A little boy was seen lying down on the bed in the hospital room. Nothing but his weak breathing was heard throughout the room.
Suddenly, the door opened, waking him up as he turned to face the person who made this action. He weakly smiled.
"D-Dad." His father smiled as he petted his dear son and asked, "Jacob, how are you feeling today?"
"J-Just the same as usual..." He quietly replied. He tried not to worry his father, but he was feeling a little weaker as each day passed.
"Good! I brought you some lunch today." He said as he let his son have his meal. As usual, his son wasn't able to eat much of it. The father didn't mind.
"Take some rest, alright? I'll wake you up when the show is about to start." Jacob excitedly nodded as he went back to sleep. As his father lightly closed the door, the middle-age man's happy expression disappeared, replaced by a sad expression.
Oh, son... Will you be able to show me those smiles after a few more months?
Flashback...
"The cancer cells have spread all over the organs of your son's body. I'm afraid we're unable to do anything." When Jacob's father heard what the doctor said, he was shocked and horrified, knowing that his son didn't have much longer to live.
However, he was the only person that Jacob could rely on right now. His mother had passed away long ago due to an incurable disease. He had to stay strong for his son.
He tried to make his son as happy as possible, and he really did a great job.
But...Would this happiness last forever?
Flashback ended...
Jacob's father realized it was almost time for his son's favorite show. He went and petted his son lightly to wake him up.
"Jacob, it's almost time for the show to start!" Hearing that, Jacob immediately opened his eyes as his father switched on the television. His eyes focused on the television screen, sparkling. That only happened when he watched these shows...
"Gold's Typhlosion went in for a Blast Burn attack! Cynthia's Garchomp is badly injured by that powerful attack despite the type disadvantage! This is currently going wild, no one can predict who will emerge as victorious..."
Hearing the caster, Jacob's was getting more and more excited as he watched the battle took place on the television screen. He was always so interested in Pokémon battles.
After the battle ended, his father switched off the television for him and asked, "How was the battle today?"
"I-It was magnificent! I really hope that I can be like them one day, Dad." Jacob said, stunning his father. He went silent as well after realizing how hard it was for his dream to become reality.
Would this dream... ever come true?
Days passed, and Jacob began feeling weaker, and weaker. Jacob knew that slowly but surely, his sickness was consuming him and his energy would run out. But he didn't want to go down like this: not before he achieved his dream to be like the trainers that he idolized.
But at that point, he was starting to doubt himself.
Would he... be able to hold on until he reached that special day?
That day, when he was watching another battle on the show, he wasn't feeling as excited as before. In fact, his father could see the desire inside his eyes: the desire to be like them and to achieve his dream.
Jacob's father sighed, but he made a big decision at the same time.
He would help his son achieve his dream, no matter the cost.
A few weeks later...
Jacob's father opened the door, with an excited expression on his face. He couldn't wait for his son to hear the news.
The little boy was getting weaker and weaker. The doctor said that he wouldn't hold on any longer. He had to show that he can make his son's dream come true at last.
"Jacob, you can finally become an official Pokémon Trainer!" His father happily said.
"H-How? I don't think I can even leave this bed on my own... This isn't possible." Jacob replied with a soft voice.
"Who said that? Your doctor said that he had found a medicine that can give you the energy for daily activities! Your dream will no longer be, you know, a dream anymore!"
"And what he said is right." The doctor walked into the room and beside him, "The pills are right here for you, Jacob. Tomorrow, you will be full of energy, ready to go start your adventure!"
"R-Really?!" Jacob was surprised as happy tears rolled down his cheeks, "T-Thanks Dad, thank you Doctor." As he said that, he consumed the pills.
"Have a good rest, Jacob. Tomorrow will be a brand new day, and a brand new Jacob!" His father smiled. Jacob obeyed and went into a deep slumber.
He was excited.
Tomorrow would be the day where everything will come true.
He woke up. He tried moving around and realized that he felt much more refreshed than he had ever been in the past few months. He then tried getting off of the bed, which he succeeded with ease. The doctor was telling the truth! He could run and jump just like normal now!
He heard the door open as he saw his father, and he ran towards him and gave him a big hug. His father was happy about the medicine's effects, too. He also had good news for the young lad.
"What, I will be getting my first Pokémon?! No way, no way!" He excitedly jumped around. Everything was too good to be true!
He happily got into his father's car, as they drove to a building that seemed to be a Pokémon Lab. Going inside, he saw the famous Professor in the Pokémon world: Professor Oak.
Professor Oak said, "Today is another trainer's beginning to meet Pokémon, making their dreams come true! There are three Pokémon for you to choose-"
"I've made my choice ever since I started watching battles. I choose Bulbasaur." Jacob said with a determined expression.
"O-Oh! That was fast. Alright then. Bulbasaur it is."
Jacob smiled as he watched the Bulbasaur getting released from its Pokéball. He wanted to choose Bulbasaur, because he felt like it resembled himself. When he was feeling sick ever since he was a child, he was left out by his old friends. No one wanted to play with him and only his father supported him. He wanted to raise his favourite Pokémon on his own, not follow those children who chose the cool Charmander or Squirtle. Bulbasaur was who he wanted.
He went in front of the Bulbasaur and petted it, as he said...
"Would you like to come with me, buddy?"
Out of the Pokémon Lab, his father said, "I think it's time for you to go on your own adventure, Jacob."
He nodded, with fear, sadness, but also excitement. "I'll miss you, Dad. I'll come home after everything is done."
"See you, Jacob! Fly high!" They bid farewell as Jacob started his journey as a trainer with his new Bulbasaur. He also had named the male Bulbasaur after...
"Let's do this, Fancyyy!" The Bulbasaur cried happily as they set on an adventure.
Months had passed, and the little boy had experienced what being a trainer was like, and maybe knowing that this was the chance of a lifetime, he was dedicated in his journey as a trainer. Along the way, he caught and raised eight Pokémon, and they were his best friends.
There was also a new technology that allowed him to be able to communicate and understand his Pokémon, which he was amazed of.
One day, he was lying on the grass, relaxing. He had obtained all eight badges, and thanks to his dedication and knowledge towards Pokémon battling, he emerged victorious in the Indigo League, being one of the biggest dark horse in the history of Pokémon. The next day will be when he challenges the Champion, Red.
Oh boy, am I nervous... Hopefully, I won't mess up...
He thought as he looked at his eight Pokémon. He still hadn't decided who to pick yet for the grand finale. However, he knew they would respect his decision.
He heard his Venusaur, Fancyyy said, "Boy, I hope I get picked tomorrow! But, I hope you guys get picked instead of me. You all are much stronger than me in just a few months time..."
"Nah. You're definitely still the strongest among us all! I-I mean... you're definitely stronger than me, at least." A Swampert replied. His name is Poke, a Mudkip that Jacob received through a trade with a trainer from the Hoenn region. He always seemed to be an awkward Pokémon, but he was totally different when he was battling.
"Geez, you're being too humble! You're a great Pokémon, but you keep on doubting yourself! Boost up your confidence, bud!" A Flygon said to his Swampert friend.
"I-I'm sorry!" Poke apologized.
"It's alright!" The Flygon smiled. He was caught by Jacob in the desert, and he named the Flygon Psykl. He was a laid-back Pokémon, and he was likable in the team due to his personality.
"Wait, what are we talking about again?" A Quagsire asked. Jacob had received that Quagsire as an egg from a man in a pokemon center, he was told that it was a powerful Pokémon from a far away land, and while he may of been misled at first, Quagsire proved to be a useful pokemon thanks to his ability to take hits and keep on moving. He had named the Quagsire DJ.
"Of course it's you who didn't hear what we said…" Fancyyy shook his head.
"Just remember, Psykl, you are extremely weak to Ice type moves, so be sure to-" Another voice appeared, but was cut off by the Flygon.
"Tell Jacob to switch me to another Pokémon, right? You've been telling me that ever since you joined the team, haha!" The Lucario smiled as the Flygon had remembered his words all in his mind. Jacob named the Lucario Takao, and ever since he joined the team, he had been teaching everyone about their type matchups, and it reached the point where even Jacob learnt all about the type matchups of all his eight Pokémon.
"Yeah, you've been teaching that EVERY. SINGLE. DAY, bud." Fancyyy then went towards a Pidgeot and asked, "Isn't it, Bla?"
"I guess so. I mean, like you guys, I've always been listening to him teaching us that I got too used to it." Bla the Pidgeot, was one who was quite passive, and would only give out their honest opinion when others asked him for it. Just like how it was that time.
"Whatever the result is, I already achieved my goal being in this team. Now, we gotta focus on the final match." A Gyarados said, while his friends all rolled their eyes and said in unison...
"Yeah, yeah, we know, your flying dream! Congratulations, Mr. Bofish!" The Gyarados' face turned red as he looked away from the others. Ever since Bofish joined the team, he only had one goal: being able to fly, and he did it after evolving into a Gyarados.
"I-I'm sure everything would be f-fine. At least, I-I hope so... I just wish the m-match goes fine, and I have the chance of g-getting picked." The shy Skuntank, Merc expressed. Ever since he joined the team as a Stunky, his shyness never faded away. However, when he battled, he would never hold back and always performed his best.
"Let's all do our best!" Everyone said, seemingly more than ready for the next day.
As Jacob heard the conversation of his Pokémon, he smiled. Such different Pokémon together in a team, yet they could work together when they needed to.
Win or lose, as long as I'm with my Pokémon, I'm sure I'll be fine.
"Psykl, Earthquake!"
"Vee, Psychic!"
As the Flygon and Espeon performed their moves at almost the exact same time, they were unable to withstand the damage as they both collapsed to the ground.
"Both Psykl and Vee are unable to battle! This battle is a draw! Trainers, please choose your last Pokémon!" The referee announced as the crowd was wild. It was down to an one on one situation.
"It's all down to you, Fancyyy!" Jacob said as he threw the final Pokéball, sending out the Venusaur. Red did the same too, and not to his surprise, a Charizard appeared in the battlefield.
"Red definitely has the type advantage in his battle! Does that mean Red is one step away from securing his Champion spot?"
"This could be tough, but I'm sure Fancyyy can handle this!" Jacob said as the referee announced, "Battle begin!"
"Fancyyy, Razor Leaf!" The Venusaur hit the Charizard with the less effective attack, confusing the crowd.
Is he silly?
Red didn't take much time to command, "Aerial Ace!"
The Charizard flew at a high speed and slashed through the Grass type, but the Venusaur managed to hold on. Red took the chance to strike again, "Dragon Claw!"
Now!
"Sludge Bomb around Char!" The Venusaur knew this strategy for too long: they always perform this strategy when they had the chance. Char wasn't able to move, and he knew that once he did, he would get poisoned almost immediately.
However, that wasn't all.
"Toxic."
The Venusaur released the purple liquid towards the Charizard, unable to fly around the battlefield full of Sludge Bomb, the attack hit the Charizard successfully as the Fire and Flying type started turning purple.
Once the Sludge Bomb disappeared from the field, Red commanded, "Flamethrower!"
"Counter with Sludge Bomb!"
The two attacks collided, but the poison started to take effect as Char's attack was unfortunately unable to withstand the Sludge Bomb. The Charizard got hit by the disgusting liquid once again, worsening the poison effect. However, the Venusaur panted hard, a result of using too much energy on the previous attacks.
One last shot.
"Fancyyy, Hyper Beam!" Jacob commanded, making the Venusaur use a move he never used before. It was a risk to take for victory.
Red looked slightly caught off guard by the move, but he quickly recovered as he commanded, "Blast Burn!"
The Charizard was engulfed with flames and hits the ground with its fist, creating a fiery explosion. Before the explosion occurred, the Venusaur was able to release the powerful white beam from his mouth, hitting the Charizard.
The explosion created a huge layer of smoke, making everyone unable to find out who emerged as the winner. Once the smoke faded...
Both Pokémon were still standing.
Until the poison came in again.
The Charizard used up his final energy, and collapsed to the ground.
"Char is unable to battle! Fancyyy wins! Jacob from Pallet Town is the new Champion of the Kanto region!"
The cheering from the crowd was thunderous. Jacob happily went over the the tired Venusaur and hugged him. He wasn't sure if the overloading excitement took over his body, he was starting to feel short of breath.
He smiled in happiness: at long last, he finally did it. What he really wanted to be.
His dream came true, and he will never forget it.
He collapsed, and everything turned black.
"Beep... Beep..." The heartbeat of Jacob stopped. His father was beside him, tears forming from his eyes.
"Congratulations, Jacob. Y-You are now the C-Champion of Kanto." His father said, as tears started to roll down his cheeks. He looked at Jacob, who was closing his eyes, smiling.
Jacob never left the hospital.
Those pills weren't any magical medicine, they were just sleeping pills.
Jacob's father sighed, as he took off the gadget that Jacob was wearing. It was a gadget that set up a story of Jacob being a newbie trainer, to finally achieving his dream to become the best trainer in the world. His father said he would do anything to help him achieve that dream. Using this gadget, he fulfilled his promise.
Before covering Jacob's face with the blanket, he looked at him one last time. He knew that he wouldn't have any pain anymore, and he had no regrets leaving this world.
"I will always miss you, Jacob. I love you."
Jacob's father kissed his son's forehead, and covered Jacob's face with the blanket.
Jacob opened his eyes. He seemed to be in a garden full of beautiful flowers. Suddenly, he heard the familiar cries and looked back.
His eight Pokémon were there, looking at him with happy expressions.
He smiled.
He ran towards them, ready to continue their next step together.
END