A/N: Welcome to the Aremo region and the world of Pokémon: Dawn & Dusk. This is a project that has been in the works for years, and I hope you all enjoy the end product!
POKéMON: DAWN & DUSK
001: BUDDING ADVENTURE
The sun rose above the mountains, sending golden rays to lighten the sky above Young Bud Town. The townsfolk were all mostly still asleep in the small town, but in one particular room, the beeping of the alarm awoke one blue-eyed boy.
Landon groaned in frustration. To say that this was too early would be beyond understatement. Landon squirmed in his bed and threw a pillow in an unsuccessful attempt to silence the alarm's bleating.
Landon arose, sleepy-eyed, and grumbled, "Too early."
He stumbled out of bed, gruffly silenced the alarm, and continued to the bathroom to try and fight his bedhead. "Way too early."
He tried to do something to his blonde hair before giving up and nearly falling down the stairs. He arrived in the kitchen and slumped into a chair at the table with a groan.
"Good morning, honey!" his mother chimed cheerily.
"Ungh," Landon responded dispondently.
"What's wrong?" she asked, as she busied herself making a plethora of breakfast foods.
Landon slumped, resting his chin on the table. "Too early."
"Oh," his mother muttered dismissively, placing a plate of food before Landon. "It's good for you. Besides, the Professor has told me how well you and Kaitlyn have been doing as his assistants over the past week."
"I just don't see why we have to wake up so early."
His mother laughed lightly. "Just enjoy your breakfast and make sure you're not late for the Professor."
Professor Aspen was the Professor renowned throughout the entirety of the Aremo region. He had been a trainer and coordinator in his youth and had gone on to be a well-known and successful Pokémon Breeder for many years before being recognized as Aremo's resident Pokémon Prof. He'd taken on Landon and Kaitlyn as his young apprentices for the summer and had been teaching them about proper Pokémon nutrition.
Landon ate his breakfast and put on some khaki shorts and a white baseball shirt with blue sleeves, and tied a white bandanna on his head to keep his hair back. He set out down the street, heading for the Pokémon Lab a few blocks down. It only took a few minutes, and save for a few shop-owners who greeted Landon as they set up for the day, the street was deserted. Landon took a deep, refreshing breath of fresh air before proceeding up the short walkway to the door of the Pokémon Laboratory.
The Laboratory was less a laboratory and more a mansion that had been predominantly converted for the purpose of Pokémon research. The mansion had two floors and a basement, and aside from a living area, kitchen, and dining area taking up a small space on the ground floor, the Professor only accessed a few rooms on the second floor as living space. The rest of the upper floor was leant to storage, both of research materials and Pokémon of trainers affiliated with Professor Aspen. The first floor contained materials of a more literary nature, with a library full of Pokémon research books from other renowned researchers, including the famous Kanto researcher, Professor Oak. Finally, the basement contained state of the art research machines to help Aspen spread knowledge about Aremo's native Pokémon species.
The land behind the mansion had been fashioned into a variety of habitats. There was a rocky area with a small cave housing mountainous Pokémon, large fields and forests, and a giant lake. The Professor had over thirty species of Pokémon calling the Garden, as it was called, home. It was a sanctuary for several Aremo species that kept them safe, allowed them to live in a natural habitat kept peaceful by the Professor and his assistants.
Landon walked up to the front doors and banged the Pokémon-shaped knocker. In a few moments, the door opened and Kaitlyn was standing before him, looking far too chipper for this time in the morning.
Kaitlyn was Landon's age and slightly shorter than him. She had large green eyes and light brown hair. It fell slightly past her shoulder and curled out at the end. Her bangs were brushed softly to one side. She was wearing baggy overalls, as she'd dressed prepared for a day in the Garden.
"Good morning, Landon!" she chirped with a bright smile.
"Good morning, Kaitlyn," Landon responded, unable to cook up quite as much cheer at this hour.
"Ah, Landon, you've arrived just in time," Professor Aspen said, appearing behind Kaitlyn. He was tall and slim, with jet black hair and silver sideburns. His deep black eyes sparkled with excitement. "Today we're heading to the lake to study the nutritional habits of aquatic Pokémon."
"Sounds great, Professor," Landon responded. He already felt his energy level rising; despite waking up far too early, Landon couldn't help but be excited by anything having to do with Pokémon.
"Why don't you get suited up and we'll meet you on the porch?" the Professor suggested. Landon nodded and went to another room to change into some overalls similar to Kaitlyn's. He met up with Kaitlyn and the Professor a few minutes later.
"So," Professor Aspen began, "today we continue our study of Pokémon nutrition by studying the nutritional habits of aquatic Pokémon."
"Cool," Landon said.
"I love water Pokémon!" Kaitlyn exclaimed.
Professor Aspen smiled. "Remember, Kaitlyn, not all water Pokémon are aquatic. An aquatic Pokémon, while generally water-type, is a Pokémon that lives in water."
"Oh, that's still cool," Kaitlyn responded.
"So today we'll be feeding the Pokémon in the lake," the Professor concluded.
They walked through a large field toward the lake. Landon sighed happily as he looked around at the Pokémon that had decided to do some early-morning grazing. He hated having to be awake so early, but getting to see all the different Pokémon every day really made it worth it. They headed toward a stand of trees which continued to the right to become a small forested area and to the left to head up a small ridge and overlook a large lake. The lake was fed by a stream that fed in from the upper back half of the Professor's garden. It came from a natural spring in the rocky, hilly area that was home to many ground and rock Pokémon.
As they approached the hill overlooking the lake, Landon noted Professor Aspen carrying two small packs. "Hey, Professor, what's up with the backpacks?"
"Well, they contain Pokémon food, of course, in addition to a few PokéBalls in each just to help in case we have any problems we need to solve."
Landon nodded as they arrived at the top of the ridge. Below them was a lake filled with several types of fish Pokémon.
"All right," Aspen began, "as we've learned over the past few days, the key to proper Pokémon nutrition is understanding a Pokémon's natural diet and enhancing it with vitamins. So, what do you think works for aquatic Pokémon?"
They both pondered for a moment before Kaitlyn piped up. "I'd say that aquatic Pokémon nutrition centers around food pellets based on the aquatic plants that naturally appear in lakes."
"That's right!" Professor Aspen responded happily. "Lake Pokémon enjoy a variety of plant-life, while sea Pokémon tend to feed predominantly on seaweed. So depending on where your aquatic Pokémon lives, you may have one of several types of food."
"It wouldn't hurt a lake Pokémon to eat a seaweed pellet though, right, Professor?" Landon asked.
"No. Aquatic Pokémon feed on aquatic vegetation, and even if an aquatic Pokémon from a lake eats food from an aquatic plant from the ocean, or vice versa, it shouldn't hurt it. But you should be careful; some seaweed-based Pokémon food contains a higher level of salt than most Pokémon food pellets, and certain Pokémon shouldn't have too much salt in their diets. That goes especially for some water-type Pokémon, such as Lotad, who are lake-dwelling water and plant types. Salt is very bad for their diet."
"Oh, wow," Landon moaned. "That's a lot of stuff to keep in mind."
"That's right," the Professor responded. "But anyone who works with Pokémon - breeders, trainers, coordinators - can tell you: Keeping each of your Pokémon properly nourished is of top priority, and the more you work with each specific Pokémon, the more you perfect it's own specific dietary needs and preferences. So while you may make some mistakes early on, you'll soon learn what each type of Pokémon likes and dislikes."
Kaitlyn interjected, "But Professor, how will we be able to tell if we have an aquatic Pokémon that can only have one type of aquatic Pokémon food?"
"Well, it all depends on the Pokémon," he responded. "The example I gave you earlier is a pretty rare occurance. Most Pokémon can eat a wide variety of foods and you don't really need to worry about specific diet rules. However, you still need to keep in mind that each Pokémon has it's own preferences. That means that a Pokémon's nutritional preferences are based on its species, type, and even its own specific preferences that set it apart as an individual. Also, there are Pokémon that may eat one of several different types of food, depending on where they are found. Take Magikarp as an example. Magikarp is a Pokémon found in almost every water environment on every continent."
"That means that Magikarp might eat the lake or the ocean Pokémon food," Kaitlyn deducted.
"Correct. However, Magikarp very much prefer the type of food found in their environment. Magikarp found in lakes tend to disdain salty food like some seaweed food pellets, and it may even make them sick, whereas Magikarp found in saltwater environments build up a dietary dependency on salt and therefore require certain amounts of salt in their diets. That means that they might get sick from eating lake-based Pokémon food simply because their needs aren't being met."
Landon sighed. "You say it's simple, but it's still too complicated for me."
The Professor laughed. "Don't worry Landon, you'll understand in time. Regardless, right now I've brought just the right type of Pokémon food for the Pokémon living in this lake, so you don't have to worry about mixing it yourself."
"Thank goodness," Landon laughed nervously.
"Don't worry, it's simple," the Professor continued. He set down one of the backpacks and opened it. He removed three small plastic bags full of deep green Pokémon food pellets and handed one each to Landon and Kaitlyn. He opened his and called out, "Hey! It's time for lunch!"
The water below churned to life at the Professor's words, as numerous fish Pokémon popped their heads above the water to gape with their fish mouths at the Professor and await their food. The Professor smiled as he tossed several pellets down at the waiting mouths. There was a rush to get each pellet and then all the Pokémon returned to awaiting another helping.
"Wait a second," Landon said. "Only a few of those Pokémon got to the food. What happens if some of the Pokémon don't get any food?"
"An excellent question," Aspen responded cheerily. "Don't worry, some of the Pokémon might not have gotten some of the first pellets, but it only takes three or four pellets to fill a Pokémon's stomach, so once a Pokémon is full they won't be trying to get any more pellets. That means that though not all the Pokémon eat first, they all get their share."
"What about those Pokémon?" Kaitlyn asked, pointing to a group of squat blue Pokémon with wide, dopey-looking eyes and large green lily pads on thier backs.
"Those are Lotad, and while they usually live in the water, they also come on the land, and they prefer to eat while standing rather than swimming. However, they eat the same lake food. Come on, I'll show you how to feed them. Landon, stay here and feed the fish Pokémon."
"No problem, Professor," Landon responded cheerily. He took a seat on the ridge, chuckled at the gaping expressions on the fish Pokémon below, and began tossing food into their mouths.
The Professor showed Kaitlyn how to feed the Lotad and then grabbed the second backpack and headed out to go feed the other Pokémon in the forest and on the ridge. Landon and Kaitlyn continued feeding the Pokémon leisurely, but it wasn't long after the Professor left that Landon heard Kaitlyn cry out.
He stood quickly and looked at her. She was yelling in protest as the Lotad crowded her, pushing and shoving one another and pushign against her legs.
"Stop it! You'll make me trip!" Kaitlyn shrieked. "Stop pushing, I'll fall in the lake!"
"Uh-oh," Landon muttered. The Lotad were used to being fed every day by the Professor, but they didn't know Kaitlyn and probably didn't feel comfortable patiently waiting. They were antsy and pushy and they heard none of Kaitlyn's protest.
"Watch out, Kaitlyn!" Landon cried, but even as he said it, Kaitlyn, the swarm of Lotad, and the bag of Pokémon food went tumbling into the lake. Then Kaitlyn threw out her arms but continued to clutch the bag of Pokémon food, which of course was the Lotad's objective, which made them push against her more, pushing her out into the middle of the lake. Of course, with a nearly full bag of Pokémon food in the water, the fish quickly lost interest in the prospect of more food from Landon and rushed to join in the feeding frenzy of which Kaitlyn was now the inadvertent epicenter. She released her hold on the Pokémon food, but it was too late; she was caught in the middle.
Kaitlyn was gagging and coughing in the churning water, but she was able to cry out to Landon, "Help! I can't swim!"
"Anyone would have a hard time swimming with that many Pokémon all over them, but Kaitlyn can't even swim!" Landon was at a loss. He wanted to jump in and save her, but if he got involved he'd end up just as trapped as Kaitlyn. He looked around for help. There was no way out of this. He was the only one around. It would take several minutes to get back to the mansion to call for help, and the Professor was probably at least a mile away.
Landon was alone.
Then his eyes landed on something that gave him an idea: Three polished PokéBalls.
PokéBalls were used by trainers, breeders - anyone who had their own Pokémon. They were used to capture and store Pokémon, and trainers could throw them or push a small button on the front to release the Pokémon inside. They had a black line around the middle seperating the bright red top from the pure white bottom of the ball.
"The Professor's Pokémon!" Landon exclaimed. He wasn't sure what he'd find inside the PokéBalls, but he was hoping against hope that the Professor had brought along at least one Pokémon that could swim.
He grabbed the ball closest to him and took a deep breath. "All right, here goes nothing! Pokémon, go!" Landon hurled the PokéBall forward. It bounced on the ground and popped open, releasing a brilliant white light that shot out and took shape. The light faded to reveal the Pokémon contained inside.
The creature was small and lizardlike. It stood on its stubby hind legs, and its small arms ended in five tiny claws. It had a short tail for balance. It had a long, thin snout with several exposed fangs. It's scaly skin was black and its stomach was yellow.
"Chom!" it chirped.
"That's . . . Chomfire?" Landon wondered aloud.
"Chomfire!"
Landon quickly grabbed a new PokéBall. Chomfire certainly wasn't the right choice; a fire type wouldn't be happy at all being sent into a churning lake.
"All right, let's hope," Landon muttered, and tossed the PokéBall. Beside Chomfire, a new Pokémon appeared.
It stood on two legs, but it was more human-shaped than the lizard-like Chomfire. Its legs and arms were both short and rounded. It had several leaves or petals forming a sort of skirt around its waist. It had small black eyes and a carefree smile, and a small leaf on a short stem adorned the top of its head.
"Lee-lee!" the Pokémon laughed.
"Minileef," Landon muttered. "A grass type could work but . . . let's hope this last one can do it." He grabbed the final PokéBall and tossed it. It popped open and revealed the third and final Pokémon.
It had smooth, blue, reptilian skin. It had short but powerful legs and short arms with a small claw on the end. It had a short tail. Its head tapered at both ends; in the front, it tapered into a small, square, beak-like mouth, and the back tapered into a small, bone-like protrusion that curved slightly.
"Para!" It cried happily.
"That's it!" Landon exclaimed. "Parasurf! It's a water-type!"
"Surf! Surf!" it responded.
"Parasurf, I need your help!" Landon said breathlessly. Not much time had passed since Kaitlyn had fallen in the water, but Landon wasn't about to let her stay trapped any longer than possible. "My friend fell in the water, and I need you to rescue her!"
Parasurf cocked its head, confused, but Landon pointed to the churning lake surface and Parasurf understood. With a sudden determined look, Parasurf dove gracefully from the ridge, barely splashing as it shot under the water. It used its legs and arms for control, but relied on pumping its tail to propel itself quickly through the water. Its expert swimming ability got it to Kaitlyn in a matter of seconds.
Landon held his breath for the moments that seemed like hours. Sure, Parasurf was able to swim to Kaitlyn, but would he be able to pull Kaitlyn from the maelstrom of Pokémon?
Landon's eyes were trained on the surface of the lake. He felt anxiety flowing through his body. Kaitlyn had to be okay. She just had to.
At long last, the surface of the water near the ridge broke, and Parasurf appeared, with a gasping Kaitlyn clinging to it for dear life.
"Landon," she coughed through deep gulps of air, "thank you so much."
Parasurf and Landon helped Kaitlyn out of the water and she lay on the ground, drying off, while Landon sat on the ridge and tossed the rest of the Pokémon food into the lake with disinterest. Parasurf sat beside him, and Landon fed him a few pellets of Pokémon food. Meanwhile, Chomfire sat beside Kaitlyn while Minileef danced in front of her, hoping to cheer her up.
"You're a pretty cool little guy, Parasurf," Landon laughed, patting it on the head. "Thanks again for your help back there."
"Surf!"
"Hey Landon," Kaitlyn said.
"Yeah?"
"I dunno about you, but we should probably go get the Professor."
"I guess so. He might want to hear our story."
Kaitlyn laughed good-naturedly. "Definitely." She pulled herself to her feet.
"Lee! Leef!" Minileef chimed.
"Aww, you're adorable!" Kaitlyn cooed.
"We could put these guys back in their PokéBalls," Landon surmised, "but I'd really like to spend a little more time with them."
"Me too," Kaitlyn agreed.
"Lee!"
"Chom!"
"Surf!"
The three Pokémon expressed their approval.
"I think he headed out to the hills, but he's probably out in the western section of the forest now," Kaitlyn said. "He was going to go out and then circle back and come get us around lunch time. I'd bet if we just head in that direction we'll find him sooner or later."
"Sounds like a plan," Landon said. "All right, Parasurf, be sure to keep up."
"You too, Minileef."
"And Chom -" Landon stopped. "Wait, where's Chomfire?"
A moment of panic passed before Kaitlyn pointed. "There he is."
Chomfire was sniffing a short, squat bush with large berries growing on it.
"Hey, Chomfire, we'll get lunch soon, but why don't you come over here right now?" Landon called.
Chomfire turned a deaf ear to Landon. Rather than returning to the group, Chomfire opened his maw wide and chomped down on one of the juicy berries. He swallowed the berry quickly.
Too quickly.
Without chewing, Chomfire attempted to swallow the entire berry. It had a moment of panic and pain before dancing around in a panic. Suddenly, a flame shot from Chomfire's back and then Chomfire shot a burst of fire into the air.
"Whoa!" Kaitlyn cried.
"Chomfire, calm down!" Landon called.
But Chomfire was beyond reach. He kept running back and forth before darting through the bushes and out of sight.
There was a moment of silence before Landon sighed. "I think we have a problem."
"We have to get the Professor," Kaitlyn said.
"No," Landon replied. "This was my mistake, I've gotta fix it."
"Landon . . ."
But Landon was determined. "It's fine. I'll take Parasurf with me. We'll get Chomfire back in his PokéBall and get back to the mansion safe and sound."
Kaitlyn felt wary of this, but she nodded. "Minileef and I will go get the Professor. We'll meet you back at the mansion."
At that, Landon plunged into the brush with Parasurf following behind.
They made their way through the forest. Luckily, in Chomfire's panic, he'd left a path through the brush where he'd run, as well as several singed sections of plantlife here and there. They followed the trail for quite some time.
"Well, this might be a problem," Landon muttered. He and Parasurf had arrived at the edge of the forest and the beginning of the northern section of the Garden: The rocky hills.
"There's no more trail, Parasurf," Landon sighed. "How are we supposed to find Chomfire now?"
"Para," Parasurf sighed along with him.
But thier dismay was cut short as they heard a crash from beyond a small ridge of rocks. "Maybe that's him," Landon suggested. Parasurf nodded agreement and they both charged forward.
What they found was Chomfire in a faceoff against one of Professor Aspen's Garden residents: A Sandshrew.
The Sandshrew not only had the home field advantage, but it seemed to be of a higher level. Chomfire was standing up against the Sandshrew, but it looked like he'd been roughed up a bit.
"Uh-oh," Landon said. "Parasurf, it looks like we've got a problem."
"Surf," Parasurf responded.
Sandshrew began to rush forward to scratch Chomfire, but before that could happen, Parasurf rushed in with shocking speed. It jumped in the air, its body spinning, and as Sandshrew rushed forward, Parasurf connected a powerful Pound attack right on Sandshrew's head. The force of the blow knocked Sandshrew into the dirt, hard. It lay there, dazed.
Landon was amazed by Parasurf's speed and power, but quickly shook himself out of his daze. He slipped off the backpack and grabbed Chomfire's PokéBall. He held it before himself, the button facing Chomfire. "Chomfire, return!"
A beam of red light shot from the PokéBall button and connected with Chomfire, who glowed with the same red energy before being drawn back into his PokéBall.
"Hey, Parasurf, let's get out of here before that Sandshrew decides to attack again."
Parasurf nodded and joined Landon as they made their way back to the mansion.
-
It was past noon by the time Landon arrived back at the mansion. The Professor was waiting with Kaitlyn and Minileef. There was also a third person, a boy, awaiting his arrival.
Once Landon's mission had been accomplished, he took his time getting back to the mansion with Parasurf. Sure, Parasurf was the Professor's Pokémon and Landon had only spent the day with him by chance, but Landon loved Pokémon so much that he just couldn't help but spend a little extra time with Parasurf. Besides, he felt like he had a sort of connection with Parasurf.
"Well well," Professor Aspen said with a smile as Landon arrived. "It would seem you've had quite an adventure today."
"Sorry, Professor," Landon responded sheepishly. "We had a little problem with Chomfire, but Parasurf helped me get him back." Landon held Chomfire's PokéBall out to the Professor. "Here's your third Pokémon."
"Why thank you, Landon," Aspen replied. He turned to the boy. "Damien, it's time for you to pick your starter Pokémon."
Landon was taken aback. The Professor was giving this guy a free Pokémon?
Damien had straight, jet black hair with bangs hanging down to his eyes and slanted to one side. His eyes were full of dark intensity. He wore a black shirt with a red and black jacket and dark shorts.
Professor Aspen released Chomfire from his PokéBall. Chomfire shot a bit of flame from its back indignantly upon being released.
"So," Professor Aspen said, addressing Damien, "you may choose between Parasurf, by Landon here, Minileef with Kaitlyn, or this Chomfire here."
Damien sized up Parasurf and Chomfire for a moment, as he'd already seen just about as much of Minileef as he cared to. In only a few moments, Damien said definitively, "Chomfire."
Professor Aspen smiled. "Well, Damien, congratulations! Chomfire is your very first Pokémon."
Damien nodded very slightly. The Professor handed Damien Chomfire's PokéBall.
"Let's go, Chomfire," Damien said. He recalled Chomfire to his PokéBall and began to leave without a thank you or a goodbye.
Landon looked disdainfully after him, but decided against saying anything.
Professor Aspen turned to address Landon and Kaitlyn. "He's the son of a friend and I agreed to give him the choice of one of three rare Pokémon to begin his journey."
Landon took a deep breath. "Speaking of rare Pokémon, I guess I ought to get Parasurf back to you now, Professor." Landon held Parasurf's PokéBall out for Aspen to receive.
The Professor smiled. "Landon, Kaitlyn, you two have bonded with these Pokémon today in a way I couldn't have anticipated. I know you've really just begun your internship here with me and there's still plenty I can teach you, but like I said earlier today, the best way to learn is by experience. I think it would be best if both of you began your very own journeys with Pokémon - these Pokémon."
There passed several moments of stunned silence. Finally, both Landon and Kaitlyn said in unison, "Really?!"
"That's right," the Professor responded happily. "I'd love to keep you around, but the most help I can give you is by letting you go experience the world of Pokémon for yourselves."
"P-Professor, this is . . ." Landon was at a loss.
"How can we repay you?" Kaitlyn asked.
"Ah, a very good question," the Professor responded. "I have a great idea of how you can help me out quite a bit. Why don't you wait here; I'll be right back."
When the Professor entered the mansion, Landon and Kaitlyn looked to each other and burst into giddy laughter. "Can you believe this is happening?" Landon laughed.
"No way!" Kaitlyn cried.
They continued to beam at their luck until the Professor returned several minutes later. He was carrying two devices. One was blue, the other was red. He gave Landon the blue one and Kaitlyn the red.
"What is this, Professor?" Landon asked.
"It's called a PokéDex," Professor Aspen explained. "It's based on a model released by Kanto's Professor Oak, and it contains data on the nearly three hundred Pokémon found here in Aremo. However, you two can do two things for me. One, whenever you see a Pokémon not native to the Aremo region, record its data with the PokéDex. Second, while you can carry up to six Pokémon with you at a time, any other Pokémon must be stored somewhere. While most trainers access Pokémon centers in or near their hometown for Pokémon storage, I'd like you to let me keep your Pokémon for my studies when you don't have them with you."
Landon and Kaitlyn looked at each other. "Not a problem, Professor," Landon smiled.
"Ditto," Kaitlyn added.
Professor Aspen smiled warmly at the two of them. "Well, I'm sad to see you go, but I'm sure you two will have so many memorable moments on your journey that you'll learn more than I could ever hope to teach you here." He clasped them both on the shoulder with a fatherly glance. "Keep in touch, kids, and good luck on your journey."
"Thanks, Professor!" they both said.
And so, Kaitlyn and Landon left the mansion for the last time in a long time, but this time they each had a Pokémon with them.
It was the beginning of a great adventure.
FEATURED POKéMON
Parasurf
AremoDex #007
-National Dex #500
Dinosaur Pokémon
Ability: Torrent
Height: 2'0"
Weight: 35lbs
Name Derivation: Parasaurolophus+Surf
Dex Entry: This Pokémon is very docile. It swims to the bottom of lakes to gather plants for food. It is very quick and uses its speed to evade battle.
-National Dex based on 493 Pokémon as of 4th Generation.