get friends on his side, or dissuade the bullies. He had to go it alone, and, until recently, he had managed just fine. He could handle the punches, the kicks, the put-downs.
What he was finding much harder to handle, however, was the freaking lightning bolts!
"Thundershock!" Jack's voice came wafting over the crest of the hill Seth had just sprinted down. This particular hill was a grassy plain, with a single, tall oak tree several metres away, and nothing else for him to hide behind. In hindsight, this was a poor place to run to. Jack appeared over the crest of the hill first, just as a large magnet with an eye floated by, releasing a Thundershock attack as commanded. Seth internally damned all Magnemites to the pits of hell for that. Using some fancy footwork, he quickly stumbled to the side, nearly tumbling down the hill as he did so. The grass where his feet were hissed and was instantly burnt black. Moments later, Mitchell and his two Nincadas stormed the hill as well – one had already used Scratch on his leg twice, and Seth's pant leg was moist with slow leaking blood, but the other Nincada had been taught Flash – that is to say, its attacks were Flash and Harden. Not entirely threatening.
"Come on, Buzz, Thundershock him!" Jack cried again. Magnemite obliged his master happily, sending another bolt of electricity sizzling through the air. This one struck Seth square in the back, sending him into minor convulsions and forcing a cry of pain to escape him. His short, blue hair stood on end as the static coursed through him, and he collapsed face first to the ground. He grasped the soil in his fist, trying to overcome the pain, but to no avail.
"Heh," Jack scoffed, seeing Seth's weakened state, "this is way better than just beating him up ourselves!" Seth groaned quietly, rolling onto his back. Buzz the Magnemite was hovering over him, and Mitchell's Nincadas scurried up beside him. One scratched at his eye, drawing blood over Seth's left eyebrow. "Buzz, Tackle!" Seth was unable to move out of the way before the magnet pokemon delivered a Tackle attack, bruising several ribs. He coughed with the pain, shaking his ribs and causing more hurt.
"Flash, Slice, return!" Mitchell called. The Nincadas disappeared in a flash of red light, back into their pokeballs. But the magnet wasn't done.
"Thundershock, again!" Jack called – but Seth wouldn't let it happen again. In a move of desperation, and backed by a surge of adrenaline, he quickly rolled on the grass, letting the patch of soil crackle and burn upon being struck by the attack. Rising to his feet in the blink of an eye, he swung his leg out, kicking Magnemite in its large eye, blinding the creature. Enraged, Buzz attempted another Thundershock of its own accord, which Seth had already anticipated and ducked under. He grabbed Buzz by its large magnets and spun it several times in the air, disorientating him. The pokemon let loose another Thundershock, which missed wildly, zapping a Ledyba whom happened to be fluttering by. It screamed, and fell to the ground, charred and unmoving. Seth leapt onto the Magnemite's back, pushing it to the floor. He quickly stood and stomped it into the ground several times, hoping to incapacitate it. It didn't work – the Magnemite simply levitated back into the air, almost inadvertently whacking Seth in the face as it rose.
Seth had positioned himself right between where Jack and Mitchell were chasing him from and Magnemite. Realising this, and hoping they hadn't moved much, he decided to try something. He tapped Buzz on the back, then ducked down. Sure enough, another Thundershock was unleashed at him, sailed overhead, and struck Mitchell – a fact affirmed by Mitchell's yelp, and a meaty thud on the earth moments later. Seth turned to admire his handiwork. What he saw was Jack's face, contorted with anger, and a white-knuckled fist flying at him. It hit its mark – the cut one of Mitchell's Nincadas made – and Seth was sprawled out on the floor, conscious, but very dizzy and disorientated. Satisfied, Jack withdrew Magnemite.
In its unfocused state, Seth's mind wandered to how Jack and Mitchell came to have pokemon. Unfortunately for him, they were several weeks older than him, and, upon turning sixteen, had received their first pokemon each. Jack selected Magnemite for its electrical power and steely defence, and Mitchell chose Nincada for its tenacity, along with its small size and burrowing ability, which would be excellent for hiding things and pulling off pranks. He had been lucky enough to get a female in heat, resulting in several males of the species flocking near him. One particular unlucky male had been practically mauled by the rest, and Mitchell had seized the opportunity and captured it. Seth himself was still three days away from receiving a pokemon – not that surviving those three days was a guarantee.
"Hey, I got an idea." Jack's voice called, dulled through Seth's pounding skull. "I just weakened you. Now, I'm gonna capture you." He pulled a pokeball from his belt, and let it fall out of his hands, and hit Seth on the head. As should be expected, the pokeball did nothing, and Seth was not captured. But as Jack cockily bent down to pick up his pokeball, Seth swung an uncoordinated fist – one that happened to strike Jack in the back of the head, knocking him to the floor as well. Angry and bitter, Seth snatched the pokeball and whacked Jack in the side of the head with it. Spittle flew from Jack's mouth as he sprawled out on the grassy hill. Unfortunately, however, Mitchell had recovered, and held a pokeball in his hand. In a flash of red light, a Nincada was summoned at his feet. Still dazed by Jack's strike, Seth wasn't thinking clearly. He held out the ball, hoping to somehow recall the pokemon before he could be assaulted again.
"Attack!" The Nincada that came out, though, had no attacks. It did, however, let out an immensely bright Flash, blinding man and pokemon alike – All but Seth, whose eyes were luckily shielded by an empty pokeball. Angered, the bug pokemon scurried across the hill, though Seth was unsure what it intended to do once it reached him. He braced himself. Perhaps he wasn't too weak to take them both on…
Nincada leapt at him with decent speed, but Seth, still high on his adrenaline rush, was faster. He tossed the pokeball aside plucked the pokemon from the air in one fluid motion, using Nincada's own momentum to twist on the spot and throw the bug high into the air. Seconds later, as Mitchell still complained of blindness and Jack still lay on the floor, barely moving but now clutching his head, the Nincada landed on its back with an awful snap.
"Oh… oh, no… I… I killed it, didn't I…" Seth whispered to himself, barely registering that Jack was beginning to fumble for his Magnemite again. All he really registered was that he wanted – needed, really – to get out of there. Away from the Nincada that had yet to move since landing. Turning, he sprinted in the direction of home. He looked back over his shoulder in the dire hope that Nincada had stirred. It hadn't. He wasn't looking where he was running, though, and slipped over the pokeball he had tossed aside. Without thinking, he picked up the ball Jack had tried to capture him with, and sprinted home.
On his way home, as always, Seth would pass by the local pokemon lab. Unlike most other regions, each town in his region hosted a pokemon lab. Only the lab in Sundown City was of any real scientific merit, but all were used as a hub to hand out starting pokemon to the local children. Most towns offered Trapinch, Spheal and Aron as starters, as the traditional starters were not native to the area, and were too expensive to sail in from other regions. In Seth's town – Leapton Town – however, things were different still. The pokemon each child received depended on what pokemon Professor Moss had recently caught but didn't want to keep.
On this particular day, Professor Moss happened to be watering his plants outside the large, dull grey lab when Seth came sprinting past.
"Whoa, whoa, wait there, young Master Hopper. I believe you're not due to get a pokemon for three days. Why have you gone and got a pokeball already?"
"Don't worry," Seth forced out, not stopping, "there's nothing in it." To prove it, he pressed the button, and out popped a beaten and charred Ledyba. Seth skidded to a halt and stared at the injured creature.
"Well... You were due to receive a free pokemon, Seth Hopper, but since you have brazenly gone and broken the rules of the Pokemon League, and captured one before your time, you now don't get a pokemon from me. Additionally, you won't get a Pokedex or trainer card, and you won't be able to compete in the Pokemon League, or any of its Gyms." In a huff that his authority had been undermined, Professor Moss stormed inside to return to… whatever it is he did, nobody was entirely sure.
I don't get a starting pokemon from the Professor?... Seth thought to himself. He knelt down and looked at the injured Ledyba just as the bug opened one eye, looking up at him sadly. Kindred spirits, you and I. I know just how it feels to be beaten and broken, looking up at someone, unsure if they are going to let you go or hurt you some more. But I see some fight in your eyes too… you want to be stronger… so do I, kindred spirit. Maybe… together… we can be stronger.
Seth gently hoisted Ledyba into the air, smiling up at the bug warmly. The Ledyba visibly relaxed in his hands, seeming to trust its new master.
"I can't have a different starter?... Aw, why would I want any other pokemon besides you?" He chuckled happily, until remembering the Nincada he had killed. That bug would never make it to a Pokemon Centre – a thought which grabbed hold of Seth like a vice. "Of course, you need a Pokemon Centre!" He exclaimed, unsure how he didn't think of it before. Nincada may have died because of him – Ledyba would not die because of him too.
Seth burst through the doors of the Pokemon Centre, Ledyba cradled in his arms. It was a quick fix, apparently – just a minor shock. Within what seemed like seconds, Ledyba was fully healed and buzzing around happily. Seth smiled warmly at his first pokemon. He felt truly happy for a few seconds – until the doors to the Pokemon Centre burst open, revealing an angry Jack, a worried Mitchell, and, in Mitchell's arms, an injured, but alive, Nincada.
"You… look what you did!" Jack accused, blatantly ignoring the attacks he himself committed. He grabbed Seth by the collar with one hand and plucked Magnemite's pokeball with the other, and dragged Seth outside, leaving Mitchell inside to heal his Nincada. As soon as they crossed the threshold of the building, Jack threw Seth to the bricks, and released Magnemite to hover menacingly above him.
"Buzz, Thu-" Magnemite was speared from the air and into the ground by a speeding Ledyba. Not fazed by the Tackle, Magnemite threw Ledyba off, delivering a Tackle attack of its own, driving the ladybug pokemon into the ground. Seth began to rush over to his bug, but was caught by Jack, who grabbed hold of the back of his collar viciously before pulling back, delivering a knee strike to the small of Seth's back, and shoving him to the floor. Jack watched with a scowl as Ledyba managed to dodge three successive Thundershocks before using Tackle again – against the Steel type, however, that simply wasn't very effective. Jack smirked – it was a losing battle for the bug. Soon, Buzz would be back to shocking Seth.
Seth got up quickly, shoving Jack to the floor, and dashing back to where the pokemon were battling, tackling Magnemite from the air before it could do whatever it was planning, and driving it to the brick-tiled ground that surrounded the Pokemon Centre. He rose to his knee, placing himself between Jack and Magnemite… he quickly rolled to the side as the magnet used Thundershock and, once again, struck its own ally. Jack collapsed to the floor with a wheeze after being struck by the electrical attack.
He wasn't able to celebrate for long, however. Magnemite delivered a Tackle attack to Seth's already bruised ribs, driving him to one knee, before being Tackled again by Ledyba. The ladybug placed itself between Seth and Magnemite defiantly, as if protecting the boy. Neither of them noticed a Nincada scuttle through Seth's legs, and stab its claw through Ledyba's back, causing the ladybug to cry in pain. Shrugging Nincada off, Ledyba turned, only to have Nincada stab both claws through its hard outer shell again. This time, the underbelly of the ground bug blocked Ledyba's view. Ledyba tried to shake the other bug off, but Nincada's claws were planted firm. Seizing the opportunity of its opponent being blinded, Magnemite charged up a Thundershock. Ledyba was swinging around wildly, however, and the attack struck Nincada. The electrical attack fizzled against the ground type harmlessly. Realising what had just happened, Ledyba used Tackle to the source of the electricity, ramming Nincada into Magnemite. Still very little damage to the steel pokemon, but it was something. Seth watched in awe as the bug/flying type was actually able to withstand the steel/electric types offence.
"Flash, Flash!" Mitchell yelled, somewhat confusingly, having healed his pokemon. Seth squeezed his eyes shut and kept his back turned – in fact, all pokemon were wise to it, save for Mitchell's other Nincada, Slice, as well as Seth's Ledyba, who had its vision already blocked anyway. Ledyba, recognising the appearance of another foe, quickly zoomed to where Mitchell's voice had come from, and butted the two Nincadas against each other. Flash and Slice made an aggravated noise, which allowed Ledyba to pinpoint Flash. The ladybug grabbed hold of the ground type, sure to point its claws away from it, and fluttered into the air. Magnemite peppered it with Thundershocks, but Ledyba was using the ground types as a kind of armour. It couldn't be hurt. Once it reached a significant height – higher than when Seth had thrown the Nincada earlier – it dropped Flash, letting it plummet to the ground. Seth allowed it to fall. After attempting to hurt Ledyba, he no longer felt the emotional desire to save the pokemon. Twisting and spearing towards Magnemite, Ledyba kept Slice firmly attached in front as a shield – not that the Nincada had any choice, its claws were extremely firmly rooted in, and it didn't even want to let go at this point for fear of the fall. Once it knew it was close to the ground, Ledyba spun, facing its back to the bricks and scraping Slice along the ground brutally. They slid towards Magnemite, in a path that would expose Ledyba's prone underbelly as it slid directly under the floating magnet. Buzz hovered in wait for that moment, Thundershock at the ready.
After several metres of scraping, Nincada was bloodied up, and too weak to unhook itself. Not that it mattered. Within a metre of Magnemite, both of Slice's claws snapped off simultaneously. The claws remained embedded within Ledyba, but the Nincada tumbled across the bricks, unconscious and unable to continue. Ledyba continued in the same motion, her underbelly still exposed. Seth held his breath as the bug flew under the magnet… then gasped as Ledyba blasted Magnemite with a Psybeam, completely knocking the electric magnet out of the air. It crashed into the bricks at nearly the same instant that Flash's plummet finally ended. Ledyba soared into the air, victorious.
"Slice! Flash! Return!" Mitchell cried, withdrawing his Nincadas. He spared a fearful glance at Seth before running back inside the Pokemon Centre. Jack coughed and hacked, but rose to his knees, recovered from the Thundershock. He glanced up to see Seth smiling victoriously, Ledyba floating overhead, and Magnemite unmoving on the bricks. Not even bothering to withdraw Magnemite, he ran home, not wanting this oddly powerful Ledyba to attack him. Seth smiled, then looked down at the Magnemite and sighed. He reluctantly picked it up, and took it into the Pokemon Centre. He incurred dirty looks from Mitchell, but the bully dared not lash out. Leaving Magnemite with the professionals, Seth and Ledyba began to stroll home.
As he tossed Ledyba's pokeball casually, Seth watched the ladybug flying around him with interest and pride. It had bested three pokemon at once, and pulled a Psybeam out of nowhere. He didn't even know Ledybas could learn Psybeam! This was going to be a great pokemon, he just knew it. But, he noticed, Buzz, Flash and Slice were all given nicknames. And even though he hated their owners, he did note that doing so would create a bond between human and pokemon. Smiling, Seth quickly came up with a suitable, albeit not entirely genius, nickname for his Ledyba. With scars on his face, a beaming smile, and a glint in his bright green eyes, he told his pokemon:
"I shall call you… Dot."