Beginnings of a Master: Dictian Diaries Chapter 1: Grim Tidings, a pokémon fanfic

Now I can begin to tell the story.
A legend is not a legend until it is.
Together we can celebrate the glory
My friends, my friends.

It's amazing to think you can do anything,
When you believe in yourself.
One voice can make a difference.
One dream can go the distance.

The greatest battles have been overcome,
With one heart, one mind.
One love, one life.
That's the power of one.

One
performed by Denisse Lara

"The technology of the Pokéball is the result of various sciences working together. Those who don't understand the full capabilities of it are often astounded by this small device." The man at the front of the class stopped for a moment, scanning the crowd of students before him. "Because of this, the Pokéball can be considered the pinnacle of our scientific knowledge, representing our modern society. Can anyone name a reason why the Pokéball has only been a relatively recent development in our history?"

Silence washed over the class. A buzz of irritation filled the man. Just before he was about to carry on with his lecture, a tentative hand rose in the air.

"Yes, Mr Sapphire?"

The boy in question looked at the classroom board, his brow furrowed in concentration. Blue eyes scanned the board, until he seemed sure of his answer. "Because of Einstein's law of energy?"

"You mean Einstein's Law of Mass-Energy Equivalence?" The boy nodded. "Correct. Who can explain why this law may cause scientific and technological problems? Ashlee?" He pointed to a girl in the front row.

"Um." She looked confused. "Because... Pokémon get smaller when they're in their Pokéballs?"

The teacher waved his hand. "That's part of it. Mr Sapphire, since you brought it up, can you explain the issue?"

Samuel Sapphire frowned again. "I can try... Er, the main issue is that when Pokémon enter or leave their Pokéballs, there is energy used to change forms, from their normal bodies to... whatever they are inside the Pokéball. So basically more energy is used to change the Pokémon, than it is to keep it inside, or to keep it outside."

Mr Hinde nodded. "That's right. Now, because of this loss of energy, Pokéballs have several tiny batteries to store the immense amounts of power required to do this. But then it becomes a problem of how to generate the energy. We look to the more basic forms of energy to do this. Most Pokéballs are covered in paint which acts as highly sensitive solar panels, recharging by being in the sun. In addition to this, they also have kinetic inhibitors, basically using the friction of being moved when you walk to power up further energy. In the lower end of Pokéballs, some won't open shortly after being used because they don't have enough power. This is why Pokéballs are commonly thrown by trainers during battle." He stopped for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "In the case of electric Pokémon, the Pokéball also uses the excess energy that the Pokémon gives off to cha-." He cut off as a small figure in white suddenly formed on his desk, coalescing into the form of a small Ralts, holding a small envelope. Cheerily, the Ralts gave the note to the teacher, before teleporting away.

Unfolding the note, Mr Hinde's mouth moved as he read it, muttering as he did. "Mr Hinde... Send him to... bring schoolbag." He looked up. "Mr Sapphire, you are asked to go to the office. Please pack up your things quietly, they have asked you to take your bag with you."

Now the class was awake. With a collective "Ooooooh." they all began grinning, some swivelling around to look at Sam, others breaking into a small chant they sang anytime someone got into trouble and was asked to see the Principal.
Confused yet again, Sam automatically packed up his book and pens, nudging the young Growlithe at his feet into waking. Giving a small growl, it opened one of its eyes to look up at the boy. "Time to go Indy." Sam said, holding out a Pokéball to the puppy Pokémon. Once it was returned to its home, Sam finished packing up, slinging his bag onto his back. Uncomfortably aware of all the eyes focused on him, despite Mr Hinde's best efforts to regain attention, Sam walked out of the room. Once in the hallways, which were, thankfully, a lot more devoid of judgmental teenagers than the classroom, Sam pondered on the reason as to why he was being called to the front office. He wasn't late on anything school related, and he wasn't on any sporting teams. He was a member of the Student Representative Council, but they weren't planning any events Sam was involved in. By the time he had reached the office, he was just as clueless as when he had left Mr Hinde's classroom.

He approached the front desk. "Excuse me?"

One of the office ladies looked up at him. "Oh, Mr Sapphire. Please, go right in." She waved to her right, the location of the Principal's office. A flicker of red met Sam's eyes as he looked in that direction. Looking at it directly, he found himself looking at the back of his mother's head, looking like she was engaged in a quiet conversation with the principal of the school, Mr Coll. Gulping, and trying to fight down the feeling of dread which had popped up in his stomach, Sam tugged on the strap of his schoolbag and entered the Principal's office.

Being the one to face the door, Mr Coll was the first to see Sam. "Ah, Sam. Come in." He waved to an empty seat besides Sam's mother. His voice had an accent from Poligem, one of the regions from the other side of the world, but it didn't betray the reason why Sam had been called to the office. Sitting carefully in the seat besides his mother, Sam looked at her from the corner of his eye. She didn't look upset. Eyes drifting back to look at Mr Coll, they stopped suddenly on an envelope on the table between the two parties.

A silence stretched through the room, broken when Mr Coll cleared his throat. "Would you like to tell him?" He asked Sam's mother politely.

She turned in her seat slightly, so that she could face Sam. "I got this letter today." She said abruptly. "It's from the Pokémon Newspaper Competition."

The Pokémon Newspaper Competition was an annual event run by the International Pokémon League. Each year, kids aged ten to eighteen would submit an essay on a subject outlined in the original competition advertisement. Ten winners would be chosen from across the world, and were sent to a region playing host to the Competition that year. There, they would receive a Trainer license, equipment to head out on a Pokémon journey, and most importantly, a starter Pokémon from one of three regions. Dictioy, the northern neighbour to Kanto, was hosting it this year, with the starter Pokémon being supplied by two undisclosed regions, and Dictioy. In addition, the International Pokémon League would supply one extra starter Pokémon, bringing the number of available choices up to ten. The International League had supplied a Pichu for close to fifteen years now, in honour of the International Pokémon Champion, Ash Ketchum.

"You've been accepted in third place." Fiona finished simply. She began to say something else, but Sam couldn't hear over the sudden roaring which had filled his ears. Third place? He didn't think he'd qualify, let alone as highly as third place. It meant he would have third choice of all the Pokémon, making it that much more likely he'd get what he wanted.

'Sam?' A voice broke through his mind, bringing his attention back to the present. His mother had used telepathy on him when it seemed her physical efforts had failed.

Sam shook his head. "Yes, sorry. You mean I actually got in?" He asked excitedly. When his mother nodded, he let out a whoop of joy, causing a few passing teachers to peer in to the office out of curiosity. Noticing this, Mr Coll got up and carefully closed the door.

"Assuming you accept, this means we will be removing you from your classes and placing you into a special accelerated program." Mr Coll said as he returned to his seat. "This will finish off this year of education, and give you qualifications if you decide to stop your Pokémon Journey and settle down. I have already contacted the local college and they have a spot for you in the Advanced Pokémon Training class if you would like to enrol. This will teach you many of the basics that Pokémon Trainers would learn the hard way, such as care for your Pokémon, foraging and the like."

Sam had been nodding throughout this speech, before he stopped, looking at his mother. "I am allowed to go, right?"

His mother sighed. "I would prefer you finish your education, but this is a one time offer." She bit her lip, pondering for a moment. "So long as you pass all your classes, and complete the Advanced Training course, it's fine with me." Her last words were tainted with a tinge of sadness. Reaching out, he grabbed her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. His older sister had left on her own journey when she was thirteen, but had stopped when she was seventeen. He was seventeen now, a lot older than most trainers who usually started out in their early teens.

"Well, I'll get all the paperwork in order then." Mr Coll said jubilantly. "Mr Sapphire, congratulations on your win in the competition. You will be withdrawn from all your classes, effective immediately. On Monday, you will need to arrive here at 8am to start your accelerated classes. These will end at 3pm, at which stage, you will go to the Advanced Pokémon Training Classes at Southern Island Tech. You have a busy few months ahead of you, but I believe you can do it."

"As do I." Said Fiona.

"There is one last thing." Mr Coll said, as Sam and Fiona got up to leave. "Sam, I understand that this is extremely exciting for you, but I would advise you to ask the advice of anyone you know who has been on a Pokémon Journey. You may be inclined to ignore a lot of it, but I do ask that you approach them with an open mind, as your mother can probably attest to." He looked at her, receiving a nod. "Otherwise, your mother is more likely to be able to put you into contact with visiting Pokémon trainers than I am. Congratulations again on your win."

Sam smiled at his mother. While she may not look it, she had been the Gym Leader of Mist City for the past five years, raising five children as she had done so. Her type specialty was the Psychic Type. Sam had inherited some of her psychic abilities, but had nowhere near the power his mother had. His own abilities were primarily telepathic, but he had some minor skill with telekinesis and teleportation. Enough to impress his friends and classmates at least. His sisters also had psychic abilities, but had inherited more power than he had.

Putting a hand on his shoulder, Fiona led Sam from the office to the front of the school. "You may want to tell Professor Rowan that you are leaving." She said as they walked. "That way he can begin to look for another junior assistant to take care of the Pokémon."

Sam had a part-time job working for Professor Rowan, the resident professor of Southern Island. His speciality was Legendary Pokémon, and he had had frequent meetings with Latios and Latias, the two guardian Legendaries who called Southern Island home. His father was also a professor in some region to the north, whose name Sam currently forgot.

"You're right." He said, quirking his mouth. "Do you mind teleporting me there? The sooner the better, you know what his attention span is like." Fiona smiled. Professor Rowan was easily distracted, and usually bounced between several studies at once. Waving her hand goodbye, she teleported Sam to the Professor's Lab.

Sam reeled for a moment. He always forgot how disconcerting teleportation was. When he straightened up, he looked around. His mother had sent him to the entry hall of the lab. This wasn't unusual, it was a basic entry point for most people. What was unusual was that the front door appeared to be locked. The lab was silent, except for the dull beeping of computers, and the occasional cry of a Pokémon from somewhere far off.

"Hello?" Sam asked, taking a tentative step. He had a key to the lab, Professor Rowan sometimes went off into the natural habitat to study Pokémon, but he usually told Sam before he left. Sam's duties were minor, basically just to feed the many Pokémon, and occasionally to perform some basic first aid if Professor Rowan wasn't around to fix the Pokémon up. Giving a shrug, Sam took his bag off, walking into a room branching off of the entry hall. Placing his bag down, he opened a small cupboard where he kept the clothes he wore when dealing with the Pokémon. Changing quickly, he stuffed his bag into the cupboard, wandering into the main room of the lab. He quickly looked around for a note or message, but saw nothing until he was past the technical equipment and near the door to the Pokéball Storage Room, where the Pokéballs were stored while their inhabitants were let loose around the property. A note was on a small table.

Sam, do not-

He looked at the note in amusement. It seemed that Professor Rowan had gotten distracted while writing this. It was a basic message, one Professor Rowan kept telling him during the winter months: 'Do not go anywhere near the Ice Pokémon area'. The winter, despite being mild on Southern Island, usually made them a bit rowdy. Pushing open the door to the Pokéball Storage room, he looked around for the tray of Pokéballs whose inhabitants needed to be let out today. Instead, he was confronted with a small pen, where three young Pokémon ambled about. A Treecko and a Torchic were curled up together in a sunbeam, sleeping quietly, while a Mudkip was exploring the things left in the pen. Hearing footsteps, it looked up at Sam, eyes lighting up as it saw someone.

"Kip! Mudkip mud!" It said in a high pitched voice.

"Hey there." Sam greeted, crouching down near the wall of the pen. Professor Rowan hadn't told him that he had Beginner Trainers coming by, but that could be from being distracted. He had been rather secretive lately though, Sam hadn't even seen the eggs for these three being incubated. The Mudkip stood up on its forelegs, bracing itself against the walls of the pen nearest to Sam.

"Kip!" It squeaked again, sounding rather demanding. Giving a chuckle, Sam reached over, gently picking up the baby Pokémon. Standing up, he inspected the young Pokémon, while it looked solemnly back at him. It looked like it had a small scratch on the side of its stomach, probably from one of the other two sleeping Pokémon. Otherwise, it seemed fine. Its stomach bulged, implying that it had recently eaten, which was good.

"Let's get you fixed up." Sam said, cradling the Mudkip in his arms. In response, it wriggled until it had a prime vantage point from the boy's arms. Walking over to a nearby table, Sam placed the Mudkip down, bending down to grab the first aid kit. Worried by the sudden disappearance of its new friend, the Mudkip bounded to the side of the table, peeking over just as Sam came back up, first aid kit in hand. The young Pokémon jumped back quickly, eyes widened in fear. Opening its mouth, a small stream of water poured out, landing in a puddle less than two inches from it. Looking down at the Mudkip in amusement, Sam chuckled. "It's just me." He said. Pulling out some antiseptic spray, he quickly flipped the Mudkip over, spraying the scratch and applied a bandaid before the water-type quite knew what was going on. Giving another squeak, it struggled, flipping over onto its stomach and attempted to spray Sam again.

"Close, wait until you're a bit older though." He advised the young Pokémon. In response, the Mudkip growled, a high pitched sound that was more akin to a purr than a sound of terror. Sam chuckled again, scooping up the small Pokémon and returned with it to the pen. By now, the other two were awake. As Sam placed the Mudkip down, the Torchic gave a challenging cheep, dashing towards the Mudkip in an attempt at a Tackle attack. Sam intercepted the chick Pokémon before it could reach its target.

"I don't think so." He told the Torchic. He walked away from the pen with the Torchic in his hands, placing it lightly on the table. Once the Torchic was in place, albeit, a bit wobbly, he began his inspection of it. This was harder than checking the Mudkip, the feathers hid any bumps and scrapes, but Sam was able to find three parallel scratches to the left of the Torchic's back. Ignoring the throbbing of his finger, the Torchic had pecked him rather hard when he had found the injuries, he gave the Torchic the same treatment as the Mudkip, though without the bandaids. Before he put the Torchic back, he separated the pen into two halves, with the Torchic on one side, and the Mudkip on the other. Inspection of the Treecko was quick and easy, though its tail kept slipping into his sleeve and catching hold. Once done with the three young ones, he moved around the rest of the room, tidying it quickly and grabbing the selection of Pokémon to take outside.

Sam worked uninterrupted for a few hours, savouring the quiet of the lab. Other than a scuffle between a Zorua and a Noctowl, the Zorua kept trying to sneak up on the Noctowl and pounce on it during feeding time, there weren't any problems. By the time Sam returned to the lab, sweaty and warm from the walking, all three baby Pokémon were asleep and Professor Rowan was back. He looked up absently when Sam entered the room, a look of confusion on his face.

"Sam? Why are you here so early?" He asked. A look of panic suddenly covered his face. "It's not 4pm already is it!?"

"No Professor, it's only 2:30pm." Sam replied, pointing to a nearby clock. "I was let out of school early, and I decided to come in early and do my chores. It is my day after all." Sam shared his duties with about three other teenagers from around the city, each getting a different day to come in and do it all, rather than sharing the duties. They figured they'd learn more that way. "Do you mind if I sit down-' he cut off, looking around. All available chairs were covered in books and research papers. "-somewhere?"

Professor Rowan looked dubiously at the piles. "Yes, give me a moment." Getting up, he grabbed a massive armful of paper, dumping it on the next seat. "Go ahead."

"Thanks." Sam gratefully sat down, his aching feet gaining some relief after the past few hours. "Professor, I received some news today."

"Oh?" The Professor was already looking back at his research. "What is it?"

"I entered the Newspaper Pokémon Contest a few months ago. I received a letter today, saying I was one of the ten winners."

"Newspaper?" Professor Rowan asked, his mind plainly elsewhere. "Yes, there should be some in the kitchen. Is there a broken window?"

"No, I won the Pokémon Contest in the newspaper Professor."

"There's only one newspaper with Pokémon in it?" Professor Rowan sounded confused. He turned to Sam, his attention finally back on the boy.

"No, Professor. I'm one of the ten winners of the Pokémon contest." Sam said, exasperation in his voice.

"You're one of..." The Professor trailer off, before recognition seemed to flare in his eyes. "Oh, yes, now I remember. You didn't go in..." He stopped, appearing to try and remember something. "I did leave a note didn't I? I'm sure I did."

"Professor?"

"Did you go into the Pokéball Storage Room?" Professor Rowan questioned weakly, looking like he already knew the answer.

Sam blinked in confusion. "Of course, it's one of my duties. What does-." He stopped, as a puzzle piece clicked into place. "Southern Island is one of the regions supplying Pokémon for the contest?"

Professor Rowan slumped in his seat. "I forgot how quick you are." He muttered. "The damage has already been done." He said in a voice that said he was speaking to himself as much as Sam. Looking over at the boy, he stopped for a moment, seeming to think about what he was going to say. "Yes, we are. I'm going to have to ask you not to tell anyone else though. I know you won't!" He stammered as Sam raised an eyebrow. "But I just wanted to be sure." He paused for a moment. "I'm going to have to ask you to not interact with the three Pokémon in the Pokéball Storage Room though, you understand. It won't do for one of those three to get attached to you."

Sam nodded, feeling disappointed. While he wasn't too upset on behalf of the Torchic, he had liked the Mudkip and the Treecko.

"In the meantime, congratulations. I would like you to know that I wasn't the one to rank your essay. All essays from Southern Island were given to the other two Professors to judge." Sam nodded, the thought had occurred to him. "I suppose I shall have to begin looking for a new assistant, but if you want to recommend anyone, I'll be open to any ideas you may have." He stopped for a moment again. "I suppose that's it. If you need help with anything else, just ask."

Sam knew a dismissal when he heard one. Getting up with a murmured thanks to the Professor, he returned to the room where his clothes were, grabbed his bag and headed back to his home in town. The walk was relatively short, only fifteen minutes, but that was enough time for Sam to get bored. Plugging in headphones to his PokéNav, he began playing music, oblivious to what was going on around him. As he neared a road by a cliff face, he paused. There was a faint shimmer in the distance. Cocking his head, he headed towards the fence by the cliff, leaning on it to get a better view.

Southern Island was basically a dead volcano which had exploded millions of years ago. The centre of the island was an immense lake, with a small patch of rock in the centre, upon which was built a shrine to Latias and Latios, the guardians and patron gods of Southern Island.
That was who Sam could see now.

Latias and Latios sightings weren't rare in Southern Island, but they were uncommon enough to be a treat. Some of the more famous members of Southern Island, such as Professor Rowan, and Sam's mother, were given permission by the Legendaries to approach during emergencies, or in the case of Professor Rowan, once a year for scientific purposes, but they didn't often interact with others. They appeared to be playing, swooping down on each other and spinning a lot. Sam chuckled as Latias nearly collided with Latios, saving herself at the last moment by performing a stop that Sam knew had to have been aided by telekinesis. After watching them for a few minutes, he turned and continued his way home. He needed to begin preparing for his classes. Only two months, and he would be gone from Southern Island. He would be in a new place, and starting a new life. It was his dream, but he was terrified. Once he was out there, he had no-one to rely on, but his Pokémon and himself.