Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
In the world of Pokemon, there are many stories that have been told, and will continue to be told. Underdog stories of trainers that became champions, cautionary tales of what happens to careless trainers that don't prepare beforehand, a day in the life of a top trainer, and many more. This is a tale of siblings that took alternate paths from each other after years of no progress.
In the small town of Nuvema, two guys and a girl, all in their late teens, were on a couch. League matches had been playing on the TV in front of them. One of the guys had fallen asleep earlier, and the other two were simply looking at the screen, not really paying much attention. Then, the guy that was still awake went outside for a bit. He remembered when he first started his journey, together with his siblings, Marie and Adam. They made decent enough progress, but never won a league. Marie hadn't been eligible for a league until her second try, and suffered her most embarrassing loss in her fifth (and last) league; she lost in the first round to a jerk, who had driven her to quit. Adam did better than both of them, actually making it to the semifinals in his fifth year, but still fell short.
"John?" Marie's voice called out to him. John had barely heard her, thinking back to his own experiences. He didn't make it that far in the leagues he'd entered, and in the last one he entered, he had his Trainer's license suspended for a year for chewing out the same jerk that had humiliated his sister in front of everyone. By the time it was renewed, John had already lost most of his interest and motivation, barely training his Pokemon anymore, but still spending time with them and providing for them. "John!" John had finally turned to Marie, who was wearing a dark green blouse, a long skirt, and brown boots. Her light brown hair went up to her upper back.
"So I've decided to continue my journey, but in the police force instead!" Marie told him. "I won't let that guy's words get to me for the rest of my life."
"Good on you!" John congratulated, feeling a bit of inspiration.
"What about you? What are you going to do?" Marie asked him.
"I'm thinking of starting again, too," answered John. Marie did not miss the self-doubt that crept in his voice.
"You're not still doubting yourself because of that incident, are you?" questioned Marie, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You had every right to chew that guy out, not only for what he did to me, but for his Pokemon. I know you could have beat him, you just got unlucky. You have another chance to show the world what you're made of!"
"You might be right..." John turned to her with a slight smile. "Regardless of what happens, I can't just let people like that force me in the sidelines." |
"I know I'm right." Marie them hugged him. John gave her a slight hug back. The two then went back into the house.
A loud yawn from the restroom signified that Adam had only woken up recently. He came out, wearing white pants, a black t-shirt, and a red hat and necklace. His brunette hair was lowly cut and nearly combed. "Oh, there you guys are. I'll be back soon. See you around." John and Marie just gave a slight wave at him, as he left quite often to spend nights with his friends and almost always came back the next day. John went to his room to change into his travel clothes. He now sported a dark blue hoodie, black pants, and brown shoes. His mustache and hair were still a bit messy, even though he spent the last five minutes combing them. With their backpacks and Poke Balls ready, John and Marie exited the house. On their way, they saw Adam standing in front of the lab. "Hey, where are you guys going?" Adam asked them.
"Let's just say, our journeys haven't ended yet!" Marie exclaimed.
"I guess you're in charge of the house now," John joked to his brother.
"Says who? I don't know when I'll be back, either." Adam grinned, holding up his Xtransceiver. "Contact me if you need anything."
"Before we all go, why don't we have a starter battle like the old days?" Marie suggested.
"I remember our first battle! The professor got so mad at us, I swear it took us hours to clean everything up!" John reminisced, before playfully glaring at Marie. "Thanks a lot."
"Your Snivy the one that smashed the desk!" she argued back.
"Not that it'd be a problem if we went back inside, everything would be vaporized and then there'd be nothing to clean!" Adam laughed. "Let's do it!"
They all stood a few feet away from each other and sent out their Pokemon. A large flaming boar, a quadrupedal sea otter, and a giant grass snake all emerged, ready for battle.
"Clover, Leech Seed!" John ordered.
"Emboar, Flame Charge around Leech Seed!" Marie called.
"Samurott, Aqua Jet, hit Emboar from behind!" Adam commanded.
Serperior shot small seeds at Emboar, who cloaked itself in fire and swerved around it. Then Samurott covered itself in water and followed closely behind Emboar as it shot itself into the air.
"Emboar, overpower it with Flare Blitz!"
On Marie's word, Emboar stopped in place and the fire surrounding it grew larger as it got ready to crash into Samurott.
"Jet into the air and use Hydro Cannon!"
"F - " "What is all of that racket?!" a female voice yelled from the lab.
"Uh-oh..." John said to himself. Immediately, the three siblings recalled their Pokemon and quickly ran away before they were caught, not even bothering to check the damage they had already caused. This wasn't how they wanted their first steps away from Nuvema Town together for the first time in years to be, but they had little choice in the matter.
The path from Nuvema Town to Route 1 was relatively uneventful, but no less exciting for the trio. "It's been so long since I've last traveled, it feels almost like my first journey... before that jerk came and ruined - no, think positive!" Marie told herself, as a small serpentine Pokemon with small wings crawled towards them. "I don't remember that Pokemon at all... oh, that's right! There were a lot of Pokemon migrations recently!" She remembered hearing about it on the news, but hadn't been out much since, so this was her first time seeing a foreign Pokemon in person. She went through all of the belongings in her backpack, looking for her Pokedex. By the time she finally found it, John had already caught it in a Poke Ball. Adam tried not to laugh as an unamused Marie looked at John. "You could have let me finish first," Marie said to him.
"But then it would have been gone already," John responded back.
Adam fell over laughing, but a sharp kick from Marie put him in his place immediately. "Ow!"
Some time later, they had already made it to Accumula Town. Not much had changed since the beginning of their trainer careers; it was still a peaceful park-like area. Adam got ready to leave, but Marie pulled him and John into a tight hug already. "Be careful out there, you two, and good luck! Don't let anything or anyone happen to you!" Adam and John both groaned, knowing she wouldn't let go unless they humored her.
"Okay, love ya and all that, gotta go, stay safe," Adam grumbled, trying to escape her grasp.
"Remember to stay in contact!" Marie yelled. John tightened his hold slightly on his overbearing sister. It must have been almost a full minute before Marie finally let them go. "Stay out of trouble now!" Marie chirped, before running to the nearest police station, almost bumping into a few people and Pokemon along the way. John simply shrugged, and Adam never ceased to be amazed at how little self-awareness she seemed to have in situations like these.
"See ya," Adam said, bumping fists with John, before heading in the opposite direction as Marie. John went to the Pokemon Center to switch one of his Pokemon for his newly caught Pokemon. After going to an open field, he released the Pokemon, whose eyes still seemed to be closed. With his own Pokedex, he found out its name, type, and some other basic information.
"Hey, Dunsparce, I'm your new trainer, John." Dunsparce had already crawled up his leg while still beating its wings. "I guess you accept me already. Well, that was easy. Let's get some training in, and then we'll continue." Dunsparce had already clung to his pants and wouldn't let go. With some effort, John managed to shake it off. About an hour of basic move practice later, John had sent out the rest of his team for lunch. Clover, Dunsparce, and four other team members were huddled around Pokemon food. John had become lost in thought while biting into a granola bar.
"I'm still not sure if I want to be a full-time trainer anymore..." John said to himself. "I know I want to take on the league, but I already have eight badges, so all I'd have left to do is train. I don't even know if I really desire to be the best in this field anymore, but it seems like my only option. I've tried other things, but they all seem to lead to the same dead end... is this the only path for me?" His Pokemon (minus Dunsparce) all looked towards him in concern. "I'm fine," he lied, getting up immediately. He saw that they had finished eating. "Are you ready?" They all cried out, except Dunsparce, who was completely silent. Clover subtly jabbed Dunsparce with its tail, and it chittered immediately. "Alright, then let's go!" John said, recalling all of them to their Poke Balls and heading towards Route 2.