This idea came to me all of a sudden, and I decided to write it out and see what others thought about it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or anything related to it. All I own is the idea for this Fanfic, and the character Nigel, as he came from my imagination.
No copyright infringement intended
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Nigel looked out his window, brown eyes scanning eagerly for the flash of brown and tan that signaled his friend's arrival. The young boy was only ten, and had not had an interest in the Pokemon that covered his planet until he was eight, when his friend had come to him on that fateful, stormy day. He tapped his fingers on the sill of the window impatiently, shifting the pack that was on his back, held to him by a single strap over his left shoulder. He was a scrawny boy, but tall, with mouse brown hair that messily fell into his eyes. He wasn't handsome by any means – his face was average and boyish. He was klutzy and unstable, an accident waiting to happen. He wore a simple black tee shirt and faded loose jeans, hastily held up by a worn black belt. His finger drumming halted as he scanned the forest that pretty much surrounded his home in Twinleaf, Sinnoh. The peaceful town much better suited his mother than Jubilife City, the bustling economy city of Sinnoh. He'd moved to Sinnoh when he was eight from Hoenn – the Pokemon were even stranger here than they'd been back there, but his friend was a comfortable creature that wasn't strange to him at all.
"Come on, come on, where is she?" he muttered, impatiently squinting at the forest.
Finally, he saw the flash of brown and nearly jumped out of his shoes. He bolted for the door, yelling out to his mother, "Be back later, ma!" before running into said door. He stepped back, hastily flung it open, and ran down his porch steps. Nigel took a sharp left and headed towards the forest. He tripped over some spindly bushes and fell to the dirt. Pulling himself up, he saw his friend in the small clearing they usually met in, sitting on the old stump, waiting for him patiently.
Nigel finally made it to the stump and fell on his knees, grinning like a madman. He only had skinned knees this time – last time he'd nearly broke his elbow. Not that that mattered right now. No, all Nigel cared about was the creature on the stump: an Eevee, and a wild one at that. Not for long though, he hoped; now that he was ten, he was trying to convince Eevee to come with him and be his starter Pokemon. The three starters for Sinnoh – Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup – did not interest Nigel.
"Hey, Eevee, there you are," Nigel said, forgetting his irritation from earlier.
"Eev," the Eevee said, nuzzling her head to Nigel's hand.
Nigel grinned and scratched behind Eevee's long brown ears.
"You'll never guess what happened today," Nigel began. He sat on the edge of the stump and began to tell Eevee his story. Their time together was often spent like this – Nigel had a rough understanding of everything Eevee said. Eevee lived further in the forest, close to Lakefront Verity. According to Eevee, there was a small group of Kanto Pokemon that lived there; the kind of Pokemon that appeared after a trainer got the National Pokedex from Professor Rowan, Sinnoh's Pokemon Professional. The two swapped stories just about everyday. Nigel told Eevee stories of trainers, Pokemon battles, and the happenings of his daily life. Eevee, in return, conveyed stories of Sinnoh's legends or things about different Pokemon she had encountered. Not that Eevee was old – she was quite young, only level 5; another reason Nigel used to persuade Eevee to be his starter.
"Emily went to get her first Pokemon," Nigel said excitedly. "She said she's choosing a Piplup."
Eevee nodded slowly. "Eevee, eev eev, Eevee?" (What are you going to choose?)
Nigel blinked. "Well, I'm still hoping you'll be my starter." The boy sighed, looking back at his house, which he could glimpse through the trees. "Though, since you aren't budging, I guess I'll go with a Chimchar." Eevee thoughtfully followed his gaze, thinking hard. "Eev?" (When will you go?) Nigel looked down at his friend, sorting through hazy memories. He really didn't remember how he'd met Eevee – the memories were shattered and blurry. He just had the feeling that Eevee had saved his life at the Lakefront somehow.
"Tomorrow," Nigel decided.
"Eevee." (I'll go.)
Nigel looked at her in surprise. "You'll be my starter?"
"Vee." (Yes.)
Nigel nearly jumped for joy, but managed to contain himself. "Yes! Thanks, Eevee! You have no idea how much this means to me. You know I don't really like Pokemon, and choosing a strange Pokemon to travel the countryside with is nerve-wracking for me." Nigel grinned, stroking Eevee lovingly. He needed to pack, get his stuff in order for his journey. Nigel wondered where he had gotten this urge to travel from. Maybe it was from Eevee.
Maybe it was to escape those foggy memories of Lakefront Verity.
Either way, Nigel was going on a Pokemon Journey. Eevee would be his starter. All he needed was to head to Sandgem Town and get his Trainer Card and Sinnoh Pokedex.
Nigel stood up and stroked Eevee one more time. "Alright, I've got to get stuff set for our journey. You should get some rest, we're going to faraway places." Nigel pumped a fist in the air, trying to get Eevee excited. Eevee nodded and bounced to her paws, grinning a Pokemon grin. The two went their separate ways – Nigel back to Twinleaf, and Eevee back to her Lakefront home. The sun was still high in the sky, so Nigel had plenty of time to pack and tell his mother. His mother knew nothing of Eevee, or his barely remembered adventure to he Lakefront. He wouldn't tell her either, not yet.
Not until he was certain.
He'd only spent a few hours in the forest with Eevee, but his mother wasn't surprised to see him bounding through the door earlier than usual, yelling. "I'm going on my journey tomorrow!" the ten year old announced. His mother gave a slight incline of her head, also wondering where he'd gotten the dream to travel Sinnoh with Pokemon.
Nigel took the stairs to his room two at a time. Once in his room, he locked his door and slung his pack on his bed. He walked over to his PC, where over the two-year period he'd started to like Pokemon, he had stored Pokemon goods there for when he turned ten. He withdrew seven Potions, two Antidotes, four Paralyze Heals, and eight Oran Berries. He organized his pack in sections, storied the items in the correct pockets, and set his pack on his nightstand. He stared out his window in the direction of the Lakefront, waiting for the sun to set and rise again.
A memory floated to the surface of his brain.
"You'll never make it back."
Water, water was everywhere. There was no air. He needed air. He couldn't move much, but he could see dark figures all around him. They were bigger than he was, at eight years old. So many of them, too, surrounding him. How had he gotten here? The voices, though he was sure he was underwater, came strangely clear to his ears:
"You'll never make it back, you'll never make it back..." they chanted.
Nigel shivered, coming back to reality. He turned away from his window and closed his eyes.
Yes, he was definitely leaving this place.