So originally I was going to do a Digimon fic but then this came to me and just wouldn't leave me alone, so I thought 'why not?' and decided to write and put it up. The summary should tell you what this is about but I'd like to go over a couple of things here first. Ok, since I'm a girl obviously my character is too, I'm also going by canon names, so the blue haired girl is Dawn (me), the blond is Barry and the other guy is Lucas. Dawn's mother's name is Johanna, and Barry's fathers name is Palmer, but I need names for their other parents. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated :) Also, I'm not changing my starter Pokémon. Sorry, but it's set, no changing. There will also be no romance! Maybe a hint of a crush or whatever, but in my view, Dawn is 10, Barry is 12 and Lucas can just be the same age as Barry. I won't be giving any of my Pokémon nicknames, I suck at coming up with them anyway. Also, I've never watched the Pearl/Diamond anime so my Dawn is probably different from that one, so please don't tell me that I'm making her OOC, you never see you talk in the game anyway! I'm not sure when I'll next update since I'm a TAFE student and that comes first. That said, enjoy!
I do not own Pokémon in any way, shape or form!
-I-AM-A-LINE-
"Hello there! It's so very nice to meet you! Welcome to the world of Pokémon! My name is Rowan. However, everyone just calls me the Pokémon Professor. Before I go any further, is this your first adventure? If you need advice, I'm certainly capable of giving it."
"This world is widely inhabited by creatures known as Pokémon. Here, I have a Poke Ball. Touch the button on the middle of the Poke Ball, if you'd please."
"We humans live alongside Pokémon as friends. At times we play together, and at other times we work together. Some people use their Pokémon to battle and develop closer bonds with them. What do I do? I conduct research so that we may learn more about Pokémon."
"Now, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself? Are you a boy? Or are you a girl?"
"All right, so you're a girl? Tell me, what is your name?"
"Ok… So, you're Dawn? A fine name that is! Now, this boy here… I believe he's your friend. What might his name be?"
"Barry, is it? That's your friend's name? All right, Dawn, the time has come. Your very own tale of grand adventure is about to unfold. On your journey, you will meet countless Pokémon and people. I'm sure that along the way you will discover many things, perhaps even something about yourself. Now, go on, leap into the world of Pokémon!"
-I-AM-A-LINE-
"'Pokémon are by our side, always. I hope you will understand the meaning of those words.' That was the comment left by Professor Rowan, who has returned to Sinnoh from the Kanto region."
Sitting in front of the television, a blue haired, blue eyed girl named Dawn watched the finishing program in interest.
"That concludes our special program, 'Let's Ask Professor Rowan!' Brought to you by Jubilife TV on Nationwide Net! See you next week, same time, same channel!"
With a sign, Dawn switched the TV off and, straightening her pink coat, moved towards the stairs, her white scarf fluttering behind her. She only managed to take a few steps before a blond haired, orange eyed boy about two years older than Dawn (her friend and neighbour, Barry) burst into the room, nearly tripping on the stairs. He was wearing his favourite orange and white striped jacket along with grey pants while his own scarf, green in colour and his brown shoulder bag whipped wildly around him. His eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
"There you are!" He exclaimed, rushing up to her. "Hey, Dawn! Did you just see the TV? Sure you did! Professor Rowan's that really important guy who studies Pokémon, right? That means he must have lots and lots of Pokémon. So, if we ask him, I bet he'd give us some Pokémon!"
Barry spotted her new computer – a birthday gift from her mother- and ran up to it, getting completely distracted from the current topic. It didn't bother Dawn, she knew what her friend was like.
"Oh, hey! Is this a new PC?!" Without letting her answer, he forgot about the computer and continued speaking. "Uh… Where was I?" Barry moved to stand in front of Dawn again. "Oh, right, right! We're going to go see Professor Rowan and get some Pokémon. I'll be waiting outside. Ok, Dawn? If you're late, I'm fining you $10 million!" He dashed off and disappeared down the stairs before she could respond. Bemusedly, Dawn wondered when she'd agreed to go with him. She shrugged to herself and went downstairs.
Her mother, Johanna, perked up and moved off of the cushion in front of the living room television to meet her at the foot of the stairs (a quick glance around told Dawn that her impatient friend has gone on ahead, she'll have to go find him). "Dawn! Barry's already left. I don't know what it was about, but he sure was in a hurry!" Her blue eyes shone with amusement while she tucked a strand of equally blue hair behind her ear.
Dawn huffed quietly to herself in exasperation as Johanna sat back down on her cushion. She moved to leave her house to look for Barry. Dawn hoped he hadn't already left town to go find the Professor, they've never left their peaceful little town of Twinleaf by themselves before, they always had an adult to accompany them and they never went quite as far as the next town, only to the nearby lake, Lake Verity.
Just before she cleared the doorway, her Mom called out to her. "Oh, Yes! Dawn! Don't go into the tall grass. Wild Pokémon might attack you. It would be ok if you had your own Pokémon, but you don't so…" Johanna trailed off but continued after a slight shake of her head. "Well, take care, sweetie!" She smiled.
Dawn nodded and closed the door behind her. She looked around for Barry briefly before a man approached her, a knowing look in his eyes and an amused smile on his lips.
"Hiya, Dawn. Barry was just looking for you. I think he's home now. Why don't you go check it out?" He suggested. Dawn nodded and thanked him before walking towards said friend's house. She shivered, pulling her scarf tighter as a gust of bitter wind blew past her and skittered around the snow piles in her way.
Dawn reached out a hand to open the door but before she could it flew open and…
THUD!
Barry crashed into her, nearly knocking her to the ground if not for him steadying her.
Barry blinked in shock. "What was that about?!" He squawked before he realized who he'd bumped into. He let her go and grinned.
"Oh, hey, Dawn!" Barry greeted. "Hey! I'm going to see Professor Rowan! You should come, too! And quickly!" He started to run off again before doubling back. "Oh, jeez! Forgot something!" He exclaimed loudly, rushing back inside.
Dawn blinked slowly at the door in front of her. Was Barry really two years older than her..? He didn't act like it at all. With a resigned sign, Dawn open the door and entered. Barry's mother greeted her with a smile, not looking at all bothered that Dawn had just invited herself in.
"Oh, hi, Dawn. Did you come calling on Barry? He was gone for a second, but then he came running right back home. He just can't sit still, that boy. I wonder who he takes after?" She mused.
Dawn excused herself and went upstairs into Barry's room. He was sitting in front of his own computer, mumbling to himself while shuffling around the desk and tucking things in his bag.
"…I'd better take my Bag and Journal, too…" Dawn overheard. She waited for him to notice her. Barry turned towards her a split second later.
"Oh, hey, Dawn! I'll be waiting on the road! It's a $10 million fine if you're late!" Dawn moved out of Barry's way as he sprinted down the stairs. Dawn heard the front door slam shut not even a second later. She rolled her eyes in annoyance.
In complete contrast to her blond friends exit, she walked calmly down the stairs, said goodbye to his mother and gently closed the door behind her. A few minutes later she was walking up Route 201 to Barry who was staring impatiently at her, an annoyed frown on his face.
"Too slow!" He complained before his face brightened and a wide smile took over his face. "Alright! Let's get moving to Professor Rowan's lab." He led Dawn up to the tall grass where she stopped, a worried frown tugging on her lips. Barry turned towards her, confused, his head tilted slightly.
Dawn remembered what her mother had told her. "Oh, Yes! Dawn! Don't go into the tall grass. Wild Pokémon might attack you. It would be ok if you had your own Pokémon, but you don't so…" She repeated this to Barry.
"… …What? Don't go into the grass, right?" He asked, still sounding confused. Dawn's frown deepened. Barry didn't understand how serious this was. She was proven right with what he said next.
"No worries! No problem! It doesn't matter that we don't have any Pokémon. Trust me on this one. I've got an idea!" That just made her more worried, Barry's ideas usually didn't end that well. Just ask their parents, or any of their neighbours.
"Now listen. You know how wild Pokémon jump out when you go into tall grass?" Dawn nodded apprehensively. "So, what you do is, you scoot over to the next patch of grass before any wild Pokémon can appear! If we just keep dashing, we can get to Sandgem Town without running into wild Pokémon!"
He grinned as if his plan was flawless, but Dawn was pretty sure the Pokémon hidden in the grass were faster than them, so they wouldn't be able to avoid them like Barry thinks.
"Ok, stick with me!" Dawn watched as the orange eyed boy backed up and prepared to sprint through the grass. "Ok, here goes! On your marks…" He mumbled. Dawn opened her mouth as he dashed forward, but before he could go into the grass, and before Dawn could say or do something to get him to stop, someone shouted from behind them.
"HOLD IT!"
Barry skidded to a stop next to the blue haired girl, nearly tripping over his own feet. Dawn breathed a sigh of relief. Both kids turned to where the yell came from and spotted a stern looking older man striding swiftly towards them, arms folded behind his back. Dawns eyes widened slightly, she knew who this man was! What luck, to run into him right outside their little town!
He stopped in front of Barry and eyed them both. "You two don't seem to have any Pokémon between you?" The two shook their heads. "Then, what is the meaning of going into the tall grass?!" He demanded.
"… …" Barry shuffled in place and explained why they –more like he, Dawn thought- had tried to go into the tall grass despite the dangers.
"… …" The Professor's stern gaze flicked between the two of them. "… …"
Barry turned to Dawn. "Hey, Dawn. This old guy… It's Professor Rowan, isn't it?" Dawn eyebrows rose. Did it seriously take him that long to figure out who he was? Barry was the one who insisted on meeting him; shouldn't he have been able to recognise the professor before her? She mentally shook her head and nodded at Barry. "What's he doing here…?" He whispered.
They turned to the Professor when he suddenly moved a small distance away, his back to them. They exchanged confused looks.
"… … They tried to go into the tall grass because they wanted Pokémon…" The two heard him murmur. "Hmm… What to do…? Their world would surely change if they were to meet Pokémon… Is it right for me to put them on that path…?"
He approached them again. "You two. You truly love Pokémon, do you?" Dawn wasn't one for words, nor did she know how to exactly express the answer that Rowan clearly wanted, so she only nodded as firmly as she could and looked him directly in the eyes. She hoped he could pick up what she was trying the tell him. "Yes" She said simply.
Barry picked up her non-verbal answer easily and agreed. Loudly. "Me, too!" He nearly yelled. "I love Pokémon, too!"
Neither of the two friends could guess what he was thinking, his stern gaze and hard features gave nothing away. "I will ask you once again. You two. You truly love Pokémon, do you?" He repeated.
"What?! You can ask a hundred times! The answer will never change! We'll both answer a hundred times, we love Pokémon!" Barry declared confidently. He turned towards his quiet friend. "Right, Dawn?"
"Yes." She nodded firmly.
Rowans face didn't change. "… A pair of reckless kids who foolishly try to enter tall grass without Pokémon of their own…?" He muttered to himself. Dawn huffed internally. "It worries me what people like that would do with Pokémon."
"…Uh… Well, I, uh…" Barry stuttered nervously. "… …Well, then forget about me, but give a Pokémon to my friend here!" Dawn's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. "I mean, it was me who tried to go into the tall grass and all…" And now she felt guilty, but the professor spoke before she could say anything.
"How big of you…" A bit of surprise leaked into his voice. He straightened slightly. "Very well, then! I will entrust you two with Pokémon! I apologize for putting you through that exercise." Dawn looked at him with relief, she didn't ruin Barry's chance of getting a Pokémon after all! "However! You must promise me that you will never recklessly endanger yourselves again." That was something the both of them had no problem with agreeing to. "Now then… Hm? Now, where…?" Rowan looked around before a boy about their age came walking up from the direction that the professor had originally came from. His eyes, from what the duo could tell, seem to be a brown/grey colour. He wore black pants, a blue and black jacket over a red shirt and he also had a white scarf tied around his neck. On the top of his head was a red hat which hid his hair.
"Professor Rowan!" He called, halting in front of said person. He looked at the two with curiosity. He then turned back the only adult of the group. "You left your briefcase behind at the lake." He set down the case next to him. "Is something wrong here?" He asked.
"Ah! There it is! Lucas, nice work." So that's what his name was, Dawn thought. And the briefcase was what the Professor was looking for earlier. "What I was about to do was to entrust these two with their own Pokémon." Rowan informed him. Lucas stared at him in shock.
"Wha…?! Those Pokémon are crucial. You're giving them away?" He said incredulously.
"Hm! We exist side by side with Pokémon. There comes a time when people should meet Pokémon. There is a world that should be explored together. For them, today is that time. This place, right now." Rowan half lectured/half explained. He turned back to Dawn and Barry who stared at him in amazement. "Go on! Open the briefcase and choose a Pokémon!"
"Really?! Professor Rowan! I can't believe it! I'm so happy now that I can't keep a straight face!" Just like he was saying, a wide smile covered his face and he was practically vibrating in excitement. She spotted Lucas eyeing him with a mixture of amusement and confusion. She couldn't help but feel giddy too, but she hid it a lot better than Barry. She fought to keep from smiling as widely as her friend.
Barry turned to Dawn. "Hey, Dawn. You can choose first." She gave him a surprised look. "Hey, I'm practically a grown-up. I have to show some class here." He said, only half joking. Dawn hesitated but moved towards the briefcase. Lucas opened it as soon as she knelt down in front of it.
Three red and white balls rolled around in the opened case. "Look! These are Poke Balls! There is a Pokémon in each one! Now choose! Which Pokémon will it be?" Barry beamed at her. He was standing on her right and looking over her shoulder while Lucas was crouching down on her other side. Rowan remained where he was but was also watching.
Dawn looked down at the case again. Lucas quietly told her what Pokémon was in which Poke Ball. The one on the left was the 'Tiny Leaf Pokémon Turtwig', the middle was the 'Chimp Pokémon Chimchar' and the one on the right contained the 'Penguin Pokémon Piplup.' She chose to take the middle Poke Ball.
"Then, I choose you! I'm picking this Piplup." Barry picked up the right Poke Ball. Lucas closed the briefcase and stood by Rowans side.
"Very well! Both of you have chosen a good Pokémon, it seems. Now, listen well! The Pokémon you have been entrusted with are unfamiliar with the world. In that regard, they're much like you. As fellow newcomers to the world, I hope you'll do well together. If you have any trouble, come see me at my lab in Sandgem Town. And now, we'll be on our way." Rowan nodded, strode into the grass and disappeared from sight.
"Professor! Wait for me!" Lucas shouted. "Uh, sorry, folks." He mumbled and followed after the professor.
The duo watched as he too disappeared into the distance. "How do you like that? Professor Rowan's really nice." Barry noted with surprise. "On TV, he seems so stern and scary." Dawn completely agreed with him on that. She watched in amusement as he finally exploded in excitement, bursting into a… Dance? Dawn didn't know how to describe it, but it was funny. She smiled.
Barry rushed up to her, eyes gleaming. She grinned back, already knowing what he was going to say.
"Heheh, Dawn! We've both got Pokémon now. There's only one thing to do, right? Are you up for this?" She nodded, eyes sending a clear message. Bring it on. Barry's grin widened. "I've always wanted to say this…"
They both backed away from each other and tensed.
"The time has finally come! Dawn!" He shouted, pointing a finger at her. "I challenge you to a battle!"
-I-AM-A-LINE-
And that's it! What do you think? Is it good, ok, bad? Are there any spelling mistakes? Please tell me if there is! Criticism is appreciated, flames will be ignored. R&R please :) I'll try to get the next chapter written up and posted ASAP! Also, I'll try not to make Dawn into a Mary-Sue, but If you think that she is please tell me! Hope to hear from you!
Bye-Bye Baby!
Shikikaze09~