Ray kicked back with a yawn on the couch. His feet went up on the coffee table, and his butt sank into the permanent pouch it had left over the past year of hardcore sitting and relaxation. The blinds to the living room were drawn shut, allowing him to experience his favorite television show in the most optimal way possible, free from the blinding, obscuring glares of the sun. His chest and stomach were both littered in crumbs from potato chips he casually snacked on every few minutes. They were but the remnants of many snacks that he and his Rockruff had spent the better part of their morning chowing down on. There was actual food in the freezer, but to get up and open the door, then put it on a plate and microwave it, and have to spend time waiting for it- Ray was growing exhausted just thinking about the process.
His mother walked into the apartment, eyes sunken with exhaustion from a long night of overtime at the office. They soon widened with disgust as she lay eyes on her twelve-year-old son lazing around like a king in a palace. A king covered in crumbs that she was sure hadn't showered in at least two days. "My God, Ray. Clean this mess up. It's disgusting."
"Can I do it later?" Ray moaned, which he knew his mother knew meant "never". "'The Vindicators' is on right now. They're just getting to the part where everyone has a meltdown."
The woman shot a sharp glare at her son as she was forced to play hopscotch through the trash just to make her way through the apartment. "No, do it now. And don't make this mess again," she said, knowing full and well that he would just continue to sit there on the couch.
"It's not even that bad!" Ray responded.
"I said CLEAN IT UP," she snapped.
Ray and his Rockruff flew up from their seats and began to furiously pick up every piece of garbage they could. He felt his mother's eyes continue to leer at him as she retired to her room and shut the door. Ray then began to slow his pace, choosing to mutter choice words at his mother while lazily gathering the empty bags into one pile.
To the untrained eye, the bags and wrappers Ray shuffled around were empty, save only the weightless air that filled them. But Ray knew better. Inside of each and every one of these bags and wrappers was a two ton heavy snack called responsibility. And it tasted horrible. Ray was never the kind to waste food, but this was a food he would always avoid.
Eventually, Ray had managed to scoop all of the trash and put it in the trash can, only to return to his spot on the couch and find that his favorite show had gone off.
"Hey, Ray? I need you to go shopping at the department store," his mother called from the other room.
Ray let his repulsion be known with the loudest groan he could muster. So loud, in fact, that legends say his old friends in Alola could hear it. "Why do I have to go?"
"Because I'm going to cook spaghetti tonight, and we don't have any noodles or meatballs."
"Can't we just order, like, five pizzas? That should hold us for two days at least."
"Ray, go. And don't got to some cheap store closeby. Go to the Veilstone Superstore. I want to actually be able to enjoy a meal that tastes good."
Ray stood back up and shuffled to his room. Going out meant he had to shower and not look completely homeless. Just the act of not sitting on the couch or laying in bed made his skin crawl. His lungs reeled and hacked coughs up his throat as fresh air burned through his body that was used to the recycled air of his apartment. But he would brave it, for his mother.
And for the spaghetti.
It was a particularly nice day outside. For those that had lived in Sinnoh for all their lives, at least. Though the sun was out and blazing high in the cloudless blue sky, the heat was nothing compared to how hot it was in Alola. Many people he passed now, dressed in skimpy, loose, and baggy clothes, gave him a particularly strange glare as they saw him dressed in a hoodie and jeans, face cloaked in his hood and not even breaking a single sweat. Rockruff, who accompanied him, braved the weather quite well, though Ray knew it was probably quite cool as well.
After walking a few blocks, he could already feel his feet and legs begging him to turn around and go home. It would be another mile or two before he would actually get downtown to the department store his mother sent him to. Veilstone City was rather popular for its many stores and shops, but why his mother felt the need to send him all the way across town was beyond him. Perhaps she was torturing him by making him get out and get the dreaded 'exercise'. Any and everything they could have needed, he could have gotten at the many stores he passed on the way, but he knew he couldn't stop there. His mother had the innate ability to be able to tell whether or not he actually went to the store she sent him to, and not just some random one close to home to cut time. To him, some of the cheaper stores were actually better than the Superstore she so desperately wanted him to shop at. Not only could you save time, but some of the food the smaller stores had were, to him, genuinely better. Many hours of research on the internet told him that bigger stores often take subpar products, gift them a new, more exciting name, and mark their prices up by more than half. But his research never held a candle to his mother's opinions, even if he was right.
Ray eventually made his way into the heart of the city, where all of his senses were assaulted with commotion of city life. Cars of all shapes, sizes, and muffler noises whipped by him on the road. Many businessmen and women on their cell phones crowded the sidewalk, all complaining about mergers and deadlines and whatever else sounded important on their way to work. It was times like these when he much preferred the quieter, more upbeat life of Hau'oli City, his hometown. At least there, he could relax on the beach or even catch the occasional wave. Veilstone was right next to the water, but the city had no beaches. Instead, there were docks where loud ships and dirty-looking workers were only allowed to play at.
Ray showed them, though. For not ever allowing him in their games of parking and loading boats, he had his revenge. One night, he and his Rockruff snuck onto one of the many barges that were in the docks, and hunted down a freight container. But it wasn't just any old freight container. Oh no, the one they located was special. It was big, blue, and had a hole in it just large enough for them to crawl through. Whoever that container went to, they would open it up to receive the nice surprise of a urine-soaked whatever-the-heck-it-was-he-peed-on. It was too dark for him to be able to see what he defiled, but he would occasionally check the news and search for any stories that came up about urine covered clothes, airplane parts, or whatever it was they shipped in them.
As he passed by one of the many buildings that touched the sky, he could hear something coming from an alleyway. It was a familiar noise, the screeching of a Pokémon and the sound of its Trainer calling out a move. This noise he hadn't heard in a little over a year was a Pokémon battle, one that was taking place between two boys and their Pokémon while a group of kids surrounded them and watched intently. Ray tapped one of them on the shoulder, but they ignored him. Now, Ray knew he had been pretty lazy for the past year ever since he moved to Sinnoh, but he was sure his tapping skills hadn't degenerated that much. Ray gave her a second tap, and added an, "Excuse me, can I get through?"
"Buzz off, kid," the girl said.
Rockruff sensed her hostility and growled at her. Ray knelt down with reaffirming pats to calm it down. "Ssshhh. Good boy, don't growl at the mean lady."
The girl turned around and glared down at the boy. "Insults like that won't get you anywhere. If you wanna get in here, you gotta show me your Cobble Badge."
"My what? Gobble Badge? Sorry, I don't swing that way."
"COBBLE Badge," the girl groaned. "You know, the badge you get from beating Maylene."
"Who's that?" Ray asked.
"Seriously?" she asked with a chuckle. She believed him to be playing some sort of joke, but after she observed his blank stare, she could tell he was serious. Seriously clueless. "You're not from around here, are you? Maylene is the Gym Leader here in Veilstone."
"Oh, cool, thanks. And just so you know, I live here."
"Right," the girl tsked as she turned back around to watch the match.
Ray walked out of the alleyway, but instead of heading towards downtown, he stopped in a nearby Pokémon Center and asked for directions to the Veilstone Gym. Nurse Joy was happy to give him a small map of the town, and he saw that he was actually not too far from the gym. This should be simple. I just go in, beat her, then go battle those other kids, and still get back home in time for Mom to cook.
It was just a ten minute walk to the gym. His feet, hands, arms- his whole body began to vibrate with excitement as he stepped right into the sliding doors of the gym. Then he stepped back and allowed them to open so he could actually walk inside of the gym. It felt more like a dojo or karate studio rather than a place Trainers would go to battle. Then again, this was his first time in an actual Pokémon Gym, so he had no room to judge. There were little rings where Trainers and their Pokémon practiced all sorts of boxing and martial arts moves.
"Excuse me," he said as he walked up to a rather large and muscular man who was in the middle of practicing his jabs, "are you Maylene?"
"Boy, do I look like I'm Maylene?" the man asked him.
Ray shrugged his shoulders. "Sure? I dunno what Maylene looks like, so you're my first guess."
"Kid, are you stupid or somethin'?"
"I like to think I'm 'or somethin'" Ray declared. "So can I fight Maylene or what?"
The man stopped throwing his jabs with a displeased frown. He turned to the center of the gym and cried, "Yo, Maylene! You got another challenger!"
A pink-haired girl doing push-ups on a mat stood up and approached them. Her walk was powerful, much like that of a martial artist. Every step she took, Ray could feel her intensity travel through the floor and straight to him. She grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat from her face and shook the boy's hand, nearly crushing it with her grip. "Hey there, I'm Maylene. Welcome to the gym!"
Ray drew his crushed hand back, trying not to cry from the pain it was in. "I'm Ray. Can I battle you?"
"Well, sure," she smiled. "How many badges you got?"
"This'll be my first one," he informed her.
"Oh, cool! It's not everyday I get to be someone's first. I'll make sure to take it easy on ya and go slow."
Ray felt his face flush with a certain warmness he hadn't felt before. "Uhm... okay," he said shyly as words suddenly failed him. She led him into the back away from the loud grunts and yells of the other Trainers to a large arena. The floor was made of an absurdly strong and sturdy wood that felt more like concrete than actual wood. Off to the side were bleachers for any spectators, but they were empty. Man, maybe I could've at least invited my mom or that girl to watch me...
Maylene took her place on the other side of the arena in a red box outlined in marker on the floor, while Ray and his Rockruff were made to stand in the blue box. "The rules are as follows: we're each allowed two Pokémon, but only you are allowed to switch out as you please. The battle will be over once either of our Pokémon are unable to battle. You ready?"
"Sure, but one question. What kind of Pokémon do you use?"
Maylene stood, shocked at the question. "Um, did you not just see the kind of gym you walked into? I use Fighting type Pokémon."
"Sweet! Then I know just who to pick for my first Pokémon!" Ray beamed as he dug out a Poké Ball and threw it. A white and black bird with a long beak, Trumbeak, fluttered about in front of him. It seemed to have a bit of trouble keeping itself in the air, its pudgy stomach weighing it down while its wings furiously flapped. "Alright, let's do this!"
Trumbeak chirped back at its Trainer with noticeable confusion. This wasn't the normal setting in which it would be called out into. These days, the only thing Trumbeak came out of its Poké Ball to do was eat.
Ray chuckled at his Pokémon's disoriented chirps. "No, we're not eating, buddy. We're battling!"
Trumbeak squawked in horror as it looked down at its protruding stomach, unable to see its own feet. But it didn't seem Ray had any intention of returning it, and every intention for it to battle.
Maylene watched the young challenger with bated skepticism. To choose such an out-of-shape Pokémon to fight was something she had seldom seen. Even the countless Snorlaxes she'd fought before appeared to be more capable than the bird that struggled to stay airborne. But she knew it was a mistake to underestimate her opponents, and instead exchanged her doubtful scowl to a grin of anticipation. "If that's your choice, then here's mine!" she announced as she threw a Poké Ball. As it hit the ground, it exploded with a fiery orange and powerful dark red light, and a Monferno appeared. Its tail blazed fiercely with its unbridled energy, but as it lay eyes on its chunky opponent, its face sunk with disappointment.
"I'll let you have the first move," Maylene declared, hoping that would get her Pokémon's spirits back up.
Ray felt his shoulders tense as the battle began, not completely sure if he and Trumbeak still had what it took to battle the way they used to. "Trumbeak, use Peck!"
The Bugle Beak Pokémon led a valiant charge toward the monkey that quickly slowed to a panting walk. Such a move required a lot of energy that the woodpecker was no longer capable of. As it neared the middle of the field, it was forced to stop and take a break. Its chirps were strained and filled with exhaustion.
"C'mon, Trumbeak! You can do it!" Ray called out. Even Rockruff joined in with motivational barks and howls, but the bird lay there, defeated by its own exhaustion.
Maylene, bewildered, called for a referee to come check the challenger's Pokémon. They concluded that Trumbeak was indeed unable to battle. Monferno was declared the winner, yet it and its Trainer were unable to celebrate. They were only capable of confusion and pity for the young boy as he returned his fallen Pokémon. "That was just a fluke. It won't go like that this time," he said as he took out a second Poké Ball. "I can assure you, this one's in great shape. It's been spending a lot of time at the Poké Pelago lately!"
With the toss of the capsule, a small, black lizard, Salandit, appeared in a flash of light. Its black, beady eyes in mischievously narrow pools of purple were trained on the monkey. A sweet aroma wafted from the tip of its tail, but Ray stepped away from it, knowing better than to inhale it. "Salandit, Scratch!"
The Toxic Lizard Pokémon dashed down the field. It quickly dug its claws into the flesh of its opponent, causing it to reel back with a pained howl. Maylene drew back in shock at their speed. "Guess you weren't kidding when you said your Salandit was in shape, but let's see if its speed can compare to my Monferno's! Use Mach Punch!"
"Double Slap!" Ray responded.
Monferno pulled back and threw a quick jab. Salandit spun and met the fist with its tail. Their attacks collided with equal force. But as Monferno stepped back from the clash, it suddenly began to wobble around. The Playful Pokémon began to see double, and soon, triple of its opponent.
"Monferno, what's wrong?!" Maylene hysterically called out.
"Looks like you got a whiff of my Salandit's tail. Just one small sniff is all it takes for people to become dizzy," Ray explained with a devilish smirk. "Now, Dragon Pulse!"
Salandit fired a massive wave of draconic energy from its gaping mouth. It tore down the field and swallowed the dizzy monkey whole in a powerful explosion. Maylene could only helplessly watch as her Pokémon was thrown from the force to her feet, defeated. There was still a smirk on her face, however, as she returned her Monferno and grabbed another Poké Ball. "Well, I've gotta give credit where credit is due, your second Pokémon really surprised me! But I've still got my ace left! Let's go, Lucario!"
Maylene's second and final Poké Ball burst open. The blue canine emerged from a bright flash of light with a powerful howl. Though the boy felt a knot in his stomach, he still stood tall. "We've got this, Salandit. Fighting and Steel don't have anything on Poison and Fire!"
In his mind, Ray could see himself winning this battle. His victory was bound to come with a challenge, despite their advantage, but he was just one Pokémon away from showing those kids in the alley that he was worthy to be let into their club. Then, he could beat them all.
"Let's go, Salandit! Use Flamethrower!" Ray commanded. But nothing happened. He and his Rockruff looked on at the black lizard to see it motionless, as if it were frozen. "Salandit? What's wrong?" he asked, but received no response. It just sat there, eyes fixated on the Lucario. Ray then noticed just what exactly the lizard's eyes were gazing at- Lucario's chest. "Aw crap," he sighed. "Maylene, is your Lucario a girl?" Maylene answered with a nod, and he smacked his forehead in rising frustration. "No, no, no! Salandit, come on, don't do this now!"
Ray's pleas came far too late. Salandit could no longer hear him, swooned by the elegance of the beautiful creature across the room. Its eyes traveled up the canine's long, slender, yet muscular legs, and tried desperately to gauge the size of the Aura Pokémon's bust from the protrusion of the blonde fur on its chest. Beautiful blood red eyes gazed piercingly back at it, though out of contempt more than interest. Salandit cackled quietly to itself as its tongue hung out the side of its mouth to taste its scent in the air. It caught faint hints of sweat, but also the passionate heat that the canine emanated.
Maylene let out a displeased sigh. "Well, I never thought I would be retracting a compliment so quickly. Why don't we just stop here? It's obvious that your Salandit is unable to battle like this, and I would rather not cause it any unnecessary pain. I think you guys need more training before you come back to rechallenge me."
Ray returned his smitten Salandit and left the gym. Rockruff nipped at the boy's ankles, but he remained quiet as they walked home. His face was red hot with embarrassment. But deep inside of him burned an even brighter fire to do better. He swung open the door to the apartment, much to the chagrin of his mother who was relaxing on the couch.
"Ray, where in the world have you been? I sent you for groceries hours ago!"
Ray stopped in the fever of his stride and realized he returned home empty handed. He apologized and explained everything to her, but right as he was about to head back out to the store, she stopped him. "Ray, wait. Why don't you go ahead and go train?"
Ray gawked. "Wh- What?" he stammered. "Really?"
His mother went to his room to quickly pack his gray backpack of the necessities he would need, clean clothes, snacks and canned food, etc. She sat the bag down in front of him and embraced him with a tight hug. "Yes, of course," she said as she continued to squeeze him. Ray left, more shocked than anything else. But his mother felt elated. She hadn't seen that fire in his eyes since he took the Melemele Island Trial in Alola. For the first time in over a year, Ray was motivated to get out of the apartment.
Ray headed out to the rocky area of Route 214, where the physically tough Pokémon lived. He called out his Trumbeak and Salandit, though both were more ready for dinner than training. "We'll all eat when we're finished training," he explained to them.
Trumbeak squawked in cackled to itself as it watched a few female Graveler rolling down the mountain in the distance.
"Focus, guys," Ray said sharply. "We've gotta get you two in shape to fight Maylene. Trumbeak, you gotta lose some weight. And Salandit... just... we'll figure out how to deal with you."
As the cool evening winds of Sinnoh howled across the route, Ray threw himself into the wilderness. He knew this would take a while.
AN: Thanks for taking the time to check out my story! I know its been a while since I've posted anything, but I wanted to get back out there with something fresh that I felt strongly about. As of right now, there's no update schedule for this story, so the second chapter may not come for quite some time. If you liked this first chapter, feel free to tell me all about it! Or if you've got any criticisms, I'd love to hear those as well. I know that there's been a debate going on forever about how to write Pokémon in plural form, since the franchise clearly states it one way, while the English language pretty much says the way we're all used to when we write essays and novels. I've elected to go with using the English rules this time, as it just felt right to me. "Wow, look at all of the Pikachus!" to me, just flows better than "Wow, look at all of the Pikachu!" despite having heard it the second way in the franchise my entire life.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and I hope you enjoy the many more to come!