Chapter 1: Dunne and Dusted
Today, Brown Dunne turned 13 years old.
It was the morning of the 7th of June in Pallet Town, Kanto, and it was quickly approaching noon. Pokémon were all around, and humans were running around on their own businesses.
In a small caravan near Professor Oak's Pokémon Research Laboratory, a boy within was sleeping. But not for long.
He woke up, and startling brown eyes pierced the ceiling for a moment before he took a capsule from under his beds and swallowed one of its contents. Immediately, he sat up, and looked about his small mobile home.
His mother was sat at the table, drinking a cup of coffee, the smell of which drafted to Brown for him to inhale, feeling refreshed. He stood and stretched, taking in the normality of the scene before he walked to the caravan's toilet room.
A few minutes later, he opened the door again, and washed his hands and brushed his teeth in the sink in the small kitchen area. His mother did not look up even as he went past, but that was okay. He was used to it.
Finally, he sat down across from his mother, a bowl of cereal in his hands that clattered onto the table as he began to eat.
"Brown," his mother finally acknowledged, putting away the newspaper she had been reading.
"Good morning," Brown replied, and put another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.
"Your appointment is in half an hour," his mother said, gesturing towards the clock at the side of the table.
Brown nodded, taking in the time. 11:30. "Right," he said. "Thanks."
"Come back once you have completed Oak's first test," his mother told him, and he nodded.
"Of course," he said. "I'm not going to leave without saying bye to you."
His mother nodded, but said nothing, preferring to instead invest time in her newspaper again.
While he finished eating his cereal, he looked at the cover of the paper. "TEAM SHI RISES! THE NEW TEAM ROCKET?" The picture under the headline looked to be a hastily drawn logo of an S and a 4 combined with some kind of Japanese letter. Brown frowned at it, and soon found himself on his last spoonful.
"20 minutes," his mother said, without looking up.
Brown returned to the kitchen and washed his bowl and spoon clean before returning to his bed. Under his mattress was a small compartment where he kept his clothes, and more recently his suitcase. He put on clothes that fitted his name, brown in colour, and packed away the capsule of tablets into his suitcase as well, for good measure. Finally, he felt ready, just as his mother announced that he only had 5 minutes remaining.
He moved to the front door, issued a quick farewell to his mother and left, feeling the cool breeze of the quiet wind on his face as he did so.
It was a short walk to the Laboratory, and he walked there in high spirits, so he did not notice the passing of time at all. Before he knew it, he was standing before large glass doors set into a stone building. It all looked very welcoming, but there was a sense of adventure about it.
Brown went in, and the Professor immediately noticed him.
"Ah, can I help you?" the elderly Professor asked.
"I'm Brown Dunne, sir," Brown told him. "I've come for my Pokémon."
Brown held out an appointment card, and the Professor looked at it with a nod.
"Oh yes, Brown Dunne," the Professor said, "I've been expecting you. Now then," he flourished his arms as if telling Brown to behold the room at large, "My name is Professor Samuel Oak. I research Pokémon and their relations with humans. Here, I have-"
Professor Oak was interrupted suddenly by the door reopening. Brown turned to look at the newcomer. It was a boy about his age dressed all in black; even his slicked back hair and piercing eyes were black, though he appeared to be wearing an extremely warm winter jacket.
"I've come for a Pokémon," the boy said finally, and Professor Oak nodded at him.
"Very well, do you have an appointment?" Professor Oak asked, and the boy silently raised a card. "Hm? This is..." Professor Oak seemed surprised for a moment, before finally nodding. "Very well then. As I was saying," he turned back to Brown, and the boy stood nearby, silently watching. "I research Pokémon and their relations with humans. Here, I have three Pokémon. I would like you - both of you - to choose one."
Brown and the boy moved forwards to read the notes by each of the Poké Balls.
"Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokémon. A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this Pokémon."
"Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon. Obviously prefers hot places. When it rains, steam is said to spout from the tip of its tail."
"Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon. After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell. Powerfully sprays foam from its mouth."
Both of the boys reached for their choices, leaving Squirtle behind.
"Excellent!" Professor Oak said, "Now, why don't you two have a battle? Come on now! Don't be shy!"
Brown and the dark haired boy locked eyes and nodded in silent agreement before releasing their Pokémon.
"Go! Bulbasaur!" Brown told his Pokémon.
With a cry of "Bulbasaur!" a green quadruped Pokémon emerged from Brown's Poké Ball.
"Charmander," Blake intoned, and a red lizard-like Pokémon with a flaming tail was released from Blake's Poké Ball.
"This should be interesting..." Professor Oak smiled.
"Charmander, Scratch," Blake commanded almost immediately.
Charmander dashed forwards and raked Bulbasaur with its sharp claws, causing the small Grass-type to yelp in pain.
"Bulbasaur! Tackle!" Brown called frantically, and Bulbasaur launched itself onto its opponent.
"Get back!" Blake commanded, and his slightly injured Pokémon retreated from the foe, stopping a few metres away.
"Tackle again!" Brown grinned.
Bulbasaur ran toward the Charmander, lowering its head to maximise the damage output.
"Scratch," Blake said calmly.
Charmander waited until Bulbasaur was close enough, before slashing its paw through the air, claws extended. But the Flame Pokémon had left it too late, and the Seed Pokémon crashed into the red one, sending it skidding along the smooth floor.
"Scratch," Blake said, frowning.
"Tackle once more!" Brown yelled happily.
The two Pokémon collided, both Scratch and Tackle making contact, and the two Pokémon were pushed backwards, each struggling to stay upright. Bulbasaur had it easier with 4 legs instead of Charmander's 2 legs to support it and so…
"Der…" Charmander sighed, falling over.
"Well done, Brown, you've just won your first battle!" Oak said.
"Yeah! We did it, Bulbasaur," Brown yelled.
Professor Oak smiled at the two boys, and said, "Since this was your first battle, I will pay for you, Blake, but it won't always be this way."
Blake indicated that he understood, and Professor Oak began to count out some money from a small box on his desk.
Brown petted Bulbasaur happily, and heard Blake speak to Professor Oak, though he was situated too far away to hear their conversation. However, it seemed that it was one-way, as Blake soon raised his voice.
"Ahem," Blake cleared his throat, and Brown began to hear him more clearly. "I said, "goodbye Professor"."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Oak quickly apologised. His voice was naturally louder than Blake's, so he did not need to speak up in order for Brown to hear. "Are you leaving?"
"Yes," Blake said with a nod. "I hear your grandson Blue will be leaving Viridian City in order to train himself and his Pokémon and I'd like to challenge him before he leaves."
"Training? Is that the reason he's giving?" The old man repeated in a mutter before his head turned to face Blake again. "Okay," he nodded. "Good luck!"
Blake tilted his head in gratitude and left.
Brown returned Bulbasaur to its Poké Ball, while accepting the money Professor Oak handed him.
"Now then, Brown," Professor Oak told him. "Taking care of a Pokémon is a very large responsibility, and it's just as much of a responsibility to take ownership of a Pokédex, if not more! To prove that you are truly ready to use a Pokédex, I must give you a task to complete."
"What is it?"
"There is a package waiting for me in Viridian City, and I am far too busy to travel all the way across Route 1 and back. And Blake has Blue to challenge, so you are really my only hope."
"Okay," Brown grinned. "Looks like I'm going to Viridian City!"
