Welcome, to the world of Pokemon.
In this land, humans coexist with super powered creatures, known as Pokemon, which is short for 'Pocket Monsters'. But I'm certain you already knew that.
Many humans like to capture these frolicking creatures, and train them to battle against others. We call these people 'Pokemon Trainers'.
However, there's an equally likely chance that you just want the cute ones to play with, like pets.
However, just as there are people who like to catch them, there are others who just want freedom for them all.
In fact, there are so many of them, they banded a team, to fight for the liberation of all Pokemon.
They call themselves Team Plasma.
Led by the ever-charismatic Ghetsis, Team Plasma were trying their damn hardest to ensure success for their plans. But there was just one thing they needed.
A king.
A hero.
And Ghetsis already knew who the right person to be king was. A believer and member of the group named N.
Ghetsis called for an assembly, at the hall of their castle. Every grunt assembled. It was rather reminiscent of an army of knights ready to serve their king.
"Welcome, everyone." Ghetsis' gentle voice echoed across the room, bringing everybody to attention.
"Today, I have assembled you all to make an important announcement." he continued.
"Well, what is it?" a grunt asked.
"I was getting on to that. Now, as I was saying, I have decided on a king, who shall rule us all." Ghetsis said.
"Ha! I bet it's himself! That tyrannical little..." a female grunt yelled.
"It's not me, and I'm not a tyrant." Ghetsis corrected.
"Well, who is it?" the first grunt yelled.
"I'll tell you if you let me." Ghetsis sighed.
"As I was saying," he continued like absolutely nothing happened. "I have chosen a king. His name is N."
"N? You mean, like, the letter?" a grunt asked.
"Precisely." Ghetsis replied.
"Woah! His parents must've hated him!" another grunt remarked.
"Now, now. I'm sure N had lovely parents." Ghetsis said. "N, come on out."
But, as he said this, nothing happened.
"Perhaps you did not hear me. Ahem. N, come on out!" Ghetsis repeated, only this time, louder.
A long, green-haired man, looking to be around 12-ish in age, crept out from around the corner. He nervously looked at the crowd in front of him.
"Uhm... hello, everyone." he said, shyly.
"This is our leader? He looks like a sissy!" a grunt yelled.
"Boo!" another one cried.
"Now, now. He may look a little underwhelming, but I assure you, N is a man as charismatic as I." Ghetsis said.
"Oh. I see that." the grunt replied.
Ignoring the sarcasm, Ghetsis went up to N to console him.
"Come now, N. Look upon these people. They are yours to rule. It does not matter that they do not like you at this moment. They look at you as if you were something I peeled off the road. They judge you by your appearance, and in doing so, they underestimate you. I want you to go up there and prove them wrong. That is your duty. Your duty to Team Plasma." he said.
Ghetsis' kind words had filled N with courage, and all of a sudden, he was inspired to go out there and show the Team that they could indeed have faith in him.
He went over to where Ghetsis had been standing before, and adressed his people.
"Oh, there he is! The little wimp!" A grunt said.
"I bet he spent all his time playing with dolls as a kid!" another one yelled.
But N didn't care. He ignored their comments. He had to go out there and prove to them that he would be a worthy king.
He had to be their hero.
"People of Team Plasma!" N yelled. All of the team stopped chattering and looked at him.
"Before I begin," he started. "I would like to say, good day to you all! I expect that you know of our plans to awaken the Light Hero of Truth and the Dark Hero of Ideals, and at the final battle, here in this castle, they shall battle! I will become one of those heroes!"
"Oh, wow..." someone whispered. "This guy's the real deal."
"I will lead Team Plasma into a brighter future, and I will make the world recognise our cause!" N continued. "You all look down on me now, and with good reason! What you see now, standing before you, is a weak, sickly child! But hidden inside is a legendary dragon, ready to spread the word of truth alongside every single one of you! Say it with me now: PLASMAAAAA!"
"PLASMAAAAA!" the rest of the team shrieked at the top of their lungs.
N got off the podium, and went over to Ghetsis.
"Was I good?" he asked.
"Beyond that, child." Ghetsis replied. "You were legendary."
N's face lit up, and he left the room.
3 years later
It was a quiet evening in Nuvema Town. The sky was orange, the air was clear. The regular gang of Pidove who liked to show up had just flown off, their places taken by an unruly squadron of Woobat.
I should probably get to the important stuff now, shouldn't I?
I'd like you, reader, to meet Aster:
I know he looks like a terrible OC, but just bear with me, alright?
He's the protagonist, the center of this story that is about to unfold.
As I begin telling you about his journey to become a Pokemon master, he is in his room, watching the Watchy Watchog show. He had been doing so for hours, since he didn't feel like going out that day.
"I'm getting bored now. I'm gonna change it." he sighed. He flicked through a few programmes, only to discover that there was nothing good on. Unhappy, he turned off the TV and sulked in his bed. It was only a matter of time before he went to sleep.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Aster's mother, Alice, was sitting, reading a book.
All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in!" she said.
"The door's locked. I can't come in." the woman knocking on the door replied.
"Oh, right. I nearly forgot." Alice chuckled as she got up and opened the door.
On the other end of the door was a woman who seemed to be around Alice's age.
"Hello, there! I'm Professor Juniper!" the woman said.
"Professor Juniper?" Alice said, blinking a few times and rubbing her eyes to make sure she was seeing correctly. "THE Professor Juniper?"
"Yep, that's me!" Juniper said. "But you can just call me Aurea."
"Please," Alice said. "Have a seat."
The two women walked into the living room and sat on the sofa.
"So," Alice said. "Why exactly are you here?"
"Simple. You have a child, right?"
"Yes, I do."
"How old are they?"
"14, turning 15 this year."
"That's perfect. I knew I had the right one. Where are they?"
"Upstairs. I think he's taking a nap. He sleeps a lot."
"Then, upstairs I shall go!" Aurea said, as she went upstairs.
When she went upstairs, she saw a single bedroom. As she entered it, she observed its design. It was surprisingly tidy, with a dark blue wallpaper and a cream-coloured carpet, and not a single poster to be seen. The room was rather barren, with its only remarkable features being the TV, the Nintendo Wii, the desk, and the bed with a boy sleeping in it.
"Alice wasn't wrong. They are sleeping." Aurea said. "Time to wake him up! Go, Mincinno!"
She then threw a blue and white ball-like capsule with red trimmings up in the air, and it landed on the ground. As it hit the ground, it opened and released a pink/purple, white and green creature bearing a loose resemblance to a chinchilla.
"Mincinno, use Pound!" she said, pointing at the sleeping Aster. Mincinno obeyed, and its hand glowed white as it slapped Aster in the face.
Apparently, Mincinno was really strong, as this immediately woke him up from his slumber.
"Ow!" he shrieked as he awoke. "What was that?"
He rubbed his eyes and saw the Mincinno staring at his face from close up.
"Sweet Arceus!" he yelped. "Why is the Mincinno pink?"
"It's a shiny." Juniper said.
Aster looked at her with a grumpy stare.
"Who are you, and why are you siccing your rat on me?" he asked.
"My name is Professor Juniper. Everyone calls me the Pokemon Professor." she replied.
"Professor? That's an odd first name." he said.
"It's my title, not my forename." Juniper said.
"Oh. Well, what are you doing in my house?"
"I'd like to tell you a little about myself." Juniper replied.
"Sorry, you're not my type." Aster said, as he turned around and covered himself in his blanket.
"I'm not trying to go out with you. That'd be weird."
"Oh. Speak on."
"This world is widely inhabited by mysterious creatures called Pokemon!"
"I know that."
"Pokemon have mysterious powers. They come in many shapes and live in many different places. We humans live happily with Pokemon!"
"I know that also."
"Living and working together, we complement each other. We help each other to accomplish difficult tasks. Having Pokemon battle one another is particularly popular, and it deepens the bonds between people and Pokemon."
"Is there anything you have to say that isn't common knowledge?"
"And that is why I research Pokemon. Well, that's enough from me... Could you tell me about yourself? Are you a boy? Or a girl?"
Aster just looked at her with a look that said 'Are you stupid?'.
"Clearly..." Aster sighed. "I'm a girl."
"A girl, I see."
"NO! IT WAS SARCASM!" he yelled.
"So, you're a boy, right?" she asked.
"Yes, I am!" he said.
"Could you tell me your name?" she asked.
"I'm Aster." he replied.
"Your name is Aster, right?" she asked.
"Dig the wax out of your ears, YES!" he said.
"Now, now. There's no need to be rude." Juniper said, keeping her cool. "So, that's a wonderful name! Now, I've already spoken to your two best friends, and they've agreed to meet you here to get their Starter Pokemon."
"Oh, goodie." he said. "Wait, you agreed on this before coming to me?"
"Now, all we need to do is wait." Juniper said.
"Hold up! You still need to answer my question!" he said.
"Oh, silly me! All you need to do is wait. I have some stuff to do in my lab, so I'll be there." she said. "But before I go, I need to give you this. Don't open it until everyone else is here, alright?"
Aster nodded in agreement as she placed a green box with a blue ribbon on his desk, before leaving the room. Seeing as all he had to do was wait, Aster decided to go back to sleep.
When Aster woke up, he had 2 people standing above him. They were his friends, Bianca and Cheren.
This is Bianca:
She's a little flighty, but she always tries her hardest, no matter what the circumstances. She is also very upbeat and kind, and is generally well-liked by others as a result.
This is Cheren:
At times, he can be rather difficult, owing to his know-it-all nature and inability to get a joke. However, he is very honest and intelligent.
"Huh... who are you...?" Aster said groggily, as he rubbed his eyes.
"Aster, get up!" Cheren said, as he shook Aster vigorously.
"I'm here, I'm here. Jeez." Aster said, crawling out of bed, though he was obviously still tired. "So, what brings you here?"
Cheren gave an exasperated sigh, before turning to Bianca.
"Get the water." he said.
Bianca nodded and reached into her bag, pulling out a bottle of Fresh Water.
"Hey... what are you doing with that...?" Aster asked.
"This!" Bianca said, as she opened the bottle and squeezed it in his face.
"... WHY?" Aster yelled. At least he didn't seem tired anymore.
"Cold water to the face helps energise someone when they're tired!" Bianca said with a cheerful smile. "Plus, seeing your reaction was fun!"
Aster wiped his face on his sleeve.
"Seriously, Aster. Today is a big day. You can't just sleep through it all." Cheren said. "Today's the day we can get a Pokemon from Professor Juniper."
"Yes, I knew that." Aster said. "But you guys took your sweet time getting here. What else am I supposed to do?"
"Watch TV?" Bianca suggested.
"No." Aster said simply.
"Well let's get back on topic." Bianca said. "Where do you think the Pokemon are? They were delivered to Aster's place, so he should get first pick."
"Naturally, they'll be waiting for us inside that gift box." Cheren said, pointing to Aster's desk. "OK, Aster. You go take a peek at the box. I want to meet the Pokemon right now!"
"Wait, so that's what's inside the box?" Aster asked. "Huh. Juniper never told me that."
He walked over to the wooden desk. It was cream-coloured and very clean, so it matched his carpet. He sat at the desk and started reading the note attached to the box. It read:
I've brought three Pokemon, one for you and one for each of your friends. Please settle your choices politely, and most importantly, enjoy your Pokemon!
Professor Juniper, the Pokemon Professor.
"Yep." Aster whispered to himself. "There are live animals in here."
"Would you get a move on and open the box already?" Cheren said. "I'm sure the Pokemon are just as excited to meet us!"
"Cheren, be patient!" Bianca said.
Aster looked at the ribbon. It was tied into a very tight knot. He opened his desk drawer and got out a pair of scissors to cut it, because he knew that if he tried to untie it, he'd be there for five-hundred years.
After cutting the rope, he was able to open the box. In there were 3 red-and-white capsules.
"Oh my! How can I possibly choose?" Aster said, with mock awe. Then, he dropped the act. "I cannot see any of them."
"Why don't you throw them?" Cheren suggested. "Those capsules are called 'Poke Balls'. They open when they hit the ground."
"Or, I could make it less strenuous and do this." Aster said. He picked up the box and turned it over, and the Balls fell out and hit the ground. They opened, and the Pokemon inside were summoned.
The one on the left was a green snake-like creature with a yellow underbelly and a fleur-de-lis on its tail. Its eyes were reddish-brown, and their shape, combined with its smirk, gave it an air of power and arrogance.
The one in the middle was an orange and black pig with a red snout and rabbit-like ears. It had black eyes that were oval-shaped, and its happy smile made it seem very adorable to Aster as a result.
The one on the right seemed to be an amalgamation of a cat and a bear with simple black eyes and a large brown nose. It had small, blue feet and cat-like ears with the same properties. The thing most notable about it was the shell stuck to its torso.
Aster looked at the note. There was a bit more on the back, so he read it aloud.
The one on the left is the Grass type, Snivy.
The one in the middle is the Fire type, Tepig.
The one on the right is the Water type, Oshawott.
"Wow! They're all so adorable!" Bianca squealed with delight.
"So, in minutes to come, one of these Pokemon will be my partner." Cheren murmured.
Aster carefully examined each of the Pokemon. He inched closer to them, making his decision slowly. He hadn't seen any of these Pokemon before, so he didn't know immediately, but as he looked over each of them, he started to decide.
Eventually, he knew who his Starter Pokemon was going to be. He didn't know why, but he had started to feel drawn to that one particularly. He knew things were going to work out between them.
"Alright then." he said, as he smiled. "I choose you!"
But who did Aster choose? What Pokemon will his friends get? What adventures await our trio? Find out in Pokemon White: Truth and Ideals.