I decided that I'm going to start rewriting this story and make it better than it was originally (hopefully I'll finish it, too). I love hearing support and criticism, so write a review if you want. Now on to the story
Chapter 1: A Pure White Beginning
The alarm screamed out, and Ash's hand slammed down upon it, turning it off. He had no emotion that morning except excitement, as today was the day he was going to get his first Pokémon. He threw on his red and white clothing and bolted down his steps, nearly crashing into a wall.
"Well, someone's excited," his mom said from their table.
"Yeah," Ash laughed, "why wouldn't I be? I'm about to go on a journey across Kanto!" Trekking across one's home region was pretty much a right of passage for any Pokémon Trainer.
"Ah, I remember when I went on a journey," his mom sighed. She liked to reminisce about her days as a Pokémon Breeder.
"Anyway," she said, "if you're not going to eat breakfast, then you should probably head to Professor Oak's lab." He did just that, and was inside the lab in a heartbeat. But, the only one there to great him was Gary, wearing his usual purple shirt, jeans, and necklace.
"Oh, it's only you," Gary said, "I thought it might be Gramps." Gary was the professors grandson, and was a cocky jerk at best.
"Yo, loser," he said, "can you go see where Gramps went? I'd go myself, but why should I do it when you can?" Ash reluctantly went out of the lab to search for Oak. Since the professor studied Pokémon, Ash reasoned that he must be in the tall grass just north of his home town, Pallet Town. He was about to step out into said tall grass when a voice rang out behind him.
"Hey! Don't go out there!" It said. Walking up to him was none other than the old professor himself.
"What were you thinking?" Oak asked, "Wild Pokémon live in tall grass. You don't have a Pokémon of your own to protect you!"
"That's why I was looking for you," Ash explained, "You're supposed to give me and Gary our first Pokémon today." Professor Oak paused for a second.
"Oh yeah!" he laughed, "I completely forgot! Come with me, son." They walked back to the lab together. When they entered the clean white lab, Gary yelled out across the room.
"Hey Gramps!" he said, "What took you so long? I was about to go looking for you myself!" Oak greeted his grandson, and pulled three red and white spheres out of storage. He put all three of them on a table in front of them.
"These spheres are Poké Balls," the professor explained, "They are used for storing Pokémon. Now, some people keep Pokémon as pets, and others use them for battles. However, it is only legal to battle them if you have a Trainers License, which you get when you're fifteen. I assume you both have one, considering you both turned fifteen recently." Ash and Gary both showed him their licenses.
"Excellent," Oak said, "now onto what you're here for. Choosing you're first Pokémon. Each region has a leading Pokémon Professor, who gives people that live in their town a 'Starter Pokémon.' These are usually a choice between a rare Grass-type, Fire-type, and Water-type Pokémon. I happen to be the leading Professor of Kanto, and my Starter Pokémon of choice are these little Pokémon called Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. Ash, since you went to get me, I'll give you first pick."
"Hey!" Gary angrily shouted, "What about me!?" his grandpa have him an annoyed look.
"Be patient," the old man said, "You'll get one soon enough. But first, Ash. Have you chosen one."
"Yeah, I think so," Ash said, "I think I'll go with Bulbasaur."
"Great choice!" Oak smiled, "Bulbasaur is a personal favorite of mine." Gary didn't seem so impressed.
"Heh, I didn't want that one anyway," he said, "It's nowhere near as great as this one." He grabbed the Poké Ball for Charmander.
"That Charmander can become a powerful Pokémon when in the right hands," Professor Oak said.
"Now that you have a Pokémon, you may leave Pallet Town if you wish. You may even explore the region, if that's what you want." Ash knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to defeat Kanto's eight Gym Leaders so that he could participate in the annual Pokémon League Tournament at the Indigo Plateau. He was about to step out the door when Gary yelled out.
"Hey loser!" he taunted, "Let's battle our Pokémon. See how strong they are." Ash wasn't one to back out of a challenge, so he accepted. In a flash, both of the young men's Pokémon were out and ready for battle. Ash's mom had taught him when he got his Trainers License that young Pokémon don't have a lot of moves, and she also taught him what moves the Starter Pokémon of Kanto know at a young age.
"Use Tackle!" Ash commanded. The Bulbasaur flung itself into its adversary, dazing the Charmander for a second.
"Use Scratch," Gary said. His Charmander started scratching at Bulbasaur. They followed this up with another Tackle and another Scratch.
"Use Growl," Ash said. Bulbasaur did just that, and growled at his opponent.
"What did that do?" Gary turned to Professor Oak.
Oak smiled, "Bulbasaur is making it to where Charmander doesn't hit as hard." Gary looked seriously annoyed at that news. He tried another Scratch, but Bulbasaur took it, although barely. Ash had Bulbasaur use one more Tackle, and it was all over. Gary zapped his Charmander back into its Poké Ball in a red beam of light.
"Tch. Whatever," Gary said, "You only won because I haven't trained him enough. I'll be back when I make him stronger. Ash. Gramps. Smell ya later!" With that, he walked out of the lab.
"So what are you going to do first, Ash?" Oak asked. Ash smiled.
"I think I'll go to Viridian City first. I want to start seeing new places."
"That's a very respectable thing for a young man to want to be doing. But before you go off on an adventure, you should probably say goodbye to your mother. You will be gone for a while, after all." Taking the professors advice, Ash went home to see his mom.
"Ooh, a Bulbasaur!" she said when he showed her his Pokémon.
"You know what it is?" Ash asked. He hadn't even told her what it was yet.
"Yeah," she said, "The whole reason I moved to Pallet Town was because Professor Oak wanted my help breeding his Starter Pokémon." After talking a while, Ash told his mom that he wanted to travel around Kanto. She agreed to let him go.
"All boys leave home someday," she said, "At least, that's what it says on TV. Besides, this will be good for you. You'll have fun, make friends, maybe even grow a little more mature." She gave her son a loving embrace.
"Just make sure you make me proud, Ash." After saying goodbye and packing his traveling pack, Ash went out of his house and took his first step out of Pallet Town. Route 1 was a straightforward, grassy road. For some reason, this place just filled Ash with relaxing peace. Perhaps it was the scent of the grass and trees, or the cheery, laid-back vibe the route had. He explored the area, talking to strangers and watching the wild Rattata and Pidgey in their natural habitat. He relaxed here for a while before he decided to move on to the close by city of Viridian. But before he was able to really explore, he was interrupted by a man carrying a package.
"Hey, I noticed that you came out of Route 1," he said, "Are you from Pallet Town?" Ash nodded his head.
"Great," the man smiled, "Then you probably know where Professor Oak's lab is. Can you bring his package to him? I don't know where his lab is. Here's some money for your trouble." Ash took the package and backtracked down back to Pallet Town and to Oak's lab.
"Oh, thank you!" Oak said, "It's the custom Poké Ball I ordered!" Suddenly, Gary was walking up to his grandfather.
"You asked for me?" Gary said, "What is it?" Oak walked towards a nearby table. Sitting on it were two red, rectangular devices.
"Oh yes," Oak said, "I nearly forgot! It's a good thing you came back when you did, Ash. These devices on the table are called Pokédexes. They record the information of any Pokémon you catch. My dream has always been to record the info of every Pokémon, but I'm too old now. I want you two to fulfill that dream for me." He handed them both the Pokédexes.
"No problem, Gramps!" Gary said. He turned to Ash.
"Sorry to say, but I'm not going to need you for this. I can do this on my own. Smell ya later!" After he left, Ash turned to the professor.
"Hey, Professor Oak," Ash said, "No offense to you or anything, but why is Gary such a jerk?"
"I suppose that's probably my fault," Oak sighed, "I've always spoiled him and that really feeds his ego." Oak's face brightened.
"But, I think that this assignment will really shape him. I see you and him both becoming respectable young men and formidable Pokémon Trainers." Ash smiled and thanked Oak. After this, he walked out of the office. Standing outside waiting for him was Professor Oak's granddaughter, Daisy.
"Hey!" Daisy said, "Gary came home to get one of our Town Maps and I realized that you don't have one, so I think you should keep this one."
"Thanks, Daisy!" Ash said, taking the map. He made sure that he had everything he needed when he got to the edge of the town. He took a deep breath, and walked out into Route 1 again. And thus his journey began.