DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon or any other brand, artist, or product I mention in this story! That should about cover it.
Pokémon: Zeta Advance
Chapter 1:Αlpha Reunion
"Do you solemnly swear to lead others with wisdom, courage, and kindness?"
"I swear."
"Do you swear to act as a shield to protect the innocent, and as a sword to punish the guilty?"
"I swear."
"Do you swear to protect Pokémon from those who would use their power for evil?"
"I swear!"
"Then I, Atticus Argentinem, dub you, George Steinkreuz, a Pokémon Master." As I rose from the ground, I heard a deafening roar from the crowd. At seventeen, I was one of the youngest trainers to ever become a master.
I opened my eyes, and saw the branches and leaves of the tree I was napping under. Typical, I thought as I gazed at the green canopy overhead, trying to get a glimpse of the late morning sky. I finally get a break from the council, and they send me on a field mission.
"Vee?" I sat up, and looked at the small, fluffy creature that was my partner Pokémon.
"It's nothing, Eevee. I just wish that, for once, our vacation would stay a vacation." I told it.
"Eevee-vee!"
"Easy for you to say! You're not the one carrying everything! Plus you ride on my shoulder two-thirds of the time!" We both laughed, and Eevee soon jumped up onto my shoulder, as usual.
Oh, right. I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is George Steinkreuz, thirteenth Pokémon Master of the Pokémon Master Olympian Council. I'm about 6'2, brown hair, blue eyes, semi-tanned skin, yadda-yadda. I have an athletic build, but the tabloids say I'm "so shredded, fangirl-drool turns to steam just by being near him!" That shit? Mm-mm. I'm not that hot.
As far as being able to understand Eevee, that comes in two parts. Firstly, Eevee and I have been partners and best friends since I was eight, when his egg hatched. Secondly, I have a special aura that allows me to understand the speech of Pokémon. My powers may not be as well tuned as an actual aura guardian, but I can do basic stuff, like summoning and manipulating aura energy in different forms, a bit of telekinesis, stuff like that.
I walked around the tiny interregional port town known as "Seewea Town" in the Hoenn region. It's essentially a giant seaport with shops, cafés, restaurants, and a residential section toward the edge of town for everyday employees and a luxury hotel for VIPs and ship captains to stay the night. They had recently opened a Poké Center, which is where I was headed.
"Let's see... The Poké Center should be right next to... The Harley shop, huh? Shouldn't be too hard to find, then!" I said cheerfully. Eevee nodded in agreement.
I walked away from the directory board, and not two seconds later, did I hear the most terrifying thing a celebrity could hear. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Oh no... I thought. I slowly turned my head to see a massive army of... Fangirls.
"OMYGODOMYGODOMYGOD! IT'S REALLY HIM!"
"WE ARE, LIKE, YOUR BIGGEST FANS EVER!"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M ACTUALLY MEETING YOU IN PERSON!"
I did the only thing I could think of in this situation. "Listen, girls," I said, smiling nervously. "I'd love to sign autographs, take pictures, and give hugs any other time, but I'm actually here on official Council business, so... Another time, maybe?" I felt the sweat roll down my face, hoping they'd buy it and leave.
"We're not leaving until I get my shirt signed!"
"And I get my picture with you!"
"And I get some of your hair!" Shit. What else could I do? I started running as fast as I could, my "fan club" close on my heels.
"Eevee! I need a wall!"
"Vee!" Eevee jumped off of my shoulder and used Double Team to create a vast number of duplicates. The duplicates then got on top of one another, and linked their paws and tails to form a wall. The real Eevee started running at my side.
"Good work! Now we have a little extra time!" I exclaimed. Eevee is unique in his Double Team. From months of special training, Eevee learned how to make actual clones of himself rather than just illusions. Then, we learned how to use this ability to create special combo techniques in battle.
By the time we reached the Poké Center, we were both out of breath. We quickly got inside, and I made a B-line for the changing rooms. I had to get out of my uniform. Why even have uniforms? I thought as I quickly dropped the leather duster from my shoulders. If Atticus was still in charge, we wouldn't.
When I stepped out of the changing room, I was wearing a gray zip-up hoodie with blue flame patterns on the ends of the sleeves and just under my left shoulder next to the zipper, where a blue Harley Davidson logo was emblazoned on the jacket. On the back was the logo for the Harley shop I got it from, over by Pike's Peak. Underneath of the hoodie, I was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt from the same Harley shop. It, too, had blue flames on the sleeves and the front, with a much larger blue Harley Davidson emblem.
I was also wearing a gray hat with a red, white, and blue shield with "USA" at the top, and "2012" on one side of the bill. A hat showing support for the Unova Olympic team. I put my hood up, and Eevee climbed up into it. Eevee didn't like going into his Pokéball, so I never forced him to.
"Okay," I said lowly, "Once things settle down a bit, and we'll head towards Littleroot."
"Eevee."
Luckily, the road to Littleroot Town was empty. Very few people went to Littleroot Town from Seewea Town, as it had a direct road to Petalburg City. I pulled a candy bar out of my pocket, opened it, and split it in half.
"Here you go, Eevee," I said as I gave Eevee the bigger half. "Nurse Joy said that this kind of candy bar's okay for both people and Pokémon to eat, and I know we didn't get a chance to eat while we were there." Eevee happily took the food and started eating. I smiled, and took a bite of my own piece. It was made with honey, so naturally, that's what it tasted like. We both finished the candy bar quickly, hoping it'd tide us over until we got to town. I decided to contact an old friend while I was in Hoenn, so I brought my wrist up, and fiddled with the device on it.
The device was a Poketch 2. It had a sleeker design than the older model, came in a variety of colors, and had many more downloadable apps. I opened the messaging app, and started typing. That's when I walked into a trainer. Literally. And we both hit the dirt.
"Aaaggghhh! Hey! Watch where you're goin', pal!" The trainer said.
"Oh, sorry. I'll pay better attention next time," I said nonchalantly.
"Sorry ain't gonna cut it! Battle me! Now!"
"Look, kid. I have an important meeting to get to. So why don't you challenge someone in the town back that way?"
"DON'T CALL ME 'KID!' YOU'RE NOT MUCH OLDER THAN ME!" It was true. I looked at the trainer and noticed he looked somewhere between seventeen and eighteen. He had light-brownish hair and medium-dark skin, noticeably darker than my own. He had a stocky build, but he was a little over 5'11. Probably closer to six-foot.
He had on a blue hoodie and green pants. He clearly just started traveling in Hoenn not long ago.
Poor kid doesn't know what he's doing. I sighed. Better give him some tips. "Those slacks aren't going to last long out here. Get something more durable. Otherwise, your knees'll never stop getting scraped."
"Huh?"
"Also, make sure to carry emergency food and water. Most of the natural water around here's salt water, so it won't do you any good to drink." With that, I plugged a special set of earbuds into my phone, put two in my ears, and two in Eevee's, pressed play and started walking again.
The music flowed from my phone. Ricky was a young boy! He had a heart of stone. I liked this song. I liked rock music in general. Lived nine-to-five and worked his FINGERS TO THE BOOOONE! I knew Eevee liked it, too, so I got a set of two-person earbuds. Just barely out of school, came from the edge of town! That kid was still following me. Fought like a switchblade so no one could take him down, no! I stopped and paused the music.
"What?" I asked irritably.
"It's just that... You seem to know a lot about journeying."
"I travel a lot. That's all."
"Well, I figured, maybe I could go wherever you're off to with you! You know, you give me tips, I provide comedic companionship! Whadaya say?"
"If I wanted a comedian for a travel companion, I'd go on tour with Gabriel Iglasias." I started the music, and resumed my pace.
I could tell he was still following me. His feet hit the ground more often than mine, since my legs were longer, and I heard them. My grandpa always taught me to never block off a single sense from the world unless you were sleeping. And even then, to keep my hearing sharp, so I never played my music loud enough to keep me from listening to my surroundings.
Persistent little shit, I'll give him that. As I thought this, I looked for some way to shake him. Hmmm... When in doubt, head upward. I jumped and grabbed a tree branch, and swung myself into the leaves.
"Hey! Get back here!" The trainer yelled while I disappeared. I jumped from branch to branch like a ninja, taking time to look at all the Pokémon in the trees. I saw Wurmple and its evolutionary family, Nincada and Ninjask, Seedot, and Taillow. Lots of Taillow. Lots of very angry Taillow. I looked at where I was standing. I was about fifteen feet from a Taillow's nest.
Stealth went out the damn window once those Taillow were after me. Shitshitshitshitshitshitshiiiiit! Was all that was going through my head. Until I hit the dead branch. It collapsed from under me. As I fell, I screamed at the top of my lungs, "GOD FUCKING DAMMIIIIIIIT!"
Luckily, I didn't land on the branch. Instead, I hit a hard, worn dirt path in the middle of the forest. "Ugh... You okay, Eevee?"
"Eeeeveeee..." Responded my friend before puking on my shoulder.
"Dude, gross. Well, at least it's honey-scented... Kinda." We both laughed while I used some leaves to wipe my shoulder off. "I'm sure Professor Birch has a washing machine I can use."
We soon discovered that the dirt path led straight to Birch's lab. It was the path to his Pokémon reserve fields, where the trainers under his tutelage kept the Pokémon not in their party, including his daughter, May. We walked in to find a white haired young man wearing a black suit with various purple accents and many metal rings conversing with a heavyset brown haired man with a noticeable stubble wearing a lab coat, a navy blue polo, green cargo shorts, and sandals. "Ah, George! We were wondering when you'd arrive. What happened to your clothes?"
"Well, Steven, I was chased here through the trees by a flock of Taillow, I fell to the ground, and Eevee puked on me," I said, trying to keep my irritation with the day's events from dripping into my voice.
"Well there's a washing machine in the back you can use, but this is an urgent meeting," the Professor said.
"Thanks, Birch. I have my uniform, so I can wear that while my clothes are being washed.
"Oh! Fantastic!" Once my clothes were in the washer, the meeting proceeded.
"Now then. George, did you bring them?" Steven asked.
"Yeah, the Mega Ring's right here, and I've got Sceptile right here," I replied.
"Perfect! Here's what we found," said Birch, handing me what looked like a Pokéball sized marble.
"It's a Mega Stone, alright," I said, examining it. I handed it to Sceptile, and stood back. Then, I slipped the bracelet-like item onto my wrist, and tapped the small, rainbow colored stone in the center. As soon as I did, my wrist and Sceptile were enveloped in light. The light quickly died down. Where Sceptile stood before, there was a different looking reptilian grass-type Pokémon.
"SceeeeeepTIIIIILE!" Cried the Mega Sceptile standing before us.
"Gentlemen," I said, "I present to you... Mega Evolution."
I collected my clothes, changed back into them, and started towards the door. "Wait!" Cried Professor Birch. "We have some more Mega Stones for you!" He handed me three mega stones. "These are Salamancite, Altarianite, and Metagrossite. I'm sure you can use them better than I can!"
"Thanks, Professor. I'll be sure to check back in from time to time while I'm here," I replied.
"You're not going back to Council headquarters?" Steven asked, shocked that I would imply such a thing.
"Are you kidding? I was promised a vacation, so I'm taking a vacation!" With that, I opened the door, and walked straight into that kid again. "Rrgh! What do I have to do to get rid of you?!"
"I challenged you to a battle, so I'm gonna get a battle!" He exclaimed.
Fine. One battle. Three-on-three. Deal?"
"Yes!" Professor Birch led us to a small battlefield out back. Steven officiated.
"This is a normal three-on-three Pokémon battle! Both sides are allowed to substitute Pokémon! Ready? Begin!" Steven yelled.
"Octillery! I choose you!"
"Sceptile, let's go!" Two Pokéballs opened at the same time, his revealing a red aquatic Pokémon with short tentacles.
"Octillery! Use Octazooka!" Octillery fired a blob of black ink from its mouth at Sceptile. Of course it didn't worry me at all.
"Sceptile! Leaf Blade, back-to-back!" Sceptile wasted no time. The four leaf-like protrusions on its arms started to glow green, and grow in length. It quickly slashed Octazooka in two, rendering it useless. Then, Sceptile launched itself at Octillery, hitting it with a Leaf Blade, knocking it out cold.
"Octillery is unable to battle!" Steven announced. "Sceptile wins!"
"Octillery! Are you okay?!" The trainer asked his Pokémon. Octillery let out a sad gurgle in response.
Huh. Maybe I misjudged this kid. I thought, watching as he helped Octillery to the sidelines. "Hey, Kid! What trainer class are you?!" I asked across the field as Sceptile sat on a bench behind me.
"Stop calling me kid!" He shouted back. "My name's Carburn Clyden, and I'm an A-class trainer!"
A-class, huh? But he's never travelled on his own before? He must've been with a sibling or something. "Okay, Carburn, was it? Send out your next Pokémon!"
He obliged by throwing another Pokéball, and yelling, "Pumpkaboo! It's your turn!" The Pokéball opened, and an enormous pumpkin shaped Pokémon emerged.
"Pumpkaboo!" It cried.
"Wow! I've never seen a super-size Pumpkaboo up close like this! They're really rare!" I chimed. "But even it can't stand up to my next Pokémon! Torkoal, let's go!" From my Pokéball, a reptilian Pokémon with orange skin, a black, perforated shell, and seemingly closed eyes.
"Torkoal!" It cried, spewing white smoke from its nostrils and the hole at the top of its shell.
"Oh, is there a new pope?" Carburn quipped. I have to admit, I smirked a little at that remark. But, this was a battle.
"Torkoal! Flamethrower!" Torkoal shot a stream of fire from its mouth, which hit Pumpkaboo directly.
"Pumpkaboo is unable to battle! Torkoal wins!"
"Pumpkaboo, don't worry! I'll heal you as soon as I can!" Carburn growled. "You're gonna get it now. Time for me to send out my partner Pokémon! Dunsparce! I choose you!"
The last Pokéball opened to reveal a small yellow creature with tiny wings and a drill-like tail. "Partner, huh? Okay, then. Eevee, it's your turn," I said, waking Eevee from his nap.
"Vee~?" Eevee replied sleepily. However, he got up, and walked onto the field.
"Dunsparce! Use Rollout!" Dunsparce curled into a ball, wings parallel to its back, and rolled quickly towards Eevee.
"Eevee, jump left!" Eevee did so, and Dunsparce missed. "Now use Iron Tail!" Eevee's tail started glowing with a silver light, jumped high in the air, and curled up into a disc shape, and spun like a circular saw. Eevee came down on Dunsparce with a powerful strike.
"Dunsparce is unable to battle! Eevee wins! The victor is George!"
"Dunsparce! Are you okay?!"
"Here," I said, giving him three Revives. "These'll tide them over until we get to the Poké Center in Oldale Town."
"Thanks, I-wait, 'we?'"
"Yeah. You remind me a lot of myself when I was younger. You also remind me of another Tauros-headed S.O.B. I use to travel with. So are you in?"
"Yeah, sure. But... How'd you beat me so easily?"
I remained silent for a moment. "What's the average level of your team?"
"Um... About 25, 26. Why?"
"The average level of the three Pokémon I used in our battle is at least twice that."
"Whoa... That's incredible... But wait..." He flashed a confused look at Eevee, who just smiled deviously and nodded.
"Well? Are you coming along, or not?"
"Oh! Y-yeah! I'm coming! Alright, guys! We have an expert to travel with! This'll be great! Y'know, unless we run out of food..." And with that, I was a traveling trainer again. Little did I know that an entire new set of adventures awaited me. I was too busy thinking about how great it was to be free from the Council for the first time in three months.
Okay! I'm done with chapter one of this story. Hopefully, everyone who is featured in this comic, in this chapter and chapters to come are satisfied with the opening. 'Cause I'm not rewriting this shit. Also, I only accept constructive criticism. Constructive. Alright? Alright. Later!