Chapter 1: Beginning of the beginning. Of the beginning.
"Whoop whoop whoooop whoooooooper!" he cried.
"Calm down, buddy, it was just a bad dream. It's ok now. Promise." As I picked up my Whooper and cradled him like I had when he was a hatchling. "There's nothing to worry about."
"Whooooop whooooooop whoooooooper" and as punctuation, a long stream of water blasted my face. It was lukewarm and smelled of plastic.
I jerked awake and smacked my head on the bunk above me. I pressed my hand to my forehead and found that it was slightly larger than I had last left it. I lay back down and looked at my nightstand. The reason for my pain was a Whooper alarm clock that my brother had gotten me during one of his visits. He was on his "great adventure" and only saw us every few months. Last time, he brought some presents for Dad and I. He gave Dad a TM made in the new Unovian style, but all he got me was a stupid clock that squirted me if I tried to get a decent amount of sleep. The only thing that stopped me from breaking it was the fact that it was all I had to remember Doug by. He took as much as he could carry and the rest of his stuff was packed in the attic. So until he came back for my birthday, all I ha… Oh no. My birthday is today. That means Dou-
*SLAM* "Hellooooo!" came the call through my doorway. Apparently, Doug had decided that the best way to enter my room was by kicking the door so hard that the wood around the knob had shredded and splintered.
The best response I could muster was a solid "Mruhmf" as I rolled out of bed and onto the floor. A cheery, albeit flushed, face poked into the room. He had a big stupid grin that showcased his perfect smile. It was my smile too, and Dad's. Dad said that smiling is the best thing you can do, but sometimes I think Doug does it to try and annoy me. It annoys me.
Doug walked into the room with his hands held out, kind of to the sides, like he expected a hug. I was confused, but I figured if I hadn't seen my family in months, I might like a hug. I really should've known better. As I went to hug him, his right hand snapped up and planted a heavy smack right on the knot growing on my forehead in the aftermath of the alarm clock attack.
"Happy birthday. What are you know, eight? Nine?" he asked, knowing damn well I was thirteen. When I suggested this idea, his face became very serious and he placed his hands on my shoulders. "I do know, which is why I brought you this." He took his left hand off my shoulder and reached behind him. I heard a little snick sound, like two pieces of plastic clacking together. He used his right hand to cover the left as he brought his hand back between us. Instead of showing me what he held, he started walking away.
"Where are you going? Doug? Doug!" I hated him for this. He knew I couldn't resist a mystery. Dad said I got it from my mother. Frantically, I sprinted out my door and started searching for my brother. I entered the kitchen, where my Dad had been waiting. There was a backpack and trainer's belt on the counter, probably Doug's. "Have you seen Doug?" I asked Dad.
"Well yeah, I let him in this morning. You know he rode his bike all the way here from Mauville just to see you today." Here was Littleroot town. I guess that ride would explain why his face was so red when he came in.
"Did he just run through here?" Now I was dying to know what he brought me. Maybe he was going to give me something he found while he was traveling. Maybe it was a rare gem! Knowing Doug, he would've already sold or used that gem, so my chances of being rich were slim. "Whatever, I'll be back later!" Dad tried to tell me something but I had already run out the front door, straight into Doug.
"I was starting to think you'd never find me." All bow to Doug, our wise and benevolent King of Comedy. "Want to guess what I got you for your birthday this year?" Right now, I was so excited that my heart could've burst out of my chest and run a mile. So my guess was a heart attack. "Maybe, depends on how well you like it." As he said this he spun on his heel, and reached behind his back. I heard that plastic click again and then he held his arm in front of him. Suddenly, a Pokéball expanded in his hand and popped open. A bright red flash shot from it and at the end sat a Zigzagoon with a stick in its mouth.
"Happy Birthday, buddy." This came from behind us. Dad was standing in the doorway. He came out to the porch with us and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "It's not easier, even if it is the second time I've done this. Anyways, today is the first day of your journey. I asked your brother to bring you something special, to help you get started, but I didn't have this in mind." He leaned back and looked at Doug, "I was really thinking about Pokéballs or rope or something."
Doug just gave him a grin and led me out to the Zigzagoon sitting in our yard. Since her release, she had been gnawing on the stick in her mouth. As we approached, she rolled on to her back and looked at us expectantly. Jack rubbed her belly with his foot while he spoke with me. "This is Lorraine. Now, compared to my Pokémon, she's just a baby. For you though, she is already a pretty high level. I had to be careful when I caught one for you, because I kept knocking them all out. Not this one though, she was too fast for Heimie to get a good hit at, so she was the one I caught. Lorraine is already level 15, so she doesn't have too far to go to level up. Before that happens, you need to prove you're a good trainer, or else she might ignore you in battle. That would be bad, by the way."
I crouched down and scratched her chin. Doug took his foot off his- my Pokémon, and she rolled over. She sniffed my hand, decided I was okay, and licked my face. Turns out, Zigzagoon breath is awful, but I just couldn't help but laugh. I stood up and Doug slapped her Pokéball into my hand. I had something in my eye, so don't let someone tell you I cried, because I didn't. I gave him a hug and recalled Lorraine. Rain started to fall so we hurried back inside. Once inside, we gathered in the kitchen to make plans for my departure. Doug offered to take me as far as Oldale, but said he had business to finish in Mauville.
"When are we going to go get some supplies? I wouldn't be much of an adventurer if I starved to death, would I?" I felt a little proud that I had been smarter than my dad and brother until they pointed to the stuff laid out on the counter and told me that is was all for me. Then I just felt stupid.
Doug showed me all the pouches on the bag and told me what each should be used for. Then he helped me set up my Pokédex with voice recognition and we transferred Lorraine to my new Trainer Account. Trainer Accounts had recently replaced Cards, since you can lose a Card but not something that is on every piece of electronics in the world. They had bought me 5 Pokéballs, an assortment of sprays to heal my Pokémon, and some rope. Jack explained that, should I enter a cave, I should always tie one end outside the cave and the other around my waste. Trainers call it an "escape rope". We packed the bag up, cinched the trainer belt around my waist and attached Lorraine's ball to one of the little holsters. These were the source of the clacking sound Doug had made.
Doug kept trying to give Dad hints that it was time for us to leave without hurting his feelings. As we headed out the door, Dad stopped me and said, "Whatever you do out there, make sure you take care of your Pokémon and yourself, ok?"
When we finally got outside, it was still raining. Luckily, rain coats were among the things Dad had packed for me before I woke up. The walk to Oldale wouldn't have been long except the rain had turned the whole route to mud, making every step a fight to keep our shoes on our feet. Once we reached Oldale, Doug pointed out two buildings and said "The red one on the left is a Pokémon center. You can have your Pokémon healed there, you can access PCs and storage systems, and some of them have rooms they rent to trainers. The blue on over on the right is a PokéMart. They sell all your adventuring goods. I know of one that rents rooms out, but you probably won't ever see it. Anyways, now I must take my leave. Take good care of yourself, kid." With that, he turned and headed off in the rain. After no more than 30 yards, I couldn't see him through the torrential downpour. I stood under a metal awning in front of the Pokémon Center and consulted a map on my Dex. Route 102 led from Oldale to the next town over. Deciding this was as close to a plan as I really needed, I set out. Not far down the road, there was a little pond surrounded by tall grass. I saw a silhouette against the water and called out Lorraine, just in case. She circled my feet as I walked the path and nearly tripped me once or twice. As we approached, her hackles raised and she began… barking, I guess, at the thing. It turned towards us and I dex'd it.
Lombre, the Jolly Pokémon. It evolves from a Lotad at level 14. This Lombre is Level 15. Lombre have slimy skin and like to play pranks on fishermen. They are nocturnal and live on the banks of rivers and lakes, making nests in the tall grass.
"Lorraine, use…." Suddenly I realized I had no idea what she knew. I turned the Dex towards her.
Lorraine, Pine's Zigzagoon. Level 15 She is of a jolly nature. She knows Dig, Hone Claws, Odor Sleuth, and Return.
I knew what all of those moves did, except Return. I selected it on the Dex and heard
Return's strength is determined by the happiness of the user. Currently, Lorraine is very happy and will have a strong Return.
I couldn't decide what to do, so Lorraine decided for me. She ran straight towards the Lombre, forcing me to follow her into battle, which I don't think is the way this is supposed to work.
She was running at a full sprint when she hit the Lombre and bowled it over. The two untangled themselves and stood several feet apart.
"Lorrie, use odor sleuth. This one isn't going to get away from us." She sniffed at the air for a second or two, then resumed a fighting stance. "Hone Claws and then Return. Now!" Lorraine started scratching her claws against the stump of a fallen tree, then charged headlong into the Lombre again. She backed away and went in for another Return, but before she got to the Lombre, a huge wave came crashing down on top of her. I didn't think ponds normally did that, then I realized the Lombre had called it down somehow. "Get up Lorrie! Use Return again!" The Lombre had looked worn the last time I saw it, but now it seemed healthier. Lorrie pounded it again and again, between waves thrown by the Lombre. I expected it to collapse any time, but it kept getting refreshed, as if the water was healing it. That was it! "Lorrie, take it away from the pond, quick!" She began tackling it towards a clearing nearby, but the damned thing still looked fine. I yelled for Lorrie to come back to me and sprayed her with a potion. After it took effect she looked as good as when I first saw her, albeit damper and muddier. When I looked back, the Lombre had vanished. "Alright Lorrie, use dig and chase down that Lombre. You still have its scent, right?" She answered me by burrowing into the ground and raising a dirt mound trail as she tunneled along, like some old cartoon. Her trail disappeared into the grass. I heard a shrill yelp and Lorraine came flying out. She stood up and charged back in, unafraid of whatever had sent her out in the first place. I ran in after her, afraid that I might get my poor Pokémon killed as soon as I met her. Instead I was greeted by a view of Lorraine assaulting the Lombre she had been fighting. The little blue and green creature seemed weak enough that I could catch it. I called Lorrie off and took out one of my Pokéballs. I stood next to the Lombre and tapped it with the button on the front. The ball started shaking in my hand. After a few seconds, it stood still and my Dex pinged happily.
Your Lorraine has leveled up! You have captured a level 15 female Lombre. Would you like to name her?
"I… will name her…..uh….. Fabi.
Congratulations on capturing your first Pokémon. Fabi has been added to your Account. You can place her ball on your Trainer's Belt.