Pokemon Yang

Chapter 1

The Beginning of an Era

The sunlight was blinding and opalescent that day. It was unusually frigid for September. The signs of cold weather had swept in seemingly overnight. The rustic, peaceful Anvil Town found itself raked over by unforgiving, harsh conditions. Her boots made a distinct crunching noise against the gravel and dirt. All paths in Anvil Town were dirt, never pavement. While most buildings were made out of wood, resembling sleek log cabins, Anvil Town had state of the art technology, but only in the Laboratory, where it was necessary.

Laurel buried her hands into her purple sweater's pockets. It's my job. She reminded herself blearily. She needed to have confidence going into this. The laboratory was a pristine, white building. It might be warmer inside, but she stood to peer into it. Coming in early was her priority.

With renewed vigor, she slapped on a smile, opened the glass doors, and stepped inside. Her boots trailed some dirt onto the white, tiled floor. It was a sterile building, reminiscent of a hospital, almost.

"Hey, you." She had met the professor multiple times before. Her first encounter had been at the lab, the second while he taught her how to catch pokemon. He was not an unattractive man. His hair was ridiculously "fluffy" and curly, being a shade of silvery-white. His height was nothing to scoff at… and the way he was glaring at her now made her want to dissolve into the floor and never return.

"Hello, Professor Willow." The smile faltered, but still remained.

"You're trailing dirt and grime all over my floors." A slight crease of his eyebrows indicated he was perturbed. The Professor was always a shrewd person. He had been like that since she had first encountered him. He was most likely that way before she had met him as well.

"My apologies, Professor Willow." Laurel observed that he did not have a rug in front of the double doors. He'd best get one if he didn't want dirt tracks in his lab. She wouldn't voice that aloud. Certainly not. The last thing she needed was to get in another scrap with him.

"Yeah, yeah," He gave a mild, flighty sigh. As soon as he brought up the matter, he dropped it in favor of more important manners. "When do the rest of the children get here?" A dismal yawn, and he walked passed her to collect papers from his desk.

"Soon. They should be getting here by noon." At this reply, the Professor stretched his arms above his head. The darkened rings underneath his eyes became more apparent as he got closer.

"Noon?" Professor Willow moved his gaze to the doors. "You got here a half-an-hour early."

How irresponsible of him to forget the time that most of the trainers were coming. Her reply, if she was even going to make one, was cut short. The doors opened, letting in a blast of cool air.

"Ahhh, an early one, huh?" The Professor's lips curled into a smile. It wasn't genuine.

The newcomer was a tall young male, hair obscuring his eyes, camouflage-patterned vest. Was this actually one of the new trainers? He rivaled Professor Willow's height.

"...Here for a starter…" He was quiet, seemingly reluctant to speak. Laurel had no issues with such a person. How difficult would it be to teach him? Was he a good listener? A rival for the spot of champion?

Laurel disregarded her questions for now. Her purpose here was to help others, not view them as competition. Her goals were sky high, but even they couldn't get in the way of her current goal. Take things step by step… It was something she could never actually manage. She always looked at the bigger picture.

She forgot about the reasoning as soon as the Professor spoke again.

"I am Professor Willow, the Pokemon Professor of this region." His arms spread out, almost flourishing, before he looked back at the clipboard in his hand. The newcomer didn't seem too impressed with Willow's introduction, but he didn't voice a negative opinion either.

"Now, we have every starter from every region… Except Treecko, which you can thank that lovely young lass for." Laurel didn't find herself surprised when he motioned over to her. The snarky fellow never spared anyone from his jibes. "Moving on, you'll find a wide selection of starters on this table." The light-haired professor grabbed a backpack, one that had been sitting on a chair nearby, and emptied it onto a nearby coffee came spilling out of, rolling onto the smooth surface.

One, however, rolled off of the table and bounced on the ground. The Pokeball opened, a vivid red light coming from it. A Totodile emerged from its confines. The small, blue, reptilian pokemon swerved its gaze around, before glaring at Professor Willow. He seemed suddenly irritated, it's eyes narrowing, lips curling into a snarl. It formed a tiny fist with its paw, and shook it at the "esteemed" Professor. A deep sigh came from Professor Willow, who rolled his eyes. Laurel had to resist the temptation to grin cheekily.

"He doesn't like me." The Professor stated cleanly, before he changed his expression yet again, to one of indifference. "Fine with me, I don't need him to like me. It's not as though he's one of my Pokemon. He'll wish he was, though." Shrugging, Willow shifted in his oversized, white labcoat, which was so large on him, that the sleeves encompassed his hands.

What a petty man.

"...Him." The darker teenager had been so quiet that Laurel almost forgot he was there. The Professor blinked slowly over at him, wearing an expression of utter befuddlement. Laurel had a vague idea where this was all heading. Even if she had never been talented with reading the atmosphere, she knew it from the moment the boy had spoken up. "I want him... as my starter." The Professor nodded briskly, as though in a hurry.

"Yes, yes. Good. All I need is your name." The willowy man peered down at his clipboard, readying himself to check the teen off of the list. They'd need to wait for the other trainers to come, but at least the situation was amusing. Professor Willow seemed eager to hand off the frustrated Totodile, who continued to glare at him as though he were the world's worst evil.

"...Sergio-077." Now, Laurel had not seen the list of names. But she had to at least wonder, what kind of name is that? Maybe Professor Willow hadn't of even looked at the list before now. The Professor opened his mouth, perhaps to ask the unspoken question, but promptly closed it. For once, it seemed he didn't want to bother anyone. Laurel had to wonder, maybe she was the only one Professor Willow could get away with bothering.

"Alright, gotcha." The Professor nodded, and walked over to the Totodile. He picked up the fallen Pokeball, and handed it graciously to Sergio. "Great. Now both of you, shoo-wait outside. I can't stand crowding." Suppressing an irritated sigh, Laurel began to clear out of the wide open area. She just hoped that this Sergio character would follow behind her.

Professor Willow seemed happy to see them go. His inconsistent snark bothered her endlessly. But, she needed to put that behind her now. Turning to Sergio, she gave him a vivid smile. It was time to make "friends" with her "students". She had to make sure that she'd teach them. His new Totodile followed them, almost toddling. He seemed somewhat clumsy on his feet.

"Your Totodile looks happy." She remarked, still unable to see his eyes. "I'm sure that the two of you will get along." When he didn't reply for a couple of seconds, the conversation began to feel awkward, but mostly one-sided. She didn't like that, but she was never one to become easily frustrated. Her patience lasted. That was an important part of being a teacher.

"Sure." He replied bluntly. Resisting the urge to frown, she leaned against the outside wall of the laboratory. They weren't making much progress, now were they… Damn, although it was getting warmer, it was still so cold out. Her thoughts began to drift around aimlessly, as she peered up towards the skyline.

She was jolted away from her inner thoughts, as a bloodcurdling scream rippled through the area. She bolted up from her position, baffled. As she looked around, she spotted a familiar black blur speeding in the direction where the petrified sound had come from.

He can't be going on his own! Her world momentarily slowed down, to allow her mind to sift through her thoughts easier. Would he be able to fully handle an attacker? Or even multiple?

If there was anything she had ever learned, it was that you went properly prepared to a dangerous scene. Goddammit. She ran after him, down the dirt paths, weaving in between alleyways and houses, until she reached the site… It was a front lawn, before someone's cleanly-maintained home.

A man dressed in black was lying face-down on the pavement, bloodied up. Sergio stood before him, indifferent, while a woman slumped against the wall of the nearby house. An attempted mugging? Laurel had never seen such a thing happen in Anvil Town! Maybe in the bigger cities, but that was a given. Anvil Town had always been rather peaceful. It was in no way a hub for criminal activity. Neighbors were peering out of their windows, some coming outdoors.

"T-Thank you…" The shaken woman thanked the boy who saved her, round eyes looking up at him wearily.

Sergio grunted. Apparently he wasn't much of a talker. Laurel found herself growing more accustomed to his behavior. She never usually interacted with such stoic characters.

"Miss, are you alright?" She moved to comfort and question the small lady. The victim nodded, becoming steadier as she realized that the threat was no longer imminent. "You'll be okay going home on your own?" Another nod. While Laurel didn't exactly want to leave her; it was Sergio who spoke up.

"We need to meet the others. It'll be confusing otherwise." That was the most she had ever hear him speak. But he was right, this young woman didn't have serious damage done to her. They needed to head back. Laurel nodded, and began to trot back in the direction of the laboratory. They went along the dirt pathways, in between shaded, narrow alleyways that made her feel claustrophobic, and down another street until they finally reached the laboratory.

She narrowed her eyes against the sunlight. The sound of his footfalls reassured her that he had accompanied her back.

"I hope we didn't miss anyone." She gave a small sigh, peering around to see if any of the other new trainers had arrived while they were gone. Although she hadn't of noticed earlier, Laurel realized Sergio's Totodile had not followed them… Her eyes widened.

"Hey, did you put your Totodile back into his Pokeball?" At her question, even he seemed to freeze, before shaking his head. She did not want to go running around town willy-nilly because of a simple mistake But we'll need to! "We need to find him! You go to the left, I'll go the right!" It was gonna be difficult, finding such a small pokemon in such a large area. She needed to be fast on her feet, and didn't wait for him to agree.

It wasn't as though her pokemon could go around asking people if they had seen the blue, reptilian pokemon, so she was on her own here. She simply hoped she found him. Not only was she concerned for the pokemon's safety, but the Professor would have her head if he found out about this! The thought made her gulp nervously, before she questioned some passerby on their way to the Pokemon Center.

…

Half-an-hour into the search, and Laurel was beginning to become even more unnerved. She had questioned several locals about the rogue Totodile, only one had pointed her in this direction. The street had wooden stands on the side of it, all selling berries. It had the feel of a farmers' market. She could definitely see why the Totodile had been attracted to this area. Maybe he was just hungry. She thought sensibly. If he was, it would definitely make sense.

She was almost out of breath as she walked down the street. The crowds here were semi-thick, although that didn't exactly help. It was better than the place being completely mobbed. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something blue and red. There he is! As soon as she had spotted the pokemon, he was gone. Nonetheless, she pushed through the crowd in the direction he had disappeared to. Weaving in and out of the lines of people stalled her. When she broke free of the crowds, she sped down the alleyway.

...And promptly crashed into a taller figure. A grasp was wretched out of her throat, and she immediately fell backwards. Her bottom landed on the ground, and she gave a pained growl. Opening her eyes, her gaze was level with the newcomer's knees. Sergio's Totodile stood behind him, but didn't seem to want to move again. Gulping nervously, she peered up at the male she had bumped into.

"Sorry about that!" She popped back onto her feet before he could help her up. "That Totodile ran away from the lab." Not the whole story, but enough. Getting back to the lab soon was her priority now.

"The lab?" He seemed interested in the topic, and it hit her. Maybe he's one of the new trainers! "I'm going there for a starter." He might have come into town from another direction. This day was becoming really exhausting… And it was only noon! She couldn't complain though; she had accepted Professor Willow's offer. No going back on that.

"Perfect! I'm helping the Professor and the new trainers!" She clapped her hands together. "My name is Laurel, can I ask who you are?" The Professor wouldn't be pleased with anyone who came too late, or too early. They needed to be punctual. Or else I'll hear his complaints… "Oh, but we should walk and talk. I don't want to be late."

"Nathan, but call me Nate." While he hadn't been given a long enough pause to speak prior, Nate seemed fine with her fast-paced manner of talking. That was good. Attentive people would get along just fine with her. She redirected her gaze towards the small Totodile, who hadn't of even been given a proper name yet.

"You're coming too." She huffed down at him. In reality, she wasn't able to remain mad at him. Pokemon were mostly pure creatures who could do no wrong, or at least, that's how she felt. The blue starter pokemon began to trot after her as she began back down the street. They headed back to the Professor's lab from there.

"Every starter with the exception of Totodile and Treecko are available." Laurel informed Nate chipperly. "Do you already have a starter in mind?" She didn't turn to look at him, and kept her gaze straight along the pathway. She made a right.

"Chimchar." Nate's answer came as though he was firm about his choice. A resolve was admirable. She had been stuck on a starter until the day before it came time to get one. Instead of talking, he seemed more concentrated on their surroundings. That was fine, too. Anvil Town did have its own unique architecture.

"Oh, see that big white building? That's the lab! It's pretty recognizable." She pointed it out, so he'd have a landmark to refer to. Even if he had seen it already, it didn't hurt to make sure.

Faintly, she wondered how Sergio was holding up.

…

"We found him!"

Laurel broadly announced upon their arrival. Sergio seemed relieved, as far she could tell. It was a little bit after noontime by then.

"Sergio, this is Nate. Nate, this is Sergio." The introduction was quick. With a small push, she encouraged the Totodile to return to his trainer, before briskly going back into the lab. She gave a small motion, indicating that Nate should follow her. The lab doors opened, and she once again tracked dirt into the pristine white building. A large, discontent sigh came from the Professor. He disdainfully eyed the dirt trail. However, his gaze moved up to Nate. Snatching a blue pen from the nearby coffee table, he stood up with his clipboard.

"And you are?" Professor Willow didn't bother with introductions. They should know who he is, if they're setting foot in his lab.

"Nate." A last name was not required. There was only one Nate on the list.

"Mhm. Take whichever one you want." Professor Willow seemed to get down to the point. As the day went on, the fucks he gave lessened. "Oh, and Laurel, be a dear and take this Pokedex out to Sergio." He moved back a couple of steps, and dug a single, red pokedex out of a cardboard box, that was perched atop a bookshelf. Nate picked only one pokemon; he didn't look at any other.

"I'll take Chimchar." Professor Willow nodded, before waving them off.

"Good, good. Now scram. I have work to do." The pair were ushered out of the lab after Nate had a pokedex shoved into his hands.

Sighing as she was forced out into the cold weather again, she passed the pokedex to Sergio. "We have maybe three more trainers arriving today. They all come at separate times. One guy might already have his." She noted. "I remember Willow trading one to Unova…" It was Snivy, right? So, I guess Snivy isn't available anymore… It would do her good to tell all the new coming trainers that.

Her boots crunched against the gravel, her gaze lifted to the iridescent horizon.

The start of a new life, the start of a new adventure. She breathed evenly.

A/N:

testing, testing, one, two three!

mod panne here. this is a massive collab between those at the forum 'Writers United'. thank you sincerely for reading this far. We hope to post once every week.