The Mapmaker and His Pokémon Chapter 1
Tradition
"Okay, Machoke. Do your thing!" A burly Machoke Complies to the orange jacketed workman's order by lifting a massive boulder from the ground. The two Sandslash responsible for digging it up quickly get to work filling the whole. A sleepy eyed Ryhorn stands by waiting to stamp down the freshly churned earth.
The quaint little town of Wolf's Run lies nestled in the forest just North of and halfway between the Kanto and Johto regions. Here, it is traditional that on the last day of spring, twelve year olds are given their very first pokémon by their father. Today is that day.
"Simon! Please come down for a minute! Your father and I need to talk to you!"
Simon sits hunched over his desk, carefully sketching the town from his second story bedroom window. "Just a sec! I'm almost done!"
No sooner had he shaded in the last window of the old watermill, his mother calls up again. "It's about your pokémon!"
"Oh yeah!" Simon throws his sketchbook shut, crams it into his backpack, and flies down the stairs. He makes a beeline for his father, nearly ramming headlong into both his parents. Panting, he bows his head respectfully and holds both his hands out, palms up. In one long breath Simon says, "thank you Mother and Father I will accept the pokémon you've chosen for me and will cherish it always and I promise to call home whenever I can."
"Whoa there partner," says Simon's dad Nickolas. "Hold your Ponyta. He chuckles and places a pokéball in his son's anxious hands.
Simon looks up, excited to see which pokémon would be his partner on his very own journey. "Thank you, I-" He freezes, confused. The button on the pokéball stuck out too far. "Wait," says Simon. "It's empty? But-"
Nickolas holds a finger to his lips, signaling Simon to calm down. "I thought we'd mix up the old tradition a little. I'm going to help you catch your very first pokémon. How does one last father-son camping trip before your journey sound?"
Simon's eyes light up with anticipation. "That sounds great! When do we leave?"
"One week from tomorrow." Nickolas shoots a sly wink at his wife.
Simon almost collapses from shock. "B-but all the other kids will be leaving TODAY. Can't we just…?"
His mother, Michelle, cuts in. "Now, now Nicky. Don't tease Simon like that," she scolds. She addresses her son who's little more than a nervous wreck at this point. "We packed all the gear last night. Everything is ready to go."
"I'll see you in a few days, Michelle," says Nickolas. He kisses her on the cheek before picking up a bag of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that had been concealed behind them on the table. "Simon, the camping gear is in the coat closet."
Simon was already out the door, his own backpack thumping against his back as he hopped in place. "Let's go already!"
Nickolas chuckles to himself as he follows his son out of the house and toward the trail head.
"Be careful! Love you both," called Michelle from the doorway.
A Houndour howls in the distance.
Zap! Pichu's thunder wave misses its target by mere inches.
"Howww!" A brave young Houndour, Pichu's opponent, stops just long enough to let loose a piercing howl. With his attack power increased, he rushes his foe with bared fangs.
"Yeah! Woohoo! You got this, Bro!" A young Riolu cheers for Houndour from a slender tree branch overhead.
"Pi-" Pichu waits for Houndour to get within striking distance before putting all of its power in a single, well-aimed tail whip. "Chaaa!" Houndour's teeth chomp down on Pichu's tail in a devastating bite. "I give up," cries Pichu in surrender. "Please, just let go of my tail!"
Houndour growls. "Not until you apologize."
"I'm sorry," says Pichu through tears. Houndour's bite really hurt. "I promise I won't steal food from you or your brother ever again!" Pichu then thinks to herself. I had no idea the Riolu was part of a Houndour pack.
"Humph." Houndour releases Pichu's tail and heads back through the trees. Early morning sunlight shone brightly through small openings in the forest canopy. A cool breeze ruffled the late spring leaves, causing dappled shadows to play across the leaf-strewn floor.
Riolu gracefully jumps down from his perch, landing lightly in front of Pichu. "Try not to steal from anyone anymore, okay?" He drops a few oran berries at Pichu's feet."Brothers are always there to watch your back and stick up for you." He scratches his head with a forepaw and blushes. "Houndour can be a little overprotective sometimes. Anyway, see ya." Riolu waves goodbye to Pichu, then quickly spins around and darts after Houndour.
Pichu wipes the tears from her eyes and gingerly selects an oran berry. She takes a big bite, enjoying the burst of flavor. That Riolu sure is nice. I really am sorry I stole from him. Sweet, sticky juice drips from Pichu's mouth and fingers as she devours what's left of the berry. Pichu savors the fading flavor for a moment before gathering up the rest of the berries. I'll have to thank him next time I see-
Fwish! There's a moment of pressure on Pichu's back, followed by a bright, red light. She feels completely weightless for a brief moment before darkness surrounds her. The pokéball lands amongst the small pile of oran berries, shakes once, then goes still.