The Journey Begins
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon
August 17th, 1965
Western Unovan Front
The sounds of Pokemon cries and the stench of pokeball releases lingered in the air, as Private Edwards moved slowly behind the rest of his platoon, the tall grass making visibility in any distance past his own arm length near impossible. His olive uniform was clingy and smelled faintly of piss, commander had them all spray themselves with some liquid, supposedly it kept wild Pokemon away. Edwards glanced nervously out toward the grass. He had three pokemon at his waist, nothing special, the standard Unovan Army grunt trio of Herdier, Tranquill, and Roggenrolla. As his buddy Marshal put it back at boot camp: one to hit, one to fly, and one to use as a suicide bomb. A shiver went up Edwards' spine as he ran a finger along the pokeball containing the last one. The thought of it's explosive capability held in check by some unexplainable process, one created by a company in the enemy lands, kept him up at night.
"Company, halt" his commander's voice echoed in his head, thanks to the Solosis that Sergeant Wayne carried with him at him all times. "Come toward me". Edwards followed the order as the group crowded around Wayne. He was a gruff man, marked by a thin scar running from the left corner of his mouth to his ear. Wayne pointed a short finger toward a bespectacled man near Edwards, "Thomas, we've been walking around in this godforsaken grass for hours, where the fuck is the Kantonese?"
Thomas clicked furiously on the device strapped to his wrist as he looked through the files that had been given to them by the Champion, "That's what it says, according to our plans, the Kanto Army was attacking this spot at this time." Wayne swore as he recalled Solosis, the gooey green orb going back into the pokeball as a burst of a smell like burnt toast filled the air.. Edwards glanced between the two, eyes wide with anticipation as the others started checking the grass around them. For what he didn't know, it wasn't like the Kantoese would pop up and challenge them to a battle, those days were far gone.
Wayne continued staring at Thomas as the tension continued to build as a faint whining noise echoed inside Edwards' head. Wayne turned away from Thomas as he scanned the horizon, but the whining only grew louder. Rubbing the inside of his ear with a finger, Edwards glanced up, shielding his eyes from the sun. His eyes widened as a jet fighter started to fly off from the field, a single spherical object falling from it. . "Sergeant?!" he cried, thrusting his finger toward the plane as Wayne and the rest looked toward the sky.
"Those bastards, they went for an air attack, fine by me." Wayne said as he reached for his waist, "Solosis, go, call out your Herdiers!" the gooey orb flew out from the ball with a soft cooing as it moved to Wayne's shoulder. Edwards reached for the first orb on his waist, clicking the center button as the men around him did the same, calling out a black and brown furred canine, fangs bared and waiting. The men watched the falling orb, waiting for it's release.
And waiting. The orb continued to fall, still unopened. "Maybe it's a dud?" Edwards asked hopefully as Wayne shook his head.
"No, it'll open."
As he said this, the ball did burst open in an explosive burst of light as the data contained in the ball transmuted into a humanoid figure slightly taller than Wayne. Edwards prepared to command his Herdier to go for it's legs when the figure finally formed.
And everything died.
The figure glanced at the desert landscape left from it's attack, the rusted metal machinery, the gleaming white bones of its enemies. It turned it's eyes westward, toward the still departing plane and waved a hand. The plane disappeared in a burst of light, before the figure did the same.
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Nine Years Later
Pallet Town, Kanto
"Today, we celebrate the ninth anniversary of our victory over the Unovan people, a parade will be held in Celadon City to celebrate said victory, and sources say that Lance himself may even make an appearance. As always, I am DJ Mary, and now the weath..." the radio clicked off as Red rose from his bed, wiping the sand from his eyes and running a hand through his unruly black hair. Yawning as he pulled on his clothes, pair of jeans, black shirt, red vest, nothing special and he guessed having the color he was named for in his vest and hat was a bit tacky, but he shrugged it off. Pulling on said ball cap, he reached into his desk and grabbed the potion spray he had gotten for his birthday the day prior and placed it into his bag.
Flying down the stairs, Red crashed right into his mother, nearly knocking both of them down. "Ow! Sorry, mom, but I have to get going to the Prof's lab before all the Pokemon are taken!" he said, trying to rush out of their small two room house. His mom grabbed his arm, stopping his momentum instantly. "But mom!" Red cried.
"Don't but mom me." His mom said, pointing at the table in the center of the room. "Oak will still have a Pokemon left for you, it's not like Pallet has that many people leaving today. We're not Celadon, you know." Letting go of his arm and moving to the small stove, "Now you're going to get a good breakfast in you before you go. I don't have any control over what you eat out in the wilds, but I'm going to get some good food in you before hand."
Placing a plate of eggs in front of him, she watched bemused as Red started scarfing them down. "You know mom," he said between bites, "most trainers eat wild pokemon while we're out there" he continued, jabbing his fork toward her. "So I'll probably do that."
His mom paled, "I'm going to try to not think of that, thank you very much."
Red finished eating as he got up from the table, moving to the sink as he washed off his plate and placed it on the counter to be dried later. He chuckled, "Guess I'm leaving you with one last dirty dish, huh mom."
His mom smiled, "I'll just have you do the dishes when you come home." She broke her gaze from him for a second, "Are you sure you want to do this, Red? Seeing the world? You could stay here in Pallet, continue your education, work for Oak."
Red waved a hand around the small room, "I don't want to stay in Pallet, it has nothing for me. I need to see the world, experience new things, get the land under my feet and the air of adventure in my lungs."
"That's what your dad said" His mom said, quicker than either expected. Red paused, the air between them thick with the awkward silence generated.
"I'm not my dad, mom. I'll come back, and I'll tell you all about it." Red flashed a thumbs up at her, "I promise."
His mom smiled, wiping her eyes with a nearby washcloth. "I know, Red." Red looked at her, hesitantly before she nodded. "Right. All boys leave home someday. Write me whenever you can." Red nodded back as he pulled his bag strap tight and walked out into the town, skipping along the cobblestones.
His mom watched him as he left, his red form fading into the distance as she sat down. 13 years old, a man by Kanto standards, and out into a world of fearsome creatures. Possibly never coming home. She bit her lip as she watched the last vestiges of his form before burrowing her face into her hands, unable to watch him disappear fully.
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Red burst through the door of the lab, blinking slightly in the sudden brightness of the white room, the smell of antiseptic thick in the air. The walls were covered in blinking lights and large gleaming computers as various aides ran around, checking read outs of the various Pokemon sleeping underground. "Red, you've made it." A cocky voice called from the front of the room as Red glanced forward to see a boy his age standing there. With a mess of unruly brown hair, and clad in a simple dark t-shirt and purple pants, Blue Oak stood there, arms crossed and cocky grin plastered across his face.
"Hey Blue" Red said as he made his way toward the fellow trainer, "Surprised you're here, didn't want to continue at that fancy Viridian school any longer, or did they finally kick you out?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
"No, not really" Red shrugged as he leaned against the Professor's desk. "So where's the old man?" he asked, looking around for any sight of the Professor.
"I'm right here, Red" A chirpy voice said as Oak entered the room from a nearby door, "Sorry to keep you waiting, I was busy working on a fascinating new project and I had gotten distracted. I hope you two can forgive me." Oak grinned, his slightly wrinkled skin stretching as he did so as he brushed his red sweater and adjusted the lapels of his lab coat, stepping back to take them in. "Red Satoshi and Blue Oak, on this, the first August after your thirteenth year, I, Samuel Oak, do hereby grant you the choice from these three Pokemon.
Pressing a button behind him, the machine Blue had been standing next to hummed as three red and white orbs arose from its depths. Red grinned, finally his first pokeball and inside, his first Pokemon. Next to him, Blue was sporting a similar grin. Both trainers shared a knowing look, this was it, the first step into their Pokemon journey.
Oak looked at them knowingly, "Now, as you well know, I give you the choice of a Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. So, which will it be? Blue, I assume you'll want first pick."
Blue walked over to the pokeballs, wandering around them, staring at each one closely. "I think I will pick..." Red leaned forward, waiting to hear what choice his eternal rival had chosen. "Red to choose first." Blue stepped away from the balls, dramatically waving his hand outward to allow Red in. "I figure it's the least I can do, after all these years."
Red and Oak stared at Blue dumbfounded before Red leapt forward, taking the chance he was given. "Thanks Blue!." Red looked at the three balls, each containing a powerful pokemon. Did he want the ferocious power of Charizard? The sleek swiftness of Blastoise? Red briefly reached toward the Squirtle before pulling away. No, he knew what he wanted. Red grabbed the ball containing Bulbasaur and lifted it in the air. "I'm gonna go with Bulbasaur!"
Oak laughed, "Ah, the Seed pokemon, excellent choice, do you care to nickname it anything? A nickname always helps a Pokemon become closer to it's trainer." He moved to his computer, as he brought up Red's trainer profile and entered the Bulbasaur, his fingers waiting over the keys for the nickname.
Red paused a second before laughing, "I'm gonna call it Sauro!" Oak typed in the name as the computer and Pokeball both beeped, registering Sauro to Red.
"That's a stupid name." Blue snorted, "Nicknames are for losers who don't understand Pokemon are just animals meant to make us look good. That's why I'm going with Charmander because it beats your dumb Sauro." Another couple of beeps registered the Charmander to Blue as Oak glared at his grandson behind Blue's back.
"Well, now that you've both chosen your lifelong partner" Oak said, his voice rising on the final words as he leaned towards Blue. Blue paying him no mind. "I have one last gift" Oak handed them both a small red computer device and some pokeballs, "This is a Pokedex. I made the first one ten years ago, it can register all 178 Pokemon available in the Kanto region, this includes all recently discovered evolutions and infant forms. Including the ancient Pokemon that we recently discovered how to revive and that so-called digital pokemon, the Porygon line." The Professor rolled his eyes on that last one.
Red quickly clicked it open, reading through the pages of info for Bulbasaur as Blue cocked an eyebrow. "What if we run into Pokemon outside the 178, like if we want to go east to Johto or north to Sinnoh?"
"Well Blue" Oak said as he sighed, "If you somehow managed to get past the walls of isolation preventing travel between the regions, there are upgrades for other Pokemon. Any other questions?"
"What if I catch a mythical Pokemon, like one of the great birds? I don't see them included in your count?"
"Blue, if you catch a myth, I will personally put the info in myself." Oak said, exasperated. Red started moving toward the exit, eager for his journey to begin.
"Hold up, Red." Blue called, stepping forward, tossing his new pokeball between his hands. "I want to see how strong this lizard is, so I'm thinking we have ourselves a good old one on one."
Red glanced at Oak, waiting for him to intervene but the Professor just held up his hands in mock surrender, "Sorry Red, but as of now, you're both official League trainers, you can't turn down his challenge."
Blue laughed, "See Gramps knows what's what. Now go, Charmander!" The pokeball flew from hand as it let loose it's burst of data, forming it into a small bipedal orange reptile with a cream underside and sharp claws from it's forearms. It roared softly, blinking it's cyan eyes as it waved its tail, the duct at the end igniting into a small flame. Charmander roared again, looking expectantly at Red.
"Alright then" Red shouted, reaching for his own pokeball, "I choose you, Sauro!" His ball flew as the data formed into a small wide turquoise quadruped reptile, covered in dark spots. It's back was dominated by the small green bulb that covered it as Sauro looked back at Red with his large red eyes, waiting for a command.
"Right, Sauro! Use Tackle!" Red shouted as Blue ordered Charmander to scratch. Sauro leapt forward, slamming into the ground where the Charmander had just been. The orange pokemon leapt past Sauro, thrusting it's claws toward his exposed side as Sauro slid out of the way, the claws scratching harmlessly against the metal of a nearby computer.
Sauro turned back toward Charmander who eyed the Bulbasaur warily, shaking it's claws. "Charmander, use Growl!" Blue cried as Red told Sauro to tackle again. Sauro moved to leap forward when Charmander growled softly at it. Sauro tried to slow down it's leap, smashing into Charmander with half the force it would normally. Charmander seized the brief moment of opportunity and attacked, running it's claws across Sauro's face.
"Sauro!" Red cried out as the pokemon roared in pain. "Quick, tackle it again" Sauro nodded as it slammed into Charmander's fleshy underside. Charmander responded with another scratch, this time shredding part of the bulb. Sauro leapt toward it again, only for Charmander to dodge and Sauro to slam into the cold tile. Charmander scratched at Sauro again, this time drawing a line of red as blood started to drip onto the tile. Another scratch,this time across the face, send Sauro flying back into the computer, as it lay there unmoving.
"Sauro, return!" Red cried, bringing Sauro back to the safety of his pokeball. He glared hard at Blue who started to make his way to the door. "You hurt Sauro!"
"Hey, I'm better, your weak pokemon couldn't keep up. I won't be the first loss you receive, Red" Blue called as he left. Red held his pokeball as he stared at the door in disbelief. He had actually lost, he had failed Sauro as a trainer.
"It was luck" Oak said finally, Red turning to him with a start. "His growl made Sauro wary to attack, nothing more, nothing less. You'll beat him next time." Red nodded with a small grin as Oak walked over and grabbed the ball, placing it back on the machine and pressing a button. The machine beeped and Oak returned Sauro, "There, he should be fully healed of all injuries."
"Thanks, Professor!" Red said as he placed the ball back on his belt and walked out the door into his first journey as a Pokemon trainer.
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A few hours later
Red and Sauro moved slowly through the grass of Route 1, stalking their new found prey. A plump brown and cream bird with pink talons and beak and dark feathers around its eyes. It paid them no mind, chewing on a small green insect. Red held up his hand, waiting for the right time when it turned around, revealing its back to them. "Now Sauro! Leech Seed!"
Sauro's bulb burst open slightly as a small seed flew out on a vine, latching onto the Pidgey who cried out as the seed started to absorb energy, weakening the Pidgey as Sauro grew stronger. Sauro broke the connection, the vine falling away harmlessly, as the Pidgey stumbled, dazed and confused. Red reached into his bag as he threw one of his pokeballs.
The pokeball hit the bird as it transmuted it into data and closed. The ball shook with the Pidgey's struggle, once...twice...a beep echoed from the ball, registering the Pidgey to Red who entered it's new name, Pidgo, into the Pokedex. Red grinned as he showed the ball to Sauro who roared in equal glee.
Red released Pidgo who came out, flying around Red in small circles before landing on his shoulder and cooing. Red scratched him beneath its beak as he glanced at Sauro with a relieved grin. "Good to know the calming mechanism still works, huh Sauro?" Sauro roared heartily as Red returned them both to their Pokeballs.
"Alright, next stop, Viridian City."
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Meanwhile back at the lab, Oak was checking his messages. "Hm? From Indigo Plateau?" He read as he clicked on the video message. A ginger man, clad in dark clothing and a red coat addressed the camera. "Greetings, I am Lance of the Kanto Elite Four. For ten years, we have been without a Champion, and while we four have governed Kanto and our sister region, Johto, well...time has come for a real leader. So we have set forth a challenge, any trainer who can defeat all four of us will take the place of Champion and lead our country into a grand future. However, in order to ensure the challengers are worthy of the position, only those who have defeated all eight gyms, and have the badges to prove it, may face us. We hope to see you here soon, good luck."
Oak clicked off the video and leaned back in his chair, a new champion? That'll be interesting. He looked toward the two empty spots on the Pokeball container. Perhaps it'll be Red or Blue who take the spot. Perhaps...he got up, as he started to close up for the night, his thoughts wild with possibilities.
SO YEAH, This is my new fic, more or less a novelization of the Kanto Pokemon games. (I say more or less because these will be shaped somewhat differently than those). A few minor notes, yes, I am going with the whole war thing, and the 178 number for the Pokedex basically corresponds to all Kanto evolutionary lines, minus the legendaries.