Pokémon - The Journey Begins

Chapter 1: This is my Journey



Pallet Town. A small, secluded village that was not very well known to the Pokémon World. Certainly, there were other towns that produced top-notch Pokémon trainers, but when Pallet Town is mentioned, very few people know of it. Matt Tenks happened to be one of the several new trainers in Pallet Town. For tomorrow, he along with many others, will begin their Pokémon journey.

The sun has been set for several hours, as the only light left on in the Tenks' residence happened to be the one in Matt's room. Filled with adrenaline, he was far too excited to sleep. He had waited a very long time to start his journey, and now finally, it was possible.

Standing there with Matt is his sister Jessica, who was just a few years older than him. Because her room is next to Matt's, she found it difficult to sleep with all the noise he was making. So instead of shouting at him all night long, she just sat in his bedroom, watching him pack.

"So...you're sure you want to do this?" Jess asked.

"Jess, come on. I've been waiting for five years, and I've been staying up all night packing. What do you think?" Matt responded with a smile, while putting more clothes into his backpack. "You have no idea how much it means to me to have the age requirements for beginning trainers lowered."

"Who else is going?" Jess asked. She knew that there definitely could be better questions asked, but at this specific time, she wasn't in much mood to bring up conversation.

"To be honest, I have absolutely no idea. I've asked around to see who else was going, but everybody was either being vague with their, 'some kid down the street from me' or their dumbfounded, 'dur, I dunno'." Matt continued packing more clothes into it. "Okay, I have my jeans, my t-shirts, and some socks."

"But...are you positive that you want to leave now? Are you ready yet?" Jess asked again.

"Why do you keep asking me? I've read books on Pokémon training, I've watched Pokémon championship battles; I've also done a lot of research on strategy and technique. Trust me, Jess, I am ready." Matt packed a couple of magazines into his backpack. You can't go traveling without taking anything to read, he thought. He looked over at Jess. "You can come along too, if you want. You like Pokémon, don't you?"

"You just don't want to be alone."

"Whatever, you just don't want me to leave."

"It doesn't matter to me, but are you going to be okay all by yourself?"

"Look, leave mom up to worrying about me, okay?" Matt put in his last pair of socks and zipped up his backpack. He then checked his watch. "Good lord, is it really this late?! I'd better go to bed now; last thing I want to do is oversleep. Guess it's my fault for not packing earlier then."

"Ha!" Jess replied sarcastically, followed with a laugh. "I think it's funny that the last thing you'd speak about would be about sleeping in. It doesn't matter what time you go to bed; you always seem to wake up early!"

"Anything can happen. I always manage to want to stay in bed a little longer when there are places I need to be. Besides, sleeping in wastes half a day. I'll never know how you or anybody else can do that," Matt replied, putting his backpack on the floor. "I can't sleep in, because the earlier I get to Professor Oak's lab, the better chance I have to getting a really good starter Pokémon." As his sister left the room, Matt crawled under the covers.

Matt had a hard time sleeping. It took him an hour before he actually started to get drowzy. When he did fall asleep, all he could dream about was Pokémon. He saw many of them in his dreams, and dreamed that he had caught several of them, also while collecting several gym badges. When Matt woke up the next morning, he was disappointed that it was all a dream, but he was hoping that his dream could lead to a possible déjà vu.

Matt looked at his alarm clock with a plush Pidgey over it, then looked out his bedroom window. Dawn had arrived with the sun to rise shortly after. "I've waited five years for this. Now, I need to go and see which Pokémon Professor Oak will give me."

Matt didn't feel there was enough time to shower, so he just quickly put on a clean pair of clothes, which happened to be a gray t-shirt, and a pair of dark blue jeans. The temperature was going to be much warmer than it was yesterday, and contemplated wearing shorts instead. However, if he gets warmer later on, he could just simply change then.

Matt picked up his backpack and walked downstairs into the kitchen. He then stopped. "Looks like I'm going to just walk out on them. But, at this rate, I can't take the chance of waiting. For all I know, everybody else already has picked their starter Pokémon."

Matt grabbed a pen and wrote his parents a Goodbye note, saying that he'll see them again just in time before the Pokémon League Championships start. He then picked up some fresh fruit and placed them into his backpack to be eaten later. He put on his running shoes, then put on his backpack.

As he took his first steps outside, Matt took in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the fresh morning air. He also began to wonder again about how successful this journey will be. Of course, he, like everybody else, wants to become a Pokémon Master. However, the reality of achieving such greatness does not seem to be at great odds. He began to feel slightly unsure if he will be a success, or a failure. He then shook his head and reminded himself many times not to over-think: one of his weaknesses.

Matt started to walk down a dirt road which lead to Professor Oak's lab. On the way there, he began to whistle.

"I'm giving people a lot of high hopes for this journey to be a good one. Particularly to myself," Matt said to himself again. "I'd hate to turn up as a failure; I wouldn't be able to face anybody. Well, I guess that my parents will still be proud of me, but that doesn't really count." Matt began to wonder why his sister didn't become a trainer. "I don't understand why she didn't want to come. I know she likes Pokémon."

Matt had a chance to look around at the scenery of Pallet Town. "Good ol' Pallet Town. Nice and small, lovely weather, great friends. Wow. It's going to be a shame leaving this place. I should have taken my last day looking around, instead of staying home all day. But, I guess that with all the excitement of starting my journey, I just wanted to stay home."

Matt walked by his school and smiled. "Good bye, Pallet Secondary. I'll never forget how terribly you've overdone those hamburgers, and how my math teacher nearly fell down the stairs that one time...."

Matt looked around some more. He walked by the general store. "Ah, Mr. Laidman's store. Heh, when I was ten I would buy candy from you all the time. Wow, I can't believe how care-free I was in those days."

Matt continued walking down the path. "So many memories. I'm really going to miss this place. But, I will return someday." He then stopped and looked around. "Sheesh, they really aren't kidding about this place when they say how dead the early mornings and late evenings are around here. I can't hear a thing! I haven't passed by a single person. I can't hear the song of a Pidgey, or anything."

After walking for twenty more minutes, Matt sat down on a rock to rest and smelled the fresh, cool air of the new summer day. He could see the sun peeking through the trees of the nearby forest. "Could that be even more of a perfect beginning?" He pulled out a bottle of cold water and began to drink it. "It'd be awesome if every day could start out like this. But then again, we need to have it rain once in a while."

Matt put his bottle away and began walking again. "I'm almost there. Hmm, now that I think about it, I never had a chance to think about which Pokémon I want. There are water, fire, and grass types to choose from. I better start thinking which one I want now, so it'll be easier to pick later." Matt began to remember the strengths and weaknesses for each type of Pokémon he could choose from. "They all seem well balanced, but, I have to pick one."

It took nearly an hour, but Matt finally arrived on Professor Oak's front porch. At last, it was time for Matt to select his first Pokémon. Afraid if he was awake or not, Matt rang the doorbell.

Professor Oak opened the door a few seconds later. "Matt? What are you doing here so early? You've heard my public announcement last night, didn't you? You weren't supposed to come until 9:30!"

Matt clinched his teeth. "I woke you up?! Aw, crap, I'm sorry! I wasn't aware of any public announcement. Well, that and I really had a lot of problems sleeping."

Professor Oak shook his head in disappointment. "You know, that's not necessarily a good thing. A loss of sleep will make you far less alert as the day goes on. It's crucial that you get a proper night's sleep each and every night so you can be prepared for upcoming battles."

"I'll keep that in mind, Professor. Thank you." Matt looked at his watch. "Yeah, I know it's really early, but would it be okay if I made my choice now? I guess this extra time will give me the proper breathing space to finally make a choice."

"I suppose so. Please, right this way."

Matt entered the laboratory as he closed the door behind him. In politeness, he removed both of his shoes and placed them to the side. Professor Oak then let Matt into the room where he held his Pokémon. Matt was completely marvelling the large room. Large databases from one wall, and several shelves with Pokéballs on the other wall. This is where the Professor must keep track of every Pokémon received by trainers, Matt said to himself.

The Professor walked over to one of the large computers and inserted a few commands. A few seconds later, a door opened up while a large table containing four Pokéballs were inside. One in the center resting on a pedestal, with three others surrounding it on the same platform.

"You may choose one of these three," the Professor said, walking over to Matt.

"Professor, I see four of them though," Matt replied, staring at each of them.

"Oh, you must be speaking about the one on the pedestal. I shouldn't have left that one out, but that one's for my grandson, Gary. It's a special Pokémon that can be hard to find, and I'm reserving it specifically for him," Professor Oak said.

"I see, but can you tell me what it is?" Matt asked.

"No, I'm sorry. But, if you meet him on the road, you'll see. He may tell you then," Professor Oak said. "Don't be mislead, Matt; I'm only giving this one to him because he had requested it long ago. Hopefully you won't feel cheated, because the other Pokémon here are just as exclusive and difficult to find as the one I'm giving to Gary."

"I understand," Matt replied, picking up a Pokéball. "Well, since I missed your announcement yesterday, I didn't have a chance to see which Pokémon you had available. So, you'll have to tell me which ones you have."

"The one you're holding in your hand is a Squirtle. He's a water-type Pokémon," Professor Oak said.

"That's right, I had remembered you saying you had one of each type. So...which one is this?" Matt asked, picking up another Pokéball.

"That's a Charmander. He's a fire-type," Professor Oak replied.

"The other one would have to be a Bulbasaur then, right?"

"That's right. He's a grass-type." Professor Oak replied. "Three Pokémon, three different types. Since you're the first one here, you have plenty of time to decide."

Matt, still holding the Charmander in his hand, began to stroke his chin. "It's rather difficult to decide. Could you give me some more information about them?" he asked.

"Of course, just come with me to my computer, and I'll give you all you need to know about these three," the Professor said.

"All right then." Matt followed Oak to his computer. He was amazed at the large screen. He watched several commands being typed in, along with several windows popping up. He then eventually loaded a program. A program entitled 'Pokédex PC 0.31.

"Okay, I'll load Charmander's information first." The Professor moved the mouse around to a specific icon and clicked on it twice. "Now listen carefully, Matt, this is a fairly new program, so it only gives out information vocally."

Matt nodded and listened very carefully.

"Charmander. A Fire Pokémon. This type of Pokémon prefers hot places. When it rains, steam is said to spout from the tip of its tail," a computerized voice stated, with a large, clear picture of Charmander on the screen. Matt had only seen paintings of Charmander along with some sketches in old tales he used to read, but he had never seen a picture of a real one. It amazed him. The large eyes beaming with fire, while interestingly enough, the point of its tail is engulfed.

"Well, that information hardly helps me at all," Matt said. "I'm sorry if I'm sounding picky, but this is just about it's natural daily life. Does this program know anything else? How about its specialties, its attacks?"

Professor Oak began opening more windows and began inserting many more commands. A large list appeared in a large enough font for anybody from any distance of the room to be able to read. "It starts out with 'Scratch', 'Ember' and 'Leer'. What do you think?"

Matt shook his head. "Not yet, I want to look at all three before I make a decision. Could we look at Bulbasaur's information next?"

"Of course," Oak replied. He then brought up a picture of Bulbasaur on the screen.

"Bulbasaur, a Grass Pokémon. A strange seed is planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this Pokémon," the computer replies. Matt was also fascinated at this picture. Like Charmander, he had only seen sketches and paintings of this Pokémon. Looking at it, it seemed to have a lot of physical capabilities, something really tough. Matt admired that, but wanted to learn more.

"Again, not too much information," Matt said. "What does it start out with?"

"It begins with 'Tackle', 'Leech Seed' and 'Vine Whip'," the Professor replied.

"Awesome. I'm really tempted with this one," Matt said. He was about to confirm his selection, but remembered about the other Pokémon. "Oh, wait. I'd actually like to learn about the last one first."

"Okay, I'll bring up Squirtle's information." The professor began to type again as a picture of a Squirtle appeared on the screen.

Matt let out a chuckle. "Hey, this one's rather cute." He then looked at it even closer. He had recognized this Pokémon somewhere before, but wasn't exactly sure from where. A ranch somewhere maybe? Matt asked himself. He then stood quietly to listen to the upcoming information.

"Squirtle, a Water Pokémon. After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell. This Pokémon has the ability to powerfully spray foam from its mouth," the computer explains.

Before Matt could say anything, the Professor opened up its skills list. "Its beginning attacks are 'Tackle', 'Tail Whip', 'Bubble' and 'Water Gun'."

"Hey, I thought I've seen Squirtle before," Matt stated. "I actually saw one while I was at the beach a good few years ago. It wouldn't come near me or anybody else though. I guess it was shy. I only got to see its face though, since we were both in the water. At the time, I was too scared to go underwater with my eyes open. That and I don't think the water was very clean. At any rate, they're all good Pokémon you have here. Do you know if it's possible to catch any of these Pokémon later on?"

"Well, there is a slight chance, but like I said, these were hard to find. I could give you some charts where they're located in case you're interested in looking for them."

"Perhaps for another time," Matt replied. He then thought hard for a minute. There are a lot of dark caverns which need to be crossed in order to get to certain cities with Pokémon gyms, so for that alone Charmander could be useful. Bulbasaur looks really tough in general, so I think it would do really well in battles.

Matt looked back up to the large screen which still had the picture of Squirtle. There was something about this one that seemed very appealing to Matt. He wasn't sure what it was. It doesn't have very sharp claws, it doesn't seem to have proper balance, but its face was something that looked very impressive to him. Something that just shouted out 'potential' to him. Matt had finally made his decision.

"Professor Oak, I think I've finally reached a decision," Matt replied.

"Very good. What will it be?" the Professor asked.

"Well, going with Pokémon that would excel in battles seems like a predictable thing to do. Looking at Squirtle could throw many people off, but when I look at it, it seems to have something to prove. I'd like to take Squirtle, if you please." Matt responded, with a grin slowly appearing on his face. He doubted very much that he would regret making this decision in the future.

Professor Oak smiled. "Okay then. Take these then." He handed to Matt a large electronic device which looked like a calculater and five small balls.

"Here, let me explain what I've just handed to you," the Professor began. "The large red device which you hold in your hand is what I call a Pokédex. A lot of research by my colleagues and I were finally able to release a small handheld device which contains information about each and every Pokémon. It gives information about any wild Pokémon, including its type, and its special attacks." He then pointed to the five small balls. "These are crucial to capturing Pokémon, so please pay close attention. Once you've weakened a wild Pokémon in a battle, you can trap it with one of these Pokéballs. Be absolutely sure that your opponent is weak enough before using one of these. If you fail to capture a Pokémon with the same ball several times, it will break. Also, note that you can only hold six Pokémon with you at a time. Once you're out of Pokéballs, you can buy some in specific Pokémon marts. You can even purchase medicines for your Pokémon if you're really far from a Pokémon Center."

"Well, how much do these items cost? I don't have that much money with me." Matt asked, pulling out a few bills and staring at them.

"I'm not aware of the prices, but here's a way to earn some extra change. There's a specific code you have to live by when battling other trainers. If you win a battle, they have to give you five percent of their earnings. The same thing happens if you lose."

"I'll keep that in mind," Matt replied. He was then lead to the front door when Matt placed both his shoes back on, tying each one. "I'll be on my way now."

The Professor handed Squirtle over to Matt. "This was a good companion of mine. Please take good care of him."

"I won't let you down, Professor. I've never been more ready for anything else in my life."

"Very good...."

Matt walked out the front door, while waving goodbye to Professor Oak. He then looked up as he began to walk along Route 1. The sun was now in plain view, almost blinding from where he was standing. The grass was glimmering as the dew dripped from each blade of grass.

The day was just beginning, as was Matt's Pokémon journey. He has chosen his first Pokémon, and already knew where his first stop was: Viridian City. Matt, now with determination in his eyes, continued to look at the sky. He then looked at the Pokémon which he held in is hand.

"Squirtle. You are my key to becoming one of the greatest...."



TO BE CONTINUED.