Well, here we go. First fanfic. Hope you all enjoy reading it.

No action in this chapter, basically introductions. But things start off with a bang next chapter!

I don't own Pokemon. Wait, really?

…..

Chapter 1: Stephen Starts Out

Sunlight streamed in through the second floor window of a house, marking the start of a new day. The light rays fell on the back of the head of a teenaged boy, who lay sprawled in nothing but his boxers; his sheets had been kicked off the bed at one point during the night. The boy had dirty-blonde hair that he kept short enough that it was cool and easy to wash, but long enough that some of its natural curliness showed. He was fair-skinned, but had a slight tan that showed his love for the outdoors. The boy yawned and rolled away from the light, muttering in his sleep.

"No, Dad, that's my bacon!" As he rolled over, the door to his room opened, permitting a smaller creature to enter. It heavily resembled a dog, if a dog had orange fur and a couple black stripes, that is. It also had a small mane of white fur on the back of its head. Upon seeing the sleeping boy, the dog-like creature smiled and trotted over to the bed. One of the boy's hands was leaning over the side of the bed, allowing the orange-furred creature to nuzzle it with his nose. The boy chuckled.

"No, Mom, I'm not ticklish." The dog seemed to huff at this, deciding a different approach would be necessary to wake the sleeping boy. Doing what dogs do best, the white-mane canine began licking the blonde boy's fingers. He received a light smack in the nose as a response.

"I'll wash my hands when I finish, Dad." Ticked at getting whacked for his efforts, the orange dog opened his mouth and went with his last resort. The boy's eyes shot open as the dog's sharp teeth nipped his hand.

"Yowch!" The boy jumped out of his bed, immediately beginning to suck on his offended hand. "Wad you do dat fo', Growlithe?" The boy mumbled from behind his hand. The orange-furred dog, named Growlithe, barked out his response. The boy stared indignantly back at the canine, removing his hand from his mouth as he next spoke.

"So? That doesn't give you the right to bite my hand! Is that the last thing you want to do to me before I leave on my journey?" The orange-furred dog's eyes grew large at this, and he let out a pathetic little puppy whimper. Unable to stay mad at the dog, the boy dropped to one knee and scratched his head.

"I'm just messing with you, Growlithe. I can't stay mad at you." The canine perked up at this, licking the boy's face and eliciting spluttered laughter.

"Hey, cut that out, man. I love you, too. Now let me get dressed and we'll go get some breakfast." Growlithe barked happily at this, getting out of the boy's way so he could get ready. The blonde-haired youth reached into his dresser and pulled out a pair of socks, a pair of tan cargo pants, and a plain white undershirt. Slipping all of these on, the boy then reached into his close and pulled out his favorite article of clothing: a ratty, old, green, hooded zip-up sweatshirt. Smiling, the boy pulled it on and looked in the mirror. After making sure his bed head wasn't major, he smiled and took a long look around his room.

"Well, it's been fun, room. I'll be gone awhile; don't get too messy while I'm gone." Smiling, the boy walked out his door with Growlithe at his heels.

…..

The boy slid down the railing of the stairs, nearly crashing into his father as he did so.

"Easy, Stephen. You don't want to go taking out your old man, do you?" The boy, who's name was Stephen, smiled.

"Not at all, Dad. At least not with so many witnesses." They both laughed at this, and then proceeded into the kitchen. On the table lay a veritable feast, and over the stove was the person responsible.

"Good morning, Mom." The women turned her head around, smiling at her husband and son.

"Good morning, sweetie. Did you sleep well?" The father snorted at this.

"Is that even a question with this child? He's like a freaking log!" Stephen smirked at this, gazing at his dad evenly.

"Your one to talk, Dad." The older man raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Point taken. Now, let's get some grub." Stephen nodded and walked over to the table. Sending a quick thank-you to his mother, the blonde-haired teen began to dig in. Smiling at her son, the mother walked over and sat at the table.

"So, today's the big day, isn't it, John?" John, the father, cleared his throat and nodded.

"That it is, Lisa. Are you ready for it, Stephen?" The boy managed a muffled "Yes" in-between mouthfuls of food. Lisa, Stephen's mother, sniffled slightly at this, her eyes beginning to water.

"It's hard to believe that you're going. It seems like just yesterday I was changing your diaper." The women reached up and dabbed her eyes with her apron while John comfortingly wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Stephen smiled warmly at his mom as he slide a few strips of his beloved bacon off the table for Growlithe to devour.

"Hey, no worries, mom. I'll keep in touch. And it's not like I'm going away forever. I'll be visiting you guys when I get all the badges I need to get into the Pokemon League Championships." His mother brightened slightly at his, sniffing back further tears.

"I know, sweetie. And I'm very proud of you. It's just something we mother's have to do when our child leaves the house on his own." John gave his wife a reassuring squeeze and turned back to his son.

"Well, I guess you should be going, Stephen. You don't wan to keep Samuel waiting." Stephen nodded and finished the last bit of food remaining. He then stood up and stretched, looking down when he felt something nuzzling his leg. There sat Growlithe with Stephen's pack in his mouth, a sad look in his eyes. Stephen got down on his knee and took the pack, rubbing Growlithe's head as he spoke.

"Thanks, Growlithe. I'm going to miss you, buddy. Take care of mom and dad while I'm gone, ok?" Growlithe stood up straight and let out an affirmative bark, earning him a pat on the head. "That's what I wanted to hear." Giving the faithful dog one last pat, Stephen stood up and faced his parent, pulling on his pack as he spoke.

"Well, guys, this is it. I'll keep in touch." Lisa smiled and hugged her son close.

"Be safe, sweetie. Make sure you brush your teeth and get enough sleep." Squeezing his mother tightly, Stephen then turned to his dad.

"So you're off, huh?" John smiled proudly at his son, giving the blonde-haired boy silent courage. Stephen nodded in reply. "Well, son, just remember the family motto. Start strong-" John held out his hand.

"-finish strong." Stephen finished as he grasped his father's hand. Letting go, the youth walked out the front door, turning around to say: "I love you, guys."

"I love you too, sweetie.

"Make us proud, son."

"Ruff!" Smiling one last time, Stephen turned and walked out of the house and down the road.

…..

It took the blonde-haired youth 15 minutes at a brisk pace to arrive at his destination. On his way, Stephen passed through the humble streets of Pallet Town. He smiled at the familiar faces he saw, accepting the well-wishes with nods and waves. When he did arrive at his destination, he was once again overcome with awe.

He stood at the foot of a long staircase that led the research lab of world-renowned Pokemon Researcher, Professor Samuel Oak. A great trainer back in his youth, Prof. Oak had earned his fame in the later years of his life for his exploits in the field of finding out all he could about Pokemon.

Pokemon were, of course, the mysterious creatures that inhabited the planet. Stephen's family's Growlithe was an example of a Pokemon. And now Stephen was here at the Prof.'s lab to receive a Pokemon of his very own. Positively bursting with excitement, Stephen rushed up the stairs to the front door and knocked as politely as he could.

"Hang on, I'm coming." The voice rang out from inside the building, and Stephen stepped a respectful distance away from the door. A few moments later, the door opened to a reveal an old man. However, despite his apparent age, Prof. Oak was very fit for his age, and still had that youthful glint in his eye. A warm smile came to his face when he saw Stephen standing there with his pack.

"Why hello, Stephen. I'm guessing by that pack you're carrying that you're not here to get back that butter I borrowed." The blonde-haired youth smiled at the Prof.

"Nope, Prof. Oak, that's not why I'm here." Oak's smile broadened at this, and he ushered Stephen inside.

"Yes, I know why you're really here. Follow me to my lab and we'll get you squared away." The pair set off into the house, soon after arriving at Oak's lab. It was the epitome of science-fiction, Stephen decided. Futuristic machines, screens, and buttons filled the room, in the middle of which sat a small machine with a glass dome. Inside the dome was a single poke ball, which struck Stephen as odd.

"Prof., aren't there supposed to be three poke balls in there?" Oak smiled as he answered.

"Well normally, yes. But the other two are currently on loan to my good friend Prof. Elm. He wanted all three, but I stated that I needed this one for you. Go ahead and let him out." Stephen reached for the poke ball as the dome opened. As he held it in his hand, the blonde-haired youth realized there was a flame symbol on it. Smiling, Stephen released the Pokemon inside as he called out:

"Come on out, Charmander!" The ball burst open and a flash of red light came out. Suddenly, the red light began to materialize into solid mass, soon taking the Pokemon's true form.

"Charmander!" An orange skinned lizard stood before Stephen and Oak. His belly was yellow, and the tip of his tail held a small flame. He stood upright on his two legs, staring evenly up at the person who had just released him. Oak smiled.

"Introduce yourself, Stephen." Nodding, the blonde-haired youth knelt down in front of Charmander.

"Hey there, Charmander. My name's Stephen. Prof. Oak gave me your poke ball, so now you and I are going to travel together. Are you ok with me being your master?" The orange-skinned lizard looked Stephen up and down for a long time. Then, suddenly, he broke out into a grin and held out his fist. Smiling in response, Stephen finished the fist pound and stood up, turning to face Prof. Oak.

"Looks like you and Charmander are going to get along just fine, Stephen." The blonde-haired teen nodded.

"I think so too, Prof." Charmander flashed a thumbs up.

"Char!" Smiling, Oak walked over to a desk and pulled out several things from a drawer. As he turned around, Stephen recognized the five empty poke balls. However, the other thing the Prof. held was something he had never seen before. Oak smiled as he handed the poke balls to Stephen.

"Here you are, Stephen. You know what those are for, of course. However, I don't believe you've ever seen this before." Stephen placed the poke balls in his pack as he shook his head.

"No, can't say that I have." The object in question was best compared to some kind of PDA. It had a red paint job, a small screen, a D-pad, and some buttons. Oak handed the object to Stephen as he explained.

"That is a Pokedex, Stephen. It's sort of like a virtual encyclopedia of Pokemon. All you have to do is point it at the Pokemon you wish to learn about, and all relevant data will be displayed for you. Try it out." Stephen nodded.

"Alright, then. Ready, Charmander?" The flam-tailed lizard nodded!

"Mander!" Stephen nodded and pointed the Pokedex at Charmander. There was a second or two of whirring, and then a mechanical voice said:

"Charmander, the Lizard Pokemon. This tip of its tail is a measure of its life. If healthy, the tail burns intensely." Stephen closed the Pokedex when it was finished speaking. He smiled at Charmander.

"Well, buddy, we'll have to make sure that flame of yours stays big, huh?" Charmander grinned and flashed a thumbs up.

"Mander Charmander!" Oak smiled at the new friends. I t reminded him of his glory days. Clearing his throat, Oak walked up to Stephen.

"Well, Stephen, this is it. Your journey begins now. Are you ready?" Stephen looked down at Charmander, who nodded. Stephen smiled at the Prof.

"You know it, Prof. Oak." The Prof. laughed showed Stephen and Charmander to the front door.

"Are you going to put Charmander in his poke ball, Stephen?" The blonde haired teen shook his head.

"No. I think he'd rather walk outside in the fresh air. Right, buddy?" Charmander grinned and gave the Prof. at thumbs up, causing the older man to smile.

"Already thinking alike, are we? That's a good sign. You two will do great, I just know it! Keep in touch now, and good luck!" Stephen and Charmander waved to the Prof. until they were out of sight down the road. Charmander looked up at Stephen and spoke.

"Charchar mander char?" Stephen looked down at his new friend, smiling.

"We're heading down this road to Viridian city, Charmander. That's where we'll plan our route from. You psyched?" Charmander grinned and nodded, and then the new friends set off, eager to see what lay ahead for them.

…..

Well, there's the first chapter. I feel like it was a little short, but I was just introducing two of the main characters. Don't expect any other main human characters to enter into the story until chapter 3. I've already got Chapter 2 in my mind, so all I have to do is right it down. So the hard part, in other words.

Anyways, thanks for reading this. If you drop the story and hate its guts, that's fine. Sorry I let you down. But if you liked it, I hope you stay until the end. We'll see how this thing goes along together.

And if you took the time to read this story, please take just a few more seconds to review, or critique, or flame, or ask questions. All are welcome.

Action coming next time!

Anyways, thanks for reading and see you next time.