The chime of a wind-up Noctowl rung in Percival's ears, the last call of a now dead tradition in his life. As he slowly climbed out of bed, careful to avoid any injuries, he glanced at the old toy clock, with a saddening, wistful eye. As interested as he was in his journey, a part of him wanted to always stay in this room, always waking up to that clock. After his journey, he would be an adult. Two years of travel and challenge, and he would be eighteen.
Maybe he would be lucky, and best the challenges of Ursia. However, he doubted it. After all, he was the intellectual child out of the three, not the coordinator his younger sister was, and not the trainer that his much older brother was. He had a tactical mind, and was keen on victory, but he was too...planned. To him, a plan did not adapt. To others, he did not adapt. But maybe this would be a chance to prove them wrong, to assert himself and all the work he'd put into the journey ahead.
Newly empassioned, Percival began dashing towards the stairs. His room, like all of those in the house, was spacious. His mother and father were once competing Pokemon trainers, who were both experts on the field of battle. The prize money they recieved back then from their battles, and now in their careers, was enough to buy a large house in the center of the urban center of the Ursia Region: Birmabright City.
As he left his room, he glanced to his left, instinctually, as a fluffy pink bear leapt out, the same texture as all the other plushes in the toy chest it came from. This was Percival's Stufful, which he had affectionately named Fluffles. Fluffles was a gift from his mother, who was a Normal-Type Gym Leader. Her Pokemon had more children than she expected, so she decided to give one to her middle child, and never regretted it, despite the rampant damage the suprisingly powerful bear Pokemon caused. After all, it was wild and eager, and could not control its strength, a perfect fit to Percival, who needed all the boosts he could get to engage with others, especially now that it was critical to his success in the next 2 years. He didn't need to become some outspoken personality, but she knew, from experience, that the best journey was one where the trainer learned about themself, and improved by reaching out and confronting countless other perspectives.
Percival continued from his perspective of caution, even as he slowly descended the stairs, letting one foot slowly pad out the floor before the other followed, in a continously deft and obnoxiously graceful motion. As he approached the bottom stair, Fluffles clambered off of Percival's shoulder, quickly scarfing up his treats from his bowl. He knew that he would likely never eat from that bowl again, but was content in knowing his trainer was far too much of a worrywart to forget his Pokemon's food. Although, from the looks of the emaciated boy, one might guess that he always forgot his own food. Well, by choice or not, that was more food for Fluffles, which the little bear knew it needed and always wanted.
As Percival began scooping up his bag, which he had packed the night before with assistance from his parents, his father glanced up from his tablet, waving. He was caught up in his conversation on the phone, but found a place to stop it. As a proffesional dog breeder, his Furfrou were always in high demand, but never once did the man waver in his commitment to only selling them to families that would treat them well. And if a family did not treat them well, he used his contract that they had signed to get the poodle Pokemon back. "So, Percival, ready for your big adventure?"
"Um, I suppose so. You prepared me well, what do I have to worry about?" The boy quivered slightly. It wasn't fear, far from it, but a general worry about being separated so long from his family. The longest he had been gone from them before was when he got lost in the woods while playing with one of his father's Furfrou. Needless to say, that Furfrou, now named Charles, was a lifelong companion of Percival, and awaiting him outside.
"You shouldn't be so scared. It'll be fun! Besides, if your brother's success is anything to go by, our expertise is likely genetic." The joke fell slightly flat, but with the way Percival's father laughed at his own gag, you could never tell.
"Thanks, I guess. Well, goodbye hug? I gave mom one yesterday, before she went off on her business trip." Percival's mother did not work at Birmabright, instead running the Gym found in nearby Italma Town. He had decided, while mapping his journey, to save her Gym for the middle of the journey, so he would have a guaranteed chance to see some of his family midway through.
As the father and son embraced, an idea suddenly popped into the mind of the father. "Oh, I almost forgot. Now, I know you're the smart one, but just to make sure: repeat to me all the rules of the Pokemon League Challenge. I want to make sure you don't go off and ruin your journey because I was irresponsible."
Percival smiled, but knew that a part of his father was being a bit competitive, pushing Percival to victory. "The League requires you to defeat 8 of the various Gyms set in the larger towns and cities in the region, each themed around a certain type. If you lose a Gym Challenge, you must wait a month before you can attempt to battle that Gym Leader again. Upon gathering the 8 Badges from the Gyms, signifying victory, you progress through Victory Road, and wait for the next Pokemon League to begin, which is a tournament that a trainer may attend once for every 8 Badges they collect. The winner of the Tournament is crowned the Champion, and gains a hefty reward as well as fame and recognition. A Pokemon League tournament takes place every 2 years. The last one finished about 2 weeks ago, and-"
"Okay, Percival, I think you've got it. Make sure to grab Charles, and head off. Best of luck!" Percival nodded in thanks, and ran out the door, making sure to grab everything he needed, which amounted to a fairly large backpack. As he headed outside, he was knocked to the floor and covered in slobbers as his Furfrou, Charles, ran up. Charles, although he had not known Percival as long as Fluffles, considered himself the true protector of the boy, and understood him on an intimate level that even his siblings likely didn't. "Charles, good boy, but we need to get going!" Percival fished out two Pokeballs from his belt, recalling Charles and Fluffles. He loved them both, but he needed to get going.
As he ran off, he looked in his bag, fishing out the Pokedex he had mail-ordered a while back. The encyclopedia of Pokemon knowledge would help him better understand the Pokemon encountered, perhaps providing the edge he needed in the battles on the road ahead. The frail, thin 16-year-old smiled, and dashed down the streets of the towering city, prepared for the journey ahead of him.
Pokemon So Far:
Fluffles (Stufful) - Moves: Tackle, Leer, Bide; Ability: Fluffy; Level: 6
Charles (Furfrou) - Moves: Tackle, Growl, Sand Attack, Bady-Doll Eyes; Ability: Fur Coat; Level: 9
AUTHOR'S NOTE - Thanks for reading! This was the first chapter of my first ever Fanfiction. Sorry if it was very loaded with terminology: while this story is definitely meant Pokemon fans, I wanted to leave just enough vocab out there that people knew to the franchise can still pick this up and enjoy it for the character moments and strategics. Anyways, I hope you stay for Chapter 2!