Disclaimer: I don't own anything in here. It all belongs to whoever made "Pokemon."
Disclaimer Disclaimer: I do own the OCs and theme. Any resemblance to real life people or things is completely coincidence.
A/N: Sorry, but I haven't kept up with the series that much, so this only includes the first generation places and Pokemon.
Cursed Blessing
Chapter 1:
The Journey Begins
Sarah Adams looked at the tiny pill in her hand. It was blue and about half an inch long. She looked back up at Prof. Oak. "What is this supposed to do again?"
"Well, if it works, you should be able to talk to any Pokemon you encounter." Oak let out a smile. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to, dear."
She looked back at the pill. The professor had told her many times about the possible risks; inability of some senses and slight brain damage were only a few. But being able to talk to Pokemon? It could be worth it. She thought of her own Pokemon, a Bulbasaur she had gotten only minutes before. The arguments tumbled in her head. With a quick inhale, she popped the pill and swallowed. "Now what?"
"Now we wait. It will take a day or two before the pill takes effect. You can go on with your journey, if you wish, and call me with any developments."
Sarah stood up and shook Prof. Oak's hand. He was a nice man. She had known him most of her life. She lived in a small house a few miles off of Pallet Town. Ash Ketchum, the famous trainer, was actually a friend of hers from several years ago.
She walked out and breathed in the fresh air. Spring was only a few days old and the weather was perfect to start her new adventure. With a swift motion, Sarah pulled out her pokeball and released the creature within. Bulbasaur landed a few feet in front of her. "Bulba!"
"You ready to go?" she asked.
"Bulba bulba!" he answered with a happy nod. The two walked side-by-side north toward the next town. It would take them till the next day to arrive, but Sarah had thought ahead and packed a sleeping bag and food for both of them.
They walked until their legs ached. Finding a shady tree, the two sat and watched the sun set as they ate their food, a sandwich for her and pokefood for Bulbasaur.
Sarah thought back to the first day. They hadn't seen a single Pokemon, which was weird. She was hoping to catch a Pidgey.
She finished her sandwich and stood up. "Let's get some training in before it gets too dark."
Bulbasaur jumped up, ready to go.
"Now let's find something to use." She looked up into the tree and saw several big, red apples. "Those will work," she said with a smile.
The two ran out a little ways and turned around. Sarah pointed up at the apples. "Use Vine Whip!"
"Bulba!" Two vines grew out of Bulbasuar's sides and flew at the tree. With sharp cracks, they struck several apples in turn, knocking them to the ground.
Sarah quickly ran over and collected the apples then turned back. With a quick throw, she threw an apple in a line drive. "Tackle!"
Bulbasaur quickly ran over and smacked the apple with his head. It flew off into the trees.
Sarah threw the rest of the apples and Bulbasaur hit almost every one. "Not bad for a first day."
The sun finished setting as the two fell against the tree again. Bulbasaur gave out a wide yawn and fell asleep. Sarah saw him and laughed. "Your right. We should get some sleep." She pulled out Bulbasaur's ball and called him back before laying out her sleeping bag. She slipped inside and fell asleep in a matter of minutes.
Deep into the night, something inside Sarah's stomach began to swirl and change as she slept.
Sarah looked around frustrated. She couldn't find the Gym, even after half an hour of searching.
She had gotten to Viridian City earlier that morning. The first look had taken her breathe away. It was much larger than Pallet Town. Several buildings stretched up until they appeared to touch the clouds. She spent several minutes simply wandering before she set out to find the Gym.
As so, here she is, searching for the elusive building. She had bought a map, but it wasn't helping much. She twisted it this way and that way, trying to find some kind of usable landmark. "No, that isn't it."
"Um, excuse me," a voice said from behind her.
She turned to see a young man about her age standing behind her. He wore a blue t-shirt and long jeans. His hair was black and spiked. His eyes were a green contrast to his shirt, but Sarah couldn't help but thinking how well he looked.
"You have a map. Could you point me towards the Pokemon Gym?"
Sarah just then noticed the three poke balls attached to his belt. "Sorry, but I haven't got a clue where it is. Or where I am, for that matter."
"If you don't mind, may I take a look at the map?"
She nodded and handed the map over. He looked down, glanced up at his surroundings and looked back down. After a moment, he dropped that map and pointed to the east. "It's that way." He handed the map back. "Thanks so much. Adios."
"Wait." The boy turned around and looked at her, causing her to blush a bit. "Would you mind if I tagged along? I'm heading for the gym as well."
The boy smiled. "No problem. Name's Luke."
"I'm Sarah. Nice to meet you, Luke."
"Likewise." The two turned and walked along the sidewalk, talking as they went. Sarah found out that Luke was from the Jhoto region, but moved him when his father's job got transferred. He was now going on his own Pokemon journey.
Eventually, the gym stood over them. Sadly, a sign on the door read "Closed Temporarily." Luke went up and banged on the door. "Crap. I hate it when people do this."
Sarah touched his shoulder. "Calm down. So it's closed. We'll just go to another gym and come back later."
Luke gave the door a soft kick before he turned away. "So where do we go from here?"
Sarah thought. "If I remember correctly, Pewter City is north on the other side of the Viridian Forest."
"Great. Then let's head that way."
Suddenly an old man ran up behind them. "Did you say you were going to the Forest?" he asked in a very tired and scared tone.
The two turned. "Yeah," Sarah answered. "Why do ask?"
"My grandson. He went into the woods yesterday for a quick hike and hasn't been seen since."
"How horrible!" Sarah gasped.
"I'm worried sick, but I don't have the strength to go and find him. Could you please find him for me? I would be so grateful."
Luke shook his head. "Sorry, but we haven't got time. We're on our way to the next town and won't be coming back."
"Oh, come on, Luke," Sarah protested. "We've got to do something. We can't just leave a boy out there alone!" She looked into his eyes, trying to be as penetrating as possible.
He finally broke down. "Fine we'll help."
The man suddenly became cheerful. "Oh, thank you. Thank you so much."
"Yeah, yeah. Were do you live?"
"I'm in the farthest house to the west."
"If we don't find him by tomorrow, we'll come back and let you know."
Sarah hit Luke's ribs. "Of course, it probably won't come to that," she said with a smile.
That man bowed to the two. "Oh, thank you. I'll be waiting at my house." The man turned and ran off.
"Let's go."
The two stopped at a store at the edge of the city for supplies before heading out to the forest, which was only a hundred yards from the city limits. Another hundred yards in, the trees were so thick that the two couldn't find their way back out. "How are we going to get back?" Sarah asked a little frightened.
"I bought a cheap GPS at the store. It'll lead us back." Luke stopped and took a look around. "But I have no clue how we're supposed to find that kid. We don't even know what he looks like."
Sarah suddenly noticed two Pidgeys up in a tree. She suddenly over heard one of them. "Caw…west…caw caw…stuck in brush."
She let out a small gasp. "It's working."
"What was that?"
Sarah suddenly turned her head away from the Pokemon and looked at him. "Oh, nothing." She pointed off to the left of the path. "I think we should try that way."
Luke looked in the direction unconvinced. "Any reason why?"
"Just a hunch," she said as she pushed through the brush. It was incredibly thick. Anyone trying to push through would have trouble. Perfect for some little child to get caught in. "IS ANYONE OUT THERE?"
"help." It was incredibly faint, but both of them heard it. It was another hundred yards in or so.
"We'll never be able to get to him."
"Oh, yes we will," Sarah said as she pulled out Bulbasaur's pokeball. With a toss and a flash, Bulbasaur was released into the brush. "Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf on the brush."
"Bulba." Several small leaves flew out of Bulbasaur's sides and cut through the foliage, making a perfect pathway.
With the plants cleared away, the two could see a young boy in a red shirt. He was pulling his leg at something. "What are you doing here?" Luke asked as they ran up.
They boy's ankle was wrapped in some kind of vine. "I was looking for berries when I got trapped."
"Hold still." Luke pulled out a knife and cut the boy free. "Can you walk?"
The boy stood weakly. "I think so."
Suddenly a bird dropped out of the trees behind them. It was a large Pidgeotto. Luke took a step forward and drew out a pokeball, but Sarah pushed him back. "Let me have it. I've been itching to catch a new Pokemon."
Bulbasaur leapt forward and dropped into an offensive stance. "Ready!" he cried out.
Sarah almost cried out in joy. Her Pokemon was talking to her! But she dropped it for the moment and prepared for the coming battle.
