Holy cow guys! I know it isn't the next chapter, but with the help of my newest beta reader: Eagleflame I've started some long needed edits to the current chapters. Starting with the first one. Grammatical mistakes, inconsistencies in writing, and some added text have been fixed and added.
I hope any new readers out there will enjoy the updated first chapter, and older readers look forward to a cleaned up story.
Episode One: It Buds Before it Blooms
In the Kage Region, there are creatures of many shapes and sizes across the several aptly-named provinces. These creatures are called Pokémon. Pokémon have special abilities and types that range from Normal to Dragon to even Fairy and Psychic. Because of this, different species reside in different parts of the world. Some live in the sky and make the ozone layer their territory, others find happiness in grassy plains, and others more call the deepest parts of the ocean "home."
To humans, Pokémon are friends, partners, and even pets. People who have made the choice to go on journeys to befriend the odd monsters are called Pokémon Trainers. Trainers travel the world to explore new places and, using their Pokémon, battle for awards such as badges that help them enter the Pokémon League. The League is a grouping of the strongest trainers in the world, starting with the Elite Four and leading to the Champion. To some trainers, their goal is to battle the five league members and become the newest Champion.
Yet not all trainers opt for battles against others. Many more become coordinators and go for showing off how beautiful they believe their companions are. Coordinators travel, much like trainers, but do not battle for strength; no, they battle for skill and control over their Pokémon's abilities to the point where they can manipulate them at will into appeals that they find enticing to look at. And if your team is trained well enough, their awards would be finely crafted ribbons that, with enough, can get coordinators into the Grand Festival—a celebration dedicated to coordinators and their Pokémon who have gained enough skill to go up against some of the greatest in their field and hope to win and join that long line of memorable sparkles and shine.
Today, our adventure starts with a nervous fifteen-year-old girl named Haruno Sakura and her partner, Budew. Sakura is a pink-haired girl about to start the journey of a lifetime, but her goal isn't badges or ribbons. No, it goes far deeper than that.
The girl, too nervous to move, lay stiffly with her arms stretched out on her bed. She would leave today and would have no one to take care of her but herself and her faithful Bedew. Sakura had never left the safe confines of her hometown of Konoha before. She was always a sheltered child without any knowledge of how to take care of herself in the wilderness. However, that would all change soon enough; she would leave this place that has kept her safe and come back a strong woman who didn't need a mommy or daddy to protect her.
A sigh escaped her lips that made a light green bulb wiggle by her shoulder. The bulb looked up, and the chartreuse of Bedew's small face showed itself.
"Bedew, Bedew!" it said. The human smiled and patted her pre-evolution Pokémon on the bulb on the top of its body. Sakura's fidgety fingers relaxed the long she ran then over the smooth, rose leaf-like texture. She even felt her lips twitch as they brushed the peach fuzz at the top where the color of the bulb is a lighter hue.
"Thank you for trying to cheer me up," she said. Sitting up, the teenager grabbed her travel bag—a sturdy pack, warm white with summer-red straps and lining. She checked if all of the contents she wanted to bring were there: pajamas, swimsuit, winter clothes, sleeping bag, toiletries, food for human and Pokémon alike, a handful of standard Poké Balls, and a Pokedex. Everything was in its place; all she needed to do now was leave before her heart would wuss out.
"Bedew!" Sakura turned to her pet Pokémon. The Bud Pokémon was her very first and was given to her by her father when she was small. The two were inseparable and would even go to kindergarten together—that is, before her mother said that it was not allowed. Now that she was leaving, she knew, without even communicating, that Bedew was with her one hundred percent.
A knock at the pink-haired girl's door interrupted her thoughts of nostalgia. Ayame Haruno, her mother, walked in. Ayame is a retired coordinator famous for her three straight wins at the Grand Festival.
Sakura loves her mother, loves the performances she's seen in video's and in town. She's even performed on Sakura's birthday when she was much younger; if you had asked a five year old Sakura before she entered the academy what she wanted to be, she would have answered "Coodinator" with a puffed out chest. However, despite what Ayame might want for her, the academy and Ino Yamanaka showed the novice trainer that the glitz and glam of the stage wasn't where her talents lay.
At the Ayame's feet was Bellosom, her mom's faithful partner to this day. Bellosom was powerful despite its delicate appearance. Always wearing a serene expression, it moved with the grace of an experienced dancer. And a dancer it was, able to spin circles around her trainer and any who challenge her, before promptly putting one down with a Petal Dance that won her mother her first Grand Festival award. The people in town knew this well after a run-in with wild Pokémon that stampeded around Konoha a few years back; it was her mother's Pokémon along with others' that held them back and returned them to the wild. Even now, the grass types flowers that adorned its head were as bright and vivid as her and Ayame's younger years and her leaf skirt still held a waxy, well kept shine.
"Sakura, are you all ready to go?" the green-eyed woman asked. Sakura nodded and shrugged on the bag, heavy with her supplies, scooping up her Bedew as she stands.
"As ready as I will ever be… Will Dad be saying bye to me as well?" she asked hopefully. The teenager's small smile faltered a bit when her mother shook her head "no." Apparently, he left early in the morning on some business for Professor Sarutobi. Her father, didn't look much like the researcher he is. He's got wild pale hair she enharited from his side of the family and he's a tall, burly man. He was a smart man regardless, handpicked by Professor Sarutobi himself to be a leading researcher on a big project. The only downside, however to being an assistant to the famous specialist on Pokémon abilities, was that the man would often leave on long trips around the region.
"Don't worry, honey. He left a good-bye note before he left," her mother tried to reassure as her only daughter's expression faded from optimism to crushed disappointment.
"Really?!" Sakura beamed at the folded paper her mother handed her. The girl struggled to unfold the note while she held her small Pokémon.
"Sakura, good luck on your journey. I hope you find what you are looking for as you travel around the region and meet new friends and Pokémon. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you wanting to travel; doing so is such a great experience. I'm sure you will never regret it. Call me at any Pokécenter if you need help."
Feeling her confidence return, Sakura stretched her body, Bedew mimicked her with a cry of happiness.
"I guess it's time to leave. Good-bye, Mom. I will call you when I get to the nearest town." Hugging, the two women walked to the front door; the oldest, as she watched her daughter stride into the sunlight, whispered farewells and words of luck to the little girl that grew up before her very eyes.
She will become someone great… I just know it.
Glancing at the buildings that she passed, Sakura whispered secret good-byes to the memories that came along with them. She knew it would be a while before she would see them again.
As Ichiraku Ramen came into view, she saw a blond boy—about the same age as her, she thinks—eating a large order. A happy Vulpix sat on the counter with him. She didn't know the boy's name. But then again, she doubted she would see him again, anyway.
It wasn't until the Yamanaka Flower Shop came into view that the green-eyed girl quickened her pace. She knew all too well she wouldn't be able to hear the end of it if she was caught here of all places.
As the novice trainer rounded a corner that would hide the flower shop from her view, a body collided with her own, and both let out feminine yelps.
"Oh, I'm so sor—" Sakura began before the look peeking through pale yellow bangs of the person she ran into stopped her. The expression that could have rivaled that of a Grumpig brought a sudden pit of dread to the Budew. There, toppled over much like Sakura was the one person Sakura did not want see during her departure: Yamanaka Ino—a teenager the same age as Sakura with the personality of a self-absorbed pig.
"Ugh, damn it, watch where you're going, you creep!" Ino said, rubbing her rear end.
"Ino…" Both girls stared at each other as they got up and brushed the dust off their clothes, likewise with the Bedew that jumped onto her trainer's head.
"Ugh, Forehead-girl, what are you doing so close to my flower shop?" Ino interrogated. She flipped back her long blonde hair and scrutinized the trainer's attire: a black dress draped over her short figure, as well as a comfortable red sweater that was outlined in white; brown, almost black boots were on her feet. However, it was the travel bag and the determined looked on the rival's grass-poison Pokémon that caught her attention, and after putting two and two together, Ino let out an arrogant snort.
"No way, don't tell me crybaby Sakura is gonna be a big bad Pokémon trainer!"
Sakura felt her face flush hot with embarrassment. "T-That's right, I'm not going to be a crybaby forever, Ino." She rolled her fingers into a fist.
The blond let a mocking laugh free from her lips, shining from a fresh application of gloss.
"Hahaha, you couldn't last a week without someone to take care of you!"
"That's what you think, Ino…pig!"
As she puffed out her chest, Bedew joined in her trainer's taunting. "Bedew, Bedew!"
" I bet you still don't know how to battle," Ino challenged, a Poké Ball already in her long fingers. Sakura flinched—it's true though. Never in her life did she have the courage to battle.
As Ino stared her down, a cocky smile plastered onto her face, Sakura remained frozen where she stood. The thought of her sweet little Bedew being severely injured she just couldn't accept. That, and the fact she didn't want to hurt any Pokémon herself…
Bedew let out an empowered cry, challenging the rude trainer. Bringing her Pokémon into her arms, Sakura and Bedew stared at each other. She trusted the baby more than anyone, and she knew the bud felt the same. Yet the unfamiliar flare of confidence that sparked behind her partner was new to her; such a ferocious expression frightened the trainer to the point of chills.
It was usually such a laid-back Pokémon.
Taking a deep breath, she smiled with her eyes full of faith in her dear companion. This was the whole point to them leaving, wasn't it? She wanted to be strong, she wanted to be confident, and she wanted to find her true self.
Lifting her head to the teenager she once called her friend, she opened her mouth and let the words flow through with the confidence that was hidden in the very back of her soul.
"Ino… I challenge you to a Pokémon battle."
The opponent almost faltered at the look her ex-friend showed. Her eyes, full of the conviction she had in herself and her partner, was a shock to Ino's system. When they were younger, she remembered Sakura—always the one to get bullied, to get the pranks pulled on.
Watching the powerful gaze of Sakura have a secret conversation with Bedew, she gripped the ball with bone-crushing force. Those worried green orbs suddenly morphed with an unknown self-confidence—it more or less made her wonder what happened to the little girl she befriended out of pity.
"Fine! Whismur, go!" Ino threw the Poke Ball into the air and watched as the ball exploded from its compressed form and the glittering beam it unleashed formed the shape of her pale pink creature with soft yellow ear tips. Whismur blinked, looking at it's surroundings until it let caught site of Budew and made a curious whimper.
Sakura's eyes studied the whisper Pokémon, and she gulped. The blond trainer in front of her had more experience under her belt when it came to this, but there was no way she would back out now, not when Bedew was so pumped up.
The green bud walked onto the street that served as the ex-friends' battlefield; she would defend her trainer like her life depended on it.
Ino yelled her first command. "Whismur, use Tackle attack!" The pink creature obeyed and charged, but the bud held her ground as she took the hit.
"Bedew!" Sakura called frantically. Hearing its trainer's voice encouraged it, and she let out another cry as she pushed back against the slightly larger opponent.
"N-No way!" Both girls gasped in shock as Bedew slapped the Whismur away. The pink Pokémon flew back and landed on his rear.
"I-I never knew you were that strong, Bedew," Sakura whispered as she quickly scanned her brain for the move names her partner knew. "Tackle!" she ordered. Running up to the dazed rival, Bedew hit the bull's-eye and pushed the opponent back farther.
"Use Uproar!" Ino commanded. The pink creature sucked in air and let out a sequence of roars that hit the yellow-green Pokémon each time. Sakura clicked her tongue and watched her tiny friend's breathing, heavy and labored.
"Bedew, Absorb." Bedew seemed to smirk as she sent a glowing green light from her body that connected with Whismur.
"W-Whismur!" He flinched as he felt the energy leave his body.
"Uproar!" his trainer yelled, trying to hide her panic. Ino pushed through her growing worry it wasn't supposed to be like this! Sakura was weak, she was a scaredy-cat, and she wasn't supposed to feel so empowered! She had to beat her; she didn't like the prospect of a changed Sakura.
"Whismur, Uproar!" Whismur sucked in another breath.
"Bedew, Poison Powder!" Bedew opened up the bud on top of her head. The attacks hit, but Uproar passed through the powder and hit the defenseless creature
"Tackle." Ino grinned; she would not let Sakura beat her. Whismur did not move this time: a purple hue seemed to take over the whisper Pokémon's face as the Poison Powder took effect.
"Bedew!" the green Pokémon cried in triumph.
"Wow…" Sakura whispered. "So this is what it's like to battle…" she thought out loud as she watched Bedew stand tall and proud of her power. The novice trainer shivered as her adrenaline kicked in from all the emotions swarming her body. She called for Bedew to dodge a Tackle, though her breathing was getting heavy once more.
"Again, use Uproar," Ino says, and a powerful shockwave of vocal and musical notes blew a direct hit at the bull's-eye that's Bedew. Bedew landed at Sakura's feet.
Tears stared to gather at the edges of her eyelashes as she stared at the cuts and bruises on the baby Pokémon.
"B-Bedew…Bedew, can you get up? Please, Bedew, get up!" she pleaded.
"…dew…B-Bedew." Sakura and Ino watched in shock as the little bud Pokémon crawled back onto her feet.
H-How can it still get up? Even after so many direct hits, Ino thought in a panic. Does it really love Sakura so much that it is willing to go through hell? Ino bit her lip as her brow furrowed. A part of her wasn't surprised at the loyalty the novice trainer inspired in Budew. When they were younger, before the two drifted apart, because Ino had bigger and better things planned out for herself, than picking the pink haired girl up after she fell, she had been the first person Sakura had introduced Budew to.
Ino had been jealous up until they entered the academy and she received her own pokemon from her parents.
"Tackle, you can do it, Bedew!" her trainer said
"U-Uproar!" Ino stuttered. Bedew charged as Whismur once again readied for his attack. When it was so close, Whismur let his attack lose and hit Bedew straight on, blowing her into the air. She let out a pained cry, and her trainer let her tears flow, the adrenaline that pulsed through her now turned cold as fear took its place. As the grass-type came plummeting to the earth, Sakura grabbed her and held the tiny bud in her arms. A sob escaped her lips as she asked her Pokémon if she was ok.
Letting the shock of the battle wear off, Ino returned her Pokémon and stared at the once powerless girl she knew at some point in her adolescence. She had never expected such a fight; it almost scared her to see how much strength the trainer and her grass-type showed for never battling before
Shaking her head to free her from her shock, she spoke. "S-See, what did I tell you? You are just not cut out for being a trainer, Forehead." A tense laugh bubbled up as she felt the words leave her mouth. She had put Sakura back in her place, in that little bubble she was familiar with. The relief that she was still better at the other girl at something was like a punch to the gut.
Turning around to leave, she froze when the pink-haired trainer spoke again. "What do you know?" she said coldly. Ino flinched. "I'm going to change, Ino, just you wait."
Running past the blond and to the Pokemon Center, Sakura rushes away with her Bedew. Ino sucked in a breath and clenched her fists in confusion—why does she suddenly feel so guilty? Shaking her head, she walked into her parents' flower shop, where her mother's Vileplume greeted her. Things were about to change. She just knew it.
Ino wasn't sure how she should feel with a shifting status quo.
Running through the wide streets to the Pokemon Center, Sakura almost didn't see a figure walking out of the ally to her right, and she bumped into his shoulder. She caught a glimpse of a teenager's black hair and pale face, but not any identifiable features before she turned away and yelled a hurried apology.
While the start of the young Haruno's journey had started out rough, in the future, she will be in for quite the surprise. As her adventure continues, we will look into the start of a couple more journeys of two young men who will become important companions to our pink-haired trainer.