Johto League: Keith's Story, Chapter 1
"Sneasel, Shadow Ball!" Shouted the orange-haired Pokémon trainer to his blackish-blue Pokémon, Sneasel.
"Scyther, fury swipes!" The other trainer yelled out as Sneasel formed a black ball of energy in its hands, then threw it at the green, mantis-like Pokémon on the other side of the field. "SCYTHERRR!" The Pokémon screeched angrily, and revealed razor-sharp scythes on its arms. It was then hit with the black energy ball. This impact caused It to turn pitch black and freeze, consumed by the dark magic of Sneasel's shadow ball.
"Yes!" I won!" The orange-haired boy jumped into the air.
"Good morning, Johto, this is Rob Brickman broadcasting live all the way from KGRR Radio Tower in Goldenrod City. It's seven o'clock."
Keith Silverwing groaned as he awoke from his intense dream. He opened his eyes, and when he looked at the poster of Pikachu and Ash Ketchum on the wall, he suddenly remembered, he was supposed to get his first Pokémon from Professor Elm today! He quickly changed into his regular clothes; baggy black cargo pants and a black shirt that had a picture of a Sneasel on the back (Keith's sort of a punk-goth.) He darted out of his room into the hallway, and ran down the staircase. As he walked into the dining room downstairs, his mother greeted him. "Oh, honey, how can you be wearing all black in the middle of summer? You'll overheat."
"Mom, how am I supposed to be a punk when I'm walking around wearing white? What would the guys say?"
"I'm just saying..."
"It's all right, mom." Even though Keith could be rebellious, he still loved his mother."
"Here's your Pokégear. You'll need it if you want to be a good trainer." She handed Keith what looked at first like a wristwatch, but when Keith strapped it on his wrist, it looked more like a very small laptop computer. The Pokégear had everything; a detachable phone, wireless Internet, a digital display of the entire Johto region, a portable television, and a radio. "My little boy's already going out on his Pokémon journey..." Tears formed in Mrs. Silverwing's eyes. "I remember when you were just a baby. Now you're almost thirteen..."
"Don't worry, mom." Keith hugged his mom. "I'll call home as much as possible." "You're leaving already? Don't you want to say good-bye to your little brother?" Keith had a brother who was two years younger than him. "Oh, yeah. Is he awake yet?" "He's watching cartoons in his room." "Okay." Keith went upstairs, into his brother's room, to find him staring at the television, watching Spongebob Squarepants on TV. "Hey Chris." "Hey, big bro." Chris turned to see his brother. "Leaving on your journey?" "Yeah. I'll give you a call as much as possible. Stay cool, little man." "You too." "Don't forget, follow your dreams, and you might become competition for me in a few years." "You better look out." Chris said. Both of them laughed. "Later." Keith gave Chris a big hug, and walked out the door. Downstairs, he gave his mother another good-bye hug and walked out the door.
Outside, Professor Elm's lab wasn't too hard to find. It was right next door to Keith's house! The lab was huge. It was three stories high, had futuristic-looking glass doors, and a metallic blue roof with a gigantic sculpture of a Poké ball that gave the lab a fancy look, like a jewel in a crown. Keith walked through the automatic sliding glass doors to meet Professor Elm's assistant, Barry, in the atrium, which spanned the entire three stories of the lab and had a gigantic, greenhouse-like skylight at the top. "What's up, Keith? Long time, no see." Barry was fresh out of college, and hoping to start a Pokémon lab of his own someday. He had crimson red hair, and a neatly trimmed goatee the same color as his hair.
"Hey, is Elm here?"
"Yeah, he's in the Pokémon Habitats room."
"Okay, thanks." Keith looked around the atrium, and finally found the door marked "Pkmn Habitats."
"Here we are." Keith opened the door, and found the professor, a tall, thin, blonde-haired man, checking on several different enclosed areas for the different Pokémon.
"Ah, hello, you must be Keith Silverwing." Elm looked up from one of the habitats, and shook hands with Keith. "Here to get your Pokémon, right?"
"Yeah. What have you got?"
"Well, I usually give one of these three Pokémon to beginning trainers."
"Which ones?" Keith asked.
"Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile." The professor showed Keith the section of the room marked "Starter Pkmn." There, he showed Keith three glass cages, each with a different Pokémon. The first was Cyndaquil, a timid Pokémon who spent most of its time hiding under a small boulder. Keith always loved fire Pokémon, but he felt that Cyndaquil was too timid for his taste.
The next Pokémon that Elm showed him was Chikorita, a grass Pokémon that had what looked like a necklace around its neck, and was obviously not the Pokémon for Keith. Too girly was Keith's only thought.
But the third Pokémon that Elm showed Keith was different. Totodile, a water Pokémon, was truly a match for Keith. It was fearsome crocodile Pokémon, and had enormous fangs that gave it incredible power, as demonstrated when it crushed a block of wood using only its teeth. Elm then explained that when it evolves, its teeth grow stronger, and eventually it can crush solid titanium. "Wow." Keith said. "This guys is definitely my kind of Pokémon."
"All right, then." Elm took out Totodile's Poké ball. "Totodile, return." The Poké ball gave off a red beam of light, which engulfed Totodile. Totodile disappeared with the beam of light. "Here you go. Your first Pokémon." Elm handed the Poké ball to Keith. "You might want to keep it out of its Poké ball for a little while. This one's kind of restless."
"All right!!" Keith held the Poké ball up to the light pouring from a nearby window. "I got my first Pokémon!"
"Now, take the Pokémon League Challenge, and someday you may become the next Pokémon legend!"
"You bet!" Keith put the Poké ball in one of his cargo pockets. "I won't let you down! I won't let this city down!"
"You sound just like your father." Elm chuckled. "We were childhood friends. And now look at him!"
"He won't be champion for long." Keith smiled. "See ya later, Elm."Keith walked out of the room, and found himself in the atrium.
"What's up, Keith?" Barry said. "Which Pokémon did you pick?"
"See for yourself. Totodile, go!" Keith took his Poké ball out of his pocket, and in a red flash of light, Totodile appeared.
"Toto! Dile!" Totodile growled and snapped its fangs. "Nice. Totodile's my favorite, too." Barry said. "Suddenly, there was an electronic beep as the glass doors at the entrance slid open. An old, gray-haired man wearing a lab coat walked in. "Hello?" The man was impatient. "Is Keith Silverwing here?" "Right here sir." Keith turned to face the man and raised his hand. "I am Professor Oak." The man shook Keith's hand. "Inventor of the Pokédex. Perhaps you've heard of me. I have something for you." He took out a small, red, computer-like device. "It's a Pokédex. Your father told me to give it to you." "Oh?" Keith took the device. "I've heard of these. They record information on Pokémon, right?" "Exactly." Oak said. "We estimate that there are around 250 Pokémon. Your mission is to record those 250 on the Pokédex. I know you won't let me down, Keith." "Don't worry, Professor." "Hang on, Keith." Barry stopped Keith as he walked towards the door. "I've got something for you're journey." Barry gave Keith five more Poké balls and a small bottle containing purple fluid. "The purple stuff is called Potion. Use it to heal your Pokémon." Keith put the Pokédex in his backpack and walked out the door. Outside, Keith took Totodile's Poké ball out of his pocket, and let him out. "Totodile! Totodile!" Totodile quacked happily. "C'mon, let's go." Keith picked up his new Poké Friend, and put him on his shouleder together they walked past the New Bark Town city limits. The brick buildings with the green roofs were gone. Now all Keith could see was rolling grass, and several trees. Off in the distance, Keith could see skyscrapers in the next city over, Cherrygrove. Keith wondered if there would be a Pokémon Gym there. He quickly consulted the Pokégear Map, but in the map of Cherrygrove, there were no signs of a Gym. "Well, maybe we can get some training done out here in the grass." Keith said to Totodile. Totodile gave a happy cry and jumped up in the air. "Maybe we'll find some rare Pokémon too." Just then, there was a rustling in the bushes. A small, yellow Pokémon popped out. "Pika!!" The Pokémon squeaked. "Now would be a good time to check the Pokédex." Keith took out the small computer-like device and pointed it at the yellow rodent Pokémon. PIKACHU, THE MOUSE POKéMON. Pikachu are very common in the vast forests of Kanto, and are rarely seen in the overseas land of Johto. When large groups of these Pokémon form, they cause blackouts in major nearby cities. "Wow." Keith looked at the yellow Pokémon. It had long, rabbit-like ears and a lightning-shaped tail. "A Pikachu. I heard about these." "Pika!" Pikachu squeaked again. "Chu!" "Hmm...I hear Pikachu are powerful allies. I might as well try my hand at catching it." Keith took an empty Poké ball out of his backpack, and flung it at Pikachu. Pikachu used an electric charge to blast the Poké ball away from it. "Wha—?" Keith was surprised. The Poké ball flew back into his hand. "That's it. Totodile, bite attack!" Totodile lunged at Pikachu, and bit down on its shoulder. Pikachu screamed, and fell over. "Good. Now, Poké ball go!" Keith threw the ball once more at Pikachu, and this time Pikachu was too weak to zap the ball out of the sky. The ball opened up, and a red beam of light engulfed Pikachu. Pikachu disappeared inside of the Poké ball. The ball rocked several times. PING! Keith had just caught a Pikachu. "Yesss!" Keith was overjoyed. He held the Poké ball up to the sun. The sun reflected off the Poké ball's metallic finish. "The first Pokémon I caught put of the wild." Keith put the ball in his pocket, and continued walking towards Cherrygrove city. By the time he had reached the top of the hill he was climbing, he could see the entire town. Enormous skyscrapers gleamed in the distance, and up closer, there were small houses and other buildings. In a cluster of skyscrapers in the downtown area, Keith could make out a Pokémon center. It hovered six stories high, with a giant Poké ball sculpture dominating the roof of the center.
Keith and Totodile sat down at the top of the hill. Keith took off his backpack and set it between him and Totodile. Keith let Pikachu out of its Poké ball for some air, and almost immediately the little yellow mouse started chasing around Totodile. He gave Totodile a playful electric shock, and Totodile tackled Pikachu down the hill.
Wow. Keith thought. They're becoming friends fast. Pikachu and Totodile scampered back up the hill, out of breath. Keith took their Poké balls out and tried to recall them. But they refused to go back in.
"Hmm..." I guess you guys can walk around a little longer. Keith and his new Poké Friends walked down the rest of the path, into the Cherrygrove City entrance gate. A guard behind a desk inside the gatehouse stopped Keith.
"Do you have a Pokémon with you?" The guard asked.
"Right here." Keith showed the guard Totodile and Pikachu. "Is that all right, sir?"
"It's fine. Go on ahead, youngster." The guard resumed writing on a piece of paper.
"Pika!" Pikachu hopped on Keith's head and stood on its own tail, as if acting as a scout. "Chu!"
"Wow. You have a pretty strong tail there." Keith commented. "You'd be pretty good at evading attacks."
"Chu!" Pikachu smiled, sparks flying from the red dots on its cheeks.
The trio walked out of the gatehouse to find that there were two trainers having a Pokémon battle on the sidewalk. Keith stopped to watch. Maybe he could learn something.
"Mareep, thundershock!" One of the trainers said to its small, sheep- like Pokémon. The Pokémon gave a high-pitched bleat, and static sparks began to fly from its fur.
"Charmander, dodge it!" The other trainer barked to its Charmander, a lizard-like Pokémon with a flame on its tail. Charmander jumped up, and the static charge instead struck a nearby lamppost, causing it to explode. "Now, flamethrower!" The trainer ordered. Charmander's mouth opened wide and flames burst out of it. They struck Mareep, whose fleece burst into flames.
"MAREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!" Mareep bleated in its squeaky voice. It ran around, trying to put the flames out. By the time the flames did die out, Mareep's fleece was almost completely gone.
"No! Mareep!" The trainer hugged his fainted Pokémon before recalling it back to its Poké ball.
"Allright, I won again." The trainer with the Charmander said. "Better luck next time, Joey."
"Mikey, come on!" The trainer with the Mareep said. "You always use Charmander. Use Pidgey next time or something."
"Kid's right." An older, more experienced-looking trainer said. "If you use other Pokémon in battles, they'll gain experience too. You can't rely on just your Charmander. One day you'll face a trainer who's so strong, you'll need more than one Pokémon to beat him or her."
"Hmm..." Keith thought aloud for a moment. "Use all your Pokémon..." He walked away from the scene, and strolled through the small streets of South Cherrygrove. The downtown district was in North Cherrygrove. Just as he was walking, his Pokégear phone started to ring.
"Hello?" He turned on the videophone. "Keith Silverwing speaking."
"Keith, it's Professor Elm." The Professor's voice was filled with alarm.
"Ah, Professor. What's up?" Keith said. "Need an errand for me to run? Deliver a package? Get something for you?"
"No, it's urgent. One of our Pokémon has been stolen." Keith listened intently. "Barry says he saw the thief crawl in through the window.
"Which Pokémon did he steal?"
"Chikorita."
"Well, then it 's not that much of a loss..." Keith mumbled.
"'Ey, Keith, how you doin'?" Barry appeared on the videophone.
"Barry, what did the trainer look like?"
"Well, he had spiked white hair, and was wearing a blue jacket over a white Tee-shirt. I think the shirt had an 'R' printed on it." Barry scratched his head.
"I'll tell you if I've seen him." Keith killed the videophone connection. He continued walking down the road, until the two to three story buildings turned into the high-rise buildings six to twelve stories high. On the corner of Main and Corsola Streets was the Pokémon Center, which was huge. Keith knew that most Pokémon centers in cities were huge, and this one was no exception. Inside was a beautiful atrium spanning the building's entire height, with a glass dome dominating the top, and several palm trees planted in the center of the atrium, much like Professor Elm's lab. On the other side of the atrium was the front desk, where a young pink- haired woman of about eighteen to twenty was sitting behind. "Excuse me," Keith walked up to the desk. "Do you think you could heal my Pokémon?"
"Sure, no problem!" The woman stood up, revealing a nurse's outfit. "We'll have your Pokémon ready in about half an hour."
"Okay thanks" Keith walked into the lounge to fine several other trainers sitting down at a table, talking.
"Hey did you hear about the South Johto Amateur Conference in Azalea Town?" Said a trainer with long black hair wrapped into a ponytail in the back. He was wearing a black sweatshirt with a Houndoom on the front.
"Yeah, my Bulbasaur will be able to win it hands down!" Said a Pokémon trainer with green hair and a red shirt with a Poké ball on it. The shirt had the words "Silver Conference 2003" printed over the Poké ball.
"Yeah, right." Said another trainer with red hair, wearing a green- and white leather jacket zipped up all the way.
"No, Seriously! I'll use vine whip the whole time." Everyone at the table had a good laugh.
"Hey, what's all the fuss?" Keith asked as he sat down at the table. "It's the South Johto Amateur Conference." The green-haired kid said. "Anybody who's anybody's going to be there." "Cool. So where did you say it was?" Keith took a seat at the table. "Azalea Town." The boy with the black sweatshirt said. "The southernmost city in Johto." "Cool. I might enter." Keith reached for Totodile's Poké ball to show it off to the other kids to prove he was able to enter, but remembered that Totodile was with the nurse. "Well..." Said the red-haired boy. "You need to have at least two badges to enter." "Oh..." Keith's grin faded. "Hey, don't worry." The kid in black said. "None of us have any badges either." "Really?" Keith's grin returned. "Yeah, I just got my Totodile. He's with the nurse right now. So what's your name?" "I'm Vince." Said the kid in the black sweatshirt. "I'm Stephen." Said the red-haired kid. "I'm Jordan." Said the kid with green hair. "I'm Keith." Keith said. "Keith Silverwing." Everyone at the table suddenly gasped. "You mean—son of Lance?" Jordan said. "The Pokémon League Champion?" "Yes..." Keith said glumly. "Wow." Stephen said. "Dude, your dad is, like, a legend. Dragons are my favorite kinds of Pokémon. Especially Dragonite." "My dad has a whole army of Dragonite." Keith said. "At least five hundred. I get to see them a lot." "Nice." Said Vince. "If you don't mind, do you think you could come with us on our Pokémon journey?" "Sure!" Keith said." After all, it is lonely to go on a journey without any other people around, even when you have six Pokémon. You still need someone who you can talk to. "All right." Stephen said. "The four of us on an adventure!" "So, you guys all from Cherrygrove?" Keith said as he ate a sandwich that he got from his backpack. "Stephen is." Said Vince. "Jordan and I are from Vermillion City." "Cool. Vermillion is where my mom's from. I'm from New Bark Town." "Sweet." Said Stephen. "Isn't that where Professor Elm lives?" "Yeah. That's where I got my Pokémon." "What Pokémon did you get?" asked Jordan. "Totodile." "Totodile is my favorite." Stephen piped in. "I like its bite attack." "Excuse me, sir," The nurse walked over to Keith's table, with Pikachu on her shoulder and Totodile walking next to her. "Your Pokémon are fully healed." Totodile roared happily. Pikachu gave a cheerful squeak. Sparks flew from Pikachu's cheeks. "Wow, your Pokémon look pretty good." Vince said. "Hey, Jordan, I noticed your shirt says 'Silver Conference 2003' on it. Did you go to the Silver Conference?" "Yeah, my cousin was in it." "How did he do?" "He got seventh place, which isn't bad." "Wow." "Yeah. I actually got your dad's autograph there. Which is pretty cool." "Yeah, maybe we'll actually get to talk to him on the journey." Vince said excitedly. "He's so cool... if you're anything like your dad, you'll definitely become a star trainer." "One day, I'll beat him." Keith thought. "Pika!" Pikachu squeaked determinedly. "Pikachu!" "Pikachu's ready too." "So, are we ready to go?" Stephen said. "I've got all my Pokémon with me. What about you guys? Are you ready?" "Ready to go." Jordan and Vince said in unison. Vince turned to Keith. "You ready to go?" "Sure am." Keith took out Pikachu and Totodile's Poké balls. Totodile returned to his Poké ball without a problem, but Pikachu refused to return. "Huh?" Keith looked at Pikachu. "Hmm...must not like its Poké ball. Guess you can stay out." "Hold it!" Yelled a white-haired trainer. The trainer was wearing a blue jacket, camouflage-color baggy jeans, and, under the jacket, a white shirt with a black "R" printed on it. "Where's Keith Silverwing?!" Everyone stared at the kid. "Umm...here?" Keith raised his hand. "I saw you walk into Elm's lab, you pathetic wimp. I've seen you around. I challenge you to a battle. This way I can prove you're weak." "Bring it on!" Keith raised a fist. "My first real trainer battle." "Okay. Chikorita, go!" The trainer threw a Poké ball. A small, chick-like Pokémon appeared. "Chika! Chika!" A small chick-like Pokémon with a leaf on its head popped out of the Poké ball. Everyone started to laugh. "What's so funny?" The kid growled. "Your Pokémon." Stephen said. "Everyone knows that Chikorita is one of the weakest Pokémon in the world. "Yeah, even my Bulbasaur could wipe it out in one shot." Jordan said. "It's that weak." "Well, let's see if it can beat Keith Silverwing, son of the Dragon Trainer." "Pikachu, go!" Keith said. "Pika!" Pikachu hopped off Keith's shoulder. "Pikachu, use your thunderbolt!" Pikachu jumped off the ground and flew into the air. It balled its hands into fists. Parks emitted from its cheeks. Pikachu closed its eyes, and zapped Chikorita with an electric charge. Chikorita was forced back by the impact of the thunderbolt, but kept its cool. "Chikorita, razor leaf." The white-haired trainer said, and with that, the leaf on Chikorita's head flew off, and darted towards Pikachu. Pikachu was slashed several times by the leaf, and fainted. "Pikachu!" h ran to his friend. "Pika pi..." Pikachu whispered. Keith picked up Pikachu and took him over to Stephen, Vince, and Jordan. Pikachu couldn't battle, but still had energy to cheer Keith on. "Totodile, go!" Keith yelled. He threw Totodile's Poké ball onto the field, and Totodile popped out. Totodile quacked happily. "Totodile, bite!" "Todo-dile!" Totodile roared and jumped at Chikorita. He tackled it, and bit down on its shoulder. Chikorita had already been damaged by Pikachu's thunderbolt, and the bite was too much. Chikorita fell to the ground, down and out. "DAMN IT!" The white-haired trainer cursed. "My name's Frost. I'm going to become the world's greatest Pokémon trainer." Frost shoved Keith aside and ran out the door. "Wait...he had white hair...blue jacket...white shirt with an R sewn on it...a Chikorita..." Keith thought for a moment. "That was the guy who stole Professor Elm's Pokémon!" Keith's eyes widened. "It's too late to stop him now." Jordan said. "For all we know, he could be past the city limits by now." "It's that Chikorita that I'm worried about." Keith said. "What if it turns out bad like its trainer?" "I hope not." Vince said. "That guy is really bad news, Keith. Hopefully we'll stop him soon." "Hey, are we going or are we going?" Stephen already had his backpack on, and was standing by the door. "Oh, Keith, here's Pikachu. I gave him a Super Potion. He should be back to normal." "Wow thanks" Keith looked at his healthy Pokémon. "Why go to a Pokémon center when you can just do this?" The four friends walked out of the Center. The sun was starting to set. "Look, there's Route 30 up ahead." Vince said. "We just follow that route until we reach Violet City. "Well what are we waiting for?!" Keith said enthusiastically. "Let's go!"
A/N sorry for the long first chapter the next few aren't as long...
"Sneasel, Shadow Ball!" Shouted the orange-haired Pokémon trainer to his blackish-blue Pokémon, Sneasel.
"Scyther, fury swipes!" The other trainer yelled out as Sneasel formed a black ball of energy in its hands, then threw it at the green, mantis-like Pokémon on the other side of the field. "SCYTHERRR!" The Pokémon screeched angrily, and revealed razor-sharp scythes on its arms. It was then hit with the black energy ball. This impact caused It to turn pitch black and freeze, consumed by the dark magic of Sneasel's shadow ball.
"Yes!" I won!" The orange-haired boy jumped into the air.
"Good morning, Johto, this is Rob Brickman broadcasting live all the way from KGRR Radio Tower in Goldenrod City. It's seven o'clock."
Keith Silverwing groaned as he awoke from his intense dream. He opened his eyes, and when he looked at the poster of Pikachu and Ash Ketchum on the wall, he suddenly remembered, he was supposed to get his first Pokémon from Professor Elm today! He quickly changed into his regular clothes; baggy black cargo pants and a black shirt that had a picture of a Sneasel on the back (Keith's sort of a punk-goth.) He darted out of his room into the hallway, and ran down the staircase. As he walked into the dining room downstairs, his mother greeted him. "Oh, honey, how can you be wearing all black in the middle of summer? You'll overheat."
"Mom, how am I supposed to be a punk when I'm walking around wearing white? What would the guys say?"
"I'm just saying..."
"It's all right, mom." Even though Keith could be rebellious, he still loved his mother."
"Here's your Pokégear. You'll need it if you want to be a good trainer." She handed Keith what looked at first like a wristwatch, but when Keith strapped it on his wrist, it looked more like a very small laptop computer. The Pokégear had everything; a detachable phone, wireless Internet, a digital display of the entire Johto region, a portable television, and a radio. "My little boy's already going out on his Pokémon journey..." Tears formed in Mrs. Silverwing's eyes. "I remember when you were just a baby. Now you're almost thirteen..."
"Don't worry, mom." Keith hugged his mom. "I'll call home as much as possible." "You're leaving already? Don't you want to say good-bye to your little brother?" Keith had a brother who was two years younger than him. "Oh, yeah. Is he awake yet?" "He's watching cartoons in his room." "Okay." Keith went upstairs, into his brother's room, to find him staring at the television, watching Spongebob Squarepants on TV. "Hey Chris." "Hey, big bro." Chris turned to see his brother. "Leaving on your journey?" "Yeah. I'll give you a call as much as possible. Stay cool, little man." "You too." "Don't forget, follow your dreams, and you might become competition for me in a few years." "You better look out." Chris said. Both of them laughed. "Later." Keith gave Chris a big hug, and walked out the door. Downstairs, he gave his mother another good-bye hug and walked out the door.
Outside, Professor Elm's lab wasn't too hard to find. It was right next door to Keith's house! The lab was huge. It was three stories high, had futuristic-looking glass doors, and a metallic blue roof with a gigantic sculpture of a Poké ball that gave the lab a fancy look, like a jewel in a crown. Keith walked through the automatic sliding glass doors to meet Professor Elm's assistant, Barry, in the atrium, which spanned the entire three stories of the lab and had a gigantic, greenhouse-like skylight at the top. "What's up, Keith? Long time, no see." Barry was fresh out of college, and hoping to start a Pokémon lab of his own someday. He had crimson red hair, and a neatly trimmed goatee the same color as his hair.
"Hey, is Elm here?"
"Yeah, he's in the Pokémon Habitats room."
"Okay, thanks." Keith looked around the atrium, and finally found the door marked "Pkmn Habitats."
"Here we are." Keith opened the door, and found the professor, a tall, thin, blonde-haired man, checking on several different enclosed areas for the different Pokémon.
"Ah, hello, you must be Keith Silverwing." Elm looked up from one of the habitats, and shook hands with Keith. "Here to get your Pokémon, right?"
"Yeah. What have you got?"
"Well, I usually give one of these three Pokémon to beginning trainers."
"Which ones?" Keith asked.
"Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile." The professor showed Keith the section of the room marked "Starter Pkmn." There, he showed Keith three glass cages, each with a different Pokémon. The first was Cyndaquil, a timid Pokémon who spent most of its time hiding under a small boulder. Keith always loved fire Pokémon, but he felt that Cyndaquil was too timid for his taste.
The next Pokémon that Elm showed him was Chikorita, a grass Pokémon that had what looked like a necklace around its neck, and was obviously not the Pokémon for Keith. Too girly was Keith's only thought.
But the third Pokémon that Elm showed Keith was different. Totodile, a water Pokémon, was truly a match for Keith. It was fearsome crocodile Pokémon, and had enormous fangs that gave it incredible power, as demonstrated when it crushed a block of wood using only its teeth. Elm then explained that when it evolves, its teeth grow stronger, and eventually it can crush solid titanium. "Wow." Keith said. "This guys is definitely my kind of Pokémon."
"All right, then." Elm took out Totodile's Poké ball. "Totodile, return." The Poké ball gave off a red beam of light, which engulfed Totodile. Totodile disappeared with the beam of light. "Here you go. Your first Pokémon." Elm handed the Poké ball to Keith. "You might want to keep it out of its Poké ball for a little while. This one's kind of restless."
"All right!!" Keith held the Poké ball up to the light pouring from a nearby window. "I got my first Pokémon!"
"Now, take the Pokémon League Challenge, and someday you may become the next Pokémon legend!"
"You bet!" Keith put the Poké ball in one of his cargo pockets. "I won't let you down! I won't let this city down!"
"You sound just like your father." Elm chuckled. "We were childhood friends. And now look at him!"
"He won't be champion for long." Keith smiled. "See ya later, Elm."Keith walked out of the room, and found himself in the atrium.
"What's up, Keith?" Barry said. "Which Pokémon did you pick?"
"See for yourself. Totodile, go!" Keith took his Poké ball out of his pocket, and in a red flash of light, Totodile appeared.
"Toto! Dile!" Totodile growled and snapped its fangs. "Nice. Totodile's my favorite, too." Barry said. "Suddenly, there was an electronic beep as the glass doors at the entrance slid open. An old, gray-haired man wearing a lab coat walked in. "Hello?" The man was impatient. "Is Keith Silverwing here?" "Right here sir." Keith turned to face the man and raised his hand. "I am Professor Oak." The man shook Keith's hand. "Inventor of the Pokédex. Perhaps you've heard of me. I have something for you." He took out a small, red, computer-like device. "It's a Pokédex. Your father told me to give it to you." "Oh?" Keith took the device. "I've heard of these. They record information on Pokémon, right?" "Exactly." Oak said. "We estimate that there are around 250 Pokémon. Your mission is to record those 250 on the Pokédex. I know you won't let me down, Keith." "Don't worry, Professor." "Hang on, Keith." Barry stopped Keith as he walked towards the door. "I've got something for you're journey." Barry gave Keith five more Poké balls and a small bottle containing purple fluid. "The purple stuff is called Potion. Use it to heal your Pokémon." Keith put the Pokédex in his backpack and walked out the door. Outside, Keith took Totodile's Poké ball out of his pocket, and let him out. "Totodile! Totodile!" Totodile quacked happily. "C'mon, let's go." Keith picked up his new Poké Friend, and put him on his shouleder together they walked past the New Bark Town city limits. The brick buildings with the green roofs were gone. Now all Keith could see was rolling grass, and several trees. Off in the distance, Keith could see skyscrapers in the next city over, Cherrygrove. Keith wondered if there would be a Pokémon Gym there. He quickly consulted the Pokégear Map, but in the map of Cherrygrove, there were no signs of a Gym. "Well, maybe we can get some training done out here in the grass." Keith said to Totodile. Totodile gave a happy cry and jumped up in the air. "Maybe we'll find some rare Pokémon too." Just then, there was a rustling in the bushes. A small, yellow Pokémon popped out. "Pika!!" The Pokémon squeaked. "Now would be a good time to check the Pokédex." Keith took out the small computer-like device and pointed it at the yellow rodent Pokémon. PIKACHU, THE MOUSE POKéMON. Pikachu are very common in the vast forests of Kanto, and are rarely seen in the overseas land of Johto. When large groups of these Pokémon form, they cause blackouts in major nearby cities. "Wow." Keith looked at the yellow Pokémon. It had long, rabbit-like ears and a lightning-shaped tail. "A Pikachu. I heard about these." "Pika!" Pikachu squeaked again. "Chu!" "Hmm...I hear Pikachu are powerful allies. I might as well try my hand at catching it." Keith took an empty Poké ball out of his backpack, and flung it at Pikachu. Pikachu used an electric charge to blast the Poké ball away from it. "Wha—?" Keith was surprised. The Poké ball flew back into his hand. "That's it. Totodile, bite attack!" Totodile lunged at Pikachu, and bit down on its shoulder. Pikachu screamed, and fell over. "Good. Now, Poké ball go!" Keith threw the ball once more at Pikachu, and this time Pikachu was too weak to zap the ball out of the sky. The ball opened up, and a red beam of light engulfed Pikachu. Pikachu disappeared inside of the Poké ball. The ball rocked several times. PING! Keith had just caught a Pikachu. "Yesss!" Keith was overjoyed. He held the Poké ball up to the sun. The sun reflected off the Poké ball's metallic finish. "The first Pokémon I caught put of the wild." Keith put the ball in his pocket, and continued walking towards Cherrygrove city. By the time he had reached the top of the hill he was climbing, he could see the entire town. Enormous skyscrapers gleamed in the distance, and up closer, there were small houses and other buildings. In a cluster of skyscrapers in the downtown area, Keith could make out a Pokémon center. It hovered six stories high, with a giant Poké ball sculpture dominating the roof of the center.
Keith and Totodile sat down at the top of the hill. Keith took off his backpack and set it between him and Totodile. Keith let Pikachu out of its Poké ball for some air, and almost immediately the little yellow mouse started chasing around Totodile. He gave Totodile a playful electric shock, and Totodile tackled Pikachu down the hill.
Wow. Keith thought. They're becoming friends fast. Pikachu and Totodile scampered back up the hill, out of breath. Keith took their Poké balls out and tried to recall them. But they refused to go back in.
"Hmm..." I guess you guys can walk around a little longer. Keith and his new Poké Friends walked down the rest of the path, into the Cherrygrove City entrance gate. A guard behind a desk inside the gatehouse stopped Keith.
"Do you have a Pokémon with you?" The guard asked.
"Right here." Keith showed the guard Totodile and Pikachu. "Is that all right, sir?"
"It's fine. Go on ahead, youngster." The guard resumed writing on a piece of paper.
"Pika!" Pikachu hopped on Keith's head and stood on its own tail, as if acting as a scout. "Chu!"
"Wow. You have a pretty strong tail there." Keith commented. "You'd be pretty good at evading attacks."
"Chu!" Pikachu smiled, sparks flying from the red dots on its cheeks.
The trio walked out of the gatehouse to find that there were two trainers having a Pokémon battle on the sidewalk. Keith stopped to watch. Maybe he could learn something.
"Mareep, thundershock!" One of the trainers said to its small, sheep- like Pokémon. The Pokémon gave a high-pitched bleat, and static sparks began to fly from its fur.
"Charmander, dodge it!" The other trainer barked to its Charmander, a lizard-like Pokémon with a flame on its tail. Charmander jumped up, and the static charge instead struck a nearby lamppost, causing it to explode. "Now, flamethrower!" The trainer ordered. Charmander's mouth opened wide and flames burst out of it. They struck Mareep, whose fleece burst into flames.
"MAREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!" Mareep bleated in its squeaky voice. It ran around, trying to put the flames out. By the time the flames did die out, Mareep's fleece was almost completely gone.
"No! Mareep!" The trainer hugged his fainted Pokémon before recalling it back to its Poké ball.
"Allright, I won again." The trainer with the Charmander said. "Better luck next time, Joey."
"Mikey, come on!" The trainer with the Mareep said. "You always use Charmander. Use Pidgey next time or something."
"Kid's right." An older, more experienced-looking trainer said. "If you use other Pokémon in battles, they'll gain experience too. You can't rely on just your Charmander. One day you'll face a trainer who's so strong, you'll need more than one Pokémon to beat him or her."
"Hmm..." Keith thought aloud for a moment. "Use all your Pokémon..." He walked away from the scene, and strolled through the small streets of South Cherrygrove. The downtown district was in North Cherrygrove. Just as he was walking, his Pokégear phone started to ring.
"Hello?" He turned on the videophone. "Keith Silverwing speaking."
"Keith, it's Professor Elm." The Professor's voice was filled with alarm.
"Ah, Professor. What's up?" Keith said. "Need an errand for me to run? Deliver a package? Get something for you?"
"No, it's urgent. One of our Pokémon has been stolen." Keith listened intently. "Barry says he saw the thief crawl in through the window.
"Which Pokémon did he steal?"
"Chikorita."
"Well, then it 's not that much of a loss..." Keith mumbled.
"'Ey, Keith, how you doin'?" Barry appeared on the videophone.
"Barry, what did the trainer look like?"
"Well, he had spiked white hair, and was wearing a blue jacket over a white Tee-shirt. I think the shirt had an 'R' printed on it." Barry scratched his head.
"I'll tell you if I've seen him." Keith killed the videophone connection. He continued walking down the road, until the two to three story buildings turned into the high-rise buildings six to twelve stories high. On the corner of Main and Corsola Streets was the Pokémon Center, which was huge. Keith knew that most Pokémon centers in cities were huge, and this one was no exception. Inside was a beautiful atrium spanning the building's entire height, with a glass dome dominating the top, and several palm trees planted in the center of the atrium, much like Professor Elm's lab. On the other side of the atrium was the front desk, where a young pink- haired woman of about eighteen to twenty was sitting behind. "Excuse me," Keith walked up to the desk. "Do you think you could heal my Pokémon?"
"Sure, no problem!" The woman stood up, revealing a nurse's outfit. "We'll have your Pokémon ready in about half an hour."
"Okay thanks" Keith walked into the lounge to fine several other trainers sitting down at a table, talking.
"Hey did you hear about the South Johto Amateur Conference in Azalea Town?" Said a trainer with long black hair wrapped into a ponytail in the back. He was wearing a black sweatshirt with a Houndoom on the front.
"Yeah, my Bulbasaur will be able to win it hands down!" Said a Pokémon trainer with green hair and a red shirt with a Poké ball on it. The shirt had the words "Silver Conference 2003" printed over the Poké ball.
"Yeah, right." Said another trainer with red hair, wearing a green- and white leather jacket zipped up all the way.
"No, Seriously! I'll use vine whip the whole time." Everyone at the table had a good laugh.
"Hey, what's all the fuss?" Keith asked as he sat down at the table. "It's the South Johto Amateur Conference." The green-haired kid said. "Anybody who's anybody's going to be there." "Cool. So where did you say it was?" Keith took a seat at the table. "Azalea Town." The boy with the black sweatshirt said. "The southernmost city in Johto." "Cool. I might enter." Keith reached for Totodile's Poké ball to show it off to the other kids to prove he was able to enter, but remembered that Totodile was with the nurse. "Well..." Said the red-haired boy. "You need to have at least two badges to enter." "Oh..." Keith's grin faded. "Hey, don't worry." The kid in black said. "None of us have any badges either." "Really?" Keith's grin returned. "Yeah, I just got my Totodile. He's with the nurse right now. So what's your name?" "I'm Vince." Said the kid in the black sweatshirt. "I'm Stephen." Said the red-haired kid. "I'm Jordan." Said the kid with green hair. "I'm Keith." Keith said. "Keith Silverwing." Everyone at the table suddenly gasped. "You mean—son of Lance?" Jordan said. "The Pokémon League Champion?" "Yes..." Keith said glumly. "Wow." Stephen said. "Dude, your dad is, like, a legend. Dragons are my favorite kinds of Pokémon. Especially Dragonite." "My dad has a whole army of Dragonite." Keith said. "At least five hundred. I get to see them a lot." "Nice." Said Vince. "If you don't mind, do you think you could come with us on our Pokémon journey?" "Sure!" Keith said." After all, it is lonely to go on a journey without any other people around, even when you have six Pokémon. You still need someone who you can talk to. "All right." Stephen said. "The four of us on an adventure!" "So, you guys all from Cherrygrove?" Keith said as he ate a sandwich that he got from his backpack. "Stephen is." Said Vince. "Jordan and I are from Vermillion City." "Cool. Vermillion is where my mom's from. I'm from New Bark Town." "Sweet." Said Stephen. "Isn't that where Professor Elm lives?" "Yeah. That's where I got my Pokémon." "What Pokémon did you get?" asked Jordan. "Totodile." "Totodile is my favorite." Stephen piped in. "I like its bite attack." "Excuse me, sir," The nurse walked over to Keith's table, with Pikachu on her shoulder and Totodile walking next to her. "Your Pokémon are fully healed." Totodile roared happily. Pikachu gave a cheerful squeak. Sparks flew from Pikachu's cheeks. "Wow, your Pokémon look pretty good." Vince said. "Hey, Jordan, I noticed your shirt says 'Silver Conference 2003' on it. Did you go to the Silver Conference?" "Yeah, my cousin was in it." "How did he do?" "He got seventh place, which isn't bad." "Wow." "Yeah. I actually got your dad's autograph there. Which is pretty cool." "Yeah, maybe we'll actually get to talk to him on the journey." Vince said excitedly. "He's so cool... if you're anything like your dad, you'll definitely become a star trainer." "One day, I'll beat him." Keith thought. "Pika!" Pikachu squeaked determinedly. "Pikachu!" "Pikachu's ready too." "So, are we ready to go?" Stephen said. "I've got all my Pokémon with me. What about you guys? Are you ready?" "Ready to go." Jordan and Vince said in unison. Vince turned to Keith. "You ready to go?" "Sure am." Keith took out Pikachu and Totodile's Poké balls. Totodile returned to his Poké ball without a problem, but Pikachu refused to return. "Huh?" Keith looked at Pikachu. "Hmm...must not like its Poké ball. Guess you can stay out." "Hold it!" Yelled a white-haired trainer. The trainer was wearing a blue jacket, camouflage-color baggy jeans, and, under the jacket, a white shirt with a black "R" printed on it. "Where's Keith Silverwing?!" Everyone stared at the kid. "Umm...here?" Keith raised his hand. "I saw you walk into Elm's lab, you pathetic wimp. I've seen you around. I challenge you to a battle. This way I can prove you're weak." "Bring it on!" Keith raised a fist. "My first real trainer battle." "Okay. Chikorita, go!" The trainer threw a Poké ball. A small, chick-like Pokémon appeared. "Chika! Chika!" A small chick-like Pokémon with a leaf on its head popped out of the Poké ball. Everyone started to laugh. "What's so funny?" The kid growled. "Your Pokémon." Stephen said. "Everyone knows that Chikorita is one of the weakest Pokémon in the world. "Yeah, even my Bulbasaur could wipe it out in one shot." Jordan said. "It's that weak." "Well, let's see if it can beat Keith Silverwing, son of the Dragon Trainer." "Pikachu, go!" Keith said. "Pika!" Pikachu hopped off Keith's shoulder. "Pikachu, use your thunderbolt!" Pikachu jumped off the ground and flew into the air. It balled its hands into fists. Parks emitted from its cheeks. Pikachu closed its eyes, and zapped Chikorita with an electric charge. Chikorita was forced back by the impact of the thunderbolt, but kept its cool. "Chikorita, razor leaf." The white-haired trainer said, and with that, the leaf on Chikorita's head flew off, and darted towards Pikachu. Pikachu was slashed several times by the leaf, and fainted. "Pikachu!" h ran to his friend. "Pika pi..." Pikachu whispered. Keith picked up Pikachu and took him over to Stephen, Vince, and Jordan. Pikachu couldn't battle, but still had energy to cheer Keith on. "Totodile, go!" Keith yelled. He threw Totodile's Poké ball onto the field, and Totodile popped out. Totodile quacked happily. "Totodile, bite!" "Todo-dile!" Totodile roared and jumped at Chikorita. He tackled it, and bit down on its shoulder. Chikorita had already been damaged by Pikachu's thunderbolt, and the bite was too much. Chikorita fell to the ground, down and out. "DAMN IT!" The white-haired trainer cursed. "My name's Frost. I'm going to become the world's greatest Pokémon trainer." Frost shoved Keith aside and ran out the door. "Wait...he had white hair...blue jacket...white shirt with an R sewn on it...a Chikorita..." Keith thought for a moment. "That was the guy who stole Professor Elm's Pokémon!" Keith's eyes widened. "It's too late to stop him now." Jordan said. "For all we know, he could be past the city limits by now." "It's that Chikorita that I'm worried about." Keith said. "What if it turns out bad like its trainer?" "I hope not." Vince said. "That guy is really bad news, Keith. Hopefully we'll stop him soon." "Hey, are we going or are we going?" Stephen already had his backpack on, and was standing by the door. "Oh, Keith, here's Pikachu. I gave him a Super Potion. He should be back to normal." "Wow thanks" Keith looked at his healthy Pokémon. "Why go to a Pokémon center when you can just do this?" The four friends walked out of the Center. The sun was starting to set. "Look, there's Route 30 up ahead." Vince said. "We just follow that route until we reach Violet City. "Well what are we waiting for?!" Keith said enthusiastically. "Let's go!"
A/N sorry for the long first chapter the next few aren't as long...