Hello there PokeFans! This is my first PokeFic (or any fic, for that matter), so please go easy on the flames. Constructive criticism never hurt, but I don't want to be able to roast marshmallows with your reviews. So please, no.
Also, I am hoping this to be fairly decent in length, but I am unsure if I will be able to do that. At the very least, I aim to get 100k words. A beta'r or two might help a tad bit. Thanks!
Chapter One- I'm Mature?
XxXxX
Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap I'm gonna be late! I thought, sprinting down the deserted road. The morning sun beat down on the back of my neck, the excessive heat adding to my discomfort as I barrelled down the empty streets.
I was never a morning person to begin with, but summer mornings were the worst. Summer was made just for sleeping in and doing nothing. It was life's down time, where everything relaxed and prepared for the grind of winter. Which was why the early morning (it was only 10:00 o'clock!) sprint that I found myself completing was utter hell.
It really was.
Gasping for breath, I swerved around one of the metal gate posts outside of the professor's lab, hurtling myself towards the sturdy wooden doors.
I had walked through these doors countless times in my life. My official job in town was 'Messenger'. My unofficial nickname, however, was simply Flash. Here one moment, gone the next. Looking back, that was probably a pretty damn accurate name. I was always running messages, picking up packages, delivering letters, etcetera. Quite a few of my deliveries were to the Professor, so I was a common sight in his lab (I was quite famous for knocking over the pokemon bone structure moniter five times in one week).
None of the previous occasions even approached the importance of today's visit. I opened the door and barreled in, nearly knocking over one of the flustered aides. After profusely apologising, I hurried off to the lab, jogging jogging down the familiar hallways. A few people recognised me and called out, but I rushed by without sparing them a glance. This is my first day in the real world. The day I start my real life. The day I become who I was meant to be. They could wait.
For today, I shall get my pokemon.
I reached the doors of the Professor's lab and yanked them open. It was dark inside, the only light coming from blinking lights on various different machines. The smell of disinfectant was tinged in the air. Taking care to breathe through my mouth (I hated hospitals), I crept into the room slowly, fearful of disturbing the sense of ceremony that hung in the air. Near the back of the room, I saw the Professor's desk, and his form sitting in the high-backed chair behind it. Swallowing a lump in my throat, I raised my head and boldly stepped forward. It was time.
The motion-sensing lights snapped on, startling me. I yelped in surprise and jumped up, nerves jangling. The Pokemon Professor of Hoenn, Sylus Birch*, jerked awake at my dignified shriek. Blinking, he blearily looked around for half a second before focusing on me.
"Oh, you're here!" He exclaimed. "Sorry if I fell asleep waiting for you. I had a long night yesterday. Lots of paperwork and emails to look at. Boring adult stuff." The jovial Professor stopped talking for a second and rubbed the rest of the sleep from his eyes. Standing up, he clapped his hands together sharply and cleared his throat.
"Alright! I know what you are here for. If you will follow me, I will lead you to the Receiver Room." With that, he turned on his heel and left. I hurried after him, just barely holding in my excitement.
You see, while there were a lot of noteworthy trainers who had gotten their starting pokemon themselves, such as Drake of the Elite Four, many powerful and influential trainers had been sponsored by Professor Birch. To be sponsored by the Professor allowed you free access to all gym battles (barring Elite Four and above level matches), the newest upgrade of the pokedex, and your own starter pokemon. It was a one-way ticket to trainerdom.
And the famed Receiver Room was where each and every single one of them had gotten their first pokemon. My breath caught in my throat when he pushed the gold-framed door open, and then we entered the room. Birch led me to the long table that dominated the center of the room, and he stopped right in front of it, turning towards me. He squared his shoulders and planted his feet firmly on the ground. His eyes seemed to clear of all worries, and he took a deep breath.
I tensed, waiting. I knew what would come next. Every trainer in Hoenn knew.
"Trainer!" Barked his gravelly voice. Here he paused, as if searching for words he had once forgotten. I waited patiently. It would come, I knew. After a few seconds of silence, Birch coughed once and then continued.
"Today is the very first day of your life as a pokemon trainer. Many people have come through these halls, each one of them seeking to start their own journeys. You are no different! While we as individuals are unique, we as trainers are united as one, with one common bond binding us all together: Pokemon!
"You, as a trainer, have a sworn oath to forever improve the abilities of yourself and those of your comrades. Do not go back on that pledge! Never go back on it! Remember who and what is truly important to you, and keep it close to yourself. Do not let others fall, but if they do, help them back up. Help others to protect their important things. Protect! Learn! Explore! Improve! These four words are the basis of all trainers. Follow them with your heart and soul, as a true trainer, and you will be rewarded. Believe in your pokemon!
"That is all I have to say to you, young journeyer. Now, a world of adventure awaits. Welcome...to the world of Pokemon."
It was here that I took a moment to swallow the lump of pride in my throat. This was the exact same speech given to hundreds of trainers. The former champion, Steven Stone, had once stood in the exact spot I was in, and heard the exact same famous words I did.
I felt blessed. I felt on top of the world. I felt like I could go and crush all of the Elite Four at once. I was invincible. Unstoppable. Unbeatable. It was wonderful.
After clearing his throat and taking a swig from the waterskin on his belt, he let himself relax back into his normal posture. After glancing at me, he let out a hearty chuckle.
"It's always amusing to see the faces of new trainers after I give this speech. The looks they have are just priceless." He chuckled again and waved a hand at me.
"You're gaping."
I shut my open mouth. Blushing faintly in embarrassment, I managed to hide my bright red ears and calm my burning face. Silently, I scolded myself. Now is not the time to be awed. Now is the time for pokemon.
Setting my chin, I looked up into his bright black eyes. "Sir?" I began. "Can I get my pokemon now?"
He nodded once. "Of course you can. Actually, there is something I need to tell you about that. It concerns your starter pokemon."
"What?" I asked warily. "What about my starter?" My voice began to rise in panic at the end of the sentence. What if something went wrong and I'm not allowed to get one? What if he ran out of pokemon and I need to wait? Dozens of thoughts rushed through my head, each one worse than the previous. My eyes started to dampen, and I began to hyperventilate (Remember, this was very important to me at the time, so I might have overreacted just a tad bit).
"Hey." Professor Birch's calm voice broke through my rambling thoughts. His kind eyes found mine. "It's fine. It's just that your starter is a unique pokemon. I wanted to see if that was alright with you."
The dam broke. All of my previous dread vanished as soon as it had come. It was fine. The Professor wouldn't do this to me. Of course he had a pokemon for me. He was a good, kind man. If he said he had a pokemon for me, then he had a pokemon for me. I trusted him.
Taking a deep breath, I wiped my eye with my sleeve and nodded to myself. I was okay.
"What about my starter, sir?" I asked him. After all, curiosity follows desperation. I was no exception. He had said it was unique. Hopefully that meant something awesome.
The Professor took a second long draught from his waterskin, obviously preparing for another speech.
"In order to understand the history around your starter, you must first learn about fossils. Many millions of years ago, there were many different species of pokemon that we don't have today. They were rulers of the planet, and nothing opposed them. However, due to some unexplainable event, or events, they all died out. Recently, archeologists have begun discovering ancient fossils of these elder pokemon. To better study these mysteries, six different regions from around the world each came together and created an enormous secret facility for studying these fossils.
"Each region contributed at least two different fossils to the research center, and all of the best minds in the world came to study and analyze them. One of the key functions of the center was to recreate an ancient fossil pokemon using the DNA in the fossils.
"One year and three days ago, we succeeded. We successfully made a fossil pokemon we call Aerodactyl. After the first successful attempt, we decided to continue and create more fossil pokemon. Out of the fourteen fossils used, we managed to recreate six in total. Based on ancient skeletons and fossil data we have, these elder pokemon were likely much more powerful than pokemon we have today. We nicknamed the six of them 'Behemoths', with separate scientific and normal names each. To attempt an understanding of how these Behemoths lived, ate, and acted, we decided to try to let the pokemon grow. It would unlock many mysteries of how the ancient world worked.
"We decided that letting the new (old?) pokemon be raised by a trainer would be the most beneficial to letting it grow, so each of the six fossil pokemon were shipped off to a different region, where the region's Pokemon Professor would give it to a trainer they deemed worthy enough to raise it and live with it."
He stopped here and stared intently at me. His piercing black eyes bore into mine, waiting for me to complete the train of thought. Waiting for me to figure it out.
Realisation dawned on me with crushing force. Stuttering heavily in my surprise, I managed to choke out an answer. "M-m-me?! Y-you want m-me to raise and a-a-ancient Pokemon?!"
Birch smiled at my expression. "Yes, you." He said calmly, seemingly oblivious to my shock. "I have seen you run deliveries around town. I have seen the maturity displayed. I think you deserve it." Something about that caught my ear, and I frowned slightly.
"Maturity?" I asked. "When have I shown maturity? I'm fourteen." The Professor smiled at my question.
"Exactly that." He stated, his voice firm. "You are fourteen. You didn't go rushing headlong into the woods when you turned ten, like half the other children did. You waited. You gained some field knowledge, and remained until you thought you were ready. Not everyone does that."
Although I smiled outwardly at his praise, I was cringing on the inside. I didn't have the heart tell him that the reason I hadn't left was because I had just gotten a raise as delivery boy, and I wanted to get some more cash before leaving. Hey, what can I say? I love money. Always have, always will. I hope.
Nevertheless, I was proud that the Professor had chosen me instead of the other bratty kids around town. I had originally wanted mudkip as my starter, but I figured that I could make some exceptions for the Professor. After all, he is the Regional Pokemon Professor of Hoenn. After a second, I nodded.
"Alright. I will accept the fossil pokemon. I'll go along with this idea of yours, and turn this pokemon into a champion-worthy pokemon."
Birch's eyes lit up at my bold declaration. He let out a girly squeal of joy, and then rushed to the computer on the wall. Typing away at it furiously, he started to fill in the information on the trainer record. As he came to each question, he would ask me for the answer. I gladly gave them.
"Gender?"
"Male."
"Age?"
"Fourteen."
"Birthday?"
"February twelfth"
"PokeNav Number?"
"3498-331-30"
"Name?" I paused and grinned, wanting to savor the moment.
"Rookol Evendur." Here I paused again, savoring the momentary silence. After an eternity (which was probably only a few seconds), I broke the silence.
"But you can call me Rook."** I finished my sentence with an extravagant bow, feigning the pomp and bombast that nobles commonly used.
Muttering under his breath about insolent teens, Professor Birch finished entering my Trainer Data and hit 'Finish'. A little window popped up on the screen, flashing a bright green 'Trainer Accepted' blip. The-MY-pokedex chimed as the data was uploaded onto it, the electronic beep ringing through the still air.
It was official. I was a trainer.
After handing my brand new pokedex to me, the Professor's face split into a wide grin.
"Let's get you a Pokemon!"
XxXxX
* - Professor Birch was never given a first name, so I gave him one. It is not real, I just made it up.
** - Rook, pronounced as 'Rook', the chess piece.
Hopefully you enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing it, that's for sure. Please leave any tips you guys have for my writing in the reviews, because I am new to writing and something like that would be appreciated.
Yes, I already have a fossil pokemon picked out, so don't send suggestions. I promise (or I hope) that you will like the choice I made. I especially love it's second evolution.
If you have pokemon ideas for Rook's Team, please let me know! I enjoy having input from others.
Lastly, I would like one or two people to beta for me. If you would like to do that, please let me know in the reviews and leave your email so I can contact you. Thanks!
'Till Next Time,
Phraxis