*author's note* This fic, is based both, on the Pokémon anime and games, and as such, all battle-logic and overall functioning of the world will be based on the most suiting version for the plot, plus a few tweeks and ajustments needed for the story to enroll. Please respond accordingly, correct what you think it need correction on the review section and I shall respond either by accepting your correction or explaining my reasons for the change.
It was a cold, foggy morning in Lavender Town, most like every other morning for that matter.
The sun had risen an hour before, but part of the town were still in the shadows, due to the surrounding montains for the most part, but at Alexis's house, the shadow was caused by the Pokémon Tower, the great graveyard of Pokémon.
Cubone would aways be up early, and by the time Alexis awoke, he would be staring at the Tower in the distance.
"Goog morning, Cubone" she said, still laid in bed "Today's the great day. You will finally be relieved from having to look at that Tower every single day".
Cubone looked at her and nodded, almost feebly. He was unsure it would be better or worst for him, but leaving Alexis was out of question.
The twelve year-old girl (old in the rookie Pokémon trainer standards) got out of bed on her own time, still dizzy out of slumber, and noticing how she was being slow, Cubone decided to get out of the window and shake her a little.
"Hey, hey, easy buddy, you know I'm not a morning person" she said.
"Cu-bone!" the small pokémon encouraged her.
"Yes, yes, I know" the trainer said as she speeded things up.
She got dressed with her favorite brown pants, her orange dress buttoned-up front, and her green hoodie jacket, and while she combed her short chesnut hair in the mirror, Cubone brought her her Ekans pattern scarf.
"Do you think it will be that cold?" she asked Cubone, who responded with positive demeanor.
Seeing the decision as reasonable, Alexis decided to wear the scarf. Already dressed, the young trainer reached for the backpack she set up with food, her notebooks, pokémon enciclopédias and traveling guides, as well as other utilitarian stuff like rope, pokémon repel and a switchblade, and weared it too, ready for her journey.
"Hop on" she said to Cubone, and the little pokémon promptly climbed her shoulders and accomodated in her backpack.
She crossed the small corridor and was at the kitchen, where her father was cooking.
"Hey champ, I thought I was gonna have to wake you up. Harry already came here looking for you" he said, as his Gastly echoed in his same tone, like she was translating it to pokémon language.
"WHAT? He already left?" Alexis asked her father , shocked.
"He said he would wait for you in the car" he responded.
Alexis quickly grabbed a sandwitch, at the table and said "Well dad, then I will call you when I get the chance" she kissed his cheek "Goodbye dad" and then she moved on Gastly, patted her shortly, and said "Goodbye Gastly" as she left before father or pokémon could even respond.
Alexis trotted as quickly as she could without the risk of bitting her own tongue while still sharing her sandwich breakfast with Cubone, and made it to Mr Fuji's Pokémon Care house, where Harry was waiting at his father's car.
"Hey Alexis! Why took you so long?" he said upon seeing her.
"Doesn't matter" Alexis said "I'm here now"
Harry was Alexis best friend and rival since childhood. He lived in Saffron with his father, the fighting dojo master, but he would aways visit Lavender, because he's mother was born there.
"Aways slippery, aren't you?" he said "Bet you where plotting something for our fisrt oficial battle as trainers" he teased on how Alexis will to aways analyse and study things before a battle. Which was the very reason she delayed her iniciation as a real trainer, studying for it. And Harry acompanied her, becasuse he was just too stubborn to begin training without her rival.
"Why? I can make up a strategy for you as the battle is going" she teased back "Where's Haunter?" she asked, noting the absence of her rival's own pokémon.
"Look behind you" said Harry.
Alexis fell for it and Haunter licked her in the face causing her to be paralyzed for a second.
"Oh come on!" she cried.
"Get in girl, we can make small talk on the way to Pallet" said Harry's father above his son's laughter.
She did so still looking fiercely to Harry, but as she closed the door she said to his father "Thank you for coming up all the way to Lavender just to grab me, Mr Kiyo".
"Oh, it's nothing really, I would have to come here anyway, so, more than happy to help" he said.
"Are you ready, Alexis? There's no getting back to your old life now" Harry says, turning backwards on the bench, while Haunter entered the car trough the window, behind him.
"Don't make it sound so final, son. Jeez, you're gonna scare her" Mr Kiyo said.
"No Mr Kiyo, his right" Alexis says, with a burning passion "Failure is not na option for me". And as Cubone cheers along he's trainer, Mr Kiyo drived out of Lavender with a smile in his face, happy to be with those young trainers and their two pokémon starting their journey.
After an almost full day of driving, Harry hugged his father goodbye, and he took the road downhill, going away from the gates of Professor Oak's Laboratory.
Both trainers froze on spot, looking at the wide windows of the three floors big house, and past it, to the great windmill behind the house, and even past it, to the green hills filled with pokémon stored and researched by the professor and his assistants.
The car that drived them there was long gone, and the sun was midway set when Harry finally reached for the gates, but he tangled with the lock.
"Nervous?" asked Alexis, mockingly.
"As if you weren't. At least I'm still moving" he said as he finally opened the lock and the gate opened.
Another minute passed before the young trainers finally walked the steps to the laboratory.
The bell was on Alexis's side, and she hesitated before ringing it.
After quite some time, the door finally opened, and the friendly face of the world-famous pokémon researcher, Professor Oak opened the door.
"Oh, sorry to keep you waiting, you must be the kids that are meant to start your journey today, aren't you?" he says.
The two simply nod,vigoroulsy.
Oak laughs, friendly and opens space for them "Get in kids. Whould you please tell me your names?".
"I'm Harry Kuro, from Saffron City" says Harry, as he enters the lab, closely followed by his Haunter.
"And I'm Alexis Chess, from Lavender Town" says Alexis, as she does the same.
They two enter in a small comm room, with not much interesting going on at the moment, aside of it being the comm room of an worldwide respected pokémon scientist, and they being there.
"Well, I don't get many kids from Lavender Town around here. Really pleasant place, you have good music there. Good to see one of you easy going folks choosing the adventuring trainer life" says Oak.
"Well, thank you very much, Professor. Sir" says Alexis embarrassed.
"So, I see that the two of you already have your own pokémon, that's really nice. You even have an evolved one, boy, and a Haunter for that matter, impressive." He says to Harry, who immediately inflates he's ego.
"Thank you professor" he says proudly.
"That does take one thing out of the way, ideed. You won't be needing starter pokémon" he keeps on.
"What? Why?" Harry says desperate.
"Oh, I don't believe you don't know" says Alexis "We already have pokémon. The starters whole point is that new trainers do not have to start from scratch against wild pokémon, and straight level the rookies competitiveness. Technically speaking, we're already unbalanced just by posessing pokémon prior to our iniciation, there's no reason to unbalance it even more".
"That's right. I couldn't have said better, young lady. You truly are a smart one" says Oak, giving Alexis her own turn to inflate her ego.
Harry still seemed extremely distressed, but he accepted the blow on his expectations.
"I wanted a Charizard so bad..." he says.
Oak laughed, pleased "Oh, don't be like that, boy. You'll certainly have a chance to catch one".
Alexis laughed as well "Yeah, right".
"So passing on, I must present you with the pokédex" Oak then pull out of his pocket two lustrous red devices and gives one to each young trainer.
The two kids take the little devices like their life was on it. And, metaphorically speaking, it really was.
"As you well know, the dex serves as an infinite potencial database, primarily pokémon related database, but your trainer ID and the Official Pokémon League news and directives are also functionalities of the pokédex, you may register your trainer info after we finish here" says Oak as he notices that the two fascinated kids were drifting away from him and starting to explore the pokédex.
The two kids look at him apologetically and Oak gives them a warm smile before proceeding "And last, but not least, here are your first six pokéballs" he then pulls out of his pockets twelve minimized form pokéballs and share them between the two kids.
The two excited young trainers can barely contain themselves, feeling the cold metal touch of the balls in their hands.
"Your Haunter and Cubone where both informally captured, weren't they kids?" asked Oak.
Both kids again, nodded in response.
"Well, that's a good chance to finally give them a pokéball. Even if you don't wish to keep them there, it's more safe to have an assigned pokéball and so no evil bunch can try to claim them from you" Oak explains in a grave tone.
Both the kids agree in the same grave tone, and they maximize one of their own pokéballs before each look at its own partner.
Both Cubone and Haunter look inquisitively at their trainers when faced with the balls.
"Come on Haunter" says Harry as he taps his ball on Haunter's face and he is immediately dragged into the ball, making a click after a few seconds.
"You too Cubone. You won't have to stick there if you don't want to, it's just a matter of safety, ok?" explains Alexis, and then Cubone nods and welcomes the tap of the metal on his nose and leaves the pokéball shortly after it clicks.
"Well then, kids. You are officially adventuring pokémon trainers qualified for Pokémon League disputes and Gym Challenges. What are you going to do now? I'd sugest you both have a battle here, to warm up." says Oak.
Again, both kids nod to him, enthusiastically.
"Oh yeah! I can't wait to finally beat you up as an official trainer Alexis!" said Harry.
"Oh, you'll wait for a long time before that happens, Harry" she said pushing him, friendly.
"In your dreams it will take longer than tonight!" he pushes back.
Oak laughs at them "That's the spirit! May I be the judge for your battle?".
"Absolutely!" both kids say at the same time.
Oak smiles, deeply amused with the enthusiastic new trainers "Please follow me, kids, let's battle where you won't break things".
Alexis and Harry stand in oposite sides of the fenced grassfiled behind Oak's Laboratory, the shady dim light of the late dusk still not giving up space to the moon and stars.
Harry pulls out his pokéball "Are you ready Alexis? You're gonna get beat like all other times" he says.
"This time it will be different Harry" she replies "Me and Cubone have been training, so you better go full on or that will be a walk in the park for me".
"Yeah right" the confidente boy says.
Curious, Oak intervenes "Pardon me, but you have been in battles before? A Cubone versus a Haunter?".
Both kids are surprised, but both of them nod "Why? Is that ilegal or something?" Harry asks, suddenly scared.
"No, no, no, not at all. It's just that... How do you do it? I mean, Ghost types are unnafected by normal attacks, and Haunters and its evolutionary line have the ability to levitate, which makes them also immune to ground attacks. That covers na awfull lot of Cubone's attakcs" Oak replies.
Harry nods still not fully understanding "Yeah what about it?".
Alexis however smiles "That's why I studied two years before coming here, Professor, I want to bring the best out of my pokémon, I want them to be able to defeat impossible odds. I would never put the safety of Cubone on the line if I thought he may not win" she says.
Oak looks at her impressed, but a jealous Harry trows back "Oh yeah? Is that why you have been losing to me all those years? Even after your little studying endeavor started?".
"I told you I've not been serious recently Harry, I was studying your moves too" she says, plainly.
"Yeah, small talk, you're a bad loser, that's what you are" Harry says irritated, thinking that his friend just want to show off for Oak.
"No fighting kids, let your pokémon tell the truth of your words" says Oak, censoring them.
The two trainers now glare at each other "Just say the word Professor" says Alexis confident.
Oak looks at them both and then he shouts "Start!".
"Haunter, go!" immediately shouts Harry, lauching his pokéball.
Haunter floats upside down and back, showing off before tha battle, as he aways does.
Alexis smiles at her friend's eagerness "You know what to do Cubone".
The small Cubone leaps off Alexis shoulder and lands in position, showing off his prowess with its club bone.
"Haunter, Night Shade!" shouts Harry.
Before Haunter concludes his move Alexis says "Dig Cubone".
Cubone imediately dives into the ground, dodging Haunter's attack.
"You're just using the same old tricks, Alexis, it won't fool me" says Harry.
"Am I?" says Alexis, taunting.
Harry growls "you know how to counter that Hounter, float high and keep your eyes for when Cubone leaps out of the ground".
Haunter immediately responds and keeps he's eyes open searching for Cubone.
Alexis smiles "Alright Cubone, now! Just as we trained!".
Cubone immediately appears leaping out the ground and going with his club against Haunter.
The attack passes through Haunter, unnafecting him.
"What? Really?" thinks Harry not believing that his friend studied all that much to make such a dumb move "Shadow Punch, Haunter!" he commands.
In a fraction of seconds tho, Harry sees Alexis smiling, and them he knew something was off.
Before he could react however, Haunter's Shadow Punch passed right through Cubone, who immediately vanished.
"What?" thought Harry "It's like a clone from... Double Team".
"Haunter move out!" he shout's the order for Haunter as another Cubone appeared out the ground and hurled a stone at him.
Haunter barely dodges the rock, and Cubone immediately dives back into his hole.
"Quickly Haunter, chase him into the tunnel and Shadow Punch before he can attack you again!" commanded him.
Haunter did so, and the field was in silence for seconds.
Alexis couldn't help both to laugh.
"What are laughing at, Haunter is going to find him at the tunnel and then Cubone will have no chance!" Harry said.
Alexis then said "If you say so".
At that very moment, hHaunter emerged from the ground wil a fainted Cubone into his hand.
"YEAH!" Harry cheered immediately, laughing alongside Haunter.
Oak was about to call off the match, but them Haunter was suddenly struck in the back and feel into the ground.
Behind it, Cubone leaped out the ground.
The fainted Cubone puffed off smoke and revealed itself as a pokédoll.
"WHAT?" shouted Harry, shocked.
"Now Cubone! The Bone Rush!" commanded Alexis, being upfront obeyed by Cubone.
"Haunter's in the gorund" Thought Harry "He's not levitating anymore!" he ralized, and then he commanded "Get up Haunter! Come on!" .
But Hanter was not quick enough and Cubone rushed hitting him on the ground.
Haunter was tossed, defenseless into the ground.
"Haunter no!" said Harry desperate.
"Now Cubone, finish with magnitude!" Alexis commanded, being attended by Cubone, that hittet the ground with it's club, sending a groundshaking shockwave into Haunter.
Haunter then just layed down in the ground, with its toung pending outside of his mouth.
"Cubone is the winner! Victory goes to Alexis" said Oak, poiting his armo n Alexis's side.
Cubone leaped happily back to his trainer, who hugged it tight "We won Cubone! We really won!" she shouted as she bounced around in joy.
"You weren't so confident from the beginning then, huh?" said Harry bitterly, with Haunter already called back and resting.
Alexis felt the need to cheer up his friend "Well, you aways been a tough opponent. You can't just get rido f that respect just by having a strategy that you're sure it will work".
Harry punched he arm friendly "Oh, come on, at least admit you were nervous" he taunted, determined not to show off just how he was feeling awfull for losing.
Alexis just laughed this time.
"It was certaingly a tremendous battle" said Oak, aproaching the two young trainers "I haven't seen one like that in a long time, you two certainly are Pokémon League material, I've seen worst performaces by more experienced trainers in the Leagues, even some of those that departed from this very town." Praised Oak.
"Oh come on Professor, you don't have to be this nice to me, Alexis owned me in this battle" Harry said sadly, almost apologetically.
"I'm sure it was that easy because she already knew you and Haunter and you battle style and trained hard for it. And certainly your confidence for winning against her previously didn't help either, otherwise that would at least be a close match" lectured Oak.
Harry was still not convinced yet.
"Cheer up Harry, I still expect to fight a full team of six of yours in the League" said Alexis "At the finals" she added.
Harry couldn't help but to smile back "Do you really want that Silver trophy that bad?".
"You know gold has aways been my color" she taunted back.
Then the two friends punched each other in the arms, friendly.
Oak laughed joyfully "Oh, how I lovethe sight of two young trainers competing for their dreams!".
"And you bet you're going to see us having them made truth!" says Harry, confident.
"Yeah. Me before him tho" Alexis giggles.
And so, as the sun finally dived into the horizon, the journey of the two new young trainers started.