Legal Disclaimer: Pokémon and any characters associated with them are the properties of Nintendo Co., Ltd., The Pokémon Company, and Game Freak. Robert Hudson Williams and his family are mine and can't be used without my permission.
A Vivid Journey
Chapter 1: An Egg-citing Start
Mauville City has always been an exciting place. From the practical joke-playing Gym Leader Wattson to its beautiful beach, Mauville City was the perfect place to grow up. This is especially true at a house two blocks east of the gym. Robert Williams, a 12-year-old black boy with brown swept hair and hazel eyes, was sleeping in his bed when a woman's voice was heard.
"Robert, get up and get dressed. Breakfast is almost ready, " said a woman.
"Be right down, mom, " said Robert.
When he arrived at the table, Robert saw his big brother Corey, a 15-year-old man with brown eyes and long, wavy, and dark brown hair, his little sister Melissa, a 9-year-old girl with hazel eyes and brown hair done in a ponytail, and his mom Patricia, an older woman with blue eyes and long, straight, and brown hair, eating breakfast. He immediately sat down and joined in.
"Ready to become a Pokémon trainer?" asked Corey.
"Of course. Based on what Dad and you taught me about pokémon, I believe that I am ready for anything, " said Robert.
"I wish your father was here to see you off, " said Patricia.
Suddenly, a wave of emotions came over the entire family.
"I really miss Daddy, " said Melissa.
"The last time we heard from him was an e-mail he sent two months ago, Melissa. He said that he was gathering information about a new group of pokémon located in a region called Sinnoh, " said Robert.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it, " said Patricia as she left the table and headed for the front door.
When she opened the door, a mail carrier, who was wearing a red and white uniform, was standing there with a medium-sized brown box in his hands.
"I have a package for a Mr. Robert Williams, " said the mail carrier.
"I'll take it. I'm his mother, " said Patricia.
"All I need you to do is sign this, " said the mail carrier as he pulled out an electronic clipboard.
Patricia immediately signed it. Once she did that, the mail carrier gave her package.
"Thank you very much, Mrs. Williams, " said the mail carrier as he tipped his cap. "Have a good day."
"Same to you, " said Patricia.
Patricia closed the door and headed back toward the kitchen. Melissa, Robert, and Corey had finished eating and were putting the dishes into the dishwasher.
"Who was it, mommy?" asked Melissa.
"Someone sent Robert a package, " said Patricia as she put it on the table.
Everyone else gathered around her.
"Let's see what is inside, " said Robert as he opened the box.
Immediately, they saw an orange egg with blue spots and an orange and yellow pokéball.
"What kind of pokémon do you believe is inside this egg?" asked Corey.
"It doesn't matter. I'm sure whoever sent it trusted me to take good care of this pokémon, " said Robert.
Melissa immediately went into the box and found a letter inside.
"Maybe this will help, " said Melissa as she landed it to Corey.
Corey immediately read it and suddenly gasped.
"Dad sent the egg, " said Corey.
"I don't believe it, " said Robert.
"According to this, he found this egg in the Eterna Forest one night while observing pokemon like Hoothoot and Kricketot, " said Corey.
"What are Hoothoot and Kricketot?" asked Melissa.
"Hoothoot are round, owl-like, and brown birds with very large, red eyes while Kricketot are large, red, and cricket-like creatures with a white streak down the front of its body and small black limbs, " said Corey.
"When do you think it will hatch?" asked Robert
"Nurse Joy can help answer that question; however, we need to register a place to store your pokémon at the gym, " said Corey.
"Let me get my backpack, " said Robert as he ran upstairs.
Robert grabbed his backpack, returned downstairs, and placed the egg into his backpack and the pokéball into his pocket.
"I'm heading for the Mauville Gym, and I'm taking Robert with me, " said Corey. "We'll be back in a little while."
"Be careful, you two, " said Patricia.
Robert and Corey left home and headed east. When they arrived at the Mauville Gym, they saw an old man, who was wearing a brown blazer, a yellow shirt and matching pants, and brown loafers, playing with an aqua blue wolf with a yellow mane on its head and yellow fur at the top of its hind legs and around its front two feet.
"Good morning, Mr. Wattson. How is Manectric doing?" asked Corey.
"Morning, Corey. Manectric is doing well and getting stronger every day, " said Wattson.
"I would like for you to meet my little brother, Robert, " said Corey.
"Nice to meet you, sir, " said Robert as he shook Wattson's hand.
"Same here, " said Wattson as he shook Robert's hand.
Suddenly, Robert felt a jolt of electricity touching his hand.
"What was that?" asked Robert.
"Sorry about that, " said Wattson with a huge smile on his face as he revealed a joy buzzer in his hand.
"I should have warned you. Wattson is often playing tricks on people, " said Corey.
"I should have been more careful, " said Robert.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were off today, " said Wattson.
"I am. My brother is starting his Pokémon journey tomorrow, and I want to get him registered for the Hoenn league, " said Corey. "He also needs a place to store any additional pokémon he catches."
"Oh, that's no problem. Follow me, " said Wattson as Robert and Corey followed him into the gym.
They walked past the dueling arena and continued down a hallway until they reached an iron door next to a keypad.
"I only show this room to new Pokémon trainers and nobody else. Can I trust you both?" asked Wattson.
"Yes, you can trust me, " said Robert.
"Of course, sir, " said Corey.
"Excellent, " said Wattson as he entered a five-digit sequence into the keypad.
Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a series of racks that held thousands of pokéballs and a center desk with a computer, scanner, and microphone on it. They immediately went inside. The door immediately closed behind them.
"Wow, I have never seen so many pokéballs in my entire life, " said Robert.
"These pokéballs belong to the trainers from Mauville City. For most cities and towns, the gyms store the Pokémon for its trainers. Everywhere else, a Pokémon center stores them, " said Wattson. "To set up your Pokémon storage, I'll need a hand and voice print from you."
"Ok. No problem, " said Robert.
Wattson sat down at the computer. Once he touched the mouse, the monitor immediately came on. After typing on his keyboard for a few seconds, Wattson was ready.
"Robert, I need your full name and your age, " said Wattson.
Robert quickly stepped forward.
"I'm Robert Hudson Williams, and I'm 12, " said Robert.
The computer quickly recorded the intonation and pitch of Robert's voice. Wattson typed on his computer for a few more minutes until the word OK appeared on the monitor.
"My job is done. Now, all that you need is your Pokédex and some extra pokéballs. Nurse Joy can help you out with that, " said Wattson as he right-clicked his mouse.
A printout was produced, which Wattson immediately grabbed.
"Give this to Nurse Joy, " said Wattson as he handed Robert the printout. "This will tell her where your Pokémon will be stored."
"Thank you, sir, " said Robert.
"Come on, Robbie. We need to get to the Pokémon center as soon as possible, " said Corey. "See you tomorrow, boss."
"See you tomorrow, Corey. Good luck on your journey, Robert, " said Wattson.
"Goodbye, Mr. Wattson and thanks, " said Robert.
Corey and Robert immediately left the Mauville Gym. Suddenly, there was a bright glow coming from Robert's backpack.
"It must be the egg, " said Robert as he pulled it out of his backpack and sat it on the ground.
While illuminated, the egg quickly transformed. When the light faded, the egg had become a sea otter with orange fur and paws. It had an inflatable yellow collar, two blue fins on its arms, two split tails resembling a fish's fin, two parallel marks under its eyes, and one round white mark on its back.
"Buizel, Buizel, " said the pokémon.
"Wait a minute. I can't believe my first pokémon is a female Buizel, " said Robert. "Dad told me about them before he left."
"Quickly, use that pokéball Dad gave you to retrieve it, " said Corey as Robert grabbed the pokéball from his pocket.
"Buizel, return!" exclaimed Robert as a red laser beam came from his pokéball and hit Buizel, converting it into pure energy and sucking it inside the pokéball.
"Let's hurry!" exclaimed Corey.
Corey and Robert headed toward the Pokémon center. When they arrived inside, Robert was completely surprised.
"This is amazing. This place is so cool. I can't wait to get started, " said Robert.
"Patience, Sam. We have to get you registered first, " said Corey.
"Sorry, big brother, " said Robert.
Robert and Corey walked up to the counter and saw a young woman with pink. She was wearing a pink and white nurse's outfit.
"Hello, Nurse Joy, " said Corey.
"Hello, Corey. Bringing in more of Wattson's pokémon to recover?" asked Nurse Joy.
"Not today. I've brought my brother Robert so he can register for the Hoenn league, " said Corey.
Nurse Joy got a quick look at Robert.
"So you're the little brother Corey always talking about?" asked Nurse Joy.
"Yes, Nurse Joy, " said Robert nervously.
"First, do you already have a pokémon?" asked Nurse Joy.
"Yes, I do. I have a female Buizel in this pokeball, " said Robert as he reached into his pocket and pulled the pokeball out.
"Wow. I can't believe you have a Sinnoh-exclusive pokémon. Please take good care of it, " said Nurse Joy.
"I promise you that I will, " said Robert.
"Second, where do you want your extra pokémon stored?" asked Nurse Joy.
"I'm storing them at the gym. Here is the approval printout from Wattson, " said Robert as he handed the paper to Nurse Joy.
Nurse Joy quickly typed the pokémon and the location in the computer.
"Thank you very much. Your location is approved, " said Nurse Joy. "All I need to complete your registration is your picture.
Nurse Joy immediately activated her digital camera, which was already connected to her computer.
"Robert, it's picture time!" exclaimed Nurse Joy.
Robert quickly looked into the camera and gave a big smile. Nurse Joy pressed the enter key on her computer, causing the camera to shoot and the flash to go off. Within seconds, Robert's picture appeared on her computer screen.
"Give me a few minutes to process your information and update your Pokédex, " said Nurse Joy.
Nurse Joy retrieved a brand new Pokédex from a nearby box and placed it into her computer's zip drive. She pressed some keys on the computer, causing all of Robert's information to download into the Pokédex. When the download had completed, the word OK appeared on the monitor. Nurse Joy quickly retrieved the Pokédex from her computer.
"Your registration is complete. Welcome to the Hoenn league, " said Nurse Joy.
"Excellent, " said Robert.
"Here's your Pokédex and your five pokéballs, " said Nurse Joy. "Good luck on your journey."
"Come on. Let's head home, " said Corey. "Robert, you got some packing to do."
"Ok. Bye, Nurse Joy, " said Robert.
"Bye, guys, " said Nurse Joy as both Robert and Corey left the Pokémon center.
When they arrived at home later that day, Robert and Corey went to their individual room, and Robert immediately started packing, taking him about four hours.
"Since I'm finished packing, let me test my Pokédex out, " said Robert as he pulled a smaller version of Buizel's pokeball out of his pocket.
Robert pressed a button on top of the pokeball, returning it to its normal size.
"Buizel, I choose you!" exclaimed Robert as he threw the pokeball onto the ground.
The pokeball opened up, revealing a white light that transformed into Buizel. Then, the pokeball returned to Robert's hand.
"Buizel, Buizel, " said Buizel.
"Let's see what the Pokédex says about you, " said Robert.
Robert removed his Pokédex from his pocket and flipped the cover over, revealing a small screen. He pointed it at Buizel, causing a still image of it to appear in the middle of a green background. Suddenly, a male voice came from the Pokédex.
"Buizel, the Sea Weasel Pokémon. It swims by rotating its two tails like a screw. When it dives, its flotation sac collapses, " said the voice.
"How do you like being named Gyro, as in the way your tails spins when you swim?" asked Robert.
Buizel got excited and spun its tails to fly toward Robert, nearly knocking him to the floor.
"Robert, dinner's ready!" exclaimed Patricia.
"Okay, mom. I'll be down in a minute, " said Robert.
"Gyro, return!" exclaimed Robert as Buizel converted back into red energy and returned to the pokeball.
Robert immediately headed downstairs, saw everyone eating dinner, and immediately joined in. Soon, everyone had finished.
"Are you all packed?" asked Corey.
"Yes, I am. Gyro and I were just hanging out, " said Robert.
"I think that Gyro is an interesting name for Buizel, " said Melissa.
"By the way, which way are you going to begin your journey?" asked Patricia.
"I will probably head east, " said Robert.
"Not a bad idea. That road will take you to Rustboro City where you can earn a Stone Badge, " said Corey.
"I'm tired. Can we go to bed now?" asked Melissa.
"Sure. Samuel and I have to get up early, " said Corey.
Everyone placed their dishes into the dishwasher and headed upstairs to bed. Before he went to bed, Robert set his personal affects on his desk and his backpack near the front door. The next morning, Robert was sleeping soundly until he heard his mother's voice.
"Robert! Rise and shine!" exclaimed Patricia
Robert immediately got dressed and came downstairs carrying his Pokédex in his pocket and his pokéballs including Buizel's attached to his belt. Melissa was waiting downstairs at the breakfast table.
"Where's Corey?" asked Robert as he sat down at the table.
"Wattson called him in early. Apparently, a huge gym battle is planned for later today, " said Melissa. "I wonder if breakfast is ready yet."
"Yes, it is. You can't start an adventure on an empty stomach, " said Patricia as she brought eggs, bacon, and grits.
Everyone said grace, ate breakfast, and placed the dishes into the dishwasher. Robert headed for the door and placed his backpack onto his shoulders. Suddenly, Melissa grabbed Robert by the arm.
"Please, can I go with you?" asked Melissa.
"Not yet. You have to wait until you turn 10, " said Robert.
"I'll miss you, " said Melissa with tears in her eyes.
"I'll miss you, too, " said Robert.
Suddenly, Patricia appeared next to Melissa.
"You aren't going to leave without saying anything to me, " said Patricia.
"Sorry, mom, " said Robert as he walked up to her and hugged her.
"I can't believe my little boy is becoming a Pokémon master, " said Patricia with tears in her eyes.
"I'll be okay, and I'll make you proud, " said Robert.
"Good luck. By the way, I put a little surprise in your backpack, " said Patricia.
"Thanks, mom, " said Robert. "Bye."
"Goodbye, son, " said Patricia.
"Bye, big brother, " said Melissa.
They all waved goodbye as Robert opened and walked out the door. Robert began walking through the city toward Verdanturf Town and made it past the Mauville Gym.