Chapter 1: A New Adventure
Amber could feel the cold steel against her back. She was so exhausted, and couldn't move a muscle as she felt something strange being pumped into her blood stream. The sharp pain in her shoulder blades and tailbone was impossible to ignore. As she opened her eyes, she could see blinding florescent lines above her. Her eyes turned to the side, and slowly, horror began to set in. Koranos, her Charizard, was trapped within a cylinder, needles jabbed into his scaley flesh. She could see his blood flowing from the pipes, and as she followed them with her eye, she realized with terror that the pipes were flowing into the IVs that were embedded in her own skin.
Something slammed into her chest, and the girl shot up in her bed, gasping and panting for breath as the nightmare, no-the memory, sank to the back of her mind. The red-orange wings on her back rustled, the dark blue membranes within sounding like the flapping of a flag. As Amber lifted her eyes to see what hit her, she saw her mother's Fletchling fluttering above, a bright smile on her face.
"Hey sleepy-head! Your Mom wants you to head downstairs!" The bird pokemon exclaimed. She seemed rather excited, and as she angled her wings, she swiftly began to glide down the stairs.
Amber couldn't help but smile at Embra's antics. The bird Pokemon was always chipper, and very impatient. Even her mother had a hard time keeping tabs on her. When they first met the Fletchling a couple weeks ago, she had made a home in the tree outside of their new house in Kalos. Now they couldn't get rid of her, but it was no problem. She kept the two company, and became their self-proclaimed alarm clock.
The teenage trainer made her way to her mirror, sighing as she took in her reflection. It had been three years since she had become an experiment. Though she was glad that Team Rocket was now out of her life, the memory of what they did was permanently attached to her. Her wings, once the wings of her most loyal partner, rested upon her back. She was capable of flying with them, but had no reason to. Her tail snaked behind her, lashing back and forth. No flame tipped the tail. It only added to her sadness, knowing that she had lost her friend long ago, to be given his abilities. Some called it a blessing, but the sacrifice that was made to give her such strength was a curse.
"I miss you, Kor..." Resting a clawed hand upon her mirror, she sighed, "I think today I start my new Pokemon journey. I hope you can help guide me through this. It's not going to be easy." Her golden eyes stared at her reflection once more before she turned away. She changed into jeans and a tee shirt she had sewn in a way that would accommodate her wings and tail. Slits had been cut in the fabric, and velcro on the tops of her jeans and the hem of her shirt allowed her to surround the appendages without interfering them. Her mother had taught her to sew. She was always understanding. Despite Amber's strange appearance, her Mom was always there for her. Amber finished her look by placing a black, flame-decorated bandanna over her lengthy brown hair. It was her favorite article of clothing.
The girl made her way downstairs, noticing that Grace, her mother, was at the door. The woman had a bright smile on her face that was always contagious, no matter what sort of mood the teenager was in. Amber couldn't help but smile back and she walked to her Mom, giving her a large hug and wrapping her wings around the woman's back.
"Morning, Mom. Is today the day?" She asked curiously. She noticed that the door was open and two young trainers were at the door. One was a younger girl with darker skin and a rather strange hairstyle, and the other was a young man, more near her age. A cap nearly covered his eyes, and he had a serious look on his face compared to the excitable girl who immediately darted in.
"You must be Amber! I'm Shauna! This is Calum! We're so pleased to meet you! You're an Experiment, aren't you? That's so cool! I love your wings!" She spoke rather rapidly, and began to poke and prod at Amber's wings.
"Heh, yeah, it's nice to meet you too." Amber said as she allowed Shauna to examine the odd appendages. She knew she wasn't the only Experiment out there. The Rockets had other test subjects that underwent the same procedures she had. It was a normal thing now, and she was glad that no one was discriminatory against her. In fact, in the few weeks she was in Kalos, it seemed she was welcomed with open arms. It made her feel less awful about herself, what she had gone through.
"Well, come on! The others are waiting for us!" The young girl laughed and spun around to rush out the door. Calum waved to Amber before following after the hyper girl.
"You heard them, Amber." Grace spoke up, resting a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "I'll be here when you come back with your new Pokemon." Turning the seventeen year old girl to face her, the mother rested her hand beneath the girl's chin, lifting her gaze up, "I know you've been nervous about this day. But you must let go of the past. Explore this new continent and have some fun. You need to take your mind off of things." Her eyes gazed into the ones of her daughter, "Promise me you will at least try."
Amber looked into her mother's blue eyes...they were so much different than hers. They used to share the same colored irises, but since she had become an Experiment, Amber's eyes took on a golden hue. Many of their neighbors thought that Grace had adopted her, but it wasn't true.
"I promise I'll have a good time." She assured her mother. Grace kissed her child on the cheek and sent her off, "I'm looking forward to meeting your partner! See you soon!"
Amber waved goodbye and headed towards the entrance to their yard. Grace's Rhyhorn, Rockslide, slept soundly. His gravelly snores resounded in the air and the teen couldn't help but smirk at how soundly he napped even in the day.
She continued out of the town square. Amber always admired the road to Aquacorde Town. Vaniville Town, where her new home was located, was nestled near a few small cliffs. Leading out was a beautiful path of flower bushes and trees, and once she stepped into Aquacorde, she could see the serene river from the overlooking walkway. The beauty of this place was too much for her mother to resist when searching for a new home.
"Hey Amber! Over here!" Shauna waved the Experiment over to the table she was sitting at. A rather portly teen and a younger pale boy were sitting at the table as well. Amber took her seat, and Shauna spoke up.
"This is Amber, our new neighbor!" She exclaimed, pointing to the winged girl, "She's going to join us in receiving our Pokemon. Amber, this is Tierno..." She pointed to the larger member of the group who saluted the new arrival, "And Trevor!" She motioned to the red haired kid.
"It's nice to meet you all." Amber beamed. The excitement in the air was as contagious as her mother's grin, and as they began to discuss their goals, Tierno wanted to be a top class dancer and Trevor wished to study alongside of the professor, the winged girl felt eagerness within her. It increased when Trevor set a display set before them with three pokeballs on top. One had an image of a leaf, one had a flame, and the other a water droplet.
"So, this is the moment you three have been waiting for." Trevor said with a grin, "Professor Sycamore wanted me to entrust you with these three starters. Amber, you have the most experience in Pokemon training, why don't you choose first?"
The teen felt her heart race when the decision was given her. She looked at the three. She chose fire as a starter for her first pokemon journey years ago...but she knew there were plenty of Fire Pokemon in Kalos. Same with water types. So instead she reached for the grass type Pokemon's ball and threw it before her, "I choose you!"
As the red and white ball struck the ground, it opened up and a beam of light shot towards the ground. As the light cleared, a bipedal mammal appeared before her. He wore a strange green cap that hid his long ears, and had what resembled a three pronged leaf on the top. Two vines hung from the side, resting against his brown-furred chest. His pink nose sniffed at the air and he turned his eyes towards the winged trainer, a grin spreading beneath his snout.
"You must be my trainer. I will do my best to serve you, fair lady." He knelt down as best as he could with his clawed feet and tiny legs.
Amber chuckled and blinked as a Pokedex was placed into her hand. It looked a bit more advanced than the one she had back in Kalos. As she pointed it at the Pokemon, information came up on her screen.
"Chespin, the Spiny Nut Pokemon. Male, Level 5. The quills on this pokemon's head can become so hard and sharp, they can pierce rock."
"Wow, awesome." Amber knelt down to look her new starter Pokemon in the eye, "How do you like the name Lance? After the brave knight Sir Lancelot?"
The Chespin raised his paw, tapping a claw on his chin. He smiled and nodded, "I love that name! May I ask what yours is, fine lady?"
The winged girl laughed at his way of speaking, "The name is Amber. I hope this is the beginning of a wonderful partnership." She held her clawed hand out and the young Pokemon rested his paw against her palm. Shaking one another's hands, the two stood back up and Amber turned to Trevor, who was holding a letter out to her.
"Can you give this to your mother? It's from Professor Sycamore." He placed it in her hands and smiled, "We're going to go ahead and show these two the ropes. You beat the league at Kanto, so you probably don't need a rundown on how to catch Pokemon...Oh!" He rifled through his bag and passed her a pamphlet, "Speaking of which, you may wish to check this out. It's called The Challenge. You may find it interesting."
Amber knelt down next to Lance and read aloud what was on the paper, "Are you strong enough to take 'The Challenge'? You are only allowed one Pokemon per route, the first Pokemon you run into (Shinies are Excluded). Fishing is also included in this rule, but may be caught in towns. Also, any pokemon that faint must be healed up and placed in a box. You may not use that Pokemon through the remainder of your journey." She blinked in surprise, "Man, that sounds really tough. I wouldn't mind trying this out." She looked to Lance with a smile, "What say you? Think you can handle battling without fainting?"
"Of course!" The Chespin exclaimed, tapping his chest with his paw, "I'll handle any pokemon thrown at us!"
"Haha, I admire your spirit for sure." The girl felt at ease with her first starter. He was confident, just like Koranos was. As she turned to head back home, a voice rang out behind her.
"Hey Amber! Wait up! I want to practice battling with you!" Shauna ran towards her, waving her arm frantically. Next to her was a light blue frog-like pokemon. It's head was coated in white bubbles that resembled hair. "My Froakie, Hopsworth, wishes to fight!"
"Alright," Amber said with a smile, pointing towards her, "But I warn you, I won't hold back because you're new. Go Lance!"
The Chespin stepped forward to face the Froakie. As he did, the vines on his hat began to stretch, wrapping around his arms and lowering to the ground like makeshift whips.
"Use Bubble!"
Froakie was the first to leap forward with his powerful legs, taking in a deep breath of air and opening his toothless maw. As he did so, a small stream of bubbles escaped his mouth, drifting quickly towards Lance.
"Bubbles?" Chespin chuckled, holding his claw out to pop one, "I should be afraid of thi-" As his claw met the air-filled sphere of water, it popped rather loudly, the force of it sending him flying back. As he did so, more of them struck his body, surprisingly dealing damage, though, not quite as much as Shauna would've hoped.
Amber sighed, "Don't get too overconfident, Lance! Use Vine Whip!"
The Chespin shook his furry body in order to cast off the water that coated him. He darted forward, pulling both his arms back and then lashing them sideways. The vines struck Hopsworth's side, sending him slamming into one of the chairs nearby. The Froakie retaliated by sending another surge of bubbles, but even as they struck Chespin, the mammal continued moving forward, jabbing his paws towards his opponent.
As he did so, the vines began to wrap around the surprised frog. Lifting both his arms into the air, the force of it made Hopsworth soar upwards. Then, Lance threw his arms down and the vines snapped towards the ground, slamming the weakened frog into the ground. Hopsworth collapsed, his sides heaving as he fainted.
"Aw man, I didn't stand a chance!" Shauna exclaimed as she watched the vines retreat back, forming the strands beneath Lance's hat once more, "That was very impressive!"
Amber and Lance both rubbed the back of their heads. The girl chuckled, "Thanks, I'm a bit rusty, so I'm glad for the refresher."
"And that was amazing! For my first fight I didn't do so badly, huh?" The Chespin asked, lifting his paw towards his trainer.
Amber smiled and rested her hand against his paw, wrapping her fingers between his claws, "You did amazing, Lance. We'll get you healed up after I buy some potions, alright?"
Shauna returned Hopsworth to his Pokeball and she smiled to Amber, "Thanks for battling! I'll see you over on Avance Trail!"
Amber and Lance made their way back to her home, Lance occasionally checking out the flowers in the bushes beside the trail. He took one of the flowers and leapt up onto Amber's tail, climbing up carefully towards her shoulder. Placing it behind her ear, he smiled, "This is for you, a beautiful flower for a beautiful lady."
The girl chuckled, a bit of redness spreading to her cheeks, "You flatter me, Lance. I appreciate the gift." She smirked as he slid back down her back.
"May I ask why you have the wings and tail of a Pokemon? The other young humans don't seem to have them." The Chespin asked as he kept up alongside of her. Size wise he came up to her knee, so he had to look up in order to try and get her attention, "Is it a rare gift?"
The girl stopped in her tracks, a soft sigh escaping her lips. If he looked close enough, Lance could see her sharp fangs that replaced her canine teeth long ago, "I wasn't always like this. There are a few of us humans that were experimented on by...bad people. Our Pokemon were killed to give us these appendages. My Charizard was destroyed and I was given his wings. It's something that haunts me to this very day."
"I'm so sorry, milady. I didn't mean to bring up such terrible memories." The Chespin scratched the side of his face nervously, "I hope you will forgive me."
"Of course, you wouldn't have known. And it's no big deal, I've learned to live with it. Heh, it does have its advantages. I just wish I hadn't lost a good friend." Making her way to her front door, she knocked and immediately her mother threw it open. Amber was smothered in a hug as soon before she could even say hello.
"Oh baby girl! I'm so excited for you!" Grace released the girl from her vicegrip and knelt down, "And this must be your new partner! It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"You must be Amber's mother. I can see where she gets her lovely looks from!" Lance grabbed Grace's hand in his two paws and gave a polite kiss to the back of it.
"My my, what a gentleman." Grace laughed and looked to Amber, "I've never seen this Pokemon before."
"He's a Chespin, native to Kalos. His name's Lance." Amber explained with a grin. "I have this for you." She passed Grace the letter.
The woman's eyes scanned the words and she smiled, "Looks like Professor Sycamore would like to see you in Lumiose City. He's discovered something new and wants you to pay him a visit." Grace grabbed a backpack nearby and handed it to her daughter, "I packed some clothes and supplies for your journey. I remember us having to go through this five years ago...my how time flies." Kissing Amber on the forehead, she smiled, "Please be safe! I'll miss you so much!" She turned to Lance, "Keep my baby safe, alright? I'm sure you'll become a powerful Pokemon under her training."
Lance bowed low, his arm stretched in front of his chest, "I assure you I will protect her with my very life. Your daughter shall return here safely when her journey is over." His furry lips curled in a smile, "You can count on me."
Grace ruffled his hat and smiled, "I know you'll do great." Giving her daughter one last hug, she gently pat her on the shoulder, "Well, go on ahead. I love you so much and I'll miss you."
"I love you too, Mom. I promise I'll come home safely." Amber waved goodbye after the hug and she and her Pokemon walked out the door.
She only made it a few feet when a large hulking figure stood in her path. Rockslide stood before her, lifting his head, "You're leaving us again, huh?" He pressed his horn forward against Amber's hand, "Be careful, alright? You know how much your mother worries."
"I will. Don't worry." Amber gently ran her hand across the thick rocky ridge above the Rhyhorn's eye, "Take care of my mother while I'm gone."
"I will." With a gentle nod of his head, Rockslide stomped back over towards the blanket he usually rested on, closing his eyes as he lay beneath the shade of the tree.
With another glance to the Chespin, Amber smiled, shrugged her shoulders, and led the way out of Vaniville. As they walked back through the trail, she took a deep breath. Her new Pokemon Adventure was about to start, and she hoped it wouldn't be as dangerous as her last.