WARNING: not suitable for children under the age of 6, contains small objects that may cause choking, fantasy violence, and strong language.
Chapter 1 : Lexa
I wanna be the very best
Like no one ever was
To catch them is my real test
To train them is my cause
I will travel across the land
Searching far and wide
Each Pokemon to understand
The power that's inside
Pokemon!
It's you and me
I know it's my destiny
Pokemon!
Ooh, you're my best friend
In a world we must defend
Pokemon!
Our hearts so true
Our courage will pull us through
You teach me and I'll teach you
Pokemon
Gotta catch 'em all!
Incessant, loud ringing splintered her terror filled flight through the maze. Sleep dazed and brain foggy, Lexa groaned and burrowed deeper under her blankets, wishing for the noise to stop. She snuck a peak, noticed the lack of light, and wondered why the noise would not stop.
Dream fog lifted in a flash when Lexa realized the day. Kicking her sheets aside and tumbling out of bed, Lexa scrambled to pull a shirt over her head. Feet tangled in pants, Lexa floundered around for socks. Too excited to be frustrated, Lexa eventually got her feet coordinated properly and tied her pants after tugging socks over her bare feet.
Only then did Lexa realize that the alarm was still going off. Hastily scampering to shut off the raucous noise, Lexa took a moment to enjoy the blissful silence before checking to make sure she had everything packed. Satisfied, Lexa pulled her light hair into two ponytails and squashed her beanie hat over her head as she flung her pack over her shoulder and bounded down the stairs. Hugging her mother goodbye and promising to call, she ran out the door. Dawn light painted a soft world as Lexa left her house far behind to take the quick walk through the edge of the forest.
Pidgeys twittered sleepily from roosts in the trees while a noctowl flew silently overhead. Professor Hawthorn's lab should be just around the bend, Lexa had walked this route often enough to do this with her eyes closed. There was a bounce in her step as Lexa approached the massive building, excitement almost too high to be contained. A ratatta fled when she drew near, its frightened squeak hovering long after the small mouse had vanished into the bushes.
Lexa tried the front doors. They were unlocked, so she pushed them slowly open. "Professor?" she called, stepping into the lab.
"Alexia?" Professor Hawthorn poked her head out from behind a cabinet. "You're here early, it's barely dawn."
"I know," Lexa admitted, "but I'm too excited. May I pick now?"
Hawthorn smiled at the young girl's eagerness and youthful cheer. "Follow me, I'll show you what we all have here in the back. Bear in mind that once you chose, the choice cannot be undone."
Pressing a button, the professor stepped back when the machine let off a loud hiss and opened to reveal a multitude of pokeballs laid out in groups of three. Lexa moved forward to look at the red and white orbs. She touched one and an image appeared on the screen above.
"Cyndaquil," Hawthorn said, watching the screen.
Lexa shook her head and proceeded to tap each one, bringing a picture to the screen. The professor read each one off to her. Lexa paused on the charmander, but continued to view all of her options. In the end, she spun the revolving tray back to the charmander and picked up the pokeball.
"I will pick this one," she told the professor.
"Charmander, the fire pokemon? Are you sure?"
"Positive," Lexa affirmed.
"Then wait here, there are a few things that I need to get for you." Professor Hawthorn vanished between several large pieces of equipment only to appear moments later with a pile of items. She handed five pokeballs to Lexa and set everything else on the table.
"There are five pokeballs to help get you started, and you may have noticed that the pokeball holding your charmander is empty." Lexa pressed the center button, opening the empty ball to prove to herself that what Hawthorn said was true.
"You have heard of pokemon eggs, correct?" Lexa nodded, so the professor continued. "Most of the starter pokemon in this room came from eggs that either I, or my colleagues have hatched. However, a few have not yet hatched. Your charmander is one of them."
Hawthorn held out a pale egg the size of Lexa's head. The girl took it and examined it, watching the light catch the occasional glittering spot before sliding it into her backpack. As she did so, Lexa could have sworn the egg quivered at her touch.
"Take good care of it, it should hatch soon. Now, I have a pass for you that will allow you to get out of this one and into the next town over. While you're in Newmeadow, I need you to do a favor for me," Hawthorn said, picking the last item off the table and handing it to Lexa. "Give that to Mara, the gymleader in Newmeadow. Now, off with you." The professor shooed her out the door.
"Good luck, Alexia. Give me a call when you get to Newmeadow!"
Lexa waved back and spun to follow the trail back to Breezy Blossom. Weak rays of sunlight filtered through the trees limbs brought on by full dawn. One hand grasping a strap of her backpack, she walked light-footed through the woods. Her pack felt warm against her shoulders where the egg sat. Briefly skirting the northern part of town, Lexa skipped straight to the road to Newmeadow. A ratatta chattered angrily at her before scampering away into the forest. Tree boughs overlay the road, darkening the walk.
Breezy Blossom disappeared from sight as Lexa followed the bend in the road and she immediately thought of Maki. She never went anywhere without her. Maki would oversleep, Maki always overslept. Deciding to wait for Maki in Newmeadow, Lexa continued on. Signs pointed her in the right direction, lucky for her, as she had forgotten a map.
It was early enough in the morning that she saw no one on her jaunt through the misty dawn, which were was probably a good thing considering she did not have a battle compatible pokemon. Feeling adventurous, Lexa wandered a bit into the woods, enjoying the quiet freedom allotted to her. The egg shivered against her back before shaking violently. Lexa shrugged her pack off and laid it gently on the ground before gently pulling out the quivering egg with both hands. Frowning, Lexa looked up, but saw nothing. She could have sworn that something flitted by in her peripheral vision. Seeing only forest, Lexa held the egg cradled in her crossed legs until the pokemon settled down.
A pidgey called somewhere in the forest, its cry was answered nearby, and a rustling of wings announced the bird pokemon landing close. Lexa turned to see the bird hopping across the ground, blissfully unaware of her sitting in the small clearing. She shifted her weight and the pidgey let out a startled squawk before fleeing with a rush of feathers.
Lexa pulled out one of the pokeballs that Professor Hawthorn had given her and sighed. The egg rocked in her lap and Lexa hugged it close. "Soon," she whispered to it and it gave a violent shudder before calming again.
"What should I call you?" she thought aloud. A name came to mind. "Kasdeya?" The egg convulsed more than before to the point where a small fissure appeared in the side, hairline, but a crack nonetheless. "Kasdey it is then," Lexa said, feeling a rise of warmth. She gently placed the egg back in her pack and stood up, shouldering the bag and pokeball still in hand.
On her trek back to the road, a quick flash of light caught her eye. At first Lexa thought it was just the sun, but upon closer inspection she saw the outline of a pidgey. Sunlight reflected off the sleeping bird's golden feathers, and an idea popped into her head. Lexa gave the pokeball a little toss to test its weight and heaved it at the bird pokemon. The ball hit it in the shoulder, opened, and engulfed the pidgey in red light before closing and falling to the ground. The ball shook back and forth several times before finally sitting still.
Lexa let out the breath she did not realize she had been holding with a rush. Glee filled her chest and she picked the pokeball up. She caught her first pokemon! Laughter filled the air around her and Lexa spun around to find what was causing it. A pink feline floated feet about the ground giggling cheerfully and holding its mouth with its tiny hands. Lexa could only stare.
"Mew," the pokemon said cheerfully and sat on her head, long tail curling freely.
"Mew?" Lexa asked, reaching up to scratch the pokemon's head and earned a happy squeal from the feline. She had learned about this in school, Mew the first pokemon. But what was it doing here?
"Mew!" it chirped. Lexa laughed and continued back to the road with the happy pokemon still on her head.
Someone called her name and she whirled around. Mew squealed and vanished into a pokeball on her belt. Kobe came running up to her, lopsided grin plastered on his face.
"Hey, I should have known that you were the first one up! Mind if I accompany you the rest of the way?" he asked. "By the way, which pokemon did you pick? I got a piplup, his name's Bori." Kobe held up the pokeball and let out the penguin pokemon so that Bori may walk beside them.
"I picked the charmander," Lexa told him as they strolled the rest of the way through the woods. According the sign they recently passed, Newmeadow should be around the corner.
"You didn't name it?" Kobe asked, picking Bori up to put the pokemon on his shoulder.
"It's still an egg," Lexa explained. The egg shivered against her back in response.
"But you have two other pokemon already?" he remarked. "Wow, I just have Bori." The piplup hopped down and darted ahead. "What have you caught?"
"A pidgey." Lexa paused only to have a pokeball open from her belt. Transform! She wished desperately, hoping that the pokemon would understand. A slightly off colored meowth sat happily at her feet. "And a meowth."
"Mew," the cat meowed and kneaded her pants. Lexa picked the meowth up and let the pokemon wander across her shoulders, purring.
"How'd you manage the meowth? I didn't think there were any in Pendera Woods."
Lexa pet the meowth, feeling waves of contentment wash over her. "Um, she was lost, probably abandoned," Lexa made up on the spot, not sure if she wanted other people to know that she had a mew tagging along with her.
Kobe pulled out his phone only to snap it shut and look at her. "It's not yet ten," he said. "It seems so much later. We need to stop by the shop, but then we'll be on our way. You're welcome to come along?"
"Nah, thanks though, Kobe. I need to wait for Maki, she's probably overslept," Lexa apologized and felt a twinge of guilt.
"Don't worry about it. I'll see you down the road!" Kobe said cheerfully. "You have my number, right?" Lexa nodded. "Then no worries. Oh, Skye showed up right after I left, so he'll probably be here soon. I'll see you later, come on, Bori."
Lexa waved goodbye to Kobe and took a look around town. Not extremely large, yet more impressive than her hometown, Lexa wandered past neat houses towards the gym. Mew purred loudly on her shoulders still under the guise of meowth. Standing before the double doors, Lexa looked up at the building.
"Mew," the feline remarked.
"Hey, Lexa!" a voice called out. Both trainer and pokemon turned to see a boy strolling towards them. "I heard you go first pick, or at least that was the suspicion, but then why did you pick meowth? I didn't think that was an option. Were you just given a stray?"
Lexa gripped her shoulder strap tighter, feeling the heat rise from her pack. Mew trilled softly in her ear, a small comfort. "What do you want, Skye?"
"I was going to challenge you, but seeing as you weren't even given a starter pokemon, I don't think it's fair," Skye said, tossing a pokeball up and down with one hand.
"One-on-one," Lexa snapped.
Skye grinned, hand closing over the pokeball he was juggling. "In front of the gym and everything," Skye remarked. "Go, Tetra!"
A squirtle spun out in a flash of red light and skidded to a halt a few feet away from Lexa. The pokemon picked herself up and took a stance that she seemed to think was intimidating. "Squirtle!" it croaked.
Lexa looked at the meowth on her shoulder. Eyes gleaming with mischief, the cat leapt to the ground and sat in front of Tetra, tail whipping playfully. "Mew!" she chirped at the turtle.
"Let's teach this cat a lesson," Skye said to his pokemon. "Bubble!"
The squirtle inhaled deeply and let out a stream of bubbles at the meowth who leapt to her feet. Bouncing from side to side, the transformed mew jumped after bubbles, popping each and every one with batting paws. Confused, Tetra looked to her trainer for guidance.
"Tackle," Skye offered.
Lexa let mew continue as she saw fit, the pokemon was clearly enjoying herself as she bounded around the squirtle, giggling. The turtle slammed into the ground again and again, continuing to miss the energetic cat. Finally, the pokemon gave up and lay on the ground, forcing Skye to recall Tetra and admit defeat.
Mew paraded around after Skye left, tail held high.
"Well done, you!" Lexa commended, picking the pokemon up. Gleeful, she perched on Lexa's shoulder and trilled.
"Mew!"
"Yeah," Lexa agreed automatically and pulled a door open. Darkness greeted her until motion sensors set off the lighting system, sparking cool light to line the floor highlighting the edge of the wide gym. Suddenly, a single spotlight snapped on across the gym. Mew squeaked in her ear and hopped to the floor to stand by her side when the dark silhouette of a woman and a pokemon stood.
"Mara?" Lexa ventured timidly.
"Actually, yes," the woman said, snapping her fingers and stepping forward. A circle of pale blue light appeared beneath her booted feet with each step. "And you are?"
Lexa stared at the pair, trying to fathom the dark pokemon at Mara's side. "Alexia…er, Lexa," she corrected. "Professor Hawthorn sent me." The girl set her pack on the ground and rummaged through it, carefully moving the egg aside and pulled a satchel out.
"So you aren't here to battle?" Mara sounded almost disappointed. "Eclipse." The dark pokemon immediately snapped back to the woman's side and away from the transformed mew. Lexa handed the satchel over and picked up her pokemon who purred happily in her arms and nudged her chin.
"Hawthorn, you say? Are you one of her new trainers?" Mara asked while examining the device she dumped from the bag.
"Yes."
"Well in that case, why don't you come with me? I want to introduce you to a few friends of mine." Mara pocketed the device and led Lexa out the doors, the woman's pokemon walked fluidly beside them, pale moon circles glowing faintly in the gloom.
Outside the back of the gym, Mara leaned on a fence. "Tabitha!" she called. "TABITHA!" An unkempt woman came running with an eevee in her arms.
"What?" she demanded.
"Lexa, here, is a new trainer. I think it would be a great idea if we gave her a gift, something to help her on her way," Mara said, looking fondly at Eclipse. Mew chirped softly in Lexa's ear and she suddenly figured out Mara's pokemon: umbreon, eevee's dark evolution.
"An eevee, you mean?" Tabitha said with a quirk of a smile.
"You're the best breeder here, Tabi," Mara told the woman. "Why shouldn't Lexa have another wonderful companion?"
Tabitha showed Lexa the small kennel she had just behind the gym where a multitude of eevees played and rolled together.
"We usually give them out to new trainers. Go ahead, pick one."
Mara leaned against the side of the gym, her umbreon sat beside her with its eyes on the scene, watching carefully. An eevee tumbled away from the pile and stumbled towards Lexa's feet. It rubbed itself against her ankles until Lexa complied and picked it up.
"Can I really keep it?" she asked, holding the eevee.
"Of course," replied Mara and Tabitha together.
"Thank you so much!" Lexa said with a slight bob.
"Think nothing of it. Here, I'll walk back to the pokecenter with you," Mara offered and called Eclipse after her.
Lexa just started heading back towards the pokecenter with an eevee at her heels and a meowth on her shoulder when she saw Maki heading towards her.