Disclamer: I do not own Pokémon, Pokémon ideas or anything of sorts. Those belong to Nintendo, Game Freak, and whoever else is their rightful owner. However, some new characters are mine, as well as some new additions to the game's plot. This applies to this and all subsequent chapters.

This is my first FanFic ever! Yay!

Before you start, let me warn you that my writing skills suck, so don't be surprised if you find grammatical errors or anything like that.

Also, Jake is 12 years old, while May and Brendan are 11.

The travelling times between cities are pretty much random. They just last long enough for me to write everything I needed to write during them, so some incompatibilities are also likely to occur. If you see anything like that, please tell me about it in a review or something!

But that's enough blabbering for now. Enjoy!

Less than Legend, More than Myth

Chapter 1: An Unexpected and Perhaps Crazy Start

Morning rose over the little town. A few Taillows began to sing with a horrible voice, scaring any nearby life-form, Zigzagoons woke up and ran around aimlessly, Poochyenas growled at their reflection in the water and then ran away, scared. The earth slowly returned to consciousness after it's slumber, much to many people's dismay. But today was somewhat different. Even though humans and the not-very-bright Pokémon around there didn't notice, today was going to be a day filled with wonder, excitement, laughs, pain, sorrow, some more laughs, a bit of romance here and there, some 'aww' scenes, some adventure and action, a bit of comic relief and some good old laws-of-physics-defying occurrences.

Anyway, as I was saying, morning rose over the little village. All over town, every single people woke up and cursed life for making them wake up. Well, almost every single people. Three didn't; one cursed life for another reason, the second cursed life for a number of reasons, and the third just wasn't in the mood to curse life.

The first was a girl called May Maple. She was currently in stuffed in the back of a moving truck, much to her dismay.

"Argh, why do I have to be stuffed in here anyway?" the girl thought angrily. She got up and started to pound on the door, but it was shut. "First the moving, then all the problems, then my mother's obsession with little boring towns, and now this! Argh, this is it! If I don't get outta here right now, I'll-"

The girl did not have the chance to finish her sentence, because at that time the truck stopped suddenly and she was thrown out through the door, which conveniently opened in the nick of time and allowed her to pass. A few seconds later, she found herself lying head-first in mud.

"Just great. Just freaking great!"

"Humn, do you need help?" asked a voice somewhere in front of her. "Or are you having fun?"

"Oh yeah. I'm having a great time." the girl answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "What do you think!?"

"Well, normally, I'd say you fell out of this truck, but seeing as you're a girl and girls completely elude me, I'm not quite sure."

"Are you saying girls are crazy?" asked May, getting up. She looked at the voice and noticed it belonged to a boy about her age. He wore a black and red T-shirt and long black pants. He had a green headband with a Pokeball design. Strangely, his hair was white.

"No, I'm saying girls are weird." the boy said.

"What's the difference?"

"A lot. When someone is crazy, he is completely nuts, whereas a person who is weird merely thinks in a different and sometimes confusing way."

"Humn, okay…"

"So, did you fell of the truck or are you just lying in the mud for some reason?"

"Of course I'm not lying in the mud! For your information, I happen to be moving in today!"

"Oh? And what made you move into a town like Littleroot? I mean, it sure is fun to watch the grass grow, especially on sunny days, but there aren't any shops anywhere near here."

"Urgh, it was my mother's idea. I told her we should have gone to Lilycove City!"

"Humn, if you don't mind me asking, and even if you do, where are you from?"

"Me? I'm from Goldenrod City back in Johto."

"Did I hear someone say Johto?" came a new voice.

May and the boy turned around to see a new boy appear. He was taller than both by at least four inches, with a very muscular build. He had a red hat with Pokeball pattern covering his brown hair. He wore jean pants with running shoes, a red T-shirt with black sleeves and had a yellow backpack.

"Here we go again…" muttered the first boy, rolling his eyes.

"You come from Johto? From Johto? Johto?" the new boy asked.

"Humn, yeah…" answered May, sweat-dropping.

"Tsk tsk tsk…" the boy said, shaking his head slowly. "So young…"

"Hey! What's wrong with Johto?" said May, getting angry.

"What's right with it, you mean. People from Johto are a bunch of crooks and thieves."

"No they're not! Where did you get that idea!?" May was getting very angry.

"Oh, from T.V., magazines, newspapers, real-life experience…"

"Take that back!"

"…radio, books, travelling trainers, teachers…"

"TAKE THAT BACK!" shouted May as she jumped on the newcomer. The first boy gasped, but May didn't hear him. She was too angry. How dared this boy speak trash of her proud nation? She would make him apologize! The boy she was going to attack just raised an eyebrow at her reaction.

Unfortunately for her, in her fury, she forgot that the boy was a good deal bigger than her. Coincidentally, he was incredibly strong too, and easily overpowered her. In a few seconds, May was lying on the ground once again, with the boy calmly sitting on top of her.

"Jake! Cut that off!" said the first boy, trying (unsuccessfully) to get the bigger boy to move.

"Ah, Brendan, so naïve…" Jake said, getting up. He then extended a hand towards May, and pretty much lifted her off the ground.

"Urgh…" said the girl, still a bit dizzy. "Why are there flying Bellsprout flying around?"

"What's a Bellsprout?" asked the one called Brendan.

"I guess it's something that doesn't fly." said Jake, shrugging.

"Great going, Jake. You make her even weirder.

"Hey!" shouted May. She had recovered enough to hear that last statement.

"Well, look who's up! Had a nice daze?" said Brendan. "Anyway, I don't think introductions were made. The name's Brendan Birch, or Brendan the Supreme King and Lord of All for short. This here is Jake, but you can call him He-Who-Poops-A-Lot if you want."

"Hahaha, hilarious…" said Jake, rolling his eyes.

"Nice to meet ya Brendan." said May with a smile. "I'm May Maple."

"Nice to meet ya." replied Brendan with a smile of his own.

"Same here." said Jake.

"Go burn in hell." replied May simply.

"Hahaha! You owe me five bucks!" said Brendan, laughing.

"Humph…" puffed Jake, reaching into his wallet and drawing out five Pokebucks.

"What?" asked May, confused.

"It's a bet we made." explained Brendan, recovering from his laughter. "I bet Jake couldn't go a day without someone saying that to him."

"And I almost won too." said Jake grimly. "Two more hours and I would be five Pokebucks richer. Thanks a lot."

"Ah, no problem. Glad I could help." said May, with an innocent smile.

"So, Johtian." asked Jake. "What brings you to Littleroot Town in the first place? Aside from the marvelous fun of seeing the grass grow, of course."

"Well, my father got elected as a Gym Leader here in Hoenn, so we moved in. Since my mother just loves small towns, specially old ones, she chose this one."

"Cool! So you're the daughter of a Gym Leader! Do you have any Pokémon yet? Big, mean lean killing machines?" asked Brendan.

"What? Course not! I don't have Pokémon. With all the moving and promotions and school, I didn't have a chance to get one yet…"

"Humn, guys? Sorry to break your beautiful chat, but it seems someone is getting his liver eaten down the road." interrupted Jake, pointing down the road from town.

"What? I don't hear a thing." said May, not convinced.

"Well, that's because you're deaf. Maybe you should consider cleaning your ears once in a while." replied Jake.

"For your information, I clean my ears very well on a daily basis, which is more than can be said about you!"

"Hey, someone could be hurt down there." interrupted Brendan. "Imagine if someone broke his arms, his legs, three ribs, his hip and a wrist. Or even worse, if a girl broke a fingernail."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked May threateningly.

"Nothing, I swear!" answered Brendan, raising his arms. "I'm just saying girls are more important than anything else. Hehe…"

"Yeah right." grumbled May. "Let's just go already."

The three moved down the road. Soon enough, May and Brendan could hear someone screaming. They broke into a run, and soon found a rather overweight man on top a tree, screaming with all his lungs. On the ground were four small wolf-like creatures and a big black wolf, all of them growling at the tree.

"DAD!" shouted Brendan. May gasped in surprise.

"Brendan! Jake! Random girl! Thank Arceus!" the man shouted from the tree. "HELP ME!"

"How, you idiot? We don't have any Pokémon!" shouted back May, angry at being called 'Random girl'.

"On the ground, near the bushes! There is a bag! Inside, there are Pokeballs! USE THEM!"

"Just hold on, Dad!" shouted Brendan as he reached for the bag. He opened and found three Pokeballs inside. He took on for himself and looked at May.

"May! Come on!" he said, seeing as May wasn't moving.

"Not until he apologizes for calling me 'Random girl'." the girl answered firmly.

"MAY!"

"FINE! I'll get a goddam ball! But I expect a reward."

"MAY!!"

"OKAY! Let's just do this."

The two trainers pressed the small white button in the balls, causing them to open and release beam of energy. These beams continued until they reached the ground, where they become solid creatures, a small red chicken and a blue, rubbery dog-like beast.

"Torchic!" the chicken cried happily.

"Mudkip!" the beast copied.

"Wait! Where's Jake?" asked May, noticing there was one guy missing.

"There. Don't worry, he can take care of himself." said Brendan, pointing at something.

May followed his finger and found herself looking at Jake, who was taunting the big wolf.

"Oh, think you're so high and might, big doggy? Well, let's face it, you're a CAT! A STINKING CAT!" the boy shouted. The large wolf immediately looked at him, teeth bared, and jump to attack. Jake skillfully dodged the attack.

"Ah, wanna do this the hard way, humn? Fine! COME ON!" the boy yelled, jumping at the wolf and griping his neck. May blinked in disbelief.

"COME ON, MAY!" shouted Brendan, pulling her back to her own battle. The four puppies were advancing on them.

"Mudkip, use Water Gun!" commanded Brendan. Mudkip opened his mouth and shot a blast of cold water at the closest dog, causing him to be thrown backwards.

"You too, Torchic!" ordered May. The chicken looked at her quizzically, not obeying.

"MAY! TORCHIC'S A FIRE TYPE! HOW DO YOU FREAKING EXPECT HIM TO USE WATER GUN!?" shouted Brendan.

"HEY! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT STUPID POKEMON IS WHICH IS THIS STUPID PLACE!?" shouted back May.

"I DON'T FREAKING KNOW, BUT DON'T JUST STAND THERE AND DO SOMETHING!"

In the battlefield, the puppies that Mudkip had blasted away had recovered from the attack and were now fighting back. The four of them alternated to keep a chain of attacks, one after the other, leaving no chance for Mudkip and Torchic to fight back. Meanwhile, Jake was carrying the wolf on his shoulders. Suddenly, he dropped to one knee, and the impact was felt heavily by the wolf. With a powerful shout, the boy threw the wolf over his head and watched as it fell on the ground, with barely enough strength to get up. Jake then jumped on him once again, landing with his elbow on the wolf's back like a wrestler. Once again, May blinked in disbelief.

"MAY!"

"OKAY! I'M GOING! Torchic, use Ember!" Torchic shot a barrage of small fireballs at the closest puppy, burning him and making him roll on the ground.

"Mudkip, Water Gun again!" Mudkip released another bolt of water, causing two nearby puppies to fly in the air and land near a tree. Soon, the big wolf fell on top of them, and Jake appeared, a another-job-well-done expression on his face.

"Hey there guys! Missed me?" he asked.

"You wish!" replied Brendan. "Mudkip, dodge that and use Tackle!"

"Go burn in hell!" answered May. "Torchic, jump and use Scratch!"

The battled raged on. Torchic and Mudkip skillfully dodged the incoming attacks and replied with attacks of their own time after time, and soon enough all four puppies were out. The two friendly Pokémon were exhausted after such a tough fight, so May and Brendan recalled them. All the three friends walked towards Prof. Birch.

"Dad!" said Brendan, hugging his father.

"My child! I'm so glad you found me when you did!" the professor replied.

"You know, I think you'd make quite a nice Pokémon food. You know, with the fat and all." said May, rudely.

"MAY!" shouted Brendan.

"What!? Even you can't deny your father is a overweight!"

"Is this because he called you 'Random girl'?

"Maybe… or maybe it is because you annoy me!"

"Excuse me? I annoy you? How lame is that!"

Prof. Birch just looked from one to another without understanding. He then set his gaze upon Jake, and sneaked away as quietly as possible, avoiding the argument.

"So, I guess the wrestling classes paid off after all, humn?" the man said.

"Sure did. You owe me fifteen bucks."

"Oh, not so fast. I clearly heard Random Girl telling you to go to hell, so we're even."

"Crap!"

At that time, their chat was interrupted by a shout. They turned around quickly and saw Brendan lying in the ground, raising his arms over his head to protect himself as much as he could from May, who was kicking him with all her might.

"I AM NOT FAT!" the girl screamed, unleashing another kick at the helpless boy at her feet. "TAKE THAT BACK!"

"OUCH! STOP THAT!" the boy shouted back. "I'M SORRY! YOU'RE NOT FAT! NOW STOP!"

May stopped kicking the boy and walked away, leaving Brendan on the ground. She walked back to where Jake and Prof. Birch stood.

"So, having fun?" asked Jake, in a tone that May couldn't decide if it was sarcasm or not.

"Yeah. Best freaking day of my life." she replied.

"Humn, Random Girl, may I remind you-" started Prof. Birch, but soon stopped when he saw May's stare. "Humn… hehe…" he trailed off nervously.

"Don't mind her, she's just a bit brute." said Jake.

"Excuse me? I thought I heard you saying I was brute."

"Well, you thought right."

"Why, you little vermin…"

"You're the one to speak…"

"TAKE THAT BACK!"

Once again, Prof. Birch silently sneaked away, towards his son. Brendan had just got up, clutching his stomach tightly. They both looked over to May and Jake having their argument.

"So, sonny, are you okay?" the professor asked.

"Yep. I was just attacked by a crazy girl with serious anger issues. Happens all the time." Brendan answered.

"Letl… mwe... gwo!" shouted May, her face dug in mud.

"Not 'til you calm down." Jake answered, calmly sitting on top of the struggling girl.

"Olkway!"

The boy got up, allowing May to breathe again. The girl gasped for breath, then proceeded to clean the mud out of her face. When she was done, she shot Jake a dark glare, which the boy promptly ignored.

"So, kids." said Prof. Birch, making sure not to call May 'Random Girl' again. "Would you guys come to my lab for a minute? There's something I need to give you."

"All of us?" asked Jake. "Even Random Girl there?" He was liking the nickname, specially seeing May clench her hands into fists and tighten her jaw, trying to contain her anger. She was starting to learn that attacking him wasn't such a good idea.

"Yes, all of you." answered the Professor quickly, not wanting another argument to take place.

"What is it Dad? You're not thinking of that, are you?" asked Brendan, not developing any more than that.

"Indeed, I am, my kid. Now seems like a time as good as any." Prof. Birch replied.

"But-"

"No buts! I'm doing it and that's that!"

"You should think more about this!"

"Shut up! You're not my father!"

May blinked in disbelief at the strange show going on in front of her eyes. Jake saw her expression and let out a short laugh before saying "Don't worry about it, Random Girl. They always do that. Except on Thursdays. Never on Thursdays. Not after it happened…"

After that, May decided she was crazy. That was the only possible explanation. Or maybe it was all just a nightmare. Or maybe both. But it had to be something. This couldn't be happening, really happening. She considered running away and tackling a tree to see if she would wake up, but decided it wasn't worth it. Jake took a sideways glance at her, as they were both watching Brendan and his father argue about the mysterious that, and soon a sad smile came over his face.

"Don't you dare talk about Mom like that!" shouted Brendan. His father stuck his tongue at him, but quickly hid it. Not quickly enough, though.

"Did you just stick your tongue at me? That it, mister! No desert for you today!"

"You're no fun!" shouted Prof. Birch.

May took her own sideways glance at Jake and noticed his expression. "What?" she asked.

"Oh? Nothing." answered the boy. "It just that this is quite a sad story. It may seem silly, but there is a much deeper reason behind it. Sometimes, I feel sorry for Brendan." Jake said all of that in a sincere and sad voice, and May couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or just messing with her.

"Really? What happened?" the girl asked, getting more interested. But Jake just shook his head.

"If Brendan feels like you should know it, then know it you shall." was all that he said, and refused to elaborate any more than that.

After minutes of calm discussion between Brendan and his father, and a slightly more heated one between Jake and May (which, as always, ended up with May having her face dug in mud and Jake sitting on top of her), the four humans reached an agreement and headed back to Littleroot Town. As soon as they reached the small city, they went directly to the Lab, which May hadn't seen at first. In fact, it barely looked like a lab from the outside. It was just a big house. They entered it and soon found themselves in an office, staring at a table with three Pokéballs on it.

"So, kids." said Prof. Birch. He seemed to be back for his normal self. "On this table are three Pokéballs. Each one of them contains a starting Pokémon. The three starters are Torchic, Mudkip and Treecko. May and Brendan, you seem to handle your Pokémon very well, and they seem to bond quickly with you. That's why I want you to have them."

"Are you sure about this, Dad?" asked Brendan. "I mean, it was a huuuuge bother to get these things. I mean, canyons, deserts and waterfalls kind of bother. Not to mentio-"

"As much as I enjoy taking something of value from you, I can't just take a Pokémon like this!" interrupted May. She was feeling extremely excited from the idea of finally having her own journey, but she knew it wouldn't be right to accept.

"It's fine. This Pokéballs were for beginner trainers, but who gives a damn? They'll just have to be happy with a Poochyena." said the professor with a childish grin.

"Dad!"

"Oh, do you want me to take your Pokémon back?"

"…"

"That's what I thought. Well, so that's about all I wanted to say. Oh, I almost forgot. Here are your Pokédexes and Pokéballs. I'm pretty confident that you know what those are." he looked around the kids, seeing them nod. "So, this is the beginning of an epic journey for each one of you. I hope you are ready for your quest!"

After some good-byes and awkward words, May and Jake ran and walked back to a house and a farm, respectively. Brendan stayed with his father at the lab. As soon as May got home, she explained what had happened to her mother, in quick and excited words. Then she ran upstairs to her room, packed her stuff and went back down again. All of this in record time. Less than two and a half hours.

"So, sweetie, you're going on your quest, aren't you?" asked her mother, tears on her eyes. May immediately felt bad for leaving her all alone, with her father at the gym and all.

"I don't have to…" answered May quietly. She really wanted to go, but she couldn't just abandon her mother.

"No. It's something you always dreamed of… You must go after your dreams, my daughter. But remember to call me sometime…"

"Don't worry Mom… I will…"

Turning around, May could feel more than hear her mother sob. With tears of her own, the girl walked towards the door and left, without looking back.

So, this is the end of the first chapter. I know it sucks, but I promise you that it will get better latter on. And I already have some action planned for the second chapter…

Anyways, thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated, of course, so don't forget to drop your word.

If you see any mistakes around, please report them to me so I can correct them. But beware: I am a really new member at FanFiction, so if you send me a private message I can't promise you I'll know how to read it. Kinda lame, huh?

Once again, thank you all! And don't forget to keep on reading! The next chapter will be out soon enough (I hope…)

Gotta Go With The Flow!
BlackShadowKnight