Greetings readers! This is my second attempt at writing a fanfiction for Pokémon. I canceled my first as I didn't like where it was going. I've since revised Rori and Justin and so far I'm liking how my story is planned. Much more realistic than the previous story. Please be warned. There will be the occasional swear word, such as damn or shit, but no more than one or two every couple chapters. I will be accepting OC submissions. Please view my profile for the form to submit and send it via PM. Only one rule. No Legendary Pokemon. Powerful Pokémon are acceptable but only if the character is to be used late in the story. Enjoy the first chapter, which is essentially a more in-depth look into the background of the two main characters.

I do not own Pokémon nor am I affiliated with Nintendo or Game Freak Inc. Only the characters Rori and Justin Clark belong to me. Everything else such as the Pokémon, locations and other characters (unless otherwise noted at the beginning of each chapter) belongs to Nintendo/Game Freak Inc.

Let us begin!

Rise of a Trainer: Rori Clark

Chapter One

Prequel

The beaming rays of light had just begun to peak over the top of Indigo Plateau, which lay far off in the distance to the east. From my house, the tip of the Pokémon League building was just barely visible, even if you stood on our roof. You still needed binoculars to see it due to the distance, but it was unmistakable. To the southeast lay Pallet Town; the home of one of the most powerful Pokémon trainers to grace our generation. Since his rise, many surrounding towns have boomed in population. So many hopeful individuals gathered in hopes of getting so much as a glimpse of the superstar. But since his victories in Kanto, Johto and various other regions, he has seemingly disappeared.

Reporters and fans alike have questioned his mother in hopes of discovering where he might be. All of it was for nothing as not even she knew where he was. Many people speculated where he could be. Some say he resided in Mt. Silver. Others guessed he traveled to the Sinjo Ruins, far to the north from the Lake of Rage. The most popular rumor states that he retired from battling and now resides somewhere on one of the rarely traveled Sevii Islands. It didn't matter much to me. Sure, I idolized Red for his skill, but soon my own adventure would begin.

My name is Rori Clark. A member of the Blackthorn Dragon Den clan. Ever since my parents found me on the outskirts of Blackthorn, abandoned like a useless Magikarp, they took me in as one of their own. On my fifth birthday I was given one of the highest honors a child my age could receive. I had been accepted into the ranks of the Legendary Dragon Den Clan. Part of the reason this particular clan was so legendary was due to Master Lance, the current acting Champion of the Indigo League. During my time at the Den, I had gotten to meet and train under Lance on multiple occasions. At first, I was one of the weakest members of the community. I rarely succeeded in the numerous tasks assigned to me and would frequently fail the dozens of tests each year. But one year, Lance visited us. Seeing how badly I was struggling, he opted to assist in my training. Having two of the five most experienced Clan members training completely turned me around. In less than six months I had moved from the runt of the group, to the clear-cut leader. I began excelling in everything I was tasked with. I was doing so well, that I even began moving to different groups within the clans and assisted in the Masters with the training of their pupils. Needless to say Elder Yiu and Master Lance were incredibly proud.

My father, Dan Clark, was an Archaeologist. And my mother, Alexis Clark, was a house wife. They very frequently traveled together during my father's travels. On two occasions he brought home a Pokémon from his travels in Hoenn. The first time he brought home a Beldum. A few months after he brought back a Trapinch. During one trip in which we stayed on Cinnabar Island so my father could investigate the Seafoam Islands, my mother went into labor. No sooner than my father burst into the hospital room, my brother was born.

They named him Justin, after our grandfather on mother's side. As he grew older, his talent for gags and pranks evolved from mere child's play to something only an evil genius could invent. Don't get me wrong; I love a good joke here and there. But I usually got the blame for almost all of his stunts. There was one occasion where he convinced everyone that I went to the bathroom in the Lake that filled the Den. What made the trick worse was the fact that he had melted several pieces of chocolate together and stealthily threw it into the middle of the lake. As a result, I was tasked of the immensely tedious duty to clean the water. The duty would have taken me a full month to finish had it not been for my two best friends, Kobe and Piper. The pair was almost inseparable which meant if one was there for me; the other was never far behind. I used to constantly tease them about one day getting married which usually caused Kobe to get embarrassed and Piper to start fantasizing about her dream wedding. The two did look very similar; both had jet black hair. Kobe usually wore his hair in his 'trademarked' faux-hawk while Piper almost always kept hers in a ponytail. To be completely honest, I don't think I've ever seen her with her hair worn down.

Needless to say, if it wasn't for them sneaking around and getting various tools and equipment to help purify the water; I would probably still be cleaning it. Hey, the Pokémon have to go to the bathroom every once in a while too. Both Kobe and Piper had graduated a year before me, so they were both eager to see me inevitably succeed. This year was going to be completely different however.

Due to several incidents caused by Team Rocket in Kanto and Johto, The Pokémon League Administration had passed several new regulations to help protect young trainers on their journeys. The minimum age requirement to begin the Official Pokémon League travels was increased from age ten to age sixteen. Soon after they began what many people call the "Companion Law" which meant that beginner trainers had to have another trainer of age with them on their journeys, due to several reported Pokémon abductions linked to Team Rocket targeting trainers who were traveling alone and left defenseless. The more recent change added to the list of 'Laws' was the founding of the Trainer's Education Administration or T.E.A for short. I don't think they thought that one completely through. Needless to say, the TEA law created an organization which founded schools in almost every city and town in the Northern Hemisphere, which included, but not limited to; Fiore, Johto, Kanto, Oblivia and Orre. Many people speculated that the mentioned regulations would eventually be passed in the Southern Hemisphere to cover Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova and the Orange Islands.

This meant that my younger brother was now old enough to enter in the Official Pokémon League. This worked out perfectly as I was also taking my final test for the Dragon Clan. If successful, it would mean that I would be recognized as a 'true' dragon Pokémon trainer in the eyes of Blackthorn City citizens and also would be given the Clan Insignia. The insignia was the head of Rayquaza but it came in three different colors, depending on which attribute you displayed most of during training; Gold, Silver, or Crystal. Gold represented a golden heart that showed compassion for Pokémon and humans alike. Silver stood for a person who has a silver soul that displayed unending determination to protect and preserve all living life. And lastly there was Crystal. The Crystal insignia was only given to two members in the two thousand years the clan had been around. It stood for the crystal mind in which the person never lied and shared all of their knowledge with any who sought it with pure intentions. The final test was a display of the heart, soul and mind of the individuals taking the test. The test for me resulted in a very rare Dratini. Upon further inspection, it was discovered that this particular Dratini was rare in the sense that it knew Extreme Speed. The move was clearly passed down from one of the parent Dragonites.

Getting back to Justin's side of the story; he was graduating from the Trainer's School the same day I took my test. In preparation for his final, our father had a Growlith sent to him from an associate from Cinnabar Island. The Growlith was a gift for Justin and served a dual purpose. Firstly it was a gift to commemorate his graduation, and secondly it was his first Pokémon and would be used in his Pokémon battle.

I had finished my ceremony a few hours before Justin's began, so I decided to gather Kobe and Piper and headed straight home.

"Mom! Pops! I'm back home!" I shouted as Kobe, Piper and I stepped into the cozy looking house. The Dragon Clan graduation Ceremony was private, not even the family members of the participants could witness the event.

"Rori! How did it go? I'm guessing you passed with flying colors?" My mother asked excitedly while darting around a corner.

"Sure did!" I replied. She nearly jumped when she found that my Dratini was draped around my neck and shoulders much like a scarf. It cooed when I ran my hand long its smooth hide. I reached into my hoodie pocket and revealed a golden insignia. She squealed in joy after seeing both of my trophies.

"Rori totally had it in the bag Mrs. Clark. Almost all the Pokémon in the lake wanted him to capture them. It was really awe inspiring." Kobe stated, patting my back.

"It most definitely was. Rori truly has a heart of gold." Piper chimed in, wrapping her arm around mine. Justin could be heard giggling in another room, along with rustling sounds.

"Now what he is up to?" I asked. My mother excitedly stepped aside to let me see for myself. Kobe and Piper shot each other a nervous look, knowing full well what Justin was capable of doing. Stepping into the main room, I saw Justin rolling around on the ground and a Growlith playfully chasing him around. "Wait, we got more Pokémon pets?" I asked.

My father raised his gaze and continued smiling at me. He had heard what I told mother. "I had this Growlith sent to us. Justin finally has his very own Pokémon."

"No way!" I exclaimed. "Congrats bro! Did you give it a nickname yet?"

"Yep. His name is Flare" he answered. Flare barked at the sound of its new name and playfully jumped up at my Dratini.

"You want to play with Flare, King?" I asked the young Dratini. He smoothly climbed down my torso and imitated Justin by rolling around on the ground, causing Flare to jump over it repeatedly as if they were playing leap frog.

Everyone laughed at the site of the two young Pokémon playing and everyone sat down around the room. We had various discussions but most of the conversation was Justin explaining his plan to become the Indigo League Champion.

"Remember the Companion Law? You have to have someone with you when you start traveling." I pointed out.

"You finished your Clan training Rori, maybe you should go with him. Who knows, maybe you'll meet and befriend even more dragon type Pokémon" responded my father.

The family agreed that it was in Justin's best interest if his older brother traveled alongside him, keeping him from getting lost or getting hurt. Eventually the hour arrived for Justin to begin his final at the school. We traveled as a group and went to the battle arena. After finding a section of seats with enough space to seat all of us, we sat down and waited for Justin's battle to begin.

After four hours my father noticed Justin was stepping into the arena and five of us began cheering at the top of our lungs. He smiled and waved at us, holding Flare's Pokéball.

While Justin's opponent made her way down to the field the announcer explained the rules; One Pokémon each with a time limit of ten minutes. This was it, Justin and Flare's first battle together. I couldn't wait for my first battle with King. Once Justin's opponent made it to her spot across the field, the referee double checked both understood the rules and verified they were both ready. Once done, he signaled to begin.

"Alright Sandshrew, let's get this done!" Shouted the young female as she threw the white and crimson Pokéball into the air. It snapped open a shot a bright white beam of light toward the ground. The light materialized revealing her Pokémon.

"Our first battle, we have to win. Show them how it's done Flare!" Justin yelled, repeating the same motion his female opponent made. Flare appeared on the ground several yards away from the Sandshrew. It dropped its head and swiped its front paw across the ground in a digging motion, signaling it was ready to obey.

Battle Situation:

Justin's Growlith versus Opponent's Sandshrew

Begin!

"Flare, we have the speed advantage but your fire attacks won't be too useful" Justin informed. Flare howled in agreement and Justin squinted his eyes, looking for away to combat the ground type's superior defense. His eyes widened has he figured out what to do.

"Sandshrew, use Sand Attack and follow up with Scratch while Growlith is blinded." The Sandshrew obeyed and threw a cloud of dust and sand towards Flare.

"Flare, close your eyes. Listen for the Sandshrew and use Bite once it's close enough!"

The fire type quickly closed its eyes and rapidly twitched its ears, listening to the rapid footsteps of the incoming Sandshrew. The sand at suddenly surrounded both Pokémon, making it difficult to see what was happening. Both trainers bit their lower lip in anticipation while waiting for the cloud of sand to dissipate. Once it cleared it was obvious that Flare was successful is preventing the scratch attack. Sandshrew's arm was in Flare's mouth and was clearly in pain from the Bite attack.

"Flare, use Ember while holding onto Sandshrew!" Justin ordered. Flare then suddenly enveloped Sandshrew in searing flames, hitting its soft underside. Sandshrew reeled back in pain and tried to pry its arm free. It was to no avail and with the constant flames from the Ember attack still spewing, it was rapidly losing energy and eventually fainted.

"Sandshrew is unable to battle. Justin is the victor!" The referee announced. Raising the flag closest to Justin. The crowd roared and Justin waved to everyone. After a moment he ran to the arena and picked up Flare in his arms.

"You did great Flare. I'm so proud of you! I can't wait for us to start our journey and meet new Pokémon!" Justin said, rubbing his cheek against Flare's. Flare cooed back in response. "Wait, what about Sandshrew" he realized. Flare jumped from his arms and they both ran to the female trainer that was now cradling. "Is it going to be okay?" he asked?

"Yea, she should be fine. Nurse Joy will have her patched up in no time. You did really great, congratulations!" She replied.

Both trainers shook hands and headed back up to the bleachers together. After making his way back with our group, we watched the remainder of the battles, each one displaying various techniques of battling. Several trainers immobilized their opponents with poison or paralysis. But one trainer used a Gastly and put their opponent to sleep, used the interesting move of Dream Eater to cause their opponent to faint.

Regardless if a trainer wins or loses they all are given diplomas proving they successfully completed the T.E.A Final. Once Justin got his we all turned to head home. Kobe and Piper decided it was time for them to head home as well and said their goodbyes. During the walk home our father shared several stories of the Pokémon that used to live millions of years ago.

Once back at home, Justin and I went to our room. Flare slept at Justin's feet on his bed and King slept above my head on the pillow. Justin turned on his side and looked at me. I had my eyes fixed on the ceiling, deep in thought when Justin spoke.

"Rori?" He queued.

"Yes bro? What's up?" I turned to face him. He was deep in thought like I was. It seemed that both of us getting our first Pokémon changed our outlook on life.

"Where do you think we'll be a year from now?" He asked. His expression was serious.

"It's hard to say. There are so many places to go and thousands of Pokémon to meet. It's all up in the air really. We could be in Saffron City one month, and then Sootopolis City the next. It'll be a never ending adventure." I answered. Sliding deeper into thought.

"No, I mean where you think we'll actually be. As in who we are? I'm hoping to be an even greater trainer than Red. Maybe even challenge him to a battle and win." He corrected. I could hear him getting groggier with each passing moment.

"We'll both be amazing trainers. One day, people will know our name and cheer for us when we battle." I stated. I felt sleep edging ever closer.

"Good. One day, when we're that powerful. I'll challenge you to a battle a top Indigo Plateau. You better not even think about holding back. I'll beat you fair and square" he challenged. Sleep finally over took him has he began to lightly snore. Flare stood and used his nose to slide under his trainer's arm and closed its eyes.

I reached up with my hand and lightly stroked King's smooth and cool skin. He licked the tips of my fingers and readjusted himself and curled back into a ball.

"Good" I said. "I wouldn't have it any other way." Darkness moved over me as I slipped into a deep, relaxing sleep.

Soon, my journey would begin.

I hope you enjoyed the prequel chapter. As I said at the beginning, this was more of a "get to know" chapter. The characters will have more of their history revealed as the story progresses as well as a few plot twists. The rest of the chapters will be much longer. This chapter only took 3 hours to write up and the rest will take seven days. I'll be aiming to update every week. If for any reason it will take me longer than a week to update, I'll make a quick update at the top of the most recent chapter guessing when the next chapter will be released.

As always, review the story. I always welcome constructive criticism. So fire away if you feel it'll help improve my writing. Until next week, Go Catch 'Em All!