Part I - Kanto
As the sun rises, Valle Vigh is on his way, embarking on a jouney of a lifetime.
Oddish
Distracted by a butterfly, Oddish ventures in to the forest and is lost from his group.
Valle catches sight of the crying Oddish and offers to take him in. Oddish willingly accepts.
Oddish is added to the team.
Oddish x Poliwag
While taking a swim with his siblings, Poliwag is caught of guard by Valle. A fight ensures. Oddish is called in. Oddish is victorious.
Poliwag is added to the team.
A one-sided rivalry develops between the two pokémon. The animosity stems from Poliwag's envy of Oddish and his relationship with Valle, believing that Valle cares more of Oddish than himself. Poliwag channels the distraguht into micro-agressions against Oddish, who is oblivious to the situation. The petty jealousy prevents Poliwag from befriending Oddish and a rift in the group occurs.
Oddish x Poliwag x Cubone
Valle reaches a small village and hears of a pokémon terrorizing the place. It is said that the beast rests in a cave at night and cries till morning light. Valle sets off to face the pokémon.
Valborg reaches the cave, where deep cries are emanating. Despite it's harrowing grouls, he comes to find a small pokémon responsible. When he comes too close, Cubone throws it's bone, hitting him on the face. With no retaliation, Cubone's anger intensifies. Cubone thumps Valle in the stomach, however, while falling to his knees, her embraces Cubone. The hug comforts Cubone. Valle offers to take him in. Cubone cryingly accepts
Cubone is added to the team
Through the companionship of Oddish, Poliwag and Valle, Cubone gradually rehabilitates. He refuses, however, to speak on the reasons for his trauma, instead opting to keep quite on his past life.
Oddish and Poliwag slightly bond over their shared friendship with Cubone. Whenever Oddish and Poliwag come to blows, Cubone breaks it off. For the two younger pokémon, Cubone is seen as an older brother. A paternal relationship develops between Cubone and Oddish and Poliwag.
Through Cubone's efforts the team experiences a period of peace.
Oddish x Poliwag x Cubone x Machop
Valborg encounters Machop and bids him for a fight. Always ready for a fight, Machop agrees. Cubone is called in, and the figth ensures. The fight is fierce. As Cubone is about to collapse of exhaustion, Machop falls to the ground. Beaten. Cubone is victorius.
Machop is added to the team
A rivalry develops between Cubone and Machop. Unlike Oddish' and Poliwag's light, one-sided rivalry, the dispute between Cubone and Machop is much deeper rooted.
Initially, Machop is upset that he lost to a significantly weaker physical pokémon. With a hurt ego, Machop disown Cubone, who repatriates the gesture.
As Machop is integrated into the group, he gradually takes Cubone's place as the leader among the pokémon. Machop is outgoing, loud and sociable, while Cubone is quite, restrained and introverted, but assertive. Naturally, Oddish and Poliwag gravite towards Machop. Dissapointed at finding his spot in the hierarcy taken, Cubone isolates himself, furthering the rift in the group. Unlike Cubone however, Machop lacks the capability of mediation, leaving Oddish and Poliwag at odds with each other. Thus the rift between the older pokémon sows disunity in the group, and a period of disharmony ensures.
Oddish x Poliwag x Cubone x Machop x Tangela
Valle reaches the outskirts of the city, when an earthquake strikes. As buildings are torn down and rescue workers fiddle around helping anyone in need, Valle volunteers to partake in the resue work. Throughout the night, survivors are pulled out of the rumble. One of these survivors is a Tangela. Valle carries Tangela to the Pokémon Center, where nurse Joy greets him.
During the hospitalization, Valle refuses to leave Tangela, instead staying by her side. At dusk the following day, Tangela opens her eyes. Valle offers to take her in. She quietly accepts.
Tangela is added to the team
While recovering from the earthquake, Tangela stays on the sidelines, quietly observing the group. She takes note of Cubone's isolation. Tangela consoles him. She learns of Cubone's troubles, including his mother's passing, which drove him to madness, and Machop's problematic inclusion in the group.
In a same manner, Tangela quietly confronts Machop and stresses the importance of unity and brotherhood, and how pride comes before fall.
Slowly, but surely, Tangela disentangles each of the group's issues. Tangela comes to represent a motherly figure for the pokémon. Through her counselling, a reaproachment between Oddish and Poliwag, and Cubone and Machop develops.
A period of peace in the group ensures.
Oddish x Poliwag x Cubone x Machoke x Tangela
Machop evolves into Machoke
Being the strongest pokémon on the team, Machop was regularly called in battle. Toughened by fighting, Machop evovled.
Under Tangela's supervision, Cubone and Machop slowly put their differences at side and got closer to one another. Machop's evolution, however, put doubt in Cubone's heart as to why, he hasn't evolved yet. The doubt is an echo of Cubone's pain that Machop took his place as the leader among the pokémon. A pain that is very much still alive.
What could have driven them apart, eventually tightened their relationship. Machoke, having matured and understanding Cubone's woes, reaches out to him and offers to train and become stronger together. Cubone accepts the offer. Cubone and Machoke develops a friendship.
Oddish x Poliwag x Cubone x Machoke x Tangela x Doduo
Trekking through the hot savannah, Valborg notices a two-headed pokémon weakly wobbling on its feet. With only the blast of Poliwag's water gun, Doduo falls to the ground.
Doduo is added to the team
Doduo enters the team in a time of reconciliation, despite being irreconcilable themselves. One head constantly argues with the other. Their arguments are centred on sibling rivalry. Tangela, however, works her silent wonders on Doduo. She stresses the importance of finding common ground. Focusing on differences causes division and weakness, while togetherness builds strength. Doduo silently agrees.
Oddish x Poliwag x Marowak x Machoke x Tangela x Doduo
With the support of Machoke, Cubone evolves into Marowak
Cubone's evolution marks the beginning of a golden period for the group.
Marowak and Machoke develop a brotherhood and become the backbone of the team. Being the two stongest pokémon, their joined forces together with Tangela's spiritual strength unfolds in an unprecedended time of harmony.
The unity among the older pokémon inspires the younger ones. While Poliwag still can be stingy towards Oddish due to an overtly emotional persona and immaturity, he has abonded his ways of micro-agressions, making room for a friendship with the oft-forgiving Oddish
For many of the pokémon, the team reaches it's peak.
Oddish x Poliwag x Marowak x Machoke x Doduo
As if somebody had called her home, Tangela asks to return to the city, where she was found.
As they enter the city, a girl, amidst putting posters of her missing Tangela, screams. She vehemently hobbles her way to Valborg and Tangela on her walking stick as best as she could. Her left leg is wrapped up. A victim of the earthquake. As tears are flowing from her eyes, she embraces Tangela. With sorrowful eyes, Tangela confesses to Valle that the girl is her owner. Valborg devastatingly hands Tangela over without question.
As a last request, Tangela asks to bid her farewells. All of the pokémon except Machoke heed her call. Believing Tangela to be a deceiver, Machoke rejects her goodbye. Tangela understands, but hopes that one day, they will understand her reasons for secrecy and stresses that she deeply cares for each and everybody.
Tangela departs the team
Tangela's betrayal causes a rift in the team with Machoke being the most outspoken of Tangala's wrongdoings.
A sadness lays over the group and a period of mourning follows. Tangela had been the glue that had kept the group together.
As time goes by, and wounds heal, Marowak and Machoke as the leaders pick up the pieces. They use what they learned from Tangela and leads the group to better times through patience, paternalship and compromise.
Poliwag x Marowak x Machoke x Doduo
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. The team continues their journey.
During a dramatic turn of events, Oddish is fatally wounded during a fight. With tearful eyes, Valle rushes to the nearest Pokécenter on Doduo's back.
After a thorough evaluation, Valborg finds that Oddish isn't fit for the team. He makes the decision to send his first pokémon home in his parents' care.
The pokémon bid their farewells to the bed-ridden Oddish.
Oddish departs the team
The near death experience changes the team. Realizing the gravity of the situation, they jointly proclaim to become stronger together to prevent similar tragedies in honour of Oddish.
Poliwag is most affected by Oddish' departure. Having rivalled Oddish from the beginning, an emptiness fills Poliwag. Suddenly, the one-sided rivalry seemed futile. A vast of time. The emptiness is soon filled by guilt, but a sense of relief too. Having lost his rival, he no longer had to compete with Oddish for Valle's attention. With mixed emotions, Poliwag sleeps the sorrow away.
As the sun goes down, the end of the first part of the journey nears. With Poliwag, Marowak, Machoke and Doduo by his side, and Oddish and Tangela on his mind, Valle looks forward to what the future has to bring.
The end of part I.