Violet slipped into her jacket and ran out the door in a flash. She couldn't believe she had lost track of the time! She ran down her street, heart racing in anticipation. She slowed a bit when she had reached the end and instinctively reached to her waist, unclipping the small ball from it. She casually tossed it in front of her. Light poured out of the sphere which then began forming into a familiar form. Just as quickly as the light appeared, it faded, leaving an adorable eevee at Violet's feet. The small pokemon yawned and stretched; clearly it had overslept like its master. 'Come on, Rocky, we are late!' Violet pleaded. Rocky's ears perked up, and it turned to face Violet for a moment before it seemed to realize what she was talking about. It yipped happily and took off running towards the lab. She chased after it, trying to contain her utter excitement.
-
Red sighed as he watched the morning sun begin to peek over the distant mountains. He fell back against the wall of the lab and watched his eevee chase its own tail. 'Well Ace, Violet must have overslept. I bet she couldn't sleep'. The small pokemon didn't show any signs that it was listening. Red closed his eyes and imagined what the professor could want with the two of them. He could have left the day before and gotten a head start on Violet, but the prof. insisted that the two of them wait. 'Maybe I should just wait inside...' he thought to himself. Before he could get up, however, he heard tiny footsteps approaching. He opened his eyes just in time to see Rocky, Violet's eevee, playfully tackle Ace to the ground. Red couldn't help but laugh whenever the two pokemon got together. They had always gotten along perfectly. He couldn't say the same for himself and Violet, however. They got along well enough, except for one thing; they both had a serious competitive streak with each other. Ever since she had moved into his small town, they had always tried to outdo one another. 'Took you long enough, Violet! I thought you were going to just give up!' Red teased the girl as she turned the corner, almost out of breath. She took only a moment to compose herself and stood up straight, trying not to gasp for breath. She wouldn't be outdone. Not today. 'Yeah right, Red' she managed. He gave her one more moment to catch her breath (which she was internally greatful for) before reaching for the door to the lab and opening it wide. 'Ladies first,' He said with a sneer. She rolled her eyes and walked into the building.
The lab was normally well lit, with several stations devoted to various research on different types of elements of pokemon, and how they might be used to better the world. It was usually filled with half a dozen scientists that work under the professor. Today, however, the lab was completely different. There was only one station that was lit, at the far end of the room. There was no sign of anyone either. 'I wonder what's over there' Violet thought out loud. 'Me too, lets go see!' Red responded. The two carefully made their way to the lit table. After a moment, they reached it and looked down. On the table layed 8 small stones, each a different color and symbol. Neither Red nor Violet had ever seen them before. Red picked one of them up; it was yellow, and shaped like a lightning bolt. Violet picked one up as well; this one was black, shaped comparable to that of a black hole. 'Do you think these are...?' Red started. 'Evolution stones,' a deep voice finished. The voice echoed across the empty building. The two dropped the stones they held back onto the table and turned around quickly. At the entrance stood a tall man in a white lab coat. He flipped the light switch on, and the entire lab seemed to spring to life. He left the door open just long enough for the two eevees playing outside to get in before closing it behind them.
'I asked the two of you to see me today before you left the small town of Pawn.' the professor began his obviously-well-rehearsed monologue. 'The world outside of this town can be a harsh area by yourselves, which is why I wanted to give each of you a headstart.' He continued his small speech as he approached the table himself. 'As you well know, the eevees you two have had since you were little are very rare. Their only known habitat is near our small town. These special pokemon dont evolve through experience, as most typically do. The eevees evolve by touching one of these rare stones.' The two looked at each other blankly, and down to the stones once more. 'I want each of you to choose one.' Red looked up at the professor 'Are you sure, gramps- I mean... professor? Don't you need these for your research?' The man smiled and responded 'Think of it as... a field test.'
Ace and Rocky both jumped at the heels of their masters. They wanted to see what all the humans were so interested in. The trainers both picked up their pokemon to let them see. 'Which one should I choose?' the two of them thought aloud in unison. The professor chimed in once more 'Why don't you let your pokemon decide which path they want to take?' The trainers looked at each other and nodded. They let the eevees onto the table and (trying to contain their excitement) watched. Ace and Rocky sniffed around, inspecting each stone. Ace got about halfway through before he stopped and pawed at one. Red leaned in and picked up the stone. It was completely red with the shape of an open flame. 'This must be the one you want, eh Ace?' he asked. Ace yipped and jumped back into the trainer's arms. Rocky was taking a little longer to decide, however. She looked back and forth between two different stones; one was the black hole stone Violet had picked up earlier, the other, a violet stone in the shape of an eye. The room grew quiet as the eevee decided. She bit down on the purple stone and jumped into her master's arms. 'Excellent!' The professor exclaimed. 'Now lets go outside and activate the stones!' Within a few moments the group was outside. The sun had risen well above the distant mountains, and various flying pokemon had begun to sing in the trees. The prof explained the process of the stones to the trainers. It went from a how-you-use-the-stones lecture seamlessly into a how-pokemon-scientifically-metamophose and once more into how-pokemon-are-the-future-of-progress before the scientist realized what he had done and wrapped everything up. 'All right, Violet, how about you use yours first?' She nodded and bit her lip nervously.
'Come here, Rocky!' She called. Obediently, Rocky stood before her in seconds. Violet took a deep breath and pulled out the stone. She gently reached out and pressed the stone into the eevee's chest. Light engulfed the pokemon immediately, causing Violet to stumble back. She stared in awe as the light only grew brighter. She held up her arm to shield her eyes and that's when she noticed: The area around her pokemon was changing. The small rocks and loose foliage were floating inches off the ground! She reached out and touched one of the seemingly zero gravity rocks, and watched as it slowly floated out of reach in response. Eventually the light began to fade, and she no longer needed to shield her eyes. The eevee she had spent years with now stood taller. Her eyes had turned a bright purple, as did her fur. Directly centered on her forhead now layed a dazzling red gem. Rocky looked toward her master and tilted her head. Violet ran up and immediately embraced her friend. She buried her uncontrollable smile into Rocky's fresh fur. Behind her she heard the prof speak once more.
'Ah, an Espeon! Wonderful! Psychic pokemon are considered by most to be a noble, proud and graceful type!' Red bit his toungue to supress his urge to laugh as an image of psyduck crossed his mind. The professor continued 'As long as you treat a psychic pokemon with respect, it will be returned tenfold!' Still face deep into espeon, Violet responded. 'That won't be an issue whatsoever, will it Rocky?' The pokemon nodded slightly and mewed loudly. 'And now you, Red.' the professor spoke in his direction. He nodded and stood up.
'Come on, Ace! Our turn now!' Red spoke. Ace stood before him expectantly, his bushy tail wagging furiously. He took out his stone and pressed it against his pokemon's chest. At first it didn't seem to work, but then Red felt his arm getting extremely hot. He pulled his arm back just in time, as his eevee erupted into a blazing fire. The heat was so intense that he had to jump back farther, and hold his arms up to shield from it. 'Something has to be wrong,' he thought out loud, and tried to take a step toward Ace. He felt a hand on his shoulder that kept him back, however. Red looked back and caught the scientists gaze. The man only nodded and looked out once more towards the pokemon. Red followed his gaze and realized the fire was dieing down. He took a step or two closer, still fighting the heat when suddenly it died out entirely. Standing before him was a new pokemon. It looked so similar to eevee, except his mane and tail resembled the flames that had engulfed him only moments earlier. His fur was notably redder as well. Ace jumped out from the scorched earth and tackled his master to the ground licking at his face. He quickly noted that his evolved friend was noticably heavier, as he struggled for breath.
The professor laughed and spoke, 'Looks like a Flareon! Outstanding! Fire pokemon are known for being the most passionate, stong and loyal type. You will never have problems with him disobeying your orders, so long as you care for him.' Red lifted his new partner off his chest and sat up. 'Hah! No problems indeed then!' he laughed, and pulled Ace into a hug. 'All right you two,' the professor started, 'with your new pokemon, you should have no problem traveling to nearby cities. I know there isn't anything I can say that would stop you at this point, but I do have one request...'
The two trainers stood up side by side and faced the prof. 'What is it, gramps?' Red asked. He realized he was being too informal again and tried once more in an attempt to cover his mistake. 'I mean... what request, professor?' The man smiled and spoke once more. 'It's quite all right, Red. You can call me whatever you'd like. My one request, is that you both travel together. I want you to help each other learn and progress. You two make such a cute couple, you know.' Red rolled his eyes and sighed. Everyone they met always said that. Violet was the first to speak, 'Of course, professor. I'll make sure your nephew stays out of trouble. You can count on me!' The old man simply laughed and said, 'Thanks, Violet. Now if you two will excuse me, I must be getting back to the lab!' They all waved and he walked off.
Violet kneeled down in front of Rocky and stroked her soft fur. She gave off a quiet purr and leaned into Violet's touch. This was certainly the same pokemon she had spent years with, that much was certain. All of her mannerisms were the same as before, but now she seemed so... noble. She looked over at Red, who seemed to be thinking similar thoughts about his Flareon. She smiled at him running his fingers through the pokemon's new thick mane and a thought emerged from her mind: She realized she felt a slight sting of jealeousy at the sight. She wondered what his attention might feel like... When she snapped back to reality, she realized he was looking right at her, expecting an answer of some kind. 'I-i... I'm sorry, what?' His eyes had a familiar light in them; he looked this way whenever he saw a chance to compete. 'I said, let's duel! First pokemon to land a direct hit wins!' Red spoke with confidence in his voice. She smiled right back and stood up 'You're on!'
The four figures stood in a grassy field close by. On one end, Red was talking in a hushed voice to his Flareon, hyping it up for the fight. The other end, Violet was speaking softly to Espeon, talking strategy. After a minute, both trainers stood up and approached each other. They stopped midfield and each sent their pokemon out. Espeon reached a spot on the grass in front of her trainer, sat down and began licking at one of her paws. Flareon stepped a few feet in front of his trainer and took a battle stance, ready for the fight. Flareon tilted its head in confusion at his foe's seeming lack of interest. Red's words reassured him, however: 'This is it, Flareon! An easy win! Hit her with [ember]!' Flareon sprang to life, running towards the Espeon, his mane seemed to catch fire as he began to spit flames out of his mouth. Each flame aimed directly at the stationary target. Red leaned forward, waiting for the easy victory. Just as the fireballs reached their target, however, they redirected straight towards the ground around her, igniting the grass close by. Both Red and Ace stopped dead in their tracks, unable to process what had just happened.
'D-deflected?' Red guessed. From across the field, Violet sprang into action, 'Now, Rocky!' The Espeon stopped licking its paw and instead planted it firmly onto the ground, facing the Flareon. The area around Flareon began to shift around. First the rocks and foliage lifted up into the air, and then Flareon soon followed. He flailed helplessly around, spitting more flames in a panic. Espeon tilted her head and looked off to the right; everything she held with her mind followed her gaze. The Flareon struggled through the air and barely landed on his feet in time. The moment his feet touched down, he took off running towards the Espeon, spitting more flames. The flames around Espeon had grown hot enough to disrupt her concentration, making it much more difficult to deflect the incoming fireballs. She lept gracefully out of harm's way to land in a fresh spot, but as she cleared the blinding smoke around her, she saw Flareon leap out through the smokey veil and tackle her to the ground, pinning her down.
Ace licked Rocky's cheek before getting off her, circling back to his celebrating master. He jumped into Red's arms, once again knocking him to the ground and licking his face. Violet ran over to Rocky, who had already gotten up and began licking herself clean from the dirt she had just been pinned to. 'You did real good, Rocky! Next time we will win for sure!' Violet spoke, helping brush off some of the dirt. 'That was an amazing match, Violet!' Red yelled, running up to them. 'And you know what this means... the tie is broken in my favor yet again! What's that now? 168 to 167?' The light in his eyes shone brighter than ever, as if he could control flames as well. Ace looked out over the field that was still partially on fire and closed his eyes. He slowly lowered his head, and every flame seemed to obey his movement, shrinking until they became only a puff of smoke. Red reached his partner and held a hand out towards her. She looked up at the hand and followed it up to his ear-to-ear smile before locking eyes. She had much more fun than she would ever admit to him. One thing she enjoyed most was fierce competition, and he certainly delivered. She smiled her own precious smile and reached out for his hand. 'Enjoy having the lead while you can, Red. I will be taking it back soon enough!' She scoffed as he helped her up.
-
Before long, the two stood in the middle of the road, their backs to the town of Pawn. They stood together, a mixture of pure anxiousness, exhilaration and a hint of fear between them. In unison, they both took a deep breath and stepped into route 1.