Aegis: Hey everyone! My name is Aegis Dragon. Most people just call me Aegis. Anyway, this is a reboot and rehash of a story that I'd abandoned not long after starting, this time with a friend to help me and keep me motivated. Say hello!
DarkFoxKit: … Um… hello… everyone.
Aegis: Heh. She's a bit shy, but she's good at writing. I'm helping her write her own story, a series called Child of Mew. So I asked if she'd like to help me out with my story since I find it so much fun to write with her.
DarkFoxKit: Yeah, it was rather difficult to stay motivated writing Child of Mew, but it is my most popular story on the internet, so I wanted to keep going with it somehow. And I'm here to return the favor to Aegis for helping me out.
Aegis: Come on. You don't need to feel like you owe me anything. If anything, I owe you for allowing me to be a part of such a great story. So this will make two that I owe you.
DarkFoxKit: Oh, that's okay. Writing stories, or at least fanfiction stories, is my passion. I just like to help out the people I care about any way I can.
Aegis: Glad to hear that. Anyway, a word of warning. This story is OC-centric, and it's not going to be like any story you've read before (at least, I hope not). There will be philosophical and religious themes within, and it's certainly not going to be about a typical trainer's typical journey. Like DarkFoxKit, my story is going to open new doors and introduce new things into the world of Pokemon. So if original content isn't your thing, turn back now.
DarkFoxKit: I'm not really an OC fan myself, but when I do write about an OC, I try to make them relatable and likable. It worked with Andy… well my Andy on my Danny Phantom fanfics.
Aegis: Not to be confused with my Andy in Child of Mew. Sorry I couldn't come up with a different name. I just suck at names. Anyway, I think we've dawdled on this AN too long. It's starting to look like it's just promoting your story.
DarkFoxKit: Technically your OC's name is Andreas. And I didn't meant to promote it. It was just to show how I usually handle OCs. ^^' But yeah, let's get started on the story now.
As With All Things, the Beginning
When people of the world spoke of a land of technological advancement to rival all other regions, most would point you to Unova. This land has a rich history and culture that is derived from all others of the world. The religion of Arceus is practiced at a large scale here, second only to Sinnoh, and he is worshipped as the creator of everything that was, is, and will be.
The land is filled with thriving cities that live with the luxury of technological masterpieces, and run on the pinnacle of modern science. But in spite of this, there are still a few places to be found away from the loud cities. Quiet, rural towns with a peaceful atmosphere, and night skies still filled with stars. It's here, in Nuvema town, that our story begins.
Nuvema is set at the edge of the sea, with the ocean winds constantly breezing through the gentle town. The only place to find the technology usually found throughout the region is Professor Juniper's laboratory. Like all Pokemon Researchers, she'd settled into a small, rural town at the edge of her assigned region, to conduct her studies in a peaceful and quiet atmosphere.
But that's not all that's found here. Recently, an orphanage was built in Nuvema. Being a small town, the League, which served as the prevailing government of the world, decided that Nuvema would be the best place to build it, as it would give children a nice, open atmosphere to grow up in, and a fitting place for a fresh start at life.
The orphanage never had many children, eleven being the record high so far, and most of them ended up adopted rather quickly. But one of the children, who'd been there since the orphanage was founded, had never found a new home. His name is Alexander. And this is his story.
"Alex! Hey Alex!" A girl who was at the tender age of 8 came running into a room, carrying a book. "Alex, guess what? I found this book about Pokemon from one of the shelves. I know how you talked about becoming a Pokemon Trainer one day, so maybe you would like to read this?"
At ten years old, Alex was currently the oldest in the orphanage, though that wasn't saying much, considering he was still quite young. He smiled at the little girl. So far, she hadn't been adopted either. And she was more or less the only friend he had here. He took the book gratefully. "Thanks, Sophie," he said quietly. While not necessarily shy, he didn't really like being around other people, Sophie being the exception. Well, one of them. And even then, he still kept communication with her to a minimum. The matron kept telling him that that was why no one would adopt him, that he needed to be more sociable. But he couldn't help it. He just didn't like people.
"Hey, I'll bet your favorite Pokemon is in that book!" Sophie smiled excitedly. "I saw a cute Tepig in there, and even an Eevee!"
Alex chuckled softly. "It probably won't be. I can never find very much on Mew."
Every child born was said to be born under the watchful gaze of one of the Legendary Guardians, the original Legendaries created by Arceus. And the one that supposedly presided over Alexander's birth was Mew. He'd always wanted to know more about the mysterious Pokemon, but as was the case with Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, there just wasn't much to find.
"Well I guess that makes sense… I heard that nobody's really seen Mew, so… how would they know anything about it?" Sophie said. "But I like to bet it's very cute and shy like you."
Alex twitched. "I'm not shy," he muttered.
There was a knock on the door, and a middle aged woman opened it, "Sophie, some parents are here to meet you now."
"Oh! Okay… well you keep reading, Alex, I'll go see if the parents want to adopt me," Sophie said as she went over with the caretaker.
Alex nodded and opened the book, flipping through it's pages slowly as he read. Sophie had picked a book that outlined Pokemon's individual habitats and lifestyles. A fresh change of pace, since most books he read concerned combat abilities and effectiveness. However, the book only listed Pokemon native to Unova. Nevertheless, he enjoyed himself reading it.
"Hey!" The door opened again, this time a chubby boy who was only a few months younger than Alex walked in. The chubby boy was chewing on a brownie. "What are you doing now? Reading about Pokemon again? What a nerd. Pokemon will never respect someone like you, you barely even talk to your own kind."
Alex scowled. "I'm not in the mood, Brent," he said quietly.
"You're never in the mood," Brent said. "Look at you. You're, like, ten years old and you still haven't even tried to get your Pokemon license! The caretaker just took me to Professor Juniper's lab yesterday to look at the starter Pokemon she gives out. If I get adopted, then I can have one too!"
Alex blinked. "I just… want to know what I'm doing before I start."
"And what do you plan to do if you ever become a Pokemon Trainer?" Brent asked. "You know you'd have to talk to other Trainers too, right?"
Alex stayed silent for a while. "I'll… I'll figure something out."
"Right, just like how you figured out how to get yourself adopted from this place," Brent laughed as he stuffed the rest of the brownie into his mouth.
Alex scowled. "I'll get out before you!" He responded, fed up with Brent's attitude. "All you do is insult people! What kind of parent wants a child like you!?"
"It's simple," Brent smirked. "All you have to do is act all nice with them, then the sappy parents will adopt you in a heartbeat. Maybe you should try it."
Alex just scowled at Brent before silently returning to his book.
"What kind of kid stays inside and reads books all day?" Brent rolled his eyes. "If you want to see real Pokemon living in their homes, just go outside, they're everywhere! Mark my words, Alex, you'll never be a Pokemon Trainer!"
Alex snarled. "I'll be a better one than you."
Brent just laughed in his face as he walked out of the door.
Alex just growled to himself. Brent had asserted himself as the one in charge the moment he set foot in the orphanage. And he'd personally taken it upon himself to terrorize Alex at every step. Sophie usually came to his defense, but Brent learned to pick his fights when she wasn't around.
A couple of hours passed and Alex was still reading the book in his room, waiting for Sophie to return.
Sophie came running into the room, looking all happy and excited. She was putting some of her toys into a bag before she turned to Alex. "Hey Alex! Guess what? The parents I talked to! they've decided to adopt me! And they already have a child, so I have an older brother to look out for me, can you believe that?"
Alex was shocked at this revelation, but didn't respond with the excitement that was probably expected. This meant that his only friend at the orphanage was leaving. The only one that bothered to even try understanding him. "That's… that's great," he said, trying to put on a smile for her. "Good for you."
"Yeah!" Sophie smiled before turning to him. "Um… Alex, would you… be okay without me? I mean, you… don't exactly like talking to a lot of people."
"I'll be fine," he lied. "I'll… I'll figure something out."
"... Okay! I'm sure you'll get adopted soon, and then you can finally be an awesome Pokemon Trainer!" Sophie smiled brightly to him. "And don't let Brent push you around, okay? You've gotta stand up for yourself." She put in a stuffed Oshawott into her bag. It was a birthday present Alex gave to her last year, and she's carried it around with her a lot ever since.
Alex gave her a half smile. "I'll try," he said quietly, trying to hold back tears. He didn't want her to leave. She was the only thing he had.
"Oh… here," Sophie said as she gave him a stuffed Snivy. "I got this for your birthday coming up… but since I'm leaving, I figured I should give it to you now."
Alex blinked and slowly took the Snivy from her hands. Looking down on it for a while, he lost his composure and he leapt up and hugged Sophie, tears streaming down his face. "Please don't leave! I don't want you to go away!"
Sophie almost lost her balance at the sudden hug. "W-whoa… Alex, please don't cry. I… I don't want to leave you either… but I've been waiting to get adopted for a long time…" She hugged the crying boy back. "But I'm sure you'll be fine. Just don't stop being you, okay?"
Alex just continued sobbing, holding onto his only friend tightly.
"Oh Alex… come on, take it easy… Look, if you ever get lonely, just look at Snivy and talk to her. She's a real good listener and she cares for her Trainer," Sophie said. "She'll even let you snuggle up with her at night."
Alex slowly began to calm down and nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Promise you won't ever forget me. Promise we'll see each other again."
Sophie put her hands on his shoulder, looked at him in the eye and said, "I promise. We'll both become Pokemon Trainers one day, and I'm sure we'll run into each other with our own Pokemon partners. Maybe we could battle each other too."
Alex smiled genuinely. "I'd like that," he said softly.
"Alright, it's a promise." Sophie smiled to him.
Days turned into months, and months turned into years. Alex still avoided people, and as the children kept coming in and out of the orphanage, it seemed that he'd never be adopted. But he'd accepted that a long time ago.
He was seventeen now. Today, he'd be turning eighteen. And once he did, the League would recognize him as independant and he'd be allowed to leave the orphanage. He'd finally be able to start his journey and become a trainer.
He was in his room, reading a book that detailed the research of Professor Sycamore in Kalos while he was waiting, when the matron called him with the good news.
"Alex, guess what?" The middle aged lady said, though she's becoming old from the looks of her wrinkled skin, either that or she had poor skincare. "You're now old enough to leave the orphanage and live out on your own. Too bad you never got to be raised by a real family, but that's how life is when you avoid people."
Alex sighed. "I can't help that and you know it. You're beating a dead Ponyta at this point."
"Oh well, it's not my problem anymore. Just pack what you need and get out, I can't afford too many mouths to feed," The woman said before leaving him alone.
Alex sighed in exasperation and began packing. In truth, he'd been looking forward to this day. He was finally away from this place, finally able to go out on his own. After working at Professor Juniper's lab for much of his young life to make some extra money, he'd developed an insatiable curiosity for the outside world, and now he could finally satisfy it. And maybe even find Sophie.
Moments later, with a single large backpack full of necessities and a few personal belongings, he was outside of Juniper's lab, frozen in anticipation. And after working himself up a bit more, he stepped inside.
All around him were whirring machines and beeping computers, some running calculations for the Professor's research while the rest did Arceus knows what. It was a sight he was used to after years of working here. And at the end of the large room, standing at a table with three Pokeballs, was Professor Juniper herself.
Professor Juniper appeared to be a nice, somewhat young woman. She was a lot more peppy than the caretaker back at the orphanage, and a lot nicer.
"Hey Alex! Is it already your eighteenth birthday?" She asked, giving him a smile.
Alex smiled back. Aside from Sophie, Professor Juniper was the only other person he got along well with, and her kind demeanor played no small part in that. "Come on. I know you didn't forget. Otherwise you wouldn't have those out," he said, pointing to the Pokeballs.
"Of course not," Juniper chuckled. "I know how much you've been looking forward to this day. I had these three bred and prepared for you a few days ago. Each one will make a great partner for you. All you have to do is choose the one you want to start your journey with and you're off!"
Alex smiled and walked forward. He already knew who he'd pick. Afterall, it's counterpart, the final gift Sophie had given him, was in his backpack. He reached out and grabbed the Pokeball with the Leaf on it, the symbol of the Grass type, and tossed it into the air. The red and white sphere popped open and a bright light shot out, releasing a slim, green and creme colored Pokemon.
"Snivy Sni," The Pokemon said in a feminine voice.
Juniper gave another chuckle before she said, "Now how did I know that was the one you'd pick? Do you want to give her a nickname?"
Alex smiled and kneeled down, looked at the Snivy closely. "How about… Lamia?"
The Snivy tilted her head a bit before smiling to him. "Sniv!" She put her hands on her waist.
Alex chuckled. "You're a peppy one, aren't you?"
"Snivy… vi?" Lamia looked at him curiously.
"She's still young, and she's curious about who you are," Juniper explained, smiling at the interaction.
Alex smiled and gently grabbed Lamia, placing her on his shoulder. "Well, we'll get plenty of time to know each other." He turned to Juniper. "Thank you Professor. For everything."
"Of course! You've been such a big help around the lab, so it's only right that I return the favor somehow," Professor Juniper said, before she handed him some Pokeballs and a Pokedex. "Here, be sure to use these on your journey. Unfortunately I can only supply beginning Trainers with five Pokeballs, you'll have to buy more from a Poke Mart later."
Alex nodded. "From what I understand, I'll make plenty of money battling other Trainers. But I should probably get to strengthening Lamia before we do that."
"Yes, that's how Trainers make money, by battling each other and winning," Juniper said. "It may seem barbaric in some regions, but the Pokemon don't seem to mind, and it's always been more about the fun of competition rather than actual malice. I wish you luck on your journey out there, Alex, and be careful."
Alex smiled. "I will."